1919 Indianapolis 500

Last updated
7th Indianapolis 500
1919 Indianapolis 500 program cover.jpg
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body AAA
DateMay 31, 1919
Winner Howdy Wilcox
Winning Entrant I.M.S. Corp.
Average speed88.050 mph (141.703 km/h)
Pole position René Thomas
Pole speed104.780 mph (168.627 km/h)
Most laps led Howdy Wilcox (98)
Pre-race
Pace car Packard V12 (Twin Six)
Pace car driver Jesse G. Vincent
Starter E. C. Patterson [1]
Honorary referee Eddie Rickenbacker [1]
Estimated attendance120,000 [2]
Chronology
PreviousNext
1916 1920

The 7th Liberty 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 31, 1919.

Contents

After a two-year hiatus due to World War I, the Indianapolis 500 returned to competition in 1919. Howdy Wilcox won, accompanied by riding mechanic Leo Banks. More than half the field (19 of 33 cars) consisted of rookie drivers, tied for the most ever, excluding the inaugural race where all 40 cars were considered "rookies." Ralph DePalma, the 1915 winner, and the driver who suffered a defeat in 1912, again put in a strong performance. DePalma led 93 of the first 102 laps, and drove the first half at record-breaking speed. Tire problems, however, necessitated a long pit stop, and DePalma finished in 6th place.

Rain was a factor during practice, limiting available track time in the days immediately leading up to time trials. Since most teams did not arrive until later in the month, some cars had very limited preparation time. Qualifying was supposed to be held on just one day, but officials decided to add two additional days due to the lost track time.

The first half of the race was marred by three fatalities. Driver Arthur Thurman died in a crash on lap 45. On lap 96, Louis LeCocq and his riding mechanic Robert Bandini wrecked in turn two, and both were burned to death.

Race background

Over two years had gone by since the last competitive events had been held at the Speedway. The 1916 race was followed by the Harvest Auto Racing Classic, at which point the track was closed due to the escalation of World War I. When the Armistice was signed in November 1918, the Speedway management was anxious to begin planning for the resumption of the 500-mile race for 1919. Some early rumors circulated that the race may change dates to July 4, or even expand to 1,000 miles. These rumors were briefly entertained when the AAA Contest Board announced that both May 30 and July 4 were being set aside on the calendar for the event. [3]

On December 6, 1918, Speedway business manager T.E. "Pop" Myers announced that the 1919 Indianapolis 500 would be scheduled for Friday, May 30. It was decided to keep the traditional date, and likewise return the race to a distance of 500 miles. The 1916 race had been scheduled for 300 miles (a decision that management later mostly regretted), the only such time which the race was scheduled for less than 500 miles. [4] AAA would return as the sanctioning body. An editorial the following day in the Indianapolis News , however, sharply criticized the choice of Memorial Day. It was going to be the first "Decoration Day" holiday following the end of the "Great War", and they believed that the holiday should be left alone to properly honor the many thousands of war casualties. [5] About a week later, Speedway management announced that they would change the date to Saturday May 31. The race was deliberately moved off Memorial Day (Friday May 30) and pushed to Saturday so as not to detract from the holiday. [6]

The race was given a new name for 1919, the Liberty Sweepstakes as a gesture to the peacetime brought on by victory and the end of the war. The new title was used for only one year. Without hesitation, Cliff Durant submitted the first entry on December 16. [7]

Race schedule

Race schedule – May 1919
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1
Practice
2
Practice
3
Practice
4
Practice
5
Practice
6
Practice
7
Practice
8
Practice
9
Practice
10
Practice
11
Practice
12
Practice
13
Practice
14
Practice
15
Practice
16
Practice
17
Practice
18
Practice
19
Practice
20
Practice
21
Practice
22
Practice
23
Practice
24
Practice
25
Practice
26
Practice
27
Time Trials
28
Time Trials
29
Time Trials
30
Memorial Day
31
Indy 500
ColorNotes
GreenTrack Available for Practice
Dark BlueTime trials
SilverRace day
RedRained out*
BlankNo track activity

*Includes days where track activity
was significantly limited due to rain

Practice

The deadline for entries to be submitted was midnight on Thursday May 1. [8] [9] A total of 43 cars were entered, including three entries by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. [10] [11] The AAA Contest Board confirmed that the maximum starting field rule of 33 cars would apply. [12]

Time trials

Time trials were scheduled for three days, May 27–29. Elimination trials consisted of one timed lap. This would be the final time single-lap qualifying runs were used at Indianapolis. In 1920, four-lap time trial runs would be introduced. For the first time, qualifiers would line up in the grid by speed based on the day they qualified. All cars that qualified on the first day would line up by speed rank first, with the fastest qualifier starting on the pole position. The remaining cars that qualified on subsequent days would line up by speed rank behind the first day qualifiers. The cars from the second and third days, however, were merged on the grid. This format was adopted in order to encourage more drivers to qualify early on, instead of waiting until the last minute.

Originally it was planned for all elimination trials to be held on Tuesday, but due to inclement weather, the schedule was expanded to allow Wednesday and Thursday as well. [57] The minimum speed to qualify was set at 80 mph, and the field was set at a maximum of 33 cars. Based on the entries prepared at the track, the expectation was that about six cars would fail to qualify.

In an effort to foil the "bootleg" programs that were being printed and sold in and around the Speedway, car numbers were not assigned until race morning.

Tuesday May 27

The first day of time trials was held Tuesday May 27 starting at 10:00 a.m. Ralph DePalma (98.2 mph) was the first car in the field. Former winner René Thomas shattered the track record with a lap of 104.7 mph to secure the pole position. Thomas went out late in the afternoon, deciding to wait out windy conditions. A total of eleven cars completed runs, all over 90 mph. Howdy Wilcox went out after Thomas, and qualified second with a speed of 100.0 mph.

PosNameAverage Speed
(mph)
1 Flag of France.svg René Thomas  W 104.7
2 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Howdy Wilcox 100.0
3 Flag of France.svg Albert Guyot 98.3
4 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ralph DePalma  W 98.2
5 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Eddie O'Donnell 97.3
6 Flag of France.svg Paul Bablot  R 94.9
7 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Art Klein 94.9
8 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Eddie Hearne 94.5
9 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Earl Cooper 94.2
10 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ira Vail  R 94.1
11 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Charles Kirkpatrick  R 90.0

Sources: The Indianapolis Star, [58] [59] The Indianapolis News [60]

Wednesday May 28

The second day of time trials was held Wednesday May 28. The qualifiers on the second and third day would line up behind the qualifiers from the first day. Louis Chevrolet drove a Frontenac at a speed of 103.1 mph to be the fastest car of the day. Tommy Milton was on his way to qualifying over 101 mph, but his car slowed, and he managed a lap of only 89.9 mph.

During a practice run, Omar Toft spun in the south turns, but avoided contact and was able to continue around. Two cars, Al Cotey and Dave Lewis, made an attempt but failed to qualify. Cotey was too slow (below the 80 mph minimum) and Lewis suffered engine failure. Both drivers were eligible to try again on Thursday.

A total of 13 cars completed qualifying runs Wednesday, filling the field to 24 cars. The final starting positions, however, for those 13 cars would not be finalized until qualifying was completed on Thursday.

PosNameAverage Speed
(mph)
Notes
12 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Louis Chevrolet 103.1
13 Flag of France.svg Louis Wagner  R 101.7
14 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Joe Boyer  R 100.9
15 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ralph Mulford 100.5
16 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Gaston Chevrolet  R 100.4
18 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Arthur Thurman  R 98.0
20 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Cliff Durant  R 96.5
23 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Wilbur D'Alene 94.2
25 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Louis LeCocq  R 92.9
27 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Denny Hickey  R 92.5
29 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Elmer T. Shannon  R 91.7
31 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Tommy Milton  R 89.9
32 Flag of France.svg André Boillot  R 89.5
   Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Al Cotey  R 74.6Below 80 mph minimum
   Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Dave Lewis IncompleteEngine failure

Sources: The Indianapolis Star, [61] The Indianapolis News [62]

Thursday May 29

The third and final day of time trials was held Thursday May 29. The day opened with nine spots available in the field.

The 1913 winner Jules Goux was the final car to qualify. During a practice run on Thursday, he suffered a broken piston and broken connecting rod, which blew a hole in the Peugeot's engine block. The Premier team offered him a spare engine, and Goux spent the entire day working to install it. Late in the day, just minutes before sundown, Goux took the car to the track. After one single warm-up lap, he signaled to officials to start the run. His lap of 95 mph bumped James Reynolds, and Goux surprisingly made the field. Not as lucky was Dave Lewis. A day after suffering engine problems, Evans was on his qualifying lap, running over 100 mph. Two-thirds of the way through the lap, the bearings in the engine burned out, and broke the crankcase.

During an exhibition run, Ralph DePalma attempted to set track records in a 950-c.i.d. car, the same car he set records in at Daytona. He failed to break René Thomas's one-lap record from Tuesday, but he did set 5-mile and 10-mile distance speed records.

PosNameAverage Speed
(mph)
Notes
17 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg W. W. Brown  R 99.8
19 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Roscoe Sarles  R 97.75
21 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ray Howard  R 95.0
22 Flag of France.svg Jules Goux  W 95.0
24 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Kurt Hitke  R 93.5
26 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ora Haibe 92.8
28 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Tom Alley 92.2
30 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Omar Toft  R 91.5
33 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg J. J. McCoy  R 86.5
   Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg James M. Reynolds  R 83.5Bumped by Goux
   Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Al Cotey  R 82.9Too slow
   Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Dave Lewis IncompleteConnecting rod

Sources: The Indianapolis Star, [63] [64] The Indianapolis News [65]

Starting grid

RowInsideInside CenterOutside CenterOutside
1 Flag of France.svg René Thomas  W  Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Howdy Wilcox Flag of France.svg Albert Guyot Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ralph DePalma  W 
2 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Eddie O'Donnell Flag of France.svg Paul Bablot  R  Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Art Klein Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Eddie Hearne
3 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Earl Cooper Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ira Vail  R  Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Charles Kirkpatrick  R  Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Louis Chevrolet
4 Flag of France.svg Louis Wagner  R  Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Joe Boyer  R  Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ralph Mulford Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Gaston Chevrolet  R 
5 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg W. W. Brown  R  Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Arthur Thurman  R  Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Roscoe Sarles  R  Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Cliff Durant  R 
6 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ray Howard  R  Flag of France.svg Jules Goux  W  Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Wilbur D'Alene Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Kurt Hitke  R 
7 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Louis LeCocq  R  Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ora Haibe Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Denny Hickey  R  Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Tom Alley
8 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Elmer T. Shannon  R  Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Omar Toft  R  Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Tommy Milton  R  Flag of France.svg André Boillot  R 
9 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg J. J. McCoy  R    

Alternates

Failed to qualify


Race recap

The start of the race was scheduled for Saturday May 31 at 11:00 a.m. local time. [67] The facility was closed to the public on Friday, but participants were allowed a brief period of practice time on Friday morning for last-minute preparations. The rest of the day was spent prepping the track by scrubbing the brick surface of oil and debris. [68]

Maurice Becker, the riding mechanic for Howdy Wilcox during the month, was disallowed by his family from participating in the race. He was replaced for the race by Leo Banks just hours before the start. [69]

A crowd estimated at 120,000 arrived at the Speedway on a hot and sunny Saturday morning. At 8 a.m., the Purdue Band entertained fans. [70] Pace car driver Jesse G. Vincent, with passenger Eddie Rickenbacker, took the field around for one unscored warm-up lap. At a speed of about 80 mph, the field was released for the start. André Boillot's car initially failed to pull away, but eventually got started, and sprinted to catch up to the rest of the field.

First half

The first half of the race belonged to 1915 winner Ralph DePalma. Depalma led the first 65 laps, and raced at a record pace. With an average speed of over 92 mph, DePalma was shattering existing track records. Though the pace was incredible, his lead was not large. His closest contenders stayed within reach. Louis Chevrolet took the lead for lap 66–74, before giving it back to DePalma. Also in the top five were Earl Cooper, Howdy Wilcox, and René Thomas. [71] [72]

Two fatal accidents, taking the lives of three competitors, marred the first half of the race. On lap 45, Arthur Thurman lost control at about 90 mph, swerved to the inside wall on the backstretch, then flipped over three times. Thurman was thrown from the car, and landed about twenty-five feet away. He died about ten minutes later as he was being taken to the hospital. [73] [74] His riding mechanic Nicholas Molinaro suffered a fractured skull, but survived. [75]

On the 96th lap, Louis LeCocq and his riding mechanic Robert Bandini lost control and turned over in the exit of turn two. The fuel tank ruptured and burst into flames. Both LeCocq and Bandini were pinned underneath the car, doused with gasoline, and burned to death at the scene. [73] [74] With other cars whizzing by, flaming gasoline was spread in all directions, as crews attempted to extinguish the flames.

Second half

The 1919 winning car Indy500winningcar1919.jpg
The 1919 winning car

After dominating most of the first half, Ralph DePalma gave up the lead on lap 103 to make a pit stop. DePalma was experiencing tire trouble, and was forced to make long stop to make repairs. DePalma lost about ten laps in the pits, and fell out of contention.

Howdy Wilcox took the lead on lap 103, and led the rest of the way. After major crashes and high attrition in the first half, the second half of the race settled down into a steady pace. Only three cars dropped out in the second half, leaving 14 cars running to complete 500 miles. Wilcox made a pit stop for tires and fuel at some point after the 400 mile mark. He came out of the pits with a two-lap lead over Eddie Hearne, and cruised the rest of the way.

Late in the race, Louis Chevrolet reportedly came into the pits on three wheels. He made repairs, and finished in 7th place. After losing much time in the pits, Ralph DePalma worked his way back up to finish 6th. DePalma nipped Chevrolet at the scoring line by a fraction of a second in the battle for 6th-7th. DePalma led 93 laps, bringing his career total so far to 425 laps led - by far the most of any driver during that era. (DePalma would lead 613 laps in his career).

Box score

FinishStartNoNameEntrantChassisEngineQualRankLapsStatus
123 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Howdy Wilcox Indianapolis Motor Speedway Peugeot Peugeot 100.0107200Running
2814 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Eddie Hearne R. Cliff Durant Stutz Stutz 94.50019200Running
3226 Flag of France.svg Jules Goux  W Indianapolis Motor Speedway Peugeot Premier 95.00015200Running
4332 Flag of France.svg Albert Guyot Ernest Ballot Ballot Ballot 98.3009200Running
52826 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Tom Alley Ahlberg Bearing CompanyBenderBender92.20027200Running
644 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ralph DePalma  W  Packard Motor Car Company Packard Packard 98.20010200Running
7127 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Louis Chevrolet Frontenac Motors Frontenac Frontenac 103.1002200Running
81027 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ira Vail  R  Hudson Motor Car Company Hudson Hudson 94.10022200Running
92721 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Denny Hickey  R A. C. StickleHoskins Hudson 92.50026200Running
101641 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Gaston Chevrolet  R  Frontenac Motors Frontenac Frontenac 100.4006200Running
11131 Flag of France.svg René Thomas  W Ernest Ballot Ballot Ballot 104.7001200Running
1298 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Earl Cooper
(Reeves Dutton)
Earl Cooper Stutz Stutz 94.25020200Running
132923 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Elmer T. Shannon  R 
(Ken Rawlings)
Elmer T. Shannon Shannon Duesenberg 91.70028200Running
142617 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ora Haibe Hudson Motor Car Company Hudson Hudson 92.80025200Running
153237 Flag of France.svg André Boillot  R  Jules Goux Peugeot Peugeot 89.50032195Crash BS
162148 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ray Howard  R A. G. Kaufman Peugeot Peugeot 95.00016130Oil pressure
172322 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Wilbur D'Alene Duesenberg Brothers Duesenberg Duesenberg 94.20021120Axle
182515 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Louis LeCocq  R  Roscoe Sarles Duesenberg Duesenberg 92.9002496Died in crash at T2
19729 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Art Klein Arthur H. Klein Peugeot Peugeot 94.9001870Oil line
201119 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Charles Kirkpatrick  R Frank P. Book Mercedes Mercedes 90.0003069Rod
21633 Flag of France.svg Paul Bablot  R 
(Jean Chassagne)
Ernest Ballot Ballot Ballot 94.9001763Crash
22510 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Eddie O'Donnell Duesenberg Brothers Duesenberg Duesenberg 97.3001360Piston
232412 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Kurt Hitke  R  Roscoe Sarles Duesenberg Duesenberg 93.5002356Rod bearing
24201 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Cliff Durant  R  R. Cliff Durant Stutz Stutz 96.5001454Steering
25319 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Tommy Milton  R  Duesenberg Brothers Duesenberg Duesenberg 89.9003150Rod
261334 Flag of France.svg Louis Wagner  R Ernest Ballot Ballot Ballot 101.700344Broken wheel
271818 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Arthur Thurman  R  Arthur Thurman Duesenberg Duesenberg 98.0001144Died in crash at T3
283043 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Omar Toft  R  Omar Toft Miller Miller 91.5002944Rod
29152 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ralph Mulford Ralph Mulford Frontenac Frontenac 100.500537Driveshaft
303336 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg J. J. McCoy  R  J. J. McCoy McCoyunknown86.5003336Oil line
311439 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Joe Boyer  R  Frontenac Motors Frontenac Frontenac 100.900430Rear axle
32175 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg W. W. Brown  R C. L. RichardsBrownHudson-Brett99.800814Rod
331928 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Roscoe Sarles  R  Barney Oldfield Miller Miller 97.700128Rocker arm
[76] [77]

Note: Relief drivers in parentheses [78]

 W  Former Indianapolis 500 winner

 R  Indianapolis 500 Rookie

Race statistics

Race details

Notes

See also

Works cited

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References

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1916 Indianapolis 500
Dario Resta
1919 Indianapolis 500
Howdy Wilcox
1920 Indianapolis 500
Gaston Chevrolet