Highlight Reel: 1915 Indy 500

Italian-born Ralph DePalma, who had suffered such a bitter defeat after leading almost the entire distance in 1912, finally received his just reward. But it did not come without some anxious moments.

In 1912, a connecting rod had snapped and punched a hole in the crankcase of his 1908 Mercedes, pumping out all of the oil and causing him to grind to a halt within sight of the finish. Now at the wheel of one of the Mercedes from the 1914 French Grand Prix, he had almost exactly the same thing happen.

This time, however, he was able to nurse the car home to the finish, beating a French Peugeot driven by Dario Resta, an Italian-born English citizen, and a locally built Stutz, shared by Norwegian-born Gil Andersen and Indianapolis-raised Johnny Aitken. It was a truly international mix.