The 4th of July Races at IMS
The 4th of July Races at IMS
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened in August 1909. While the racing was exciting for those in the stands, it was disastrous for some drivers, mechanics, and spectators. After multiple wrecks on the crushed stone and asphalt track, the final race was canceled after 235 of the 300 miles. With the track's future in doubt, the owners decided to resurface it with bricks, and it reopened for two days of racing in December 1909.
The owners' investment had increased significantly with the bricking of the Speedway, and to recoup some of it, they planned four weekends of racing and an aviation week in 1910.
The races began over the Memorial Day weekend, and by all accounts, they were very successful. Indianapolis drivers won 12 of the 24 races. Ray Harroun, piloting a Marmon, won four races; Johnny Aiken won four races in a National; and Caleb Bragg won three races. There was strong interest in the races, with an estimated crowd of 60,000 over the three days.
With such a great start, the founders had high expectations for the racing over the 4th of July weekend. Ten races were planned for the first day of racing on July 1, ranging from five miles to the G & J Trophy race of 50 miles.
In a blow to Indianapolis manufacturer Cole, their two “30” racers were declared ineligible for the Class B events. After the May races, the Cole “30” racers had been partially rebuilt. The four-inch cylinders had been bored out 1/8th of an inch, providing the cars with more power. The powerful Buick team, a dominant force in early automobile racing, received great news: models 16A and 16B were declared eligible. They had been declared ineligible during the May races because not enough cars had been manufactured.
An estimated 6,000 people were in the stands for the July 1 races. They were not disappointed as nine new stock car records were made. Eddie Hearne, driving a Benz, had the fastest lap at the Speedway at 83.14 mph. “Wild Bob” Burman, driving a Buick, set the fastest speed for a quarter-mile at 105.87 mph.
The 10-mile Speedway Helmet race was won by Eddie Hearne, during which he set a new track record of 83.14 mph for a lap.
In the G & J Trophy race for cars with a displacement of 231-399 cubic inches, “Wild Bob” Burman and Louis Chevrolet driving Marquette-Buicks battled to win the 50-mile race; Burman finally took control with 7 laps to go. He won the race in 40 minutes, 3 seconds. Chevrolet finished second.
The feature race for the second day of racing was the 100-mile Remy-Brassard, where nine new American records were established. At 20 miles, Tom Kincade in a National “40” covered the distance in 15 minutes, 55 seconds. At 30 miles, Kincade knocked about a minute off the former record. He was still in the lead and setting new records at 50 miles. At 60 miles, Joe Dawson, driving an Indianapolis-built Marmon, took the lead and lowered the record by six seconds. Dawson continued to lead the race at 70 miles and 75 miles. By 90 miles, “Wild Bob” Burman had regained the lead. He set a new record at 100 miles in a Marquette-Buick and won the race at 74.44 mph.
Earlier in the day, a new record for cars with less than 160 cubic inches was established by Charles Herreshoff driving a Herreshoff in 10 minutes, 37 seconds for 10 miles. In the 301-450 cubic inch class, Louis Chevrolet established a new record for 10 miles, driving it in 7 minutes, 54.8 seconds.
Usually, the feature race was the finale for the day of racing, but rainy weather resulted in the 200-mile Cobe Cup race being moved to the middle of the afternoon racing. It didn’t start until 3:10 p.m. Joe Dawson, driving a Marmon, beat his thirteen competitors to the checkered flag. Bob Burman, who was leading and appeared to have the race won, had a tire burst, handing the lead to Joe Dawson with 10 miles remaining. With two laps to go, Dawson signaled to his pit crew that he wanted to come in for a tire change, but it was denied. After 45 seconds to change the tire, Bob Burman made a desperate attempt to regain the lead and lost by an eighth of a mile. Burman finished second, and Ray Harroun in a Marmon was third. Three speed records were broken during the race, including 100 miles by Arthur Chevrolet, Burman at 150 miles, and Dawson at the finish. Dawson lowered the record for 200 miles by 10 minutes, 28 seconds. For his efforts, Dawson received $500 in gold, $400 from the Michelin Tire Company, and $300 from Bosch Magneto Company. Michelin and Bosch provided the tires and magneto.
It was estimated that between 20,000 and 25,000 people watched the races. Disappointed in the attendance over the three days, the owners canceled the 24-hour race scheduled for August.
There was not another race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway over the July 4 weekend for 110 years. In 2020, the Speedway hosted NASCAR’s Xfinity race on the road course. It was won by Indiana native Chase Briscoe with a margin of 1.717 seconds. Due to COVID, there were no fans in the stands.
Enjoy your 4th of July festivities.