From the City of Ormond Beach website:

http://www.ormondbeach.org/news/Stanley/historyofspeed.htm

Contrast these well-fed folks with kid in the mill immediately above. No wonder Eugene Debs, the Socialist candidate for president, made such inroads into politics.

And wonder who Big Mama in the center was? A head above the tallest man.

From 1903 to 1910, automotive speed found its first home on the smooth, hard sands of Ormond Beach. The longest-held land speed record for the mile in those 8 years was set January 26, 1906 by F. E. Stanley's Rocket Racer, driven by the legendary Fred Marriott. The speed was an incredible 127 miles per hour plus, a record that held for four years in a speed age when records were being broken by the hour; it stood until Barney Oldfield finally broke it in the Lightning Benz by a mere 4 mph.

- From the Birthplace Of Speed Centennial Web site.

The New York Times makes reference to the journey taken by these swells in a contemporary article.

Copied from the Wikipedia article about Ormond Beach, Florida, entire text of which can be found here:

"Beginning in 1902, some of the first automobile races were held on the compacted sand from Ormond south to Daytona Beach. Pioneers in the industry, including Ransom Olds and Alexander Winton, tested their inventions. The American Automobile Association brought timing equipment in 1903, and the area acquired the nickname "The Birthplace of Speed." Driving on the beach is still permitted on some stretches. The city would be renamed Ormond Beach in 1949."

Looks like these folks were headed to what would eventually evolve into the Daytona 500. Who knew auto racing was ever such a formal affair!

Looks like a gang of rich Republicans!

I wonder what "Race Week" was in 1908. Could be cars.

[We know that it's cars -- as the caption says, these people are automobilists. - Dave]

NASCAR fans have changed a bit over the years, haven't they?