1953 Indianapolis 500
| 1953 Indianapolis 500 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Winning car of the 1953 Indianapolis 500 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 30 May 1953 | ||
| Official name | 37th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes | ||
| Location | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.023 km (2.5 mi) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 804.672 km (500 mi) | ||
| Weather | Extremely hot | ||
| Attendance | 190,000[1] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Howard B. Keck | ||
| Time | 4:20.13 (4 laps) | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Howard B. Keck | ||
| Second | Bessie Lee Paoli | ||
| Third | Ed Walsh | ||
The 37th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1953. The event was part of the 1953 AAA National Championship Trail, and was race 2 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers.
Bill Vukovich, after falling short a year before, earned the first of two consecutive Indy 500 victories. With the temperature in the high 90s (°F), and the track temperature exceeding 130 °F (54 °C), this race is often known as the "Hottest 500." Driver Carl Scarborough dropped out the race, and later died at the infield hospital due to heat prostration.[2]
Due to the extreme heat conditions, several drivers in the field required relief drivers, and some relief drivers even required additional relief. Vukovich, however, as well as second-place finisher Art Cross, both ran the full 500 miles solo.
Race details
Practice
Sixteen year race veteran Chet Miller died in an accident in practice on May 15.[3]
Qualifying
Time trials were scheduled for four days.
- Saturday May 16 – Pole Day time trials (rained out)
- Sunday May 17 – Second day time trials
- Saturday May 23 – Third day time trials
- Sunday May 24 – Fourth day time trials
Vukovich qualified on pole, with a speed of 138.392 mph (222.720 km/h).
Race
Polesitter Bill Vukovich dominated the race, leading 195 laps and also recording fastest lap.
- The race is commonly known as the "Hottest 500", with track temperatures exceeding 130 °F (54 °C). Recent research, however, has suggested that the 1937 race actually had higher recorded temperatures. Half the drivers in the field used relief help,[3] including:
- Duane Carter (49 laps) took over from Sam Hanks (151)
- Paul Russo (96) took over from Fred Agabashian (104)
- Eddie Johnson (88) took over from Jim Rathmann (112)
- Gene Hartley (37) and Chuck Stevenson (44) took over from Tony Bettenhausen (115)
- Bob Scott (121) took over from Carl Scarborough (69)[4]
- Jim Rathmann (36) took over from Bill Holland (141)
- Duke Dinsmore (10) and Andy Linden (29) took over from Rodger Ward (138)
- Johnny Mantz (42) took over from Walt Faulkner (134)
- Jackie Holmes (9) and Johnny Thomson (45) took over from Spider Webb (112)
- Andy Linden (12) and Chuck Stevenson (13) took over from Jerry Hoyt (82)
Carl Scarborough retired from the race due to heat exhaustion, and died later at the infield hospital.[2]
Classification
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Constructor | Qual | Rank | Laps | Led | Time/retired | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 14 | .svg.png){kind=small} |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 138.39 | 1 | 200 | 195 | 3:53:01.69 | 91 |
| 2 | 12 | 16 | |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 137.31 | 8 | 200 | 0 | +3:30.87 | 6 |
| 3 | 9 | 3 | (relieved by Duane Carter) |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 137.53 | 5 | 200 | 3 | +4:11.50 | 2 2 |
| 4 | 2 | 59 | (relieved by Paul Russo) |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 137.54 | 4 | 200 | 1 | +4:39.24 | 1.5 1.5 |
| 5 | 3 | 5 | |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 136.6 | 13 | 200 | 0 | +7:49.64 | 2 |
| 6 | 21 | 48 | |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 135.74 | 23 | 200 | 0 | +8:10.21 | |
| 7 | 25 | 2 | (relieved by Eddie Johnson) |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 135.66 | 27 | 200 | 1 | +8:46.02 | |
| 8 | 20 | 12 | |
Stevens-Offenhauser | 135.92 | 22 | 200 | 0 | +10:04.55 | |
| 9 | 6 | 98 | (relieved by Chuck Stevenson) (relieved by Gene Hartley) |
Kuzma-Offenhauser | 136.02 | 20 | 196 | 0 | Accident | |
| 10 | 32 | 53 | |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 135.26 | 31 | 193 | 0 | +7 laps | |
| 11 | 26 | 9 | |
Kurtis Kraft-Novi | 135.46 | 30 | 191 | 0 | Accident | |
| 12 | 19 | 73 | (relieved by Bob Scott) |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 135.93 | 21 | 190 | 0 | +10 laps | |
| 13 | 4 | 88 | |
Kuzma-Offenhauser | 136.38 | 15 | 184 | 0 | Engine | |
| 14 | 31 | 8 | |
Schroeder-Offenhauser | 135.5 | 29 | 183 | 0 | +17 laps | |
| 15 | 28 | 49 | (relieved by Jim Rathmann) |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 137.86 | 2 | 177 | 0 | Magneto | |
| 16 | 10 | 92 | (relieved by Andy Linden) (relieved by Duke Dinsmore) |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 137.46 | 6 | 177 | 0 | Axle | |
| 17 | 14 | 23 | (relieved by Johnny Mantz) |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 137.11 | 10 | 176 | 0 | +24 laps | |
| 18 | 22 | 22 | |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 135.72 | 25 | 169 | 0 | Oil Leak | |
| 19 | 18 | 62 | (relieved by Johnny Thomson) (relieved by Jackie Holmes) |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 136.16 | 17 | 166 | 0 | Oil Leak | |
| 20 | 29 | 51 | |
Kuzma-Offenhauser | 136.87 | 11 | 151 | 0 | Suspension | |
| 21 | 23 | 83 | |
Turner-Offenhauser | 135.7 | 26 | 146 | 0 | Transmission | |
| 22 | 24 | 77 | |
Kuzma-Offenhauser | 135.66 | 28 | 115 | 0 | Accident | |
| 23 | 7 | 55 | (relieved by Chuck Stevenson) (relieved by Andy Linden) |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 135.73 | 24 | 107 | 0 | Overheating | |
| 24 | 27 | 4 | |
Lesovsky-Offenhauser | 135.26 | 32 | 94 | 0 | Ignition | |
| 25 | 17 | 7 | |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 136.21 | 16 | 89 | 0 | Magneto | |
| 26 | 8 | 21 | |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 137.66 | 3 | 86 | 0 | Engine | |
| 27 | 15 | 38 | |
Watson-Offenhauser | 136.86 | 12 | 76 | 0 | Accident | |
| 28 | 13 | 41 | |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 137.26 | 9 | 53 | 0 | Accident | |
| 29 | 16 | 97 | |
Kuzma-Offenhauser | 136.56 | 14 | 42 | 0 | Fuel Leak | |
| 30 | 30 | 99 | |
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 136.09 | 18 | 30 | 0 | Magneto | |
| 31 | 11 | 29 | |
Bromme-Offenhauser | 137.43 | 7 | 14 | 0 | Oil Leak | |
| 32 | 33 | 56 | |
Del Roy-Offenhauser | 135.26 | 33 | 6 | 0 | Ignition | |
| 33 | 5 | 32 | |
Stevens-Offenhauser | 136.06 | 19 | 3 | 0 | Accident |
- Notes
- ^1 – Includes 1 point for fastest lead lap
Alternates
- First alternate: Eddie Johnson (#26)[5]
Failed to Qualify
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Race notes
Broadcasting
Radio
The race was carried live flag-to-flag on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. Instead of being produced by 1070 WIBC-AM, the network pooled together talent and technical staff from all five of the major radio stations in Indianapolis. The broadcast was anchored by Sid Collins, and featured on-air talent from WIBC, WFBM, WISH, WIRE, and WXLW.[10]
The broadcast signed on at 10:45 a.m. local time, and carried live through the conclusion, until 3:45 p.m. local time. The broadcast was carried on 135 stations in at least 35 states across the country, and on Armed Forced Network to Europe and Asia.
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth Announcers | Turn Reporters | Pit/garage reporters |
|
Chief Announcer: Sid Collins |
South Turns: Bill Frosch |
Luke Walton (north pits) Al Vare (south pits) Sid Collins (victory lane) |
Championship standings after the race
- World Drivers' Championship standings
| Pos | Driver | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1 |  |
9 |
 |
2 |  |
9 |
 |
3 | |
6 |
|
4 | |
6 |
|
5 |  |
4 |
- Note: Only the top five positions are included. Only the best 4 results counted towards the Championship.
Gallery
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1953 Indianapolis 500. |
- 1953 winning car
References
- ↑ Lamm, Corky (May 31, 1953). "Californian Leads Al But Two Laps; 5 Cars Crack Up". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 Yates, Brock (2005). Against Death and Time: One Fatal Season in Racing's Glory Years. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-1-56025-770-7. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- 1 2 Yates, Brock (1961). The Indianapolis 500: The Story of the Motor Speedway. Harper. p. 67.
- ↑ Davidson, Donald (2011-02-03). "Pit Lane before the 1953 Indianapolis 500". Blog.indianapolismotorspeedway.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ↑ The Talk of Gasoline Alley – 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004
- ↑ "1953 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes". ChampCarStats.com. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ↑ Yates, Brock (1961). The Indianapolis 500: The Story of the Motor Speedway. Harper. p. 68.
- ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
- ↑ The Talk of Gasoline Alley – 1070-AM WIBC, May 13, 2004
- ↑ "5 Stations To Handle 500-Mile". The Indianapolis Star. May 24, 1953. p. 63. Retrieved March 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
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
- 1953 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network: Re-broadcast on "The History of the 500" – WFNI (May 12, 2013)
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