1947 Indianapolis 500

31st running of the Indianapolis 500 February 2025 31st Indianapolis 500 Deidt-Offenhauser 1947-48 Indy 500 Winner - Mauri Rose.jpg AAA May 30, 1947 Mauri Rose Lou Moore Lou Moore2011 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 116.338 mi/h km/h on 4:17:52.17 Ted Horn 126.564 mi/h km/h on Bill Holland (143) Nash Ambassador George W. Mason Seth KleinFox Jack C. The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 Carl Hungness Publishing 4th 1994 22 en 0-915088-05-3 Ralph F. Gates 165,000165,000 See Race Classic https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11405044/ Ralph L. Brooks The Indianapolis Star 11 Newspapers.com May 31, 1947 June 1, 2017 1946 1948 The 31st International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1947. It was the opening round of the 11 races that comprised the 1947 AAA Championship Car season. The 1946 winner, George Robson, had been killed on September 2, 1946 in a racing incident. Driver Shorty Cantlon would be killed in an accident during the race. Beginning in 1947 the Speedway issued "Bronze" and "Silver" badges. Bronze badges allowed gate and garage access during the month and silver badges did the same but also allowed pit access. On race day, one needed a Back Up Card. Early bronze badges were indeed bronze, but silver badges were only a silver colored pot metal. Bronze badges began being made of a bronze colored pot metal sometime in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Time trials & ASPAR boycott Time trials was scheduled for five days. The minimum speed to qualify was set at 115 mph. In the months leading up to the race, several top drivers that were members of a union, the American Society of Professional Auto Racing (ASPAR), threatened to boycott the race over the purse size.http://www.racer.com/indianapolis-500-centenary-countdown-not-33-times-3/article/180996/ Indianapolis 500 Centenary Countdown: Not 33 (times 3) Racer magazine 2010-10-14 2012-02-01 October 18, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20101018024948/http://www.racer.com/indianapolis-500-centenary-countdown-not-33-times-3/article/180996/ dead The AAA Contest Board refused to heed their demands, and when the entry list was closed on May 8, many of the top drivers, particularly several popular west coast drivers, were not on the list. A total of 35 cars were entered, but at least nine had no driver listed, and 13 of the entries were inexperienced novice drivers. After the practice began for the month, officials decreed that the boycotting drivers would not be allowed late entry. After several weeks of dispute, an agreement was made for the ASPAR drivers to participate midway through the month.Original link was not an actual article January 2025 Saturday May 17 (Pole Day): Intermittent showers, and the holdout of several ASPAR drivers, meant that only four cars completed qualifying runs. Ted Horn claimed the pole position with a speed of 126.564 mph. Novi teammates Cliff Bergere and Doc Williams both suffered spins during the afternoon. Both rebounded to qualify, with Bergere taking the middle of the front row. Williams completed a rather slow run (120.733 mph), not noticing his crew, who was trying to signal him to abort the run. Williams would be replaced by Herb Ardinger on race day.126.564 Tops For Field of 4 (Part 1) https://www.newspapers.com/clip/119456179/ Harold Harrison The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com May 18, 1947 August 31, 2023126.564 Tops For Field of 4 (Part 2) https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star/130976206/ Harold Harrison The Indianapolis Star 41 Newspapers.com May 18, 1947 August 31, 2023 Sunday May 18: Three cars qualified, bringing the field to seven cars. Shorty Cantlon (121.462 mph) was the fastest of the day.Cantlon Paces 3 New Qualifiers (Part 1) https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star/15234215/ Harold Harrison The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com May 19, 1947 August 31, 2023Cantlon Paces 3 New Qualifiers (Part 2) https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star/15234238/ Harold Harrison The Indianapolis Star 9 Newspapers.com May 19, 1947 August 31, 2023 Saturday May 24 Sunday May 25 Wednesday May 28: The final scheduled day of qualifying closed with 28 cars in the field. When qualifying closed at 6 p.m. on Wednesday May 28, the field had only been filled to 28 cars.Original link was not an actual article January 2025 Duke Dinsmore was the final qualifier, completing his run amidst some scoring confusion by the officials, just as the time had run out.Original link was not an actual article January 2025 Race officials initially stressed that Wednesday would be the final day available to qualify. However, a day later, they re-opened qualifying for one hour late on Thursday May 29 in an effort to fill the field. Mel Hansen and Emil Andres were the only two cars to complete attempts, and after approval by the other entries, were added to the grid to bring the field to 30 cars.Original link was not an actual article January 2025 The heartbreak story of the day belonged to driver Billy Devore. After failing to make the field on Wednesday, the Bill Schoof crew worked diligently to make repairs to their car, hoping that officials would re-open qualifying. When word was announced that additional time trials would be held Thursday, the crew scrambled to get the car prepared. Late in the evening, with about 20 minutes left until closing, the crew drove the race car from their garage about six miles away to the track with a police escort. When they arrived at the gate at 6:58 p.m., however, officials closed time trials, and DeVore was not permitted to qualify. Original link was not an actual article January 2025 Starting grid RowInsideMiddleOutside1United States 1912 Ted Horn126.564 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Cliff Bergere124.957 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Mauri Rose gold W silver124.040 mph km/h on2United States 1912 Herb Ardinger*120.733 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Shorty Cantlon ✝121.462 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Russ Snowberger121.331 mph km/h on3United States 1912 Les Anderson orange R silver118.425 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Bill Holland orange R silver128.755 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Ken Fowler123.423 mph km/h on4United States 1912 Jimmy Jackson122.266 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Milt Fankhouser orange R silver119.932 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Roland Free119.526 mph km/h on5United States 1912 George Connor124.874 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Walt Brown orange R silver118.355 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Frank Wearne117.716 mph km/h on6United States 1912 Hal Robson122.096 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Pete Romcevichorange R silver117.218 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Duke Nalon128.082 mph km/h on7United States 1912 Al Miller124.848 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Rex Mays124.412 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Paul Russo123.967 mph km/h on8United States 1912 Joie Chitwood123.157 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Fred Agabashian orange R silver121.478 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Charles Van Acker orange R silver121.049 mph km/h on9United States 1912 Tony Bettenhausen120.980 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Henry Banks120.923 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Duke Dinsmore119.840 mph km/h on10United States 1912 Cy Marshall115.644 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Mel Hansen117.298 mph km/h onUnited States 1912 Emil Andres116.781 mph km/h on Failed to Qualify 22em United States 1912Walt Ader orange R silver (#6) BelgiumZora Arkus-Duntov orange R silver (#49) United States 1912Bud Bardowski orange R silver United States 1912Tommy Boggs orange R silver (#23) United States 1912Frank Brisko Great BritainLeslie Brooke orange R silver (#35) United States 1912Jim Brubaker orange R silver (#86) United States 1912Red Byron orange R silver (#22) United States 1912Duane Carter orange R silver (#32) United States 1912Hal Cole - Withdrew due to ASPAR dispute United States 1912Charles Crawford (#67) United States 1912Billy Devore (#17) United States 1912Louis Durant (#23) United States 1912Sam Grecco orange R silver (#51) United States 1912Sam Hanks (#54) United States 1912Tommy Hinnershitz (#5) - Did not arrive United States 1912Norm Houser orange R silver (#69) United States 1912Danny Kladis - Withdrew due to ASPAR dispute United States 1912Johnny Mauro orange R silver (#64) United States 1912Harry McQuinn United States 1912George Metzler orange R silver (#55) United States 1912Chet Miller - Withdrew due to ASPAR dispute United States 1912Wally Mitchell orange R silver - Withdrew due to ASPAR dispute United States 1912Overton Phillips - Withdrew due to ASPAR dispute United States 1912Buddy Rusch orange R silver United States 1912Art Scovell orange R silver United States 1912Bill Sheffler - Withdrew due to ASPAR dispute United States 1912Hal Stetson orange R silver - Did not appear United States 1912Joel Thorne - Withdrew due to ASPAR dispute United States 1912Louis Tomei (#44, #57) United States 1912Steve Truchan orange R silver (#28) United States 1912George Weaver orange R silver (#44) United States 1912Doc Williams (#54)"1947 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes http://www.champcarstats.com/races/194701.htm ChampCarStats.com Race summary Late in the race, Lou Moore teammates Bill Holland and Mauri Rose were running 1st and 2nd. The pit crew displayed a confusing chalkboard sign with the letters "EZY" to Holland, presumably meaning for him to take the final laps at a reduced pace to safely make it to the finish. Mauri Rose ignored the board, and charged to catch up to Holland. Holland believed he held a lap lead over Rose, and allowed him to catch up. The two drivers waved as Rose passed Holland, with Holland believing it was not more than a congratulatory gesture. In reality, the pass Rose made was for the lead, and he led the final 8 laps to take the controversial victory. The race was marred by a 41st lap crash that claimed the life of Shorty Cantlon. Rose's distance finish time of 4:17:52.17 was the second fastest finish of the Indianapolis 500 ever, at the time. Only the 1938 Indianapolis 500 had been completed in a faster total time as of 1947.https://www.newspapers.com/image/107136066 Rose Wins 2d 500 Miler; Cantlon Killed In Spill Wire Dispatches May 31, 1947 The Courier-Journal 2017-07-22 10 en Newspapers.com After Rose completed the 500 mile distance, approximately 40 minutes was given for additional drivers to finish, before any remaining drivers who had not completed the distance by then were flagged off the track.https://www.newspapers.com/image/173949554 Rose Wins '500', Holland 2d; Auto Race Crash Kills Cantlon Sainsbury Ed May 31, 1947 The Philadelphia Inquirer 2017-07-22 12 en Newspapers.com The 1947 race was also the coldest on record, with an average temperature of 50 degrees and morning low of 37.Indianapolis 500 https://www.weather.gov/media/ind/indy500.pdf United States National Weather Service July 1, 2022 June 25, 2019 Box score FinishStartNoNameChassisEngineLapsTime/Retired1327United States 1912 Mauri Rose gold W silver Diedt Offenhauser200 116.338 mph2816United States 1912 Bill Holland orange R silver Diedt Offenhauser200 +32.12311United States 1912 Ted Horn Maserati Maserati200 +3:00.384454United States 1912 Herb Ardinger(Cliff Bergere Laps 70–200) Kurtis Kraft Novi200 +6:40.355107United States 1912 Jimmy Jackson Miller Offenhauser200 +8:00.486209United States 1912 Rex Mays Kurtis Kraft Winfield200 +12:16.3371433United States 1912 Walt Brown orange R silver Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo200 +36:49.4082834United States 1912 Cy MarshallA.R.-WeilAlfa Romeo197 -3 laps92341United States 1912 Fred Agabashian orange R silverKurtis KraftDuray191 -9 laps102710United States 1912 Duke Dinsmore(Billy Devore Laps 79–118)WetterothOffenhauser167 -33 laps11758United States 1912 Les Anderson orange R silverMaseratiOffenhauser131 -69 laps121757United States 1912 Pete Romcevich orange R silverMillerFord168Oil line13303United States 1912 Emil Andres(George Connor Laps 70–150)LenckiLencki150Magneto141531United States 1912 Frank Wearne(Louis Tomei Laps 54–103)MillerOffenhauser128Spun T315947United States 1912 Ken FowlerAlfa RomeoAlfa Romeo121Axle161846United States 1912 Duke NalonMercedes-Benz W154Mercedes-Benz119Piston171242United States 1912 Roland FreeWetterothMiller87Spun182529United States 1912 Tony BettenhausenStevensOffenhauser79Timing gear19625United States 1912 Russ SnowbergerMaseratiMaserati74Oil pump201652United States 1912 Hal RobsonAdamsOffenhauser67Universal joint21218United States 1912 Cliff BergereKurtis KraftNovi62Piston22228United States 1912 Joie ChitwoodWetterothOffenhauser51Gears23524United States 1912 Shorty Cantlon ✝SnowbergerMiller40Fatal crash T1242643United States 1912 Henry BanksMillerOffenhauser36Oil line251966United States 1912 Al MillerMillerMiller33Magneto261314United States 1912 George ConnorKurtis KraftOffenhauser32Fuel leak272938United States 1912 Mel HansenAdamsSparks32Disqualified, Pushed282115United States 1912 Paul RussoShawOffenhauser24Crash FS292444United States 1912 Charles Van Acker orange R silverStevensLencki24Crash FS301153United States 1912 Milt Fankhouser orange R silverStevensOffenhauser15Stalled Indianapolis 500 1947 http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/race.php?raceid=795 Ultimate Racing History 16 January 2012 https://archive.today/20120914131614/http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/race.php?raceid=795 14 September 2012 live Note: Relief drivers in parenthesesChampCarStats.com https://www.champcarstats.com/races/194701.htm International 500 Mile Sweepstakes – May 30, 1947 gold W silver Former Indianapolis 500 winner orange R silver Indianapolis 500 Rookie All entrants utilized Firestone tires. Race statistics Lap Leaders Laps Leader1–23 Cliff Bergere24–59 Bill Holland60–85 Mauri Rose86–192 Bill Holland193–200 Mauri Rose Total laps led Driver LapsBill Holland 143Mauri Rose 34Cliff Bergere 23 Yellow Lights Laps* Reason24 Milt Fankhouser off course in turn 1Charles Van Acker, Paul Russo, crash on frontstretch (4:38)40 Shorty Cantlon crash in turn 188 Roland Free spin in turn 1 * – Approximate lap countsDriver Killed In 500-Mile Auto Race https://www.newspapers.com/article/evansville-press/145975841/ Evansville Press 1 Newspapers.com May 30, 1947 April 24, 2024Victory Was First For Lou Moore Creation https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star/145975955/ The Indianapolis Star C.L. Kern 11 Newspapers.com May 31, 1947 April 24, 2024 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. The broadcast feature live coverage of the start, the finish, and live updates throughout the race. Barry Lake served as "roving reporter," stationed on an Army Jeep. Larry Richardson was stationed in the new Press Paddock (constructed underneath the Paddock Penthouse upper deck) on the outside of the mainstretch, relaying scoring and official information. Mutual Broadcasting SystemBooth AnnouncersTurn ReportersPits/roving reportersAnnouncer: Bill Slater Analyst: Gene Kelly Press Paddock: Larry RichardsonSouth turns: Mike Dunn Mainstretch: Gordon Graham North turns: Jim Shelton Norman PerryBarry Lake See also 1947 AAA Championship Car season Notes Works cited 1947 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Mutual: Re-broadcast on "The All-Night Race Party" - WIBC-AM (May 29, 2004) References 1946 George Robson 1947 Mauri Rose 1948 Mauri Rose Category:Indianapolis 500 races Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 Category:1947 in American motorsport Category:May 1947 sports events in the United States