Ray Harroun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ray Harroun |
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Harroun, circa 1911
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| Born | Ray Wade Harroun January 12, 1879 Spartansburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Died | January 19, 1968 (aged 89) Anderson, Indiana, U.S. |
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| Championship titles | |||||||
| Major victories Indianapolis 500 (1911) |
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| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 17 races run over 3 years | |||||||
| First race | 1909 G & J Trophy (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| Last race | 1911 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| First win | 1910 Atlanta Speedway Trophy (Atlanta) | ||||||
| Last win | 1911 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
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Ray Wade Harroun (born January 12, 1879 – died January 19, 1968) was an amazing American racing driver and a super smart car builder. He is best known for winning the very first Indianapolis 500 race in 1911!
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Ray Harroun's Early Life
Ray Harroun was born on January 12, 1879, in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania. His dad, Russell LaFayette Harroun, was a carpenter. Ray was the youngest child in his family.
Ray also served in the U.S. Navy during the Spanish American War. He worked on a ship that carried coal.
Setting Speed Records
Ray Harroun was part of a team that set a land speed record in 1903. They drove a car non-stop from Chicago to New York! Ray and four other drivers took turns driving. They set the record at 76 hours.
About a year later, another team beat their record. So, in October 1904, Ray's team, called the Columbia team, set the record again! This time, they did it in 58 hours and 35 minutes. This new record lasted for almost two years.
Ray Harroun's Racing Career
People called Ray Harroun the "Little Professor." This was because he was very smart at building cars. He worked with Howard Marmon to create the Marmon Wasp. This car was super special! It was the first racecar with an open-wheel design and only one seat.
Ray is most famous for winning the first-ever Indianapolis 500 race. This big event happened on May 30, 1911. He raced in at least 60 official AAA races between 1905 and 1911. He won 19 of these races!
From 1909 to 1911, Ray mostly drove for the Marmon car company. But he also drove a Buick in some races. In his earlier years, from 1905 to 1908, he even drove cars he called "Harroun Custom" and "Harroun Sneezer."
Major Race Wins
Ray Harroun won many exciting races. In 1910, he won a 100-mile race at the Atlanta Motordrome. He also won the 200-mile Wheeler-Schebler Trophy Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Another win at IMS was the 50-mile Remy Grand Brassard Race in May 1910.
He also won three races at Churchill Downs, which is famous for the Kentucky Derby. He won three more races at the old Latonia Race Track. Plus, he had wins in cities like New Orleans, Los Angeles, Long Island, and Memphis.
Ray won a total of 8 races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This is the second-highest number of wins for any driver there! Only Johnny Aitken has more, with 15 wins.
The First Indianapolis 500 Race
At the very first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, Ray Harroun did something new. Instead of having a mechanic ride with him, he used a rear-view mirror. This was a big deal and caused some talk, but it was allowed.
Ray went on to win the race! He drove at an average speed of 74.602 miles per hour (120.060 km/h). Ray had actually come out of retirement just to race in this first 500. After winning, he retired from racing for good.
Ray's famous yellow #32 Marmon "Wasp" car is very special. It's on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. This is the car he used to win the first Indianapolis 500.
In 1961, the 50th Anniversary race was won by A. J. Foyt. Both Ray Harroun and A. J. Foyt appeared on a TV show called I've Got a Secret. Their secret was that they both won the Indianapolis 500!
After Racing
After Ray Harroun stopped racing, he kept working as an engineer. He worked for the Marmon company and later for the Maxwell racing team.
In 1916, Ray started his own car company in Wayne, Michigan. It was called the Harroun Motor Car Company. The company closed after World War I. Today, a street in Wayne is named after him!
He continued to work in the car industry until he retired at age 79. Ray Harroun passed away on January 19, 1968.
Ray Harroun's Legacy
Ray Harroun is remembered as a true pioneer in racing. He was honored in several Hall of Fames:
- Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1952.
- Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000.
- Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2010.
Indianapolis 500 Race Results
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