Ray Harroun was first over the finish line in a time of a six hours, 42 minutes and eight seconds. Harroun (1879 -1968) was an engineer at the Marmon automobile company in Indianapolis, where he designed cars and engines.
Harroun Was An Engineer And Seasoned Driver
To participate in the Indy 500, Harroun had come out of retirement as a driver. Before racing in the first Indianapolis 500, he had been in some 60 races in which he always finished in the top three. He had raced in California, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana and Indiana. And tellingly, he had even won eight races on the track on which he would win the Indy 500.
The black and yellow Marmon car with six cylinders that he drove in the Indy 500 was variously called the Wasp, the Marmon Wasp or the Yellow Jacket. Harroun's #32 car was the only one in in the race that did not seat two.
In the second seat of every other car sat a mechanic who cranked the engine to start the car, wiped the oil from the driver's goggles, watched the instrument panel and watched the cars behind for safety reasons. Since Harroun drove alone, race officials concerned about safety prompted him to ease their angst by mounting an 8-inch x 3-inch mirror on the car. It has since been cited as the first rearview mirror.
The Race Begins
The inaugural Indianapolis 500 began at 10 in the morning with 80,000 spectators present. While early in the race the leading drivers drove at 80 miles an hour, Harroun strategized that the track that was entirely made of brick would tear up the hard rubber tires frequently at that speed. So he drove at 75 miles per hour, believing he could drive for two hours without a tire change. Even though his car was not as long as the other cars, he thought this was the winning plan.
On Lap 13 a driver was killed and a mechanic was seriously injured when their Lozier car went out of control. Two hours into the race Harroun was in fifth place having started from the 28th spot. He handed over his car to relief driver Cy Patschke. Then with 255 miles to go, Harroun resumed control. Patschke had driven the car into second place, a mile behind the leading Fiat.
Pit Stops Prove Decisive
When Harroun had to make a pit stop because of a blown tire, a Lozier driven by Ralph Mulford took the lead. When Mulford had to make a pit stop, Harroun took the lead. Then Mulford got back in the race and took the lead.
With 22 laps to go, Mulford had to make another pit stop. Harroun was home free. For his victory, he earned $10,000 from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway plus about $4,000 from car manufacturers. After all, the Indianapolis 500 had been conceived as a showcase for car manufacturers to display the mechanical marvels of their cars.
Sources
- Devaney, John and Barbara. The Indianapolis 500: A Complete Pictorial History. Chicago: Rand McNally Company. 1976.
- Engel, Lyle Kenyon and the Editors of Auto Racing Magazine. The Indianapolis "500": The World's Most Exciting Auto Race. Revised Edition. New York. Four Winds Press. 1972.
- "Ray Harroun Inducted Into the Michigan Motor Sports Hall Of Fame In 2010." kcstudio.com. Accessed 30 April 2011.
Linda N. Riggins - I have written freelance articles for Victorian Homes,Catholic Digest, the Old Farmer's Almanac, Fine Homebuilding, the Christian Science ...
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