The 25th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes 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 Monday, May 31, 1937. With temperatures topping out at , it is one of the hottest days on record for the Indy 500.

Time trials

Ten-lap (25 mile) qualifying runs were utilized. During the time trials held on May 28, the car of

Overton Phillips Overton Phillips (20 September 1908 Ottumwa, Iowa – 1 April 1999 Santa Barbara, California) was an American racecar driver. His nickname was Bunny. He was an authority on Bugatti cars. Biography He was born on September 20, 1908, in Ottu ...

burst into flames when his

crankshaft A crankshaft is a mechanical component used in a piston engine to convert the reciprocating motion into rotational motion. The crankshaft is a rotating shaft containing one or more crankpins, that are driven by the pistons via the connecti ...

broke and punctured the

gas tank A fuel tank (also called a petrol tank or gas tank) is a safe container for flammable fluids. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine system in which the fuel is stored and propelle ...

. He then crashed into the pit area, killing spectator George Warford of Indianapolis. Injured were Phillips and his riding mechanic, Walter King, Anthony Caccia, the brother of

Joe Caccia Joseph Caccia (born Giuseppe Caccia; January 19, 1898 – May 26, 1931) was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a practice crash for the 1931 Indianapolis 500 along with riding mechanic Clarence Grove, when he crashed his car at tu ...

, who died

in practice ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...

for the 1931 race, and Otto Rohde of

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnat ...

, a crew member for Champion Spark Plug. Rohde succumbed to his injuries on June 1, 1937. 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. * Bill Cummings' tenth lap of 125.139 mph was a one-lap Speedway track record at the time.

Race details

For 1937,

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. Jigger Johnson served as

Wilbur Shaw Warren Wilbur Shaw (October 31, 1902 – October 30, 1954) was an American racing driver. He was president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death in 1954. Shaw was the automotive test evaluator for '' Popular Science'' magaz ...

's riding mechanic. Johnson, who also rode with

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

winner

Louis Schneider Louis Frank Schneider (December 19, 1901 – September 22, 1942) was an American racecar driver. He won the 1931 Indianapolis 500. Biography "Louie" Schneider was born in Indianapolis on December 19, 1901. He graduated from School No. 49, and ...

, became the second two-time Indianapolis 500 winning riding mechanic. Johnson would be the final winning riding mechanic in Indy history. Starting in the

1938 Indianapolis 500 Events January * January 1 ** The new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the authoritarian regime. ** State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France ( ...

, riding mechanics were made optional, and would no longer be utilized in the race by any entrants. After being banned for several years, superchargers were once again permitted.

Jimmy Snyder

One of the more notable performances of the 1937 race belonged to Jimmy Snyder. During time trials on May 22, Snyder took to the track for his 10-lap attempt late in the day, nearing sundown. He ran his first lap at a track record of 130.492 mph. His second lap (129.422 mph) and third lap (127.334 mph) dropped off, and then officials waved off the run due to darkness. Snyder's run was officially incomplete, but the single-lap track record stood. The following day, Snyder returned to the track, and while he did not match his speed from the day before, he finished his run at 125.287 mph, the fastest qualifier in the field. He would line up 19th on race day. At the start, Snyder blew by most of the field, and was running as high as 6th at the conclusion of the first lap. By the fourth lap he was in the lead, and proceeded to lead 24 laps. On lap 27, however, he dropped out with mechanical trouble.

Late Race Summary

Late in the race,

held a comfortable lead, and had lapped second place

Ralph Hepburn Ralph R. Hepburn (April 11, 1896 – May 16, 1948) was a pioneer American motorcycle racing champion and an Indianapolis 500 racecar driver. Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Hepburn's family moved to Los Angeles, California when he was ten ...

. With about 20 laps to go, however, Shaw's car had been leaking oil, and had nearly lost nearly all of the oil out of the crankcase. In addition, the right rear tire was heavily worn. Shaw slowed down considerably in an effort to nurse his car to the finish line. Shaw and his riding mechanic John "Jigger" Johnson were both suffering from burns due to the leaking oil. Second place Hepburn realized Shaw's problems, and began a charge to catch him. He unlapped himself, and went on a tear in hopes of victory. As the laps dwindled down,

was closing dramatically. Shaw was largely defenseless, as he was carefully nursing the car around. As the car went in and out of the turns, the oil pressure was rising and dropping, and Shaw was calculating how much time he could give up per lap and still maintain the lead. Hepburn closed to a straightaway deficit, then was nearly in reach. On the final lap Hepburn pulled to within a few seconds, and by the last turn he was directly behind Shaw and looking to pass him for the win. With nothing to lose, Shaw floored the accelerator and pulled away down the final straight. He held off Hepburn for the win by 2.16 seconds, the closest finish in Indy 500 history to that point. The margin would stand as the closest finish ever at Indy until

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...

Results

Alternates

*First alternate:

Emil Andres Emil William Andres (February 22, 1911 Tinley Park, Illinois – July 20, 1999 South Holland, Illinois) was an American racecar driver active during the 1930s and 1940s. Andres was part of the midget car racing "Chicago Gang" with Tony Bettenhause ...

(withdrew) *Second alternate: Joel Thorne — Thorne purchased the entry of the first alternate, and planned to buy the qualified car of

Cliff Bergere Cliff Bergere (December 6, 1896 Toledo, Ohio – June 18, 1980 Dade City, Florida) was an American stuntman and racecar driver. Bergere did stunt driving for movies, including the 1923 film ''The Eagle's Talons'', before embarking on a racing ca ...

. 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.

Failed to Qualify

Henry Banks Henry Banks (June 14, 1913 – December 18, 1994) was an American midget car and "big car" driver. "Married Roseanne Eisamann, two children, John Allen Banks, and Kathryn Roseanne Banks, three grandchildren Allen Edwin Banks, Jeffrey Henry Banks ...

(#49) * Tom Cosman (#63) * Dave Evans (#21) *

Ira Hall Ira Hall (2 February 1892, Martinsville, Indiana – 6 February 1987, Tarpon Springs, Florida) was an American racecar driver. Hall was later elected sheriff of Vigo County, Indiana. Career Though Hall had several starts in the Indianapol ...

(#37, #56) * Luther Johnson (#66) *

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. ...

(#65) * Frank McGurk (#39) *

Zeke Meyer Herbert Ernest "Zeke" Meyer (March 19, 1891 – April 27, 1962) was an American racecar driver. He was not related to fellow driver Louis Meyer Louis Meyer (July 21, 1904 – October 7, 1995) was an American Hall of Fame race car drive ...

(#52) * Duke Nalon (#21) * Lee Oldfield (#72) * Vern Ornduff (#67) *

(#66) *

Al Putnam Adelbert William "Al" Putnam (9 October 1908 Salt Lake City, Utah – 15 September 1946 Indianapolis, Indiana) was an American racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport invo ...

(#46) * Johnny Seymour (#51) * Lou Webb (#58) * Doc Williams (#57) * Woody Woodford (#61) * Ray Yeagar (#61)

Notes

Works cited

*''Floyd Clymer's 1909–1941 Indianapolis 500 Race History'' *''Indianapolis 500 Chronicle''

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 ...

1937 in American motorsport