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80:. However, financial problems and road conditions forced the club to find a new location for the race. Frank Berry Wood, an Elgin resident and a member of the CMC, was determined to move the races to Elgin, and scouted an 8.5 miles (13.7 km) circuit consisting of oil-soaked dirt and gravel roads with no crossroads, railroad tracks, high hills or towns to pass through. The CMC officials were impressed by Wood's
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As automobile speeds continued to increase, the races became more dangerous and controversial. Five competitors lost their lives during the races, three in 1911 and two in 1914. Local farmers also began to object to road closures and the races were discontinued after the 1920 race. The races were
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Automobile manufacturers were attracted to the Elgin races because the course provided few obstacles to reduce the car's speed. Some of the manufacturers that participated in the Elgin Road Races were
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who offered a $ 1,000 prize and a silver trophy to the winner. The races attracted the top national racing champions as well as many of the major automobile manufacturers.
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became one of the most prestigious
American automobile races of the early 20th Century and contributed significantly to the development of the modern automobile.
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153:. The races contributed significantly to the development of the modern automobile. The first competitions featured factory stock vehicles, however after 1911
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On August 23, 1910, the first Elgin Road Races were held and were an immediate success, drawing thousands of spectators due to its proximity to the
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to win the inaugural race with an average speed of 62.5 miles an hour. The most successful competitor at the Elgin races was
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Automobile Road Race Association was formed to raise the necessary funds.
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72:(CMC) organized the first automobile race in the American Midwest at the
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165:. One of the 1933 competitions was among the first officially organized
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between 1910 and 1920. The races were suspended during
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576:Defunct motorsport venues in the United States
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91:. The top class races were sponsored by the
463:"The 1933 Ford V-8 Roadster Elgin Race Car"
27:that took place on closed public roads in
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418:. State of Illinois. Retrieved 8/25/07.
58:at the 1910 Elgin National Road Races,
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161:revived in 1933 to coincide with the
507:"Elgin National Road Races History"
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35:and resumed in 1919 and 1920. The
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355:. The Historical Marker Database
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571:Sports competitions in Illinois
561:Events in Cook County, Illinois
556:1910 establishments in Illinois
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74:Crown Point Road Race Circuit
529:"Elgin Road Race Collection"
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173:National Trophy race winners
93:Elgin National Watch Company
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414:November 9, 2005, at the
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157:were allowed to compete.
89:Chicago metropolitan area
531:. carsandracingstuff.com
487:. firstsuperspeedway.com
155:specialized racing cars
566:Motorsport in Illinois
169:in the United States.
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409:"The Elgin Road Race"
121:during the 1913 races
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61:Automotive Industries
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37:Elgin National Trophy
438:"The Cracker Barrel"
163:Chicago World's Fair
78:Crown Point, Indiana
443:. elginhistory.org
387:. elginhistory.org
353:"Elgin Road Races"
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70:Chicago Motor Club
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16:American auto race
382:"Elgin Road Race"
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21:Elgin Road Races
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68:In 1909, the
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43:Event history
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533:. Retrieved
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357:. Retrieved
277:Tommy Milton
262:Gil Andersen
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115:Gil Andersen
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305:Phil Shafer
33:World War I
550:Categories
535:26 January
513:25 January
491:26 January
469:25 January
447:25 January
391:25 January
359:25 January
323:References
282:Duesenberg
210:Len Zengel
139:Duesenberg
64:, Vol. 23.
54:driving a
301:8/26/1933
288:8/21/1920
273:8/23/1919
258:8/21/1915
247:8/22/1914
236:8/30/1913
221:8/31/1912
206:8/26/1911
191:8/27/1910
131:Chevrolet
412:Archived
316:Source:
215:National
117:and his
99:drove a
295:Ballot
200:Lozier
183:Winner
151:Hudson
149:, and
147:Marmon
143:Mercer
101:Lozier
56:Staver
441:(PDF)
385:(PDF)
310:Buick
267:Stutz
135:Stutz
119:Stutz
537:2024
515:2024
493:2024
471:2024
449:2024
393:2024
361:2024
180:Date
127:Ford
19:The
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
