SPEEDWAY — The family of the 1924 Indy 500 winner is celebrating a century later.
Joe Boyer became the first co-winner of an Indy 500. He and his teammates switched cars and drivers mid-race.
“He took over for his teammate midway through the race and took it home to victory lane,” Jameson Boyer Cooke, family member of Joe Boyer, said.
Boyer finished in the Duesenberg 15 — the first super charged engine to win at the time.
Boyer’s family made a road trip to Indiana to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his big win.
“It’s a lot to try and soak in. I think this whole experience being at the track and witnessing the race tomorrow is expanding on the emotion that he must have felt,” Cooke said.
It is Cooke and his family’s first time attending the Indy 500, and they made it their mission to learn about their loved one’s history.
“It’s incredible, not just the achievement but to learn from your history,” Cooke said. “For a family who doesn’t have much to look back to, we found Joe Boyer, and we are very proud of him.”
Cooke says the family road trip was also to honor his late grandfather who was named after Boyer. He was supposed to be on the trip but passed away last month.
