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 Barney Oldfield, approx. 1904 The 1902 Ford '999' is not only the first Ford to ever complete a race, but also the first to win one! Barney Oldfield, the one man who at the time did more for popularizing racing in North American than anybody else, raced a number of truly spectacular automobiles but the Ford '999' was his first. The '999' earned race victories and held the land speed record. More importantly, it earned the prize money and publicity upon which Henry Ford built the giant of American automotive giants!
Barney Oldfield sets a one-mile record at Empire City Race Track in Yonkers, N.Y., covering the distance in 55.54 seconds.
It took a brave man to drive the '999' at speed on the dirt oval tracks of the day. Thankfully, Barney Oldfield was just the man for the job. Back in 1902, when auto racing was in its infancy, there were few cars at all and even fewer that could even hope to stay ahead of the Ford '999' once it had built up a head of steam!
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