Indy 500 Recaps: The Short Chute Edition

INDY 500 RECAPS

THE SHORT CHUTE EDITION

Pat Kennedy

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© 2018 Pat Kennedy. All rights reserved.

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Published by AuthorHouse 04/20/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-3012-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-3010-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-3011-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018902294

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Preface

Acknowledgments

1911

1912

1913

1914

1915

1916

1917

1918

1919

1920

1921

1922

1923

1924

1925

1926

1927

1928

1929

1930

1931

1932

1933

1934

1935

1936

1937

1938

1939

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945

1946

1947

1948

1949

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Resources

About the Author

Dedication

To the courageous drivers who have made the Indianapolis 500 the greatest sporting event in the world over the past 100-plus-years.

PREFACE

This book started as a self-serving exercise to personally organize the major details and interesting facts of each Indianapolis 500 over the 100-plus-year history of the greatest race in the world. For many of us passionate racing fans who have attended a multitude of 500s, there is a tendency for the details of the races to (somewhat) blend together. I hope this book will help to provide clarity in this regard, as well as educate.

During high school, many of us chose to use CliffsNotes to assist in the education process. This book is somewhat patterned after that concept. It falls somewhere between Donald Davidson and Rick Schaffer’s Autocourse Official History of the Indianapolis 500—the best and by far the most detailed book on the history of the Indianapolis 500—and a multitude of pictorial books with limited information. I hope it will prove to be an easy read with entertaining and educational information.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book is dedicated to my dad, William E. Kennedy, Jr.; my great uncle, Big John Berry; and my grandpa, William E. Kennedy, Sr. Their passion for, interest in, and love for the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar racing was instilled in me at a very young age and continues strong to this day.

I would like to make a special dedication to my mom, Fran Kennedy, who thought her boy could do no wrong! I would also like to dedicate this book to the Kennedy Clan for their tremendous support and love, namely: the Shorters—Peggy Kennedy Shorter, Mark Shorter, Mickey Shorter, Kelly Shorter Schneider, Matt Schneider, Logan Schneider, Maddie and Molly Schneider; the Fairchilds—Kathy Kennedy Fairchild, Thom Fairchild, Kyle Fairchild, Kimmie Fairchild Rumer, Justin Rumer, George Rumer, William and Tommy Rumer; the Bolins—Ann Kennedy Bolin, Paul Bolin, Courtney Bolin, Kevin Bolin, and Brian Bolin; and the Kennedys—Cheryl Kennedy, Maura Kennedy, Bill, Ellen, Kate, Grace and Luke Kennedy, Jimmy Kennedy, Patrick Kennedy, and Joey Kennedy Gaines. Without this clan I could not do what I do!

Special thanks to Angie Brackin, my right hand on this project, whose hard work, understanding, interest, and commitment made this book possible.

Many thanks to Donald Davidson, the savant of the Indianapolis 500, whose tremendous input, fact checking, support, and guidance were very instrumental in elevating the quality of this project.

Thanks to everyone from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway involved in this book, especially Jason Ellison, Mary Ellen Loscar, Kendra Wilson and Mike Roth of the Photo Operation, for their helpful assistance.

Lastly, special thanks to Mark T. Watson, my lifelong best friend, whose artistic talent is responsible for the design of the book cover. Reach him at Spotlight Photography, 317-372-9300.

1911

The partners in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ownership were: Carl Fisher, James Allison, Arthur Newby and Frank Wheeler.

Drivers had to be able to average 75 mph or better from a flying start over a distance of a quarter mile in order to be included in the starting field. On Friday, four days before the race, time trials were run. Thirty-eight cars were successful. Two others cars were successful on the day before the race.

Qualifiers were lined up by the dates on which the entries were received. There were forty-six entrants total with the first entrant on the pole.

Lewis Strang was on the pole.

Cars were lined up in rows of five. There were forty starters. The pace car and four cars constituted row 1. The ninth row consisted of a single car; all other rows had five cars. Twenty-two manufacturers were represented in the field.

Carl Fisher, the leading partner in the track ownership, drove the Stoddard-Dayton pace car.

A large crowd of approximately 80,000 attended the first 500.

Johnny Aitken led the first lap of the inaugural Indianapolis 500, or the International 500-Mile Sweepstakes, as it was referred to through 1980.

Prize money was awarded to only the top ten finishers, with $10,000 to the winner (plus accessory prizes, for a total of $14,250), and $500 for tenth place. The total purse was $30,150.

David Bruce-Brown led for most of the first half of the race and at one point opened up a lead of three laps over the second place car. He led a total of eighty-one laps.

Ray Harroun ran a consistently paced race in his six-cylinder Marmon Wasp at approximately 75 mph to minimize tire wear. His testing showed that by reducing his speed from 80 mph to 75 mph he doubled the life of his tires.

Cyrus Patschke relieved Harroun near mid-race and drove for about 35 laps. Patschke would also drive relief for fifth-place finisher Joe Dawson in another Marmon. Ray Harroun led 88 laps total, including laps 182-200, for the victory. All of Harroun’s laps led occurred after the 102nd lap. He made four stops and changed three right rear tires.

Harroun drove the only single-seater in the race, with the aid of what is believed to be the first rearview mirror on an automobile. All other cars had riding mechanics. The rearview mirror was the result of Harroun observing a horse-drawn taxi utilizing one back in 1904.

Ralph Mulford, driving a Lozier, ran a charging race, resulting in a greater number of tire changes, fourteen versus four for Harroun. He finished second. David Bruce-Brown finished third in a Fiat.

The race took six hours and forty-two minutes to complete, a 74.6 mph average for Harroun.

There was one fatality in the race, as Art Greiner’s (#44) right-rear-wheel came loose and the car overturned on the backstretch on his thirteenth lap, his riding mechanic, Sam Dickson losing his life.

The race was not completed without technological mishaps, as the scoring wire broke on two occasions during the race before being repaired.

Arthur Newby, a partner in the track ownership, was president of the National Motor Vehicle Company and had three cars compete in the race.

Eddie Rickenbacker drove relief for Lee Frayer, who finished thirteenth. Rickenbacker would eventually race in four 500s with a best finish of 10th in 1914, all before he ever flew a plane.

Harry and Bill Endicott became the first brothers to compete in the 500. Harry finished 16th, while Bill was 26th.

1911 Winner Ray Harroun drove a Marmon Wasp, the only single-seat car in the race.

RACE RESULTS FOR THE 1911 INDIANAPOLIS 500

1912

Riding mechanics became mandatory and would remain so through 1922.

There were twenty-nine entries, and twenty-four cars qualified for the race. Qualifying required greater than a 75 mph average for a full lap. Cars once again started by entry order received. Gil Anderson started on the pole in a Stutz. There were seventeen different manufacturers represented in the field.

This was the first 500 for future track owner Eddie Rickenbacker as a primary driver. He started thirteenth and finished twenty-first.

Teddy Tetzlaff, in a Fiat, led the first two laps, then Ralph DePalma led from lap three to lap 198 in his Grey Ghost Mercedes, when a connecting rod broke. He and his riding mechanic, Australian Rupert Jeffkins, unsuccessfully attempted to push the 2500-pound car to the finish.

Joe Dawson and riding mechanic Harry Martin —whose pit manager was fellow driver Johnny Aitken—made up a deficit of over five laps and went on to win in his National in six hours and twenty-one minutes for an average speed of 78.7 mph. Don Herr relieved him for laps 108-144. Teddy Tetzlaff finished second more than ten minutes behind and Hugh Hughes, in a Mercer, finished third. The Mercer was the smallest car in the race in relation to piston displacement at only 301 cubic-inches.

As Dawson and the National crew celebrated the victory, DePalma displayed great sportsmanship by approaching and extending a congratulatory handshake to the winner.

The 196 laps led by DePalma are the most by a non-winning driver. There were only three leaders in the race with Tetzlaff and Dawson leading two laps each.

Dawson’s car housed a 491 cubic-inch National, which would be the largest on a winning car in history.

The total purse was increased to $50,000, with $20,000 going to the winner.

Joseph Crook Dawson, from Odon, Indiana, was 22 years, 323 days old, and would remain the youngest 500 winner in history until 1952, when Troy Ruttman won at 22 years, 86 days old.

Ralph Mulford finished tenth in 8 hours and 53 minutes in a Knox, after several lengthy stops, including a snack break. Tenth was the last position for which prize money was awarded. Mulford won $1,200. His time was 2 hours and thirty-two minutes longer than the victor.

Bill Endicott finished fifth. He was relieved by his brother Harry. This was the only time a brother relieved a brother in the race.

Ralph DePalma and riding mechanic Rupert Jeffkins push their broken-down Mercedes, eventually finishing in eleventh place.

RACE RESULTS FOR THE 1912 INDIANAPOLIS 500

1913

A new five-story open-sided Japanese style pagoda had been built trackside for officiating and scoring.

From the outset, the Speedway management had intended for the race to be an international event. A few teams accepted the invitation in 1913, including the Peugeot team from France.

The starting order was determined by a blind draw, with twenty-seven starters. A starting field consisting of four cars in each row, instead of five, was implemented for the first time.

Even though the piston displacement had been cut from 600 cubic-inches to 450, the speeds in the qualification trials were higher than the previous year.

Caleb Bragg started on the pole in a Mercer.

Johnny Aitken was pit manager and race strategist for first-year driver Jules Goux in a Peugeot.

On a day with temperatures at 90 degrees Goux led a total of 138 laps, including from lap 136 to the checker. He won by thirteen minutes and eight seconds—a record that still stands as the greatest margin of victory. His speed average was 75.9 mph.

Goux became the first winner to drive the full race without a relief driver, and also became the first foreign-born victor.

Spencer Wishart, in a Mercer, finished second and Charlie Merz finished third in a Stutz, though his car was on fire as he crossed the finish line.

Ten cars received the checkered flag, completing the full 200 laps, while only one other car was still running. Surprisingly, there was only one accident in the race. Seventh-place finisher, Ralph Mulford in a Mercedes, drove the entire 500 miles without a tire change.

After the race Goux was quoted but for the wine, I would have been unable to drive this race. Goux supposedly refreshed himself with a little champagne during several pit stops.

An estimated crowd of 96,000 attended the race.

Jules Goux with riding mechanic Emil Begin in the winning Peugeot.

RACE RESULTS FOR THE 1913 INDIANAPOLIS 500

1914

Thirty cars competed in the 500.

The starting field was determined by a blind draw that resulted in six lead changes between five drivers in the opening thirteen laps.

Arthur Duray led 77 of the first 115 laps in his Peugeot.

Jean Chassagne, in a Sunbeam, started on the pole and finished twenty-ninth, the second car out.

René Thomas led a total of 102 laps and led from lap 116 to the checker in his first 500, driving a French Delage. Thomas set a new race record of 82.5 mph and won by a margin of more than six minutes. He wore a tie in the race.

The first four finishers were swept by French entries, with second and fourth going to Arthur Duray and Jules Goux in Peugeots and first and third going to Thomas and Albert Guyot in Delages.

Barney Oldfield finished fifth in a Stutz, the top-finishing American team. Billy Carlson finished ninth in a Maxwell with inaugural winner Ray Harroun as team manager. Maxwell had developed a car that ran on kerosene. Ninth-place finisher, Billy Carlson, used only thirty gallons of kerosene to run the full distance. Kerosene was being sold for six cents a gallon, therefore the fuel bill to run the entire 500 miles was only $1.80. Eddie Rickenbacker finished tenth in a Duesenberg.

Joe Dawson was involved in a serious accident on lap forty-five that resulted in his retirement from racing.

An estimated crowd of 110,000 watched the race, as thirteen cars covered the full 500 miles.

A thirteen-year-old boy from Terre Haute, Indiana attended his first Indianapolis 500 in 1914. His name was Anton Hulman, Jr.

René Thomas and riding mechanic Robert Laly in the winning Delage outside the foreign car garage.

RACE RESULTS FOR THE 1914 INDIANAPOLIS 500

1915

A rule was adopted that allowed only three cars per make to compete. Several Peugeots and Sunbeams were eliminated because of there already being three of each.

A qualifying procedure of lining the cars up by speed was implemented, with the fastest starting on the pole. Cars were assigned colors as well as numbers. American cars were red and white; Belgian, yellow; English, green; French, blue; German, white and Italian, red. The color scheme by country was dropped after its’ inaugural year.

There were only twenty-four starters for the race.

Howdy Wilcox won the pole at 98.9 mph, with Ralph DePalma starting second at 98.6 mph.

The field of cars started four abreast.

The race was postponed from Saturday, May 29 to Monday, May 31 because of rain.

For the fifth and final time Speedway President Carl Fisher drove the pace car to start the race.

Ralph DePalma led for 132 laps total, but with three laps remaining, his connecting rod broke and punched two holes in the crankcase. This time he was able to nurse his cream, red and black Mercedes for the final three laps, the victory avenging the bitter defeat of 1912. His average speed was a record 89.8 mph, more than 7 mph faster than the previous year’s record. The new record would stand until 1922.

At one point in the race, Dario Resta led by more than a lap over DePalma. Resta skidded and experienced a blown tire and steering problems later in the race but soldiered his French Peugot to a second-place finish after a fierce duel with DePalma. DePalma’s brother John finished 21st in a Delage.

Johnny Aitken came out of retirement and drove relief for Gil Anderson in a Stutz, who finished in third place. Earl Cooper placed fourth.

Attendance was slightly more than half the 110,000 of the previous year. The major reason for the decline in attendance was soft ground from the heavy rains prohibited automobile parking.

Following the 1915 race T.E. Pop Myers was made general manager of the track.

1915 Winner Ralph DePalma drove this Mercedes accompanied by riding mechanic Louis Fontaine.

RACE RESULTS FOR THE 1915 INDIANAPOLIS 500

1916

The maximum engine displacement was reduced from 450 cubic-inches to 300.

Single-lap qualifications were used and cars were lined up by speed. For the first time, cars were also lined up by day, with first day ahead of second day, second day ahead of third day, etc.

Twenty-one cars started, the lowest number in 500 history. Seven cars were owned by track management under the banner of the Indianapolis Speedway Team Company and the Prest-O-Lite Racing Team.

The race was scheduled for 300 miles, mainly because of wartime efforts of conservation. As a result of the shorter distance, the race was moved from the normal ten a.m. start time to one p.m.

Defending champion Ralph DePalma did not defend his title because he was not successful in getting the Speedway to pay him appearance money.

Johnny Aitken won the pole with a speed of 96.7 mph.

Eddie Rickenbacker started from the front row and led the first nine laps. He was about to gain international recognition as a fighter ace in WWI.

Dario Resta led from lap eighteen to the finish (120 laps) in his Peugeot and collected $12,000 for the win. The Italian born Resta averaged 84.0 mph. Wilbur D’Alene finished second in a Duesenberg and Ralph Mulford finished third in a Peugeot.

A crowd estimated at 83,000 attended the race.

Dario Resta would go on to win the 1916 AAA National Championship.

A second event was run on September 9, 1916. The Harvest Day Classic included races of 25 miles, 50 miles and 100 miles. Each race was won by Johnny Aitken. An estimated crowd of 10,000-12,000 attended.

Dario Resta, with riding mechanic Bob Dahnke in a Peugeot, won the Indianapolis 300.

RACE RESULTS FOR THE 1916 INDIANAPOLIS 500

1917

No race scheduled—United States in World War I.

1918

No race scheduled—United States in World War I.

1919

The first race after World War I ended was billed as the Liberty Sweepstakes 500. The winner from 1914, René Thomas, and his riding mechanic Robert Laly, returned for the first time in five years. Thomas won the pole at a record 104.7 mph and finished eleventh. Crawfordsville, Indiana native Howdy Wilcox started second and was actually the first driver to qualify at over 100 mph (100.01).

Three individuals were fatally injured in the race and two were critically injured. Arthur Thurman, an attorney from Washington, DC, became the first driver to lose his life in a 500. Louis LeCocq and riding mechanic Robert Bandini were fatally injured in a fiery crash between turns one and two.

Thirty-three cars started the race.

Other than the 1911 race, the 1919 field had the largest number of newcomers (19).

Ralph DePalma led 93 of the first 102 laps, but eventually finished sixth in his Packard. Howdy Wilcox, from Crawfordsville, Indiana, led from lap 103-200. Wilcox averaged 88.0 mph to win the race in his Speedway-owned Peugeot.

Howdy Wilcox was the first American to win since 1912. The Peugeot win gave the French automaker it’s third win in the last five races.

Wilcox won $20,000 of the $55,275 purse.

Eddie Hearne finished second in a Durant Special, and Jules Goux finished third in a Speedway-owned Peugeot.

Louis Chevrolet’s car threw a wheel toward the end of the race. It hit a scoring cable that snapped around and cut the neck of driver Elmer Shannon. Shannon was relieved by his riding mechanic, E.E. Rawlings, who went on to finish thirteenth.

Gaston Chevrolet became the third Chevrolet brother to compete in the 500. He started 16th and finished 10th in his first Indy 500. Brother Louis would finish seventh.

Accidents took the lives of drivers Arthur Thurman and Louis LeCocq and riding mechanic Robert Bandini

Howdy Wilcox would become the only driver to compete in each of the first eleven Indianapolis 500s. He finished in the top ten four times plus his 1919 victory. He was killed in a racing accident on the boards at Altoona, Pennsylvania in September of 1923.

Estimated attendance varied from 75,000 to 125,000.

The Speedway adopted the European formula for the 1920 race, cylinder displacement would be reduced from 300 cubic-inches to 183 to slow the cars.

1919 Winner Howdy Wilcox drives his Peugeot with his riding mechanic Maurice Becker. The car was owned by the Indianapolis Speedway Team Company. Leo Banks actually rode in the race with Wilcox.

RACE RESULTS FOR THE 1919 INDIANAPOLIS 500

1920

Four-lap qualification runs were required for the first time. More than one car was permitted to qualify at the same time.

The pole was won by Ralph DePalma at 99.15 mph.

Twenty-three cars started the race.

Former driver Barney Oldfield drove the Marmon pace car, becoming the first former 500 driver to pace the race.

Joe Boyer led most of the first half of the race.

DePalma led from lap 113 to 186, and was ahead of Gaston Chevrolet by over two laps when his French Ballot slowed and stopped on the north end of the track. He thought he was out of fuel, but instead was experiencing magneto problems. He was able to repair his car and salvaged fifth place. Peter DePaolo, his riding mechanic, was the son of DePalma’s sister. DePalma led a total of 79 laps.

Gaston Chevrolet, in a Monroe Special, unlapped himself and went on to victory at an average of 88.6 mph. He went the distance with only two pit stops and no tire changes. This was the first American-built car to win since 1912. The Monroe Special was actually a Frontenac and was designed and built by older brothers Louis and Arthur Chevrolet. The win by Chevrolet represented the last win for a four-cylinder engine until 1934.

The fourteen laps led by the winner represented the second fewest laps led by a winner at the time.

René Thomas finished second in a Ballot and Tommy Milton third in a Duesenberg, with rookie Jimmy Murphy posting a fourth place finish also in a Duesenberg.

Roscoe Sarles crashed into the northeast wall on lap 59, and then later, while relieving Bennett Hill, did the same thing in the same turn on lap 115.

Joe Boyer led ninety-three laps, DePalma, seventy-nine laps, and Gaston Chevrolet led the final fourteen laps for the win.

Lap prize money was paid for the first time to the leader of each lap at the rate of $100 per lap.

The crowd was estimated at more than 120,000.

Chevrolet would go on to win the 1920 AAA National Championship.

On Thanksgiving Day of 1920, at twenty-eight years of age, Gaston Chevrolet lost his life in a racing accident at a track in Beverly Hills, California. He was the first 500 winner to lose his life in a racing accident. Three-time 500 starter, Eddie O’Donnell, was also killed in the accident.

1920 Winner Gaston Chevrolet is pictured in his Monroe with riding mechanic John Bresnahan.

RACE RESULTS FOR THE 1920 INDIANAPOLIS 500