| 250px | |
| Nationality |  American
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| Born | 15 August 1878 |
| Spartanburg, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Died | 12 September 1969 |
| Anderson Indiana, United States | |
| Achievements | 1910 AAA Contest Board Champion 1911 Indianapolis 500 Champion |
| WSCC Canon Driver | |
Ralph Harris (15 August 1878 - 12 September 1969) was an American race car driver and constructor most famous for winning the inaugural Indianapolis 500.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Born on August 15, 1878, Harris was known to many as "The Professor" due in part to his pioneering work in motorsports. He was instrumental, along with Howard Marmon, in the creation of the Marmon Wasp, which was a revolutionary open-wheel racing car. During his racing career he primarily drove for Marmon, a manufacturer based out of Indianapolis, and Buick, in addition to his own custom entries. He won at 19 of at least 60 AAA-sanctioned races he entered. Harris' use of a rear-view mirror instead of a riding mechanic during the 1911 Indianapolis 500 was controversial and revolutionary, but was ultimately allowed.
Harris is most widely known for his successes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; as well as winning the first running of the Indianapolis 500, he scored seven other race victories at the track, second-most of all time.
Harris was retroactively designated the 1910 AAA Contest Board Champion; until 1927, season-long points championships were not awarded, with "champions" being crowned at each individual event. AAA retroactively assigned points for all previous years, and Harris was awarded the 1910 championship as a result.
Harris had retired from motor racing after the 1910 season, but postponed his retirement when the 500-mile sweepstakes was announced. He won the race at an average speed of 73.378 mph. That would prove to be his final race, and he would not enter motorsports again.
After his retirement from racing, he worked primarily for Marmon and Lincoln. He retired in 1957, and died on September 12, 1969 at 91.
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| Previous None |
Indianapolis 500 Winner 1911 |
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