Automotive legend Louis Chevrolet, standing, looked on as race car driver Joe Thomas tinkered with his Monroe racing car at the Tacoma Speedway on July 2, 1920. Thomas' riding mechanic, Marcel Treyvoux, leans against the car. Local boy Thomas, from Seattle, had just qualified for the 225 mile Tacoma Classic by driving at speeds up to 96 mph. He was a veteran, experienced driver, having been recruited by famed Barney Oldfield in 1907 for an exhibition in Seattle where the high schooler drove a Franklin. He later became Eddie Pullen's mechanic on the Mercer team and started driving himself in 1916. Louis Chevrolet was an early successful race car driver with 27 major wins to his record. He was also a design genius, creating the first Chevrolet with W.C. Durant and Frontenac race cars with his brothers, Gaston and Arthur. In 1920, he was working with Monroe to design a race car, which his brother Gaston drove to victory in the 1920 Indianapolis 500. (TDL 7/3/1920, pg. 2; TNT 7-1-20, p. 11-article) TPL-092, Speedway 016
Chevrolet, Louis; Racing automobiles--1920-1930; Racetracks--Lakewood--1920-1930; Automobile racing--Lakewood--1920-1930; Tacoma Speedway (Lakewood); Thomas, Joe; Treyvoux, Marcel;