Oldfield Suicide Attempt

In July 1907 Barney Oldfield apparently attempted suicide with a threatened leap from the ledge of his Portland, Oregon hotel room. On the other hand there can be no doubt that he had a flair for the dramatic and it is almost equally certain he was an alcoholic and so it is quite possible he had little intention of taking the plunge.
Influential Barney Oldfield in 1906

The attached article is a clip uncovered by Elsa Nystrom. It addresses the influence of Barney Oldfield during 1906 as it focuses on how young men and boys created "hot rods" (before the term was employed to describe tricked-out street cars or racers).
1909 - Oval Vs. Road Racing

This article discusses the some of the top topics of the day in 1909 as motor racing was taking shape as a profession. Two that discussed most thoroughly are financial compensation for drivers, the differences in driving technique between road racing and oval racing as well as comparing the skills of American and European drivers.
A Call to Arms

This article from an April 1906 issue of The Automobile is an editorial that urges the American automobile industry to take track and road race competition seriously. It calls on the success of the American bicycle industry when they took up the mantle of competing with Euro manufacturers in the 1890's. That argument posits that through competition the market and the industry grew in the United States.
Algonquin Hill Climb - 1906

A Buick ad touting the success of to of its models in the 1906 Algonquin Hill Climb.

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.

Pre-Brickyard May Racing in Indianapolis

Memorial Day as a big motor racing tradition was established in Indianapolis even before there was an Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The primary organizer? Well, Carl Fisher of course.
 
Fisher's Track Dreams - 1905

This is a hugely important article that sets the basic date by which Carl Fisher had begun planning a giant speedway. This article was published in the Indianapolis Star on December 17, 1905.
Carload of Maxwells

This is a small article which is actually a digest of current topics for the fall of 1906 in Indianapolis. Published in the Indianapolis Star on November 4, 1906, one item calls out a shipment of Maxwell cars to Carl Fisher's 330 North Illinois dealership.

Five files from the Barney Oldfield scrapbook documenting the 1906 Broadway Play starring Elsie Janis.
The Broadway Play - 1906
Barney Oldfield was also featured as he developed a special effect perfect for the play. It involved a pair of treadmills, two of his race cars, and his longtime partner, Tom Cooper. Oldfield and Cooper drove their cars on the treadmills and together with scenery props rotating on a carousel in the background and bags of dirt kicked up by their wheels; they were able to simulate an auto race. Janis was only 17 years old at the time of the play’s opening.

Oldfield the Actor

This brief item from the Indianapolis Star mentions that Barney Oldfield was acting in the Broadway Play, "The Vanderbilt Cup." The article was published on February 6, 1906 and describes Oldfield's visit to that year's edition of the annual Chicago Automobile Show. It is reported that a large crowd followed him on his tour of the exhibits.

Few people know it, but the first national championship awarded by a points system occurred in 1905. The AAA sanctioned a national championship for track racing and announced it in May. The prime contenders were Barney Oldfield, Louis Chevrolet and Webb Jay. The schedule included tracks at Empire City (New York), Charter Oak (Hartford, Connecticut), Brunots Island (Pennsylvania), Morris Park (New Jersey), Glenville (Ohio), Kennilworth (Buffalo, NY), Readville (Boston, MA), Providence (Rhode Island) and Poughkeepsie (New York). Oldfield, Jay and Winton Bullet II driver Earl Kiser were injured in spectacular accidents. Kiser and Jay were hurt badly enough that their careers were curtailed. Oldfield recovered to win the championship after Chevrolet inexplicably dropped out. The 1905 racing season provided one of the most interesting years of early American auto racing. Legendary names like Chevrolet and Oldfield played huge roles, the first points awarded championship played out and serious accidents to three of the sport's biggest stars threatened the cancellation of auto racing in general.

Major Charles Miller

A peculiar figure in auto racing history, Major Charles Miller was a bit of a flash in the pan, his greatest single contribution was providing Louis Chevrolet with his first race driving opportunity at the Morris Park, New York race track in May 1905.