The 25th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes 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 Monday, May 31, 1937.

Late in the race, Wilbur Shaw

Wilbur Shaw

Warren Wilbur Shaw was a noted American racing driver and president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death. Shaw was the automotive test evaluator for Popular Science magazine...

 held a comfortable lead, and had lapped second place Ralph Hepburn

Ralph Hepburn

Ralph Hepburn was a pioneer of American motorcycle racing champion and an Indianapolis 500 racing driver.Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Hepburn's family moved to Los Angeles, California when he was ten years old...

. With about 20 laps to go, however, Shaw's car had been leaking oil, and had nearly lost nearly all of the oil out of the crankcase. In addition, the right rear tire was heavily worn. Shaw slowed down considerably in an effort to nurse his car to the finish line. Shaw and his riding mechanic John "Jigger" Johnson were both suffering from burns due to the leaking oil. Second place Hepburn realized Shaw's problems, and began a charge to catch him. He unlapped himself, and went on a tear in hopes of victory.

As the laps dwindled down, Ralph Hepburn

Ralph Hepburn

Ralph Hepburn was a pioneer of American motorcycle racing champion and an Indianapolis 500 racing driver.Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Hepburn's family moved to Los Angeles, California when he was ten years old...

 was closing dramatically. Shaw was largely defenseless, as he was carefully nursing the car around. As the car went in and out of the turns, the oil pressure was raising and dropping, and Shaw was able to calculate how much time he could give up per lap and still maintain the lead. Hepburn closed to a straightaway deficit, then was nearly in reach. On the final lap, Hepburn pulled within a few seconds. Some observers claim that Hepburn took the lead momentarily down the backstrech.

With nothing to lose, Shaw floored the accelerator and pulled away down the final straight. He held off Hepburn for the win by 2.16 seconds, the closest finish in Indy 500 history to that point.

The margin would stand as the closest finish ever at Indy until 1982

1982 Indianapolis 500

The 66th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 30, 1982. Gordon Johncock, who had previously won the rain-shortened 1973 race, was the winner...

.

Results

Finish	Start	No	Name	Qual	Rank	Laps	Led	Status
1	2	6	United States Wilbur Shaw Wilbur Shaw Warren Wilbur Shaw was a noted American racing driver and president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death. Shaw was the automotive test evaluator for Popular Science magazine...	122.791	4	200	131	Running
2	6	8	United States Ralph Hepburn Ralph Hepburn Ralph Hepburn was a pioneer of American motorcycle racing champion and an Indianapolis 500 racing driver.Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Hepburn's family moved to Los Angeles, California when he was ten years old...	118.809	15	200	9	Running
3	32	3	United States Ted Horn Ted Horn Ted Horn , born Eylard Theodore Von Horn, was an American race car driver. He won the AAA National Championship in 1946, 1947 and 1948 and collected 24 wins, 12 second-place finishes and 13 third-place finishes in 71 major American open-wheel races prior to his death at the DuQuoin State...	118.608	17	200	0	Running
4	5	2	United States Louis Meyer Louis Meyer Louis Meyer was an American Hall of Fame race car driver best known as the first three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500....	119.619	12	200	0	Running
5	16	45	United States Cliff Bergere Cliff Bergere Cliff Bergere was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...	117.546	24	200	0	Running
6	1	16	United States Bill Cummings Bill Cummings Bill Cummings knicknamed "Wild Bill", won the 1934 Indianapolis 500 and set the diesel . Cummings died driving a passenger automobile on State Road 29 in Indianapolis, when he hit a guard rail and plunged into Lick Creek...	123.343	3	200	0	Running
7	14	28	United States Billy Devore	120.192	9	200	0	Running
8	7	38	United States Tony Gulotta Tony Gulotta Tony Gulotta was an American racecar driver active throughout the 1920s and 1930s....	118.788	16	200	0	Running
9	12	17	United States George Connor George Connor (driver) George Connor was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:* In 14 Indianapolis starts, Connor drove without leading a lap. This ranks 5th on the all-time list....	120.240	8	200	0	Running
10	18	53	United States Louis Tomei Louis Tomei Luigi Gilbert "Louis" Tomei was an American racecar driver active during the 1930's and 1940's.-Indy 500 results:-Stunt performer:...	116.437	32	200	0	Running
11	9	31	United States Chet Gardner Chet Gardner Chet Gardner, Born "Chester Leroy Gardner" was an American racecar driver, named by promoters as "The Grand Old Man of Auto Racing"....	117.342	28	199	0	Flagged
12	10	23	United States Ronney Householder Ronney Householder Ronney Householder was an American race car driver. He raced most of the year, in the Midwest in summer and the West Coast in the winter.-Racing career:...	116.464	31	194	0	Flagged
13	17	62	United States Floyd Roberts Floyd Roberts Floyd Roberts is a former Championship Car racing driver from Jamestown, North Dakota. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 1938 with a record speed of . He led for 92 laps. The following year, 1939, driving the same car, he was killed in a crash on the backstretch after hitting a wooden fence at near...	116.996	30	194	0	Flagged
14	11	35	United States Deacon Litz Deacon Litz Artha Benson "Deacon" Litz was an American racecar driver active primarily during the 1920s and 1930s.-Indy 500 results:...	116.372	33	191	0	Out of oil
15	24	32	United States Floyd Davis Floyd Davis Floyd Eldon Davis was the co-winner of the 1941 Indianapolis 500....	118.942	14	190	0	Crash T3
16	25	34	United States Shorty Cantlon Shorty Cantlon William "Shorty" Cantlon was an American racecar driver. He was killed on May 30, 1947, while racing in the 1947 Indianapolis 500 on lap 40 after swerving into the outside retaining wall to avoid the spinning car of Bill Holland, who recovered from the spin to finish second...	118.555	18	182	0	Flagged
17	26	42	United States Al Miller Al Miller Al Miller II , was an American race car driver.Born Albert Krulac in Detroit, Michigan, Miller died in Mount Clemens, Michigan...	118.518	20	170	0	Carburetor
18	8	1	United States Mauri Rose Mauri Rose Mauri Rose was an American racecar driver.He started from the pole position driving a Maserati in the 1941 Indianapolis 500, but spark plug problems put him out of the race after sixty laps. He then took over the Wetteroth/Offenhauser car being driven by Floyd Davis that had started in 17th place....	118.540	19	127	0	Oil line
19	29	41	United States Ken Fowler Ken Fowler Ken Fowler was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...	117.421	26	116	0	Pushed
20	20	25	United States Kelly Petillo Kelly Petillo Cavino Michele "Kelly" Petillo, was an American race car driver....	124.129	2	109	0	Out of oil
21	28	43	United States George Bailey George Bailey (driver) George Bailey was an American racecar driver active in the 1930s. He was killed in a crash during practice for the 1940 Indianapolis 500.-Indy 500 results:...	117.497	25	107	0	Clutch
22	3	54	United States Herb Ardinger Herb Ardinger Herb Ardinger was an American racecar driver.Ardinger competed in eight AAA Championship Car races from 1934 to 1939, including the 1934, 1936, 1937, and 1938 Indianapolis 500 races...	121.983	5	106	2	Rod
23	15	24	United States Frank Brisko Frank Brisko Frank Brisko was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...	118.213	23	105	0	No oil pressure
24	33	44	United States Frank Wearne Frank Wearne Frank Wearne was an American racecar driver. An Indianapolis 500 specialist, he participated in the race 7 times, with a best finish of 7th in 1940. He only made two Championship Car starts in races other than the Indy 500. -Indy 500 results:...	118.220	22	99	0	Carburetor
25	27	26	United States Tony Willman Tony Willman Tony Willman was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a midget car accident.-Career awards:*He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1992....	118.241	21	95	0	Rod
26	4	10	United States Billy Winn Billy Winn Billy Winn was an American racecar driver. Primarily a sprint car driver, Winn competed in four Indianapolis 500 races and drove as a relief driver in 1933, 1934, 1935, and 1938...	119.922	11	85	0	Oil line
27	30	12	United States Russ Snowberger Russ Snowberger Russ Snowberger was an American racecar driver and owner active from the 1920s through the 1950s....	117.354	27	66	0	Clutch
28	21	33	United States Bob Swanson Bob Swanson (driver) Bob Swanson was an American racecar driver.Swanson won the first Turkey Night Grand Prix midget-car race in 1934. At the 1939 Indianapolis 500, he was involved in the accident that killed defending champion Floyd Roberts...	121.920	6	52	34	Carburetor
29	22	47	United States Harry McQuinn Harry McQuinn Harry McQuinn was an American racecar driver active in the 1930s and 1940s....	121.822	7	47	0	Piston
30	13	7	United States Chet Miller Chet Miller Chet Miller was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a crash in the south turn of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during practice for the 1953 Indianapolis 500. During his long Indy career, Miller earned the nickname "Dean of the Speedway"...	119.213	13	36	0	Ignition
31	31	15	United States Babe Stapp Babe Stapp Elbert "Babe" Stapp was an American racecar driver active in the 1920's and 1930's.-Career award:*He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1994....	117.226	29	36	0	Clutch
32	19	5	United States Jimmy Snyder Jimmy Snyder (driver) Jimmy Snyder was an American racecar driver.Snyder was part of the midget car "Chicago Gang" with Emil Andres, Tony Bettenhausen, Cowboy O'Rourke, Paul Russo, and Wally Zale. They toured tracks in the Midwest and East Coast of the United States.Snyder won the 1937 track championship at the Chicago...	125.287	1	27	24	Transmission
33	23	14	United States Rex Mays Rex Mays Rex Mays is a former AAA Championship Car race driver from Riverside, California. He made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 1934 and won the pole in 1935, 1936, and again in 1940 and finished second, he returned the next year and finished second again. Mays won the AAA National Championship in 1940...	119.968	10	24	0	Overheating