Vintage autos to retrace century-old route at 46th Elgin Road Race Car Show and Parade
When world-famous race drivers like Barney Oldfield and Eddie Rickenbacker tried to win the Elgin National Road Races in the early 1900s, they put their lives on the line going as fast as 110 mph in front of a crowd of 75,000 to 100,000 people to win fame, money and a silver trophy.
Five drivers were killed and several spectators seriously injured.
The mood will be a lot more laid-back Saturday, Aug. 25, as Elgin commemorates those races with its 46th Elgin Road Race Car Show and Parade.
Owners with antique and unusual autos can show off their pride and joy in a car show from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., then join fans in a quiet-paced 8.5-mile parade in which chances are close to zero that anyone will be killed in a violent crash.
But the parade will follow the original course driven by the racers in 1910-1933 along Larkin Avenue, Route 20, Coombs Road, Highland Avenue and McLean Boulevard. And beginning this year, the cars' owners again will have a chance to win a trophy.
The annual car show and parade are organized by the Fox Valley Chapter of the Model T Ford Clubs. Club director Maurice Dyer said that this year the club will award two trophies for the most interesting car on display — one voted on by other car owners who entered the show and one voted on by spectators attending.
Those attending the free event also can examine the cars and speak with their owners, buy food and beverages, and participate in a raffle.
“We'll also set up a history tent where people can talk about the old races,” Dyer said.
The location of the car show — the parking lot at Sherman West Court nursing center, 1950 Larkin Ave. — is close to where the grandstand and finish line stood when the original races were run in 1910-1915, 1919, 1920 and 1933.
“The Elgin Road Races started a year before the Indianapolis 500,” said Daily Herald columnist Jerry Turnquist, the local historian who in 2010 led the effort to put up a state historical marker commemorating the races. It stands on the grounds of what is now TBK Bank. “They were one of four Elgin claims to fame in that era,” along with the Elgin National Watch Co., the Illinois Watch Case Co. and the dairy industry centered around Borden Milk Co.
Back in the day
When the races began in 1910-1915, the roads used by their brave drivers were just gravel country roads. Wearing leather helmets and goggles, riding alongside a mechanic, nationally famous drivers like Eddie Rickenbacker (who would later become America's top World War I flying ace), “Smilin' Ralph” Mulford, Ralph DePalma and Barney Oldfield came to Elgin to compete.
The 1910 and 1911 races allowed stock cars only, to make the race a demonstration of what the ordinary driver could purchase. After that, Indy-style cars designed just for racing also were allowed.
Dyer said each race included 36 laps, or 306 miles. Dyer said the early races drew 75,000 to 100,00 spectators from all over the country. Most arrived in Elgin by train.
The second race, in 1911, seemed to be cursed. A few minutes after it began, the main grandstand collapsed. A hundred people were injured, four of them seriously. Then three racers were killed in crashes.
Two more racers were killed in 1914 when two cars bumped hubcaps. That sent one of the cars flying through the air over a line of spectators. It slammed into a tree, killing both its driver and its mechanic.
The racers started 15 seconds apart, with the winner based on total time elapsed. The ride-along mechanic was required to warn his driver if a faster car was approaching from the rear. If so, the driver was required to pull over and let the faster car pass.
In 1933, with the Great Depression paralyzing business, but tourists crowding into Chicago for the Century of Progress World's Fair, Elgin leaders decided to try reviving the races. But historian E.C. “Mike” Alft wrote that the 1933 race was “a financial disaster.” And speeds had risen to such levels — one car was clocked going by the grandstand at 115 mph — that city fathers began to imagine what would happen if one of those flew off the gravel road into the crowd.
Racing had outgrown country roads and moved on to off-road paved tracks, like Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the later-to-come Meadowdale Raceway in Carpentersville.
For information, contact Dyer (847) 404-4147 or moedyer@gmail.com.
Elgin Road Race parade and car show
<b>When:</b> Noon to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25. Early registration and setup for autos 11 a.m.-noon. Raffle at 2 p.m. Parade lap begins about 2:30 p.m.
<b>Where:</b> Sherman West Court, 1950 Larkin Ave., Elgin. Parade will follow 8.5-mile course along Larkin Avenue, Route 20, Coombs Road, Highland Avenue and McLean Boulevard.
<b>Admission:</b> Free for spectators; voluntary donation requested from exhibitors. Refreshments for sale.
<b>Information:</b> Contact Maurice Dyer (847) 404-4147 or moedyer@gmail.com.