1912 Indianapolis 500
Encyclopedia

The 1912 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race, the second such race in history, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....

 on Thursday, May 30, 1912.

In the aftermath of victory by Ray Harroun
Ray Harroun
Ray Harroun was an American racecar driver, born in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania.-Early driving:As noted in the Columbia Car webpages, Harroun participated in the original setting of the record from Chicago to New York in 1903, and the re-taking of that record in 1904...

 in the single-seat Marmon
Marmon
Marmon Motor Car Company was an automobile manufacturer founded by Howard Marmon and owned by Nordyke Marmon & Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It was established in 1902 and was merged and renamed in 1933. They produced cars under the Marmon brand. It was succeeded by Marmon-Herrington and...

 "Wasp" in the first
1911 Indianapolis 500
The 1911 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1911...

 500-Mile Race the year before, new rules make the presence of riding mechanic
Riding mechanic
A riding mechanic was a mechanic that rode along with a race car during the race who was tasked with maintaining, monitoring, and repairing the car during the race. They communicated with the pits and spotted from inside the car. Riding mechanics were used by most cars in the Indianapolis 500 from...

s mandatory; maximum engine size remains 600 cubic inches (9.83 liters) displacement
Engine displacement
Engine displacement is the volume swept by all the pistons inside the cylinders of an internal combustion engine in a single movement from top dead centre to bottom dead centre . It is commonly specified in cubic centimeters , litres , or cubic inches...

. At $50,000, the race purse is nearly double that of 1911.

Out of 29 original entries, 24 qualify for the race by sustaining a speed faster than a minimum of 75 mph (120.7 km/h) for a full lap, an increase from the quarter-mile qualifying distance of the inaugural year. David L. Bruce-Brown
David L. Bruce-Brown
David Loney Bruce-Brown was an American racecar driver. Having bluffed his way into auto racing at the age of 18, he turned out to be a natural talent behind the wheel and won the 1908 Daytona Speed Trials. He then went on to win the American Grand Prize in both 1910 and 1911 as well as numerous...

 runs fastest at 88.45 mph (142.35 km/h), but starting positions are again determined by entry date. Lining up five cars to the first four rows and four to a fifth, a change from the previous year's starting method is movement of the pace car, a Stutz
Stutz
Stutz may refer to:*Harry C. Stutz , American automobile pioneer and manufacturer of luxury cars and fire engines*Josef Stutz , Swiss Conservative politician*Stutz Motor Company, American luxury cars producer...

, from the inside of the first row to out in front of the field.

Upon wave of the then-red starting flag
Racing flags
Racing flags are traditionally used in auto racing and similar motorsports to indicate track condition and to communicate important messages to drivers. Typically, the starter, sometimes the grand marshal of a race, waves the flags atop a flag stand near the start/finish line...

, Teddy Tetzlaff
Teddy Tetzlaff
Teddy Tetzlaff was an American racecar driver active in the formative years of auto racing. He competed in the first four Indianapolis 500s, with a highest finish of second in 1912. He earned the nickname "Terrible" Teddy Tetzlaff due to his rough treatment of his vehicles...

 takes the lead in a Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

 from the third starting position in the center of the first row, and leads for the first two laps before being overtaken by the grey # 4 Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz in motorsport
Throughout its long history, Mercedes-Benz has been involved in a range of motorsport activities, including sportscar racing and rallying, and is currently active in Formula Three, DTM and Formula One.-Early history:...

 of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

-born Ralph DePalma
Ralph DePalma
Ralph De Palma was an Italian-American racecar driving champion, most notably winner of the 1915 Indianapolis 500. His entry at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame estimates that he won about 2000 races...

.

DePalma's domination of most of the event is total, as he builds an eventual five-and-a-half lap, eleven minute advantage over second, and leads uncontested for the next 194 laps...before suffering one of the most confounding mechanical failures in motorsport
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...

 history at the beginning of lap 197, as his Mercedes begins misfiring, and slowing on the mainstretch at the conclusion of the lap. Nursed on the 198th lap by DePalma at reduced speed, the car finally loses all power at the end of the backstretch on lap 199, as a broken connecting rod
Connecting rod
In a reciprocating piston engine, the connecting rod or conrod connects the piston to the crank or crankshaft. Together with the crank, they form a simple mechanism that converts linear motion into rotating motion....

 rips a hole in the crankcase
Crankcase
In an internal combustion engine of the reciprocating type, the crankcase is the housing for the crankshaft. The enclosure forms the largest cavity in the engine and is located below the cylinder, which in a multicylinder engine are usually integrated into one or several cylinder blocks...

.

With the car's momentum carrying it around to the fourth turn, DePalma and riding mechanic Rupert Jeffkins then enter themselves into motor racing lore, as well as inspire the cheers of the more than 80,000 in attendance, as they climb from the vehicle and begin pushing it down the five-eighths of a mile mainstretch toward the start-finish line.

Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

 driver Joe Dawson
Joe Dawson (racecar driver)
Joe Dawson was an American race car driver.-Biography:Born in Odon, Indiana, Dawson competed in the Indianapolis 500 race three times, beginning in 1911 when he drove a Marmon to a fifth place finish. The following year, Dawson won after Ralph DePalma, who had led for 196 laps of the 200 lap race,...

 and riding mechanic Harry Martin, running in the second position for most of the race in their blue and white National Motor Vehicle Company entry, finally passes DePalma midway down the mainstretch to assume the lead for the concluding two laps, a record that would be held for the fewest led laps in history until 2011, following DePalma's 196 laps in the lead being the most ever in a race by a non-winner. Finishing more than ten minutes ahead of newly-second place Tetzlaff, Dawson completes another two laps for good measure upon fear of a scoring miscue. Sometime thereafter, DePalma and Jeffkins finally bring their car across the line, but in twofold futile endeavour: Speedway rules, requiring that all entries move under their own power, mark DePalma's final number of circuits at 198, and the push across the line, even if to be counted, bringing them only to the beginning of the final lap.

Dawson's run in the American-manufactured, four-cylinder
Cylinder (engine)
A cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work...

 National, with a winning time of 6:21:06 and averaging 78.719 mph (126.686 km/h), is twenty-one minutes two seconds faster than the previous 1911 record; The National team garners $20,000 and additional contingency awards.

Throughout the remainder of the field, only the top ten finishers earn prize money, rules stipulating all entries complete the 500 miles (804.7 km) to collect. Ralph Mulford
Ralph Mulford
Ralph Mulford was an American racecar driver active during the formative years of the auto racing....

, involved in the controversial finish the year before, and being forced to stop numerous times due to clutch problems in his Knox, finds irritation with the requirement and proceeds to drive on, long after all others are presented the chequered flag...and even after Speedway president Carl Fisher
Carl G. Fisher
Carl Graham Fisher was an American entrepreneur. Despite having severe astigmatism, he became a seemingly tireless pioneer and promoter of the automotive, auto racing, and real estate development industries...

 and starter Fred Wagner
Fred Wagner
Fred Wagner, born Frederick R. Wagner was one of the earliest of the Pennsylvania impressionists. He was born in Port Kennedy, Pennsylvania, grew up in Norristown, and spent most of his life in Philadelphia painting its harbors, bridges, parks, train stations and ports.Wagner studied with Thomas...

 leave the grounds (the latter after getting into an argument over whether to flag Mulford off before he had completed the distance, Wagner in favor and Fisher against).

Through numerous accounts of the run, including his reportedly changing shock absorber
Shock absorber
A shock absorber is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp shock impulse, and dissipate kinetic energy. It is a type of dashpot.-Nomenclature:...

s for a gentler ride, as well as stopping for a dinner-on-the-go of fried chicken
Fried chicken
Fried chicken is a dish consisting of chicken pieces usually from broiler chickens which have been floured or battered and then pan fried, deep fried, or pressure fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior...

 and ice-cream with his riding mechanic, Mulford's finish finally arrives, amid deserted grandstands and a setting sun over the mainstraightaway, 8:53:00 after the start, and with an average speed of 56.285 mph (90.582 km/h), which remains a record: the slowest finishing speed to date in 500 history.

Qualification results

Entries required to complete one lap in excess of 75 mph (120.7 km/h) to qualify, but starting grid determined by order of entry date.
Driver Far Inside Inside Center Center Outside Center Far Outside
Time (mph) (km/h)
Row 1   Gil Andersen
Gil Andersen
Gil Andersen was an Norwegian-American racecar driver active during the formative years of auto racing....

  Len Zengel
Len Zengel
Len Zengel was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...

  Teddy Tetzlaff
Teddy Tetzlaff
Teddy Tetzlaff was an American racecar driver active in the formative years of auto racing. He competed in the first four Indianapolis 500s, with a highest finish of second in 1912. He earned the nickname "Terrible" Teddy Tetzlaff due to his rough treatment of his vehicles...

 Ralph DePalma
Ralph DePalma
Ralph De Palma was an Italian-American racecar driving champion, most notably winner of the 1915 Indianapolis 500. His entry at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame estimates that he won about 2000 races...

  Eddie Hearne
Eddie Hearne
Eddie Hearne Eddie Hearne Eddie Hearne (March 1, 1887 - February 9, 1955 was an American racecar driver from Kansas City, Kansas who was active in the formative years of auto racing. He participated in the inaugural Indianapolis 500. He later was a long-time Duesenberg factory-backed driver...

0:01:51.21 80.93 130.24 0:01:54.14 78.85 126.90 0:01:46.84 84.24 135.57 0:01:44.63 86.02 138.44 0:01:49.96 81.85 131.72
Row 2   Spencer Wishart
Spencer Wishart
Spencer Wishart was an American racecar driver. He was active during the early years of the Indianapolis 500. Wishart was killed when he clipped another car during an AAA national championship race and crashed into a tree.-Indy 500 results:...

  Joe Dawson
Joe Dawson (racecar driver)
Joe Dawson was an American race car driver.-Biography:Born in Odon, Indiana, Dawson competed in the Indianapolis 500 race three times, beginning in 1911 when he drove a Marmon to a fifth place finish. The following year, Dawson won after Ralph DePalma, who had led for 196 laps of the 200 lap race,...

  Howdy Wilcox
Howdy Wilcox
Howard Samuel Wilcox was an American racecar driver active in formative years of auto racing.Born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, Howdy Wilcox led the last 98 laps of the 1919 Indianapolis 500 after starting in the 2nd position. He died in a wreck in 1923 at the Altoona Speedway board track in Tyrone,...

  Harry Knight
Harry Knight
Harry Knight was an American racecar driver. He drove in the first two Indianapolis 500 races as well as two "pre-500 era" races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1910, finishing second in a 100 mile race...

  Bert Dingley
Bert Dingley
Bert Dingley was an American racecar driver. He was initially recognized as the first American Championship Car Racing champion in 1909...

0:01:47.21 83.95 135.10 0:01:44.49 86.13 138.61 0:01:43.21 87.20 140.33 0:01:58.55 75.92 122.18 0:01:51.43 80.77 129.99
Row 3   Johnny Jenkins
Johnny Jenkins (racing driver)
Johnny Jenkins was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...


 
  Bob Burman
Bob Burman
Bob Burman was an American racecar driver active in the formative years of auto racing.-Biography:He was born on April 23, 1884 in Imlay City, Michigan. He was the winner of the Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race in 1909. He competed at the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911...


 
  Eddie Rickenbacker
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.-Early...


Qualified by Lee Frayer
Lee Frayer
Lee Frayer was an American racecar driver who competed in the Indianapolis 500. Driving a Firestone-Columbus automobile, Frayer won a 100-mile race in Columbus, Ohio, defeating, among others, the great Barney Oldfield.-Indy 500 results:...

  Billy Liesaw
Billy Liesaw
Billy Liesaw, sometimes written Billy Leisaw, was an American racecar driver. He competed in the second and third Indianapolis 500 races in 1912 and 1913 driving a Buick. He committed suicide in 1941.-Indy 500 results:-References:...


 
  Bill Endicott
Bill Endicott
Bill Endicott was an American racecar driver. He was the brother of fellow racer Harry Endicott.-Indy 500 results:...


 
0:01:51.36 80.82 130.07 0:01:47.00 84.11 135.36 0:01:56.43 77.30 124.40 0:01:56.11 77.51 124.74 0:01:51.70 80.57 129.66
Row 4   Ralph Mulford
Ralph Mulford
Ralph Mulford was an American racecar driver active during the formative years of the auto racing....

  Hughie Hughes
Hughie Hughes
Hughie Hughes was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a board track crash.-Indy 500 results:...

  Joe Horan
Joe Horan
Joe Horan was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...

  Mel Marquette
Mel Marquette
Melvon Marquette was an American racecar driver. He was also an early aviator.-Indy 500 results:...

  Len Ormsby
Len Ormsby
Len Ormsby was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...

0:01:42.41 87.88 141.43 0:01:50.01 81.81 131.66 0:01:51.83 80.48 129.52 0:01:55.27 78.08 125.66 0:01:47.03 84.09 135.33
Row 5   Joe Matson
Joe Matson
Joe Matson was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...

  Charlie Merz
Charlie Merz
Charlie Merz was an American racecar driver. Active in the early years of the Indianapolis 500, he later became Chief Steward of the Memorial Day Classic.-Early years:...

  David L. Bruce-Brown
David L. Bruce-Brown
David Loney Bruce-Brown was an American racecar driver. Having bluffed his way into auto racing at the age of 18, he turned out to be a natural talent behind the wheel and won the 1908 Daytona Speed Trials. He then went on to win the American Grand Prize in both 1910 and 1911 as well as numerous...

  Louis Disbrow
Louis Disbrow
Louis Disbrow was an American racecar driver.-Life:Louis Disbrow was born on March 24, 1888 in Indianapolis, Indiana.He died on July 9, 1939 in his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Indy 500 results:-References:...

 
0:01:52.64 79.90 128.59 0:01:54.10 78.88 126.95 0:01:41.75 88.45 142.35 0:01:57.59 76.54 123.18

Race results

Race finishing times recorded down to second intervals.
All entries still running at conclusion scored ahead of non-finishing entries, regardless of race completion percentage.
Position colors reflect the American
American Championship Car Racing
Since 1916 there has been a recognized United States national automobile racing National Championship for drivers of professional-level, single-seat open wheel race cars. The championship has been under the auspices of several different sanctioning bodies since 1909. Since 1911, the Indianapolis...

 formula motorsports wikistandard for finishing positions.
Pos No Driver Car Entrant Chassis Engine Cyl
Cylinder (engine)
A cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work...

Displ
Engine displacement
Engine displacement is the volume swept by all the pistons inside the cylinders of an internal combustion engine in a single movement from top dead centre to bottom dead centre . It is commonly specified in cubic centimeters , litres , or cubic inches...


(in³)
(L)
Color Qual
Speed
(mph)
(km/h)
Rank Start
Pos
Laps
Led
Laps
Run
Time Speed
(mph)
(km/h)
Status Prize
Money
($
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

)
1 8   Joe Dawson
Joe Dawson (racecar driver)
Joe Dawson was an American race car driver.-Biography:Born in Odon, Indiana, Dawson competed in the Indianapolis 500 race three times, beginning in 1911 when he drove a Marmon to a fifth place finish. The following year, Dawson won after Ralph DePalma, who had led for 196 laps of the 200 lap race,...

*
National National Motor Vehicle Company National National 4 491
8.05
blue / white 86.13
138.61
4 7 2 200 6:21:06 78.719
126.686
finished 20,000
2 3   Teddy Tetzlaff
Teddy Tetzlaff
Teddy Tetzlaff was an American racecar driver active in the formative years of auto racing. He competed in the first four Indianapolis 500s, with a highest finish of second in 1912. He earned the nickname "Terrible" Teddy Tetzlaff due to his rough treatment of his vehicles...

Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

E. E. Hewlett Fiat Fiat 4 589
9.65
red 84.24
135.57
6 3 2 200 6:31:29
+0:10:23
76.632
123.327
finished 10,000
3 21   Hughie Hughes
Hughie Hughes
Hughie Hughes was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a board track crash.-Indy 500 results:...

Mercer Mercer Motors Company Mercer Mercer 4 301
4.93
yellow 81.81
131.66
11 17 0 200 6:33:09
+0:12:03
76.307
122.804
finished 5,000
4 28   Charlie Merz
Charlie Merz
Charlie Merz was an American racecar driver. Active in the early years of the Indianapolis 500, he later became Chief Steward of the Memorial Day Classic.-Early years:...

Stutz
Stutz
Stutz may refer to:*Harry C. Stutz , American automobile pioneer and manufacturer of luxury cars and fire engines*Josef Stutz , Swiss Conservative politician*Stutz Motor Company, American luxury cars producer...

Ideal Motor Car Company Stutz Wisconsin 4 390
6.39
gray 78.88
126.95
18 22 0 200 6:34:40
+0:13:34
76.014
122.333
finished 3,000
5 18   Bill Endicott
Bill Endicott
Bill Endicott was an American racecar driver. He was the brother of fellow racer Harry Endicott.-Indy 500 results:...

Schacht
Schacht
Schacht is a German surname, derived from the common noun meaning "mine shaft".Those bearing it include:* Hjalmar Schacht , German financial expert during the time of Hitler* Joseph Schacht , Jewish Islamic scholar...

Schacht Motor Car Company Schacht Wisconsin 4 390
6.39
red 80.57
129.66
15 15 0 200 6:46:28
+0:25:22
73.807
118.781
finished 2,500
6 2   Len Zengel
Len Zengel
Len Zengel was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...

Stutz Ideal Motor Car Company Stutz Wisconsin 4 390
6.39
gray 78.85
126.90
19 2 0 200 6:50:28
+0:29:22
73.088
117.624
finished 2,000
7 14   Johnny Jenkins
Johnny Jenkins (racing driver)
Johnny Jenkins was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...

White White Indianapolis Company White White 6 490
8.03
white 80.82
130.07
13 11 0 200 6:52:38
+0:31:32
72.704
117.006
finished 1,500
8 22   Joe Horan
Joe Horan
Joe Horan was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...

Lozier
Lozier
The Lozier Motor Company was a brass era producer of automobiles in the United States of America. The company produced luxury automobiles from 1900 to 1915, with a factory at 3703 Mack Avenue, Detroit, Michigan....

Dr. W. H. Chambers Lozier Lozier 4 545
8.39
white / red 80.48
129.52
16 18 0 200 6:59:38
+0:38:32
71.491
115.054
finished 1,400
9 9   Howdy Wilcox
Howdy Wilcox
Howard Samuel Wilcox was an American racecar driver active in formative years of auto racing.Born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, Howdy Wilcox led the last 98 laps of the 1919 Indianapolis 500 after starting in the 2nd position. He died in a wreck in 1923 at the Altoona Speedway board track in Tyrone,...

National National Motor Vehicle Company National National 4 590
9.67
blue / white 87.20
140.33
3 8 0 200 7:11:30
+0:50:24
69.525
111.890
finished 1,300
10 19   Ralph Mulford
Ralph Mulford
Ralph Mulford was an American racecar driver active during the formative years of the auto racing....

Knox Ralph Mulford Knox Knox 6 597
9.78
white / red 87.88
141.43
2 16 0 200 8:53:00
+2:31:54
56.285
90.582
finished 1,200
11 4  Ralph DePalma
Ralph DePalma
Ralph De Palma was an Italian-American racecar driving champion, most notably winner of the 1915 Indianapolis 500. His entry at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame estimates that he won about 2000 races...

Mercedes E. J. Schroeder Mercedes Mercedes 4 583
9.55
gray 86.02
138.44
5 4 196 198 did not finish connecting rod 0
12 15   Bob Burman
Bob Burman
Bob Burman was an American racecar driver active in the formative years of auto racing.-Biography:He was born on April 23, 1884 in Imlay City, Michigan. He was the winner of the Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race in 1909. He competed at the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911...

Cutting Clark-Carter Auto Company Cutting Cutting 4 598
9.80
white / red 84.11
135.36
7 12 0 157 did not finish accident,
turn two
0
13 12   Bert Dingley
Bert Dingley
Bert Dingley was an American racecar driver. He was initially recognized as the first American Championship Car Racing champion in 1909...

Simplex Bert Dingley Simplex Simplex 4 597
9.67
red / white 80.77
129.99
14 10 0 116 did not finish connecting rod 0
14 25   Joe Matson
Joe Matson
Joe Matson was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...

Lozier O. Applegate Lozier Lozier 4 545
8.93
white / red 79.90
128.59
17 21 0 110 did not finish crackshaft 0
15 7   Spencer Wishart
Spencer Wishart
Spencer Wishart was an American racecar driver. He was active during the early years of the Indianapolis 500. Wishart was killed when he clipped another car during an AAA national championship race and crashed into a tree.-Indy 500 results:...

Mercedes Spencer Wishart Mercedes Mercedes 4 583
9.55
gray / black / red 83.95
135.10
9 6 0 82 did not finish water connection 0
16 3   Gil Andersen
Gil Andersen
Gil Andersen was an Norwegian-American racecar driver active during the formative years of auto racing....

Stutz Ideal Motor Car Company Stutz Wisconsin 4 390
6.39
gray / white 80.93
130.24
12 1 0 80 did not finish accident,
turn three
0
17 17   Billy Liesaw
Billy Liesaw
Billy Liesaw, sometimes written Billy Leisaw, was an American racecar driver. He competed in the second and third Indianapolis 500 races in 1912 and 1913 driving a Buick. He committed suicide in 1941.-Indy 500 results:-References:...

Marquette-Buick Will Thomson Marquette Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...

4 594
9.73
tan / red 77.51
124.74
21 14 0 72 did not finish caught fire 0
18 46   Louis Disbrow
Louis Disbrow
Louis Disbrow was an American racecar driver.-Life:Louis Disbrow was born on March 24, 1888 in Indianapolis, Indiana.He died on July 9, 1939 in his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Indy 500 results:-References:...

Case J. I. Case T. M. Company Case Case 6 450
7.37
white / red 76.54
123.18
23 24 0 67 did not finish differential pin 0
19 23   Mel Marquette
Mel Marquette
Melvon Marquette was an American racecar driver. He was also an early aviator.-Indy 500 results:...

McFarlan
McFarlan Automobile
McFarlan is an American automobile manufactured in Connersville, Indiana from 1909 to 1928 as an outgrowth of the McFarlan Carriage Company founded in 1856 by English-born John B. McFarlan ....

Speed Motors Company McFarlan McFarlan 6 425
6.96
gray 78.08
125.66
20 19 0 63 did not finish broken wheels 0
20 6   Eddie Hearne
Eddie Hearne
Eddie Hearne Eddie Hearne Eddie Hearne (March 1, 1887 - February 9, 1955 was an American racecar driver from Kansas City, Kansas who was active in the formative years of auto racing. He participated in the inaugural Indianapolis 500. He later was a long-time Duesenberg factory-backed driver...

Case J. I. Case T. M. Company Case Case 6 450
7.37
white / red 81.85
131.72
10 5 0 55 did not finish burned bearing 0
21 16   Eddie Rickenbacker
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.-Early...

Firestone-Columbus Columbus Buggy Company Fiat Firestone-Columbus 4 345
5.65
crimson / black 77.30
124.40
22 13 0 43 did not finish intake valve 0
22 29   David L. Bruce-Brown
David L. Bruce-Brown
David Loney Bruce-Brown was an American racecar driver. Having bluffed his way into auto racing at the age of 18, he turned out to be a natural talent behind the wheel and won the 1908 Daytona Speed Trials. He then went on to win the American Grand Prize in both 1910 and 1911 as well as numerous...

National National Motor Vehicle Company National National 4 590
9.67
blue / white 88.45
142.35
1 23 0 25 did not finish valve trouble 0
23 10   Harry Knight
Harry Knight
Harry Knight was an American racecar driver. He drove in the first two Indianapolis 500 races as well as two "pre-500 era" races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1910, finishing second in a 100 mile race...

Lexington Lexington Motor Car Company Lexington Lexington 6 422
6.92
brown / white 75.92
122.18
24 9 0 6 did not finish engine trouble 0
24 26   Len Ormsby
Len Ormsby
Len Ormsby was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...

Opel I. C. Stern & B. C. Noble Opel Opel 4 450
7.37
gray / red 84.09
135.33
8 20 0 5 did not finish connecting rod 0

*Joe Dawson was relieved by Don Herr for laps 108-144.

De Palma is usually shown as American, but his application for a US passport (available at http://www.ancestry.com) reveals that he did not become a US citizen until 1920
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK