TWENTY-FOUR CARS IN SPEEDWAY RACE

Topics:  Indianapolis 500

The New York Times
May 30, 1915

Famous Racing Pilots Will Drive in 500-Mile Sweepstakes for $75,000 in Prizes.

More than a score of the fastest cars and drivers in the world are ready at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to start tomorrow in the annual 500-mile international sweepstakes, for which prizes aggregating over $75,000 are offered. The race was originally scheduled for yesterday, but weather conditions necessitated a postponement.

With five full three-car teams the contest promises to excel any previous sweepstakes held on the speedway. Five teams constitute a record for the track, the nearest approach being last year's race in which there were four. Two of the three-car aggregations are foreign, Peugeot and Sunbeam, with three American, Stutz, Maxwell, and Duesenberg.

Though forty cars were originally entered, only twenty-four will start. All the best drivers of America, Germany, England, France, and Italy will handle the cars, such as De Palma, Resta, Anderson, Cooper, Wilcox, Grant, Mulford, Burman, Babcock, Hughes, Chevrolet, and Reckenbacher.

The battle between these famous drivers promises to be a memorable one, especially among the quintet of team entries. There are a number of individual entrants who will be found battling near the head of the procession when the end of the contest is reached.

Twice this event has been won by Americans, and twice by Europeans. This is the fifth and rubber. The first race was won by a Marmon car driven by Ray Harroun. The second was credited to the National with Joe Dawson at the wheel. In 1913 Jules Goux was the first European to pilot a Peugeot to victory and last year René Thomas in a Delage was successful.

The Speedway track is two and one-half miles long, and built of vitrified brick. It is sixty feet wide, with 1,500 foot turns, banked sixteen degrees. Speed up to 100 miles an hour is attainable on it with safety. The acreage covered by the Speedway is 328, with practically a mile of stands seating 75,000 persons. Parking space is provided for 10,000 machines. The paid attendance last year was 100,000. The starters follow:

                                Time.   Av.
1—Stutz, Wilcox................1:31     98.9
2—Mercedes, De Palma.........1:31.3     98.6
3—Peugeot, Resta..............1:31.4    98.5
4—Stutz, Cooper................1:33     96.75
5—Stutz, Anderson.............1:33.4    96.4
6—Sunbeam, Porporato.........1:34.6     95.1
8—Peugeot, Burman............1:37.4     92.4
9—Kleinart, Klein.............1:39.8    90.2
10—Dueenberg, Alley...........1:40      90
11—Peugeot, Le Cain.............1:40.6  89.3
12—Sunbeam, Grant.............1:40.8    89.25
13—Duesenberg, O'Donnell.......1:41.2   89
14—Peugeot, Babcock...........1:41.4    88.9
15—Delage, J. De Palma.........1:43.4   87.23
16—Sebring, J. Cooper............1:45.2 85.5
17—Maxwell, Carlson...........1:47      84.1
18—Maxwell, Orr...............1:47.8    83.5
19—Duesenberg, Mulford........1:48.8    82.7
20—Maxwell, Rickenbacher.......1:49.8    82
21—Mais, (special,) Mais.........1:49.8  82
22—Purcell, (special,) Cox........1:50.4  81.3
23—Bugatti.....................1:50.4    81.5
24—Cornelian, Chevrolet.........1:51.1  81.1
25—Emden......................1:52      80.3