Barney Oldfield

Because automobiles at the time were handmade and thus very expensive, most owners were extremely wealthy. Automobile clubs catered to this clientele, with selective membership policies; most owners and drivers were millionaires. The sport was well on its way to becoming the province of the rich, much like yachting or polo. Very few drivers came from the working class, and those who did, such as famed racer Ralph DePalma, did all they could to make the wealthy owners of their cars feel comfortable. DePalma, for example, wore the clothing of a chauffeur, and gave the owner of the car credit for his victories.

Oldfield, on the other hand, refused to wear uniforms, chewed cigars while he drove, and was not particularly loyal to sponsors—if a better offer came along, he took it. He talked loudly, swore often, spent time in bars, and did not show extra respect to the rich. He also took his machines, named the Blitzen Benz, the Green Dragon, the Golden Submarine, and others—out to county fairs and other venues and gave rural people a show they would never forget. Messer Kruse wrote, "For many Oldfield's cars were not the first they had ever seen, but they were the first they had ever seen driven by someone they could recognize as one of their own."

Naturally, the members of the racing elite were offended, and tried to exclude Oldfield from racing.

Knowing that Oldfield's strength was in fast skidding turns, they organized straightaway races where skill did not matter, as well as road races that simply favored the fastest machine, not the best driver. They also created racing rules that excluded Oldfield from competitions because he had broken these rules—for example, in 1911 he was barred from the famed Vanderbilt Cup races because he had raced in unofficial exhibitions at county fairs. In 1912 he was banned for life from the Indianapolis Brickyard because he had given an exhibition race against his partner Bob Burman. Burman, who also participated in the race, was not banned.

Oldfield was reinstated at Indianapolis in 1914, and his best finishes there were fifth in 1914 and 1918. In addition, he was the first driver in Indianapolis history to complete a lap at 100 miles per hour.

However, when Oldfield retired from competition in 1918 and became manager of the Firestone racing team, the A.A.A. refused to let him enter a track even if his own team was racing. Eventually he was reinstated, but by then he had lost many opportunities.

As Messer-Kruse noted, the officials of the A.A.A. had also lost opportunities, although they never realized it. At the time, most Americans viewed cars as dangerous, frightening machines, playthings of the rich. Many drivers were cursed at, had stones thrown at them, or were forced off the road by horse-drawn farm wagons. In addition, many communities passed impossibly low speed limits, intended to keep automobiles out. MesserKruse commented, "The millionaires in control of the A.A.A. never understood that Oldfield was the best weapon they had to batter down popular resistance to the growth of their sport." Oldfield was so well-known that police officers arresting speeders often asked, "Who do you think you are, Barney Oldfield?"—which, as Messer-Kruse wrote, made Oldfield "clearly someone who struck a chord with the common folk."

On May 10, 1946, Oldfield died in his sleep, apparently of a heart attack; the evening before, he had complained of neck pains. He is buried in Beverly Hills, California.

In 1990, Oldfield was inducted into the Motor Sports Hall of Fame. Driving at speeds almost unheard of at the time, Barney Oldfield was a pioneer and one of the fathers of modern racing.