1950 Indianapolis 500

1950 Indianapolis 500
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Winning car of the 1950 Indianapolis 500
Race details
Date	30 May 1950 (1950-05-30)
Official name	34th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes
Location	Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	4.023 km (2.5 mi)
Distance	138 laps, 555.224 km (345 mi)
Weather	Rainy
Attendance	175,000[1]
Pole position
Driver	Walt Faulkner	Wynn's Friction / Kurtis Kraft
Time	4:27.97 (4 laps)
Podium
First	Johnnie Parsons	Wynn's Friction / Kurtis Kraft
Second	Bill Holland	Lou Moore
Third	Mauri Rose	Howard Keck

The 34th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1950. The event was part of the 1950 AAA National Championship Trail. It was also race 3 of 7 in the 1950 World Championship of Drivers and paid points towards the World Championship. The event, however, did not attract any European Formula One drivers for 1950. Giuseppe Farina originally planned to enter, but his car never arrived. The Indianapolis 500 would be included on the World Championship calendar through 1960.

The race was originally scheduled for 200 laps (500 miles), but was stopped after 138 laps (345 miles) due to rain.

A rumor circulated in racing circles during and after this race that Johnnie Parsons's team discovered an irreparable crack in the engine block on race morning. The discovery supposedly precipitated Parsons to charge for the lap leader prizes.^[2] Presumably, he set his sights on leading as many laps as possible before the engine inevitably was to fail. Furthermore, the race ending early due to rain supposedly saved Parsons's day allowing him to secure the victory before the engine let go. However, the engine block crack was proved to be an urban myth,^[3] and it was said to be a very minor but acceptable level of porosity, which did not significantly affect the performance.

Parsons's win saw him score 9 points and move to a temporary first-place tie (after 3 races on the Formula One season calendar) in the first ever World Drivers' Championship, alongside Nino Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio, and also saw him become the first American to win a World Championship race. Parsons is one of only three drivers to have won his first World Championship race, the other two being Farina, who won the first World Championship race (the 1950 British Grand Prix, 17 days earlier) and Giancarlo Baghetti, who won the 1961 French Grand Prix. Despite the 500 being his only race in the 1950 World Championship, it would be enough to see him finish the championship 6th in points.

During the month, Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck were at the track to film scenes for the film To Please a Lady. Stanwyck was on hand in victory lane after the race for the traditional celebratory kiss to the winner.

Time trials[]

Time trials was scheduled for six days.

• Saturday May 13: Walt Faulkner won the pole position with a record run of 134.343 mph.
• Sunday May 14
• Saturday May 20: The third day of time trials saw six cars complete runs. Bayliss Levrett (131.181 mph) was the fastest of the afternoon. Charles Van Acker was ruled physically disqualified, after a crash he suffered at the Speedway from 1949.^[4]
• Sunday May 21
• Saturday May 27: The day began with 11 spots open in the grid.^[5]
• Sunday May 28: Only one driver managed to bump his way into the field. Johnny McDowell bumped Cliff Griffith, while 15 other cars failed to make the field. The two Novi entries failed to qualify – Chet Miller had engine trouble in one of the cars, while the other snapped a supercharger shaft. Rain and two crashes cut the track time to less than three hours. Cy Marshall was among the few left in line when time trials closed at 6 p.m.^[6]

Box score[]

Pos	Grid	No	Driver	Constructor	Qual	Rank	Laps	Led	Time/Retired	Points
1	5	1	Johnnie Parsons	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	132.040	8	138	115	2:46:55.97	91
2	10	3	Bill Holland  W	Deidt-Offenhauser	130.480	21	137	8	+ 1 Lap	6
3	3	31	Mauri Rose  W	Deidt-Offenhauser	132.310	6	137	15	+ 1 Lap	4
4	12	54	Cecil Green  R	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	132.910	2	137	0	+ 1 Lap	3
5	9	17	Joie Chitwood (Relieved by Tony Bettenhausen)	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	130.750	19	136	0	+ 2 Laps	1 1
6	23	8	Lee Wallard	Moore-Offenhauser	132.430	5	136	0	+ 2 Laps
7	1	98	Walt Faulkner  R	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	134.340	1	135	0	+ 3 Laps
8	4	5	George Connor	Lesovsky-Offenhauser	132.160	7	135	0	+ 3 Laps
9	19	7	Paul Russo	Nichels-Offenhauser	130.790	18	135	0	+ 3 Laps
10	11	59	Pat Flaherty  R	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	129.600	30	135	0	+ 3 Laps
11	16	2	Myron Fohr	Marchese-Offenhauser	131.710	11	133	0	+ 5 Laps
12	13	18	Duane Carter	Stevens-Offenhauser	131.660	12	133	0	+ 5 Laps
13	26	15	Mack Hellings	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	130.680	20	132	0	+ 6 Laps
14	6	49	Jack McGrath	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	131.860	10	131	0	Spun Off
15	24	55	Troy Ruttman	Lesovsky-Offenhauser	131.910	9	130	0	+ 8 Laps
16	31	75	Gene Hartley  R	Langley-Offenhauser	129.210	32	128	0	+ 10 Laps
17	27	22	Jimmy Davies  R	Ewing-Offenhauser	130.400	23	128	0	+ 10 Laps
18	33	62	Johnny McDowell	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	129.690	27	128	0	+ 10 Laps
19	20	4	Walt Brown	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	130.450	22	127	0	+ 11 Laps
20	14	21	Spider Webb	Maserati-Offenhauser	129.740	26	126	0	+ 12 Laps
21	15	81	Jerry Hoyt  R	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	129.520	31	125	0	+ 13 Laps
22	29	27	Walt Ader  R	Rae-Offenhauser	129.940	25	123	0	+ 15 Laps
23	30	77	Jackie Holmes	Olson-Offenhauser	129.690	28	123	0	Spun Off
24	28	76	Jim Rathmann	Wetteroth-Offenhauser	129.950	24	122	0	+ 16 Laps
25	21	12	Henry Banks (Relieved by Fred Agabashian)	Maserati-Offenhauser	129.640	29	112	0	Oil Line
26	22	67	Bill Schindler  R	Snowberger-Offenhauser	132.690	4	111	0	Transmission
27	17	24	Bayliss Levrett (Relieved by Bill Cantrell)	Adams-Offenhauser	131.180	14	108	0	Oil Pressure
28	2	28	Fred Agabashian	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	132.790	3	64	0	Oil Leak
29	32	61	Jimmy Jackson	Kurtis Kraft-Cummins	129.200	33	52	0	Compressor
30	25	23	Sam Hanks	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	131.590	13	42	0	Oil Pressure
31	8	14	Tony Bettenhausen	Deidt-Offenhauser	130.940	16	30	0	Wheel Bearing
32	18	45	Dick Rathmann  R	Watson-Offenhauser	130.920	17	25	0	Stalled
33	7	69	Duke Dinsmore	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	131.060	15	10	0	Oil Leak
Source:[7]

Notes

• ^1 – Includes 1 point for fastest lead lap

 W  = past winner
 R  = rookie

Notes[]

• Pole position: Walt Faulkner – 4:27.97
• Fastest Lead Lap: Johnnie Parsons – 1:09.77
• Shared drivers:
  • Joie Chitwood (82 laps) and Tony Bettenhausen (54 laps), after Bettenhausen retired. Points for 5th position were shared between the drivers.
  • Henry Banks (71 laps) and Fred Agabashian (41 laps)
  • Bayliss Levrett (105 laps) and Bill Cantrell (3 laps)
• First win for Firestone in the World Championship.

Qualifying[]

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Lap	Gap
1	98	Walt Faulkner	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:27.97	–
2	28	Fred Agabashian	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:31.10	+ 3.13
3	31	Mauri Rose	Deidt-Offenhauser	4:32.07	+ 4.10
4	5	George Connor	Lesovsky-Offenhauser	4:32.39	+ 4.42
5	1	Johnnie Parsons	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:32.43	+ 4.46
6	49	Jack McGrath	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:33.00	+ 5.03
7	69	Duke Dinsmore	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:34.67	+ 6.70
8	14	Tony Bettenhausen	Deidt-Offenhauser	4:34.92	+ 6.95
9	17	Joie Chitwood	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:35.32	+ 7.35
10	3	Bill Holland	Deidt-Offenhauser	4:35.90	+ 7.93
11	59	Pat Flaherty	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:37.76	+ 9.79
12	54	Cecil Green	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:30.86	+ 2.89
13	18	Duane Carter	Stevens-Offenhauser	4:33.42	+ 5.45
14	21	Spider Webb	Maserati-Offenhauser	4:37.46	+ 9.49
15	81	Jerry Hoyt	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:37.95	+ 9.98
16	2	Myron Fohr	Marchese-Offenhauser	4:33.32	+ 5.35
17	24	Bayliss Levrett	Adams-Offenhauser	4:34.43	+ 6.46
18	45	Dick Rathmann	Watson-Offenhauser	4:34.96	+ 6.99
19	7	Paul Russo	Nichels-Offenhauser	4:35.25	+ 7.28
20	4	Walt Brown	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:35.96	+ 7.99
21	12	Henry Banks	Maserati-Offenhauser	4:37.68	+ 9.71
22	67	Bill Schindler	Snowberger-Offenhauser	4:31.31	+ 3.34
23	8	Lee Wallard	Moore-Offenhauser	4:31.83	+ 3.86
24	55	Troy Ruttman	Lesovsky-Offenhauser	4:32.91	+ 4.94
25	23	Sam Hanks	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:33.57	+ 5.60
26	15	Mack Hellings	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:35.32	+ 7.35
27	22	Jimmy Davies	Ewing-Offenhauser	4:36.07	+ 8.10
28	76	Jim Rathmann	Wetteroth-Offenhauser	4:37.01	+ 9.04
29	27	Walt Ader	Rae-Offenhauser	4:37.05	+ 9.08
30	77	Jackie Holmes	Olson-Offenhauser	4:37.57	+ 9.60
31	75	Gene Hartley	Langley-Offenhauser	4:38.61	+ 10.64
32	61	Jimmy Jackson	Kurtis Kraft-Cummins	4:38.62	+ 10.65
33	62	Johnny McDowell	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	4:37.58	+ 9.61

First alternate[]

No	Driver	Constructor
66	Cliff Griffith  R [8]	Miller-Offenhauser

Non-qualifiers[]

No	Driver	Constructor
9	Andy Linden  R	Bromme-Offenhauser
9	R	Bromme-Offenhauser
10	Bill Vukovich  R	Maserati-Maserati
10	Hal Cole	Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser
16	Ted Duncan  R	Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser
19	Ralph Pratt  R	Bardazon-Offenhauser
19	R	Bardazon-Offenhauser
25	Johnny Mauro	Alfa Romeo-Alfa Romeo
26	George Fonder	Deidt-Sparks
29	Charles Van Acker	Stevens-Offenhauser
33	Joel Thorne	Kurtis-Kraft-Sparks
34	R	Kupiec-Offenhauser
36	George Lynch	Snowberger-Offenhauser
38	Duke Nalon	Kurtis-Kraft-Novi
39	Danny Kladis	Maserati-Maserati
41	Milt Fankhouser	Stevens-Offenhauser
43	Chet Miller	Kurtis-Kraft-Novi
44	Bill Cantrell	Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser
47	Ralph Pratt  R	Gdula-Offenhauser
51	R	Stevens-Offenhauser
52	R	Meyer-Offenhauser
52	R	Meyer-Offenhauser
58	Billy Devore	Scopa-Offenhauser
63	Joe James  R	Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser
63	Bob Gregg  R	Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser
64	Bob Sweikert  R	Wetteroth-Offenhauser
65	Marvin Burke  R	Kurtis-Kraft-Duray
65	Norm Houser	Kurtis-Kraft-Duray
74	Carl Forberg  R	Miller-Offenhauser
78	Cy Marshall	Miller-Miller
79	R	Cantarano-Wayne
82	Joe James  R	Weidel-Mercury
83	Al Miller	Miller-Miller
84	Mike Burch  R	Miller-Offenhauser
85	Manuel Ayulo	Maserati-Offenhauser
85	Jim Rigsby  R	Maserati-Offenhauser
87	Bill Vukovich  R	Rounds Rocket-Offenhauser
99	R	Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser
99	Emil Andres	Kurtis-Kraft-Offenhauser

Championship standings after the race[]

World Drivers' Championship standings

	Pos	Driver	Points
	1	Nino Farina	9
	2	Juan Manuel Fangio	9
31	3	Johnnie Parsons	9
1	4	Luigi Fagioli	6
1	5	Alberto Ascari	6
Source: [9]

• 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 Mutual Broadcasting System, the precursor to the IMS Radio Network. The broadcast was sponsored by Perfect Circle Piston Rings and Bill Slater served as the anchor. Sid Collins moved into the booth for the first time to serve as analyst, and conducted the victory lane interview at the conclusion of the race. The broadcast feature live coverage of the start, the finish, and live updates throughout the race.

Prior to the race, it was reported that Slater might miss the race, due to illness. WIBC personality Sid Collins was named as a replacement, however, Slater was able to arrive in time for race day. Collins, who had previously served as a turn reporter, was invited to be the co-anchor in the booth.^[10] For the first time, Collins interviewed the winner in victory lane at the conclusion of the race. Collins claims he burned his trousers on Parsons's hot exhaust pipe during the interview, which took place in the rain.

Because the race was shortened, Mutual had to interrupt Queen for a Day to cover the finish of the abbreviated event. This was cited by some as a reason why the Speedway would begin flag-to-flag coverage in 1953.

Mutual Broadcasting System
Booth Announcers	Turn Reporters	Pit reporters
Booth Announcer: Bill Slater Analyst: Sid Collins	South turns: E. Z. Gwynn North turns: Jim Shelton	Gordon Graham Sid Collins (victory lane)

Television[]

The race was carried live for the second year in a row on local television on WFBM-TV channel 6 of Indianapolis. Earl Townsend, Jr. was the announcer, along with Dick Pittenger and Paul Roberts. After the race, Speedway management disallowed WFBM from broadcasting the race live again, feeling that gate attendance had been negatively affected.

WFBM-TV
Play-by-play	Pit reporters
Announcer: Earl Townsend, Jr Color: Dick Pittenger	Paul Roberts

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1950 Indianapolis 500.

External links[]

• Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats – Official Site
• 1950 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Mutual
• Van Camp's Pork & Beans Presents: Great Moments From the Indy 500 – Fleetwood Sounds, 1975
• 1950 Indianapolis 500 at RacingReference.info (Relief driver statistics)

Previous race: 1950 Monaco Grand Prix	FIA Formula One World Championship 1950 season	Next race: 1950 Swiss Grand Prix
Previous race: 1949 Indianapolis 500 Bill Holland	1950 Indianapolis 500 Johnnie Parsons	Next race: 1951 Indianapolis 500 Lee Wallard
Preceded by 121.327 mph (1949 Indianapolis 500)	Record for the Indianapolis 500 fastest average speed 124.002 mph	Succeeded by 126.244 mph (1951 Indianapolis 500)