It was dubbed the "Mystery Ship", because when it arrived in Cleveland for the 1929 National Air Race, it was immediately moved to a hangar and covered with a tarpaulin. During the race, the Mystery Ship took the lead twice despite having to recircle a pylon that Doug Davis cut short on the second lap, the rules required missed pylons to be recircled. This caused Davis to be passed by the rest of the field, but he was able to take the lead again and was declared the winner. Davis completed the 10 mile, 5 lap course at an average speed of 194.9 mph (313.6 km/h).