1926 Indianapolis 500

14th Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	AAA
Date	May 31, 1926
Winner	Frank Lockhart
Winning Entrant	Pete Kreis
Average speed	95.904 mph (154.343 km/h)
Pole position	Earl Cooper
Pole speed	111.735 mph (179.820 km/h)
Most laps led	Frank Lockhart (95)
Pre-race
Pace car	Chrysler Imperial 80
Pace car driver	Louis Chevrolet
Starter	Seth Klein
Honorary referee	Arthur Brisbane
Estimated attendance	135,000
Chronology
1925	1927

Last updated May 11, 2024

The 14th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1926. Louis Chevrolet drove the Chrysler pace car for the start.^[3]

Rookie Frank Lockhart moved up from 20th to fifth by lap 5, having had passed 14 cars on that lap alone.^[4] He moved up to second on Lap 16.^[4] After the rain delay, Lockhart and Dave Lewis battled for the lead for about 20 laps, until Lewis dropped out.^[4] After Lewis retired with a broken valve, Harry Hartz closed on Lockhart and briefly took the lead at about 250 miles as the crowd roared. But soon afterward Hartz was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop. ^[5] Lockhart then stretched out a two-lap lead when the race was called, and he was declared the winner. It was the first rain-shortened race in "500" history, and Lockhart was the fourth rookie to win the race. Lockhart may have actually completed as many as 163 laps (407.5 miles), but official scoring results reverted to the completion of lap 160.

Time trials

Four-lap (10 mile) qualifying runs were utilized. Earl Cooper won the pole position. Frank Lockhart set a new 1-lap track record during his first attempt at 115.488 mph, but the run was aborted after a tire failure on the second lap. He later blew an engine during another attempt, and finally put a car in the field 20th on the grid.^[6]

Date	Driver	Lap 1 (mph)	Lap 2 (mph)	Lap 3 (mph)	Lap 4 (mph)	Average Speed (mph)
Qualifying Results
5/27/1926	Earl Cooper	113.68	112.97	111.32	109.09	111.735

Starting grid

Row	Inside		Middle		Outside
1	5	Earl Cooper	3	Harry Hartz	10	Leon Duray
2	1	Dave Lewis	4	Phil Shafer	7	Jules Ellingboe
3	16	Bennett Hill	6	Frank Elliott	34	Bon MacDougall R
4	22	W. E. Shattuc	9	Cliff Durant	31	Tony Gulotta R
5	8	Fred Comer	36	Cliff Woodbury R	19	Ralph Hepburn
6	14	Norman Batten R	27	Douglas Hawkes	29	Ben Jones R
7	29	Albert Guyot	15	Frank Lockhart R	33	Thane Houser R
8	24	Steve Nemesh R	43	Ernest Eldridge R	23	L. L. Corum W
9	28	Jack McCarver R	17	Fred Lecklider R	12	Pete DePaolo W
10	18	John Duff R

R Indianapolis 500 rookie

W Indianapolis 500 winner

Box score

1926 Indianapolis 500 pace car Indy500pacecar1926.jpg — 1926 Indianapolis 500 pace car

The 1926 winning car Indy500winningcar1926.jpg — The 1926 winning car

Finish	Start	No	Name	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	Qual	Rank	Laps	Status
1	20	15	Frank Lockhart R	Pete Kreis	Miller	Miller	95.780	19	160	Running
2	2	3	Harry Hartz	Harry Hartz	Miller	Miller	109.542	2	158	Flagged
3	14	36	Cliff Woodbury R	Cliff R. Woodbury	Miller	Miller	105.109	10	158	Flagged
4	13	8	Fred Comer (Wade Morton 71–139)	Harry Hartz	Miller	Miller	100.612	16	155	Flagged
5	27	12	Pete DePaolo W	Duesenberg Brothers	Duesenberg	Duesenberg	96.709	18	153	Flagged
6	8	6	Frank Elliott (Leon Duray Laps 76–104)	Frank Elliott	Miller	Miller	105.873	8	152	Flagged
7	16	14	Norman Batten R	Norman Batten	Miller	Miller	101.428	15	151	Flagged
8	15	19	Ralph Hepburn (Bob McDonogh Laps 25–65)	Ralph Hepburn	Miller	Miller	102.517	14	151	Flagged
9	28	18	John Duff R	Al Cotey	Miller	Miller	95.549	20	147	Flagged
10	5	4	Phil Shafer (Fred Lecklider Laps 52–54) (Fred Lecklider Laps 113–146)	Phil Shafer	Miller	Miller	106.647	5	146	Flagged
11	12	31	Tony Gulotta R	Harry Hartz	Miller	Miller	102.789	13	142	Flagged
12	7	16	Bennett Hill (Jules Ellingboe Laps 39–40) (Jules Ellingboe Laps 78–113)	Harry A. Miller	Miller	Miller	105.876	7	136	Flagged
13	21	33	Thane Houser R	George G. Abell	Miller	Miller	93.672	22	102	Flagged
14	17	27	Douglas Hawkes (Ernest Eldridge Laps 57–73)	E. A. D. Eldridge	Eldridge	Anzani	94.977	21	91	Camshaft
15	4	1	Dave Lewis (Earl Cooper Laps 90–91)	Harry A. Miller	Miller	Miller	107.009	4	91	Valve
16	1	5	Earl Cooper	Harry A. Miller	Miller	Miller	111.735	1	73	Transmission
17	11	9	Cliff Durant (Eddie Hearne 42–60)	R. Cliff Durant	Fengler	Locomobile	104.855	12	60	Fuel tank leak
18	18	29	Ben Jones R	Duesenberg Brothers	Duesenberg	Duesenberg	92.142	24	54	Crash
19	23	26	Ernest Eldridge R (Herschel McKee Laps 22–32)	E. A. D. Eldridge	Eldridge	Anzani	89.777	25	45	Tie rod
20	24	23	L. L. Corum W	Albert Schmidt	Schmidt	Argyll	88.849	26	44	Shock absorbers
21	22	24	Steve Nemesh R	Albert Schmidt	Schmidt	Argyll	92.937	23	41	Transmission
22	6	7	Jules Ellingboe	F. P. Cramer	Miller	Miller	106.376	6	39	Supercharger
23	3	10	Leon Duray	R. Cliff Durant	Fengler	Locomobile	109.186	3	33	Broken axle
24	26	17	Fred Lecklider R	Earl Devore	Miller	Miller	100.398	17	24	Rod
25	25	28	Jack McCarver R	Chevrolet Brothers	Ford T	Fronty-Ford	86.418	28	23	Rod
26	9	34	Bon MacDougall R	R. G. McDougall	Miller	Miller	105.180	9	19	Valve
27	10	22	W. E. Shattuc	Dr. W. E. Shattuc, M.D.	Miller	Miller	104.977	11	15	Valve
28	19	39	Albert Guyot	Albert Schmidt	Schmidt	Argyll	88.580	27	8	Piston
^[7]^[8]

Note: Relief drivers in parentheses^[9]

W Former Indianapolis 500 winner

R Indianapolis 500 Rookie

Race statistics

Lap Leaders
Laps	Leader
1-15	Phil Shafer
16–21	Dave Lewis
22	Phil Shafer
23–59	Dave Lewis
60–100	Frank Lockhart
101–106	Harry Hartz
107–160	Frank Lockhart

Total laps led
Leader	Laps
Frank Lockhart	95
Dave Lewis	43
Phil Shafer	16
Harry Hartz	6

Race details

For 1926, riding mechanics were optional,^[10] however, no teams utilized them.
First alternate: none^[11]
This would be the first Indy 500 where a driver from the inaugural Indy 500 did not compete.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1950 Indianapolis 500</span> 34th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 34th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1950. The event was sanctioned by the AAA and served as the premier event on the calendar of the 1950 AAA National Championship Trail.

This article discusses the year-by-year history of the Indianapolis 500 race.

Frank Stallworth Lockhart was an American racing driver active in the 1920s, considered by many historians to be a legend in the sport on par with Jim Clark, 1960s British World Drivers' Champion. During a "remarkable if all too short" career, Lockhart won numerous races on both dirt and board tracks, and the 1926 Indianapolis 500. In all, he scored nine AAA championship race wins and two vice-championships in two years of competition. Having set a world land speed record at the Muroc dry lake in April 1927, Lockhart was killed during another speed record attempt at Daytona Beach a year later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1916 Indianapolis 500</span> Sixth running of the Indianapolis 500

The 6th International 300-Mile Sweepstakes Race was the sixth running of the Indianapolis 500. It was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1916. The management scheduled the race for 120 laps, 300 miles (480 km), the only Indianapolis 500 scheduled for less than 500 miles (800 km).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1939 Indianapolis 500</span> 27th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 27th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 30, 1939. The race was won by the number two car of Wilbur Shaw, who started in the third position, driving a Maserati 8CTF. The race was notable for a three car accident on lap 109, when Floyd Roberts, the reigning champion, was killed when his car went through the wooden outer wall at over 100 miles (160 km) an hour at the backstretch. In Louis Meyer's final Indy 500, he too would crash at the backstretch at over 100 miles (160 km) an hour, but he walked away unharmed.

The 26th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1938. For 1938, riding mechanics were made optional; however, no teams utilized them in the race. In addition, after seven years, the engine specifications were changed again. The 1930 "Junk" formula was eliminated. Normally aspirated engines were allowed 4.5 liters, and superchargers would be permitted again, with a maximum displacement of 3.0 liters. Any fuel was allowed, which directly affected the race.

The 25th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1937. With temperatures topping out at 92 °F (33 °C), it is one of the hottest days on record for the Indy 500.

The 24th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1936. The race was part of the 1936 AAA Championship Car season. The race is remembered for three noteworthy Indy traditions getting their start.

The 23rd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1935. Despite attempts to improve participant safety by requiring crash helmets and installing green and yellow lights around the track, the event that year would prove to be one of the worst in terms of fatalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1934 Indianapolis 500</span> 22nd running of the Indianapolis 500

The 22nd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 30, 1934. The winner was the number seven car driven by Bill Cummings, an Indianapolis native, at an average speed of 104.863 miles per hour. Cummings led for 57 laps total, including the last 26. Of the 33 cars that began the race, only 12 were running at the finish, although there were no crashes resulting in serious injuries. One serious incident involved George Bailey, whose car went over the outside wall, but resulted in only a broken wrist to the driver. The finish was the closest in the history of the race to that point, with second-place finisher Mauri Rose within 100 yards of Cummings at the finish. Rose would also file a protest that Cummings had illegally gained ground during a "slow-down" period following a crash.

The 21st International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1933. Louis Meyer defeated Wilbur Shaw by a time of 401.89 seconds. The average speed of the race was 104.162 miles per hour (167.632 km/h) while Bill Cummings achieved the pole position with a speed of 118.521 miles per hour (190.741 km/h). The race was part of the 1933 AAA Championship Car season.

The 18th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1930. The race was part of the 1930 AAA Championship Car season.

The 17th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1929. Ray Keech, who finished fourth a year earlier, took the lead for the final time on lap 158 and won his first Indianapolis 500. Keech won for car owner Maude A. Yagle, the first and to-date, only female winning owner in Indy history. Only two weeks after winning the race, Ray Keech was fatally injured in a crash at Altoona Speedway on June 15, 1929. The race was part of the 1929 AAA Championship Car season.

The 15th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1927.

The 13th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1925.

The 12th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1924.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1922 Indianapolis 500</span> Tenth running of the Indianapolis 500

The 10th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1922.

The 9th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1921.

The 8th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1920.

The Wheeler-Schebler Trophy Race was an automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in each of the two years prior to the first Indianapolis 500. The trophy was sponsored by the Wheeler-Schebler Carburetor Company. Frank Wheeler, one of the four co-founders of the Speedway, was also the president and co-founder of Wheeler-Schebler. The 1909 race was originally scheduled for 300 miles, but was ended at 235 miles due to deteriorating track conditions.

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.
↑ "Youthful Driver Declared Victor After 400 Miles". The Indianapolis Star. June 1, 1926. p. 1. Retrieved June 3, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
↑ Seattle Daily Times, June 1, 1926, Page 18.
1 2 3 Biography at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Retrieved March 15, 2007
↑ Book "The Indianapolis 500: A Complete Pictorial History p.70-71
↑ The Lockhart Legend/ At the height of the Roaring Twenties Frank Lockhart was America's racing superstar
↑ "Indianapolis 500 1926". Ultimate Racing History. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
↑ Popely, Rick; Riggs, L. Spencer (1998). The Indianapolis 500 Chronicle. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International, Ltd. ISBN 0-7853-2798-3.
↑ "International 500 Mile Sweepstakes - May 31, 1926". ChampCarStats.com.
↑ Blazier, John E.; Rollings, Tom (1994). Forgotten Heroes of the Speedways: The Riding Mechanics.
↑ The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004

Grand Prix Race
Previous race: 1925 Italian Grand Prix	1926 Grand Prix season Grandes Épreuves	Next race: 1926 French Grand Prix
Previous race: 1925 Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis 500	Next race: 1927 Indianapolis 500

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[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] "Youthful Driver Declared Victor After 400 Miles". The Indianapolis Star. June 1, 1926. p. 1. Retrieved June 3, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

[3] Seattle Daily Times, June 1, 1926, Page 18.

[mshof-4] 1 2 3 Biography at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Retrieved March 15, 2007

[5] Book "The Indianapolis 500: A Complete Pictorial History p.70-71

[6] The Lockhart Legend/ At the height of the Roaring Twenties Frank Lockhart was America's racing superstar

[7] "Indianapolis 500 1926". Ultimate Racing History. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.

[8] Popely, Rick; Riggs, L. Spencer (1998). The Indianapolis 500 Chronicle. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International, Ltd. ISBN 0-7853-2798-3.

[9] "International 500 Mile Sweepstakes - May 31, 1926". ChampCarStats.com.

[Riding_Mechanics-10] Blazier, John E.; Rollings, Tom (1994). Forgotten Heroes of the Speedways: The Riding Mechanics.

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

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]