1950 Indianapolis 500

34th Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	AAA
Date	May 30, 1950
Winner	Johnnie Parsons
Winning Entrant	Frank Kurtis
Average speed	124.002 mph (199.562 km/h)
Pole position	Walt Faulkner
Pole speed	134.343 mph (216.204 km/h)
Most laps led	Johnnie Parsons (115)
Pre-race
Pace car	Mercury
Pace car driver	Benson Ford
Starter	Seth Klein [1]
Honorary referee	Clarence Beesmyer [1]
Estimated attendance	175,000 [2]
Chronology
Previous Next 1949 1951

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. For the first time, the race was included as a points-paying event towards the FIA-sanctioned World Drivers' Championship. The race was originally scheduled for 200 laps (500 miles), but was stopped after 138 laps (345 miles) due to rain.

A rumor circulated in racing circles during and after this race that Johnnie Parsons's team discovered an irreparable crack in the engine block on race morning. The discovery supposedly precipitated Parsons to charge for the lap leader prizes. ^[3] Presumably, he set his sights on leading as many laps as possible before the engine inevitably was to fail. Furthermore, the race ending early due to rain supposedly saved Parsons's day allowing him to secure the victory before the engine let go. However, the engine block crack was proved to be an urban myth, ^[4] and it was said to be a very minor but acceptable level of porosity, which did not significantly affect the performance.

Parsons's win saw him score 9 points and move to a temporary first-place tie (after 3 races on the Formula One season calendar) in the first ever World Drivers' Championship, alongside Nino Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio, and also saw him become the first American to win a World Championship race. Parsons is one of only three drivers to have won his first World Championship race, the other two being Farina, who won the first World Championship race (the 1950 British Grand Prix, 17 days earlier) and Giancarlo Baghetti, who won the 1961 French Grand Prix. Despite the 500 being his only race in the 1950 World Championship, it would be enough to see him finish the championship 6th in points.

During the month, Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck were at the track to film scenes for the film To Please a Lady . Stanwyck was on hand in victory lane after the race for the traditional celebratory kiss to the winner. During 1951 a young Mario Andretti saw the film in his native Italy - where it was titled Indianapolis - an event which exposed the future Indianapolis 500 winner and four-time National Champion to the race for the first time. ^[5]

Time trials

1950 Cummins Diesel

Time trials was scheduled for six days.

• Saturday May 13: Walt Faulkner won the pole position with a record run of 134.343 mph.
• Sunday May 14
• Saturday May 20: The third day of time trials saw six cars complete runs. Bayliss Levrett (131.181 mph) was the fastest of the afternoon. Charles Van Acker was ruled physically disqualified, after a crash he suffered at the Speedway from 1949. ^[6]
• Sunday May 21
• Saturday May 27: The day began with 11 spots open in the grid. ^[7]
• Sunday May 28: Only one driver managed to bump his way into the field. Johnny McDowell bumped Cliff Griffith, while 15 other cars failed to make the field. The two Novi entries failed to qualify – Chet Miller had engine trouble in one of the cars, while the other snapped a supercharger shaft. Rain and two crashes cut the track time to less than three hours. Cy Marshall was among the few left in line when time trials closed at 6 p.m. ^[8]

Starting grid

Row	Inside		Middle		Outside
1	98	Walt Faulkner  R	28	Fred Agabashian	31	Mauri Rose  W
2	5	George Connor	1	Johnnie Parsons	49	Jack McGrath
3	69	Duke Dinsmore	14	Tony Bettenhausen	17	Joie Chitwood
4	3	Bill Holland  W	59	Pat Flaherty  R	54	Cecil Green  R
5	18	Duane Carter	21	Spider Webb	81	Jerry Hoyt  R
6	2	Myron Fohr	24	Bayliss Levrett	45	Dick Rathmann  R
7	7	Paul Russo	4	Walt Brown	12	Henry Banks
8	67	Bill Schindler  R	8	Lee Wallard	55	Troy Ruttman
9	23	Sam Hanks	15	Mack Hellings	22	Jimmy Davies  R
10	76	Jim Rathmann	27	Walt Ader  R	77	Jackie Holmes
11	75	Gene Hartley  R	61	Jimmy Jackson	62	Johnny McDowell

R Indianapolis 500 rookie

W Indianapolis 500 winner

Box score

Pos	Grid	No	Driver	Constructor	Qual	Rank	Laps	Time/Retired	Points	WDC Points
1	5	1	Johnnie Parsons	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	132.04	8	138	2:46:55.97	690	9 1
2	10	3	Bill Holland  W	Diedt-Offenhauser	130.48	21	137	- 1 Lap	552	6
3	3	31	Mauri Rose  W	Diedt-Offenhauser	132.31	6	137	- 1 Lap	483	4
4	12	54	Cecil Green  R	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	132.91	2	137	- 1 Lap	414	3
5	9	17	Joie Chitwood (Tony Bettenhausen Laps 86–136)	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	130.75	19	136	- 2 Laps	217.5 127.5	1 1
6	23	8	Lee Wallard	Moore-Offenhauser	132.43	5	136	- 2 Laps	276
7	1	98	Walt Faulkner  R	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	134.34	1	135	- 3 Laps	207
8	4	5	George Connor	Lesovsky-Offenhauser	132.16	7	135	- 3 Laps	172.5
9	19	7	Paul Russo	Nichels-Offenhauser	130.79	18	135	- 3 Laps	138
10	11	59	Pat Flaherty  R	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	129.60	30	135	- 3 Laps	103.5
11	16	2	Myron Fohr	Marchese-Offenhauser	131.71	11	133	- 5 Laps	69
12	13	18	Duane Carter	Stevens-Offenhauser	131.66	12	133	- 5 Laps	34.5
13	26	15	Mack Hellings	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	130.68	20	132	- 6 Laps
14	6	49	Jack McGrath	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	131.86	10	131	Spun Off
15	24	55	Troy Ruttman	Lesovsky-Offenhauser	131.91	9	130	- 8 Laps
16	31	75	Gene Hartley  R	Langley-Offenhauser	129.21	32	128	- 10 Laps
17	27	22	Jimmy Davies  R	Ewing-Offenhauser	130.40	23	128	- 10 Laps
18	33	62	Johnny McDowell	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	129.69	27	128	- 10 Laps
19	20	4	Walt Brown	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	130.45	22	127	- 11 Laps
20	14	21	Spider Webb	Maserati-Offenhauser	129.74	26	126	- 12 Laps
21	15	81	Jerry Hoyt  R	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	129.52	31	125	- 13 Laps
22	29	27	Walt Ader  R	Rae-Offenhauser	129.94	25	123	- 15 Laps
23	30	77	Jackie Holmes	Olson-Offenhauser	129.69	28	123	Spun Off
24	28	76	Jim Rathmann	Wetteroth-Offenhauser	129.95	24	122	- 16 Laps
25	21	12	Henry Banks (Fred Agabashian Laps 72–112)	Maserati-Offenhauser	129.64	29	112	Oil Line
26	22	67	Bill Schindler  R	Snowberger-Offenhauser	132.69	4	111	Transmission
27	17	24	Bayliss Levrett (Bill Cantrell Laps 106–108)	Adams-Offenhauser	131.18	14	108	Oil Pressure
28	2	28	Fred Agabashian	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	132.79	3	64	Oil Leak
29	32	61	Jimmy Jackson	Kurtis Kraft-Cummins	129.20	33	52	Compressor
30	25	23	Sam Hanks	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	131.59	13	42	Oil Pressure
31	8	14	Tony Bettenhausen	Diedt-Offenhauser	130.94	16	30	Wheel Bearing
32	18	45	Dick Rathmann  R	Watson-Offenhauser	130.92	17	25	Stalled
33	7	69	Duke Dinsmore	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	131.06	15	10	Oil Leak
Source: [9]

Note: Relief drivers in parentheses ^[10]

 W  Former Indianapolis 500 winner

 R  Indianapolis 500 Rookie

All entrants utilized Firestone tires.

^1 – Includes 1 point for fastest lead lap.

Race statistics

Lap Leaders Laps Leader 1–9 Mauri Rose 10–32 Johnnie Parsons 33 Mauri Rose 34–104 Johnnie Parsons 105–109 Mauri Rose 110–117 Bill Holland 118–138 Johnnie Parsons

Total laps led Driver Laps Johnnie Parsons 115 Mauri Rose 15 Bill Holland 8

Yellow Lights: 7 minutes, 30 seconds Laps* Reason 95–97 Bill Schindler spin in turn 3 Jackie Holmes spin in turn 3 (2:40) 135–138 Rain; race ended (4:50) * – Approximate lap counts [11] [12] [13]

Notes

• Pole position: Walt Faulkner – 4:27.97
• Fastest Lead Lap: Johnnie Parsons – 1:09.77
• Shared drivers:
  • Joie Chitwood (82 laps) and Tony Bettenhausen (54 laps), after Bettenhausen retired. Points for 5th position were shared between the drivers.
  • Henry Banks (71 laps) and Fred Agabashian (41 laps)
  • Bayliss Levrett (105 laps) and Bill Cantrell (3 laps)
• First win for Firestone in the World Championship.

Qualifying

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Lap	Gap
1	98	Walt Faulkner	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:27.97	–
2	28	Fred Agabashian	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:31.10	+ 3.13
3	31	Mauri Rose	Diedt-Offenhauser	4:32.07	+ 4.10
4	5	George Connor	Lesovsky-Offenhauser	4:32.39	+ 4.42
5	1	Johnnie Parsons	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:32.43	+ 4.46
6	49	Jack McGrath	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:33.00	+ 5.03
7	69	Duke Dinsmore	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:34.67	+ 6.70
8	14	Tony Bettenhausen	Diedt-Offenhauser	4:34.92	+ 6.95
9	17	Joie Chitwood	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:35.32	+ 7.35
10	3	Bill Holland	Diedt-Offenhauser	4:35.90	+ 7.93
11	59	Pat Flaherty	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:37.76	+ 9.79
12	54	Cecil Green	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:30.86	+ 2.89
13	18	Duane Carter	Stevens-Offenhauser	4:33.42	+ 5.45
14	21	Spider Webb	Maserati-Offenhauser	4:37.46	+ 9.49
15	81	Jerry Hoyt	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:37.95	+ 9.98
16	2	Myron Fohr	Marchese-Offenhauser	4:33.32	+ 5.35
17	24	Bayliss Levrett	Adams-Offenhauser	4:34.43	+ 6.46
18	45	Dick Rathmann	Watson-Offenhauser	4:34.96	+ 6.99
19	7	Paul Russo	Nichels-Offenhauser	4:35.25	+ 7.28
20	4	Walt Brown	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:35.96	+ 7.99
21	12	Henry Banks	Maserati-Offenhauser	4:37.68	+ 9.71
22	67	Bill Schindler	Snowberger-Offenhauser	4:31.31	+ 3.34
23	8	Lee Wallard	Moore-Offenhauser	4:31.83	+ 3.86
24	55	Troy Ruttman	Lesovsky-Offenhauser	4:32.91	+ 4.94
25	23	Sam Hanks	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:33.57	+ 5.60
26	15	Mack Hellings	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:35.32	+ 7.35
27	22	Jimmy Davies	Ewing-Offenhauser	4:36.07	+ 8.10
28	76	Jim Rathmann	Wetteroth-Offenhauser	4:37.01	+ 9.04
29	27	Walt Ader	Rae-Offenhauser	4:37.05	+ 9.08
30	77	Jackie Holmes	Olson-Offenhauser	4:37.57	+ 9.60
31	75	Gene Hartley	Langley-Offenhauser	4:38.61	+ 10.64
32	61	Jimmy Jackson	Kurtis Kraft-Cummins	4:38.62	+ 10.65
33	62	Johnny McDowell	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:37.58	+ 9.61

First alternate

No	Driver	Constructor
66	Cliff Griffith  R  [14]	Miller-Offenhauser

Non-qualifiers

No	Driver	Constructor
9	Andy Linden  R	Bromme-Offenhauser
9	Bud Rose  R	Bromme-Offenhauser
10	Bill Vukovich  R	Maserati-Maserati
10	Hal Cole	Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser
16	Ted Duncan  R	Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser
19	Ralph Pratt  R	Bardazon-Offenhauser
19	Kenny Eaton  R	Bardazon-Offenhauser
25	Johnny Mauro	Alfa Romeo-Alfa Romeo
26	George Fonder	Diedt-Sparks
29	Charles Van Acker	Stevens-Offenhauser
33	Joel Thorne	Kurtis-Kraft-Sparks
34	Johnny Fedricks  R	Kupiec-Offenhauser
36	George Lynch	Snowberger-Offenhauser
38	Duke Nalon	Kurtis-Kraft-Novi
39	Danny Kladis	Maserati-Maserati
41	Milt Fankhouser	Stevens-Offenhauser
43	Chet Miller	Kurtis-Kraft-Novi
44	Bill Cantrell	Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser
47	Ralph Pratt  R	Gdula-Offenhauser
51	Mark Light  R	Stevens-Offenhauser
52	Mark Light  R	Meyer-Offenhauser
52	Dick Frazier  R	Meyer-Offenhauser
58	Billy Devore	Scopa-Offenhauser
63	Joe James  R	Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser
63	Bob Gregg  R	Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser
64	Bob Sweikert  R	Wetteroth-Offenhauser
65	Marvin Burke  R	Kurtis-Kraft-Duray
65	Norm Houser	Kurtis-Kraft-Duray
74	Carl Forberg  R	Miller-Offenhauser
78	Cy Marshall	Miller-Miller
79	Chuck Leighton  R	Cantarano-Wayne
82	Joe James  R	Weidel-Mercury
83	Al Miller	Miller-Miller
84	Mike Burch  R	Miller-Offenhauser
85	Manuel Ayulo	Maserati-Offenhauser
85	Jim Rigsby  R	Maserati-Offenhauser
87	Bill Vukovich  R	Rounds Rocket-Offenhauser
99	Kenny Eaton  R	Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser
99	Emil Andres	Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser

World Drivers' Championship

1950 Indianapolis 500
Race 3 of 7 in the 1950 Formula One season ←  Previous race Next race  →
Race details
Date	May 30, 1950 (1950-05-30)
Location	Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	4.023 km (2.500 miles)
Distance	138 laps, 555.224 km (345.000 miles)
Scheduled distance	200 laps, 804.672 km (500.000 miles)

Background

The Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA World Championship of Drivers from 1950 through 1960. The race was sanctioned by AAA through 1955, and then by USAC beginning in 1956. At the time the new world championship was announced and first organized by the CSI, the United States did not yet have a Grand Prix. Indianapolis Motor Speedway vice president and general manager Theodore E. "Pop" Meyers lobbied that the Indianapolis 500 be selected as the race to represent the country and to pay points towards the world championship. ^{[15] [16]}

Drivers competing at the Indianapolis 500 in 1950 through 1960 were credited with participation in and earned points towards the World Championship of Drivers. ^[17] However, the machines competing at Indianapolis were not necessarily run to Formula One specifications and regulations. ^[18] The drivers also earned separate points (on a different scale) towards the respective AAA or USAC national championships. No points, however, were awarded by the FIA towards the World Constructors' Championship.

Summary

The 1950 Indianapolis 500 was round 3 of 7 on the 1950 World Championship. The event, however, failed to attract significant interest from any of the regular competitors on the Grand Prix circuit. Giuseppe Farina and Franco Rol submitted Maserati entries, but their cars never arrived, and the race took place without any European competitors. ^[19] Race winner Johnnie Parsons earned 9 points towards the World Championship (8 points for first place, and 1 point for the fastest lap). Despite not competing in any of the other World Championship events, he finished sixth in the final season standings.

Parsons is one of only three drivers to win on their WDC début. The other two are Farina, who won the inaugural World Championship race – the 1950 British Grand Prix, 17 days earlier – and Giancarlo Baghetti, who won the 1961 French Grand Prix.

World Drivers' Championship standings after the race

Change	Pos	Driver	Points
	1	Giuseppe Farina	9
	2	Juan Manuel Fangio	9
31	3	Johnnie Parsons	9
1	4	Luigi Fagioli	6
1	5	Alberto Ascari	6

• Note: Only the top five positions are listed. Only the best four results counted towards the Championship.

Broadcasting

Radio

The race was carried live on the Mutual Broadcasting System, the precursor to the IMS Radio Network. The broadcast was sponsored by Perfect Circle Piston Rings and Bill Slater served as the anchor. Sid Collins moved into the booth for the first time to serve as analyst, and conducted the victory lane interview at the conclusion of the race. The broadcast feature live coverage of the start, the finish, and live updates throughout the race.

Prior to the race, it was reported that Slater might miss the race, due to illness. WIBC personality Sid Collins was named as a replacement, however, Slater was able to arrive in time for race day. Collins, who had previously served as a turn reporter, was invited to be the co-anchor in the booth. ^[20] For the first time, Collins interviewed the winner in victory lane at the conclusion of the race. Collins claims he burned his trousers on Parsons's hot exhaust pipe during the interview, which took place in the rain.

Because the race was shortened, Mutual had to interrupt Queen for a Day to cover the finish of the abbreviated event. This was cited by some as a reason why the Speedway would begin flag-to-flag coverage in 1953.

Mutual Broadcasting System
Booth Announcers	Turn Reporters	Pit reporters
Booth Announcer: Bill Slater Analyst: Sid Collins	South turns: Easy Gwynn North turns: Jim Shelton	Gordon Graham Sid Collins (victory lane)

Television

The race was carried live for the second year in a row on local television on WFBM-TV channel 6 of Indianapolis. Earl Townsend, Jr. was the announcer, along with Dick Pittenger and Paul Roberts. After the race, Speedway management disallowed WFBM from broadcasting the race live again, feeling that gate attendance had been negatively affected.

WFBM-TV
Play-by-play	Pit reporters
Announcer: Earl Townsend, Jr Color: Dick Pittenger	Paul Roberts

References

1. 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. "Parsons Sets Record As Rain Halts 500-Mile Speedway Race". The Cincinnati Enquirer. May 31, 1950. p. 1. Retrieved June 3, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Great Moments From the Indy 500" (VanCamp's Pork and Beans Presents/Freetwood Sounds), 1975
4. "The Talk of Gasoline Alley" – WFNI, May 20, 2012
5. Oreovicz, John (2021). Indy Split: The Big Money Battle that Nearly Destroyed Indy Racing. Austin, TX: Octane Press. p. 365. ISBN   978-1-64234-056-3.
6. Vet Van Acker Is Ruled Out (May 22, 1950)
7. Speedway Qualifications End Tomorrow; 11 Vacancies
8. One Change In Lineup For Big Race (May 29, 1950)
9. "1950 Indianapolis 500". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
10. "International 500 Mile Sweepstakes – May 30, 1950". ChampCarStats.com.
11. Sansbury, Ed (May 30, 1959). "Rain Calls For End Of Classic After 138 Laps". Tucson Citizen. p. 1. Retrieved April 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. O'Brien, J.E. (May 31, 1950). "Parsons waits booty after bobtailed 500". Indianapolis News . p. 13. Retrieved April 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. Dunkley, Charles (May 31, 1950). "Johnny Parsons Wins Shortened 500-Mile Race". The Terra Haute Star. p. 1. Retrieved April 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. The Talk of Gasoline Alley – 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004
15. The Talk of Gasoline Alley . May 23, 2007. 1070 WIBC-AM.
16. The Talk of Gasoline Alley . May 19, 2016. WFNI.
17. The Talk of Gasoline Alley . May 5, 2012. WFNI.
18. Capps, Don; Cameron Argetsinger (October 25, 2000). "Where Upon Our Scribe, Sherman, & Mr. Peabody Once Again Crank Up The Way-Back Machine for 1961." AtlasF1. Rear View Mirror. 6 (43). Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
19. "1950 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
20. Davidson, Donald (2012-05-24). "IMS Radio Network celebrates 60th anniversary". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Retrieved 2012-08-13.

External links

• Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats – Official Site
• 1950 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Mutual
• Van Camp's Pork & Beans Presents: Great Moments From the Indy 500 – Fleetwood Sounds, 1975
• 1950 Indianapolis 500 at RacingReference.info (Relief driver statistics)

Previous race: 1950 Monaco Grand Prix	FIA Formula One World Championship 1950 season	Next race: 1950 Swiss Grand Prix
Previous race: 1949 Indianapolis 500 Bill Holland	1950 Indianapolis 500 Johnnie Parsons	Next race: 1951 Indianapolis 500 Lee Wallard
Preceded by 121.327 mph (1949 Indianapolis 500)	Record for the Indianapolis 500 fastest average speed 124.002 mph	Succeeded by 126.244 mph (1951 Indianapolis 500)