First Auto Race

The First Auto Race

The Middletown Daily Times-Press Tuesday, August 12, 1919:

Text of the Daily Times-Press article:
With the ruling out of horse racing on the last day of the fair, the eyes of devotees of speed on the Harry Clay oval will be turned to this year's newest fair attraction - automobile racing. Interest in the races will be centered in the entries of Louis Hoyt, of Haverstraw, and George Crummey, a Goshen boy. Both have fast cars and reputations for skillful driving over half-mile dirt tracks. Hoyt drives a Stutz of a special make and has rarely been beaten on a half-mile dirt track. Crummey will drive a Buick. Between these two entries it is probable that some unusually keen competition will develop.

Besides these two competitors there will be entries of speedway enthusiasts who have qualified at Sheepshead Bay and other automobile race tracks. In order to protect both the drivers of the cars and the spectators, several improvements have been made to the track. W. H. Traband, New York State representative of the American Automobile Association, inspected the track on Sunday with General Superintendent of the Fair Henry M. Howell, Frank H. Finn, of the racing committee, and Racing Secretary Horace P. Murphy.

Mr. Traband made a number of recommendations that will be carried out in keeping the crowd away from the tracks and turns while the racing is in progress. The ditches at the turns have been filled with tile pipe and, Mr. Murphy stated, it will be necessary also to build over 1,000 feet of fence on the outside turns to provide a hub rail so that cars will not run off the track when rounding the turn at great speed.

At the close of the horse racing Thursday night, the track will be thoroughly scraped and a special dust layer will be prepared preparatory to a final inspection of the American Automobile Association on Friday morning." On August 16, 1919, the very first automobile race at Orange County Fair Speedway would take place.

The fair committee and the Daily Times-Press combined forces to give the races a big buildup.

In the days to follow, more articles would appear to tweak the curiosity of the public.

You must remember that, in the early part of the 20th Century, there was no television and no commercial radio.

The citizens of Orange County got their news strictly from word of mouth or from the newspaper.

The Orange County Fair was the BIG event of the year.

The Middletown Daily Times-Press Wednesday, August 13, 1919

Three big speedway racing cars have been entered for Friday's automobile races at the Orange County Fair.

They comprise the Benedict Special, driven by James Benedict, of Katonah, N.Y., the Aetna Special, driven by Bennet Hill, of New York City, and the Deusenberg Special, driven by William Vetere, of Brooklyn. All of these cars are famous for their work on the Sheepshead Bay Speedway, New York, as well as the other speedways at Uniontown, Providence, Cincinnati, Chicago, Tacoma, and Los Angeles.

The drivers are famed for their skillful guiding of the big racing cars built to go faster than any locomotive. Bennet Hill went 102 miles an hour in his car at Sheepshead Bay last spring in the qualifying for the big races there. He was second in the big race at Uniontown and has been in the money wherever he started.

William Vetere is one of several daring Italians who came to this country to compete in the various speedway events. His car qualified at 101 miles an hour for the last speedway race and he was fifth in the 100 mile race at the bay track July 4. He is driving a Deusenberg Special which contains the famous and speedy Deusenberg motor known to all followers of auto racing.

James Benedict has been in the army. His Benedict Special has qualified at 110 miles an hour and has rarely started in a race without winning some of the prize money.

Louis Hoyt, of Haverstraw, and George Crummey, of Goshen, are expected to furnish considerable competition. Crummey has a reputation for being a daring driver and Hoyt in a Stutz Special won three dirt track races on Memorial Day, doing a half mile in 31 seconds. Rene Gouriand, the daring Frenchman, with the Mercer, is another entry as well as Jay Davidson with the same type of car. Sam Wohl, of Brooklyn, is also entered as well as Frank G. Bell, of Rochester, and William Albertson, of Penn Yan.

The races will start at 2 p.m. Friday and have been officially sanctioned by the American Automobile Association.

The Middletown Daily Times-Press Friday, August 15, 1919

Several of the big racing cars for tomorrow's automobile races at the Orange County Fair have arrived in town and are at the various garages. The racing machines attracted a lot of attention as they passed through the city streets and wherever one was parked a crowd gathered around it.

The Speedway car of James L. Benedict attracted more attention than the others. This car has been 110 miles an hour at Sheepshead Bay, has a low rakish appearance and looks to be very fast.

Albertson with a Maxwell car arrived from Penn Yan with his mechanic. Benedict brought two mechanics and a touring car filled with a can of special high test gas and extra racing tires. Rene Gouriand came from New York in his Mercer racer while Frank G. Bell arrived from Rochester with two cars, drivers and mechanics. Jay Davidson came in from Oneonta with a Mercer racing car. Bennet Hill, the well known speedway driver, is on his way from New York with his speedy car.

Some of the best known officials in the auto racing world will officiate and be in attendance at the races. Fred J. Wagner, "the peer of all automobile race starters", will arrive late this afternoon from New York (photo right from the Bruce Craig Collection). Wagner has started the Indianapolis classic and all other speedway races. He goes direct from here to Elgin, Ill., where he starts the Elgin road race, the most famous road race in the United States. He also for years when it ran, started the Vanderbilt Cup race. Wagner in his check breeches and cap so well known to every speedway devotee is said to be worth the price of admission at any auto race meet.

W.H. Trabant, Jr., representative of the American Automobile Association and former secretary of the Contest Board, is in town and will be present in his official capacity.

Horace P. Murphy, the racing secretary of the fair, who has charge of the automobile races, conducts all of the dirt track auto race meets in the east.

Tomorrow's races will be the initial attempt of the local agricultural society in this direction. From the interest manifested about town it is expected that the day will be one of the biggest of the fair in point of attendance.

Pictured left, smiling, is "Wild" Bill Albertson of Penn Yan, N.Y. On the left is his riding mechanic, John Serafine.

This is the only photo I could find from the First Race at Orange County Fair Speedway.

(From "The Hard Clay in Orange County - Fifty Years of Speed" by Ray Martin)

The Middletown Daily Times-Press Saturday, August 16, 1919

First Big Motor Speed Show Witnessed by Large Attendance

With a thrilling exhibition of automobile racing - an innovation this year - the Orange County Fair came to a close today, the fifth day of its existence and what might be termed, despite the prevalence of bad weather on two days, the end of a successful season.

Ideal weather ushered in the final day of the exhibition this morning. But, over the grounds there has hung all day a far different atmosphere than any which has prevailed during any other session either this season or in any other. It is an atmosphere charged with the pungent odor of gasoline and oil and pierced with the blasts from snorting carburetors of the high-speed racing cars which are whirling around the half-mile dirt track this afternoon.

Ten knights of the gasoline speedway are holding the attention of a crowd of thrilled spectators in the grandstand overlooking the track, and along the rail fences.

The rain of Friday night tended to make the Harry Clay track a trifle heavy, but this morning scrapers and harrows were run over it and at noon Horace P. Murphy, secretary of racing, was able to announce that the track was in fine condition and that the races would be held.

With many of the exhibits being removed and the grounds a trifle soft from Friday's showers, the attendance was not large this morning, but this afternoon, fine weather and the automobile racing served as drawing cards for a large crowd of visitors.

Cars Attract Attention

Long before the racing began the various cars of the entrants had begun to attract attention about the streets of this city and near the track at the fair grounds. The mechanics devoted a great deal of time to looking over their engines and testing them, as final preparation for the contest this afternoon. Due to the condition of the track this morning and the work necessitated to bring it in proper condition, the cars were not allowed to run upon it and so the spectators who gathered were disappointed in not seeing some speed tests before the beginning of the real program this afternoon.

Well Known Officials Here

Some well-known officials of the automobile racing world are present at the track today. Among these is W.H. Traband, Jr., representative of the American Automobile Association and former secretary of the contest board; Fred J. Wagner, starter of the Indianapolis classic and many other famous speedway races. He goes directly from here to Elgin, Illinois, where he will officiate as starter of the famous Elgin road race.

Friday's Attendance Figures

The figures of attendance for the Friday's exhibition of the Orange County fair show that more than 5,000 were admitted to the grounds. The figures are as follows:

Adults - 4,449 Children - 1,228 Automobiles - 895 Carriages - 73

Grandstand - 761 Paddock - 48

The day's receipts were $3,267.95

The Middletown Daily Times-Press Monday, August 18, 1919

Text of the Times Herald article:

The Eastern record for speed on a half-mile track fell on Saturday, when James Benedict, of Katonah, piloting a Benedict Special, equipped with a Deusenberg motor, whirled the mile in one minute, seven and one fifth seconds, causing a thrill in the ranks of more than 5,000 persons who crowded the Harry Clay track and rail fences alongside of it. Benedict, besides breaking the record, was the one bright star in the gathering of speedway kings at the fifth day of the Orange County fair. One accident, in which James Oliva, of this city, was injured, not seriously, marred the afternoon's racing.

The accident in which Oliva was injured occurred just before the second heat of the ten-mile race. Oliva was acting as mechanic for W.T. Comerford, of New York City, the driver of a special car, a Stutz chassis, equipped with a Marquette - Buick motor. Driver Comerford was just about to round the last curve of the track preparatory to completing one lap, when the three starters in the second heat of the ten-mile race came up in the rear, and one of them shouted to him. Driver Comerford turned to look and, as he did, took the curve too wide, climbed the bank on the right of the track where a huge boulder caused his car to turn completely over and right itself on the track. The crowd in the grandstand rose to its feet as the accident occurred in full sight, and started a mad rush to the spot. Comerford was able to pick himself up, having been but very slightly cut and scratched, but Oliva lay on the track, groaning in pain. The emergency ambulance came immediately to the scene and the injured man was removed to Thrall Hospital, where it was found that he had suffered a contusion of the back.

Ten Mile Best Race

Of the six racing events, outside of the exhibition run of Benedict, the fifth event, a ten-mile race, was the most exciting, for it was in this event that the blue car of James Benedict won by no more than the proverbial "nose," although he could have won by a great deal more. This race, because of the number of entries, was run in heats of three miles each. In the first in which were four starters - W.W. Albertson, driving an Albertson Special; Jay Davidson, driving a Mercer Special; George Crummey, in a Buick Special, and James Benedict, in the Benedict Special - the Mercer and the Benedict qualified, making the three miles in 4:07 1-5. In the second heat Frank Bell, in a Chalmers Special, and Johnny Ryan, driving a Ford Special, were the winners, beating out Rene Goulrand, in a Mercer Special, which was compelled to drop out at the end of the first mile. W. Albertson also qualified, third in the fastest heat.

The five cars then lined up for the final, the Chalmers Special having the pole position. Benedict immediately jumped into the lead, although Bell made a desperate attempt to take it from him, finally succeeding at the beginning of the second mile. The Benedict Special, however, recovered its lead before the track had been lapped once more and held it until the start of the third mile. For a mile and a half, during which time the Mercer Special was lapped, the Chalmers led the field. Benedict, knowing that he had the fastest car, was inclined to allow the Chalmers to pick up on him after which it would again take the lead. The Chalmers continued to set the pace until the 20th lap. At the beginning of the last eighth mile the Benedict started to make up its lost ground and, as it did so, the Chalmers driver gave his car everything it had, with the result that the two cars came down the straightaway to the wire as close together as was possible. It looked for a few seconds as if the blue car was going to lose and the crowd in the grandstand rose to its feet and began to cheer. Within a few yards of the wire, with both cars going their best, the Benedict began to forge ahead, although very, very slowly. Then, in a sudden burst of speed, the two cars crossed the wire, with the Benedict leading by less than half a car's length.

At the close of the sixth event, announcer Horace P. Murphy stated that James Benedict would make an attempt to break the record of a half-mile dirt track. After making his preliminary lap, starter Fred L. Wagner gave him the flag and he began his run. He turned the half-mile in 33:45.

The Prizes

The money for the first two events was divided the same - $35.00 for first, $10.00 for second, and $5.00 for third. In the third race the first prize was $50.00, the second $25.00, and the third $15.00. The fourth event was the same as the third with the additional prize of $10.00 for fourth place. In the fifth event, the 20-mile, the first prize was $75.00, second $50.00, third $25.00, and fourth $10.00.

***ONE YEAR LATER***

It would appear that many businesses in town were trying to tie-in with the racing that was scheduled at the Fair Grounds (Shown with movie ad below). It was to be the Second Annual Auto Race at the Orange County Fair. Would it be as successful as the first?

From the Middletown Times Press, August 10, 1920:

THE BIG EVENT AT THE FAIR
Auto Races Promise to Be Intensely Thrilling This Year

Automobile races, the most sensational outdoor sport of today, will again be staged as a feature at the Orange County Fair on Friday, August 20, the closing day of the fair, which has been given the title of "Automobile Day" and, from the interest already evinced in these races, bids fair to prove the banner day of the fair in attendance.

Last year’s auto races were the first ever held by the fair and they proved a great success, drawing one of the largest crowds of the week and also one of the most enthusiastic crowds that was ever on the fair grounds.

Horace P. Murphy, the racing secretary of the fair, inaugurated this feature and after last year’s success was authorized by the racing committee to offer a more extensive program this year.

A program of events ranging from the time trials to the 15-mile handicap will be offered and these races for cash prizes amounting to $1,000, are expected to attract not only the best dirt track drivers in the east and several of the speedway stars with their high-powered racing cars are capable of thundering around the turns at a half-mile track at a speed that is almost inconceivable.

No driver will be allowed to compete in the races unless he is registered with the American Automobile Association, the governing body for the sport in America. The races will be held under the official sanction of the A.A.A., and their officials will be present to see that all the rules for safety of drivers and public alike, are carried out to the letter.

Not only will some of the most prominent auto race drivers of the country compete, but several of the officials will be men celebrated in the sport of auto racing and known wherever the fast high-powered cars meet.

The track will be specially prepared Thursday night after the finish of the horse racing. The turns will be carefully guarded and other precautions taken against accident.

Horace P. Murphy, who will direct the motor contests, is the best known promoter of dirt track auto racing in the east. Mr. Murphy is a bitter foe of outlaw racing and the so-called team racing, where all the cars are under the control of one man. Mr. Murphy’s plan of racing insures real competition of the kind that thrills the public. The New York State Fair recently recognized Mr. Murphy in this respect and engaged him to direct the motor contests at Syracuse on September 18.

All in all Automobile Day at the Orange County Fair promises to be the gala day of the week.