Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
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Indianapolis 500 | |||||
Sanctioning body | AAA | ||||
Date | May 30, 1940 | ||||
Winner | Wilbur Shaw | ||||
Winning Entrant | Boyle Racing Headquarters | ||||
Average speed | 114.277 mph | ||||
Pole position | Rex Mays | ||||
Pole speed | 127.850 mph | ||||
Most laps led | Wilbur Shaw (136) | ||||
Pre-race | |||||
Pace car | Studebaker Champion | ||||
Pace car driver | Ab Jenkins | ||||
Starter | Seth Klein [1] | ||||
Honorary referee | Roscoe Turner [1] | ||||
Estimated attendance | 150,000 [2] | ||||
Chronology | |||||
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The 28th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 30, 1940. The winner was Wilbur Shaw in the same Maserati 8CTF he had driven to victory in 1939. Shaw became the first driver in the history of the race to win in consecutive years. It also marked Shaw's third win in four years, making him the second three-time winner of the race. Shaw's average speed was 114.277 mph, slowed by rain which caused the last 50 laps to be run under caution. [3] Shaw took home $31,875 (equivalent to $665,817in 2022) in prize winnings, plus additional prizes that included a car and a refrigerator. [4]
Fourth place finisher Ted Horn was flagged due to the rain shower after completing only 199 laps - one lap short of the full distance. This marked the only blemish on his noteworthy record of nine consecutive races completing every lap. He eventually completed 1,799 out of a possible 1,800 laps from 1936 to 1948.
The top four starting positions finished in the top four places, albeit in shuffled order.
Finish | Start | No | Name | Chassis | Engine | Qual | Rank | Laps | Led | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 1 | Wilbur Shaw W | Maserati | Maserati | 127.065 | 2 | 200 | 136 | Running |
2 | 1 | 33 | Rex Mays | Stevens | Winfield | 127.850 | 1 | 200 | 59 | Running |
3 | 3 | 7 | Mauri Rose | Wetteroth | Offenhauser | 125.624 | 3 | 200 | 5 | Running |
4 | 4 | 3 | Ted Horn | Miller | Miller | 125.545 | 4 | 199 | 0 | Flagged |
5 | 10 | 8 | Joel Thorne | Adams | Sparks | 122.434 | 20 | 197 | 0 | Flagged |
6 | 20 | 32 | Bob Swanson | Stevens | Sampson | 124.882 | 6 | 196 | 0 | Flagged |
7 | 7 | 9 | Frank Wearne | Stevens | Offenhauser | 123.216 | 12 | 195 | 0 | Flagged |
8 | 5 | 31 | Mel Hansen | Wetteroth | Miller | 124.753 | 7 | 194 | 0 | Flagged |
9 | 8 | 16 | Frank Brisko | Stevens | Brisko | 122.716 | 16 | 193 | 0 | Flagged |
10 | 31 | 49 | René Le Bègue R (Approx. laps 1-50 and 101-150) René Dreyfus (Approx. laps 51-100 and 151-192) | Maserati | Maserati | 118.981 | 33 | 192 | 0 | Flagged |
11 | 15 | 41 | Harry McQuinn | A-R Weil | Alfa Romeo | 122.486 | 19 | 192 | 0 | Flagged |
12 | 22 | 25 | Emil Andres | Stevens | Offenhauser | 122.963 | 15 | 192 | 0 | Flagged |
13 | 14 | 28 | Sam Hanks R | Weil | Duray | 123.064 | 13 | 192 | 0 | Flagged |
14 | 16 | 6 | George Barringer | Weil | Offenhauser | 121.889 | 22 | 191 | 0 | Flagged |
15 | 26 | 42 | Joie Chitwood R | Adams | Offenhauser | 121.757 | 25 | 190 | 0 | Flagged |
16 | 18 | 26 | Louis Tomei | Miller | Offenhauser | 119.980 | 32 | 190 | 0 | Exhaust pipe |
17 | 27 | 34 | Chet Miller (Relieved by Henry Banks laps 148-189) | Alfa Romeo | Alfa Romeo | 121.392 | 27 | 189 | 0 | Flagged |
18 | 32 | 14 | Billy Devore (Relieved by George Connor laps 107-181) | Shaw | Offenhauser | 122.197 | 21 | 181 | 0 | Flagged |
19 | 28 | 44 | Al Putnam | Adams | Offenhauser | 120.818 | 28 | 179 | 0 | Flagged |
20 | 33 | 61 | Floyd Davis (Relieved by Lou Webb laps 27-57) (Relieved by George Connor laps 58-59) (Relieved by Lou Webb laps 60-157) | Lencki | Lencki | 120.797 | 30 | 157 | 0 | Flagged |
21 | 13 | 35 | Kelly Petillo W | Wetteroth | Offenhauser | 125.331 | 5 | 128 | 0 | Bearing |
22 | 25 | 21 | Duke Nalon | Silnes | Offenhauser | 121.790 | 24 | 120 | 0 | Rod |
23 | 23 | 17 | George Robson R | Miller | Offenhauser | 122.562 | 18 | 67 | 0 | Shock absorber |
24 | 12 | 24 | Babe Stapp (Started in substitute for Shorty Cantlon) (Relieved by Tony Willman) (Relieved by Doc Williams laps 13-64) | Stevens | Offenhauser | 123.367 | 11 | 64 | 0 | Oil line |
25 | 19 | 36 | Doc Williams | Cooper | Miller | 122.963 | 14 | 61 | 0 | Oil line |
26 | 17 | 10 | George Connor | Lencki | Lencki | 124.585 | 8 | 52 | 0 | Rod |
27 | 6 | 5 | Cliff Bergere | Wetteroth | Offenhauser | 123.673 | 10 | 51 | 0 | Oil line |
28 | 29 | 38 | Paul Russo R | Blume | Brisko | 120.809 | 29 | 48 | 0 | Oil leak |
29 | 21 | 54 | Ralph Hepburn | Miller | Offenhauser | 123.860 | 9 | 47 | 0 | Steering |
30 | 30 | 58 | Al Miller | Alfa Romeo | Alfa Romeo | 120.288 | 31 | 41 | 0 | Clutch |
31 | 11 | 19 | Russ Snowberger | Snowberger | Miller | 121.564 | 26 | 38 | 0 | Water pump |
32 | 9 | 27 | Tommy Hinnershitz R | Adams | Offenhauser | 122.614 | 17 | 32 | 0 | Crash FS |
33 | 24 | 29 | Raúl Riganti | Maserati | Maserati | 121.827 | 23 | 24 | 0 | Crash T2 |
[5] [6] |
Note: The race was run under caution from lap 150 to 200 due to rain.
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis. The event is traditionally held over Memorial Day weekend, usually the last weekend of May. It is contested as part of the IndyCar Series, the top level of American open-wheel car racing, a formula colloquially known as "Indy car racing". The track itself is nicknamed the "Brickyard", as the racing surface was paved in brick in the fall of 1909. One yard of brick remains exposed at the start/finish line. The event, billed as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, is considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix, with which it typically shares a date.
The 36th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was a motor race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1952. It was the opening race of the 1952 AAA National Championship Trail and was also race 2 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers.
The 37th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1953. The event was part of the 1953 AAA National Championship Trail, and was race 2 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers.
The 39th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1955. The event was race 1 of 11 of the 1955 AAA National Championship Trail and was race 3 of 7 in the 1955 World Championship of Drivers.
The 41st International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1957. The event was part of the 1957 USAC National Championship Trail and it was race 3 of 8 in the 1957 World Championship of Drivers.
This article discusses the year-by-year history of the Indianapolis 500 race.
The 54th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Saturday, May 30, 1970.
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.
The 30th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1946. This was the first Indianapolis 500 presided over by new track owner Tony Hulman. The track had closed in late 1941 due to World War II, and over the next four years, the facility fell into a terrible state of disrepair. Hulman purchased the Speedway in November 1945, and quickly went to work cleaning up the grounds, which had become overwhelmed by overgrowth and weeds. The Speedway re-opened, and the 1946 race was considered a rousing success.
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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.
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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.
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The 16th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1928. This was the first Indianapolis 500 presided over by new Speedway president Eddie Rickenbacker. Rain threatened to wash out the day, but the showers stopped and the race started on time. One brief shower slowed the race around the 400-mile mark, bringing out the yellow flag for a few laps.
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.
The 4th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1914.
The Third International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1913. Frenchman Jules Goux became the first foreign-born, and first European winner of the Indianapolis 500. His margin of victory of 13 minutes, 8 seconds over second place Spencer Wishart still stands, as of 2022, as the largest margin of victory in Indy history.
The 98th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 25, 2014. It is the premier event of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season. Tony Kanaan entered the race as the defending champion. Ed Carpenter won the pole position, his second consecutive pole at Indy. The race was won by Ryan Hunter-Reay, the first American-born winner since Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006. Hunter-Reay held off second place Hélio Castroneves by a margin of 0.0600 seconds, the second-closest finish in race history. At an average speed of 186.563 mph (300.244 km/h), it was also the second-fastest 500 in history. Marco Andretti, Carlos Muñoz, and Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top five. Kurt Busch, in sixth position, claimed Rookie of the Year honors.