The 39th 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 30, 1955. The event was part of the 1955 AAA National Championship Trail and was race 3 of 7 in the 1955 World Championship of Drivers. The race is notable to many as the race in which

Bill Vukovich William John Vukovich Sr. (; December 13, 1918 – May 30, 1955) was an American automobile racing driver of Serbian descent. He won the 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500, plus two more American Automobile Association National Championship races, a ...

was killed in a crash while seemingly on his way to an unprecedented third consecutive Indy 500 win.

Time trials

Time trials was scheduled for four days.

Saturday May 14 – Pole Day time trials

Gusty winds, as well as the threat of rain, was observed on pole day, therefore nearly all of the competitors stayed off the track. Around the garage area, the drivers and teams agreed amongst themselves to sit out time trials for the afternoon, and instead qualify together in better conditions on Sunday. However, in the final 20 minutes,

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 ...

, who had not been informed about the agreement, suddenly put his car in line, and pulled away for an unexpected qualifying attempt. His speed of 140.045 mph was not spectacular, but as the fastest (and only) car thus far of the day, he sat on the pole position. Without hesitation, Tony Bettenhausen, Sr. took to the track moments later. After two fast laps, he was slowed by a gust of wind, and qualified second. Sam Hanks and Pat O'Connor got their cars ready, but neither were able to complete attempts. The day closed with only two cars in the field, and Hoyt the surprising pole winner – to the dismay of several in the garage area.

Sunday May 15 – Second day time trials

Qualifying resumed in better conditions, and most of the drivers who stayed off the track Saturday took to the track on Sunday. Jack McGrath (142.580 mph) was the fastest qualifier, and lined up third. Hoyt's pole-winning speed from the day before ended up being only the 8th-fastest overall in the field – a record slowest ranked pole speed. Near the end of the day, Manny Ayulo crashed due to a possible steering fault and died the following day.

Saturday May 21 – Third day time trials

Paul Russo, attempting to qualify the #18 Novi for Troy Ruttman, suffers a broken gearbox. This was the last appearance of a front-drive car at Indy.

Sunday May 22 – Fourth day time trials

Starting grid

= Indianapolis 500 rookie; = Former Indianapolis 500 winner

Alternates

*First alternate: Len Duncan (#24, #73)

Failed to qualify

* Manny Ayulo (#88) - Fatal accident *

Tony Bonadies Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

(#36) * Bob Christie (#7) * Elmer George (#74) * Gene Hartley (#28) * Bill Homeier (#72, #77) *

Johnny Kay Johnny Kay (born John Kaciuban, June 23, 1940 – July 9, 2022) was a guitarist from Chester, Pennsylvania. He is most widely known as one of the guitarists for the early rock 'n' roll group Bill Haley & His Comets from 1960-1968. Background Bill ...

(#76) * Danny Kladis (#93) * Russ Klar (#61) * Ernie McCoy (#69) * Earl Motter (#81) * Duke Nalon (#31) *

Roy Newman Vice-admiral Sir Roy Thomas Newman, (born 8 September 1936) is a former Royal Navy officer who became Flag Officer, Plymouth. Naval career Educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Barnet, Newman joined the Royal Navy in 1954.Debrett's ...

(#93) * Jiggs Peters (#32) * Paul Russo (#10, #21) *

Troy Ruttman Troy Ruttman (born March 11, 1930 – May 19, 1997) was an American race car driver. He was the older brother of Jimmy Ruttman, and NASCAR driver Joe Ruttman. Ruttman won the Indianapolis 500 in 1952, at the age of 22 years and 80 days. , he is ...

(#18) * George Tichenor (#78) * Johnnie Tolan - Withdrew, ill * Leroy Warriner (#64) * Spider Webb (#9)

Race recap

Jack McGrath, starting from the outside despite the fastest qualifying time, grabbed the initial lead, but was quickly challenged by Bill Vukovich, who was looking for his third consecutive win. Vukovich took the lead on lap four, surrendering it back to McGrath on lap 15 but regaining it on lap 16. Fred Agabashian, who had finished in the top ten the previous two years spun on lap 39 and could not continue. McGrath chased Vukovich until lap 54, when he pulled over with mechanical problems. Despite getting out of the car and attempting to repair it himself, he was forced to drop out with a magneto issue. With Vukovich having a considerable lead on lap 56,

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 ...

, several laps down, flipped over twice, either due to a problem with the wind, oil, or breaking an axle. Although he landed on his wheels, the car was facing the wrong way.Goldstein, Richard (July 7, 2004
Rodger Ward, 83, Two-Time Indianapolis 500 Winner
(obituary). ''New York Times''. Retrieved May 26, 2018. Al Keller, attempting to avoid Ward, turned to the inside, going close to or on to the grass, before turning hard to the right and coming quickly back up the track and contacting Johnny Boyd. Boyd's car careened into Vukovich, who appeared to be attempting to also go to the left of Ward. Vukovich made a last second attempt to avoid Boyd to the right, but Boyd's car sent Vukovich hard into the outside barrier. Vukovich's front end also lifted into the air, causing the front to clear the barrier and the car to contact it with the rear, sending the car into a cartwheel, during which it hit several vehicles parked outside the track, and possibly a pole. The car burst into flames after it came to rest, and Vukovich died from injuries from the crash. Boyd's car also flipped but he and the other drivers escaped major injury.The Rex Dean Accident Report: The Race and Accident
Retrieved May 26, 2018. Driver

Ed Elisian Ed Elisian (born Edward Gulbeng Eliseian; December 9, 1926 – August 30, 1959) was an American racecar driver, mainly competing in the National Championship. He died in a crash at the Milwaukee Mile. In the 1955 Indianapolis 500, he stop ...

stopped his car on the infield and ran across the track in an attempt to help Vukovich. After 27 minutes of running under caution, Jimmy Bryan took over the lead of the race, but was forced to retire after ninety laps with a fuel pump issue, when the lead was taken over by

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 ...

. The only other driver to retire due to contact for the remainder of the race was

Cal Niday Cal Niday (April 29, 1914 in Turlock, California – February 14, 1988 in Lancaster, California) was an American racecar driver. He lost his leg in a motorcycle accident after high school, but it did not affect his race car driving career. Cal is ...

on lap 170.Box Scores - Indianapolis 500 - 1955
Indianapolis 500 Historical Stats from website of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Retrieved May 26, 2018. Art Cross led the race from laps 133 to 156, but after surrendering the lead to

Don Freeland Don Freeland (March 25, 1925 – November 2, 2007) was an American racecar driver who is best known for competing in the Indianapolis 500 eight times. Born in Los Angeles, California, Freeland served in the Navy as a mechanic during World War II. ...

was forced to retire due to mechanical trouble on lap 168. Freeland similarly was passed by Sweikert on lap 160, and retired on lap 178. Sweikert led the remainder of the race. Sweikert stated that the winds made racing difficult, and perhaps led to a decision of racing cautiously and taking advantage of other's difficulty.Burgess, Dale (May 31, 1955) "Bob Sweikert Wins 500 Mile Race" ''Associated Press''. Retrieved May 26, 2018.

Aftermath

The two deaths in the 500 were part of a particularly deadly year for motorsports, which also included four other Indy drivers dying in other races,

Alberto Ascari Alberto Ascari (; 13 July 1918 – 26 May 1955) was an Italian racing driver and a two time Formula One World Champion. He was a multitalented racer who competed in motorcycle racing before switching to cars. Ascari won consecutive world titles ...

being killed while testing a sports car at

Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label= Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Mo ...

, and a horrific accident at the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...

which saw nearly 100 fatalities including

Pierre Levegh Pierre Eugène Alfred Bouillin (22 December 1905 – 11 June 1955) was a French sportsman and racing driver. He took the racing name Pierre Levegh in memory of his uncle, a pioneering driver who died in 1904. Levegh died in the 1955 Le Mans disas ...

who was driving at the time of the accident. Following the year the

American Automobile Association American Automobile Association (AAA – commonly pronounced as "Triple A") is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 m ...

ceased sanctioning auto races (including the Indy 500) and the

United States Auto Club The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapol ...

(USAC) was formed to handle sanctioning duties. It would take until 1959 for fire suits to be made mandatory for all drivers and roll bars for all cars after

Jerry Unser Jeremy Michael Unser Jr. (November 15, 1932 – May 17, 1959) was an American racecar driver. He was the 1957 USAC Stock Car champion. Jerry was the first of the Unser family to compete at Indianapolis. In his only start, in 1958, he was cau ...

's fatal accident at the 1959 Indianapolis 500.Wren, Adam (May 25, 2016
Driving Forces: Danger and Safety at the Indy 500
''Indianapolis Monthly''. Retrieved May 26, 2018.

Box score

;Notes * – Points towards the 1955 World Drivers' Championship * – 1 point for fastest lead lap

Additional stats

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 ...

– 1:04.27 (while Hoyt started on the pole, Jack McGrath set the fastest time but started on the outside of the first row) * Fastest Lead Lap:

– 1:03.67 * Shared Drives: ** Car #10: Tony Bettenhausen (123 laps) and Paul Russo (77 laps). They shared the 6 points for second place. ** Car #77:

Walt Faulkner Walt Faulkner (February 16, 1918 – April 22, 1956) was an American racing driver from Tell, Texas. He moved to Milledgeville, Georgia at the age of two-and-a-half, and to Lake Wales, Florida at the age of eight. He then moved to San Diego, Cal ...

(176 laps) and Bill Homeier (24 laps). They shared the 2 points for fifth place. * While in the lead,

hit the 3-car pileup of Al Keller, Johnny Boyd, and

. He was killed (by fracture to the skull) when his car became airborne and went out of the course on the back long straightaway, landing upside down and on fire. His death concluded a streak of three straight years leading the most laps in the race (likely to have been four straight, 1955 inclusive), a feat unequaled since. * Formula 1 championship debut for Keith Andrews, Johnny Boyd, Ray Crawford, Al Herman, Al Keller, Eddie Russo, Shorty Templeman and Chuck Weyant

Broadcasting

Radio

The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network.

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 chief announcer. The broadcast was carried by 237 affiliates in all 48 states, as well as Armed Forces Radio. The broadcast was dedicated to the memory of Wilbur Shaw, who was killed in a plane crash in October. Luke Walton reported from the north pits for the third year. Charlie Brockman, in his fourth appearance on the network, conducted the winner's interview in victory lane. All five of the major radio stations in the Indianapolis area carried the broadcast. The broadcast was notable as it reported the fatal crash of

Championship standings after the race

;World Drivers' Championship standings *Note: Only the top five positions are included.

References

External links

Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats
– Official Site *1955 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast,

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network (known typically as the IMS Radio Network or the INDYCAR Radio Network), is an in-house radio syndication arrangement which broadcasts the Indianapolis 500, the NTT IndyCar Series, and Indy Lights to ...

: ''Re-released'' by "Speedway Audio" – WIBC-AM (2004)
1955 Indianapolis 500 at RacingReference.info
(Relief driver statistics)
1955 Indianapolis 500 Film
- Oklahoma Historical Society Video and Film Archives {{F1GP 50-59

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 ...

Indianapolis 500 races

1955 in American motorsport