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[john glenn printz]

THE 1934 AAA CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON by John Glenn Printz and Ken M. McMaken.

There were a total of just four AAA National Championship races in 1934. The contests were staged at Indianapolis, Springfield, Syracuse, and Inglewood, CA (Mines Field). The total milage was 800, a gain of 200 over the 1933 season. The four 1934 AAA National Championship races and their winners were;

1. May 30, Indianapolis 500, Bill Cummings, Miller FD, 104.86 mph, BR, NTR

2. August 25, Springfield 100, Billy Winn, Miller, 77.76 mph, D

3. September 9, Syracuse 100, Shorty Cantlon, Miller/Weil, 79.88 mph D

4. December 23, Mines Field 196.87, Kelly Petillo, Sparks/Stevens-Summers, 81.62 mph, R

THE DIRE PREFACE AND PRELIMINAIES TO THE 1934 AAA CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON.

On March 4, 1934 the AAA Pacific Coast racing contingent assembled at the one mile El Centro, CA dirt track for the running of a 50 miler which was an adjunct to the Imperial Midway Fair. Right at the start Al Gordon and Ernie Triplett diced for the lead position. The track itself was ill prepared for racing and almost immediately huge, thick dust clouds obscured all clear vision. "I was in the pits", says Art Sparks, "and I couldn't even identify the cars as they came by".

A vehicle piloted by Jimmy Wilkerson soon stalled out on the inside of the 4th turn. George "Swede" Smyth, dicing with another vehicle, found himself with no place to go and hit Wilkerson's machine. Smyth's car landed upside down. Now the track was cluttered up with two wrecked cars. Meanwhile Smyth was trying to extricate himself from his machine and an Ascot mechanic named Cambert L. "Hap" Hafley started to run towards Smyth's car.

The race leaders, Al Gordon and Ernie Triplett, were on their 21st circuit and oblivious to the 4th turn pileup. They both came into it a full speed. Gordon, who was in front, managed to miss the wreckage by skidding low and into the infield. But Triplett tried to run high and lost control of his car. Ernie plowed into Hafley and then hit Smyth's car. Triplett's car now became airborn, flipping wildly down the track end over end, and finally went out of the speedway proper and landed upside down in a corral built for horses.

Triplett had been thrown out of his car and was found nearly 100 feet from it. Gordon had crashed after successfully avoiding both Wilkerson's and Smyth's cars. Gordon hit a wooden post and demolished his car. Gordon sustained a broken nose and a split lip, but was basically O.K. Triplett was in critical condition with a fractured skull and various internal injuries. The AAA officals halted the race and declared Herb Balmer the victor. Art Sparks, who co-owned Gordon's car, offically protested this verdict. After all, the running order was Gordon, Triplett, and Balmer, before the accident.

Triplett was put in an ambulance and taken to a local hospital where he died that night. Smyth and Hafley were loaded onto a truck, because no ambulance was available for them, and through a mixup they failed to gain admittance to a hospital. Hours later while still in the truck they were taken to a private physican but it was now too late. Both died.

Since 1933 the local Hearst owned newspaper, the LOS ANGELES EXAMINER, had launched a powerful, forceful, concerted, and savage attack on automobile racing. The paper had earlier campaigned against boxing, and medical vivisection; anything for a headline was the EXAMINER'S philosophy. The impetus and focal point of the Examiner's assault was the Legion Ascot Speedway. Tension was growing thoughout 1933 between the racing fraternity and the Hearst employed photographers and reporters. Every time there was a bad wreck the Hearst photograpers would gleefully click away and spatter the front Sports Page with the gory pictorial details. The written copy would of course, match the pictures. All the Californian racing fraternity wished or wanted, was to be left alone but the Hearst campaign was having a very dire and sad effect on the general public's view of the sport. Everyone in racing felt directly threatened.

The Hearst chain even enlisted the help of that old showman, Barney Oldfield (1878-1946). After being somewhat out of the limelight for a number of years old Barney probably enjoyed seeing his name in big print and in the headlines again. Oldfield now opposed himself to the very sport that had made him nationally famous. That made great copy. The perhaps overly zealous reporters also had no trouble collecting the tragic and pitiful comments of the mothers, whose sons had been killed in motor racing mishaps. The mothers called for an end to the senseless slaughter and the legalized murder. The debacle at El Cento on March 4, 1934 was just made to order.

Edited by john glenn printz, 29 November 2010 - 21:33.

[john glenn printz]

AAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY 1934 (cont.-1) Ernie Triplett (1906-1934) had been the darling of the West Coast race car set. Ernie was, both the 1931 and 1932 AAA Pacific Coast Champion. In late 1933 Triplett had a bad wreck at Ascot while battling Al Gordon (1903-1936) and he emerged from the accident with a fractured skull. Because of this injury Triplett missed six weeks of the 1933 Pacific Coast season but still managed to finish 3rd in the final rankings for the West Coast series, behind Al Gordon and a new star, Rex Mays (1913-1949).

Triplett, called the "Blond Terror" by his plenteous fans, was of a lean and lank build with a high cheek bone. He was a bit of a dandy with regard to his cloths and as delicate as an artist with regard to his driving style. By contrast, his chief rival at Ascot, Al Gordon drove rough and was of the more crude, rowdy, and tough school crowd. Ernie started driving AAA as soon as it was possible, at age 21, at the Ascot Legion Speedway. That was 1928. Triplett was just 27 when he was killed.

Triplett's record in the AAA Championship division proper was not exceptional but Ernie had lacked the proper equipment in that series. During his five seasons, i.e. 1929-1933, on the Championship Trail the best National Championship ranking he achieved was 7th in 1931. Many of the best Indianapolis and AAA Championship drivers like Louis Meyer, Mauri Rose, and Wilbur Shaw never fared too well in the Pacific Coast circuit either and for the same exact reason, i.e. inadequate cars and machinery. All the better West Coast aces had all the top cars monopolized and nothing first rate remained when the top Indianapolis pilots came to California during the winter months.

The El Centro incident created an explosive situation and it did not fail to develop its dire power potential to the maximum. The AAA officals were clearly at fault and soon were at odds with each other. Any claim met counterclaim. Any accusation met denial. The starter, Jim Grant, said that he had tried to halt the race in the early going but that the AAA regional director, Art Pillsbury, had grapped the red flag from his hands. Art Sparks confirmed this. Pillsbury denied it. But certainly a lot of good questions could now be asked. Why was the track in such poor condition? Why had there been only one ambulance at hand? Why hadn't there been adequate arrangements made with a local hospital in the case of serious injuries? Why hadn't the race been stopped when the visibility was approaching zero? And where did the real responsibility reside for the whole fiasco? Most certainly Art Pillsbury, a tough cookie, would not allow himself to be saddled with any of the blame, but rather would find some way to escape from the ultimate censure.

The Hearst papers had a field day. The press soon found that Art Sparks, his pitman Joe Petrali, and the starter Jim Grant were willing to sign written statements to the effect that the El Centro track had been unfit for racing, that the event should have been stopped early, and that the AAA officals had been negligent. The daily papers did not fail to spread it all out, thick and heavy.

During Triplett's funeral at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park (March 7) his widow became hysterical, broke from the crowd and threw herself across the coffin. Soon an EXAMINER photograper named John Bennus walked up to Mrs. Triplett and exploded a flash bulb in her face despite her earlier expressed wishes that no photographs of her huband's funeral be taken. The racing personnel present had now had enough. Soon driver Louis Tomei (1910-1955) grapped Bennus' camera and smashed it. Bennus may also had been roughed up a little by Tomei and others. After the funeral a Hearst reporte named James Lee and Bennus were hustled into separate cars by persons connected with racing, including driver Babe Stapp (1904-1980), and Lee and Bennus were taken to the EXAMINER's downtown offices where members of the Califorian racing fraternity requested that (quote), "no further pictures of race track death accidents and funerals should be published."

The man the AAA claimed had won the El Centro race, Herb Balmer, was killed on March 8. Herb was testing his No. 48 Ford roadster (which had been raced at Mines Field in February 1934) on public roads when a passenger became alarmed at the 80 mph speeds. The fellow passenger turned the key in the ignition, not knowing that on this particular Ford model, such action locked up the steering and the front wheels. The Ford flipped over twice and landed on Balmer crushing his chest.

On March 9 another bombshell exploded as both James Lee and John Brennus signed a complaint, given to the Los Angeles District Attorney, Burton Fitts, alleging kidnapping and abduction of their persons, against Babe Stapp, Al Savage, and Ted Devlin. By the time the preliminary hearing took place, drivers Babe Stapp and Al Reinke were charged with kidnapping. What happened to Messrs Savage and Devlin and how Reinke got named in the kidnapping suit now is unclear to me. The formal arraignment for Stapp and Reinke was set for April 4. Here the kidnapping charges were reduced to the crime of simple assault.

Louis Tomei, who had been charged with criminal assault with intent to do bodily harm, had his charge reduced to simple assault. The drivers involved all pleaded guilty to the lesser charges, hoping thereby to have all the legal court proceedings over quickly, so that they could get to Indianapolis in time to compete in the 500. Eventually Stapp was fined $100 but Tomei got 180 days in jail. What happened to Al Reinke is unclear except that he was killed at Ascot on April 11 while testing his Ford V8 roadster which overturned. Both Reinke and Tomei had been looking forward to running in their first 500 in 1934 and Reinke actually already had a ride lined up. But by May 1934 Reinke was dead and Tomei was sitting in jail. Tomei had to wait until 1935 for his first Indianapolis start.

It was now time for Arthur Sutton Sparks (1901-1984) to pay for his sins. Art was not above cheating at times with regard to the existing displacement limit and other tricks. On one occasion while in the eastern U.S. his car had run in an non-AAA race. AAA director Art C. Pillsbury (d. 1966 at age 87) would call Sparks to his office, call him to account, and make the accusations. Art would deny all and everything and nothing at all was done. But the AAA Contest Board hierarchy was now ready to punish Sparks harsely for his volatile remarks and his signed statements about the AAA's handling of El Cento. Earl Bell Gilmore (1887-1964), a wealthy California oil man and racing enthusiast, was quite willing to pay the AAA a great sum of hard cash on behalf of Sparks, but the AAA would have none of it. They wanted to make the fate of Sparks a frightening example to others. Sparks was a car owner, a top mechanic and machinist, and an expert engine builder and designer. Art's cars and drivers were among the best that ran at Ascot and the Pacific Coast during its hayday, i.e. the years 1930-1934, but his immediate destiny was now unalterable. Art was now totally banned for two full years from any AAA activity whatever. He was not even allowed in the pits or the garage areas.

It was a harsh penalty for Sparks, who along with his partner Paul Weirwick, had had just built a new two-man Championship car for Indianapolis. The machine sported a chassis made by Myron Stevens and Phil Summers, and Al Gordon was lined up to drive it. Luckily Weirick was still in good standing with the AAA and could enter the car for the 1934 Indianapolis 500. About the El Centro situation Arthur, not a little perplexedly said (quote), "It was the only time that I stated the absolute truth and that's when I got booted out. When I lied nothing happened. But Pillsbury was a tough egg."

On April 4, Lou Moore and Peter DePaolo sailed on the Italian liner SATURNIA, with two Millers, to compete in the mile 328 mile Tripoli Grand Prix, to be staged on May 6. The two Millers were entered by the brothers, Frank and Al Scully, of Chicago, IL. Both Moore and DePaolo, were very optimistic at first, about their chances of posting good results. However as soon as the Europeans arrived at the site and started practicing, it was clear the Miller cars were outclassed and were not going to be competitive. In the race itself Moore placed 7th with a rear drive car and DePaolo 8th with a four wheel drive vehicle.

DePaolo had retired after running at Indianapolis in 1930. But in early 1934 Pete resumed his racing career by running in the February 18, 1934 Mines Field 250 mile stock car race where he finished 3rd. The original plans were that Moore and DePaolo, both entered for the 1934 running of the 500, would return to the U.S. after the Tripoli event. However DePaolo did not immediately return home but remained in Europe and participated in a race held on May 27 at the Avus-Berlin raceway using the four wheel drive Miller. The Miller's 308 cu. in. V8 motor blew on lap 6 in front of one of the main grandstands. DePaolo's exploded motor at Avus led eventually to a story that its metallic debris was hurled into a grandstand occupied by the German dictator, Adolf Hitler (1889-1945). A flying part almost hit Hitler, who would have been killed, if it had hit him. This tale seems to be untrue, but DePaolo seems to have enjoyed telling it at times. The earliest printed instance of it, that I am aware of, appears in the sports column of reporter Bill Henry on October 5, 1934, on page A9 of the LOS ANGELES TIMES. However DePaolo does not mention this incident in his 1935 book WALL SMACKER.

The incapacitated four wheel drive Miller was soon shipped back to the U.S. But DePaolo was able, through the agency of Albert Guyot (1881-1947), to secure a Maserati to drive in further European races. However on June 16 DePaolo crashed in the Maserati during a practice session in Barcelona, Spain and was very badly injured.

The Langhorne Speedway ran one 100 miler during the year 1934, staged on April 28. This contest was won by Johnny Hannon (1908-1935) who would later win the AAA Easter regional title for 1934. His vehicle was the famous "Strupp Miller". Hannon was followed by Maynard Clark (1903-1991) in 2nd, Lloyd Vieux in 3rd, and Billy Winn in 4th. At the time, neither Hannon or Vieux, had ever been in or had run in an AAA Championship race.

The 1934 AAA National Championship season began with the Indianapolis 500, run on May 30th.

Edited by john glenn printz, 21 February 2012 - 20:05.

[Jim Thurman]

On March 9 another bombshell exploded as both James Lee and John Brennus signed a complaint, given to the Los Angeles District Attorney, Burton Fitts, alleging kidnapping and abduction of their persons, against Babe Stapp, Al Savage, and Ted Devlin. By the time the preliminary hearing took place, drivers Babe Stapp and Al Reinke were charged with kidnapping. What happened to Messrs Savage and Devlin and how Reinke got named in the kidnapping suit now is unclear to me. The formal arraignment for Stapp and Reinke was set for April 4. Here the kidnapping charges were reduced to the crime of simple assault.

Louis Tomei, who had been charged with criminal assault with inent to do bodily harm, had his charge reduced to simple assault. The drivers involved all pleaded guilty to the lesser charges, hoping thereby to have all the legal court proceedings over quickly, so that they could get to Indianapolis in time to compete in the 500. Eventually Stapp was fined $100 but Tomei got 180 days in jail. What happened to Al Reinke is unclear except that he was killed at Ascot on April 11 while testing his Ford V8 roadster which overturned. Both Reinke and Tomei had been looking forward to running in their first 500 in 1934 and Reinke actually alreaddy had a ride lined up. But by May 1934 Reinke was dead and Tomei was sitting in jail. Tomei had to wait until 1935 for his first Indianapolis start.

Mr. Printz, thanks again for posting the wonderful information on past AAA seasons. I've done quite a bit of research in this area and incident, and as such, I can explain "Al Savage" and "Ted Devlin". Apparently those were phoney names given to Bennus and Lee. Articles in Los Angeles newspapers told of the search for drivers by those names. A judge scolded the racing community over their lack of co-operation in the investigation and (if one goes by newspaper accounts) threatened to raid Legion Ascot's pits on the next race date and bring everyone in for questioning. Only then, and with Pillsbury's urging, did drivers come forward, with Bennus and Lee identifying Reinke and Tomei, who apparently were the ones using the aliases of "Al Savage" and "Ted Devlin". Tomei did not surrender until later.

I have more on this and would be glad to either pm or e-mail you.

[john glenn printz]

Dear Jim;

Your comments are most interesting, important (!) and greatly clear up matters here!!!

As an actual fact, I have surveys on the AAA National Champiopnship covering the years 1933 to 1941, which I had put together in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The 1933 AAA season has already been posted on the LOUIS MEYER thread. I have not really investigated the years 1933-1941 in recent years, although much more material is now available on them. Therefore my writeups should all be revised, but I do not have time to do so. However I may just post these earlier writeups on 1934-41 largely "as is", as most of the material in them will still be "new" to others.

Your data concerning the two alias was not known to me hitherto. It all came as a complete surprize. Thanks for the added info. Sincerely, J.G. Printz

P.S. If "pm" means "post more", please go ahead!

Edited by john glenn printz, 14 November 2010 - 21:15.

[john glenn printz]

AAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY 1934 (cont.-2) I. INDIANAPOLIS 500, MAY 30, 1934. On May 19 the 1931 Indianapolis winner, Lou Schneider (1901-1942), was officially suspended by the AAA Contest Board for his participation in some 1933 non-AAA races. Lou was thus debarred from running in the 1934 "500". For 1933 the Speedway management had limited the total amount of oil to be used in each individual car during the race, to six gallons for safety reasons. The track used to get very slick from the engine oil leaking onto the bricks and the new reguation was an attempt to cure that problem. For the 1934 event the Speedway went even further and slapped a 45 gallon fuel restriction limit on every car, for the race itself. Most of the experts felt that this new fuel limit would slow the race down and it was expected that Lou Meyer's 1933 race record of 104.144 mph would not be broken. The cars now had to average about 11.2 miles a gallon to complete the 500 mile distance. The 1933 "500" had allowed 42 starters, the most ever, but now it was thought it was just too many and for 1934, the starting positions were again reduced down to the more normal and traditional 33.

The first weekend of time trials, May 19 and 20, saw Kelly Petillo (Miller/Adams) 119.329 mph, Wilbur Shaw (Miller/Stevens) 117.645, Frank Brisko (Miller) 116.894, Bill Cummings 116.116 (Miller) and Mauri Rose (Miller/Stevens) 116.044 post the fastest clockings. In the second sessions of qualifying, May 25-28, Shorty Cantlon (Miller/Stevens) 116.973 and Al Gordon (Sparks/Stevens-Summers) 116.110 had the two quickest times. Petillo and Shaw were teammates in 1934 as both were driving for Joe Marks, a Gary, IN fruit dealer. Petillo said, "Well, now that I've qualified, Wilbur and I can just sit back and put in some good hard worryin'. A lot of these guys around here haven't seen this Al Gordon drive and believe me there's somebody to be scared of. The guys that have been up against him on the Coast know it but some of these birds back here don't." Edgar Alan "Al" Gordon (1903-1936) had had one previous start in the 500, in 1932, but had crashed out after just three laps to place 40th among the 40 starters.

On May 17 it was reported that Al Gordon, Lou Schneider, and Art Sparks were all under AAA suspension for participating in unsanctioned non-AAA races during 1933. Gordon's suspension was for 45 days and thus seemingly eliminated him from the 1934 Indianapolis event. Paul Weirick thus in turn, nominated Tony Gulotta as Gordon's replacement on car No. 51.

On May 25 the veteran pilot Albert Jacob "Peter" Kries (b. 1900) lost control during a practice-test session in turn one. His car, the 1932 winner, jumped the outside concrete wall and then hurled itself into a tree. The impact was such that it tore the car in two. The 34 year old Kries and his riding mechanic, Bob Hahn from Chico CA, were killed instantly. Kries had driven in the AAA Championship ranks since 1924 but had raced only at Indianapolis during the 1928-1934 seasons. His family had feared for his life and so Peter curtailed his racing activities and now raced only at Indianapolis during the years 1928 to 1934. Kries always took his vacation from his construction engineering job in May, so he could compete at the Speedway. Kries racing record was generally undistinguiished. Peter's greatest accomplishment had to be when he led the 1925 Italian Grand Prix on its 2nd lap, to the amazement of all. One thing that was always said about Pete, from everyone, is that he was a really nice and decent fellow. Kries came fron a prominent Knoxville TN family, who were all sportsmen. Peter's father was an outstanding trapshooter while his brothers were all also crack shots and liked golf.

Peter's best National Championship ranking was 9th in 1926. In 1926 Kreis had his two best placements in Championship contests, i.e. 2nds, at the Altoona 250 (Sept. 18) and the Salem 200 (Oct. 12) in a front drive Miller. On the eve of the 1926 Indianapolis 500 Kries took sick and his Miller rear drive was reassigned to a youngster who had impressed everyone during the pre-race practice sessions, but who had come to the Speedway without a car, i.e. Frank Lockhart. The driver switch here proved catastrophic as the 23 year old Lockhart ran away with the rain shortened (400 miles) event. Nobody could keep up with Frank, including Harry Hartz, who later went on to become the 1926 AAA National Driving Champion.

Bob Hahn had come to the Speedway, among the entourage of Harry Hartz, seeking the role of a riding mechanic. Bob wanted to ride in the 1934 race in order to get "the feel of the track" as he wanted to compete in the future here as a driver.

Louis Meyer remembers (quote), "O, I've had a few close calls where I was almost killed. One year Harry Hartz wanted me to drive for him. He had a front drive job and I took it out for a few practice laps, but I didn't like the way the thing handled. There was something funny about it so I stepped out of it and drove my own car. Harry later put Pete Kries in it and Peter got killed in it. Yes I've had a few close ones."

Fred Frame, the 1932 "500" winner, failed to make the starting lineup. Frame crashed on the last day of the qualifications, May 28, driving the same machine which won the 1930 Indianapolis chase. A steering arm broke during his time trial attempt and the car hit the wall. Lou Meyer ended up as the only former winner in the 1934 starting field. The pre-race favorites were Louis Meyer, Kelly Petillo, and even Al Gordon.

Kelly Petillo led the first six laps before a broken oil line put him into the pits. Thereafter Petillo would have recurrent mechanical problems which required seven pit stops. Kelly however was able to keep running and eventually finished 11th overall. Frank Brisko took over the headship from Petillo and led circuits 7 to 71 in a four wheel drive 1932 Miller. After that the race settled down to a contest between Bill Cummings and Mauri Rose. Cummings and Rose traded the leadership at their respective pit stops until lap 175 when Cummings took the number one position by passing Rose on the track. Bill stayed in front the rest of the way and had increased his leadership to 27 seconds at the end. It was the closest finish in "500" history up to that time.

The top five positions were:

1. Bill Cummings, Miller, 4:46:05.20, 104.863 mph, Miller 220 c.i. 4, "Boyle Products No. 7" NTR

2. Mauri Rose, Miller/Stevens, 4:46:32.43, 104.697 mph, Miller 220 c.i. 4, "Duray No. 9"

3. Moore/Shaw, Miller, 4:52:19.63, 102.625 mph, Miller 255 c.i. 4, "Foreman Axle No. 2"

4. Deacon Litz, Miller, 4:57:46.27, 100.749 mph, Miller 220 c.i. 4, "Stokely Food No. 12"

5. Joe Russo, Duesenberg, 5:00:19.21, 99.893 mph, Duesenberg 275 c.i. 8, "Duesenberg No. 16"

Cummings pace of 104.863 mph was a new record and he averaged 13.94 miles per gallon. Bill made two pit stops. The top three cars did not change a tire. Cummings' winning Miller was the same machine in which Babe Stapp had led 81 circuits in the 1933 race, while Rose's car was the one in which Wilbur Shaw had taken 2nd place the year before. For 1934 Shaw retired after 15 laps with an oil leak but later relieved Lou Moore for laps 66 to 192. Brisko had led the most laps with 69, Rose was next with 68, Cummings' total was 57, while Petillo had 6. Russo's Duesenberg was the last "real" Duesy in the "500" and had been prepared by Augie Duesenberg himself. The win here by a four cylinder motor was the first since Gaston Chevrolet won in a Frontenac 4, in 1920. Lou Meyer, who started 13th, never broke into the top ten, and was out with 92 laps to his credit (broken oil tank), to place 18th. Lou however got back in the race by relieving Ralph Hepburn for laps 138-164. As for Al Gordon he was up to 3rd place at 60 laps, before he was put out at 67 circuits with steering problems.

Leon Duray (1894-1956), the owner of the car that Rose drove, officially protested the order of the finish. Duray alleged that Cummings had gained almost 3/4's of a lap advantage over Rose illegally during the circuits run under the yellow, while wrecked vehicles were being cleared from the course. The drivers were suppose to slow down but Cummings, Duray claimed, did not. As Rose finished less than half a behind, he should be declared the winner. Although there may have been some merit in Leon's argument, all that he accomplished was a seven day delay of the prize money for the first ($29,725) and second place ($14,350) positions. On June 8 the AAA upheld Cummings as the race winner. The Duray protest over Cumming's first place position in the 1934 "500" did not enhance Rose's popularity, which in any case, was low in certain circles. There were traces of anti-Jewish feeling among some member of the U.S. racing scene and Mauri was a Jew. The only other Jew that I know of, who had run in the major AAA races before Rose, was Arthur Klein (1889-1955) who was in big AAA events from 1914 to 1923.

Edited by john glenn printz, 06 December 2010 - 14:55.

[john glenn printz]

AAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY 1934 (cont.-3) There was not another National Championship race until August 25, but two AAA Championship pilots were killed during the summer months, Joe Russo (b. 1901) died in a hospital on the afternoon of June 10, a day after his car rolled over in a 50 mile event held at Langhorne. The 35 year old Russo suffered a broken jaw , various internal injuries, and been thrown 75 feet from his vehicle. Joe was driving the same car that Lou Moore had used at the 1934 Tripoli Grand Prix and at the 1934 Indianapolis 500. Both Moore and Billy Winn had declined to drive it on the Langhorne oval that day. Joe was the elder brother of the once famous Paul Russo who drove U. S. Champion cars during the years 1940-1965.

And on July 15 Bert Karnatz was fatally injured in a 30 mile feature race held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Speedway located in Detroit, MI. On the first lap Karnatz swerved and locked wheels with another vehicle. Bert's car then plunged end over end over an embankment. The V.F.W. Speedway was located at 8 Mile Road and Schoenherr and was then a 1/2 mile dirt oval. This track had been constructed in late 1932 by Don Zeiter. The first race occurred on October 2, 1932 and was won by Bob Carey.

The Championship Trial had already lost another relative newcomer to its ranks on May 15 when driver Sam Palmer (b. 1901) succumbed from head injuries received on May 6 in a highway accident, while returning from a race at Oakland, CA. Sam had been driving race cars for about six years and had once been very badly burned in a race at San Jose. The doctors involved had given Sam no chance to live but Palmer recovered completely after a year of intense pain and suffering.

The 1 mile dirt Roby Speedway located in Hammond, IN ran two 100 milers in 1934, but neither was AAA sanctioned. The first took place on June 10 and its promotor and race director was Jack Leech. The winner was Lou Schneider with a time of 1 hour, 27 minutes, and 27.2 seconds. Lou was followed over the line by Red Campbell, Sam Scalletta, and Leo Stummell. 16 vehicles had started. Scalletta and Stummell were local drivers hailing from Chicago. The attendance was put at 4000.

Schneider had previously won two 100 milers here. The first was on September 19, 1926 and the second on June 21, 1931. Neither was an AAA Championship contest.

Edited by john glenn printz, 26 November 2010 - 21:14.

[john glenn printz]

AAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY 1934 (cont.-4) 2. SPRINGFIELD 100, AUGUST 25, 1935. The 1934 Springfield 100 was the first AAA National Championship race held here and it inaugurated a long series of Championship events which lasted until USAC eliminated all dirt surfaced events from the Championship series in 1971. Before World War II, Springfield hosted 100 mile Championship races in 1934, 1935, and 1940. The Championship series was resumed in 1947 and continued without a break until 1971. The track is a one mile flat dirt oval located at the Illinois State Fair. The 1934 race was the first automobile contest staged here since 1929 and was promoted by Ralph A. Hankinson. The 1934 attendance was put at over 10,000 and the race was held in conjunction with the Illinois State Fair.

The fastest 12 qualifiers would start and Bill Cummings posted the quickest time with a 39.78 (90.4 mph) second lap. Johnny Sawyer (1902-1989) led the race from the start and stayed there for circuits 1-93 until put out with a broken clutch shaft. Bill Cummings had to pit on his 3rd lap because of an overheating engine. Bill returned to the track but soon had to come in again. The car was out for the day. Hoping to protect his AAA Championship point lead, Cummings took over the machine piloted by George Barringer, but it failed to place. After Sawyer went out, Billy Winn inherited the leadership and led laps 94-100. Brisko on lap 99 was running 2nd but his car ran out of fuel and the vehicle was then pushed into the pits. By the time Frank got back out, both Snowberger and Rose had sped by.

Billy Winn was piloting the same Miller that Deacon Litz both owned and drove at Indianapolis in May to place 4th overall, while Johnny Sawyer drove his 1934 Indianapolis ride, i.e. Miller 220 c.i. 4/Lencki. At Indy Sawyer had traveled just 25 laps before a connecting rod let go, to place 25th overall. Brisko's Miller/Stevens had been driven by Shaw at Indy in May and had been constructed in early 1931. Bob Carey had used it in 1932, to win the AAA National Championship Title that year.

The top five finishing positions at Springfield were:

1. Billy Winn, Miller 220 c.i. 4, 1:17:09.52, 77.76 mph, $2000, "Stokely Food No. 12"

2. Russ Snowberger, Studebaker 336 c.i. 8, $1000, "Russell Eight No. 10"

3. Mauri Rose, Miller 255 c.i. 4, $650, "Red Lion No. 17"

4. Frank Brisko, Miller/Stevens 248.5 c.i. 8, $400, "Gilmore No. 3"

5. Kelly Petillo, Miller 255 c.i. 4, Moore No. 2"

The 1934 AAA Championship point standings (top five), after Springfield were: 1. Cumming 600, 2. Rose 530, 3. Russo 300, 4. Moore 248, and Snowberger 240.

Edited by john glenn printz, 19 November 2010 - 18:45.

[john glenn printz]

AAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY 1934 (cont.-5) 3. SYRACUSE 100, SEPTEMBER 9, 1934. The very first AAA Championship race run at Syracuse, NY was a 150 miler held on September 15, 1924. This 1924 contest was infamous for being the event in which the great Jimmy Murphy (b. 1894) lost his life. After that the next AAA Championship event was a 100 miler run on September 1, 1928. Thereafter the Syracuse 100 was a mainstay of the AAA Championship schedule annually before World War II. The Syracuse 100 became and was the most important and prestigious of all the 100 mile dirt track automobile races held in the U.S., whether AAA or not, immediately before the second World War.

The Championship level Syracuse 100 produced four, two-time victors before the U.S. went to war against Japan in December 1941, i.e. Bill Cummings 1930/1933, Billy Winn in 1935/1937, Mauri Rose in 1936/1939, and Rex Mays in 1940/1941. The ex-AAA driver Ira Vail (1893-1979) was generally in charge of the Syracuse event, which was run always in conjunction with the New York State Fair. After the war the Syracuse Championship 100 milers, for some odd reason, were not revived until September 10, 1949. Vail was again in charge of the post-war AAA races. The first post War winner (1949) was Johnnie Parsons (Offenhauser/Kurtis) with a time of 1:09:36.52.

For the 1934 edition, 26 entries were procured, with the fastest 16 to start. The race was delayed one day because of rain. Both Kelly Petillo and Ted Kessler crashed in the qualifying sessions and wrecked their cars. In the latter accident Kessler from Buffalo, 27, and his riding mechanic, William Gorman, were thrown out of the car after it crashed into the outside fence. Gorman sustained a fractured leg while Kessler had a wrenched back. The five quickest times turned in during the qualifications were: 1. Cummings 40.63 seconds (88.604 mph), 2. Rose 41.72 (86.289), 3. Barringer 41.78 (86.166), 4. Cantlon 41.89 (85.939), and 5. Sawyer 42.80 (84.112). Cummings' time of 40.63 was a new Syracuse track record. The pre-race favorites were Cummings and Rose and only 13 cars actually started.

On the start Rose passed Cummings in the first turn and stayed in front for laps 1-67, before a connecting rod snapped. At 25 miles the running order was Rose, Cummings, Brisko, Cantlon, Snowberger, and Winn. Soon Cummings' car developed motor trouble and Bill had to take to the pits on lap 35. Bill was forced into the pits on two other occasions and was flagged off after running 93 laps, to place 7th. Cantlon led circuits 68-100 after Rose retired.

The five top final placements were:

1. Shorty Cantlon, Miller 220 c.i. 4/Weil, 1:15:06.31, 79.888 mph, $2000, "Floating Power No. 22"

2. Frank Brisko, Miller 248.5 c.i. 8/Stevens, 1:16:16.01, 78.671 mph, $1000, "Lion Head No. 3"

3. Billy Winn, Miller 220 c.i. 4, 1:17:24.21, 77.518 mph, $650, "Stokely Food No. 12"

4. George Barringer, Miller 270 c.i. 8, 1:17:36.36, 77.313 mph, $400, "Boyle Products No. 18"

5. Russ Snowberger, Studebaker 336 c.i. 8, 1:18.22.24, 76.560 mph, $300, "Russell Eight No. 10"

On his 67th lap, George W. Brayen (b. 1906), from Barneveld, NY skidded at the end of the backstraight. Brayen's car, the Simmons Special No. 76, crashed through the fence and bounded back onto the middle part of the track. Brayen had been thrown from the car and was struck by Brisko's Miller. Then Brayen's own vehicle turned about and ran over his body. George died instantly but Brayen's riding mechanic, David Damon from East Syracuse, was also thrown from the car but was only dazed, and not badly injured. Brisko, not knowing he had stuck Brayen, continued on and placed 2nd.

George Brayen means nothing to me and I doubt not, that he ever meant much to anyone else. Brayen is a good example of a man who one meets in U.S. Championship racing history, from time to time. They were in the Championship division racing just long enough to crash fatally and didn't achieve or accomplish much else. While Bill Cummings or Mauri Rose is whizzing around the track at high speed and making it all look easy, someone like Brayen is struggling back in the ruck and is having a very rough time of it. Brayen however had come into the race with very high hopes, as it was his 2nd big race, running with the stars such as Cummings, Litz, Moore, Rose, Winn, etc.

George had been a local veteran of some six year's racing experience on the small tracks in the central New York state area and had been an aviator with the Gates Flying Circus. Brayen had motorcycle racing experience also and had toured the fairs, riding his motorbike on the inside walls of a circular wooden barrel. My father used to talk about seeing this stunt. George had also tried his hand at boxing, baseball, and football. Brayen's only other AAA Championship start was in the 1933 Syracuse 100 where he was flagged off after 96 laps to place 10th. His prize money on that occasion was $75. In both 1933 and 1934 he piloted a "Simmons Special" put together by George Simmons of East Syracuse. For 1934, at least, it was powered by an Oakland production block motor.

One newspaper reporter was a bit shocked at the rather blase attitude of all the race officials when he learned there would be no inquest or investigation into the Brayen accident. He was told (quote), "What would be the use? The racers take the chance of being killed every time they start. The only outcome of any inquiry would be a verdict of accidental death." And a photographer also told him (quote), "It is part of the thrill, apparently, when a driver is killed in a race, but the promotors and the management want it kept as private as possible among the racing fans. They don't want the snapshots of the death scenes to reach the general public."

And there had been a general altercation also between an AAA official, Pierce Wright, and the New York State troopers against the news photographers and newsreel cameramen, when they were taking pictures of the removal of George Brayen's dead body. Wright was an assistsant to Eddie Edenburn, the chief steward of the race. The troopers took several cameras from the photographers, who protested this strong arm treatment. However Edenburn soon arrived at the scene and the cameras were all retuned to their rightful owners before any of such property had suffered damage. Edenburn also later made an apology. It took five minutes for the New York State troopers and medical attendants to remove Brayen from under the car, and for his racing machine to be pushed aside.

It was noticed by the SYACUSE HERALD that Brayen was the 14th victim of motor racing at the Syracuse mile. On September 16, 1911 Lee Oldfield (1889-1978) lost control of his Knox. The vehicle plowed into a packed crowd and killed outright 9 persons. Later two more died from their injuries. Jimmy Murphy (b. 1894) died here in an AAA Championship 150 staged on September 15, 1924. And Jimmy Gleason (b. 1891) died in a qualification attempt for a 100 mile Championship event run on September 12, 1931.

Cantlon's winning Miller/Weil No. 22 was owned by William S. "Hollywood Bill" White and had been piloted earlier at Indy by Cliff Bergere to a 7th place finish. Ralph Hankinson was the promotor here for the first time (1934) for the state fair Syracuse 100 and the attendance was put exactly at 23,335. Bill Cummings' Syracuse record of 1:11:52.15 (83.48 mph) for 100 miles, set on September 6, 1930, still remained intact. Cummings in the 1930 Syracuse 100 did not pilot the same Duesenberg No. 6 that he had used at Indianapolis that year. Bill's 1930 Indianapolis machine had been designed by Fred Duesenberg and used a Model A Duesenberg stock block motor. Cummings' 1930 Syracuse winning Duesenberg had been a late 1920s thoroughbred single seat car Duesy, which had been altered and modified into a junk formula two seater, by Augie Duesenberg.

The 1934 Syracuse 100 was the fourth and last AAA Championship win for William L. "Shorty" Cantlon (1904-1947). Shorty had previous Championship wins at Akron in 1930 and two at Altoona in 1931. Cantlon was born in Detroit and started his racing career in Michigan, c. 1922, on a half mile track. Cantlon soon became a regular in the Mid-Western oval dirt track wars during the 1920s. Shorty first got to Indianapolis in 1928, but failed to make the lineup. However in the 1928 "500" he did some relief work (laps 6-58 and 116-180) for Henry Kohlert (1892-1939). Shorty was certainly one of the leading U.S. pilots during the years 1930 to 1934. His best AAA season was 1930 when he finished 2nd at Indianapolis and 2nd in the AAA National Championship Title standings. Cantlon was a very heavy drinker and he and his wife often owned traverns. Some say that Shorty's wife could even outdrink Shorty himself.

Cantlon was a devote Roman Catholic and some of the drivers considered him to be quite superstitious. On one occasion an important race had to be delayed for 10 minutes because Cantlon forgot his Saint Christopher Medal. He wouldn't drive without it and the medallion had to be fetched. After the 1934 season Cantlon became pretty much of an also-ran on the Championship circuit. Many opine that he squandered his considerable driving talent in waves of alcohol. But he kept racing, on and off, until 1947 when he was killed at Indianapolis during the race, and in an accident not of his own making caused by a Bill Holland spin.

Edited by john glenn printz, 01 December 2010 - 18:14.

[Michael Ferner]

The five top final placements were:

1. Shorty Canton, Miller 220 c.i. 4/Weil, 1:15:06.31, 79.888 mph, $2000, "Floating Power No. 22"

2. Frank Brisko, Miller 248.5 c.i. 8/Stevens, 1:16:16.01, 78.671 mph, $1000, "Lion Head No. 3"

3. Billy Winn, Miller 220 c.i. 4, 1:17:24.21, 77.518 mph, $650, "Stokely Food No. 12"

4. George Barringer, Miller 270 c.i. 8, 1:17:36.36, 77.313 mph, $400, "Boyle Products No. 18"

5. Russ Snowberger, Studebaker 336 c.i. 8, 1:18.22.24, 76.560 mph, $300, "Russell 8 No. 10"

This picture, from the SYRACUSE HERALD: MONDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 10, 1934., even if of poor quality, stills shows enough detail to see that Barringer's #18 was not the same car he drove at Indy, namely the 270 cubic inch "Big Eight"-cylinder Miller, but obviously the newly acquired four-cylinder Miller of the Boyle team that Al Miller would drive at Indy in '35! Cummings, on the other hand, didn't drive the same car as at Indy either, his 500-mile winning #7 being a front-drive and thus not competitive on dirt tracks. Looking at the front suspension of the two Boyle cars in question (the two white ones running on the inside lane in the 1st and 2nd row, respectively, just prior to the start), and comparing these with the pictures from the 1935 Indy 500 (below), one can clearly see that Cummings was driving the 8-cylinder car, not Barringer - Cummings was number one driver of the team, and the "Big Eight" the best dirt track car in the stable.



The 8-cylinder Miller in 1935, Snowberger up.




The 4-cylinder Miller of Miller. Note how the Eight has quarter-elliptic front springs over and under the front axle, and no frame horns, while the Four has a conventional half-elliptic springing with frame horns, which are also visible on the Barringer car in the Syracuse pic!

[Michael Ferner]

George Brayen means nothing to me and I doubt not, that it ever meant much to anyone else. Brayen is a good example of a man who one meets in U.S. Championship racing history from time to time. They were in the Championship division racing just long enough to crash fatally and didn't achieve or accomplish much else. While Bill Cummings or Mauri Rose is whizzing around the track at high speed and making it all look easy, someone like Brayen is struggling back in the ruck and is having a very hard time of it. Brayen however had come into the race with very high hopes.

George Brayen was a typical example of the sort of driver that took advantage of the "junk formula" to break into the "big time". He had an old two-man dirt track car, probably from the time when single-seaters were the exception rather than the rule, and with that he was suddenly able to compete in the top category of US racing, there being no further requirements. The car was built and owned by one George "Slim" Simmons, a garage proprietor and former racing driver of Syracuse, and apparently powered by an Oakland engine. Simmons, whose real name may have been Simmounous, ran a small team and occasionally entered a second car for drivers like Otto Burdick, Al Newton or Harold Woods.

Brayen's racing record was indistinguished, but not all that bad. He apparently started out by racing motorcycles, and doing "wall of death" stunts during the fair season. In an obituary it was stated that he started racing automobiles "six years ago", but I have found his name in the report of a 1926 "outlaw" race already. Tracing him is difficult, however, since his name was often misspelt - Brayem, Brayom, Brayden, Breyan, Bryen or Bragen in many reports. His first appearance in a AAA event in my records is August 10, 1930, at the Woodbridge board speedway of all places. He qualified 29th out of 31 entries, and finished 8th out of ten starters in the second qualifying heat for the consolation race, with only the first three going on to compete in the consolation proper, fighting over the last of the ten starting spots in the main event that day! AAA short track racing was a competitive business back then, and he shared the long list of non-starters with some notables like Doc MacKenzie, Bob Sall, Bill Denver, Jimmy Patterson and Rick Decker, to name only the future Indy 500 starters.

It was also at Woodbridge Speedway that he "starred" in a promotional stunt by taking a journalist, Thomas J. Brennan of the "Woodbridge Inedependent" for a ride around the halfmile track, now rebuilt as a dirt track in 1932. The resulting article makes for interesting reading:

SEEN FROM THE SIDELINES

By THOMAS J. BRENNAN

TAKEN FOR A RIDE

A week ago today, your most unworthy correspondent was sitting on the edge of Sam Sarokin's desk in the office of the Metropolitan Motor Speedways [promoters of Woodbridge Speedway at the time] in the Log Cabin . . . . A. G. Camwell, secretary, and Sam, publicity director, were checking entries for Sunday's races . . . . there were several two-seaters on the list . . . . "How would you and Jimmy Nolan (of the P. A. Evening News) like to do a few laps in one of the two seaters?" Sarokin shot at me . . . . a faintly audible "okay" came from some place . . . . "Call Jim and see if he'll go" . . . . they did and he would.
Two none too stable reporters signed releases later while Cam and Sam got official approval from Harry Schlieman, Chief Steward for the A.A.A. . . . . the stage was set for Sunday before the time trials . . . . all we had to do was ride in the cars designated and (if possible) relate a somewhat different narrative to a tired and bored public.
Came Sunday with sunshine, fifty or sixty racing cars, the fans and a pair of more or less quaking reporters . . . . the first thing we learned was that Mr. Schlieman, who had okayed our ride, had fallen from a stepladder Saturday and had broken his arm . . . . he wouldn't be there . . . . we breathed bit more easily . . . . but our relief was short-lived . . . . Camwell, like a bad omen, met us at the tunnel entrance to the track, gave us a slip to Tommy Thompson who was subbing for Schlieman and sent us to the pits.
Francis Fanning, chairman of the Three A Technical Committee picked the cars and drivers for us . . . . two members of the mythical Fourth Estate shook hands and shivered . . . . much to the enjoyment of the group of drivers who were taking in our sad plight.
"This is George Bragen [sic!], of Syracuse," Fanning was saying. "He'll drive you" . . . . Bragen, a tall, stalwart man with a bronzed, lean face and the keen eyes of a racing driver, shook my hand and reached for his gloves and goggles . . . . Malcolm Fox came over to the two-seater Simmons with helmet and goggles in his hands . . . . "You'll need these. Here put 'em on" . . . . once in the car with goggles adjusted, a glance across the pits showed that Jimmy was going through the same ordeal beside Bill Stolz, of Philadelphia . . . . Jimmy flipped his hand . . . . wonder if going through the little green door is as bad?
Bragen's pit crew pushed us out to the track . . . . the tow car men "roped" the car . . . . Bragen flipped the switch, checked his gas pressure and gave the tow car the signal to go ahead . . . . that couldn't be perspiration on my face?
The powerful racing motor broke into a roar and the tachometer needle swung up to 1,000, 2,000, 2,500 . . . the tow rope was snapped . . . . Bragen threw the car into gear and we rode into the first turn with increasing momentum.
By the time we rounded the west turn, Bragen was gunning her . . . . the tachometer needle hovered between 5,000 and 6,000 r. p. m. . . . . we thundered into the homestretch . . . . "Doc" Gerner dropped the green flag and Bragen's right knee straightened a bit . . . . 7,000 revolutions a minute . . . . the wind burned . . . . flying pebbles and sand stung our faces . . . . oil and tar smeared goggles . . . . Bragen wiped his with a [illegible] . . . . the hot, throaty pulsation of the exhaust pipe a few inches from my right arm was almost deafening . . . . Bragen tooled the car into the far straightaway . . . . what a sensation!
The trembling vibration of a powerful racing motor nearly wide open . . . . blurred view of thousands in the grandstands . . . . a fleeting glimpse of sky and trees over the rail while swinging into the west turn . . . . the pounding of the raclng car on the track . . . . an eerie feeling when gravitation pulls the rear toward the rail . . . . a relieved feeling when the racer "digs the nose" for the inner rail . . . . a relaxed feeling when the machine is safely in the straightaway for a few seconds.
Bragen's face was a study as we swept into the west turn on the second lap . . . . he stiffened and tensed perceptibly as he nosed the two-seater into the turn . . . . the muscles of his arms hardened, his jaws tightened . . . . safely out of the turn and into the backstretch . . . . Bragen relaxed and his eyes swept the dashboard . . . . gas and oil pressure okay . . . . water temperature right . . . . tachometer hanging a little over [illegible] r. p. m. . . . . the east turn . . . . that stiffening again.
On the fourth lap the Simmons slid a bit in the west turn . . . . Bragen's right elbow came up in my face as he fought the wheel to "get her down" . . . . we straightened out . . . . he shot a glance in my direction and grinned . . . . he should have.
We roared into the homestretch . . . . Gerner held the blue flag out . . . . it gave a snapping swish as we swept by him . . . . the colors of those flags stand out above everything . . . . one lap to go . . . . Bragen bore down on the throttle . . . . more speed . . . . the scream of protesting tires . . . . swirling views of fence . . . . flying tar and pebbles . . . . the car coming out of the turns almost incredibly . . . . a flip of the checkered flag . . . . we slowed down . . . . relaxation . . . . fresh air.
Admittedly a bit groggy, your humble servant climbed out of the car . . . . Jimmy and Bill Stolz were already in the pits . . . . they had passed us in the west turn on the first lap and took the checkered flag when Gerner flipped the blue at us . . . . boy, that old terra firma felt good.
Bragen introduced me to George Simmons, builder of the car . . . . Simmons wanted to get a can of gasoline and clean up a greasy, very much experienced racing reporter . . . . five laps and the old map was as greasy and tar-spotted as the floor of a garage . . . . "Clocked you at 29 3-5 seconds a lap," a mechanic was saying . . . . Jimmy and Bill Stolz walked over . . . . Fox sauntered up to the group for his goggles . . . . "Well," he said, "how about quitting the newspaper game?" . . . . we of the Fourth Estate were reaching for stubs and wads of copy paper . . . . the press box, safely perched high above the crowd in the grandstand, beckoned . . . . two reporters bee-lined across the track.
Bragen and Stolz grinned.

If true, 29.6" was a pretty competitive lap time on a day when the track record stood at 28.0" until Joe Russo lowered it to 27.8" in the time trials, especially considering the fact that Brayen may have "feathered it" when taking the journalist out onto the track, but in any case George failed to qualify for the main event that day. Still, by that time in his career Brayen had already "arrived", so to speak, as he had finished an outstanding 3rd in the main event at Altamont (NY) just a fortnight earlier, beaten only by Bryan Saulpaugh and Chuck Tabor, and winning a heat race to boot. He had a few more top six finishes at Altamont, Little Valley and Hamburg (all in NY) before he made his National Championship debut at Syracuse in 1933, finishing 10th out of 12 survivors in a field of 16. After everything is said and done, he may have been a bit out of his depth in a field containing such stars as Bill Cummings, Mauri Rose and Billy Winn, but he was an accomplished dirt track driver and capable of holding his own against some of the "lower lights" in the field at Syracuse on that fatal day, like Cy Yocum or Ted Kessler, and maybe not so different from Herb Ardinger who would years later qualify for a front row start at Indianapolis.




George Brayen (left), with riding mechanic David Damon (or Demond?)

Edited by Michael Ferner, 19 November 2010 - 20:32.

[Michael Ferner]

The 1934 Syracuse 100 was the fourth and last AAA Championship win for William L. "Shorty" Cantlon (1904-1947). Shorty had previous Championship wins at Akron in 1930 and two at Altoona in 1931. Cantlon was born in Detroit and started his racing career in Michigan, c. 1922, on a half mile track. Cantlon soon became a regular in the Mid-Western oval dirt track wars during the 1920s. Shorty first got to Indianapolis in 1928, but failed to make the lineup. However in the 1928 "500" he did some relief work (laps 6-58 and 116-180) for Henry Kohlert (1892-1939). Shorty was certainly one of the leading U.S. pilots during the years 1930 to 1934. His best AAA season was 1930 when he finished 2nd at Indianapolis and 2nd in the AAA National Championship Title standings. Cantlon was a very heavy drinker and he and his wife often owned traverns. Some say that Shorty's wife could even outdrink Shorty himself.

Cantlon was a devote Roman Catholic and some of the drivers considered him to be quite superstitious. On one occasion an important race to be delayed for 10 minutes because Cantlon forgot his Saint Christopher Medal. He wouldn't drive without it and the medallion had to be fetched. After the 1934 season Cantlon became pretty much of an also-ran on the Championship circuit. Many opine that he squandered his considerable driving talent in waves of alcohol. But he kept racing, on and off, until 1947 when he was killed at Indianapolis during the race, and in an accident not of his own making caused by a Bill Holland spin.

Interesting observations here, John, thanks for that! I never knew of Cantlon's drinking habit - Al Gordon, yes, he was well known to enjoy a glass or two too many, though it didn't seem to affect his driving. I always associated Cantlon's loss of form with his El Centro accident in 1932, maybe it was during his long convalescence that he started his liaison with the booze? He was unable to do what he loved most, and likely the only thing he was ever good at, for fully nine months, that sort of thing can drive a man crazy!

It is true that his performances tailed off after this Syracuse win in 1934, but effectively this win was already something of a fluke. He'd won two small sprint races in Michigan, his homestate, during 1933, but else he had little to show for after 1932. Somehow he always seemed to go well at Syracuse, having been the fastest qualifyer in 1929 and finishing 3rd in both the following years. After his accident, he was still 4th at Syracuse in 1933, won in '34 and took 6th in '35, 9th in '37, 8th in '39 and 5th in 1940. Those were his only finishes in National Championship races after 1932 except for two 6th places at Springfield in 1934 and Indianapolis the following year! He also failed to win any sprint races after his two 1933 victories, his best result after that being a 2nd place finish in 1936 at El Centro, of all places.

But in his prime, Shorty Cantlon was VERY GOOD, indeed! 1930, the last year in which the National Championship was dominated by board track races, was really Billy Arnold's year, but when taking the dirt track races into consideration, Cantlon was very much his equal during that year. Shorty had been a very regular winner of "outlaw" dirt track races in the Midwest since 1924 before joining AAA in late 1926, and winning on his very first start with the national organisation (Akron/OH, October 17)! Except for a brief stint as an "outlaw" in late 1928, he ran AAA for the rest of his life, and won at least 19 AAA main events, including five 100-milers and seven 100-lap Ascot events in the ultra-competitive Pacific Coast Championship. He also had five second place finishes in events of 100 miles or more, and six thirds.

[john glenn printz]

Dear Michael;

OUT OF THE WAY KNOWLEDGE DEPARTMENT. Well it appears that something can really be done to clear up a bit and even delineate all the AAA non-Indianapolis Championship AAA events run between 1933 and 1948. I'll just keep on posting what I have for 1934 at present.

You can certainly add any comments or added information you think is relevant and/or correct all my unintentional errors and mistakes. The new data thus presented by both of us should be of interest to someone. Sincerely, J.G. Printz

[Jim Thurman]

Dear Jim;

Your comments are most interesting, important (!) and greatly clear up matters here!!!

As an actual fact, I have surveys on the AAA National Champiopnship covering the years 1933 to 1941, which I had put together in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The 1933 AAA season has already been posted on the LOUIS MEYER thread. I have not really investigated the years 1933-1941 in recent years, although much more material is now available on them. Therefore my writeups should all be revised, but I do not have time to do so. However I may just post these earlier writeups on 1934-41 largely "as is", as most of the material in them will still be "new" to others.

Your data concerning the two alias was not known to me hitherto. It all came as a complete surprize. Thanks for the added info. Sincerely, J.G. Printz

P.S. If "pm" means "post more", please go ahead!

Mr. Printz,

PM is "private message". I'd prefer to provide you some of this via e-mail or pm or discuss it there in private. My reluctance to post too much detail comes from extensive research for a prospective article I'm seeking to publish. I can guarantee I've done research into this in areas that others have not. There's still a bit more to do to finish it.

A minor correction. The name of the Los Angeles District Attorney at the time was Buron Fitts. Fitts himself was implicated in corruption and cover-ups and later survived an assassination attempt. Many regional historians even put his name down as Burton, so it's a common error.

Edited by Jim Thurman, 19 November 2010 - 19:00.

[Jim Thurman]

Re: Shorty Cantlon and Al Gordon.

Interesting, I had not heard/read that about Cantlon either. Michael brings up that Cantlon won seven races at Legion Ascot. He was, at times, a regular competitor there. I assume he must have resided at least temporarily in the Los Angeles area during his campaigns at Legion Ascot, though he and several other Midwestern drivers would visit during the Winter (Bob Carey, Wilbur Shaw, Mauri Rose, Bill Cummings).

Al Gordon was a fascinating character. I sometimes think his reputation as a drinking man probably has grown larger with time (in no small part helped by his owning a tavern). However, Gordon was known to sit with reporter(s) and share a bottle while "shooting the breeze" post-race, and accounts are that he definitely enjoyed post-race celebration. In many ways, Gordon was a driver ahead of his time. After finishing second in a race, he was quoted as saying his car didn't handle well and he simply had nothing for the winner. That might not seem like much, but it is not a quote typical of the era. He made several other quotes that were quite revealing about a racer's mindset. And seemingly out of character, he hired a personal trainer and was exercising (!). Absolutely stunning for the 1930's. I also found reference to Gordon wearing a seatbelt in a race at Legion Ascot, which newspaper accounts credited with keeping him from being flung from the car after it crashed into the infield fence.

This is simply the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, on Mr. Edgar Alan Gordon. I searched records and turned up his date of birth, which no one else seemed to have. It turned out that there might be an explanation for that not turning up.

Edited by Jim Thurman, 19 November 2010 - 19:20.

[Michael Ferner]

Well, Jim, that sounds... mouth watering! Care to enlighten us? Or do we have to wait until the article is published...

Just one word about physical exercise, I don't think that was as exceptional as you make it look. Just the other day, I turned up an article on Johnny Hannon, and he went on at length about the physically demanding nature of dirt track racing, and how he kept in form with a regular training routine "like a prize fighter", and that it would be impossible to be a frontline driver without the exercise. I'm not sure how widespread that attitude was, but it is my belief that most (if not all) top dirt track drivers were in excellent physical form, and many of them had a background in other sports as well.

[Michael Ferner]

Dear Michael;

OUT OF THE WAY KNOWLEDGE DEPARTMENT. Well it appears that something can really be done to clear up a bit and even delineate all the AAA non-Indianapolis Championship AAA events run between 1933 and 1948. I'll just keep on posting what I have for 1934 at present.

You can certainly add any comments or added information you think is relevant and/or correct all my unintentional errors and mistakes. The new data thus presented by both of us should be of interest to someone. Sincerely, J.G. Printz

That's the idea!

Your excellent posts always make for interesting reading, and I merely try to highlight areas in which I have gained additional insight.

[Jim Thurman]

Well, Jim, that sounds... mouth watering! Care to enlighten us? Or do we have to wait until the article is published... ;)

Just one word about physical exercise, I don't think that was as exceptional as you make it look. Just the other day, I turned up an article on Johnny Hannon, and he went on at length about the physically demanding nature of dirt track racing, and how he kept in form with a regular training routine "like a prize fighter", and that it would be impossible to be a frontline driver without the exercise. I'm not sure how widespread that attitude was, but it is my belief that most (if not all) top dirt track drivers were in excellent physical form, and many of them had a background in other sports as well.

I'm afraid some of the detail that makes up the story will have to wait to see if it sees publication.

Good point on the exercise, and I concur that those fellows had to be in good shape to muscle cars around the dirt tracks. Not to overstate it, but the article on Gordon made his regime sound unique at least among Legion Ascot regulars - aside from the younger drivers - and particularly for Gordon

And, yes, I've run across some of the earlier drivers being competitors in high school sports. Most notably Harry Gentry, who was one of the top mile runners in Los Angeles high school athletics.

Edited by Jim Thurman, 20 November 2010 - 21:12.

[Michael Ferner]

For the 1934 edition, 26 entries were procured, with the fastest 16 to start. The race was delayed one day because of rain. Both Kelly Petillo and Ted Kessler crashed in the qualifying sessions and wrecked their cars. In the latter accident Kessler from Buffalo, 27, and his riding mechanic, William Gorman, were thrown out of the car after it crashed into the outside fence.. Gorman sustained a fractured leg while Kessler had a wrenched back.

I have also seen Kessler's age described as 27, but I have to say I doubt it. In 1934, Kessler was a veteran of ten years in the sport, running AAA since 1926, and I believe AAA always insisted on an age limit of 21. There are certainly known cases of age fudging with racing drivers, most notably Troy Ruttman in the late forties, but I wonder if Kessler could really have been racing that successfully with AAA if he was that young, and running his own car to boot. He won his first AAA feature on Memorial Day in 1928, at the Niagara County Fairgrounds in Lockport (NY), at age 21 if true, and was amongst the leading New York state drivers for a good while in the late twenties and early thirties, along with Ira Vail, Bill Albertson, Rick Decker, Charley Ganung, Billy Darragh, Bernie Katz and Jack Reynolds. He does not appear to have raced again after this Syracuse accident, although his injuries were described as not serious, but continued to be around as a car owner for a few more years, most notably for young Eddie Cox from upstate New York, the same area Kessler came from. In Kessler's car, Cox managed to beat Billy Winn (in the Perriman/Miller) at Batavia (NY) on July 4, 1935, finishing second only to Doc MacKenzie that day, which was quite an upset at the time. Having said all that, it should be noted that Cox was apparently another driver to fudge his age early in his career, as he was apparently only 20 at the time, which only goes to show how difficult it is to find definite answers to certain questions in this field!

[john glenn printz]

AAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY 1934 (cont.-6) 4. MINES FIELD 200, DECEMBER 23, 1934. The 1934 AAA Championship schedule was originally to have consisted of just three events total (i.e. Indy, Springfield, and Syracuse), like that of 1933 (i.e. Indy, Detroit, and Syracuse). However on November 1, William S. White announced that a 200 mile National Championship race would be staged on the 1.56 Mines Field circuit on December 16. The total guaranteed purse was $10,000, with $3,500 going to the winner. The field would consist of the 24 fastest qualifiers and the time trials would take place on December 12 and 13.

The Mines Field circuit, in the shape of the letter B, was a dirt surfaced road course and was located on property adjacent to and owned by the Los Angeles Municiple Airport in Inglewood, CA. The 1.56 mile circuit was brand new in early 1934 and the first contest on it was a 250 mile stock car race won by Stubby Stubblefield (1909-1935) in a Ford roadster on February 18, at an average speed of 62.37 mph. The 1934 1.56 mile track seens to have been a promotion jointly by William H. Pickens and Bill White.The Mines Field 1.56 mile circuit was in use only during the year 1934. And the Mines Field 200 of December 1934 was the only AAA National Championship race ever held here. In fact the entire state of California would not witness another AAA National Championship contest until the Sacramento 100 of October 10, 1949, promoted by J. C. Agajanian.

The Mines Field 200 was scheduled for December 16 but both the time trials and race itself had to be postponed because of heavy rains. Although 24 could start it appears that only 19 vehicles were actually ready to run. The qualifying trials were rescheduled for the morning of rain delayed event, now to take place on December 23, but they had to be cancelled a second time because of poor weather conditions. The 19 starting positions were thus determined by the draw of the hat. George "Doc" MacKenzie (1906-1936) won the pole and behind him the order was George Barringer, Gene Haustein, Russ Snowberger, Chet Gardner, Frank Brisko, Ralph Hepburn, Al Gordon, Kelly Petillo, Stubby Stubblefield, Bill Cummings, Rex Mays, Shorty Cantlon, Wilbur Shaw, Al Miller, Louis Meyer, Babe Stapp, Bob Sall, and Guy Duelin. The cars were lined up two abreast.

The AAA National Championship point leaders going into the Mines Field event were 1. Cummings 640; 2. Rose 530; 3-4. Snowberger and the deceased Joe Russo 300; 5. Al Miller 260, 6. Lou Moore 248, 7. Brisko 224.5, 8. Winn 211, 9. Stapp 185, and 10. Bergere 177. Only Mauri Rose had a chance to overtake Cummings for the Championship but Mauri was not an entrant. In the early morning practice Cummings' Boyle Valve Special No. 7 broke its crankshaft so Bill drove Fred Frame's Miller/Duesenberg No. 35 as a substitute.

Years later I asked Rose why he didn't run in the Mines Field contest. He replied that he "was just too busy at work" to make the long trek to California. Rose's residence was listed in early 1934 as Dayton, OH, but later in the year, as Indianapolis IN.

George Barringer led the 1st lap and was being chased by MacKenzie in 2nd and Al Gordon in 3rd. On lap 2 MacKenzie took over the lead and Al Gordon moved into 2nd. Al was at the head of the pack on lap 3 and stayed there until circuit 7 when he had to stop because his machine had lost a radiator cap. That gave Rex Mays the lead who had come up from his 12 starting position. After 10 laps the running order was Mays, MacKenzie, and Hepburn. But Hepburn soon had to pit because his car's radiator was clogged with dirt. Stapp had already made several pit stops because his engine was overheating and he was retired by 10 laps. Al Gordon had to stop again after losing radiator cap number two, got that one also replaced, and returned to the fray driving now like a demon. At 25 laps the race order was Mays, MacKenzie, Shaw, Petillo, and Gardner. Barringer had to pit for oil and drove well after returning to the track but a broken connecting rod put him out on lap 20.

Mays' left rear tire went flat about lap 33 and he had to replace it, but Rex was so far ahead of everybody that he did not lose the lead, with his stop. MacKenzie got by Mays in a corner on lap 35. Mays now appeared to be having steering problems and by lap 40 he had dropped to 4th. Stubblefield was having trouble with Fred Frame's "Catfish", as a leaking water line was flooding the spark plugs. Stubby was now having many pit stops and on one occasion the motor caught on fire. At 40 laps Cantlon came in and turned over the driving chores to Harry Insinger (1909-1936). At 55 laps completed, Cummings relinguished his seat to the car's owner, Fred Frame, who drove it until lap 95, when he gave it back to Cummings. On lap 51 Mays came in to have the steering checked and/or adjusted. Many drivers were now having problems, Haustein's Hudson was overheating with clogged radiator difficulties. Snowberger's left rear tire went flat and Gordon had now lost his 3rd radiator cap!

Edited by john glenn printz, 23 November 2010 - 13:30.

[john glenn printz]

AAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY 1934 (cont.-7) On lap 51 Meyer pitted for fuel as did Shaw on lap 65. At 66 circuits MacKenzie was one lap ahead of Petillo and two laps of Shaw. Petillo stopped on lap 68 enabling Shaw to move into 2nd. On the same lap Hepburn pulled in and turned his car over to Floyd Roberts (1904-1939), who quickly moved the car into 2nd. Louis Meyer retuned to the pits on lap 65 with a leaking radiator while Brisko took on fuel and replaced a right rear tire. Round about this time MacKenzie's crew were motioning him to come in for fuel but George didn't stop. MacKenzie kept going until circuit 77 when ran out of fuel in the west turn. MacKenzie's lead at that moment had been two laps over the 2nd place Shaw. MacKenzie's riding mechanic, Hershel McKee, ran across the infield to obtain fuel, but the patr didn't get moving again for 5 minutes and consequently dropped to 4th position. At 86 circuits the order was Shaw, Petillo, Roberts (in relief of Hepburn), Gardner, and MacKenzie. Petillo however was steadily gaining on Shaw and lap Kelly got by Shaw.

The order at 100 circuits was Petillo, Shaw, Roberts, Gardner, and MacKenzie. Peillo lost the lead to Shaw when he went to the pits on circuit 107, but on 110 Petillo passed Shaw again. Thereafter the top five positions remained unaltered, the relative order being Petillo, Shaw, Roberts, MacKenzie, and Gardner. The top three vehicles were on the same lap until Roberts made a pit stop. Bill Cummings gave up the chase after 114 laps and had been experiencing both engine and steering difficulties. Rex Mays went out while in 7th with a broken clutch (lap 116) and was running 7 circuits in arrears of the racr leader at the time. A very heavy fog started moving in from the Pacific Ocean located just six miles away, during the second half the the contest and the event had to be halted two laps early (at 196.87 miles) because of the lack of visibility. After the race Wilbur Shaw lodged an official protest clainmg that one of his laps had not been counted. But this claim was rechecked and disallowed.

The top five finishers were:

1. Kelly Petillo, Sparks 269 c.i. 4/Stevens-Summers, 2:24:07.19, 126 laps, 81.624 mph, $3,500, "Gilmore No. 51", owner Art Sparks & Paul Weirick

2. Wilbur Shaw, Miller 255 c.i. 4, 125 laps, $1,500, "Red Lion No. 2", owner Lou Moore

3. Ralph Hepburn/Floyd Roberts, Miller 258 c,i. 8, 125 laps, $1,000, "Cycol Special No. 31", owner V. L. Foltz

4. Doc MacKenzie, Miller 223 c.i. 4, 123 laps, $750, "Pirrung No. 55", owner Gil Pirrung

5. Chet Gardner, Miller 220 c.i. 4, 122 laps, $550, "Sampson Radio No. 4", owner Alden Sampson

The winning car was build in early 1934 and was the same machine used by Al Gordon at Indianapolis. Takeo Hirashima (1912-1980) rode with Petillo during the race. The attendance for the race was put at about 30,000. In the pre-race publicity they were hoping for 60,000.

The final 1934 AAA National Championship point stands were: 1. Bill Cummings 681.72, 2. Mauri Rose 530, 3-6. Russ Snowberger, Al Miller, Kelly Petillo & Joe Russo 300, 7. Lou Moore 248, 8. Frank Brisko 244.5, 9. Shorty Cantlon 211.25, 10. Billy Winn 211, 11. Babe Stapp 185.5, 12. Wilbur Shaw 180, 13. Cliff Bergere 177, 14. Deacon Litz 164.5, 15. Doc MacKenzie 140, 16. Chet Gardner 120, 17. Al Gordon 100, 18. Ralph Hepburn 83.75, 19. Floyd Roberts 76.25, 20. George Barringer 70, 21. Herb Ardinger 69.75, 22. Harry Hunt 40, 23. Zeke Meyer 40, 24. Harris Insinger 38.75, 25. Gene Haustein 30, 26. Fred Frame 18.28, and 27. Danny Day 10.25.

Edited by john glenn printz, 23 November 2010 - 20:46.

[john glenn printz]

AAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY 1934 (cont.-8) The winning Miller/Weil with which Cantlon won the 1934 Syracuse 100 was owned by William S. White who also was the promotor of the Mines Field track. White, alias "Hollywood Bill White", cuts a great swath in the AAA Championship motor racing scene during the late 1920s and the 1930s. From 1927 to 1947 there was at least one White owned vehicle in every Indianapolis 500. For example White's entries finished 1st in 1927 (Souders), 3rd in 1928 (Souders), 2nd in 1930 (Cantlon) , 7th in 1934 (Bergere), 5th in 1939 (Stapp), 7th in 1941 (McQuinn), and 8th in 1947 (Marshall).

I asked many as to the source of White's wealth and everybody, to a man, reacted much the same way. They all behave as if the question had never occurred to them before and they are rather taken aback by it. After hesitating an answer, they look up in confusion, and say, "Hey George, what in the hell did Bill White do? I mean where did he get his money?" It is agreed that White married big money, though that first marriage didn't last. One man I talked to unstintedly called Bill a crook. "Well", they all say at last, replying after thinking about it a bit, "Bill was a promotor. Yes, that's it, he was a promotor." But where all the money came from remains largely unanswered.

While down in Indianapolis for two weeks in May 1977 the local radio and TV were covering an extraordinary set of events. A extremely wealthy woman, Marjorie V. Jackson, a local recluse, had found out that her bank was playing games with her bank accounts. A Mr. Herbert D. Biddle, Jr. of the Indiana National Bank pleaded guilty to two counts of irregularity in connection with Mrs. Jackson estate on April 14, 1976. Biddle had embezzled $700,000 and got ten years in the Federal Pen. After that Marjorie distrusted all bankers and withdrew more that $8,000,000 in cash from her account in $500 and $100 dollar bills and stored it all in her three acre northwest Indianapolis $300,000 home. However the word had gotten around...

Marjorie had married Chester H. Jackson, her senior by 17 years, in 1952. Her maiden name had been Marguerite O'Connell. Chester H. Jackson was the only son of Lafayette Andrew Jackson, who had arrived in Indianapolis from Kentucky, Lafayette was the founder of the Standard Food Stores chain and was himself shot to death in a holdup of his orginal store in 1931.

Then one night (May 4, 1977?) her estate's telephone wires were cut, a ten foot gate forced open, and Marjorie murdered by a 22 caliber bullet to the abdomen. Fireman were called to the burning house on May 7 and found the body of Marjorie on the kitchen floor, still in her pajamas. The house had been set ablaze in two separate areas. It was theorized by the police that the burglars had returned to the home and set it afire to destroy the scene of the crime. The fireman also found $5,015,480.93 mostly in $100 bills, hidden in trash cans, the closets, drawers, tool boxes, and vacuum cleaner bags. It had all been overlooked by the thieves, who still had left with about $3,000,000. Marjorie Jackson had been the widow of Chester H. Jackson, the son and heir of the founder of the Standard Food Store chain.

Then strange things began to happen. A black man in a service station attendant's uniform walked into Indianapolis' Crossroads Lincoln-Mercury and purchased a new Lincoln Continental for $13,500 cash. But he had aroused the suspicions of the auto saleswoman who had sold him the car. After reading about the Jackson murder, she notified the police. On May 10 the same man, this time with a friend, returned to the Crossroads agency complaining that his new Continental had scratches on the front and that he wanted another Continenal in trade. The two men were trailed by the police, arrested, and more that $2,000,000 recovered.

A white man, who had been out of work for months, rented an entire bar for a night and threw a large party, with all the drinks on the house. "Boys, I've just come into a large inheritance. Let's celebrate!" Then he and his ex-wife left town and the cops chased the pair all the way to Arizona where they had tried to purchase a new motor home for $35,000 cash. The local police arrested them and found more than $170,000 in $100 and $500 dollar bills in their old motor home. Later in June 1977 the FBI found more than $1,673,000 which they had hidden in the Arizona desert. All in all, six persos were eventually arrested in this Jackson murder and burglary case.

I wasn't much interested in these incidents in May 1977, but they did provide a somewhat bizarre local Indianapolis color. I was in Indianapolis in May, with my mind on others matters. So I didn't really pay much attention to this Jackson business. But in July 1977, I happened to be talking to the three time Indy winner, Louie Meyer, up at the Michigan International Speedway and quite by accident Meyer tells me, "Bill White was first married to the sister of that woman who was recently murdered in Indianapolis with all that money in her house. You remember that?" I nodded yes. "O what was their last name/", Louis continued, "Hmm...Jackson, that was it. Jackson! The Jacksons were heirs to a large grocery store chain." Mr. Meyer threw me here for a loop, with this Bill White connection!.

I figure that "Hollywood Bill White" was in the illicit liquor business or something closely akin to it, during the early 1920s.

Edited by john glenn printz, 23 November 2010 - 20:52.

[john glenn printz]

AAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY 1934 (cont.-9) MISCELLANEA 1934. The second 100 miler at Roby for 1934 took place on October 15 and was won by Duke Nalon, with an elapsed time of 1:28.4. Nalon was followed by 2. Chuch Niesel, 3. Billy Rupp, and 4. Glen Price. The event was a promotion again of Jack Leech of Hammond, IN. The attendance was put at 2000.

Two major deaths which occurred in 1934 were those of William Hickman "Bill" Pickens on July 20 and Waldo Dean "Eddie" Edenburn on September 21. Bill Pickens was a famous sports promotor. Bill's first automobile racing venture occurred on December 21, 1904 in Los Angeles at Agricultural Park, which had a one mile flat dirt horse track. On that day Barney Oldfield set new circular speed marks for all distances between one and fifty miles using a Peerless "Green Dragon". Thereafter Pickens became the organizer of most of Oldfield's barnstorming tours. During November 1933 Bill quipped, "I made Barney Oldfield. I don't want credit for it, I'd rather have the cash."

In 1909 Bill was the manager of the Buick racing team whose pilots then included Bob Burman, Louis Chevrolet, George DeWitt, James Ryall, and Lewis Strang. It was Pickens again who arranged the match races of Barney with the boxing heavyweight champion of the world, Jack Johnson (1878-1946) on October 25, 1910 in New York, and in 1914, the nation wide contests between the aviator Lincoln Beachey (1887-1915) in the air and Oldfield on the ground. Pickens was also the organizer of the 1917 DePalma-Oldfield matchups and Bill was involved with George R. Bentle's new 5/8's mile Ascot Speedway which opened on January 20, 1924.

For 1919 Pickens teamed up with another barnstorming aviator dare devil named Omer Leslie "Lock" Locklear (1891-1920). Locklear's specalities were wing walking and mid-air plane to plane transfers. In May 1919, at Atlantic City, Omer made the very first plane to plane transfer ever. Before his death on August 2, 1920, while performing a movie stunt for a William Fox studio production called the SKYWAYMAN, Locklear had made 242 such transfers. For 1933-1934 Pickens and William S. White were working together to stage auto racing at the Mines Field, CA location. Pickens promoted other ventures besides motor racing, as he was involved with air shows, bicycling, boxing, football, running, and even tennis.

Pickens' problems began when stepped on a rusty nail at Mines Field in February 1934, which resulted in a severe case of blood poisoning. At first the medics removed some toes and half of a foot. On June 19 Bill's left leg had to be ampulated because of gangrene but his overall condition continued to deteriorate, and Bill died on July 20. So famous was Pickens in his heyday that the SATURDAY EVENING POST ran a series of articles on him in 1927. Bill left an estate worth just $5000.

Eddie Edenburn was the Chief Stewart at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the years 1913 to 1934. Eddie started out as a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis during 1905, and in 1909 he became the automobile editor of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. In 1913 he joined the AAA organization and was put in charge of their publication THE AMERICAN MOTORIST. Edenburn later moved to Detroit and worked, on and off, for the DETROIT NEWS. In 1920 he formed the Detroit Dealers Association, of which he remained the head until his death. And he was greatly involved also with powerboat racing and was put in charge of the GOLD CUP and HARMSWORTH international contests when run in Detroit. Edenburn died at age 50 from uremic poisoning after an illness of several days. Eddie was well liked, and his many decisions were reasonable and equitable, and were considered impartial.

The 1934 season saw a resurgence of the four cylinder motor. The straight 8 type, since its introduction at Indianapolis in 1919, had dominated the AAA Championship circuit since 1920-1921. For example, in 1933, all three Championship events were won by Miller straight 8's. Money was very tight in 1933-1934 and those who constructed new cars for 1934 choose the Miller 4 or exact copies or replicas thereof, as their constuction costs was much cheaper than that of the straight 8 type. The day to day maintainace on a 4 cost less, and a teardown and rebuild also took up less time. The existing Miller straight 8's by 1935 were becoming technologically obsolete and/or were gradually being worn out.

Those who desired to use the basic Miller 4 design in 1934 had to build their own examples as Harry Miller himself, was bankrupt and had gone out of business in mid-1933. Among those who made their own Miller 4's in 1934 were Frank Brisko, Louie Meyer, and Art Sparks. All four 1934 Championship contests were won with Miller 4's. At Indianapolis they also filled up the first four finishing positions. The first actual placement, at Indianapolis in 1934, of a straight 8 type motor, was a 5th with a Duesenberg unit prepared by Augie Duesenberg. Stock block straight 8's also finished 6th (Buick), 8th (Studebaker), and 10th (Graham). Only four Miller straight 8's started at Indy in 1934 and none of these entries was still running at the finish. Miller 8's best placements for the entire year were 2nd at Syracuse, 3rd at Mines Field, and a 4th at Springfield.

Newcomers for 1934, who moved into the AAA Championship circuit for the first time, included Herb Ardinger, George Connor, Ted Horn, and Rex Mays.

1934 was the last year that one of the Duesenberg brothers was involved with the Indianapolis 500. Augie quit the AAA Championship circuit after the death of Joe Russo in June 1934. August's elder brother Fred Duesenberg of course, had died in July 1932. THE END

Edited by john glenn printz, 07 December 2010 - 14:23.

[Dawsongrant98]

Maybe you fellas can help with some research I am trying to perform on my car. You may have to sign in to review the pictures on Mecum's site.

http://www.mecum.com...amp;entryRow=60

I bought it last week and suspect it has been modified several times through the years. Here is what I know.

* Purchased from Bud Styles in Gainesville, Fl. last week. He bought it around 12-15 years ago out of California. The seller would not include the original Miller engine. It now has a 220 Offenhauser I think. He had a picture of "A" car (not sure it was of my car) that has a Lion Head oil truck in the background. It looks to me that the picture has the car configured as a two place championship car.

* I found another picture of the car on the IMCDB (Internet Movie Car Data Base) which suggests this actual car was used for the movie "The Philadelphia Experiment" in 1984. If I study the detail of my car and that photo it has to be the same car. Louvers, non-winged knock off wheels, decals exactly in the same place, comment if you see something I missed.

http://imcdb.org/veh...ecial-1932.html

What I am interested in is determining where I can look to confirm if it really is or was a Miller. What exact size and vintage the Offy engine is. What vintage of Halibrand rear axle it has and were they even in business in the 30s. If you recognize the front axle setup, grill, or anything else that would help me represent this for what it really is! If it is just a combination of many parts and pieces to make a running car then fine. I want to identify as many of the parts for what they really are, not some erroneous story that it might have started out as a Miller Championship car.

No matter what I find out as time goes on I am satisfied with my purchase. I just like to understand what I own!

Thanks in advance. By the way, Dawson Grant Ales is my son and he was born in 1998, hence the name. I am Scott Ales.

[Michael Ferner]

Hello Scott, and a warm welcome!

First off, I believe I know the car and have something on it, but am away from most of my stuff for a couple more days. Notice the auction blurb says "Ascot racer replica with Lion's Head Miller racing colors", and that's exactly what I always thought it was (if it is the car I'm thinking of): a replica of a 1930s West Coast "Sprint Car" (notice the term Sprint Car was not used in the thirties), built some time late seventies or very early eighties. It's not an exact replica, meaning there was no car in period which looked exactly like this one, more a generic type. There were a number of "Gilmore" sponsored cars in the thirties, but only three or four "Lion Head Specials", none of which matches the looks of this one - however, I'll need to check a few more pics to be sure.

It's certainly a very nice car, but only half as old as advertised. Some of the components may have some history - does the Offy have a plate/serial number? You may want to contact me offline if it has, I may be able to provide some additional info. Fwiw, Halibrand axles did not exist in the thirties.

[Michael Ferner]

"Lion Head Special" racing cars in period (1930s):

a) 1932 AAA "Sprint Car" Cantlon/Miller, originally a 1926 Miller '91' Indy Car (the 1928 '500' winner), but heavily modified including a new frame; owned by Shorty Cantlon and driven by Cantlon, Howdy Wilcox, Deacon Litz, Al Gordon, Mauri Rose, Sam Palmer, Al Theisen etc. 1932-33; subsequent history unclear

b) 1932 "Indy Car" Miller (2-seater), the car alluded to in the blurb ("a concept evolution of the original 1931 Lion's Head Miller Indy Race Car"), built in 1930 by Miller-Schofield, originally with a Miller "big block" marine engine, 1931 Miller 16-valve four, bought by Shorty Cantlon in 1932 and raced by him and many other drivers until late forties, always as a two-seater; reputedly broken up to build a new Championship dirt car in 1948/9, but restored (replicated??) to its 1932 configuration in the eighties (?); still exists in this form

c) 1933 AAA "Sprint Car" Marks/Miller, but different paint job (red instead of cream colour), built in 1932/3 and owned by Joe Marks, driven by Bob Carey (fatal accident), rebuilt and driven by Mauri Rose, Kelly Petillo, George Connor etc. ca. 1933-41; subsequent history unclear

d) 1933 AAA "Sprint Car" De Paolo/Miller, originally built in 1930 with a Miller 8-cylinder engine, modified with new frame and Miller 16-valve four in 1931, purchased by Walt Harris in late 1932 or early '33, driven by Carl Ryder, Kelly Petillo, Al Gordon, Swede Smyth, George Connor, Harris Insinger, Mel Kenealy, Rex Mays etc. 1933-34; subsequent history unclear

e) 1935 AAA/CSRA "Sprint Car" Fromm/Winfield, originally built in 1934 with a flathead Winfield engine and owned by Paul Fromm/Joe Kent, driven by Rex Mays, Kelly Petillo, Frank McGurk, Hal Cole, Kelly Petillo, Ted Horn, Chuck Tabor, Duke Dinsmore, Johnny McDowell, Joie Chitwood etc. 1935-38; apparently purchased by Spider Webb in 1946; subsequent history unclear (note: these were actually two chassis, presumably sharing the same engine & bodywork - only one of them ever raced at a time)

f) ca. 1936 IMCA "Sprint Car", unknown history & engine, possibly owned by Fred Horey and/or Alex/John Sloan, driven by Leo Young, Shorty Drexler, Ray La Plante, Howard Shaw etc. 1936-38

possibly also: 1932 AAA "Sprint Car" Tarbet/Cragar, originally a ca. 1924 Duesenberg Indy Car (the 1927 '500' winner), but heavily modified including a new frame; owned by Frank McLain and driven by Bob Carey, Mauri Rose, Al Theisen, Bill Cummings etc. 1932-33, apparently purchased by Glen Myers in 1934; subsequent history unclear