Joe Matson @ Atlanta - 1909

This photo was originally published in the November 14, 1909 Indianapolis Star. The image is of Joe Matson in his Chalmers-Detroit racer. The photo supported an article about the  first race meet at the Atlanta Speedway, a crushed gravel two-mile oval. The split frame of the photo was unexplained in the paper and I assume both images are of Matson, who does not look too happy in either.
 
Although Matson had a good year in 1909 with wins in the Indiana Trophy and Massapequa Sweepstakes his week in Atlanta was basically lackluster. He did pick up one two-lap (four miles) sprint race on day 3 of the meet.
 
Atlanta Speedway was seen at the time to be a strong rival to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which was undergoing a transformation from crushed stone and "taroid" to a brick paved surface. Many new  demolished had been established at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's first automobile race meet in August. Neither Atlanta nor Indianapolis were as fast as Brooklands, the high-banked concrete course in England.