Ralph DePalma
| Ralph DePalma | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DePalma in 1912 | |||||||
| Born | Raffaele De Palma December 19, 1882 Biccari, Apulia, Italy | ||||||
| Died | March 31, 1956 (aged 73) South Pasadena, California, U.S. | ||||||
| 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. DePalma won the 1908, 1909, 1910, and 1911 American AAA national dirt track championships and is credited with winning 25 American Championship car races. He won the Canadian national championship in 1929. DePalma estimated that he had earned $1.5 million by 1934 after racing for 27 years. He is inducted in numerous halls of fame. He competed on boards and dirt road courses and ovals.