Drivers killed in the Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

 

• 1919
  1919 Indianapolis 500
  Results of the 1919 Liberty Sweepstakes held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 31, 1919....
  
  
  • Louis LeCocq
    Louis LeCocq
    Louis LeCocq was an American racecar driver. LeCocq and his riding mechanic Robert Bandini were killed in the 1919 Indianapolis 500 after the fuel tank on their "Roamer" ruptured and exploded.-Indy 500 results:- External links :...
    
    
  • Arthur Thurman
    Arthur Thurman
    Arthur Thurman was an American racecar driver. Thurman was killed in the 1919 Indy 500; his riding mechanic Nicholas Molinero survived critical injuries.-Indy 500 results:...
    
    

Thurman's car turned over on lap forty-four, and he was killed instantly. LeCocq's car similarly turned over on lap ninety-six, causing the fuel tank to rupture and burst into flames, killing LeCocq and his riding mechanic.

• 1929
  1929 Indianapolis 500
  Results of the 1929 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1929.*Ray Keech reigned as champion for only 17 days; he was killed at Altoona Speedway June 15, 1929....
  
  
  • Bill Spence
    Bill Spence (driver)
    Bill Spence was an American racecar driver. He was killed in the 1929 Indianapolis 500 after making contact with the inside wall in turn 2...
    
    
• 1933
  1933 Indianapolis 500
  Results of the 1933 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Tuesday, May 30, 1933. Louis Meyer defeated Wilbur Shaw by a time of 401.89 seconds . The average speed of the race was while Bill Cummings achieved the pole position with a speed of ....
  
  
  • Mark Billman
    Mark Billman
    Mark Billman was an American racecar driver. He was killed 79 laps into the 1933 Indianapolis 500, his only Championship Car start.- Fatal accident :...
    
    
  • Lester Spangler
    Lester Spangler
    Lester Spangler was an American racecar driver. He and his riding mechanic Monk Jordan were killed while competing in the 1933 Indy 500. With Spangler on the 132nd lap, the car driven by Malcolm Fox spun coming out of turn one, and was rolling slowly towards the top the track...
    
    
• 1935
  1935 Indianapolis 500
  The 1935 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Thursday, May 30, 1935. Despite attempts to improve participant safety by requiring crash helmets and installing green and yellow lights around the track, the event that year would prove to be one of the worst in terms of fatalities.-Pre-race and...
  
  
  • Clay Weatherly
    Clay Weatherly
    Clay Weatherly was an American racecar driver. He was killed in the 1935 Indy 500.-Indy 500 results:-See also:*List of Indianapolis fatalities...
    
    

Weatherly was driving the same car Johnny Hannon had fatally crashed ten days earlier while testing. Moreover, in a practice run the throttle had stuck, forcing Weatherly to kill the engine to avoid another crash. In lap 9 of the race, Weatherly went into and over the wall in turn four. He was already dead when rescue crews arrived. His riding mechanic was critically injured but survived.

• 1939
  1939 Indianapolis 500
  The 27th Indianapolis 500 took place May 30, 1939. The race was won by the number two car of Wilbur Shaw, who started in the third position. The race was notable for a three car accident on lap 109, when Floyd Roberts the reigning champion, was killed when his car went through the wooden outer wall...
  
  
  • 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...
    
    
• 1947
  1947 Indianapolis 500
  Results of the 1947 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1947.Late in the race, Lou Moore teammates Bill Holland and Mauri Rose were running 1st-2nd. The pit crew displayed a confusing chalkboard sign with the letters "EZY" to Holland, presumably meaning for him to take the...
  
  
  • 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...
    
    

Cantlon swerved to avoid Bill Holland

Bill Holland

Bill Holland was an American race car driver from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1949. He nearly won as a rookie in 1947 but slowed and allowed teammate Mauri Rose to pass him seven laps from the end, mistakenly believing that Rose was a lap down...

's car, which had gone onto the inside grass and skidded back across the track. Cantlon's car went into the outside wall, causing severe chest, leg and internal injuries. He died at the track hospital shortly afterward. Holland went on to finish second.

• 1953
  1953 Indianapolis 500
  The 1953 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Saturday, May 30, 1953 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the second round of the 1953 World Drivers' Championship.-Race:...
  
  
  • Carl Scarborough
    Carl Scarborough
    Carl Scarborough was an American racecar driver. He died from heat exhaustion shortly after his 12th place finish in the 1953 Indianapolis 500, which was one of the hottest-temperature Indianapolis 500s that drivers had competed in up to 1956.He was elected to the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of...
    
     (expired, evidently from heat exhaustion, approximately one hour after calling for a relief driver)

According to Donald Davidson

Donald Davidson (historian)

Donald Davidson is the current historian of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the only person to hold such a position on a full-time basis for any motorsports facility in the world.-Personal history:...

, when Scarborough pulled into the pits, smoke or a small fire may have broken out on the car, wherein crews quickly doused with fire extinguishers. In the process, Scarborough may have inhaled CO₂

Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...

, which may have contributed to, or been the actual cause of death.

• 1955
  1955 Indianapolis 500
  The 1955 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Monday, May 30, 1955 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the third round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship...
  
  
  • Bill Vukovich
    Bill Vukovich
    Bill Vukovich was a Serbian American automobile racing driver. He won the 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500 plus two more American Automobile Association National Championship races...
    
    
• 1958
  1958 Indianapolis 500
  The 1958 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Friday, May 30, 1958 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the fourth round of the 1958 World Drivers' Championship....
  
  
  • Pat O'Connor
    Pat O'Connor (auto racer)
    Pat O'Connor was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a 15-car pileup, after sustaining a fatal head injury after rolling his car and catching fire on the first lap of the 1958 Indianapolis 500.He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in May 1958 adding to the legend of the Sports...
    
    
• 1964
  1964 Indianapolis 500
  The 1964 Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1964. It was won by A.J. Foyt, but is best known for a fiery seven-car, second-lap accident that resulted in the deaths of Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald...
  
  
  • Eddie Sachs
    Eddie Sachs
    Edward Julius Sachs, Jr, born May 28, 1927 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, died May 30, 1964 in Speedway, Indiana was a United States Auto Club driver who was known as the "Clown Prince of Auto Racing." He coined the phrase "If you can't win, be spectacular."...
    
    
  • Dave MacDonald
    Dave MacDonald
    David George MacDonald was an American road racing champion noted for his successes driving Corvettes and Shelby Cobras in the early 1960s. His promising career ended abruptly after a crash in the 1964 Indianapolis 500 in which he was one of two drivers killed in a fiery inferno that directly led...
    
    

Coming out of turn 4 on lap 2, MacDonald spun and crashed into the inside wall. The car exploded and went back onto the track, into the path of oncoming traffic. Sachs hit MacDonald's car, and his car caught fire as well. Sachs was killed instantly of injuries and severe burns. MacDonald was declared dead a short time after in the infield hospital.

• 1973
  1973 Indianapolis 500
  The 57th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Wednesday, May 30, 1973. The race was held over three days due to rain and 2 major accidents. After 133 laps , rain halted the race, and Gordon Johncock was declared the winner....
  
  
  • Swede Savage
    Swede Savage
    David Earl "Swede" Savage, Jr. was an American race car driver.-Early life:Born in San Bernardino, California, Savage began Soap Box Derby racing at the age of five. He moved up to racing quarter midget cars then at age twelve to Go-Kart racing. By his mid-teens he was racing motorcycles...
    
     (died in hospital July 2, death may have been from contaminated blood transfusion rather than directly from the crash)

Drivers killed during testing, practice or qualifications

• 1913
  • Harry Martin
• 1926
  • Herbert Jones
    Herbert Jones
    Herbert Jones may refer to:* H. Jones , officer in the British Army who was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously for heroism during the Falklands War* Herbert C...
    
    
• 1931
  • Joe Caccia
    Joe Caccia
    Joe Caccia was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a practice crash for the 1931 Indianapolis 500.-Indy 500 results:...
    
    
• 1932
  • M. C. Jones
    M. C. Jones
    Milton C. Jones was an American racecar driver. He participated in the 1925 Indianapolis 500, but was killed while qualifying for the 1932 race. He is buried in Acacia Masonic Memorial Park in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.-Indy 500 results:-See also:*List of fatalities at Indianapolis...
    
    
• 1933
  • William Denver
• 1934
  1934 Indianapolis 500
  The 22nd running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on May 30, 1934. The winner was the number seven car driven by Bill Cummings, an Indianapolis native, at an average speed of 104.863 miles per hour. Cummings led for 57 laps total, including the last 26. Of the 33 cars that began the race, only 12...
  
  
  • Peter Kreis
    Peter Kreis
    A. J. "Peter" Kreis was an American racecar driver. He and riding mechanic Robert Hahn were killed in a turn one accident while practicing for the 1934 Indianapolis 500. As he was entering the turn, a car in front of him spun, followed by Kreis' car spining, possibly due to trying to avoid a...
    
    
• 1935
  • Johnny Hannon
    Johnny Hannon
    John Hrankaj, publicly known as Johnny Hannon was an American racecar driver and boxer. He was killed while testing a car for the 1935 Indianapolis 500, in his first year of attempting to qualify for the race...
    
    
  • Stubby Stubblefield
    Stubby Stubblefield
    Wilburn Hartwell Stubblefield , nicknamed "Stubby", was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a practice crash for the 1935 Indianapolis 500.-Career award:...
    
    
• 1940
  1940 Indianapolis 500
  The 28th running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on May 30, 1940. The winner was Wilbur Shaw in the number one car Maserati 8 CTF, the same car Shaw had driven to victory in 1939. Shaw became the first driver in the history of the race to win in consecutive years. It also marked Shaw's third...
  
  
  • 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:...
    
    
• 1948
  • 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...
    
    
• 1949
  • George Metzler
    George Metzler
    George Anthony Metzler, Jr. was an American racecar driver. Metzler was killed attempting to qualify for the 1949 Indianapolis 500...
    
    
• 1953
  • 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"...
    
    
• 1955
  • Manuel Ayulo
• 1957
  • Keith Andrews
    Keith Andrews (driver)
    Keith Andrews was an American racecar driver. He was killed after crashing his car during testing for the 1957 Indianapolis 500. The car was destroyed and Andrews died soon after...
    
    
• 1959
  • Jerry Unser
    Jerry Unser
    Jerry Unser was an American racecar driver. He was the 1957 USAC Stock Car champion....
    
     (practice)
  • Bob Cortner
• 1961
  • Tony Bettenhausen
    Tony Bettenhausen
    Melvin E. "Tony" Bettenhausen was an American racing driver, who won the National Championship in 1951 and 1958....
    
     (practice)
• 1966
  • Chuck Rodee
    Chuck Rodee
    Chuck Rodee , was an American racecar driver...
    
     (warm-up during qualifications)
• 1968
  • Mike Spence
    Mike Spence
    Michael "Mike" Spence was a British racing driver from England. He participated in 37 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on September 8, 1963. He achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 27 championship points...
    
     (practice)
• 1972
  • Jim Malloy
    Jim Malloy
    Jim Malloy , was an American racecar driver.Born in Columbus, Nebraska, Malloy died as a result of injuries sustained in practice for the 1972 Indianapolis 500...
    
     (practice)
• 1973
  • Art Pollard
    Art Pollard
    Art Pollard , was an American racecar driver.Born in Dragon, Utah, Pollard died in Indianapolis, Indiana as a result of injuries sustained in practice for the 1973 Indianapolis 500. The car clipped the wall coming out of turn one and did a half-spin as it headed to the grass on the inside of the...
    
     (practice)
• 1982
  • Gordon Smiley
    Gordon Smiley
    Gordon Eugene Smiley was an American race car driver from Omaha, Nebraska who was killed in a single-car crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was inducted into the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2000....
    
     (warm-up lap during qualifications)
• 1992
  • Jovy Marcelo
    Jovy Marcelo
    Edward Jovy Marcelo was a Filipino race car driver from Quezon City, Philippines, who was killed in practice for the 1992 Indianapolis 500....
    
     (practice)
• 1996
  • Scott Brayton
    Scott Brayton
    Scott Everets Brayton was a race car driver from Coldwater, Michigan, on the American open-wheel circuit. He competed in 14 Indianapolis 500s, beginning with the 1981 event...
    
     (practice)

Drivers killed 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....

 - not related to the Indy 500

• 1909
  • Wilfred Bourque
    Wilfred Bourque
    Wilfred Bourque , also known as Billy Bourque and William Bourque, was a Canadian racecar driver, born in W. Farnham, Québec. At the time of his racing career, he lived in West Springfield, Massachusetts.-Racing career:...
    
     (During a race in August before the creation of the 500)
    • also killed was Bourque's riding mechanic, Harry Holcomb. Another riding mechanic, Claude Kellum, would die later the same day in a car driven by 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:...
      
      .
• 1910
  • Tom Kincaid
    Tom Kincaid
    Tom Kincaid was an American racecar driver, born in Indianapolis, Indiana.-Racing Career:Kincaid is known to have started at least 23 AAA-sanctioned races, during the years 1909-1910. He drove primarily for the team operated by Indianapolis-based auto maker, National. However, at least one 1910...
    
     (Killed during a testing session in July)
• 2003
  • Tony Renna
    Tony Renna
    Tony Renna was an American race car driver from DeLand, Florida who raced in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series. He made seven starts for Kelley Racing in 2002 and 2003 including the 2003 Indianapolis 500. His best finish was fourth place at Michigan International Speedway in 2002...
    
     (Firestone private testing session in October)
• 2010
  • Peter Lenz
    Peter Lenz
    Peter James Lenz was a nationally ranked American amateur motorcycle racer.Lenz was born in Orlando, Florida. He was a four-time international champion, five-time national champion and in 2009 started competing in 125GP racing...
    
     (United States Grand Prix Riders Union (USGPRU) Moriwaki MD250H Powered by Honda Race #2 sighting lap during the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix
    2010 Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix
    The 2010 Indianapolis Grand Prix was the eleventh round of the 2010 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of August 27–29, 2010 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.-MotoGP classification:-Moto2 classification:...
    
    )

Lenz, 13, was run over by a motorcycle ridden by Xavier Zayat, 12, who fell as a result. This incident led to controversy at the Speedway regarding minimum ages to compete at the track. Racin' Today

Riding mechanics killed in the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race

• 1911
  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...
  
  
  • Sam Dickson
    Sam Dickson
    Sam Dickson was a race car riding mechanic, and the first person to be killed in the Indianapolis 500. In the inaugural race, Dickson was the riding mechanic for Arthur Greiner who was making his only 500 appearance...
    
     (Arthur Greiner
    Arthur Greiner
    Arthur Greiner was an American racecar driver, and historically the first to finish last in the Indianapolis 500. Greiner crashed on the backstretch after completing twelve laps in the inaugural race...
    
    , driver)
• 1919
  1919 Indianapolis 500
  Results of the 1919 Liberty Sweepstakes held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 31, 1919....
  
  
  • Robert Bandini (Louis LeCocq
    Louis LeCocq
    Louis LeCocq was an American racecar driver. LeCocq and his riding mechanic Robert Bandini were killed in the 1919 Indianapolis 500 after the fuel tank on their "Roamer" ruptured and exploded.-Indy 500 results:- External links :...
    
    , driver)
  • Nicholas Molinero (Arthur Thurman
    Arthur Thurman
    Arthur Thurman was an American racecar driver. Thurman was killed in the 1919 Indy 500; his riding mechanic Nicholas Molinero survived critical injuries.-Indy 500 results:...
    
    , driver)
• 1930
  1930 Indianapolis 500
  Results of the 1930 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1930.Note: Cars not finishing were awarded positions in the order in which they left the track, regardless of lap count...
  
  
  • Paul Marshall (Cy Marshall
    Cy Marshall
    Cy Marshall was an American racecar driver. Marshall was seriously injured and his riding mechanic, brother Paul Marshall, was killed in the 1930 Indy 500. He returned to the race in 1947...
    
    , driver)
• 1933
  1933 Indianapolis 500
  Results of the 1933 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Tuesday, May 30, 1933. Louis Meyer defeated Wilbur Shaw by a time of 401.89 seconds . The average speed of the race was while Bill Cummings achieved the pole position with a speed of ....
  
  
  • G.L. "Monk" Jordan (Lester Spangler
    Lester Spangler
    Lester Spangler was an American racecar driver. He and his riding mechanic Monk Jordan were killed while competing in the 1933 Indy 500. With Spangler on the 132nd lap, the car driven by Malcolm Fox spun coming out of turn one, and was rolling slowly towards the top the track...
    
    , driver)

Riding mechanics killed in practice

• 1931
  • Clarence Grover (Joe Caccia
    Joe Caccia
    Joe Caccia was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a practice crash for the 1931 Indianapolis 500.-Indy 500 results:...
    
    , driver)
• 1932
  • Harry Cox (Benny Benefield, driver)
• 1933
  1933 Indianapolis 500
  Results of the 1933 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Tuesday, May 30, 1933. Louis Meyer defeated Wilbur Shaw by a time of 401.89 seconds . The average speed of the race was while Bill Cummings achieved the pole position with a speed of ....
  
  
  • Bob Hurst (William Denver, driver)
• 1934
  • Robert Hahn (Peter Kreis
    Peter Kreis
    A. J. "Peter" Kreis was an American racecar driver. He and riding mechanic Robert Hahn were killed in a turn one accident while practicing for the 1934 Indianapolis 500. As he was entering the turn, a car in front of him spun, followed by Kreis' car spining, possibly due to trying to avoid a...
    
    , driver)
• 1935
  • Leo Whitaker (Stubby Stubblefield
    Stubby Stubblefield
    Wilburn Hartwell Stubblefield , nicknamed "Stubby", was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a practice crash for the 1935 Indianapolis 500.-Career award:...
    
    , driver)
• 1937
  • Albert Opalko (Frank McGurk
    Frank McGurk (motorsports)
    Frank McGurk was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...
    
    , driver)
• 1939
  • Lawson Harris (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....
    
    , driver)

Track personnel killed in Race

• 1937
  • George Warford (firefighter); Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Otto Rhode (pit crew member), Toledo, Ohio
    Toledo, Ohio
    Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
    
    .
• 1961
  • John Masariu (firefighter); Danville, Indiana
    Danville, Indiana
    Danville is a town in Center Township, Hendricks County, Indiana, United States. The population was 9,001at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of Hendricks County. -History:...
    
     - On the 127th lap of the 1961 race, driver Eddie Johnson spun out, but did not suffer significant damage and he was not injured. A safety fire truck went to his aid. Masariu, who was a basketball coach at nearby Ben Davis High School and was serving as a safety worker, fell off the back of the fire truck. A moment later, the truck accidentally backed over him, and he was injured fatally.
• 1973
  • Armando Teran (pit crew member); Santa Monica, California
    Santa Monica, California
    Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
    
     - Teran was the pit board sign man for Graham McRae
    Graham McRae
    Graham McRae is a former racing driver from New Zealand.McRae's single outing in the Formula One World Championship was at the 1973 British Grand Prix on 14 July 1973, where he retired in the first lap...
    
    . Just moments prior, McRae's teammate Swede Savage
    Swede Savage
    David Earl "Swede" Savage, Jr. was an American race car driver.-Early life:Born in San Bernardino, California, Savage began Soap Box Derby racing at the age of five. He moved up to racing quarter midget cars then at age twelve to Go-Kart racing. By his mid-teens he was racing motorcycles...
    
     suffered a terrible crash in turn 4. Teran started sprinting up the pit lane. At the same time, a fire truck was signaled to head to the scene. Cleon Reynolds, the Chief of the Speedway Fire Department, signaled for fire/safety truck driver Jerry Flake to proceed northbound up the pit lane to the crash scene. Flake was stationed at the south end of the pits. Flake, driving northbound, struck Teran and tossed his body about 50 feet. Teran suffered crushed ribs and a broken skull, and was pronounced dead at 4:23 p.m. The incident was witnessed by thousands of spectators, as it occurred on the pit lane right at the start/finish line. It was erroneously reported by media that Flake was driving the wrong way, and was at fault; at the time, safety trucks were permitted to drive in the opposite direction of the racing cars. The following year, USAC prohibited safety trucks from driving in the opposite direction.

Spectators killed at the Race

• 1909
  • Homer Joliff; Franklin, Indiana
    Franklin, Indiana
    As of the census of 2000, there were 19,463 people, 6,824 households, and 4,872 families residing in the city. The population increased by more than 50% during the 1990s , with new residents attracted by jobs in the community, as well as some people commuting to Indianapolis for work. The...
    
    
  • James West, Indianapolis, Indiana
• 1923
  • Bert Shoup; Lafayette, Indiana
• 1938
  • Everett Spence; Terre Haute, Indiana
    Terre Haute, Indiana
    Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
    
    
• 1960
  • Fred Linder; Indianapolis, Indiana (homemade scaffolding in the infield collapsed)
  • William Craig, Zionsville, Indiana
    Zionsville, Indiana
    -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 8,775 people, 3,063 households, and 2,407 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,512.9 people per square mile . There were 3,169 housing units at an average density of 546.4 per square mile...
    
     (homemade scaffolding in the infield collapsed)
• 1987
  • Lyle Kurtenbach; Rothschild, Wisconsin
    Rothschild, Wisconsin
    Rothschild is a village in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Wausau, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,970 at the 2000 census. Rothschild is the northern terminus of Interstate 39, which starts in Normal, Illinois.-Geography:Rothschild is...
    
     (Tony Bettenhausen
    Tony Bettenhausen, Jr.
    Tony Bettenhausen, Jr. was a Champ Car team owner and driver who died in a 2000 plane crash. He was the son of former 14-time Indianapolis 500 competitor Tony Bettenhausen and the brother of 21-time Indy racer Gary Bettenhausen. The family holds the dubious distinction of the most combined starts...
    
     lost a wheel in the third turn. Moments later, Roberto Guerrero
    Roberto Guerrero
    Roberto José Guerrero Isaza is a former racing driver from Colombia. He participated in 29 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 23 January 1982...
    
     hit the tire with his nose cone, and the tire was launched into the air. The tire went over the catch fence, and into the top row of the "K" grandstand, striking and killing Kurtenbach instantly. The resulting damage to Guerrero's car, a broken nosecone and more importantly, a broken clutch
    Clutch
    A clutch is a mechanical device which provides for the transmission of power from one component to another...
    
     master cylinder
    Master cylinder
    The master cylinder is a control device that converts non-hydraulic pressure into hydraulic pressure, in order to move other device which are located at the other end of the hydraulic system, such as one or more slave cylinders...
    
    , directly led to Guerrero losing the race. His car became stuck in gear, and stalled exiting the pits on his final pit stop.)

Others

• 1931
  • Wilbur Brink - Brink was a 12-year old boy playing in his yard across the street from the track. As the result of an accident during the race, a wheel from the car of Billy Arnold
    Billy Arnold
    For the professional baseball player & manager, see Billy Arnold Richard William Arnold won the 1930 Indianapolis 500 after leading all but first two laps of the race, the most ever by a winner of the race. He won by a margin of 7 minutes and 17 seconds. He was 24 years old at the time...
    
    bounced over the fence and struck him, killing him instantly.