Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Centennial of the Indy 500 This Month-- Part 1: From 100 MPH to 230 MPH

From the May/June Saturday Evening Post.

In 1925, when the top speed of a Model T was 45 mph, retired racing pioneer Barney Oldfield, the first man to break the 60 mph speed barrier, wrote in the pages of the Saturday Evening Post of how exciting it was to see cars at the Indy track exceeding 100 mph.

Of course, today you can even go faster than 100 mph in your own car.  At this year's 100th running of the the Indy 500 (and I'll be at it) the winner will be traveling nearly 230 mph.

It is still a hard race.  Back in the September 26, 1925, issue of the Saturday Evening Post, Oldfield wrote: "Conditions at the Indianapolis track are such that they demand driving skill and car stamina, as well as speed."

Vroom! Vroom!  --CootFaster

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