The 22nd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United Sta ...

on May 30, 1934. The winner was the number seven car driven by Bill Cummings, an

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

native, at an average speed of 104.863 miles per hour. Cummings led for 57 laps total, including the last 26. Of the 33 cars that began the race, only 12 were running at the finish, although there were no crashes resulting in serious injuries. One serious incident involved George Bailey, whose car went over the outside wall, but resulted in only a broken wrist to the driver. The finish was the closest in the history of the race to that point, with second-place finisher

Mauri Rose Maurice "Mauri" Rose (May 26, 1906 – January 1, 1981) was an American racecar driver. He started from the pole position driving a Maserati in the 1941 Indianapolis 500, but spark plug problems put him out of the race after sixty laps. He then t ...

within 100 yards of Cummings at the finish (officially 27.25 seconds behind). Rose would also file a protest that Cummings had illegally gained ground during a "slow-down" period following a crash. Cummings was accompanied by riding mechanic Earl Unversaw. The race was part of the

1934 AAA Championship Car season Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maxi ...

Time trials

Ten-lap (25 mile) qualifying runs were utilized.

Kelly Petillo Kelly Carl Petillo (born Cavino Michele Petillo; December 5, 1903 or December 16, 1903 – June 30, 1970) was an American racecar driver. Life and career Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1903, Petillo moved with his family to Huntington Park, ...

earned the pole position with a speed of over 119 mph. During a qualification attempt, driver

Peter Kreis A. J. "Peter" Kreis (January 19, 1900 – May 25, 1934) was an American racecar driver. He and riding mechanic Robert Hahn were killed in a turn one accident while practicing for the 1934 Indianapolis 500. As he was entering the turn, a ca ...

lost control in turn 1, climbed over the wall, and struck a tree outside of the track. He and his riding mechanic were fatally injured.

Race summary and results

At the start, polesitter Petillo took the lead for the first 4 laps. But the pace was 8 mph off the record of the previous year, owing to new fuel regulations that limited cars to 45 gallons for the entire race. By half-distance,

was leading, but close behind him was Cummings. "Wild Bill" first assumed the lead at 325 miles as Rose pitted for fuel, then lost it as he too made a stop. Cummings then closed on Rose and passed him with 70 miles to go. Both drivers, confident that they had enough fuel, then upped their pace to reach 140 mph on the straights. Cummings and Rose were never more than 30 seconds apart in the last part of the race. Cummings took the checkered with a new record average speed, despite the new fuel limitations. Rose was 2nd, 27 seconds behind.

Alternates

*First alternate: Willard Prentiss

Failed to Qualify

* Bill Chittum (#59) * Maynard Clark (#56) * George Connor (#39) * Wesley Crawford (#44) *

Danny Day Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to the male name Daniel. It may refer to: People *Danny Altmann, British immunologist *Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer *Danny Baker (born 1957), English journalis ...

(#62) * Pete DePaolo (#27) - Withdrew * Leon Duray (#54) *

Fred Frame Fredrick William Frame (June 3, 1894 – April 25, 1962) was an American race car driver. One of the leading AAA Championship Car drivers of the late 1920s and early 1930s, Frame is best remembered for his victory at the 1932 Indianapolis 500. B ...

(#34) *

Sam Hoffman Sam Hoffman is a producer, director and writer who has created content in film, television and on digital media. Hoffman wrote and directed the film ''Humor Me'', starring Jemaine Clement, Elliott Gould and Ingrid Michaelson. The film premiered ...

(#47) * Ted Horn (#53) * Harry Hunt (#43) *

(#14) - Fatal accident * Harry Lewis (#52) * Tee Linn (#62) *

Milt Marion Milt is the seminal fluid of fish, mollusks, and certain other water-dwelling animals which reproduce by spraying this fluid, which contains the sperm, onto roe (fish eggs). It can also refer to the sperm sacs or testes that contain the semen. ...

(#57) * Vern Ornduff (#62) * Jack Petticord (#52) * Harold Shaw (#65) - Driver refused *

Orville Smith Orville may refer to: People * Orville (given name), a list of people with the male given name * Howard Thomas Orville (1901–1960), American naval officer and meteorologist * Max Orville (born 1962), French politician * Merlyn Orville Valan ( ...

(#61) - Driver rejected *

Babe Stapp Elbert "Babe" Stapp (February 26, 1904 in San Antonio, Texas – September 17, 1980 in Indianapolis, Indiana) was an American racecar driver active in the 1920s and 1930s. He also was a member of the infamous Thirteen Black Cats (1924). Career ...

(#44, #54) *

Al Thiesen AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

(#530 * Charles Tramison (#72) * Bob Wallace (#53) * Doc Williams (#38) - Driver rejected

Race details

For 1934,

riding mechanic A riding mechanic was a mechanic that rode along with a race car during races, and who was tasked with maintaining, monitoring, and repairing the car during the race. The various duties included manually pumping oil and fuel, checking tire wear, ...

s were required. After several consecutive 500s with multiple fatalities, new rules limited all cars to 45 gallons of fuel for the entire race. This was meant to limit speeds in the race as drivers would have to drive more conservatively or use up all their fuel before the finish. Despite predictions, new average speed records were set. Book "The Indianapolis: A Complete Pictorial History" p.103

References

{{Indy 500 Indianapolis 500 races

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

1934 in American motorsport