The confusion, resultung from the multi-car crash at the end of the 1911 Indianapolis 500 race, caused the time keepers to check the final results over and over again. Their final and official race standings are given here; the winner remained the winner. This incident and the question, who really won the first Indy 500, has been a source for discussions over ages.
Text and jpegs by courtesy of hathitrust.org www.hathitrust.org, compiled by motorracinghistory.com
Motor Age, Vol. XIX, No. 23, June 8, 1911
Indianapolis Aftermath – Revise Race Standing
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., June 6 – To look at the speedway now one would not imagine that just a week ago today forty drivers battled for supremacy in a 500-mile race that is declared to have been the most sensational ever run in this country. The week that has elapsed since Harroun was declared a winner has been replete with incidents, not the least of which was the strenuous session of the checkers and timers, who revised their reports after working about 30 hours on them.
On the revised standing Joe Dawson is ranked fifth instead of being reckoned as not finishing. It was found that the Marmon star had completed his final lap when he had engine trouble, so the judges simply shoved him into fifth place, in between Wishart in the Mercedes and de Palma in the Simplex.
Checking over the times also made some difference and resulted in favor of Mulford in the Lozier in that it brought him much nearer to Harroun. Instead of being 4 minutes 43 seconds behind, Mulford, according to the revised count, only was 1 minute 43 seconds to the bad.
Denial is made by the Inter-State people that Harry Endicott had any mechanical trouble whatsoever. Motor Age stated: „Harry Endicott’s Inter-State was forced to stop eleven times for tires and twice for oil and gasoline. On one of these the carbureter was adjusted, but no other mechanical troubles were encountered.“
The Inter-State company declares there was no adjustment of any kind made on any part of the car during the entire race, and that the condition of the carbureter would preclude any possibility of its being adjusted without raising the hood. As a matter of fact, it is claimed, the hood strap on the Inter-State never was unbuckled during the entire race.
It has been decided definitely by the speedway people that there will be only one race meet a year on the big track, and that this will be held on July 4 beginning in 1912. The management feels one big meet is all it can undertake in a year. It has been decided to hold it July 4 because of the opposition that has arisen among the old soldiers to having it run on Memorial Day.
Photo captions.
Page 10 – 11
STUTZ CAR THAT FINISHED IN INDIANAPOLIS RACE
KNOX THAT COMPLETED THE FULL 500 MILES AT INDIANAPOLIS
LYTLE IN APPERSON THAT HAD HARD LUCK
COBE IN JACKSON, ONE OF THE FINISHERS
COMPLETE RETURNS ON 500-MILE RACE AT INDIANAPOLIS ON MEMORIAL DAY AS REVISED BY THE OFFICIALS AFTER REPORTS OF CHECKERS AND TIMERS
KNOX THAT COMPLETED THE FULL 500 MILES AT INDIANAPOLIS
COBE IN JACKSON, ONE OF THE FINISHERS