IMS historian Donald Davidson made it his goal to visit all of Indiana’s counties during a media tour promoting the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. He told event organizers Dayton needed to be on the itinerary, too.
“I’ve known for a long time that Dayton was a huge racing town,” Donaldson said. “When they started doing this state-wide community outreach, I said we should go to Dayton. … The fan base is huge.”
Dayton’s Indianapolis 500 history started with the first race in 1911. As the field rolled to the start, believed to be the first one used in racing’s history, a Stoddard-Dayton automobile driven by speedway founder Carl Fisher led the way.
Dayton’s history at IMS started two years earlier when a Stoddard-Dayton, wheeled by Carl Wright, won the first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – a five-mile race for stripped classic cars – on Aug. 19, 1909.
That day also had its dark side. Though it didn’t come during competition, New Carlisle native Clifford Littrell is considerd one of the speedway’s first fatalities.
Littrell, then 28, was a mechanic with the Dayton Motor Car Company turning wrenches on the Stoddard-Dayton race cars.
The Stoddard-Dayton cars, like most race cars competing at the track, were housed in downtown Indianapolis. The cars made their way to the track almost in parade-like fashion to help promote the races and drawing interest from citizens. On the morning of Aug. 17, Littrell was riding on the back of a Stoddard-Datyon race car when he jumped off to retrieve a tool from the garage. He stumbled, fell and had his chest crushed by another race car. He died two days later at Methodist Hospital.
Littrell’s death made national headlines. In all, seven people were killed in the opening three days of racing.
An article in the Dayton Journal chronochling the historic races read: “The races on the new motor speedway ended today as they began on Thursday – with death breaking all records. …
“Six men were slain by the grim monster (speed) – an even half dozen representatives of American’s vigorous, virile manhood were crammed down the maw of the greedy demon – all within three days.”
Littrell was buried in Springfield’s Ferncliff Cemetery and rests in an unmarked grave in Section H, Lot 598, Grave 1. Racers at Rest, dedicated to making sure racers graves are properly marked, added Littrell to its list in 2013. The volunteer group, working under the umbrella of the National Sprint Car Museum and Hall of Fame, has successfully placed at least 10 markers through donations.
As for Stoddard-Dayton, officials reportedly pulled out of auto racing when on the third and final day of racing Charlie Merz’s car blew a tire on the rough and often dangerous track of crushed rock and tar, plowed into the crowd and killed two spectators and his riding mechanic.
Heading into today’s Indianapolis 500 as many as 16 drivers with significant connections to Dayton have competed in the historic race. No less than a dozen car owners with Miami Valley connections have participated in the Indy 500.
With more stories about Dayton than the race has laps, here’s a pit-stop version with a handful of the key players.
Dayton native Frank Lockhart – who lived next door to Wilbur and Orville Wright’s father – won the race in his rookie start in 1926, leading 95 of the rain-shortened 160 laps in his Miller-model No. 15. He won the pole the following year and led the first 81 laps before a broken rod ended his day. He died in 1928 attempting to set a land-speed record at Daytona Beach.
Dayton resident and Columbus native Mauri Rose won three 500 titles, including an odd co-championship in 1941. Rose, piloting another car, was out of the race when Floyd Davis pulled into the pits. Floyd’s car owner was reportedly unsatisfied with his performance and put Rose in the ride. Rose then drove the car to victory. Rose also won in 1947 and 1948.
Columbus native Sam Hanks, who worked at Wright Field during World War II, had 13 starts. He won in 1957 and immediately announced his retirement from the sport.
Dayton’s Salt Walther survived one of the most horrific crashes in Indy history to start the 1973 race – he sat trapped upside down in his burning race car for six minutes – but returned to race in 1974. He carried physical and emotional scars with him the rest of his live.
Bud Tingelstad – who after his racing days ran a Dayton garage popular for both repairs and reliving racing stories – had 10 starts from 1960-71 with a career-best finish of sixth in 1964.
And Troy’s Jack Hewitt lived every sprint car racer’s dream after becoming the oldest rookie to qualify for the race at age 46 in 1998. He finished 12th.
Perhaps only Duke Dinsmore – who had six starts in the 1940s and 1950s – could have given the entertaining Hewitt a run at making people laugh as fast as they turned laps.
“He was one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met,” Donaldson said. “Duke was the nickname given to him when he was running up in the Pacific Northwest, because he was running for a lady they called The Duchess. That’s where that came from. … Whenever he was talking about somebody that just didn’t rate, somebody he didn’t have any regard for (he called him a) shoe clerk.”
As for the car owners, Arcanum’s Harry Stutz — who founded the Stutz Manufacturing Company in Dayton — entered a car in the first Indy 500 and finished 11th. The Stutz also served as the Indianapolis 500 pace car in 1912.
Chaminade graduate Ron Hemelgarn fielded the car Buddy Lazier – still battered and broken from an accident two months earlier – drove to victory in 1996. It highlighted an amazing ride for Hemelgarn, who as a 17-year old in 1964 hitchhiked from Dayton to Indianapolis for his first 500 and watched from a 55-gallon drum in Turn 4.
As for track officials, New Lebanon’s Harlan Fengler – said to rule with an iron fist that ultimately led to his downfall – served as the race’s chief steward from 1958 to 1974.
“It’s a very rewarding place and a very frustrating place,” Hemelgarn once said. “I always say if you want to participate there you want to check with your financial adviser to make sure you can. And after you’ve been there awhile you want to check with your psychiatrist to find out why? It’s unbelievable. That place talks to you.”
And the stories it can tell continues to make it The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
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