The 1912 Indianapolis 500 – In lap 87, after leading 85 laps in the race and already having led 4 laps in 1911, DePalma became the new all-time leader at Indy with the most laps lead. By the way, it was 75 years later in 1987 when Al Unser Snr finished (and won) the race when Ralph was finally joined as all-time lap leader! DePalma ended the race with having led 200 laps in the two held 500 Miles races up to now but not having won one. And then there was the race winner in 1912, Joe Dawson who had led only two laps, the only laps he would ever lead at Indianapolis. Because way out in the lead and with only 1¼ laps to go, De Palma’s Mercedes came to a standstill with a broken connecting rod of the engine. Ralph and his mechanic pushed the car to the finish, only to be classified 11^th, out of the money because only the top 10 was paid prize money. A classic moment in an event that confirmed so early in it’s history the classic status of Indianapolis.