Keep up with the Legends!
At last, we can announce the first inductees to the Legend of the First Super Speedway Hall-of-Fame! Welcome back to the fifth edition of our First Super Speedway e-newsletter! Last month we asked subscribers of this newsletter to vote for three of six nominees. A special thank you goes out to everyone who participated. It is an honor to have your involvement.
 
Yes, we are on a mission to tell a factual story that has never been presented quite this way before. Check out (markgdill.com) for information on how to purchase our book. Also available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and Blackwell's. Also, dig into each featured topic by clicking thru!
Barney, Carl, and Ray
The six nominees were - Barney Oldfield, Carl Fisher, Ralph de Palma, Johnny Aitken, Howdy Wilcox, and Ray Harroun. The three who garnered the most votes were (click here for a drum roll) Barney Oldfield, Carl Fisher, and Ray Harroun. These are brilliant choices to be sure. All six are hall-of-famers elsewhere but this era is special to us and we want to appreciate the brilliant contributions of those who literally built the sport we all love.

Complete 1911 "500" In-Period News Coverage
Speaking of Ray Harroun, check out this video from my YouTube Channel that was recorded in the week leading up to the Indianapolis 500. The focus was Ray’s car, the Marmon Wasp, and its rarely told backstory. The car was over a year old when it won the “500” in 1911. In fact, design work started in late 1909 and construction was completed in the first quarter of 1910. The car was tested, not by Harroun, but a teammate by the name of Harry “Sunshine” Stillman. Harroun drove the car to victory in its maiden voyage at Atlanta Speedway, and just weeks later won the Wheeler-Schebler 250 at the Brickyard. The Wasp was nearly destroyed but repaired in June 1910. There’s so much more to know! Click thru to this link to read my article published in the Indianapolis 500 program to read about, “The Secrets of the Marmon Wasp.”

1944 Final Sale of Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Travel back in time to 1944. FSS researcher Ken Parrotte gathered an interesting collection of articles about the protracted process for Captain Eddie Rickenbacker to sell the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 40 & 8 group spent nearly a year trying to make the deal work before failing. Homer Cochran pulled Rickenbacker, Tony Hulman, and Wilbur Shaw together to finally make the sale happen. After the contract signing, Shaw minced no words in criticizing Rickenbacker. It's all at this link but you have to click thru!

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As the reality of the postpartum shock that we are nearly 12 calendar pages away from the next Indianapolis 500 settles in, we got you. Assuage your emotional bruises with the healing therapy of "The Legend of the First Super Speedway" apparel. You're a legend! Let's do this...you can see this guy did!

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