Text and jpegs by courtesy of hathitrust.org www.hathitrust.org, compiled by motorracinghistory.com
Motor Age, Vol. XLIII (43), No. 23, June 7, 1923
As The Race Was Run
Graphic Account of Extraordinary Spectacle Wherein Human Endurance and Resource Were Taxed to the Limit to Reach and Maintain Great Speed.
By SAM J. SHELTON
Indianapolis Speedway, May 30. – A DAY that dawned gray, and why shouldn’t it after the all night lustiness of the Indianapolis newsboys whose cries penetrated to the tenth floor of the Hotel Severin.
Will the Duesenbergs start, was the question at the 7 o’clock breakfast hour. After feverish work for three. weeks, Fred Duesenberg was able to get one of his three cars on the track late yesterday, but not in time to qualify. The committee agreed to allow him to make the qualifying trial early today. At the press stand at 8:30 it is announced that one Duesenberg, that driven by Phil Shafer, qualified at 5:45 a. m. at an average speed of 88 m.p.h.
The clouds brighten and at 8:45 the sun is shining faintly. There is a cool breeze—far different from the swelter of last year. The atmospheric coolness ought to favor both drivers and cars. Jerry Wonderlich, who was to drive one of the Duesenbergs which was not ready, is to act as relief driver for the Packard team.
Will the little cars hold up? is the universal question. There is no question of their speed. Tommy Milton settled that when he qualified at 108.17 m.p.h. Paul Dumas says look out for trouble with tires and spark plugs. The engines get mighty hot.
Endurance of the drivers will be a big factor. How long can they stand the intense vibration that neither springs, shock absorbers nor tires seem to have been able to overcome in the light cars on the brick roadway.
At 9 a.m., an hour before starting time, the grandstands are filling rapidly and the inner field is a sea of automobile tops. The license plates are all the colors of the nation. A man in the inner field who has parked his car heading into the fence has the choicest of choice grandstand seats. He has built a bench some six feet high that sits over the hood of his car. It has back and foot rest and the seat cushions from his car make it comfortable. Morton is to drive the Duesenberg in place of Shafer. Bands, army, navy, marines, and what not have been marching upon the track.
The press agent says there will be 1500 pieces in the combined bands. The band gets under way at 9:20.
The racing cars begin taking their places at 9:40. Three bright blue Bugattis are in the second row. Tommy Milton with No. 1 on his white H. C. S. Special takes his place on the inside of the first row. There are three cars abreast in a row. Others in the first row are Harry Hartz, Durant Special, and Dario Resta, Packard. The Durants are a brilliant yellow. The Barber-Warnock Ford Special is in the third row. It is a pale red and its number is 23. The Packards are blue. The first bomb is at 9:50, second bomb at 9:55. Drivers take their places for the preliminary spin around the track. The pace maker is a stock Duesenberg. Fred Duesenberg drives it. The motors whirr. All is ready. Some are hard to start. Much cranking. And a lot of smoke. It’s 10 and a minute later they are off. The Duesenberg starts slowly.
The pace maker comes into view around the turn. An airplane hovers over the field of cars. They cross the line with the H. C. S. going strong. The one Duesenberg has moved up in line. The speed is terrific. Cooper’s Durant is stopping. Jimmy Murphy’s Durant had the lead on first lap. Milton was second. Second lap Murphy still leads with Milton a dash behind.
Third lap—Milton in lead, Murphy on his neck. Hartz’s Durant is third car, 30 seconds behind. Prince DeCystria’s Bugatti is last in line. The Ford is good. Murphy a car length ahead on fourth lap. Cooper went in pit for carburetor adjustment on first lap.
Fifth lap—Milton passes Murphy. There are neck and necking it. The Ford is leading a goodly number of them. Murphy passed Milton on sixth lap. On the next lap Milton passes Murphy. It’s 10:15.
Thus far the feature of the race is the duel between Milton and Murphy. First one leads, then the other. They are almost abreast on this lap but Milton gradually crawls ahead. Leon Duray stops at pit. Alsaga’s Bugatti out of race with broken connecting rod.
Tenth lap—Milton leading. Leon Duray’s Miller special has broken oil line. Bennett Hill’s Miller is running slowly. For first 10 laps average speed 97 m.p.h. with Milton leading.
Order of cars at end of 10th lap—Milton, Murphy, Hartz, Wilcox, DePalma, Werner.
10:20—Milton has a slight lead over Murphy with Wilcox in third place and crawling up. They are coming down the stretch with Murphy ahead, Milton second and Wilcox third. Lautenschlager’s Mercedes went into wall on south turn. No one hurt. Murphy keeps a slight lead over Milton.
Wonder how long Zev would last on this track.
10:30—The Duesenberg is still in the race. Joe Boyer is taking his Packard into the pit. Murphy is gradually increasing his slight lead over Milton.
Nineteenth lap-—-The desperate race of Murphy and Milton continues with Murphy holding a lead of 40 seconds. Wilcox third. There are some fine cars still in the race. The Bugattis are running consistently but not fast. On 20th lap Milton noses ahead of Murphy. Riganti’s Bugatti stops at pit.
Average for 50 miles: 96.61 m.p.h.; last year’s, 95.37. The pace is better this year.
Leon Duray is back in race. Werner’s Mercedes keeps aloof from other cars. Riganti’s Bugatti has broken gas tank. Wilcox takes lead, passing both Milton and Murphy on 26th lap. He gets a cheer. That puts two H. C. S. Specials in lead. Milton passes Wilcox on next lap. Order is Milton, Wilcox, Murphy, DePalma, Hartz. Boyer stops to change spark plugs.
A fine bit of work on 27th lap. Milton and Wilcox draw up to the stand neck and neck. Like a flash Wilcox lets his mount out and jumps ahead, but on next lap Murphy has crawled ahead of both and Milton is second. That’s a see-saw for position. Three Bugattis come down the stretch in a line. The Mercedes has a whine. They say it is the supercharger. Wilcox falling farther behind, as Milton leads with Murphy second. Cliff Durant springs his Special into fourth place.
Average speed for 75 miles: m.p.h.; last year, 94.91 m.p.h. Cliff Durant drops to fifth place as Hartz takes fourth. A beautiful race is that run by Milton and Murphy. The leader in front of stand always glances back at his rival. The Duesenberg stops at pit in 30th lap.
Thirty-sixth lap: Milton goes like the wind as he holds lead over Murphy, but a Mercedes running along side of him holds its place. It appears to be forcing him. That is speed. On next lap Murphy is hanging onto Milton’s hind wheels and the Mercedes has been left behind. Murphy is trying to get the lead again, for Milton has been hogging it. We’ll see if he makes it on next lap. Yes, he did, but Wilcox was abreast of him and half a car length ahead of Milton.
What a race!
Wilcox squeezed ahead. Order—Wilcox, Murphy, Milton, Hartz, Durant. DePalma and Resta stop at pit at 11:07. Wilcox has a good lead, with Milton second and Murphy third. I believe Murphy is having a bit of trouble. He is still in third place but Milton has taken first, in 40th lap. Hartz and Durant in fourth and fifth places, respectively.
For 100 miles, average speed, 96.43; last year, 94.47.
On 38th lap timer caught Wilcox, Milton and Murphy at exactly same time.
45th lap—Wilcox is leading, Milton second and Murphy 15 seconds behind.
At 11:15 Cliff Durant has taken fourth place. Cooper went into fence on his 22nd lap. Zborowski out with broken connecting rod. Murphy is getting farther behind.
With the leaders at 47 laps the Ford has done 42. Tom Alley was driving Cooper’s Durant when it went in fence. Bennett Hill wiping his face with his sleeve as he passes on his 37th lap. Milton on 49th lap again in lead, with Wilcox second. That Barber-Warnock Ford is no slouch. Lots other cars have fewer laps to their credit. Murphy is losing ground. But holding third place.
At 125 miles: Average speed—96.07 m.p.h.; last year, 93.11.
Order—Milton, Wilcox, Murphy, Durant, Hartz. Tom Alley was injured and three persons on outside of fence were injured when his Durant hit fence.
At 55th lap Murphy has dropped back to fifth place. Milton is first and Wilcox second, Hartz third. Murphy in pit for first time. Trouble must have developed.
It is 11:33. Many are eating lunch and Gilbert Radoye of the Haynes company has just sent me one of the nice boxes he fixes up for the press gallery.
On 58th lap Milton has good lead over Wilcox and Hartz is third. That is where he finished last year. The Duesenberg has made 48 laps. Werner’s Mercedes is in fifth place, Murphy’s stop having put him behind. Cliff Durant goes to second place. Wilcox stops at pit. Order on 60th lap Milton, Durant, Hartz, Werner, Hearne, the German having moved up to fourth.
Wilcox out of race with broken clutch in his 59th lap.
Cliff Durant on 63rd lap noses ahead of Milton. Going like a flash. Murphy having failed him, Cliff is going to do the honors himself. On next lap Milton gets back a slight lead. He won’t quit. Let’s watch the next one. They’re coming down the stretch. And Durant is a car length ahead as they pass the stand. On next lap Durant increases his lead as they pass the stand. Milton is plugging. The German, Werner, is showing more speed. Murphy is running fast again. Milton passes Durant. Boyer’s Packard out—broken differential.
67th lap—Milton and Durant have it all to themselves as they come down stretch.
Milton is five seconds ahead. Milton has increased his lead over Durant who seems to be slowing up.
Up to 60th lap seven cars were out of race.
Murphy has crawled up to fifth place, after his stop. The five leaders are all in the same lap, now the 70th. On 73rd lap Milton and Durant are neck and neck, with Milton less than a car length ahead. Let’s watch them on the next. Durant is ahead as they come, but Milton pushes ahead at the stand.
That Milton boy is driving as he never did before. It is with difficulty that he maintains his slight lead. Cliff Durant is dogging him.
Photos.
Page 14. Each year it is the custom to take a panoramic view of the drivers, mechanics, officials and others connected in any way with the running of the race. Immediately after the picture is taken the drivers take to their cars and await the starting bomb. The Duesenberg Straight Eight pacemaking car is shown at the right.
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At 12:05 Murphy is in fourth place. The order, with leader at 76th lap, is Milton, Durant, Hartz, Murphy, Werner, Sailer. The Germans are showing speed and running consistently. They must be watched. Their cars are heavier and the drivers appear supremely confident. Something has happened to Cliff Durant. He is behind the first five. One Mercedes is third and the other fourth. One just ran Milton a pretty race down the stretch and bested him. Durant’s car went dead on back stretch.
A Bugatti has nosed into fifth place. The order is changing rapidly, but Milton hangs on to first place.
DePalma is relieved as driver. First time he has taken relief in any 500-mile race. Werner and Milton at it again down the stretch. Milton has best of it. Vizcaya’s Bugatti is a comer, now in fifth place. DePalma’s Packard out with cracked cylinder.
Speed for 200 miles: 95.26 m.p.h.; last year, 93.52. Order: Milton, Hartz, Werner, Hearne, Vizcaya. The Ford is in the first 10.
86th lap: Milton has good lead. Sailer’s Mercedes slows up. Werner’s flies past, with 82 laps to its credit. The Ford has 77 laps. It is performing well. Murphy is in fourth place. The race has settled down, with some fast ones ready to head Milton if anything happens to him. The question is, when will he have to stop and for how long? But he is four laps ahead of Hartz, the second man.
12:25—Cliff Durant has just come around after his forced stop on the back stretch. It put him far behind. DePalma’s Packard blew cylinder head gasket instead of cracking cylinder.
Durant going back in race some seven laps behind leader. At 225 miles: Average speed, 94.58; last year, 93.91.
Order of cars—Milton, Hartz, Werner, Murphy, Hearne. Resta’s Packard, the only one still in race, comes in to pit.
Nearing the halfway mark, have 97 laps. Werner is proving a determined contender. The persistence with which he hangs on to third place worries the first rank drivers. He is four laps behind Milton, but he is maintaining his position. Earl Cooper relieved Hearne on 87th lap. Several changes of drivers are being made.
The cars are scattered around the track. Every driver is fighting to hold his ground. Werner sprinted around his fellow Mercedes like a flash, gaining half a mile on him in two laps. Werner fails to gain on Milton. If the German should win the race how many marks would the prize be?
Milton stops at pit, his first stop, for tire change. He will work fast. It is his 103rd lap.
Average speed for 250 miles: 93.98. Last year, 94.33. Time was 36 seconds slower than for same distance last year.
Wilcox relieves Milton after putting on two tires and getting oil. Resta’s Packard out with blown cylinder head gasket.
The French and Germans are having it, with Vizcaya trying to put his Bugatti ahead of Sailer’s Mercedes.
Hartz took the lead while Milton was being relieved by Wilcox.
With Hartz at 110 laps the Ford has 99 to its credit. Nine other cars were out of the race and many more were behind the Ford.
Wilcox, holding the H. C. S. Special in second place, stopped for gas. It’s now 1:05. Eddie Hearne relieves Cliff Durant in car No. 8. Endurance is now a great factor, with conditions looking more favorable for the Germans.
Hartz comes to pit with his Durant Special. Wilcox also stops. The German is putting on more speed. He knows enough English to understand that he has a chance.
At 275 miles: Average speed is becoming slower than last year. Today it was 92.99 m.p.h. as compared with 94.41 last year.
114th lap: Wilcox with the No. 1 H. C. S. Special in the lead, Hartz second, Werner third, No. 6 fourth, Murphy fifth. The Ford was in seventh place, but it made its first pit stop.
They give Arthur Chevrolet credit for construction of the Barber-Warnock Ford special. The Duesenbergs have sold the stock car which was pace maker and the new owner is to drive it to Chicago tonight. Hope he doesn’t get pinched for speeding. For many of the spectators the race has lost its thrill. The changing of drivers has shifted interests.
There will come some more tense moments. Wilcox and Murphy are chasing each other, but the car Wilcox is driving is in first place and Murphy’s is fifth. The order at 1:25 is Wilcox, Hartz, Werner, No. 6, Murphy.
Average speed at 300 miles: last year, 94.54.
At 1:30 only 13 cars remain in the race out of the 24 that started. Many of the little fellows have fallen by the wayside.
Prince DeCystria is running his Bugatti well. His fellow driver, Vizcaya, also is in the running. Murphy can’t gain on Wilcox, but he is still holding fifth position. Werner slows up, apparently for a pit stop. 1:40 p. m. Werner dropped to fifth place, Murphy going to third. He is seven laps behind Wilcox.
Average speed at 325 miles: 92.36 m.p.h.; last year, 94.12 m.p.h. Order of cars, 1, 7, 5, 6, 16, 18, 31, 8, 23, 15.
At 350 miles: Average speed, 93.15; last year, 94.23. Order of first five cars, 1, 7, 5, 6, 16. The remaining drivers are grinding along with little change in relative position. Sailer’s Mercedes is showing its best speed of the day, but is many laps behind. Vizcaya’s Bugatti replaced Werner’s Mercedes at fifth place. Wilcox is running away from Murphy who has been trailing him for many laps, although seven laps behind in the circuit making.
The driver of the Duesenberg entry looks into grandstand every time he passes it.
The time is passing. It is now 2:05 with less than 150 miles to run. Wilcox brings No. 1 into pit. Milton took it out, keeping first place. Average speed at 375 miles: 92.92; last year, 94.12. Order of cars, 1, 7, 5, 6, 18, 34, 23, 16, 15, 19.
At 2:30 the leader has done 160 laps, with only 40 more to complete the race. The Ford has done 147. The two Bugattis had a little race of their own with Prince DeCystria getting the worst of it. Then Milton came along and flashed by both of them.
Average speed at 400 miles: 92.24; last year, 94.42. Order of cars, No. 1, 7, 5, 6, 18, 23, 31, 16, 34, 19. There are 23 laps between the leader and the last car.
Murphy has closed up a little on Milton. Werner’s Mercedes was popping like a cannon on that last lap. Those Germans are stayers. Murphy’s crowding Milton who will never willingly let him pass, although some seven laps separate them.
For many laps Milton, Murphy and the Duesenberg have been running one, two, three, with only seconds separating them in track position. The Duesenberg, although hopelessly behind, is proving that it can keep up with the speedy Milton and Murphy. The Bugattis are burning the wind. Sailer’s Mercedes is running well. Milton, Murphy and the Duesenberg flash by. Hartz has gained a bit, being only two laps behind Milton.
Average speed at 425 miles: 92.13; last year, 94.54. Order of cars, 1, 7, 5, 6, 18, 23, 31, 16, 34, 19. There are 24 laps between leader and last car. The Milton, Murphy, Duesenberg group still in formation.
176th lap for Milton: He is holding his lead, but Murphy is striving desperately to close up the gap that separates them.
At 3 o’clock Milton has 20 laps to go to complete the race. Vizcaya’s Bugatti, running in fifth place, stops at pit.
At 450 miles, average speed, 92.13 m.p.h.; last year, 94.54. Order of cars: 1, 7, 5, 6, 18, 28, 31, 16, 34, 15, 19.
Vizcaya’s Bugatti is out of the race with a broken connecting rod. With the Bugatti out, the Ford into fifth place.
The Germans wear goggles but no helmets. Most of the Americans wear helmets. The Ford, now in fifth place, stops at pit for gas, oil and plugs.
Milton, with only ten laps to go and a lead of three laps, seems to have eased up a bit. It is his race unless the unexpected happens. There is not even a close contest for second place, Murphy being four laps behind Hartz. On the Ford’s stop Frank Elliot got into fifth place.
Average speed at 475 miles: 91.72; last year, 94.46. Order of cars, 1, 7, 5, 6, 31, 23, 15, 8, 34, 19, 16.
At 3:20 Milton is within five laps of the goal. His speed is great.
Milton nears the finish, three laps to go. Murphy stops at pit. Now only two laps for Milton. The Duesenberg in the pit. Shafer relieves Morton as driver. The one remaining Bugatti. Milton passes and is now on his last lap. Milton wins at about 3:30. Time, 5:28:06.27.
Average speed, 91.44. Last year, 94.48 m.p.h.
!! Milton is the first man to win the Indianapolis race the second time. He was the winner in 1921 !!
A pretty race at the finish was that in which the Fronty-Ford nosed out Elliot for fifth place. Corum drove it all the way at an average of 82.58 m.p.h.
Photos.
Page 13. Jimmy Murphy after the race. He won last year’s race and that he tried hard this year is evident from the drawn look of his face. He drove the entire race without relief.
This chart shows how the average miles per hour has varied from year to year. The piston displacement has gone down, while the average speed has gone up, a tribute to designers and pilots of race cars
Page 30. The Fronty Ford, which was built by Arthur Chevrolet and raced by the Barber-Warnock company, Ford agents in Indianapolis. The car made an enviable record for itself.