Ralph Mulford

Ralph Kirkman Mulford (December 28, 1884 – October 23, 1973) was an American racing driver who participated in the 1911 Indianapolis 500. In 1911 he won the Vanderbilt Cup in Savannah, Georgia.^[1]

Ralph Mulford
Mulford, circa 1911
Born	Ralph Kirkman Mulford (1884-12-28)December 28, 1884 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	October 23, 1973(1973-10-23) (aged 88) Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Championship titles
Major victories Vanderbilt Cup (1911)
Champ Car career
87 races run over 15 years
Best finish	8th (1920)
First race	1910 Elgin National Trophy (Elgin)
Last race	1922 Kansas City 300 (Kansas City)
First win	1910 Elgin National Trophy (Elgin)
Last win	1919 40-mile Race (Tacoma)
Wins Podiums Poles 19 42 0

Biography

Mulford was born on December 28, 1884, in Brooklyn, New York. He once served as a Sunday school teacher.^[2]

Mulford won the Elgin Trophy on August 26, 1910.^[3] He then finished second in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 1911. While contemporary newspaper accounts and substantiated research, including by Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Donald Davidson, have produced no credible evidence to support a claim to the contrary,^[2][4][5][6] there is an urban myth that Mulford, driving a Lozier, was the actual winner over Ray Harroun.^[7] However, Mulford himself never supported such a claim.

Mulford at the Tacoma Speedway in 1922

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 and Pikes Peak climbs.

Mulford died on October 23, 1973, in Worcester, Massachusetts. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving participant of the inaugural, 1911 Indianapolis 500.

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1911 33 29 — — 2 200 10 Running 1912 19 16 87.880 2 10 200 0 Running 1913 29 22 80.790 17 7 200 0 Running 1914 23 6 88.210 18 11 200 0 Running 1915 22 18 82.720 18 16 124 0 Rod 1916 10 20 91.090 10 3 120 0 Running 1919 2 15 100.500 5 29 37 0 Driveshaft 1920 33 23 — — 9 200 0 Running 1921 8 21 91.700 12 9 177 0 Flagged 1922 5 5 99.200 5 19 161 0 Rod Totals 1619 10

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