The 42nd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1958. The event was part of the 1958 USAC National Championship Trail, and was also race 4 of 11 in the 1958 World Championship of Drivers. The race is best known for a massive first-lap, 15-car pileup that resulted in the death of fan-favorite driver Pat O'Connor.

Jimmy Bryan James Ernest Bryan (January 28, 1926 – June 19, 1960) was an American racecar driver who won the 1958 Indianapolis 500. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Bryan died as a result of injuries sustained in a champ car race at Langhorne Speedway. Career ...

was the race winner. This marked the first time that one car would carry two drivers to separate wins at the race, in back-to-back years, with

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 ...

winning the previous year's race in the same car. The race featured young rookie

A. J. Foyt Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. (born January 16, 1935) is an American retired auto racing driver who has raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes United States Automobile Club Champ cars, sprint cars, and midget cars. H ...

's debut at Indy. On lap 148, he spun in an

oil slick An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into th ...

, blew out the tires, and dropped out of the race. Juan Manuel Fangio arrived at Indy under much fanfare as he attempted to qualify for the Indy 500 and score points towards the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

. He practiced early in the month, but withdrew when he could not get up to speed.

Time trials

Time trials were scheduled for four days. *Saturday May 17 – Pole Day time trials **

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 ...

set a new one-lap track record of 146.508 mph to sit tentatively on the pole position. His four-lap average stood at 145.926 mph. Later in the day,

Dick Rathmann Dick Rathmann (born James Rathmann; January 6, 1924February 1, 2000) was an American race car driver. He drove in the AAA Championship Car series in the 1949 and 1950 seasons with 4 starts, including the 1950 Indianapolis 500. He finished in ...

qualified at 145.974 mph to win the pole position. Rathmann was not able to beat Elisian's single-lap record, but his four-lap record eclipsed Elisian overall by a mere 0.08 seconds. *Sunday May 18 – Second day time trials *Saturday May 24 – Third day time trials *Sunday May 25 – Fourth day time trials

Race summary

Opening lap crash – Death of Pat O'Connor

For the second year in a row, the starting grid was assembled single-file in the pit lane. The cars were instructed to pull away and assemble into the official eleven rows of three after they entered the racing surface. Confusion occurred on the pace lap, however, as the three drivers of the front row (

, and

Jimmy Reece Jimmy Reece (November 17, 1929 – September 28, 1958) was an American racecar driver. He died in an accident during a 1958 Champ Car race at Trenton Speedway. Indianapolis 500 results World Championship career summary The Indianap ...

) pulled away, and inadvertently escaped the pace car. The three cars were alone, and rather than wait for the grid to catch up, they rushed around to catch up to the back of the field.

pulled the pace car off the track and into the pits, but chief starter Bill Vanderwater displayed the yellow flag to wave off the start. An extra pace lap was allowed, and the front row re-took their position at the front of the pack. By the time Hanks was ready to pull the pace car back out on the track, the field had re-formed, and Vanderwater gave them the green flag. At the start,

took the lead in turn 1,

was second, and

third. As the cars battled into turn three, Elisian spun and took Rathmann to the outside wall, triggering a huge 15-car pileup. Reece braked and was hit from behind by Pat O'Connor. O'Connor's car sailed fifty feet in the air, landed upside down and burst into flames. Several other cars spun to the wall and into the infield.

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 ...

touched wheels with

Paul Goldsmith Paul Goldsmith (born October 2, 1925) is a former USAC and NASCAR driver. He is an inductee of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, and the USAC Hall of Fame. Later in life Goldsmith became a pilot and, flying ...

, and flipped over the outside wall. Unser suffered a dislocated shoulder. Although O'Connor was incinerated in the accident, medical officials said that he was probably killed instantly from a fractured skull. Widely blamed for the accident, Elisian was suspended by USAC for the accident (reinstated a few days later), and was shunned by many in the racing community. Following the accident, race officials announced that they would change the starting procedure, abandoning the single-file trip down pit lane that was used in 1957 and 1958. Also, for the 1959 Indy 500, metal roll bars welded to the frame behind the driver's head were mandated, and helmets were required to pass safety certification by Speedway medical officials.

First half

escaped the opening lap crash, and came around to lead the first lap.

Eddie Sachs Edward Julius Sachs Jr, (May 28, 1927 – May 30, 1964) was a United States Auto Club driver who was known as the "Clown Prince of Auto Racing". He coined the phrase "If you can't win, be spectacular". Early life Sachs was born May 28, 1927 in A ...

and

Tony Bettenhausen Melvin Eugene "Tony" Bettenhausen (September 12, 1916 – May 12, 1961) was an American racing driver, who won the National Championship in 1951 and 1958. Bettenhausen was nicknamed the "Tinley Park Express" in honor of his hometown. He was ...

also got by unscathed, to run second and third. Due to the crash, the yellow light stayed on for the first 25 minutes (18 laps). Four of the top five starting positions were out of the race from the crash, including polesitter

, who placed 27th. When the green flag conditions came out, Bryan, Sachs, Bettenhausen, and rookie

George Amick George Reggie "Little George" Amick (October 24, 1924 – April 4, 1959) was an American racecar driver, mainly competing in the American National Championship. He was killed in a crash in a USAC race at Daytona International Speedway. Racing ...

all traded time in the lead. There were 14 lead changes in the first half. The second yellow came out on lap 38 when Chuck Weyant crashed in turn 4.

, a contender in the first quarter of the race, dropped out on lap 68 with transmission trouble.

Second half

The second half of the race settled down to a battle between Jimmy Bryan and Johnny Boyd, with George Amick also in contention. However, Boyd lost the lead during a pit stop on lap 126. Bryan's team had fast pit stops (three stops for 1 minute and 31 seconds), which allowed him to hold the lead. Rookie A. J. Foyt spun out on lap 149. Bryan led the final 75 laps (139 total) en route to victory. Bryan was victorious in the same car in which

won the 500 a year earlier. Amick, a rookie, stayed within striking distance of Bryan for the last part of the race, but Amick's crew chief decided to accept a safe second-place rather than risk pushing his rookie driver into a mistake. During the race as the news of Pat O'Connor's death spread around the track, the mood among the spectators became somber and glum. Reportedly, some in attendance left the grounds upon hearing the news of the fatality, some never to return.

Box score

;Notes * – Includes 1 point for fastest lead lap All cars on Firestone tires

Alternates

*First alternate:

Gene Hartley Leslie Eugene "Gene" Hartley (January 28, 1926 – March 13, 1993) was an American racecar driver. He was born and died in Roanoke, Indiana. Hartley was the son of midget car driver Ted Hartley, who competed into his 60s.

(#24)

Failed to qualify

Fred Agabashian Levon "Fred" Agabashian (August 21, 1913 – October 13, 1989) was an American racer of midget cars and Indy cars. Career Midget car racing Agabashian competed in his first midget car race in his teens. His first championship was the 1937 ...

(#14, #56, #57, #75) * Tony Bonadies (#58) * Bud Clemons (#59) *

Bob Cortner Robert Charles Cortner (April 16, 1927 – May 19, 1959) was an American automobile racing driver from Redlands, California. Cortner was killed practicing for the 1959 Indianapolis 500. Career Cortner was active on the midget car racing circuit, ...

(#93) – Did not finish rookie test * Ray Crawford (#49) * Jimmy Daywalt (#57, #69, #82) * Rex Easton (#10, #72) *

Don Edmunds Don Edmunds (September 23, 1930 – August 11, 2020) was an American racecar driver and car builder. Racing career He changed the nose on his first Kurtis midget car from Kurtis' design to his own. Indy car builder Eddie Kuzma hired Edmunds to ...

(#92) * Jack Ensley (#17) * Juan Manuel Fangio (#54, #77) * Pat Flaherty (#5) – Entry declined, failed physical *

Elmer George Elmer Ray George (July 15, 1928 – May 31, 1976) was an American race car driver. Born in Hockerville, Oklahoma, George died in Terre Haute, Indiana. He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1956–1963 seasons wi ...

(#10, #28) * Joe Giba (#62) *

(#24) * Al Herman (#68, #75) * Bill Homeier (#74, #95) *

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

(#58) * Jim McWithey (#66) * Earl Motter (#61) – Passed rookie test *

Tom Pistone "Tiger" Tom Pistone (born March 17, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois, USA) is a former NASCAR Grand National driver from Chicago. He made his Grand National debut in 1955. He won two races and finished 6th in championship points in the 1959 season for ...

(#66) – Entry declined, lack of experience * Eddie Russo (#55) *

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 ...

(#98) *

Dutch Schaefer Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer, commonly known simply as Dutch, is a fictional character in the ''Predator'' and ''Alien vs. Predator'' franchises, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film ''Predator'' (1987) and the video game '' Predator: Hunti ...

(#61) – Entry declined, lack of experience *

Carroll Shelby Carroll Hall Shelby (January 11, 1923 – May 10, 2012) was an American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur. Shelby is best known for his involvement with the AC Cobra and Mustang for Ford Motor Company, which he modified dur ...

(#17) – Did not begin rookie test * Marshall Teague (#18) * Leroy Warriner (#95)

Broadcasting

Radio

The race was carried live on the

IMS 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 ...

. Sid Collins served as chief announcer. The broadcast reached 302 affiliates across all 48 states, as well as

Armed Forces Network The American Forces Network (AFN) is a government television and radio broadcast service the U.S. military provides to those stationed or assigned overseas. Headquartered at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, AFN's broadcast operations, which in ...

and

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

. For the final time, a 15-minute pre-race was used. The following year, the pre-race would be expanded to 30 minutes. The broadcast featured the debut of Lou Palmer, who reported from the normally quiet and remote third turn. However, on the opening lap, Palmer was quickly thrust into duty, as his first words on the network were to describe the massive 15-car pileup and fatal accident of Pat O'Connor. Among the guests that visited the booth was

Pete DePaolo Pete DePaolo (April 6, 1898 – November 26, 1980) was an American race car driver who won the 1925 Indianapolis 500. Biography Peter DePaolo was born on April 6, 1898, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pete saw his first race in 1919, where he w ...

. In 2019, this entire race's radio broadcast became available as a paid digital download form the Indianapolis Motor Speedway website.

Race notes

*Fastest Lead Lap: Tony Bettenhausen – 1:02.370 (144.300 mph) * Pat O'Connor had appeared on the cover of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...

'' in the week leading up to the race. His subsequent death is considered an early example of the perceived " Sports Illustrated cover jinx." * Only Appearance:

(killed in 1959 USAC 100-mile race at Daytona) * First Appearance:

(First 4-time Indianapolis 500 winner.)

Formula One Championship standings after the race

;Formula One Drivers' Championship standings ;Formula One Constructors' Championship standings * Notes: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings. Also, points scored in the 500 did not count towards the F1 constructors championship.

USAC points standings after the race

Note: Only the top 10 are listed

References

External links

Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats
– Official Site *1958 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 ...

* {{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