The Chicago Times-Herald race was the first automobile race held in the United States. Sponsored by the Chicago Times-Herald, the race was held in Chicago in 1895 among six automobiles: four gasoline and two electric, all four-wheelers. It was won by Frank Duryea's Motorized Wagon. The race created considerable publicity for the motocycle, which had been introduced in the United States only two years earlier.
On July 10, 1895, the Chicago Times-Herald announced a race to be held in the city with prizes totaling $5,000 (approximately $193,500 in 2025). Hermann H.Kohlsaat, the proprietor of the Times-Herald, put up the prize-money to foster the growth of the young auto industry in the United States and to boost sales of his newspaper. The first automobiles in the nation were produced only two years earlier, and they were so new at the time that the paper's editors hoped to establish a more forward-looking name for what were then called "horseless carriages" or "motor wagons". A competition for a new name with a prize of $500 preceded the race. The editors selected the term "Motocycle" and used it in their reporting, but it never gained populartity.
The original course of the race was from Chicago north to Milwaukee, but the roads were found to be too poor for early cars to traverse easily. The route was changed to be to Waukegan and back, a distance of 100 miles, and the date of the race was set as 2 November 1895.
The contest rules published before the race stated the following prizes were available.
Exhibition Run on 2 November 1895
By 1 November, the day before the race, it had become clear that, while many wished to take part, few were ready to do so. The race was rescheduled to Thanksgiving Day and the next day's event turned into an Exhibition Run of 100 miles to Waukegan and back. A purse of $500 would be divided equally among those participants who returned within 13 hours.
Only two cars started: a Benz Vis-à-vis driven by Oscar B.Mueller of Decatur, Ill; and a Duryea Motor Wagon driven by J.Frank Duryea of Springfield, Mass.
The Duryea led from the start, then a chain snapped. It took 48 minutes for a blacksmith to repair the damage and Mueller's Benz took the lead. The Duryea suffered a smash on a narrow road at Prairie View. Duryea blew his whistle to alert a farmer with a team in the road. The farmer and Duryea both headed to the left and Duryea drove into a ditch to avoid a collision. One wheel was wrecked and the vehicle had to be hauled to the nearest railway station and sent back by rail.
The day was very hot and the Benz struggled in the heat: two big cans of ice were strapped to the water jacket of the cylinder to keep it cool. More ice was taken on during the journey. The Benz's cruising speed was 12mph; in places it had to be pushed up hills. Running time was 8 hours 44 minutes, elapsed time 9 hours 30 minutes Having completed the course within the 13 hours, Mueller received the entire purse of $500.
Although the Duryea crashed out early in the run, its early lead suggests that it was faster than the Benz. As it had failed to catch the Benz by Prairie View (39 miles), its average speed when running cannot have exceeded 15 mph.
The race was only 54 miles (87 km) from Chicago to Evanston and back. The finish line was near what is now the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry (what had been the Palace of Fine Arts at the 1893 Columbian Exposition).
Eighty-three cars were initially entered into the race, but only six arrived for the actual competition. Many of the entrants did not have their cars completed on time, and several were unable to make the journey. Elwood Haynes' car, which was a favorite to win the race, was damaged en route and unable to compete.
Both Haynes and the driver of a Benz car were stopped by police while driving their cars into the city. They were forced to requisition horses to pull the cars because, as the police informed them, they had no right to drive their vehicles on the city streets. The situation caused the race to be again postponed while the Chicago Times-Herald editors convinced the city leaders to pass an ordinance to confirm the right of these vehicles to travel on city streets.
Once the ordinance passed, the race was held on November 28, Thanksgiving Day. The day was snowy and 38 °F (4 °C), the roads muddy, with snow drifts in places.
The first car to arrive at the starting line was a German-made car by inventor Karl Benz. In total, three Benz cars ran in the race, all imported from Benz's agent in France, Emile Roger. The only other petrol-engined car to run in the race was Frank Duryea's motorized wagon. The two other vehicles that took part were electric: a Sturges Electro Motocycle, and a Morris & Salom Electrobat. The electric vehicles lacked the power to climb one of the course's grades and died from the cold weather before getting far.
Just after starting, one Benz struck a horse and was forced to leave the race. It came down to a contest between the Duryea and Mueller's Benz.
According to news accounts, Mueller's Benz "puffed its way slowly and laboriously along, its [solid-rubber] tires wrapped with twine to keep them from slipping, and one of its operators sanding the belt on the motor for the same reason." From point 31 of the course to the finish Mueller's car was driven by Charles Brady King because Mueller went unconscious from exposure. King was originally an umpire to the race and of this motocycle.
The race was meant to start at 9am. Duryea was sent off at 8:55am and crossed the finishing line at 7:18pm, completing the race with an elapsed time of 10 hours 23 minutes. His running time was 7 hours and 53 minutes, the difference primarily attributable to two breakdowns which required the use of a forge (having built his vehicle, he was able to make repairs which were beyond other drivers). His average speed over the course was 5.0 mph and, when running, 6.7 mph (11 km/h). For the last 12 miles of the course (from Douglas Park) he benefited from having a horse-drawn sleigh break a trail for him through the snow.