Free, Easy Access to Rare Insights & Info

Welcome to First Super Speedway!
 
First Super Speedway (FSS) is the largest on-line archive of primary research about pre-1920 auto racing history in the world.
 
It's also 100% free to users.
 
FSS is ideal for history researchers, authors, motor sports journalists, educators and auto racing history aficionados. This site is chockfull of volumes of material about the earliest oval horse track races, the seminal races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and road racing content as well, such as original articles about the brutally hot first French Grand Prix in 1906.
 

A Place of Discovery
 
Keep this in mind: First Super Speedway is more than historical record. It is a place of discovery, a source of "new" old news.
 
For example, even the best informed motorsports historians may be surprised to learn the iconic Marmon Wasp, the winning car of the first Indianapolis 500, was not designed for that race but in fact for the 1910 Wheeler-Schebler Trophy race. That 200-mile grind was the featured contest of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's first full race meet after it was paved with bricks as well as its first Memorial Day Holiday motorsports competition.
 
There is so much more on the Marmon Wasp, its driver Ray Harroun and the backdrop to racing in general at the time. The car was nearly destroyed on May 31, 1910 and Marmon officials considered scrapping it, but instead restored it making history as we know it possible. Also, the car was designed with a heavy emphasis on aerodynamics resulting in a slender, single-seat body and a pointed tail much like an arrow. It won in its maiden competition not at Indianapolis but on the two-mile Atlanta speedway and was first driven not by the team's star driver Ray Harroun but by journeyman Harry "Sunshine" Stillman. This is just one example of the discoveries, the details behind legends.
 
I have done careful analysis and re-discovered significant facts previously not just obscured over time but lost to the ages. I call out some of the more significant items here to not only give you quicker access but also to illustrate how to best navigate this site. FSS pages are organized by various high-level topics:

 
What you find with FSS items that include as attachments primary research in the form of digitized copies of newspaper articles and photographs. The attachments are prefaced with an overlay that connects the dots between the article or image in the attachment and its larger historical context - including relevant information about the subject sometimes including events up to and including current times.  Aside from some of the oldest entries each of these analysis peices are laden with embeded links that serve to connect those dots and expand the story. I do my best to make sure all the links are truly relevant and enable fast research for both professionals and enthusiasts. I want nothing more than for you to enjoy yourself.
 
Some of My Favorite Topics
 
The Marmon Wasp: Pertinent to my comments above, here are some of the most interesting items that touch on what I mentioned previously.

 
The First National Points Championship: Through the years this topic has been debated with people arguing that the first champion was crowned in 1909 while others point to 1916. While 1916 is the better answer because 1909 and interim years did not employ a point system, neither is correct. The first points championship came in 1905 and I call it, "The Lost Championship."

 
Barney Oldfield: Speaking of Barney, FSS offers the world's only digitzed collection of articles from his personal scrapbook. Given that he was probably the most influential figure in pre-World War I motorsports FSS also provides the largest single archive of in-period articles about Oldfield. Also, I have created two image galleries on the driver.

 
When Was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Conceived? With the construction of concrete-paved Brooklands two years prior to the 1909 opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway many lept to the conclusion that the Speedway founders merely copied the idea. There is every reason to believe this is completely untrue as Carl Fisher led the push to develop such a facility years in advance. He first broached the subject with his fellow founders in 1905.

 
More on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - the Founders: You won't find any better single resource in the world on the founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

 
The Brickyard: How did it all begin? 

 
The Indianapolis 500: You won't find any one place on Earth with more extensive information on these two early races.

 
Classic Races & Venues: Early Days Racing Was Both Romantic and Deadly.

 
I don't want to leave you with the impression that what you see linked here is the extent of the content on First Super Speedway. There are full books, introductions to amazing personalities you may never have heard of like Tom Kincaid or Johnny Aitken, original art and so much more.
 
Really, this is just the tip of the iceberg. This page is just my best attempt to give you a sample.
 
The main navigation point to remember is to explore, always explore. Most FSS pages are full of links that not only help you drill down on your initial inquiry but also enable you to explore motorsports life as it was during the first 20 years of the 20th Century. Enjoy!