Dorothy Brush "Random Thoughts" Published May 25, 2005

The Indy 500, Chronicle and Larry Woody

Another Memorial Day weekend is ahead and thousands of motor racing fans will be caught up in what's happening at the granddaddy of the sport - the Indianapolis 500. Among those will be Crossville native Larry Woody.

A graduate of CCHS, Woody spent a short time writing for the Chronicle. After serving two years in the Army where he received two citations for valor in Vietnam, he joined the Tennessean sports staff in 1967. He became their chronicler of what was happening in the ever-expanding motorsports world. He was honored as the Tennessee Sportswriter of the Year three times and then last month he was named the 2005 recipient of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame's Henry T. McLemore Award which recognizes outstanding motorsports journalism.

Shortly after we moved here, I learned of Woody's Crossville connection and I became a loyal reader of his stories. In spite of knowing nothing about racing cars except they are noisy, plus I have never attended a race, I learned a lot about the subject.

I have been to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 1979 the Presswomen conference was held in Indianapolis and a lunch was provided at the Speedway followed by a bus trip around the track. It was during that time I learned the fascinating history of the classic.

It all began in 1909 when the automotive industry was very young, but four prominent Indianapolis business men recognized where it was going. Their belief in the automobile was so strong they pooled their money and built a "great outdoor laboratory" for the new machine.

They envisioned it as a test course and proving ground for ideas to advance and improve the automobile.

Before the decision to concentrate on one major attraction, races were held on the weekends of Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day during 1910. In one of those races, Barney Oldfield set a new world record for one mile by averaging 83.2 miles an hour. May 30, 1911, the first Indy 500 was held. $25,000 went to winner Ray Harroun who raced at an average of 74.59 miles per hour. The race was suspended during World War I for two years.

In 1927, the original four founders sold the track to former Indy race driver and WWI aviation ace, Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker. Shortly after that the country was hit by the Great Depression, and Rickenbacker kept the Speedway going against many odds but was not able to improve facilities.

During World War II, all racing activity stopped. In the winter of 1944-'45, the government gave a permit to Wilbur Shaw to drive a test car fitted with a new automobile tire made of synthetic rubber to prove its durability. The test was a success, but Shaw was appalled by the deterioration that had occurred at the track. He had won the Indy in 1937, '39 and '40.

He was so concerned he visited Rickenbacker to learned what plans he had to upgrade the Speedway. The answer was that he had neither the money or desire to do anything but he added, "If you can find a buyer interested in preserving the '500,' I'll sell the track for exactly what I have put into it."

That was enough to fire Shaw's competitive spirit. After several months of searching for such a person, his search ended in Terre Haute, IN. In the offices of Hulman & Company he had a two-hour meeting with Tony Hulman Jr. who questioned every phase of the track's operation. He wanted to determine if the annual race could be resumed on a self-sustaining basis.

Hulman had been a Yale football and track star and he said, "The Speedway always has been as much a part of Indiana as the Derby is to Kentucky and the 500-mile race definitely should be resumed. I don't want to get into something that requires additional capital each year to keep it going."

After an inspection trip ten days later, he ignored the opinion of some of his advisors who felt the track was a "white elephant" and in November 1945, the ownership was transferred from Rickenbacker to Hulman. Work started immediately on preparation for the 1946 race.

· · ·
Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.