The Innagural Indianapolis 500 was met with enthusiasm. It seemed all the magazines and newspapers were talking about it. Other races held in 1910 required nominal entry fees; usually just a few dollars. The 500 management however charged a hefty entry fee of $500 wishing to ensure each entry was coming to seriously compete for the win.
It was still a gamble with no prize money offered beyond the first 10 finishers. The winner received $10,00, second place received $5,000, $3000 for third on down to $500 for 10th. Even so, 46 cars paid their money to enter the race.
One entry of note was the Pope-Hartford team from Springfield, Massachusetts. They entered two cars, each loaded with toolboxes and as many spares a possible. They were driven cross country, taking a week to get to Indianapolis for the race.
