One of the most unique chapters of Indianapolis Motor Speedway history was the June 1910 aviation show. Speedway President Carl Fisher loved leading edge technology, and he was almost as fascinated with aviation as race cars. This folder is packed with articles about that six day event which featured appearances by the Wright brothers and their star pilot, 21 year old Walter Brookins, who set a world altitude record at the meet. Carl Fisher got into the act, riding with Orville Wright in one of his pipe and stretched silk biplanes at dusk on one of the evenings. Fisher and Wright, fully exposed to the elements, laid on their stomachs, the Speedway president white-knuckling the metal pipe structure.

Preparations for the Air Show

This is a nice article published June 11, 1910, just two days prior to the start of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's air show. It reviews preparations for the event and explains the card of 35 events.
Walter Brookins Background

This is a nice piece that provides background to Walter Brookins, the 21-year-old sensation that became the star of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's June 1910 aviation show.
Brookins Awes Wright Brothers

This may be the best single article covering the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's June 1910 airshow. Published in the Indianapolis Star July 17, 1910, it offers colorful accounts such as the star pilot of the Wright Brothers team, Walter Brookins, donning a green sweater to stave off the cold of winds a mile high in the sky. The Wrights confessed they were astounded at the skill of their 21-year-old pilot, who had only learned to fly weeks earlier.
Images from Last Day of 1910 Air Show

This is just a one page PDF with three poor quality images of the aviation show at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in June 1910. This material was published Sunday, June 19, 1910 in the Indianapolis Star. The best image is the most significant one.

These articles appeared in local Indianapolis papers about three weeks after the July 4, weekend of 1910. One article (July 28) reports the disqualification of the Buick team from the race meet. The reasoning was that the races were for stock cars, and apparently the Buick racers did not meet that standard. Another article reports the resignation of Ernie Moross, formerly associated with Barney Oldfield, as Director of Contests at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Another article reports an attempt by the Speedway to attract foreign manufacturers and drivers such as Felice Nazzaro and Lewis Wagner to the Speedway for its upcoming September 1910 races. An additional item reports on a project to pave Indianapolis streets with bricks, as with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway 1911 Monorail?

This interesting article was published in the Indianapolis News on July 9, 1910. The article shares the latest thoughts of Speedway management for their menu events for the 1911 season. Interestingly, none of the plans called for the Indianapolis 500 or any other single, long-distance event. They were looking at starting the Glidden Tour (a reliability run that was conducted between 1905 and 1913 and the forerunner to road rallies) at the Speedway.
Heavyweight Champ at IMS Stirs Controversy

Heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, the first African-American to hold that title, was a controversial figure in America in the early 20th Century.
IMS Scuttles 1910 24-Hour Race

This brief article reports on efforts by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway management team to organize events for the second half of the 1910 season. Originally, they had announced a 24-hour auto race for August, which they cancelled in early July. Also falling by the wayside was a balloon race that was planned to open for the day long auto race. Funds targeted to promote these contests were then invested in the September 1910 race meet associated with Labor Day.

Ormond/Daytona Beach – 1910

Fourteen files document Barney Oldfield’s world land speed record run in March 1910. Oldfield acquired the famous “Blitzen Benz,” renamed it the “Lightning Benz” and drove it to 131.7 MPH to set the new record. At the time, the speed was the fastest any person had traveled in any kind of vehicle – car, train or airplane.

Oldfield in Parkersburg, West Virginia in Lightning Benz

As a follow-up to Oldfield's Ormond Beach land speed record in March, he toured the country showcasing his impressive "Lightning Benz," aka "Blitzen Benz." This brief article highlights a promotion around his upcoming appearance at a track in Parkersburg, West Virginia. The article was published in the Indianapolis News on July 16, 1910.

A file of research on Louis Chevrolet, the leader of the Chevrolet brothers, which included Arthur and Gaston, who won the 1920 Indianapolis 500. Chevrolet was an excellent driver, mechanic and engineer. He struggled with his business dealings, losing his interest in the Chevrolet Motor Company, which eventually became part of GM. Several other efforts went south as well and he was reduced to humble means by the time of his death in 1941.

A Fragment of an Article

Only check out this article if you are a serious researcher investigating Louis Chevrolet. The quality is poor, and the article is incomplete. It has data points about Chevrolet's early career - such as the time he spent at a winery and later at Mors. Otherwise, don't waste your time.

Balloon racing returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1910. Again, Speedway President Carl Fisher partnered with his friend and ballooning mentor, George Bumbaugh in their craft, "The Indiana."

Bumbaugh Prepares Fisher's Balloon: The Indiana

This short piece discusses preparations for a trial of Carl Fisher's second big balloon, Indiana. His ballooning buddy, George Bumbaugh designed and build the vessel in the coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. One interesting fact that comes to light is that the Fisher-Bumbaugh effort in the first national championship balloon race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (June 5, 1909) the first Indiana was disqualified when the two men anchored just above the ground to obtain some water.