The 35th 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 Wednesday, May 30, 1951. The event was part of the 1951 AAA National Championship Trail, and was also race 2 of 8 in the 1951 World Championship of Drivers. For the second year in a row, no European Formula One-based teams entered the race. Duke Nalon, who had suffered serious burns in a crash in 1949, and who missed the 1950 race, made a comeback at Indy by winning the pole position in a Novi. Heavy attrition saw only eight cars running at the finish. Winner

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 ...

's car lost its

brake A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Backgroun ...

s, suffered a damaged

exhaust pipe An exhaust system is used to guide reaction exhaust gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine or stove. The entire system conveys burnt gases from the engine and includes one or more exhaust pipes. Depending on the overall system ...

, and broke a

shock absorber A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typically heat) which is then dissipated. Most ...

mounting.'' The Talk of Gasoline Alley'' – 1070-AM WIBC/Network Indiana, May 17, 2007 In addition to the unbearably uncomfortable ride, Wallard had worn a

fire retardant A fire retardant is a substance that is used to slow down or stop the spread of fire or reduce its intensity. This is commonly accomplished by chemical reactions that reduce the flammability of fuels or delay their combustion. Fire retardants ...

outfit, created by dipping his

uniform A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, ...

in a mixture of

borax Borax is a salt (ionic compound), a hydrated borate of sodium, with chemical formula often written . It is a colorless crystalline solid, that dissolves in water to make a basic solution. It is commonly available in powder or granular form ...

crystals and water. Due to not wearing an

undershirt An undershirt in American English (vest in British and South African English, banyan in the Indian Subcontinent, or singlet in Australia and New Zealand), is an article of underwear worn underneath a dress shirt (or sometimes T-shirt) intended t ...

, Wallard suffered serious

chafing Chafing can refer to: * Chafing (nautical), damage to sails or other parts of a boat from rubbing * Chafing (skin), skin irritation from rubbing or sweat See also * Chafing dish * Chafing fuel Chafing fuel is a fuel used for heating food, ty ...

, and required treatment at the infield hospital after the victory lane celebration. It was estimated he lost 15 pounds during the race. Wallard's winning car had the smallest displacement in the field. About a week after winning the race, Wallard suffered severe burns in a crash at

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spell ...

, which effectively ended his professional racing career. Three-time winner Mauri Rose, in his 15th Indy start, crashed and flipped on lap 126. It was his final 500, as he retired from driving after the crash.

Time trials

Time trials were scheduled for six days. Rain, however, pushed qualifying into a seventh day. *Saturday May 12 – Pole Day time trials *Sunday May 13 – Second day time trials *Saturday May 19 – Third day time trials *Sunday May 20 – Fourth day time trials *Saturday May 26 – Fifth day time trials *Sunday May 27 – Sixth day time trials (rained out) *Monday May 28 – Seventh day time trials (rain makeup day)

Box score

;Notes * – Includes 1 point for fastest lead lap

Alternates

*First alternate:

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 ...

(#37)

Failed to Qualify

Jean Achard Jean Alexis Achard () (1807–1884) was a French painter. Biography Born in Voreppe, Isère, into a farming family, Jean Alexis Achard was self-taught and started his career as a clerk for a lawyer. He began his apprenticeship by copying pai ...

(real name - Jean-Jacques Grosman) (R) (#100) - Did not appear * Frank Armi (#35, #58, #64) * Manny Ayulo (#31) * Joe Barzda (#49) * Bill Boyd (#42) * Jimmy Bryan (#72) * Bill Cantrell (#62, #79) *

Jimmy Daywalt Jimmy Daywalt (August 28, 1924 – April 4, 1966) was an American racecar driver. Born in Wabash, Indiana, he drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1950, 1953–1957, 1959, and 1961–1962 seasons with 20 starts. He f ...

(#33, #47) * Kenny Eaton (#66) * Myron Fohr (#56) *

George Fonder George Thomas Fonder (June 22, 1917 Elmhurst, Pennsylvania – June 14, 1958 Hatfield, Pennsylvania) was an American racecar driver. He made four Championship Car starts, including two in the Indianapolis 500 and drove as a relief driver in ...

(#29, #53, #63) * Potsy Goacher (#45) *

Jackie Holmes Jackie Holmes (born ''Marion Holmes''; September 4, 1920 – March 1, 1995) was an American racecar driver from Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of U.S. state and territorial capitals, state cap ...

(#24, #45) *

Norm Houser Norm Houser (1915–1996) was an American racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the inv ...

(#61) *

Jerry Hoyt Gerald F. Hoyt (January 29, 1929 – July 11, 1955) was an American racing driver from Chicago, mainly competing in the National Championship. He died on July 11, 1955 after crashing in a sprint car race at Oklahoma City. Indy 500 In the 1955 In ...

(#14) * Bill Johnson (#15) * Danny Kladis (#89) * Ray Knepper (#78) * Bayliss Levrett (#46) * Mark Light (#33) * George Lynch (#36) * Dick Page (#64) * Roscoe Rann (#14) * Gordon Reid (#67) * Paul Russo (#7) * Mike Salay (#41) * Bob Scott (#82) * Bud Sennett (#51) * Doc Shanebrook (#77) *

Roy Sherman Roy Sherman (August 31, 1909 - October 20, 1968) was an American racing driver and car builder. As a driver, Sherman won many races and titles in midget cars. He was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2004. Cars built b ...

(#57) * Joel Thorne (#88) * Johnnie Tolan (#34) * Leroy Warriner (#75)

Notes

Pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...

: Duke Nalon – 4:23.74 (136.498 mph) * Fastest Lead Lap: Lee Wallard – 1:07.26 (133.809 mph) * Ayulo (100 laps) and McGrath (100) shared the same car. Points for 3rd position were shared between the drivers. *

Roger Penske Roger Searle Penske (born February 20, 1937) is an American businessman and entrepreneur involved in professional auto racing and a retired professional auto racing driver. He is most famous for his ownership of Team Penske, DJR Team Penske, ...

stated in a live interview on RTV6 in Indianapolis on November 4, 2019, when the

Penske Corporation Penske Corporation, Inc. () is an American diversified transportation services company based in Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan. Roger Penske is the chairman of the privately held company, and Rob Kurnick is the president. Holding ...

was announcing the purchased of all the IMS assets, that 1951 was the first race he attended at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Championship standings after the race

;World Drivers' Championship standings * Note: Only the top five positions are listed. Only the best 4 results counted towards the Championship.

Broadcasting

Radio

The race was carried live on the radio through a network arrangement set up by 1070 WIBC-AM of

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 ...

. Mutual, which had carried the race for several years, had raised its advertising rates for 1951, and lost its primary sponsor for the event, Perfect Circle Piston Rings. As a result, Mutual dropped the coverage altogether. Local station WIBC stepped in to cover the race, and provided its feed to various Mutual affiliates. A total of 26 stations carried the broadcast. WIBC personality

Sid Collins Sid Collins (born Sidney Cahn Jr.) (July 17, 1922 – May 2, 1977) was an American broadcaster best known as the radio voice of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network from 1952–1976. Collins coined t ...

served as the chief announcer in the booth, and the remainder of the crew consisted mostly of WIBC talent. Jim Shelton reported from his familiar turn four location, and Bill Fox was also in the booth. Easy Gwynn was also to be part of the crew. Collins interviewed the winner in victory lane, leaving Fox to call the actual finish of the race. Like the Mutual broadcasts, WIBC featured live coverage of the start (30 minutes), the finish (30 minutes), and 15-minute live updates throughout the race. The on-air crew was smaller than normal. There were not turn and pit reporters stationed around the entire track, instead recorded interviews were played back during later broadcast segments.

References

External links

Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats
– Official Site *Van Camp's Pork & Beans Presents: ''Great Moments From the Indy 500'' – Fleetwood Sounds, 1975
1951 Indianapolis 500 at RacingReference.info
(Relief driver statistics) {{F1GP 50-59 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 ...

1951 in American motorsport