De Palma, << duh PAHL muh, >> Ralph (1883-1956), was a pioneer American automobile race driver. He won the Indianapolis 500 race in 1915 and the national driving title in 1912 and 1914. De Palma set a world record of 149.875 mph (241.2 kph) in 1919. He claimed 2,557 victories in 2,889 races. Many of these were match races against another driver, rather than open competition. De Palma was born in Italy and raised in New York City. He was a bicycle racer until he turned to racing automobiles in 1908. De Palma died on March 31, 1956.
