1961 Indianapolis 500

45th running of the Indianapolis 500 February 2025 45th Indianapolis 500 Indy500winningcar1961.JPG USAC 1961 USAC season Bignotti-Bowes Racing Associates May 30, 1961 A. J. Foyt George Bignotti2011 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Official Media Guide Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation/IMS Public Relations 2011 Statistics 176 English https://doctorindy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2011-Indy-500-Media-Guide.pdf 139.130 mi/h km/h on 3:35:37.49 Eddie Sachs 147.481 mi/h km/h on Eddie Sachs Bobby Marshman & Parnelli Jones (co-winners) A. J. Foyt (71) Purdue Band Mel Torme Tony Hulman Ford Thunderbird Sam Hanks Bill VanderwaterFox Jack C. The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 Carl Hungness Publishing 4th 1994 22 en 0-915088-05-3 Raymond Firestone 300,000Averafe Speed Of 139.131 Sets New Track Mark https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5412915/1961_front_page/ Jep Cadou Jr. The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com May 31, 1961 June 2, 2017 1960 1962 The 45th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Tuesday, May 30, 1961. For the first time since 1949, the Indianapolis 500 was not recognized on the World Championship calendar. The race celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first Indy 500 in 1911. Eddie Sachs and A. J. Foyt were battling for 1st-2nd in the latter stages of the race. On Foyt's final scheduled pit stop, his crew was unable to properly engage the fuel mechanism, and his car did not take on a full load of fuel. Foyt returned to the track, and was pulling away from Sachs. Foyt's car was running faster due to the light fuel load, but his crew signaled him that he would be unable to make it to the finish without another pit stop. The crew borrowed a fuel feed mechanism from Len Sutton's team, and signaled Foyt to the pits. Foyt gave up the lead on lap 184 for a splash-and-go. That handed the lead to Sachs, who was now leading by 25 seconds. With three laps to go, the warning tread showed on Sachs' rear tire and Sachs decided to play it safe. Rather than nurse the car around, he pitted to replace the worn tire on lap 197. Foyt took the lead with three laps to go and won his first (of four) Indy 500 by a margin of 8.28 seconds. A notable story included the appearance of two-time defending Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham from Australia, who drove the race in a low-slung, British built Cooper powered by a Coventry Climax engine. Dubbed the "British Invasion," it would be the first notable post-war appearance of a rear-engined car, and within five years the rear-engined revolution would take over the Speedway. The venerable front-engined roadsters with their larger and more powerful engines were much faster down the long straights, but the superior handling of Brabham's Cooper in the corners kept his car competitive. Brabham qualified 17th at 145.144 mph and drove the car to a respectable 9th-place finish, completing all 200 laps. Five months after the race in October 1961, the front straight of the track was paved over with asphalt, and thus the entire track was now paved in asphalt and only a single yard of bricks at the start/finish line was left exposed from the original 1909 brick surface. The remainder of the original 3,200,000 bricks now lie underneath the asphalt surface. This meant that the 1961 race was the last 500 in which cars raced on the original bricks other than those at the start/finish line. Practice and time trials Nicknamed the "Tinley Park Express," Tony Bettenhausen, Sr. was killed in a crash during a practice run on May 12. He was testing a car for Paul Russo. It was determined that an anchor bolt fell off the front radius rod support, permitting the front axle to twist and mis-align the front wheels when the brakes were applied. The car plunged into the outside wall, then rode along the top, snapping fence poles and tearing segments of the catch fence. The car came to rest upside-down on top of the outside wall, and Bettenhausen was killed instantly. Before the time trials Bettenhausen had been the favorite to become the first driver to break the 150 mph barrier at the Speedway.http://indymotorspeedway.com/500d-61.htm Indy 500 deadly accidents, Tony Bettenhausen Sr 2012-06-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20120716085307/http://www.indymotorspeedway.com/500d-61.htm 2012-07-16 dead thumb|The rear-engined Cooper T54 with which dual and reigning World F1 Drivers' Champion Jack Brabham placed ninth. Jack and the Cooper are credited with starting the rear-engine revolution at IndianapolisTime trials was scheduled for four days: Saturday May 13 – Pole Day time trials Sunday May 14 – Second day time trials Saturday May 20 – Third day time trials Sunday May 21 – Fourth day time trials Eddie Sachs sat on the pole with an average speed of 147.481 mph (237.348 km/h). Starting grid RowInsideMiddleOutside 112 USA Eddie Sachs3 USA Don Branson99 USA Jim Hurtubise 22 USA Rodger Ward gold W silver98 USA Parnelli Jones orange R silver97 USA Dick Rathmann 31 USA A. J. Foyt8 USA Len Sutton14 USA Bill Cheesbourg 433 USA Eddie Johnson4 USA Jim Rathmann gold W silver15 USA Wayne Weiler 517 AUS Jack Brabham orange R silver73 USA A. J. Shepherd orange R silver28 USA Gene Hartley 632 USA Bob Christie10 USA Paul Goldsmith7 USA Shorty Templeman 786 USA Ebb Rose orange R silver41 USA Johnny Boyd45 USA Jack Turner 852 USA Troy Ruttman gold W silver55 USA Jimmy Daywalt16 USA Bobby Grim 95 USA Lloyd Ruby19 USA Al Keller83 USA Don Davis orange R silver 1018 USA Chuck Stevenson22 USA Roger McCluskey orange R silver26 USA Cliff Griffith 1135 USA Dempsey Wilson34 USA Norm Hall orange R silver31 USA Bobby Marshman orange R silver orange R Indianapolis 500 rookie solid 1px darkgray gold W Indianapolis 500 winner solid 1px darkgray Alternates First alternate: Paul Russo (#21, #24)The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004 Failed to qualify 22em Chuck Arnold (#62) Harry Beck orange R silver (#95) – Entry declined, lack of experience Tony Bettenhausen (#15, #24) – Fatal accident Bert Brooks orange R silver (#79) Duane Carter (#61, #64) Bob Cleberg orange R silver (#6) Leon Clum orange R silver (#77) Russ Congdon orange R silver (#69) Ray Crawford (#94) Ronnie Duman orange R silver (#43) Jack Ensley orange R silver (#84) Cotton Farmer orange R silver (#23) Don Freeland (#27, #47) Chuck Hulse orange R silver (#37) Danny Jones orange R silver (#47) Ralph Ligouri orange R silver (#75) Mike Magill (#82) Jim McWithey (#29) Bill Randall orange R silver (#95) Chuck Rodee orange R silver (#89) Jack Rounds orange R silver (#44, #87) Bud Tingelstad (#54) Bob Veith (#23, #25, #44, #85) Bob Wente orange R silver (#88) Chuck Weyant (#88)1961 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes http://www.champcarstats.com/races/196102.htm ChampCarStats.com 26 June 2015 Box score FinishStartNoNameChassisEngineTireQualLapsStatus171USA A. J. FoytTrevisOffenhauserFirestone145.903200 139.130 mph2112USA Eddie SachsEwingOffenhauserFirestone147.481200 +8.28342USA Rodger Ward gold W silverWatsonOffenhauserFirestone146.187200 +55.194187USA Shorty TemplemanMeskowskiOffenhauserFirestone144.341200 +3:33.3552619USA Al KellerPhillipsOffenhauserFirestone146.157200 +4:54.4562818USA Chuck StevensonSalihOffenhauserFirestone145.191200 +5:22.9673331USA Bobby Marshman orange R silverEpperlyOffenhauserFirestone144.293200 +5:43.288255USA Lloyd RubyEpperlyOffenhauserFirestone146.909200 +6:49.6591317AUS Jack Brabham orange R silverCooperCoventry ClimaxDunlop145.144200 +8:03.37103234USA Norm Hall orange R silverKurtis KraftOffenhauserFirestone144.555200 +8:04.90111528USA Gene HartleyTrevisOffenhauserFirestone144.817198Flagged12598USA Parnelli Jones orange R silverWatsonOffenhauserFirestone146.080192Flagged13697USA Dick RathmannWatsonOffenhauserFirestone146.033164Fuel Pump141710USA Paul GoldsmithLesovskyOffenhauserFirestone144.741160Connecting Rod151215USA Wayne WeilerWatsonOffenhauserFirestone145.349147Wheel Bearing163135USA Dempsey WilsonKuzmaOffenhauserFirestone144.202145Fuel Pump171632USA Bob ChristieKurtis KraftOffenhauserFirestone144.782132Piston181033USA Eddie JohnsonKuzmaOffenhauserFirestone145.843127Crash T41988USA Len SuttonWatsonOffenhauserFirestone145.897110Clutch202252USA Troy Ruttman gold W silverWatsonOffenhauserFirestone144.799105Clutch212041USA Johnny BoydWatsonOffenhauserFirestone144.092105Clutch22399USA Jim HurtubiseEpperlyOffenhauserFirestone146.306102Piston231986USA Ebb Rose orange R silverPorterOffenhauserFirestone144.33893Rod243026USA Cliff GriffithElderOffenhauserFirestone145.03855Piston252145USA Jack TurnerKurtis KraftOffenhauserFirestone144.90452Crash FS261473USA A. J. Shepherd orange R silverChristensenOffenhauserFirestone144.95451Crash FS272922USA Roger McCluskey orange R silverMooreOffenhauserFirestone145.06851Crash FS28914USA Bill CheesbourgKuzmaOffenhauserFirestone145.87350Crash FS292783USA Don Davis orange R silverTrevisOffenhauserFirestone145.34949Crash FS30114USA Jim Rathmann gold W silverWatsonOffenhauserFirestone145.41348Magneto312355USA Jimmy DaywaltKurtis KraftOffenhauserFirestone144.21927Brake Line322416USA Bobby GrimWatsonOffenhauserFirestone144.02926Piston3323USA Don BransonEpperlyOffenhauserFirestone146.8432Bent ValvesSources:Davidson Donald https://archive.org/details/autocourseoffici0000davi/ Autocourse Official History of the Indianapolis 500 Shaffer Rick Icon Publishing 2013 373 978-1-905334-82-7 Second Malvern, Worcestershire, England Donald Davidson (historian) registration Internet ArchivePopely Rick https://archive.org/details/indianapolis500c0000pope/ Indianapolis 500 Chronicle Riggs L. Spencer Publications International 1998 161 0-7853-2798-3 Lincolnwood, Illinois registration Internet Archive1961 Indianapolis 500 https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/1961_Indianapolis_500/UO/ live November 28, 2023 Racing-Reference May 30, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210530140413/https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/1961_Indianapolis_500/UO/ gold W silver Former Indianapolis 500 winner orange R silver Indianapolis 500 Rookie Race statistics Lap Leaders Laps Leader1–35 Jim Hurtubise36–41 Jim Rathmann42–44 Parnelli Jones45–51 Eddie Sachs52–75 Parnelli Jones76–83 A. J. Foyt84–88 Troy Ruttman89 A. J. Foyt90–94 Troy Ruttman95–124 A. J. Foyt125–137 Eddie Sachs138 A. J. Foyt139–141 Eddie Sachs142–146 A. J. Foyt147–151 Eddie Sachs152–160 A. J. Foyt161–167 Rodger Ward168–169 Eddie Sachs170–183 A. J. Foyt184–197 Eddie Sachs198–200 A. J. Foyt Total laps led Driver LapsA. J. Foyt 71Eddie Sachs 44Jim Hurtubise 35Parnelli Jones 27Troy Ruttman 10Rodger Ward 7Jim Rathmann 6 Yellow Lights: 2 for 33 minutes, 2 seconds7th Extra https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news/145451133/ Indianapolis News Newspapers.com May 30, 1961 April 15, 2024 Laps* Reason52–67 Davis, Shepherd, Turner, McCluskey, Cheesebourg crash mainstretch (25:12)129–136 Eddie Johnson crash turn four (7:50)* – Approximate lap counts Tire participation chartFirms Struggle To Get Products Used By Cars https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-1961-indy-500-tire/153036171/ The Indianapolis Star Bill Eggert 28 Newspapers.com May 27, 1961 August 10, 2024SupplierNo. of startersFirestone 32*Dunlop 1 * – Denotes race winner Track worker fatality John Masariu, 38, father of 6, of Danville, Indiana was serving as a member of the fire/safety crew. On the 127th lap of the race, driver Eddie Johnson spun out in turn 4, but did not suffer significant damage and he was not injured. A small fire broke out on the car. A safety fire truck went to his aid. John Masariu, who was the principal of Ben Davis Junior High and was serving as a safety worker, fell or jumped off the back of the fire truck. A moment later, the truck driven by James (Johnny) Williams accidentally backed over him, and he was injured fatally.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yQIkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yRAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3297,5445960&dq=john+masariu&hl=en Truck Kills '500' Guard 2016-09-20 2015-09-26 https://web.archive.org/web/20150926034157/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yQIkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yRAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3297,5445960&dq=john+masariu&hl=en dead Broadcasting Radio The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Sid Collins served as chief announcer with Fred Agabashian serving as "driver expert" The broadcast represented the 10th anniversary of the network, which was formed in 1952. This was Mike Ahern's first year on the network. This was Ahern's only year in Turn 2. The broadcast was heard on over 450 affiliates, including Armed Forces Radio. The broadcast reached all 50 U.S. states. The race reached approximately 100 million listeners worldwide. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network Booth AnnouncersTurn ReportersPit/garage reportersChief Announcer: Sid Collins Driver expert: Fred Agabashian Statistician: Charlie BrockmanTurn 1: Bill Frosh Turn 2: Mike Ahern orange R silver Backstretch: Bernie Herman Turn 3: Lou Palmer Turn 4: Jim SheltonJack Shapiro (north pits)Luke Walton (center pits)Johny Peterson (south pits) Television The race itself was not televised. However, ABC Sports showed highlights of time trials on Wide World of Sports.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TsZYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Wc4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=4286,3377274&dq=jim+hurtubise&hl=en Indianapolis Time Trials Telecast Saturday on ABC Telegraph Herald 1961-05-26 2013-08-14 Gallery Notes References Works cited Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats - Official Site 1961 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network 1961 Trenton 100 1961 1961 Rex Mays Classic 1960 1960 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 1962 Indianapolis 500 Jim Rathmann 1961 A. J. Foyt 1962 Rodger Ward 139.130 138.767 mph(1960 Indianapolis 500) 140.293 mph(1962 Indianapolis 500) Category:Indianapolis 500 races Indianapolis 500 Indiana Hoosiers Indiana Category:1961 in American motorsport Category:May 1961 sports events in the United States