1941 Indianapolis 500

29th Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	AAA
Date	May 30, 1941
Winner	Floyd Davis and ; Mauri Rose (co-winners)
Winning Entrant	Lou Moore
Average speed	115.117 mph
Pole position	Mauri Rose
Pole speed	128.691 mph
Most laps led	Wilbur Shaw (107)
Pre-race
Pace car	Chrysler Newport Phaeton
Pace car driver	A. B. Couture
Starter	Seth Klein
Honorary referee	Guy Vaughn
Estimated attendance	160,000
Chronology
1940	1942-45 (cancelled-WWII)

Last updated May 11, 2024

The 29th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1941. The start of the race was delayed due to a fire that swept through the garage area on race morning. No persons were injured, but one car in the field was destroyed. The race rolled off with only 31 cars, and ran to its scheduled distance. This would be the final "500" prior to the United States involvement in WWII. It was not known at the time, but it would be the final race organized by Speedway president Eddie Rickenbacker, and due to the war, the race would not be held again until 1946.

Race details

Sam Hanks was injured in a practice crash the day before the race and withdrew. Rather than elevate the first alternate to the starting field, Hanks was credited with 33rd place.

Garage area fire

On the morning of the race a fire broke out in the "Gasoline Alley" garage area. George Barringer's revolutionary rear-engined car was destroyed. At the time, the car was being refueled (with gasoline). In a nearby garage, another car which was owned by Joel Thorne was being worked on with a welder. The fumes caught fire from the sparks of the welding, and a huge fire broke out which burned down about a third of the southern bank of garages. The start of the race was delayed by a couple hours, and fire fighters had trouble getting to the Speedway to put out the blaze due to the heavy race day traffic. Barringer's car was withdrawn, and he was credited with 32nd finishing position. With both Sam Hanks and Barringer out, the race lined up with only 31 cars.

Various equipment, tools, parts, and other supplies were lost in the fire. Two cars that did not qualify for the race were reported to have been damaged. However, all of the other cars that qualified for the race were safely evacuated. No major injuries were reported. The fire was put out, but the site smoldered throughout the day, and smoke continued to rise even after the race had safely started.

About a month later, the entire garage complex was demolished. At some point during summer and fall of 1941, a new Gasoline Alley was built in it place.^[3]^[4] However, it would sit unused until 1946.

Wilbur Shaw

Two-time defending champion (and three-time winner overall) Wilbur Shaw crashed while leading on lap 152, and failed in his bid to become the first driver to three-peat at the Indianapolis 500 (and first four-time winner). As of 2023, no driver has ever won the Indianapolis 500 three consecutive years. Going down the mainstretch, the car lost control, and hit the outside wall, rupturing the gas tank. Shaw was drenched with fuel, and suffered a back injury which left him immobile for several minutes. Despite the fuel spill, the fuel did not ignite, and Shaw was brought to safety by the medical staff.

It is believed that the morning garage fire had an effect on Shaw's efforts. At some point before the race, Shaw's crew was preparing his tires for race day, and used chalk to write notes on the spare tires. One particular wheel was determined to be out of balance, and rather than being discarded, it was labeled in chalk with the words "USE LAST". However, the firefighters' water hoses are believed to have washed off the chalk message.^[5] Shaw inadvertently took on the bad wheel during a pit stop, which caused his crash.^[6]

Shaw never drove another competitive lap at the Speedway, although he did participate in a special private tire test at the Speedway during World War II.^[7]

Floyd Davis & Mauri Rose

Floyd Davis was the starting driver for the #16 car. On lap 72, Davis came in for a pit stop, and was relieved by Mauri Rose. Rose had started the race in another car and dropped out earlier. Car owner Lou Moore was apparently unsatisfied with Davis' performance thus far in the race, and ordered Rose to take over. Rose charged up the standings and took the lead in the #16 car, and went on to win. Both drivers were credited as "co-winners," similar to what occurred in the 1924 race. This marked the last time that one car would carry two drivers to victory at Indy.

Starting grid

Row	Inside		Middle		Outside
1	3	Mauri Rose	1	Rex Mays	2	Wilbur Shaw W
2	15	Harry McQuinn	36	Doc Williams	7	Frank Wearne
3	34	Cliff Bergere	23	Billy Devore	41	Chet Miller
4	54	Ralph Hepburn	42	Russ Snowberger	47	Everett Saylor R
5	14	George Connor	12	Al Miller	19	Emil Andres
6	10	George Robson	16	Floyd Davis	45	Paul Russo
7	22	Kelly Petillo W	27	Tommy Hinnershitz	9	Mel Hansen
8	8	Frank Brisko	5	Joel Thorne	53	Louis Tomei
9	62	Tony Willman	26	Overton Phillips R	25	Joie Chitwood
10	4	Ted Horn	32	Deacon Litz	17	Duke Nalon
11	55	Al Putnam

R Indianapolis 500 rookie

W Indianapolis 500 winner

Did not start

George Barringer (#35), car destroyed in garage fire
Sam Hanks (#28), Injured in practice accident

Alternates

First alternate: Louis Durant R ^[8]

Failed to Qualify

Box score

Finish	Start	No	Name	Chassis	Engine	Qual	Rank	Laps	Status
1	17	16	Floyd Davis (Laps 1–72) Mauri Rose (Laps 73–200)	Wetteroth	Offenhauser	121.106	25	200	115.117 mph
2	2	1	Rex Mays	Stevens	Winfield	128.301	2	200	+1:29.95
3	28	4	Ted Horn	Adams	Sparks	124.297	8	200	+2:52.15
4	10	54	Ralph Hepburn	Miller	Novi	120.653	28	200	+3:24.55
5	7	34	Cliff Bergere	Wetteroth	Offenhauser	123.890	13	200	+3:38.86
6	9	41	Chet Miller	Miller	Miller	121.540	23	200	+7:26.51
7	4	15	Harry McQuinn (Kelly Petillo Laps 98-200)	A-R Weil	Alfa Romeo	125.449	4	200	+7:44.72
8	6	7	Frank Wearne	Shaw	Offenhauser	123.890	12	200	+10:06.68
9	18	45	Paul Russo (Louis Durant Laps 100-138)	Marchese	Miller	125.217	5	200	+26:24.75
10	20	27	Tommy Hinnershitz (George Robson Laps 121-200)	Adams	Offenhauser	121.021	27	200	+24:41.81
11	24	53	Louis Tomei	Miller	Offenhauser	121.070	26	200	+25:18.71
12	31	55	Al Putnam (Louis Durant Laps 154-200)	Wetteroth	Offenhauser	121.951	20	200	+35:18.57
13	26	26	Overton Phillips R (Mel Hansen Laps 104-187)	Bugatti	Miller	116.298	33	187	Flagged
14	27	25	Joie Chitwood	Lencki	Lencki	120.329	29	177	Flagged
15	30	17	Duke Nalon	Maserati	Maserati	122.951	17	173	Flagged
16	13	14	George Connor	Stevens	Offenhauser	123.984	10	167	Transmission
17	12	47	Everett Saylor R	Weil	Offenhauser	119.860	31	155	Crash T4
18	3	2	Wilbur Shaw W	Maserati	Maserati	127.836	3	151	Crash T1
19	8	23	Billy Devore	Stevens	Offenhauser	121.770	21	121	Rod
20	25	62	Tony Willman	Stevens	Offenhauser	123.920	11	117	Rod
21	11	42	Russ Snowberger	Snowberger	Offenhauser	120.104	30	107	Water pump
22	29	32	Deacon Litz	Stevens	Sampson	123.440	15	89	Oil trouble
23	22	8	Frank Brisko	Stevens	Brisko	123.381	16	70	Valve
24	5	36	Doc Williams	Cooper	Offenhauser	124.014	9	68	Radiator
25	16	10	George Robson	Weil	Duray	121.576	22	66	Oil leak
26	1	3	Mauri Rose	Maserati	Maserati	128.691	1	60	Spark plugs
27	19	22	Kelly Petillo W	Wetteroth	Offenhauser	124.417	7	48	Rod
28	14	12	Al Miller	Miller	Miller	123.478	14	22	Transmission
29	21	9	Mel Hansen	Miller	Offenhauser	124.599	6	11	Rod
30	15	19	Emil Andres	Lencki	Lencki	122.266	19	5	Crash T1
31	23	5	Joel Thorne	Adams	Sparks	121.163	24	5	Crash T1
DNS	—	35	George Barringer	Miller	Miller	122.299	18	0	Garage fire
DNS	—	28	Sam Hanks	Kurtis Kraft	Offenhauser	118.211	32	0	Practice crash
^[10]^[11]

Note: Relief drivers in parentheses^[12]

W Former Indianapolis 500 winner

R Indianapolis 500 Rookie

All entrants utilized Firestone tires.

Race statistics

Lap Leaders
Laps	Leader
1–38	Rex Mays
39–44	Mauri Rose
45–151	Wilbur Shaw
152–161	Cliff Bergere
162–200	Mauri Rose

Total laps led
Driver	Laps
Wilbur Shaw	107
Mauri Rose	45
Rex Mays	38
Cliff Bergere	10

Yellow Lights
Laps*	Reason
5–35	Joel Thorne, Emil Andres crash in turn 1
151	Wilbur Shaw crash in turn 1
155	Everett Saylor crash in turn 4
* – Approximate lap counts^[13]^[14]^[15]

Other Notes

Speedway president Eddie Rickenbacker did not attend the race, and instead listened to it on the radio.^[16] He was recovering from injuries suffered in a near-fatal plane crash a few months before the race.

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References

1 2 Fox, Jack C. (1994). The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 (4th ed.). Carl Hungness Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 0-915088-05-3.
↑ Wilkins, Lloyd H. (May 31, 1941). "Nervous, Dusty, Affable Crowd Sees Race—Well, Part of the Time". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 2, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "1942 Speedway Rules Unchanged". The Indianapolis Star. July 2, 1945. p. 18. Retrieved April 6, 2016– via Newspapers.com.
↑ Bostwick, Mary E (February 3, 1946). "Old Speedway Office Lively Place Again; Orders Pour In". The Indianapolis Star. p. 3. Retrieved April 6, 2016– via Newspapers.com.
↑ Cadou Jr., Jep (April 13, 1985). "Speedway to replace all-wooden garages". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved October 12, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ Stories of the 500: 1941, Wilbur Shaw
↑ The Talk of Gasoline Alley – WFNI, July 22, 2009
↑ The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004
↑ "1941 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes". ChampCarStats.com. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
↑ "Indianapolis 500 1941". Ultimate Racing History. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
↑ "Indianapolis Motor Speedway". www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
↑ "International 500 Mile Sweepstakes – May 30, 1941". ChampCarStats.com.
↑ "Crowd Sets Record". The Commercial Appeal. May 31, 1941. p. 12. Retrieved April 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
↑ Patton, W. Blaine (May 31, 1941). "Regains Lead Lost As Own Motor Fails". Indianapolis News . p. 1. Retrieved April 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Mays Led for While". Indianapolis News . May 30, 1941. p. 11. Retrieved April 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
↑ The Talk of Gasoline Alley. May 10, 2010. WFNI.

1940 Indianapolis 500 Wilbur Shaw	1941 Indianapolis 500 Mauri Rose Floyd Davis	1946 Indianapolis 500 George Robson

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[Illustrated-1] 1 2 Fox, Jack C. (1994). The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 (4th ed.). Carl Hungness Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 0-915088-05-3.

[2] Wilkins, Lloyd H. (May 31, 1941). "Nervous, Dusty, Affable Crowd Sees Race—Well, Part of the Time". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 2, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[Star07-02-1941-3] "1942 Speedway Rules Unchanged". The Indianapolis Star. July 2, 1945. p. 18. Retrieved April 6, 2016– via Newspapers.com.

[Star02-03-1946-4] Bostwick, Mary E (February 3, 1946). "Old Speedway Office Lively Place Again; Orders Pour In". The Indianapolis Star. p. 3. Retrieved April 6, 2016– via Newspapers.com.

[Star04-13-1985-5] Cadou Jr., Jep (April 13, 1985). "Speedway to replace all-wooden garages". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved October 12, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[6] Stories of the 500: 1941, Wilbur Shaw

[7] The Talk of Gasoline Alley – WFNI, July 22, 2009

[8] The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004

[9] "1941 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes". ChampCarStats.com. Retrieved 28 June 2015.

[10] "Indianapolis 500 1941". Ultimate Racing History. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.

[11] "Indianapolis Motor Speedway". www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com. Retrieved 2023-09-12.

[12] "International 500 Mile Sweepstakes – May 30, 1941". ChampCarStats.com.

[13] "Crowd Sets Record". The Commercial Appeal. May 31, 1941. p. 12. Retrieved April 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.

[14] Patton, W. Blaine (May 31, 1941). "Regains Lead Lost As Own Motor Fails". Indianapolis News . p. 1. Retrieved April 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.

[15] "Mays Led for While". Indianapolis News . May 30, 1941. p. 11. Retrieved April 23, 2024– via Newspapers.com.

[16] The Talk of Gasoline Alley. May 10, 2010. WFNI.

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