Indy 500 Recaps the Short Chute Edition

By Pat Kennedy

This book started as a self-serving exercise to personally organize the major details and interesting facts of each Indianapolis 500 over the 100-year history of the greatest race in the world. For many of us passionate racing fans who have attended a multitude of 500s, there is a tendency for the details of the races to (somewhat) blend together. I hope this book will help to provide clarity in this regard, as well as educate.

During high school, many of us chose to use CliffsNotes to assist in the education process. This book is somewhat patterned after that concept. It falls somewhere between Donald Davidson and Rick Schaffers Autocourse Official History of the Indianapolis 500the best and by far the most detailed book on the history of the Indianapolis 500and a multitude of pictorial books with limited information. I hope it will prove to be an easy read with entertaining and educational information.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781468575378

Pat Kennedy

Pat Kennedy attended his first Indianapolis 500 with his family in 1963 when he was six years old. He has not missed a race since. His interest and passion was immediate and has continued to grow, culminating in his second book and annual updates on the Indianapolis 500. His grandfather and father sponsored race cars at Indy from 1936 to the early 1950s under the name of their family-owned business: the Kennedy Tank Special. Kennedy Tank and Manufacturing Company has been a supplier of pit-fueling tanks for many years at Indy. Pat has continued the family tradition of involvement in the Indianapolis 500. Pat is the president of a group of family-owned companies, including Kennedy Tank and Manufacturing Company (Indianapolis, Indiana); Southern Tank and Manufacturing Company (Owensboro, Kentucky); and Steel Tank and Fabricating Corporation (Columbia City, Indiana). In 2010, Pats first book, How Much Do You Really Know About the Indianapolis 500? was published. It is the official trivia book of the Indianapolis 500.

Book preview

INDY 500

RECAPS

THE SHORT CHUTE EDITION

Pat Kennedy

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AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2012 Pat Kennedy. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 4/26/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4685-7539-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-7537-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012906599

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

1911

1912

1913

1914

1915

1916

1917

1918

1919

1920

1921

1922

1923

1924

1925

1926

1927

1928

1929

1930

1931

1932

1933

1934

1935

1936

1937

1938

1939

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945

1946

1947

1948

1949

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960

1961

The Golden Anniversary 500

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Resources

About the Author

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Dedication

To the courageous drivers who have made the Indianapolis 500 the greatest sporting event in the world over the past 100 years.

Preface

This book started as a self-serving exercise to personally organize the major details and interesting facts of each Indianapolis 500 over the 100-year history of the greatest race in the world. For many of us passionate racing fans who have attended a multitude of 500s, there is a tendency for the details of the races to (somewhat) blend together. I hope this book will help to provide clarity in this regard, as well as educate.

During high school, many of us chose to use CliffsNotes to assist in the education process. This book is somewhat patterned after that concept. It falls somewhere between Donald Davidson and Rick Schaffer’s Autocourse Official History of the Indianapolis 500—the best and by far the most detailed book on the history of the Indianapolis 500—and a multitude of pictorial books with limited information. I hope it will prove to be an easy read with entertaining and educational information.

Acknowledgments

This book is dedicated to my dad, William E. Kennedy, Jr.; my great uncle, Big John Berry; and my grandpa, William E. Kennedy, Sr. Their passion for, interest in, and love for the Indianapolis 500 and Indy car racing was instilled in me at a very young age and continues strong to this day.

I would like to make a special dedication to my mom, Fran Kennedy, who thought her boy could do no wrong! I would also like to dedicate this book to the Kennedy Clan for their tremendous support and love, namely: the Shorters—Peggy Kennedy Shorter, Mark Shorter, Mickey Shorter, Kelly Shorter Schneider, Matt Schneider, and Logan Schneider; the Fairchilds—Kathy Kennedy Fairchild, Thom Fairchild, Kyle Fairchild, Kimmie Fairchild Rumer, and Justin Rumer; the Bolins—Ann Kennedy Bolin, Paul Bolin, Courtney Bolin, Kevin Bolin, and Brian Bolin; and the Kennedys—Cheryl Kennedy, Maura Kennedy, Billy Kennedy, Jimmy Kennedy, Patrick Kennedy, and Joey Kennedy Gaines. Without this clan I could not do what I do!

Special thanks to Angie Brackin, my right hand on this project, whose hard work, understanding, interest, and commitment made this book possible.

Many thanks to Donald Davidson, the savant of the Indianapolis 500, whose tremendous input, fact checking, support, and guidance were very instrumental in elevating the quality of this project.

Thanks to everyone from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway involved in this book, for their helpful assistance.

Lastly, special thanks to Mark T. Watson, my lifelong best friend, whose artistic talent is responsible for the design of the book cover. Reach him at Spotlight Photography, [phone].

1911

Drivers had to be able to average 75 mph or better from a flying start over a distance of a quarter mile in order to be included in the starting field.

Qualifiers were lined up by the dates on which the entries were received. There were forty-six entrants total with the first entrant on the pole.

Lewis Strang was on the pole.

Cars were lined up in rows of five. There were forty starters. The pace car and four cars constituted row 1. The ninth row consisted of a single car; all other rows had five cars.

Carl Fisher, a partner in the track ownership, drove the Stoddard-Dayton pace car.

A large crowd of approximately 80,000 attended the first 500.

Johnny Aitken led the first lap of the inaugural Indianapolis 500, or the International 500-Mile Sweepstakes, as it was referred to through 1980.

Prize money was awarded to only the top ten finishers, with $10,000 to the winner (plus accessory prizes, for a total of $14,250), and $500 for tenth place. The total purse was $30,150.

David Bruce-Brown led for most of the first half of the race. He led a total of eighty-one laps.

Ray Harroun ran a consistently paced race in his Marmon Wasp at approximately 75 mph to minimize tire wear. Cyrus Patschke relieved Harroun near mid-race and drove for about 35 laps. Ray Harroun led 88 laps total, including laps 182-200, for the victory. He made four stops and changed three right rear tires.

Harroun drove the only single-seater in the race, with the aid of what is believed to be the first rearview mirror on an automobile. All other cars had riding mechanics.

Ralph Mulford, driving a Lozier, ran a charging race, resulting in a greater number of tire changes, fourteen versus four for Harroun. He finished second.

The race took six hours and forty-two minutes to complete, a 74.6 mph average for Harroun.

Arthur Newby, a partner in the track ownership, was president of the National Motor Vehicle Company and had three cars compete in the race.

Eddie Rickenbacker drove relief for Lee Frayer, who finished thirteenth.

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1911 Winner Ray Harroun drove a Marmon Wasp, the only single-seat car in the race.

Race Results for the 1911 Indianapolis 500

1912

Riding mechanics became mandatory and would remain so through 1922.

There were twenty-nine entries, and twenty-four cars qualified for the race. Qualifying required greater than a 75 mph average for a full lap. Cars once again started by entry order received. Gil Anderson started on the pole in a Stutz.

This was the first 500 for future track owner Eddie Rickenbacker as a primary driver. He started thirteenth and finished twenty-first.

Teddy Tetzlaff led the first two laps, then Ralph De Palma led from lap three to lap 198, when a connecting rod broke on his Mercedes. He and his riding mechanic, Rupert Jeffkins, unsuccessfully attempted to push the car to the finish.

Joe Dawson—whose pit manager was fellow driver Johnny Aitken—made up a deficit of over five laps and went on to win in his National at an average speed of 78.7 mph. Don Herr relieved him for laps 108–144. Teddy Tetzlaff finished second.

The total purse was increased to $50,000, with $20,000 going to the winner.

Dawson was 22 years, 323 days old, and would remain the youngest 500 winner in history until 1952, when Troy Ruttman won at 22 years, 86 days old.

Ralph Mulford finished tenth in 8 hours and 53 minutes, after several lengthy stops, including a dinner break. Tenth was the last position for which prize money was awarded. Mulford won $1,200.

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Ralph De Palma and riding mechanic Rupert Jeffkins push their broken-down Mercedes, eventually finishing in eleventh place.

Race Results for the 1912 Indianapolis 500

1913

From the outset, the Speedway management had intended for the race to be an international event. A few teams accepted the invitation in 1913, including the Peugeot team from France.

The starting order was determined by a blind draw, with twenty-seven starters. A starting field consisting of four cars in each row, instead of five, was implemented for the first time.

Caleb Bragg started on the pole in a Mercer.

Johnny Aitken was pit manager and race strategist for first-year driver Jules Goux in a Peugeot.

Goux led a total of 138 laps, including from lap 136 to the checker. He won by thirteen minutes and eight seconds—a record that still stands as the greatest margin of victory. His speed average was 75.9 mph.

Spencer Wishart finished second and Charlie Merz finished third, though his car was on fire as he crossed the finish line.

Goux supposedly refreshed himself with a little champagne during several pit stops. He was the first winner to go the distance without a relief driver.

Race Results for the 1913 Indianapolis 500

1914

Thirty cars competed in the 500.

The starting field was determined by a blind draw that resulted in six lead changes between five drivers in the opening thirteen laps.

Arthur Duray led 77 of the first 115 laps in his Peugeot.

Jean Chassagne, in a Sunbeam, started on the pole and finished twenty-ninth, the second one out.

René Thomas led a total of 102 laps and led from lap 116 to the checker in his first 500, driving a French Delage. Thomas set a new race record of 82.5 mph.

The first four finishers were swept by French entries, with second and fourth going to Arthur Duray and Jules Goux in Peugeots and first and third going to Thomas and Albert Guyot in Delages.

Barney Oldfield finished fifth in a Stutz, the top-finishing American team.

Joe Dawson was involved in an accident on lap forty-five that resulted in his retirement from racing.

Race Results for the 1914 Indianapolis 500

1915

A rule was adopted that allowed only three cars per make to compete. Several Peugeots and Sunbeams were eliminated because of there already being three of each.

A qualifying procedure of lining the cars up by speed was implemented, with the fastest starting on the pole.

There were only twenty-four starters for the race.

Howdy Wilcox won the pole at 98.9 mph, with Ralph De Palma starting second at 98.6 mph.

The field of cars started four abreast.

The race was postponed from Saturday, May 29 to Monday, May 31 because of rain.

Ralph De Palma led for 132 laps total, but with three laps remaining, his connecting rod broke. This time he was able to nurse his Mercedes for the final three laps, the victory avenging the bitter defeat of 1912. His average speed was a record 89.8 mph.

At one point in the race, Dario Resta led by more than a lap over De Palma. Resta experienced a blown tire and steering problems later in the race but soldiered his French Peugot to a second-place finish.

Johnny Aitken came out of retirement and drove relief for Gil Anderson, who finished in third place. Earl Cooper placed fourth.

Following the 1915 race T.E. Pop Myers was made general manager of the track.

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1915 Winner Ralph De Palma drove this Mercedes accompanied by riding mechanic Louis Fontaine.

Race Results for the 1915 Indianapolis 500

1916

Single-lap qualifications were used and cars were lined up by speed. For the