Vanderbilt Cup Races

On September 10, 1908, the AAA Race Commission announced plans to christen the Motor Parkway with an event called, “The Long Island Motor Parkway Sweepstakes.” Five concurrent stock car races were scheduled for October 10, 1908. The idea was to create an opportunity to test the new course, timing systems, and crowd control for the Vanderbilt Cup Race scheduled two weeks later.

The cars in the Sweepstakes Races were classified by their sales price. Eight cars participated in the "Nassau Sweepstakes", the race for the least expensive stock cars "costing 1,000 and under". The "N" cars in the Nassau Sweepstakes raced only four laps for a total of 93.84 miles. Note the "N" designation on the hoods and/or radiators of the cars.

#N1 Mitchell driven by W. Olney. Finished 3rd. Note the matching Mitchell sweaters worn by Olney and his mechanician.

#N2 Gyroscope driven by C. White. Finished 8th. Note the G logo on the radiator.

#N3 Buick driven by Charles Ewing (C.E.) Easter. Finished 1st, averaging 44 miles per hour.

#N4 Cameron driven by F.F. Cameron. Finished 2nd.

#N5 Mitchell driven by H.R. Cousins. Finished 4th. In the first image, Cousins was speaking to starter Fred Wagner. Note: Like the # N1 team, Cousins and his mechanician are wearing matching Mitchell sweaters.

#N6 Cadillac driven by F.W. Darmstadt. Finished 6th.

#N7 Buick driven by L.H. Titus. Finished 5th.

#N8 Reo driven by A.F. Camacho. Finished 7th. A Reo Roadster similar to the #N8 will be on display at the Cradle of Aviation Museum from October 23- October 31, 2010.

1908 Sweepstakes results as published in Automobile Topics

Links to related posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com:

Index: Vanderbilt Cup Races Starting Lineups (1904-1910)

Index: 1908 Motor Parkway Sweepstakes