1927 Indianapolis 500

The 15th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1927.

15th Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning bodyAAA
DateMay 30, 1927
WinnerGeorge Souders
Winning EntrantWilliam S. White
Average speed97.545 mph (156.983 km/h)
Pole positionFrank Lockhart
Pole speed120.100 mph (193.282 km/h)
Most laps ledFrank Lockhart (110)
Pre-race
Pace carLaSalle V-8 Series 303
Pace car driverWillard "Big Boy" Rader
StarterGeorge Townsend[1]
Honorary refereeCharles F. Kettering[1]
Estimated attendance135,000[2]
Chronology
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1926 1928

First-time starter George Souders wins by eight laps, the largest margin since 1913. Souders becomes the first driver to win the full-500 mile race solo, with neither help from a relief driver, nor accompanied by a riding mechanic.

Time trials

Four-lap (10 mile) qualifying runs were utilized. Frank Lockhart won the pole position with a speed of 120.10 mph. Lockhart set a new 1-lap track record on his final lap.

Qualifying Results
DateDriverLap 1
(mph)		Lap 2
(mph)		Lap 3
(mph)		Lap 4
(mph)		Average Speed
(mph)
5/26/1927Frank Lockhart120.192119.474119.824120.918120.100

Results
Finish Start No Name Qual Rank Laps Led Status
1 22 32 George Souders  R  111.551 12 200 51 Running
2 15 10 Earl Devore 107.497 23 200 0 Running
3 27 27 Tony Gulotta 107.765 22 200 0 Running
4 19 29 Wilbur Shaw  R  104.465 32 200 0 Running
5 28 21 Dave Evans  R  107.360 25 200 0 Running
6 7 14 Bob McDonogh 113.175 8 200 0 Running
7 18 16 Eddie Hearne 105.115 31 200 0 Running
8 25 6 Tommy Milton  W  108.758 20 200 0 Running
9 14 25 Cliff Bergere  R  108.820 19 200 0 Running
10 13 5 Frank Elliott 109.682 17 200 0 Running
11 33 31 Fred Frame  R  106.859 27 199 0 Flagged
12 32 42 Jim Hill  R  107.392 24 197 0 Flagged
13 31 24 Benny Shoaff  R  110.152 13 198 0 Rear end gears
14 26 41 Wade Morton 108.075 21 152 0 Crash
15 20 44 Al Melcher  R  102.918 33 144 0 Supercharger
16 23 43 Louis Schneider  R  109.910 15 137 0 Timing gears
17 12 9 Peter Kreis 109.900 16 123 0 Front axle
18 1 2 Frank Lockhart  W  120.100 1 120 110 Rod
19 6 15 Cliff Woodbury 113.200 7 108 0 Supercharger
20 17 26 Dutch Bauman  R  106.078 29 90 9 Pinion shaft
21 29 35 Al Cotey  R  106.295 28 87 0 Universal joint
22 16 17 W. E. Shattuc 107.060 26 83 0 Valve
23 30 23 Fred Lecklider 105.729 30 49 0 Crash T1
24 5 19 Ralph Hepburn 114.209 5 39 0 Fuel tank leak
25 4 1 Harry Hartz 116.739 4 38 0 Crankshaft
26 2 3 Peter DePaolo  W  119.510 2 31 30 Supercharger
27 3 12 Leon Duray 118.788 3 26 0 Fuel tank leak
28 9 4 Bennett Hill 112.013 10 26 0 Shackle bolt
29 21 18 Jules Ellingboe 113.239 6 25 0 Crash T4
30 10 8 Norman Batten 111.940 11 24 0 Caught fire
31 24 38 Babe Stapp  R  109.555 18 24 0 Universal joint
32 11 22 Jack Petticord  R  109.920 14 22 0 Supercharger
33 8 7 Dave Lewis 112.275 9 21 0 Front axle
[3]

Race details

For 1927, riding mechanics were optional;[4] however, no teams utilized them.

Eddie Hearne was the only driver in the field who had competed at the inaugural Indy 500. This would be the final time a driver from the inaugural race would compete.

References
  1. Fox, Jack C. (1994). The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 (4th ed.). Carl Hungness Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 0-915088-05-3.
  2. Patton, W. Blaine (May 31, 1927). "Hoosier Averages 97.45 Miles An Hour In 500-Mile Grind". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Indianapolis 500 1927". Ultimate Racing History. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  4. Blazier, John E.; Rollings, Tom (1994). Forgotten Heroes of the Speedways: The Riding Mechanics.
Grand Prix Race
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1926 Italian Grand Prix		 1927 Grand Prix season
Grandes Épreuves		 Next race:
1927 French Grand Prix
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1926 Indianapolis 500		 Indianapolis 500 Next race:
1928 Indianapolis 500
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