Joe “The Kid” Dawson headed for victory in the 1912 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race in his National.
Each May, I am reminded of one of the most exciting races ever seen at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Unfortunately, none of us were around to see it. It was the second running of the 500-mile race in 1912, known as the “International Sweepstakes Race” when Joe “The Kid” Dawson won in a National, at the age of 22, over “Speed King” Ralph DePalma who had led the race for the first 198 laps. As the owner of a couple of National racecars, I have always been a bit offended by the repeated portrayal of Joe Dawson’s win in the 1912 race as dumb luck. The facts show otherwise, and illustrate the old adage: to finish first, first you have to finish.
At the conclusion of the race, winner Joe Dawson was covered in oil and dirt, and too tired for a victory dance after six long hours behind the wheel.
I find myself continually surprised at what our racing forefathers were able to accomplish with the limited resources they had at their disposal. It is hard to imagine some of the technical advances that were found on racecars prior to WWI—yes the first World War. They included “modern innovations” such as dry sump oiling systems, hemispherical four-valve heads, dual overhead cams, multi-disc clutches, dual-spark ignitions and even superchargers. All of this was accomplished at a time when most automobiles were repaired (and occasionally built) in the local blacksmith shop. It is also humorous to read of some of the “new” innovations advertised in sports car magazines of the ’50s and ’60s that were not new, just forgotten.
The latest supercar news, rumors, reviews and more delivered to you each week. Cool supercar stuff only. No crap, we promise.
Members only$29 / year
Keep going. This is where it gets good.
Supercars.net Membership is for people who'd rather know the spec sheet by heart than skim ten headlines. The rest of this story — and every other one like it — is a few seconds away.
Thousands of members-only stories
Deep dives, driven reviews and the full archive back to 2005.
No ads. None.
The whole site reads like a magazine, on every device.
Every car, every spec
Twenty years of models, numbers and history in one place.
30% off the shop
Every Supercars.net shirt and piece of merch, all year.
$29 a year. Cancel anytime, no hoops. Already a member? Sign in
BY CAR PEOPLE, NOT A NAMELESS MEDIA COMPANY. Your membership keeps a small independent team that celebrates the brands and cars that defined this industry doing this.
