DePalma and his riding mechanic pushing their car at the 1912 Indy 500

Ralph DePalma and his Packard V-12 in 1919

DePalma in his Packard '905' Special in 1919

DePalma in a crowd after setting the World speed record in 1919

Ralph DePalma (January 23, 1884 – March 31, 1956) was an Italian-American racecar driving champion, most notably winner of the 1915 Indianapolis 500. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links N041915. ... Image File history File links N041915. ... Image File history File links Rc05640. ... Image File history File links Rc05640. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (91st in leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An Italian American is an American of Italian descent. ...

Born in Troia, Apulia, Italy, DePalma's family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old. As a young man of twenty-two, he began racing motorcycles before switching to the automobile dirt track racing circuit in 1909, the year that the American Automobile Association established the national driving championship. Troia (Greek: , transliterated as Aika or Aikai or Ece; Latin: Aecae or Æcæ; also formerly Troja) is a town and commune in the province of Foggia, Puglia (southern Italy). ... This article is about the Italian region. ... The AAA logo AAA (read triple-A), also known by its historic name of the American Automobile Association, is an American not-for-profit automobile lobby group and service organization that provides its members with many member benefits and services including but not limited to Nationwide Emergency Road Side Assistance... 1994 Indianapolis 500, a National Championship race Since 1916 there has been a United States national automobile racing championship for drivers of single seater (commonly referred to as open wheel) cars. ...

DePalma was immediately successful in car racing. In 1911, DePalma won the first Milwaukee Mile^[1] Championship Car race. However, he is still remembered for the dramatic manner in which he lost the 1912 Indianapolis 500. After leading for nearly 196 of the 200 laps, his Mercedes cracked a piston and with only 2 laps remaining, he and his mechanic had to push the car across the finish line to take twelfth place. He went on to earn the U.S. national driving championship that year, but was almost killed in an accident at on October 5th at the Milwaukee Mile during the 400-mile Vanderbilt Cup. Hospitalized for a considerable time, he recovered and was back to racing the following spring. The Milwaukee Mile (also The Mile and Americas Legendary Oval) is a race track in West Allis, Wisconsin, USA. It is a mile long (1. ... The 1912 Indianapolis 500, or Indianapolis 500-Mile International Sweepstakes, the second such race in history, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 30, 1912. ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ... Vanderbilt Cup race start, 1910 The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing. ...

In 1912 and again in 1914, DePalma won the Elgin National Trophy at Elgin, Illinois and in 1914 he scored what he called his greatest victory when he beat Barney Oldfield to capture the Vanderbilt Cup in Santa Monica, California. DePalma had been let go by the Mercer Automobile Co. racing team in favor of the great Barney Oldfield and in a Mercedes "Gray Ghost," DePalma showed he was a master tactician in beating Oldfield's much faster car. Things got even better that year when he again won his second U.S. national driving championship. The following year, 1915, he drove to long-awaited victory at Indianapolis. Incorporated City in 1854. ... Barney Oldfield (June 3, 1878-October 4, 1946) was an automobile racer and pioneer; born in a farmhouse on the outskirts of Wauseon, Ohio. ... Vanderbilt Cup race start, 1910 The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing. ... For other uses, see Santa Monica (disambiguation). ... 1916 Mercer 22/72 Touring Mercer was an American automobile manufacturer before World War II. There was considerable talent & backing for the Mercer Automobile Company; Ferdinand Roebling, son of John A Roebling, was the president, and his nephew Washington Roebling was the general manager. ... Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana (a separate town completely surrounded by Indianapolis) in the United States, is the second-oldest surviving automobile racing track in the world (after the Milwaukee Mile), having existed since 1909, and the original Speedway, the first racing facility historically to incorporate the word. ...

Ralph DePalma was an intense competitor but one of the most popular racers with his fellow drivers and the fans because of his good sportsmanship, a quality he displayed on and off the track. In June 1917 he lost to Barney Oldfield in a series of 10 to 25 mile match races ath the Milwaukee Mile. On February 12, 1919 at Daytona Beach, Florida, he drove a Packard to a world speed record of 149.875 mph over a measured mile. International competition began following the adoption of the three liter engine limit in the U.S. and Europe in 1920. DePalma began the year driving for the French manufacturer, Ballot. His Ballot vehicle was one of the fastest qualifiers at the 1920 Indy but bad luck dogged him in the race. However, DePalma traveled with other Americans to Le Mans to compete in the French Grand Prix. There, he finished second to the Duesenberg driven by fellow American, Jimmy Murphy. Barney Oldfield (June 3, 1878-October 4, 1946) was an automobile racer and pioneer; born in a farmhouse on the outskirts of Wauseon, Ohio. ... The Milwaukee Mile (also The Mile and Americas Legendary Oval) is a race track in West Allis, Wisconsin, USA. It is a mile long (1. ... Daytona Beach in 2005 Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. As of 2004, the population estimates recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 64,422. ... The Packard family coat of arms, adopted as the companys logo in 1928 Packard red hexagon wheel hub center made its debut in 1905, with the color red added in 1913 Packard was a United States based brand of luxury automobile built by the Packard Motor Car Company of... World map showing the location of Europe. ... Ballot was a French automobile manufacturer. ... Le Mans is a city in France, located at the Sarthe River. ... The French Grand Prix (Grand Prix de France) is a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de lAutomobiles annual Formula One automobile racing championships. ... 1931 Duesenberg J Duesenberg was a United States-based luxury automobile company active in various forms from 1913 to 1937, most famous for their extremely high-quality, record-breakingly fast roadsters. ... James Anthony (Jimmy) Murphy (1894–1924) was a race car driver who was the American Racing Champion in 1922 and 1924. ...

Ralph DePalma had a small role in the 1920 Hollywood film, High Speed and in 1924 played the part of the Champion in an action/drama written by Wilfred Lucas titled Racing for Life. In 1923, he established the DePalma Manufacturing Company in Detroit to build race cars and engines for automobiles and aircraft. High Speed is a 1986 pinball game designed by Steve Ritchie and released by Williams Electronics. ... Wilfred Lucas, born January 30, 1871 in the Province of Ontario, Canada - died December 5, 1940 in Los Angeles, California, United States, was a stage and film actor, a film director, and a screenwriter. ...

Ralph DePalma retired from racing after a career in which he competed in 2,889 races, winning an astonishing 2,557. He died in South Pasadena, California in 1956 and was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. The Mercedes in which he narrowly lost the 1912 Indianapolis 500 remains on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. Location of South Pasadena in California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California County Los Angeles Incorporated (city) March 2, 1888 [2] Government  - Mayor Philip Putnam [1] Area    - City  3. ... Holy Cross Cemetery is located at 5835 W. Slauson Avenue in Culver City, California. ... Motto: The Heart of Screenland Location of Culver City in California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California County Los Angeles Incorporated (city) 1917-09-07 [2] Government  - City Manager Jerry Fulwood [1] Area  - City  5. ...

DePalma was the brother of 500 competitor John DePalma and the uncle of 1925 Indy winner Pete DePaolo. John DePalma (16 February 1885 – 18 January 1951) was an Italian-born American racecar driver. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pete DePaolo (born April 15, 1898 in Roseland, New Jersey - died November 26, 1980) was an American race car driver. ...

Indy 500 results

• DePalma's total of 612 laps led stood as the all time Indy record until bested by Al Unser on the 200th lap of the 1987 Indianapolis 500.

Cover of Speed Age magazine, claiming to show the start of first Indianapolis 500 race; the event depicted was in fact the start of a 5-mile race on August 19, 1909. ... The 1912 Indianapolis 500, or Indianapolis 500-Mile International Sweepstakes, the second such race in history, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 30, 1912. ... Results of the 1913 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on May 30, 1913. ... Results of the 1915 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on May 30, 1915. ... Results of the 1919 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 31, 1919. ... Results of the 1920 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1920. ... Results of the 1921 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1921. ... Results of the 1922 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1922. ... Results of the 1923 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1923. ... Results of the 1925 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1925. ... Alfred Unser (born May 29, 1939 in Albuquerque, New Mexico) is a former U.S. automobile racer. ... Results of the 1987 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 24, 1987. ...

Awards

• In 1973, he was made a posthumous member of the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan.
• In 1991, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
• He was named to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1991.
• He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1992.

The Automotive Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame for notable figures in the development of the automobile industry. ... Location in Michigan Coordinates: , Country United States State Michigan County Wayne County Government  - Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to auto racing either as a driver, owner, developer or engineer. ... The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum is a museum for sprint car drivers. ... The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum in Novi, Michigan for American motorsports legends. ...

References

1. ^ Early years at the Milwaukee Mile

External links

• Biography at International Motorsports Hall of Fame
• Biography at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America