1937 Indianapolis 500

25th running of the Indianapolis 500 June 2026 February 2025 25th Indianapolis 500 AAA May 31, 1937 Wilbur Shaw Shaw-Gilmore Jigger Johnson 4:24:07.80 113.580 mph Bill Cummings 123.343 mph Wilbur Shaw (131) LaSalle Series 50 Ralph DePalma Seth KleinFox Jack C. The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 Carl Hungness Publishing 4th 1994 22 en 0-915088-05-3 William S. Knudsen 170,000170,000 Collars "Wilt" as Sun Sneers At Weatherman, Beams on Speedway https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11444671/ Russell E. Campbell The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com June 1, 1937 June 3, 2017 1936 1938 The 25th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was an Indy 500 race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1937. It was notable for the high temperature at the circuit, reaching 92 F. The race was won by Wilbur Shaw in the first of his three "500" victories, despite his car suffering from an oil leak in the final laps. Aware of Shaw's mechanical failure second place Ralph Hepburn began closing dramatically. Shaw held off Hepburn at the checkered flag by 2.16 seconds, the closest finish in Indy history until that point, a record that would stand until 1982.June 2026 Time trials Qualifying took place over ten-laps (25 mile runs). Crashes On May 28, the car of Overton Phillips burst into flames when his crankshaft broke and punctured the gas tank. He then crashed into the pit area, killing spectator George Warford of Indianapolis.Racer crashes, kills watcher. Others hurt when flaming car piles into crowd on Indianapolis track https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mKVQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JSIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2173%2C2718 Speedway officials attributed the accident to the breaking of a crank shaft and the puncturing of the gas tank on a racer piloted by Overton Phillips of Los Angeles ... The Milwaukee Journal May 28, 1937 Associated Press 2012-10-09 Both Phillips and his riding mechanic, Walter King were injured, as was Anthony Caccia (the brother of Joe Caccia, who died during practice for the 1931 race), and Otto Rohde of Toledo, Ohio, a crew member for Champion Spark Plug.Crackups kill 2 men in speedway tuneup https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DJYcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XWQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5161%2C4691497 Sarasota Herald May 29, 1937 Associated Press Rohde succumbed to his injuries on June 1, 1937.Engineer dies from injuries https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5t1YAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KPUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2615%2C870273 Spokane Weekly Chronicle. June 3, 1937 Associated Presshttp://interactive.ancestry.com/60716/45232_356198-02546?pid=2379568&backurl=//search.ancestry.com//cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc%3DFnF4449%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource%26usePUBJs%3Dtrue%26gss%3Dangs-g%26new%3D1%26rank%3D1%26msT%3D1%26gsfn%3Dotto%26gsfn_x%3D0%26gsln%3Drohde%26gsln_x%3D0%26msddy%3D1937%26msdpn__ftp%3DIndianapolis,%2520Marion,%2520Indiana,%2520USA%26msdpn%3D40138%26msdpn_PInfo%3D8-%257C0%257C1652393%257C0%257C2%257C0%257C17%257C0%257C1893%257C40138%257C0%257C0%257C%26cp%3D0%26catbucket%3Drt%26MSAV%3D1%26uidh%3Dpd1%26pcat%3DROOT_CATEGORY%26h%3D2379568%26db%3DIndianaVitalsDeaths%26indiv%3D1%26ml_rpos%3D1&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=FnF4449&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=trueFebruary 2021 InternetArchiveBot yes On the same day, having completed four of ten scheduled qualifying laps, Frank McGurk's car plunged through an inner rail, overturned and ejected both McGurk, who was hospitalized in serious condition but survived, and his riding mechanic, Albert Opalko, who was killed. The crash was caused by a broken connecting rod. Jimmy Snyder's track record During practice, Jimmy Snyder and his riding mechanic Takeo "Chickie" Hirashima ran laps faster than the existing track record.Jimmy Snyder Sets Unofficial Mark Of 128.57 M.P.H. at Local Speedway https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star/151028424/ The Indianapolis Star 16 Newspapers.com May 18, 1937 March 13, 2026Sets Record for One Lap at Speedway https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news/138158481/ Indianapolis News 8 Newspapers.com May 24, 1937 March 13, 2026 During time trials on May 22, Snyder set the single-lap track record of 130.492 mph. His second lap (129.422 mph) and third lap (127.334 mph) dropped off and the rest of his required ten-lap run was waved off by officials due to sunset. Snyder returned on May 23 and finished his run at 125.287 mph, the fastest qualifier in the field. He would line up 19th on race day. Qualifying results Qualifying Results Date Driver Lap 1(mph) Lap 2(mph) Lap 3(mph) Lap 4(mph) Lap 5(mph) Lap 6(mph) Lap 7(mph) Lap 8(mph) Lap 9(mph) Lap 10(mph) Average Speed(mph)Sat 5/15/1937Bill Cummings123.677123.779120.016122.951123.626123.830123.848123.305123.389125.139*123.455 * Bill Cummings' tenth lap of 125.139 mph was a one-lap Speedway track record at the time. Starting grid RowInsideMiddleOutside 116 USA 1912 Bill Cummings gold W silver 6 USA 1912 Wilbur Shaw54 USA 1912 Herb Ardinger 210 USA 1912 Billy Winn2 USA 1912 Louis Meyer gold W silver8 USA 1912 Ralph Hepburn 338 USA 1912 Tony Gulotta1 USA 1912 Mauri Rose31 USA 1912 Chet Gardner 423 USA 1912 Ronney Householder orange R silver35 USA 1912 Deacon Litz17 USA 1912 George Connor 57 USA 1912 Chet Miller28 USA 1912 Billy Devore orange R silver24 USA 1912 Frank Brisko 645 USA 1912 Cliff Bergere62 USA 1912 Floyd Roberts53 USA 1912 Louis Tomei 75 USA 1912 Jimmy Snyder25 USA 1912 Kelly Petillo gold W silver33 USA 1912 Bob Swanson orange R silver 847 USA 1912 Harry McQuinn14 USA 1912 Rex Mays32 USA 1912 Floyd Davis orange R silver 934 USA 1912 Shorty Cantlon42 USA 1912 Al Miller26 USA 1912 Tony Willman orange R silver 1043 USA 1912 George Bailey41 USA 1912 Ken Fowler orange R silver12 USA 1912 Russ Snowberger 1115 USA 1912 Babe Stapp3 USA 1912 Ted Horn44 USA 1912 Frank Wearne orange R silver orange R Indianapolis 500 rookie solid 1px darkgray gold W Indianapolis 500 winner solid 1px darkgray Alternates Motorsport What an alternate is and what scandal is being referred to is unclear to a lay reader June 2026 First alternate: Emil Andres (part of an elaborate scheme caught by AAA officials, see below)The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004 Second alternate: Joel Thorne orange R silver — Thorne purchased the entry of the first alternate, and planned to buy the qualified car of Cliff Bergere. He then planned to withdraw both of those cars in order to elevate his own car (the second alternate) into the starting field. After the officials heard word of the solicitations, they forced him to stop the effort of effectively "buying his way in" to the field, and threatened suspension.The Talk of Gasoline Alley - WFNI, May 19, 2013 Failed to qualify 28em Henry Banks orange R silver (#49) Tom Cosman orange R silver (#63) Dave Evans (#21) Ira Hall (#37, #56) Luther Johnson (#66) Milt Marion orange R silver (#65) Frank McGurk (#39) Zeke Meyer (#52) Duke Nalon orange R silver (#21) Lee Oldfield orange R silver (#72) Vern Ornduff orange R silver (#67) Overton Phillips orange R silver (#66) Al Putnam orange R silver (#46) Johnny Seymour (#51) Lou Webb orange R silver (#58) Doc Williams (#57) Woody Woodford orange R silver (#61) Ray Yeagar orange R silver (#61)1937 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes http://www.champcarstats.com/races/193701.htm ChampCarStats.com 28 June 2015 Race For 1937, riding mechanics were required.Blazier John E. Rollings Tom 1994 Forgotten Heroes of the Speedways: The Riding Mechanics https://books.google.com/books?id=VUvstgAACAAJ Stephen Rettig B0006QASDW Jigger Johnson served as Wilbur Shaw's riding mechanic. Johnson, who also rode with 1931 winner Louis Schneider, became the second two-time Indianapolis 500 winning riding mechanic. Johnson would be the final winning riding mechanic in Indy history as starting in the 1938 Indianapolis 500, riding mechanics were made optional, and would no longer be utilized in the race by any entrants.June 2026 After being banned for several years, superchargers were once again permitted. Jimmy Snyder's powerful supercharged Sparks engine, allowed him to move up through the field rapidly from 19th to 6th by the end of the first lap, and first from laps four to 24. However, on lap 27 he was forced to retire by a transmission failure.The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 10, 2003 Snyder later drove relief stints for both Herb Ardinger and Tony Gulotta, the latter of whom finished in eighth place. Late in the race, Wilbur Shaw held a comfortable lead, and had lapped second place Ralph Hepburn. However, with around twenty laps remaining, Shaw's car began leaking oil which burned both Shaw and his riding mechanic Johnson. Shaw slowed down to nurse his car to the finish line and protect the rear right tire which was by this stage heavily worn. Hepburn realised Shaw was struggling and pushed to unlap himself. On the final lap Hepburn pulled to within a few seconds, and by the last turn he was directly behind Shaw. However, having reached the finish line without mechanical failure, Shaw floored the accelerator and pulled away down the final straight. He held off Hepburn for the win by 2.16 seconds, the closest Indy 500 finish to that point, a record that stood until 1982.June 2026 Box score FinishStartNoNameEntrantChassisEngineQualRankLapsStatus126United States 1912 Wilbur ShawW. Wilbur ShawShawOffenhauser122.7914200 113.580 mph268United States 1912 Ralph Hepburn(Bob Swanson Laps 108–162)Louis MeyerStevensOffenhauser118.80915200 +2.163323United States 1912 Ted HornHarry HartzWetterothMiller118.60817200 +21.07452United States 1912 Louis Meyer gold W silverH. C. HenningMillerMiller119.61912200 +6:47.9051645United States 1912 Cliff Bergere(George Barringer Laps 106–156)George C. LyonsStevensOffenhauser117.54624200 +11:15.806116United States 1912 Bill Cummings gold W silver(Chet Miller Laps 134–141)H. C. HenningMillerOffenhauser123.3433200 +15:55.2371428United States 1912 Billy Devore orange R silver(Fred Frame Laps 169–200)H. E. WinnStevensMiller120.1929200 +16:15.378738United States 1912 Tony Gulotta(Jimmy Snyder Laps 121–152)(Rex Mays Laps 103–120)Joe LenckiRiglingOffenhauser118.78816200 +21:32.6291217United States 1912 George ConnorJoe MarksAdamsMiller120.2408200 +24:48.20101853United States 1912 Louis TomeiS.S. Engineering CompanyRiglingStudebaker116.43732200 +30:29.5311931United States 1912 Chet Gardner(Billy Winn Laps 120–173)Chester GardnerDuesenbergOffenhauser117.34228199Flagged121023United States 1912 Ronney Householder orange R silver(Al Putnam Laps 50–71)(Henry Banks Laps 132–167)(Ken Fowler Laps 168–194)Henry J. Topping Jr.ViglioniMiller116.46431194Flagged131762United States 1912 Floyd RobertsJoel Thorne, Inc.MillerMiller116.99630194Flagged141135United States 1912 Deacon Litz(Harry McQuinn Laps 59–71)A. B. LitzMillerMiller116.37233191Out of oil152432United States 1912 Floyd Davis orange R silverJoel Thorne, Inc.SnowbergerMiller118.94214190Crash T3162534United States 1912 Shorty Cantlon(Rex Mays Laps 34–89)Bill White Race Cars, Inc.WeilMiller118.55518182Flagged172642United States 1912 Al Miller(Emil Andres Laps 79–158)(Mauri Rose Laps 159–170)Joel Thorne, Inc.SnowbergerMiller118.51820170Carburetor1881United States 1912 Mauri RoseLou MooreMillerOffenhauser118.54019127Oil line192941United States 1912 Ken Fowler orange R silverE. M. "Lucky" TeeterWetterothMcDowell117.42126116Pushed202025United States 1912 Kelly Petillo gold W silverKelly PetilloWetterothOffenhauser124.1292109Out of oil212843United States 1912 George BaileySims & DurayStevensMiller117.49725107Clutch22354United States 1912 Herb Ardinger(Jimmy Snyder Laps 71–106)Lewis W. WelchWelchOffenhauser121.9835106Rod231524United States 1912 Frank BriskoFrank BriskoStevensBrisko118.21323105No oil pressure243344United States 1912 Frank Wearne orange R silverLeon DurayStevensMiller118.2202299Carburetor252726United States 1912 Tony Willman orange R silverPete DePaoloMillerMiller118.2412195Rod26410United States 1912 Billy WinnJames M. WinnMillerMiller119.9221185Oil line273012United States 1912 Russ Snowberger(Johnny Seymour Laps 52–60)Russ SnowbergerSnowbergerPackard117.3542766Clutch282133United States 1912 Bob Swanson orange R silverPaul WeirickAdamsSparks121.920652Carburetor292247United States 1912 Harry McQuinnThomas O'BrienStevensMiller121.822747Piston30137United States 1912 Chet MillerH. C. HenningSummersMiller119.2131336Ignition313115United States 1912 Babe StappHenry J. Topping Jr.MaseratiMaserati117.2262936Clutch32195United States 1912 Jimmy SnyderJoel Thorne, Inc.AdamsSparks125.287127Transmission332314United States 1912 Rex MaysBill White Race Cars, Inc.Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo119.9681024Overheating Indianapolis 500 1937 http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/race.php?raceid=19552 Ultimate Racing History 16 January 2012 https://archive.today/20130205122634/http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/race.php?raceid=19552 5 February 2013 live The Indianapolis 500 Chronicle Publications International, Ltd. Rick Popely L. Spencer Riggs 1998 0-7853-2798-3 Lincolnwood, Illinois Note: Relief drivers in parenthesesChampCarStats.com https://www.champcarstats.com/races/193701.htm International 500 Mile Sweepstakes – May 30, 1937 gold W silver Former Indianapolis 500 winner orange R silver Indianapolis 500 Rookie Race statistics Lap Leaders Laps Leader1–2 Herb Ardinger3–26 Jimmy Snyder27–74 Wilbur Shaw75–83 Ralph Hepburn84–129 Wilbur Shaw130–163 Bob Swanson (in relief of Hepburn)164–200 Wilbur Shaw Total laps led Driver LapsWilbur Shaw 131Bob Swanson 34Jimmy Snyder 24Ralph Hepburn 9Herb Ardinger 2 Yellow Lights Laps Reason Extra time Floyd Davis crash in turn 3Veteran Driver Finishes 2 seconds Ahead of Hepburn https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-noblesville-ledger/146199224/ The Noblesville Ledger Newspapers.com June 1, 1937 April 27, 2024The Last of a Long Line of Gasoline Sallies https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news/146198191/ Indianapolis News 18 Newspapers.com May 31, 1938 April 27, 2024 Notes Works cited Floyd Clymer's 1909–1941 Indianapolis 500 Race History Indianapolis 500 Chronicle References 1936 Louis Meyer 1937 Wilbur Shaw 1938 Floyd Roberts 113.580 109.069 mph(1936 Indianapolis 500) 117.200 mph(1938 Indianapolis 500) Category:Indianapolis 500 races Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 Category:1937 in American motorsport Category:May 1937 sports events in the United States