Vanderbilt Cup Races

That is Ralph K. Mulford, driver, and Joe Horan, mechanician, in the winning Lozier at Elgin, Ill. in 1910; Race was was referred to as the “western Vanderbilt”

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Ralph Mulford winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race in the #8 Lozier

Art, The letter from Vanderbilt to Kienzle regarding a “motordrome” has always intrigued me because that concept is completely different from what was being proposed in 1910. Why it never happened is a mystery because the demand was there. Note that Vanderbilt says, the motordrome preposition “might” go through. That tells me he was not personally involved. In 1912 the Metropolitan Motor Speedway was organized, the principals were Jefferson De Mont Thompson, president and A. R. Pardington and Fred Wagner as G.M. and V.P. with plans to build a two-mile track for automobile races on the Newark Meadows, “patterned after the big speedway at Indianapolis”. They were motivated by the fact Indianapolis was a huge success when you consider than their market was a population of less than 500,000 within a day’s driving distance. It was never built because it was going to cost a million dollars, in 1912 dollars, to bring in a enough fill to make the project a reality.    Shortly thereafter a new group planned to built a Motordrome in east Garden City on some 600 acres bound by Old Country Rd., Clinton Ave., Merrick Ave. and the Motor Parkway on the south. As we know that never happened either. So…., it appears someone approached Vanderbilt about building a Motordrome at Lake Ronkonkoma. The acreage was there as was the Motor Parkway and the LIRR for easy access. Hope to find out why it didn’t happen.

From Kleiner's Korner: The expenses of constructing the never built Ronkonkoma Racing Loop

The driver with the big smile is Ralph Mulford. Sitting next to him in the #8 Lozier racer is his mechanician, Billy Chandler. I believe the date was November 27, 1911 on the course for the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race in Savannah, GA. Reason for the smile was Mulford had just won the race.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Ralph Mulford winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race in the #8 Lozier

Howard, glad you was able to visit Marty, did Marty give you a souvenir from the Freeport Stadium ticket booth?

From Update July 20 2021: A visit to see Marty Himes and the Himes Museum of Automobile Nostagia

Many thanks to Mark Dill and his Website, The First Super Speedway, which was a great resource I cited in the National Register of Historic Places nomination for Auto Hall of Fame starter Fred Wagner’s Smithtown home (1912) listed on the NR in 2019 (see Vanderbilt Cup Racing post on “Residence of the Starter of Five Vanderbilt Cup Races . . .”). In 1915, Barney Oldfield and his wife were both in Fred’s house when Mrs. Wagner was presented by a committee with a “token of appreciation” for being a “charming hostess” providing meals for about 300 Motor Boosters at the Wagner’s 10th Annual Picnic outing at their Sunnybrook Farm. Oldfield and Wagner were photographed that September day with racing greats Burman, Cooper, DePalma, Harding, Resta, Robertson, Stutz . . . DePalma had just won the Indy 500 in May. Wagner’s friends rallied to Smithtown following the loss of A.R. Pardington (of Smithtown) in late July. Earlier that month, Wagner flagged in “first” on the courses at Sioux City Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska . . ., the future WWI flying ace Eddie Rickenbacher (who first would be taught to fly by Fred’s neighbor the future Capt. James Ely Miller, first WWI recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross. Fred’s huge dairy barn, within sight of his house, would become the Hall for the American Legion Post named in honor of Miller and rededicated in 2020 on the Post’s Centennial Anniversary. Thank you, Mark and Howard, for helping to get Fred’s American legacy honored nationally.

From Excerpt from "The Legend of the First Super Speedway": Barney Oldfield at the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Howard it great to see the step by step process of the restoration.  WOW.  The pictures look fantastic.  I am glad up upgraded from the original six cyl. to a 8 cyl.
I cannot wait to see the Challenger III completed.

From Restoration Update #1: The 1962 Holman-Moody Challenger III

This was a new one to me. Fantastic!

From Restoration Update -July 30,2021: 1962 Holman Moody Challenger III' s windshield and gas tanks

Wonderful progress report on a very significant car. I do not participate in Facebook and the era of the car is not my focus but this is one super neat preservation and restoration of a great machine!

From Restoration Update -July 30,2021: 1962 Holman Moody Challenger III' s windshield and gas tanks

The excitement jumps off of every sentence…

From Excerpt from "The Legend of the First Super Speedway": Barney Oldfield at the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Driver: Ralph Mulford (winner)
Mechanician: Billy Chandler
Racer: Lozier
Race: Vanderbilt Cup Race
Date: November 27, 1911
Location: Savannah, GA

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Ralph Mulford winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race in the #8 Lozier

PS:  the number 22 car is the winner of the Savannah race, Hughie Hughes driver of the Mercer.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Ralph Mulford winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race in the #8 Lozier

November 27, 1911 8th Vanderbilt Cup at Savannah GA.
Winning #8 Lozier driven by Ralph Mulford with mechanician Billy Chandler.
Of interest to me is that The Lozier Motor Company started in Plattsburg, NY

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Ralph Mulford winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race in the #8 Lozier

I see Mobil Oil, Valvoline, and Michelin Tires advertised, products that are still sold today. This photo is none of the Vanderbilt Cup Races on Long Island (1904-1910), nor the Sweepstakes and American Elimination Trial races. I’m stumped. The photo doesn’t look like early Long Island terrain, but more like a race track. Probably early Indy 500 based on those early race machines. What excitement it must’ve been to test these early machines towards optimal performance, a practice that continues today with more modern racers.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Ralph Mulford winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race in the #8 Lozier

Mystery Foto # 30… The driver is Ralph Mulford with mechanician John Horan in the Lozier race car. The race is the Vanderbilt Cup for November 12, 1911 in Savannah, Georgia. Ralph won that race in the Lozier.
There was another race that weekend in which Ralph participated. That was the Grand Prize race.
F.Y.I., Ralph was known as the Gumdrop Kid because of his favorite snack.
Ralph did a lot of racing including the Indy 500, which he drove in ten times.

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Ralph Mulford winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race in the #8 Lozier

#8 51hp Lozier driven by Ralph Mulford. Finished 1st. Completed the race, averaging 73.4 mph in Savannah, Georgia, November 27, 1911

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: Ralph Mulford winning the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race in the #8 Lozier

Unfortunately these pictures reflect only a small portion of the many accidents that occurred on the Motor Parkway.  As autos became more than just a mode of transportation for the rich, the roads and local governments couldn’t keep up with the safety needs of the users.  While much has improved since then, including the use of technology, all you need to do is travel the highways of LI (and up and down the east coast as I’ve recently been doing) to see that excessive speed and recklessness (among other causes) still are rampant with the same result of way too many accidents.  My soap box for today.  Let’s all slow down a bit.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Al-
Those are my initial thoughts as well.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

A part of Long Island history I’d never heard of before!

From Kleiner's Korner: Petting Parties on the Motor Parkway

A truly cringe worthy photo collection!  😊

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Thanks Greg, and for your work with the old photographs! It’s great that these deeply-buried photos of the old Motor Parkway are increasingly becoming available for everyone now to view, after more than a century hidden in the vaults. Much thanks to Bill Cruickshank, descendant of the Meadow Brook lodge, for the family photo collection contributions.

Photo below:
The McCamish family at the Meadow Brook lodge 1936/1937
Left to right:, Wallace, Pernelle, Otto and Doris.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500