INDIANAPOLIS -- In 1924, the nine-story Indianapolis athletic club opened downtown.
Also in this year, a young man by the name of Tony Hulman graduated from Yale. Little did the Terre Haute native know what a pivotal role he would play some 20 years later in preserving the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
And what a spectacle the Indy 500 was in 1924.
For the second straight race, a driver manages to lead the Indianapolis 500 in two different cars, and for the first time, not a single riding mechanic joined any of the 22 drivers that qualified.
Joe Boyer leads the opening lap, but he doesn't stay there long after suffering issues with his supercharged Duesenberg.
Boyer's teammate, Lora Corum, was cruising along in 4th place until he headed to the pits on lap 111. He hands over his ride to Boyer, who eventually takes the lead again on lap 177.
He went on to win the race in 5 hours, 5 minutes and 23 seconds, breaking the old record by 12 minutes, but not without a close call. Second place Earl Cooper, who also led the most laps of the race that year, only trailed by 1 minute and 23 seconds, the closest finish to date at the Indy 500.
Relief drivers at this time were common for fatigue or other minor injuries while out on the track, but since Corum started the race and Boyer finished it in the same car, it's declared that both drivers are co-winners.
Officially, Boyer's original entry was listed as an 18th place finisher, after one of the relief drivers of his original vehicle crashed.
The pair's faces still sit side-by-side on the Borg-Warner Trophy.
MORE ON THE ROAD TO 100
1923 | 1922| 1921| 1920| 1919| 1916 | 1915 | 1914 | 1913 | 1912 | 1911 | Special Section: Road to 100 | Enter to win tickets to the Indy 500 | Start your engines: 100 stories in 100 days
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