1950 Indianapolis 500

34th running of the Indianapolis 500 February 2025 34th Indianapolis 500 Indy500winningcar1950.JPG AAA May 30, 1950 Johnnie Parsons Frank Kurtis Harry Stephens2011 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 124.002 mi/h km/h on 2:46:55.97 Walt Faulkner 134.343 mi/h km/h on Johnnie Parsons (115) Mercury Benson Ford Seth KleinFox Jack C. The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 Carl Hungness Publishing 4th 1994 22 English 0-915088-05-3 Clarence S. Beesemyer 175,000Parsons Sets Record As Rain Halts 500-Mile Speedway Race https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11446665/ The Cincinnati Enquirer 1 Newspapers.com May 31, 1950 June 3, 2017 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."Great Moments From the Indy 500" (VanCamp's Pork and Beans Presents/Freetwood Sounds), 1975 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,"The Talk of Gasoline Alley" – WFNI, May 20, 2012 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.Oreovicz John Indy Split: The Big Money Battle that Nearly Destroyed Indy Racing Octane Press Austin, TX 978-1-64234-056-3 2021 365 Time trials thumb|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.Vet Van Acker Is Ruled Out (May 22, 1950) Sunday May 21 Saturday May 27: The day began with 11 spots open in the grid.Speedway Qualifications End Tomorrow; 11 Vacancies 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.One Change In Lineup For Big Race (May 29, 1950) Starting grid RowInsideMiddleOutside 198 USA 1912 Walt Faulkner orange R silver28 USA 1912 Fred Agabashian31 USA 1912 Mauri Rose gold W silver 25 USA 1912 George Connor1 USA 1912 Johnnie Parsons49 USA 1912 Jack McGrath 369 USA 1912 Duke Dinsmore14 USA 1912 Tony Bettenhausen17 USA 1912 Joie Chitwood 43 USA 1912 Bill Holland gold W silver59 USA 1912 Pat Flaherty orange R silver54 USA 1912 Cecil Green orange R silver 518 USA 1912 Duane Carter21 USA 1912 Spider Webb81 USA 1912 Jerry Hoyt orange R silver 62 USA 1912 Myron Fohr24 USA 1912 Bayliss Levrett45 USA 1912 Dick Rathmann orange R silver 77 USA 1912 Paul Russo4 USA 1912 Walt Brown12 USA 1912 Henry Banks 867 USA 1912 Bill Schindler orange R silver8 USA 1912 Lee Wallard55 USA 1912 Troy Ruttman 923 USA 1912 Sam Hanks15 USA 1912 Mack Hellings22 USA 1912 Jimmy Davies orange R silver 1076 USA 1912 Jim Rathmann27 USA 1912 Walt Ader orange R silver77 USA 1912 Jackie Holmes 1175 USA 1912 Gene Hartley orange R silver61 USA 1912 Jimmy Jackson62 USA 1912 Johnny McDowell orange R Indianapolis 500 rookie solid 1px darkgray gold W Indianapolis 500 winner solid 1px darkgray Box score FinishGridNo.DriverConstructorQualifyingLapsTime/RetiredPointsSpeedRankUSAC USAC Championship TrailWDC World Drivers' Championship 1 5 1 USA 1912 Johnnie Parsons Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 132.04 8 138 124.002 mph 690 91 1 2 10 3 USA 1912 Bill Holland gold W silver Diedt-Offenhauser 130.48 21 137 -1 Lap 552 6 3 3 31 USA 1912 Mauri Rose gold W silver Diedt-Offenhauser 132.31 6 137 -1 Lap 483 4 4 12 54 USA 1912 Cecil Green orange R silver Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 132.91 2 137 -1 Lap 414 3 5 9 17 USA 1912 Joie Chitwood(Tony Bettenhausen Laps 86–136) Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 130.75 19 136 -2 Laps 217½127½ 1 1 6 23 8 USA 1912 Lee Wallard Moore-Offenhauser 132.43 5 136 -2 Laps 276   7 1 98 USA 1912 Walt Faulkner orange R silver Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 134.34 1 135 -3 Laps 207   8 4 5 USA 1912 George Connor Lesovsky-Offenhauser 132.16 7 135 -3 Laps 172½   9 19 7 USA 1912 Paul Russo Nichels-Offenhauser 130.79 18 135 -3 Laps 138   10 11 59 USA 1912 Pat Flaherty orange R silver Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 129.60 30 135 -3 Laps 103½   11 16 2 USA 1912 Myron Fohr Marchese-Offenhauser 131.71 11 133 -5 Laps 69   12 13 18 USA 1912 Duane Carter Stevens-Offenhauser 131.66 12 133 -5 Laps 34½   13 26 15 USA 1912 Mack Hellings Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 130.68 20 132 -6 Laps     14 6 49 USA 1912 Jack McGrath Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 131.86 10 131 Spun Off     15 24 55 USA 1912 Troy Ruttman Lesovsky-Offenhauser 131.91 9 130 - 8 Laps     16 31 75 USA 1912 Gene Hartley orange R silver Langley-Offenhauser 129.21 32 128 - 10 Laps     17 27 22 USA 1912 Jimmy Davies orange R silver Ewing-Offenhauser 130.40 23 128 - 10 Laps     18 33 62 USA 1912 Johnny McDowell Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 129.69 27 128 - 10 Laps     19 20 4 USA 1912 Walt Brown Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 130.45 22 127 - 11 Laps     20 14 21 USA 1912 Spider Webb Maserati-Offenhauser 129.74 26 126 - 12 Laps     21 15 81 USA 1912 Jerry Hoyt orange R silver Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 129.52 31 125 - 13 Laps     22 29 27 USA 1912 Walt Ader orange R silver Rae-Offenhauser 129.94 25 123 - 15 Laps     23 30 77 USA 1912 Jackie Holmes Olson-Offenhauser 129.69 28 123 Spun Off     24 28 76 USA 1912 Jim Rathmann Wetteroth-Offenhauser 129.95 24 122 - 16 Laps     25 21 12 USA 1912 Henry Banks(Fred Agabashian Laps 72–112) Maserati-Offenhauser 129.64 29 112 Oil Line     26 22 67 USA 1912 Bill Schindler orange R silver Snowberger-Offenhauser 132.69 4 111 Transmission     27 17 24 USA 1912 Bayliss Levrett(Bill Cantrell Laps 106–108) Adams-Offenhauser 131.18 14 108 Oil Pressure     28 2 28 USA 1912 Fred Agabashian Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 132.79 3 64 Oil Leak     29 32 61 USA 1912 Jimmy Jackson Kurtis Kraft-Cummins 129.20 33 52 Compressor     30 25 23 USA 1912 Sam Hanks Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 131.59 13 42 Oil Pressure     31 8 14 USA 1912 Tony Bettenhausen Diedt-Offenhauser 130.94 16 30 Wheel Bearing     32 18 45 USA 1912 Dick Rathmann orange R silver Watson-Offenhauser 130.92 17 25 Stalled     33 7 69 USA 1912 Duke Dinsmore Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 131.06 15 10 Oil Leak    Source:http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1950/381/ 1950 Indianapolis 500 formula1.com https://web.archive.org/web/20150214024115/http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1950/381/ 14 February 2015 25 December 2015 Note: Relief drivers in parenthesesChampCarStats.com https://www.champcarstats.com/races/195001.htm International 500 Mile Sweepstakes – May 30, 1950 gold W silver Former Indianapolis 500 winner orange R silver Indianapolis 500 Rookie All entrants utilized Firestone tires. 1 1 – Includes 1 point for fastest lead lap. Race statistics Lap Leaders Laps Leader1–9 Mauri Rose10–32 Johnnie Parsons33 Mauri Rose34–104 Johnnie Parsons105–109 Mauri Rose110–117 Bill Holland118–138 Johnnie Parsons Total laps led Driver LapsJohnnie Parsons 115Mauri Rose 15Bill Holland 8 Yellow Lights: 7 minutes, 30 seconds Laps* Reason95–97 Bill Schindler spin in turn 3Jackie Holmes spin in turn 3 (2:40)135–138 Rain; race ended (4:50)* – Approximate lap countsRain Calls For End Of Classic After 138 Laps https://www.newspapers.com/article/tucson-citizen/145867756/ Tucson Citizen Ed Sansbury 1 Newspapers.com May 30, 1959 April 22, 2024Parsons waits booty after bobtailed 500 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news-0531-indy500-race/93339764/ Indianapolis News J.E. O'Brien 13 Newspapers.com May 31, 1950 April 22, 2024Johnny Parsons Wins Shortened 500-Mile Race https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-terre-haute-star/145868054/ The Terre Haute Star Charles Dunkley 1 Newspapers.com May 31, 1950 April 22, 2024 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 USA 1912 Walt Faulkner Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 4:27.97 – 2 28 USA 1912 Fred Agabashian Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 4:31.10 + 3.13 3 31 USA 1912 Mauri Rose Diedt-Offenhauser 4:32.07 + 4.10 4 5 USA 1912 George Connor Lesovsky-Offenhauser 4:32.39 + 4.42 5 1 USA 1912 Johnnie Parsons Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 4:32.43 + 4.46 6 49 USA 1912 Jack McGrath Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 4:33.00 + 5.03 7 69 USA 1912 Duke Dinsmore Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 4:34.67 + 6.70 8 14 USA 1912 Tony Bettenhausen Diedt-Offenhauser 4:34.92 + 6.95 9 17 USA 1912 Joie Chitwood Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 4:35.32 + 7.35 10 3 USA 1912 Bill Holland Diedt-Offenhauser 4:35.90 + 7.93 11 59 USA 1912 Pat Flaherty Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 4:37.76 + 9.79 12 54 USA 1912 Cecil Green Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 4:30.86 + 2.89 13 18 USA 1912 Duane Carter Stevens-Offenhauser 4:33.42 + 5.45 14 21 USA 1912 Spider Webb Maserati-Offenhauser 4:37.46 + 9.49 15 81 USA 1912 Jerry Hoyt Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 4:37.95 + 9.98 16 2 USA 1912 Myron Fohr Marchese-Offenhauser 4:33.32 + 5.35 17 24 USA 1912 Bayliss Levrett Adams-Offenhauser 4:34.43 + 6.46 18 45 USA 1912 Dick Rathmann Watson-Offenhauser 4:34.96 + 6.99 19 7 USA 1912 Paul Russo Nichels-Offenhauser 4:35.25 + 7.28 20 4 USA 1912 Walt Brown Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 4:35.96 + 7.99 21 12 USA 1912 Henry Banks Maserati-Offenhauser 4:37.68 + 9.71 22 67 USA 1912 Bill Schindler Snowberger-Offenhauser 4:31.31 + 3.34 23 8 USA 1912 Lee Wallard Moore-Offenhauser 4:31.83 + 3.86 24 55 USA 1912 Troy Ruttman Lesovsky-Offenhauser 4:32.91 + 4.94 25 23 USA 1912 Sam Hanks Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 4:33.57 + 5.60 26 15 USA 1912 Mack Hellings Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 4:35.32 + 7.35 27 22 USA 1912 Jimmy Davies Ewing-Offenhauser 4:36.07 + 8.10 28 76 USA 1912 Jim Rathmann Wetteroth-Offenhauser 4:37.01 + 9.04 29 27 USA 1912 Walt Ader Rae-Offenhauser 4:37.05 + 9.08 30 77 USA 1912 Jackie Holmes Olson-Offenhauser 4:37.57 + 9.60 31 75 USA 1912 Gene Hartley Langley-Offenhauser 4:38.61 + 10.64 32 61 USA 1912 Jimmy Jackson Kurtis Kraft-Cummins 4:38.62 + 10.65 33 62 USA 1912 Johnny McDowell Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 4:37.58 + 9.61 First alternate No Driver Constructor 66 USA 1912 Cliff Griffith orange R silverThe Talk of Gasoline Alley – 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004 Miller-Offenhauser Non-qualifiers No Driver Constructor 9 USA 1912 Andy Linden orange R silver Bromme-Offenhauser 9 USA 1912 Bud Rose orange R silver Bromme-Offenhauser 10 USA 1912 Bill Vukovich orange R silver Maserati-Maserati 10 USA 1912 Hal Cole Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser 16 USA 1912 Ted Duncan orange R silver Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser 19 USA 1912 Ralph Pratt orange R silver Bardazon-Offenhauser 19 USA 1912 Kenny Eaton orange R silver Bardazon-Offenhauser 25 USA 1912 Johnny Mauro Alfa Romeo-Alfa Romeo 26 USA 1912 George Fonder Diedt-Sparks 29 USA 1912 Charles Van Acker Stevens-Offenhauser 33 USA 1912 Joel Thorne Kurtis-Kraft-Sparks 34 USA 1912 Johnny Fedricks orange R silver Kupiec-Offenhauser 36 USA 1912 George Lynch Snowberger-Offenhauser 38 USA 1912 Duke Nalon Kurtis-Kraft-Novi 39 USA 1912 Danny Kladis Maserati-Maserati 41 USA 1912 Milt Fankhouser Stevens-Offenhauser 43 USA 1912 Chet Miller Kurtis-Kraft-Novi 44 USA 1912 Bill Cantrell Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser 47 USA 1912 Ralph Pratt orange R silver Gdula-Offenhauser 51 USA 1912 Mark Light orange R silver Stevens-Offenhauser 52 USA 1912 Mark Light orange R silver Meyer-Offenhauser 52 USA 1912 Dick Frazier orange R silver Meyer-Offenhauser 58 USA 1912 Billy Devore Scopa-Offenhauser 63 USA 1912 Joe James orange R silver Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser 63 USA 1912 Bob Gregg orange R silver Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser 64 USA 1912 Bob Sweikert orange R silver Wetteroth-Offenhauser 65 USA 1912 Marvin Burke orange R silver Kurtis-Kraft-Duray 65 USA 1912 Norm Houser Kurtis-Kraft-Duray 74 USA 1912 Carl Forberg orange R silver Miller-Offenhauser 78 USA 1912 Cy Marshall Miller-Miller 79 USA 1912 Chuck Leighton orange R silver Cantarano-Wayne 82 USA 1912 Joe James orange R silver Weidel-Mercury 83 USA 1912 Al Miller Miller-Miller 84 USA 1912 Mike Burch orange R silver Miller-Offenhauser 85 USA 1912 Manuel Ayulo Maserati-Offenhauser 85 USA 1912 Jim Rigsby orange R silver Maserati-Offenhauser 87 USA 1912 Bill Vukovich orange R silver Rounds Rocket-Offenhauser 99 USA 1912 Kenny Eaton orange R silver Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser 99 USA 1912 Emil Andres Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser World Drivers' Championship F1 USA Indianapolis 500 1950 5 30 1950 3 7 1950 Monaco Grand Prix 1950 Swiss Grand Prix File:Indianapolis Motor Speedway 1909-1956.svg Indianapolis Motor SpeedwaySpeedway, Indiana 2.500 4.023 138 345.000 555.224 200 500.000 804.672 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.The Talk of Gasoline Alley 1070 WIBC-AM May 23, 2007The Talk of Gasoline Alley WFNI May 19, 2016 Drivers competing at the Indianapolis 500 in 1950 through 1960 were credited with participation in and earned points towards the World Championship of Drivers.The Talk of Gasoline Alley WFNI May 5, 2012 However, the machines competing at Indianapolis were not necessarily run to Formula One specifications and regulations.Capps Don Cameron Argetsinger Where Upon Our Scribe, Sherman, & Mr. Peabody Once Again Crank Up The Way-Back Machine for 1961.. AtlasF1 October 25, 2000 6 Rear View Mirror 43 http://atlasf1.autosport.com/2000/mal/mirror.html May 1, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20120427115856/http://atlasf1.autosport.com/2000/mal/mirror.html April 27, 2012 dead 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.1950 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes http://www.champcarstats.com/races/195001.htm 2023-10-19 www.champcarstats.com 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 10px 1 ITA Giuseppe Farina 9 10px 2 ARG Juan Manuel Fangio 9 10px 31 3 USA 1912 Johnnie Parsons 9 10px 1 4 ITA Luigi Fagioli 6 10px 1 5 ITA 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.http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/indy500/news/show/51747-ims-radio-network-celebrates-60th-anniversary/ IMS Radio Network celebrates 60th anniversary Indianapolis Motor Speedway Donald Davidson Donald Davidson (historian) 2012-05-24 2012-08-13 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 SystemBooth AnnouncersTurn ReportersPit reportersBooth Announcer: Bill Slater Analyst: Sid CollinsSouth turns: Easy Gwynn North turns: Jim Shelton Gordon GrahamSid 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-playPit reporters Announcer: Earl Townsend, Jr Color: Dick Pittenger Paul Roberts References 30em 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) 1950 Indianapolis 500Johnnie Parsons 1950 1950 Monaco Grand Prix 1950 Swiss Grand Prix 1949 Indianapolis 500Bill Holland 1951 Indianapolis 500Lee Wallard 124.002 121.327 mph(1949 Indianapolis 500) 126.244 mph(1951 Indianapolis 500) Category:Indianapolis 500 races Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Category:1950 in American motorsport