The 1942 Indianapolis 500 was scheduled for Saturday May 30, 1942, 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 ...

. It was to be the 30th annual running of the famous automobile race. The race was canceled due to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

involvement in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. In total, the Indianapolis 500 was not held from 1942 to 1945. This was the second instance in which the Indianapolis Motor Speedway suspended the annual running of the

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 ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

the Speedway management voluntarily suspended competition in 1917–1918. However, for World War II, the decision to cancel the race was more resolute, and ultimately was part of a four-year nationwide ban on automobile racing. During the war, the track was closed and neglected, and fell into a terrible state of disrepair. Towards the end of the war, revival of the "500" appeared unlikely, and the facility was in danger of being demolished in favor of

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development hell, when a project is stuck in development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped * Photograph ...

Background

Offseason

Following the 1941 race, the 1941 National Championship was won by

Rex Mays Rex Houston Mays Jr. (March 10, 1913 – November 6, 1949) was a AAA Championship Car race driver. He was a two-time AAA champion and won 8 points-scoring races. He made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 1934 and won the pole in 1935, 1936, and ag ...

. With the hostilities of

escalating abroad, rumors began to circulate during the summer of 1941 that the 1942 race may be suspended. Track officials, however, rebuffed the rumors, and insisted the race would go on as planned. The

AAA Contest Board AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and m ...

announced their rules package for 1942, and with the United States still not involved in the war, preparations were underway to race. Rules and specifications were effectively frozen, as parts shortages due to the war were beginning to affect the sport. A fire had swept through the "

Gasoline Alley ''Gasoline Alley'' is a comic strip created by Frank King and distributed by Tribune Content Agency. It centers on the lives of patriarch Walt Wallet, his family, and residents in the town of Gasoline Alley, with storylines reflecting traditio ...

" garage area on the morning of the 1941 race, destroying the car of George Barringer, and burning down about a third of the southern bank of garages. About a month later, plans were drafted to rebuild the garages, and the work was done at some point during the summer and fall of 1941. As was customary at the time, a number of non-points exhibition races took place at the Speedway in July, August, and September 1941. These races were usually put on to entertain visiting conventioneers. On September 9, 1941, an exhibition "match race" was held at the Speedway to entertain delegates attending the National Association of Postal Supervisors convention. Five drivers - Duke Nalon, Cliff Bergere,

Russ Snowberger Russell Snowberger (October 8, 1901 – September 28, 1968) was an American racecar driver and owner active from the 1920s through the 1950s. After his lengthy Indianapolis career, Snowberger continued his affiliation with the "500" by sponsori ...

Chet Miller Chester Miller (July 19, 1902 – May 15, 1953) was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a crash in the south turn of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during practice for the 1953 Indianapolis 500. Yates, Brock W. "The Indianapolis 500 ...

, and George Connor - ran two short races. Nalon won the first, a 10-mile race, and Bergere won the second, a 15-mile race. It would be the last event held at the Speedway before the war intervened.

Cancellation

Ticket order forms were available for the race in November 1941. Less than a month later, the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

launched the United States into

. Within days, public and political pressure began to mount on Speedway management to suspend the race. Initially, the Speedway management was noncommittal about canceling the race, and tentatively proceeded with plans for the race. On December 29, 1941, Speedway president

Eddie Rickenbacker Edward Vernon Rickenbacker or Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient. and the race would remain suspended throughout the duration of the war. Unlike during

, all automobile racing under the auspices of the

was suspended, and furthermore in July 1942, the federal government moved to ban automobile racing, primarily on account of

rationing Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...

. Other reasons cited, however, included the need for the skilled mechanics and technicians from the racing fraternity to shift their labor to war efforts, or even enlistment. In addition, the intrinsic use of auto racing as a testing and proving ground for the automobile industry was largely unimportant, as the industry had already shifted its focus to wartime production and away from motoring public. Rickenbacker initially offered the Speedway to the U. S. military for any purpose they saw fit. During

, it was activated as the 821st Aero Repair Squadron. But they could not use it during World War II, because warplanes of the day needed longer runways than the track's mile straights provided. Thus the Speedway gates were locked, and the facility was abandoned. In March 1942, nearly the entire Speedway staff was laid off, and the headquarters offices at 444 North Capital Avenue in downtown Indianapolis was closed. The race would not be held from 1942 to 1945. The golf course on the premises, however, did operate for at least some time during the war. During the period in which the track was closed, it fell into a terrible state of disrepair. Grass and weeds overwhelmed the brick racing surface, and the old wooden grandstands became frail and unsuitable and inhospitable. The infield became an un-kept quagmire of weeds and overgrowth. Locals would occasionally wander the dormant infield, hunting small

vermin Vermin ( colloquially varmint(s) or varmit(s)) are pests or nuisance animals that spread diseases or destroy crops or livestock. Since the term is defined in relation to human activities, which species are included vary by region and enterp ...

, ride bicycles around the course, or simply explore the grounds. Many former and future Indianapolis 500 drivers were servicemen in the war effort during World War II.

Sam Hanks Samuel Dwight "Sam" Hanks (July 13, 1914 – June 27, 1994) was an American race car driver who won the 1957 Indianapolis 500. He was a barnstormer, and raced midget and Championship cars. Racing career Hanks was born in Columbus, Ohio and l ...

is believed to be the only driver who served in the war, and drove in the race both before and after. Some drivers from before the war period worked as consultants during the war to various suppliers. Most drivers who served did not return to racing afterwards, but a number of drivers who were not servicemen drove before and after. Several World War II veterans returned home to later become Indy drivers, including winners

Lee Wallard Lee Wallard (September 7, 1910 Schenectady, New York – November 29, 1963 St. Petersburg, Florida ) was an American race car driver. In the 1951 Indianapolis 500 Wallard drove the Number 99 Belanger Special to victory, at age 40. Tony Bett ...

Bob Sweikert Robert Charles Sweikert (May 20, 1926 – June 17, 1956) was an American racing driver, best known as the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis 500 and the 1955 National Championship, as well as the 1955 Midwest Sprint car championship - the only ...

, and

Rodger Ward Rodger M. Ward (January 10, 1921 – July 5, 2004) was a World War II P-38 aviator in the United States Army Air Forces, and an American race driver with 26 victories in top echelon open-wheel racing in North America, two Indianapolis 500 v ...

Revival

Towards the end of the war, Firestone received permission from the U.S. government to conduct a tire test at the Speedway. On or approximately November 25, 1944, Firestone tested several passenger cars at the track. On November 29, 1944,

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 ...

tested a race car, driving a full 500 miles, averaging about 100 mph. A second similar test was reported in the spring of 1945. Driver

took a tour of the facility with mechanic Harry C. "Cotton" Henning, and reported that the track was overgrown with weeds, the bleachers were about to collapse, and both conjectured that the race was finished. On May 30, 1945,

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...

came to the Speedway to hold a

war bond War bonds (sometimes referred to as Victory bonds, particularly in propaganda) are debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an unpopular level. They are ...

s rally, putting on a 45-minute show with Jerry Colonna and other entertainers. They then took part in a charity golf tournament at the Speedway Golf Course with Ed Dudley. After World War II was over in the summer of 1945,

Eddie Rickenbacker Edward Vernon Rickenbacker or Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.Eastern Air Lines Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. E ...

. He was looking to sell the property, perhaps to developers.

helped consummate a deal for

Tony Hulman Anton "Tony" Hulman Jr. (February 11, 1901 – October 27, 1977) was an American businessman from Terre Haute, Indiana, who bought the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945 and brought racing back to the famous race course after a four-year hiatus ...

to purchase the track in November 1945, and it reopened in 1946. Hulman worked diligently over the next few months to revive and clean up the dilapidated facility, and make it suitable for world-class racing once again. The 30th Indianapolis 500 was held May 30, 1946.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1942 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 races

Indianapolis 500, 1942 1942 in American motorsport Events cancelled due to World War II 1942 in sports in Indiana