Knox & Christie @ IMS!

These images appeared in the August 11, 1909, Indianapolis Star, as anticipation built for the first automobile races at the new Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which were scheduled to start on August 19.
 
Pictured here are two race cars that entered the meet. To the left is the famous front wheel drive Christie racer designed by John Walter Christie. This may be the car that Barney Oldfield used to set the first 100 MPH average speed lap around the Speedway seven years later in 1916. If not, it was done in a very similar model Christie. The car to the right is a Knox racer with driver Al Denison at the wheel.
 
The caption accompanying the photo reads as follows:
 
"The streets of Indianapolis are now dotted with low-built, powerful racing automobiles that are arriving daily to practice for the speedway races. Walter Christie's latest creation, a "greyhound car" is attracting considerable attention. It is made entirely of steel, even to the wheel spokes. The Giant Knox, Benz, Stoddard-Dayton, Marion Flyers, Marmon Speeders, National and Apperson machines are on the scene and are being tested out. Others are expected today. In all the finest lot of swift machines will be assembled here that have ever been brought together before in the history of the racing game."