The 1924 season suffered three fatal accidents.
Joe Boyer at the
Altoona Race on September 1.[1] On September 15, Jimmy Murphy - winner of both the
Indianapolis 500 and the National Championship in
1922 - perished at
Syracuse.[2] On October 16,
Ernie Ansterburg died at
Charlotte during a practice run.[3] Murphy won the championship posthumously after
Earl Cooper failed to win at
Culver City, the final race of the season.
Note 1:
Joe Boyer started the No. 9 car during the
Indianapolis 500, but dropped out early with mechanical issues. On lap 112, he relieved
L. L. Corum in the No. 15 car, and went on to finish first. While both Boyer and Corum were recognized as co-winners - the first of two such occasions in Indianapolis 500 history - the winner's points went to Corum, who started and qualified the No. 15 car.
Note 2: Drivers had to be running at the finish to score points. Points scored by drivers sharing a ride were split according to percentage of race driven. Starters were not allowed to score points as relief drivers, if a race starter finished the race in another car, in a points scoring position, those points were awarded to the driver who had started the car.