Fifteen articles in this collection document significant events in Carl Fisher’s life. His “palimony” suit with Gertrude Hassler is an interesting example. Another important point is the Zanesville, Ohio county fair horse track accident in September 1903 that involved his teammate Earl Kiser and resulted in the death of several spectators. Also, there is Carl’s wonderful first hand account of his balloon ride when he competed in the Speedway’s first competition – the national balloon championships of June 1909.

Bennett Cup - Ballooning 1908

This is an immensely interesting article published in the October 12, 1908 Indianapolis Star about the James Gordon Bennett Cup for ballooning.
Road Racing More Dangerous Than Ovals?

In the early days of oval track racing it received a ton of criticism for being so dangerous it was unconscionable. Luminaries like Henry Ford and Frederic L. Smith (Oldsmobile leader) announced that they were withdrawing from oval track racing.
 
Indiana Bureau of Good Roads

These articles discuss the need for and debate over developing modern public roads in early days of automobiles. This was an ongoing debate - inevitably linked to the role of government in what projects should receive public funding - as American society grappled with a huge "inflection point" in the technology of transportation and the demands placed on roadways.
1908 - American Grand Prize

This is a collection of articles about the 1908 American Grand Prize from the Indianapolis Star (See articles on the preparation for this race elsewhere on First Super Speedway.) The race was part of a larger event that included a voiturrette race for light cars. A November 1, 1908 article (attachment Savannah110108) announces that 17 of the small cars were entered.
Strang at New Orleans - 1908

This is a very brief item from the November 8, 1908 Indianapolis Star concerning one of America's top-flight drivers of the day, Lewis Strang. Strang was a busy man. He was preparing for the 1908 American Grand Prize but prior to that he was taking a stab at the world's speed record for 24 hours. The article is poorly written which might be the result of a botched editing job to size it down from a more comprehensive report.
Fred Wagner's Career Move

Fred Wagner was the recognized premier auto race starter of America in the sport's early days.
1908 Vanderbilt Cup

The 1908 Vanderbilt Cup was a hard fought revival. The death of a spectator in 1906, the excessively optomistic projections on the development of the concrete paved Long Island Motor Parkway and the unanticipated battle with the ACA all cast doubt on the AAA's ability to pull the contest off.
Indianapolis Auto Show - 1909

This is a collection of articles from the Indianapolis Star concerning the 1909 Indianapolis Auto Show.
 
To Race Or Not To Race?

This article was published in the March 21, 1909 Indianapolis Star and is an editorial discussing the merits of auto racing primarily concerning its contributions to the development of the automobile. The upshot of the article is that racing could make contributions but needed to be conducted in a responsible manner. In particular it calls out the use of public roads as being excessively dangerous.

Information about the operations of the AAA as the primary sanctioning body of auto racing in the United States, especially in the earliest days of the sport.

AAA Consolidates Power

This article from the February 21, 1909 Indianapolis Star (attachment AAAcontrocl022109) is interesting in that it announces the American Automobie Association's (AAA) plan to consolidate its power as the overarching automobile race sanctioning body in the United States.