Ralph Mulford was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 racecar driver active during the formative years of the auto racing.

Ralph Mulford may have won the first Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

 in 1911. He was given the checkered flag before Ray Harroun

Ray Harroun

Ray Harroun was an American racecar driver, born in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania.-Early driving:As noted in the Columbia Car webpages, Harroun participated in the original setting of the record from Chicago to New York in 1903, and the re-taking of that record in 1904...

, then took 3 more "safety" laps as a precaution. When he finished the third lap, Harroun was already in the winner's circle and Mulford's protests were largely ignored.

Mulford was retroactively declared the National Driving Champion for 1911 and 1918. He retired from racing on tracks after 1922 but continued to compete for several more years in hill climbs and, at one time, held the record for both the Mount Washington

Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race

The Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race, also known as the Climb to the Clouds, is a timed hillclimb auto race up the Mount Washington Auto Road to the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. It is one of the oldest auto races in the country, first run on July 11th and 12th, 1904, predating...

 and Pikes Peak climbs.

Indy 500 results

EWLINE Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1911 1911 Indianapolis 500 The 1911 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1911... 33 29 — — 2 200 10 Running 1912 1912 Indianapolis 500 The 1912 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race, the second such race in history, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1912.... 19 16 87.880 2 10 200 0 Running 1913 1913 Indianapolis 500 The 1913 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race, the third such race in history, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1913.-Qualification results:... 29 22 80.790 17 7 200 0 Running 1914 1914 Indianapolis 500 The 1914 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race, the fourth such race in history, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1914.... 23 6 88.210 18 11 200 0 Running 1915 1915 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1915 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1915.-Notes:1 - Louis Chevrolet is usually shown as American but his application for a US passport reveals that he did not become a US citizen until June 1915... 22 18 82.720 18 16 124 0 Rod 1916 1916 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1916 300-Mile International Sweepstakes Race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1916.The race is notable because it covered because of World War I, and it was the only Indianapolis 500 scheduled for less than .... 10 20 91.090 10 3 120 0 Running 1919 1919 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1919 Liberty Sweepstakes held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 31, 1919.... 2 15 100.500 5 29 37 0 Driveshaft 1920 1920 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1920 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1920.... 33 23 — — 9 200 0 Running 1921 1921 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1921 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1921.... 8 21 91.700 12 9 177 0 Flagged 1922 1922 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1922 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1922.... 5 5 99.200 5 19 161 0 Rod Totals 1619 10

EWLINE Starts 10 Poles 0 Front Row 0 Wins 0 Top 5 2 Top 10 6 Retired 3

External links

• Ralph Mulford career stats at Champ Car Stats