1941: Automobile Racing

Rex Mays of Los Angeles won the National AAA Championship title and duplicated his performance of 1940 by finishing second in the Indianapolis 500 mile Grand Prix and winning the National Championship events run at Milwaukee, Wis., and Syracuse, N. Y. Mays' total number of earned points was 1,225, equaling the number he won last year. Mauri Rose, co-winner at Indianapolis with Floyd Davis, received no points, since he did not finish with the car which he started the race. Davis drove the first 72 laps and then Rose, his own car being disabled, took over and won the race.

Ralph Hepburn, who took fourth spot at Indianapolis, earned second position in the National AAA standing, followed by Cliff Bergere in third place. It is significant to note that Bergere was the first man to drive the entire 500 miles at Indianapolis without making a single pit stop.

The greatest number of races under official AAA sanction were held on the half-mile speedways, the majority of which are located in the Eastern Circuit. Bill Holland took the lead in point standings early in the year and continued to hold a comfortable margin over his opponents throughout the season. The three leading drivers in the Eastern circuit were Bill Holland, with 786 points, Henry Rogers. 470 points, and Walt Ader, 407 points.

A lively schedule of races developed in the Midwestern Circuit with tracks at Dayton, Ohio, Winchester, Fort Wayne, and Jungle Park, Ind., all operating under AAA sanction for the first time in several years. Competition in this Circuit was very close, with Duke Nalon finally passing his competitors to win the Midwestern Championship with 607 points. Other leading drivers in this Circuit were Tony Bettenhausen, taking second position with 520 points, and Elbert Booker, with 305 points for third place.

Midget automobile racing continued to be one of the most popular sports and enjoyed a very successful season. The Eastern Circuit ran the regular weekly schedule of seven races as in previous years. In addition, the series of races at Buffalo (N. Y.) Stadium, was an outstanding success and a circuit of tracks in New England was operated without interruption. George Fonder was the winner of the Eastern Midget Circuit, with Charles Miller, last year's champion, as runner up. On the Pacific Coast Circuit. Roy Russing won the Western championship for the second consecutive year.

National Championship midget races were held at the Williams Grove (Pa.) Speedway and at the Gilmore Stadium in Los Angeles. Inasmuch as two entirely separate groups of drivers participated in each race no competition points have been issued.

A decided increase in the popularity of Stock Car racing was noted during the year, with five major races of this type being held. Attendance at all events was extremely satisfactory.

Inclement weather and continued surface water at the Bonneville Salt Beds, in Utah, did not permit any speed record attempts during the year. Ab Jenkins, of Salt Lake City, reported his car was in readiness there for an attempt at new American and International Records, but he was never able to run. The War prevented any of the English speed-record aspirants from coming over as in previous years.

1940: Automobile Racing

For the first time in many years the National Championship was won by other than the first place man in the Indianapolis 500-mile race. Rex Mays, who finished second to Wilbur Shaw in this event, won both of the two other Championship races of the American Automobile Association's schedule, and by so doing received 1,225 points, the highest number of earned points since the 1936 season. Wilbur Shaw ranked second with 1,000 earned points, and Mauri Rose, who placed third in the Indianapolis classic, ranked third also in total number of earned points with 675 points.

By winning the 1940 Indianapolis '500' Wilbur Shaw became the first man to win in two consecutive years. His 1940 victory brought his total to three, tying the record of Louie Meyer who won in 1928, 1933 and 1936. Shaw's time in winning the twenty-ninth annual '500' was 4 hours 22 minutes 31.17 seconds, an average of 114.3 m.p.h. Rain, which began before the 400 mile distance was reached, forced officials to bring the race under the yellow caution flag and thus preserved the record of 117.2 m.p.h. established by Floyd Roberts in 1938. Shaw drove the same car, a 'Boyle Special,' which carried him to victory in 1939. It is interesting to note that the car driven by Rex Mays is the same machine in which Louie Meyer was wrecked in 1939 with only five miles to go, after leading the race during the final stages.

Besides Indianapolis, there were 100-mile Championship races held on the one-mile tracks at Springfield, Illinois, and Syracuse, N. Y. Another similar race, scheduled to be held at Milwaukee, was cancelled as a result of continual rain.

The majority of races continue to be held on half-mile tracks, most of which are located in the Eastern States. Seventy such races in all were held in 1940. Joie Chitwood, last year's Eastern Champion, after a rather unsuccessful first half of the season, finally passed Bill Holland to retain his championship. Holland was not passed without a struggle, however, as he flew to the last races of the season, landing his plane inside the race track. The three leading drivers in the Eastern Circuit in their ranking order were: Joie Chitwood, Bill Holland, and Ted Horn.

Midget automobile racing continued to hold the attention of a considerable number of spectators, due chiefly to the fact that it is an evening sport and can be attended with a minimum of travel. Races are held on a regular weekly schedule, and during 1940 races were held on tracks at Haverhill, Mass.; West Springfield, Mass.; Bridgeport, Conn.; Buffalo, N. Y.; Castle Hill, Bronx, N. Y.; Freeport, L. I., New York; Coney Island, N. Y.; Union, N. J.; Allentown, Pa.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, and Los Angeles. This class of racing is done on tracks of about one-fifth mile in length and average speeds of 50 to 60 m.p.h. are attained. The cars weigh about 800 pounds and use engines of about 100 cubic inches developing from 50 to over 100 horsepower. Of the various midget racing circuits in operation, the most important are the Eastern and the Pacific. The winner of the Eastern Midget Racing circuit was Charles Miller, who accumulated 4,497½ points. In the Pacific Coast Midget Racing circuit, Roy Russing with 1,537.8 points was the winner.

Three midget races of National Championship rating were held during the season. The first was a 100-mile event on the one-mile Langhorne Speedway and demonstrated that the small cars were capable of speeds close to 100 miles per hour. The winner of the Langhorne event was Joe Garson driving the Peter's Offenhauser Special. The second Champion ship, a 150 lap event, held on the fifth-mile, Castle Hill, New York, track was won by John Ritter driving a car powered with a two-cycle, outboard type of engine. Roy Russing drove the Offenhauser powered car owned by Rex Mays to first place in the Los Angeles event at the close of the season.

The second annual 200-mile A.A.A. sanctioned Stock Car Race at the Langhorne Speedway was won by Henry Banks driving a Buick car. Thirty-six stock cars of ten different makes started the race. The winner's time was 2 hours 53 minutes 15.11 seconds for an average of 69.26 miles per hour.

Due mainly to the international situation there were no attempts made to better the World's Speed Record of 369.7 m.p.h. established in 1939 by John Cobb, an Englishman, on the Bonneville Saltbeds. However, the Saltbeds were not without activity and two high-speed runs were made during July. Ab Jenkins established a total of 92 American and International records in the unlimited and 'A' displacement classes. His highest average speed was for the 25 mile distance when 185.2 m.p.h. was attained. With Cliff Bergere as relief driver the 'Mormon Meteor' car was driven through all distances up to 24 hours.

The car driven by George Barringer was of the Indianapolis type and was of technical interest due to its many engineering innovations. Thirty-three new American and International Class 'D' records were established for distances from one kilometer to 500 miles. Speed of 158.2 miles per hour was averaged over the five mile distance and for the 500 miles 142.9 m.p.h. was achieved.

1939: Automobile Racing

The 1939 season showed a marked increase in the number of races as well as the total amount of prize money paid to drivers. The extent of midget automobile racing, i. e., cars of 500 to 950 lbs., using motors of approximately 100 cubic inches increased markedly.

The twenty-eighth annual Indianapolis 500-mile Memorial Day race with the fastest field of starters in the history of the event, was won by the veteran Wilbur Shaw driving a foreign car, manufactured by Maserati of Italy and renamed as a 'Boyle Special.' Shaw, who also won in 1937 and placed second three times, completed the 500 miles in 4:20:47.39, elapsed time, for an average of 115.035 mi. per hr. Jimmy Snyder, who placed second, established a new ten-mile qualification mark in the official time trials before the race with an average of 130.138 mi. per hr., his fastest lap being made at a speed of 130.757 mi. per hr. Third place in the race was taken by Cliff Bergere.

Other races of major importance were the two 100-mile National Championship events held at Milwaukee, Wis. and Syracuse, N. Y. Elbert (Babe) Stapp was the winner at Milwaukee while the Syracuse race was won by Mauri Rose. Both tracks are of a clay surface, one mile in length. Of the half-mile tracks on which the majority of regular races are held, the most outstanding during 1939 was the new Williams Grove Speedway, located near Harrisburg, Pa., where eight races were held this year. Half-mile track racing is confined largely to the Eastern states.

Midget Automobile Racing opened in the East early in April and continued through October. During the season regular weekly races were held at West Springfield, Mass.; West Haven, Conn.; Bridgeport, Conn.; Castle Hill, Bronx, N. Y.; Cedarhurst, L. I.; Coney Island, N. Y.; Paterson, N. J.; Nutley, N. J.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Pottstown, Pa.; Baltimore, Md.; Washington, D. C.; Denver, Colo.; and two tracks at Los Angeles, some of which operated twice weekly.

The most common length for Midget Tracks is th mile, although lengths vary from th to th miles. Generally these races are held at night under artificial lights.

Three National Midget Championship Races were held during 1939. The first was a 100-lap event, staged on a specially constructed quarter-mile banked board track on June 25 at Soldier Field, Chicago. The winner was Ronney Householder, second was Duke Nalon and third was Sam Hanks. A 150-mile race, held on a half-mile track at Roosevelt Raceway, Long Island, N. Y., on August 12, was won by Morris Bower; second, Joe Garson and third, Perry Grimm. The final championship race, a 150-lap event held on the quarter-mile Gilmore Stadium track, in Los Angeles, was won by Mel Hansen; in second place was Bob Swanson and third was Fred Friday. The winners in each of the above races drove Offenhauser midget cars.

The first A.A.A. Sanction Stock Car Race in recent years was held on the one-mile, clay-surfaced track at Langhorne, Pa., for a distance of 200 miles. Only 1937, 1938 and 1939 strictly stock model cars were eligible to compete. Forty entries started and the winning car was a Buick driven by Mark Light. Second place went to a Ford driven by Walt Keiper and a Willys-Overland, driven by Bert Ross was third. During June a strictly stock Studebaker 'Champion' set an impressive record at the Indianapolis Speedway when it was driven 15,000 miles in 241 hours, 50 minutes and 43 seconds, for an average of 62.02 mi. per hr. This record was subsequently beaten, however, when a stock Hudson Six was driven 20,000 miles on the Saltbeds in 283 hours, 22 minutes and 7.09 seconds for an average of 70.58 mi. per hr.

In the field of speed trials and tests, the six-miles-a-minute record established by John Cobb was the outstanding feat of the year. On August 23, Cobb, a Briton, drove his Railton Red Lion car in a two-way run over the Bonneville Saltbeds in Utah at an average speed of 368.9 mi. per hr. for the measured mile and 369.7 mi. per hr. for the one kilometer distance. World records for these two distances were formerly held by Captain George E. T. Eyston, also of England, at 357.5 and 357.3 mi. per hr.

1938: Automobile Racing

At the present time, American racing is divided into two distinct classes, namely 'big-cars' and 'midgets.' A 'big car' race is one in which cars of over 90-inch wheel base and weighing from 1,200 to 2,000 lb. compete on a track with a minimum length of a half mile. 'Midget' cars of about 75-inch wheel base, and weighing from 500 to 950 lb. are run on tracks of approximately one fifth mile, generally at night and under artificial lights. Midget automobile racing has been a recent development and until 1938 was not under the sanction of the American Automobile Association, national governing body of recognized automobile racing.

The opening 1938 event, the 500 mile Indianapolis Memorial Day Classic, held on the 2 mile speedway, was won by Floyd Roberts, 1938 National Champion in 4:15:58.40 elapsed time, at an average of 117.20 miles per hour, a new record for this event. Second was Wilbur Shaw and third Chet Miller. During qualification trials, Ronny Householder set a ten lap (25 mile) record of 125.77 miles per hour.

The event which ranked as second only to the '500' was the Syracuse 100 Mile Race. This was won by Jimmy Snyder, at an average speed of 84.205 for the one mile dirt track course.

Midget racing opened with the Nutley banked board track event held early in April. This race was won by Paul Russo, who went on to win the 1938 AAA midget championship title. It is difficult to tabulate records in this phase of the sport since there are no two tracks of identical type and dimensions. Perhaps the highest speed is the one lap record held by Russo at 7.92 seconds for a th mile track.

What, to many, was the most important achievement of 1938 in automobile speed work was the successive increases established in the one-mile World's speed record. As the year opened, this mark stood at 312.0 miles per hour by Captain G. E. T. Eyston of England. On Aug. 27, driving his 'Thunderbolt No. 1' on the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, he raised this speed to 345.2 miles per hour. On Sept. 15, John Cobb. also an Englishman, driving his 'Railton Special,' recorded 350.1 miles per hour. The climax came when Eyston set the present mark of 357.5 miles per hour on Sept. 16 — close to six miles a minute!

Foreign Tracks.

Grand Prix automobile racing has been called of late the sport of dictators. This is a misconception. It is true, however, that no longer may individuals or manufacturers compete out of private resources, and the truly important races of the world today are comprised of highly specialized racing cars built by factories that are partially or wholly government subsidized. For Germany there are the Auto-Unions and Mercedes, Alfa-Romeo and Maserati uphold the prestige of Italy. Delahayes and Bugatti represent France. The automobile clubs of the world meet every few years and lay down the rules for the races and restrictions for the cars, and 1938 was of particular interest because the cars had to be built to new rules — a new formula, it is called and the question of who would be the most successful was on every lip.

The first big event of the year. The Pau Grand Prix, was won by a Delahaye, as was the second. At the Tripoli Grand Prix, Mercedes cars hit their stride and captured the first three places (the best Delahaye could do was fifth), averaging 128.79 miles per hour for the 325 miles, the fastest Grand Prix race of the year. Alfa-Romeo won the Rio de Janeiro Grand Prix, but Mercedes again took the first three places in the French Grand Prix as well as the Swiss Grand Prix. Auto-Union won the Italian Grand Prix (with Alfa-Romeo second and Mercedes third), as well as the Donnington Grand Prix (in England). To sum up the season: Mercedes won six races, Auto-Union won two and Delahaye two.

The famous twenty-four hour race at Le Mans, France, deservedly went to the French Delahaye. The great Italian road race, the Mille Miglia, a thousand miles up and down the length of Italy, was won by an Alfa-Romeo.