May 1 - 1913 Entry List

Today we have two attachments containing articles, one from the Indianapolis Star and the other from the Indianapolis News - the first articles on the topic of that year's Indianapolis 500 to appear in a major daily newspaper serving the Indianapolis area. The theme of the main articles is the entry list for the race which at that point amounted to 28 cars. Two articles were published May 1, 1913 in the Indianapolis News and bring up interesting points.

• The rules of the day called for 30 starters, not 33. Obviously "33" was not part of the Indy 500 brand in 1913.
• The reality is that this was also a reflection of the investment manufacturers and privateers were willing to make in participation in the race. It was a far cry from the great show of enthusiasm that resulted in 40 starters for the 1911 "500." Interesting, too, that 100 years later the race struggles to assemble 33 starters. Racing is an expensive proposition and requires patronage as profitable business models are hard to come by.
• Note the smaller article focusing on the electric timing device. The bizarre notion that a wire could be stretched across the track even an inch above the surface is so obviously flawed in hindsight.
• Also, note that the first pagoda was almost complete when this article was written. Too bad there isn't some kind of formal recognition of the 100th anniversary of the first pagoda. A photo of that structure is also attached.

The other attachment is a nice piece that contains an article from the May 1, 1913 Indianapolis Star. It goes into some detail about the latest entries for the upcoming Indianapolis 500 including the Case racing team led by veteran Louis Disbrow with teams Bill Endicott and Joe Nikrent. The article also discusses the Italian Isotta entries with two-time Vanderbilt Cup winner Harry Grant and "Terrible" Teddy Tetzlaff. Another nice aspect of the article comes through the information about Ralph Mulford as the driver of the E.J. Schroeder Mercedes entry - billed as an improved version of the car Ralph DePalma nearly drove to victory the year before.