The great Los Angeles-to-Phoenix off-road race (more commonly known as "The Cactus Derby") was another of the terrific classics from the sport's early days. In its 1914 edition, track racing legend and barnstormer Barney Oldfield entered the same Stutz racer he had piloted to fifth place in that year's Indianapolis 500.
I came across a small item (second page of the PDF, bottom) about how driver Louis Disbrow tuned his Pope-Hartford racer while driving it from Connecticut to the first Indianapolis 500. Hmm...now just how many cops do you suppose he left in the dust on those old dirt roads?