Ralph DePalma | |||||||
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![]() DePalma in 1912 | |||||||
Born | Raffaele De Palma December 19, 1882 Biccari, Apulia, Italy | ||||||
Died | March 31, 1956 South Pasadena, California, U.S. | (aged 73)||||||
Championship titles | |||||||
Major victories Vanderbilt Cup (1912, 1914) Indianapolis 500 (1915) | |||||||
Champ Car career | |||||||
100 races run over 23 years | |||||||
Best finish | 4th (1916, 1920) | ||||||
First race | 1909 Wheeler-Schebler Trophy (Indianapolis) | ||||||
Last race | 1933 Syracuse 100 (Syracuse) | ||||||
First win | 1909 Long Island Stock Car Derby, Class A (Riverhead) | ||||||
Last win | 1921 25-mile Heat #1 (Beverly Hills) | ||||||
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Raffaele "Ralph" DePalma (occasionally spelt De Palma, December 19, 1882 – March 31, 1956) was an American racing driver who won the 1915 Indianapolis 500. His entry at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame estimates that he won about 2,000 races.[1] DePalma won the 1908, 1909, 1910, and 1911 American AAA national dirt track championships[2] and is credited with winning 25 American Championship car races.[3] He won the Canadian national championship in 1929.[2] DePalma estimated that he had earned $1.5 million by 1934 after racing for 27 years.[2] He is inducted in numerous halls of fame. He competed on boards and dirt road courses and ovals.[3]
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