1950_Indianapolis_500

1950 Indianapolis 500

1950 Indianapolis 500

34th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 34th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1950. The event was sanctioned by the AAA and served as the premier event on the calendar of the 1950 AAA National Championship Trail.

Quick Facts Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis 500 ...

For the first time, the race was included as a points-paying event towards the FIA-sanctioned World Drivers' Championship.

The race was originally scheduled for 200 laps (500 miles), but was stopped after 138 laps (345 miles) due to rain.

A rumor circulated in racing circles during and after this race that Johnnie Parsons's team discovered an irreparable crack in the engine block on race morning. The discovery supposedly precipitated Parsons to charge for the lap leader prizes.[3] Presumably, he set his sights on leading as many laps as possible before the engine inevitably was to fail. Furthermore, the race ending early due to rain supposedly saved Parsons's day allowing him to secure the victory before the engine let go. However, the engine block crack was proved to be an urban myth,[4] and it was said to be a very minor but acceptable level of porosity, which did not significantly affect the performance.

Parsons's win saw him score 9 points and move to a temporary first-place tie (after 3 races on the Formula One season calendar) in the first ever World Drivers' Championship, alongside Nino Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio, and also saw him become the first American to win a World Championship race. Parsons is one of only three drivers to have won his first World Championship race, the other two being Farina, who won the first World Championship race (the 1950 British Grand Prix, 17 days earlier) and Giancarlo Baghetti, who won the 1961 French Grand Prix. Despite the 500 being his only race in the 1950 World Championship, it would be enough to see him finish the championship 6th in points.

During the month, Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck were at the track to film scenes for the film To Please a Lady. Stanwyck was on hand in victory lane after the race for the traditional celebratory kiss to the winner.

Time trials

1950 Cummins Diesel

Time trials was scheduled for six days.

  • Saturday May 13: Walt Faulkner won the pole position with a record run of 134.343 mph.
  • Sunday May 14
  • Saturday May 20: The third day of time trials saw six cars complete runs. Bayliss Levrett (131.181 mph) was the fastest of the afternoon. Charles Van Acker was ruled physically disqualified, after a crash he suffered at the Speedway from 1949.[5]
  • Sunday May 21
  • Saturday May 27: The day began with 11 spots open in the grid.[6]
  • Sunday May 28: Only one driver managed to bump his way into the field. Johnny McDowell bumped Cliff Griffith, while 15 other cars failed to make the field. The two Novi entries failed to qualify – Chet Miller had engine trouble in one of the cars, while the other snapped a supercharger shaft. Rain and two crashes cut the track time to less than three hours. Cy Marshall was among the few left in line when time trials closed at 6 p.m.[7]

Starting grid

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R Indianapolis 500 rookie
W Indianapolis 500 winner

Box score

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Note: Relief drivers in parentheses

 W  Former Indianapolis 500 winner

 R  Indianapolis 500 Rookie

All entrants utilized Firestone tires.

^1 – Includes 1 point for fastest lead lap.

Race statistics

More information Lap Leaders, Laps ...

Notes

Qualifying

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First alternate

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Non-qualifiers

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The 1950 Indianapolis 500 as part of the FIA World Drivers' Championship

The AAA/USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA World Drivers' Championship (WDC) from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship points and participation in addition to those which they received towards the AAA/USAC National Championship. No points were awarded by the FIA towards the World Constructors Championship.

The 1950 Indianapolis 500 was race 3 of 7 on the 1950 World Drivers' Championship. The event, however, failed to attract significant interest from any of the regular competitors on the Grand Prix circuit. Although Giuseppe Farina and Franco Rol submitted Maserati-constructed entries their cars never arrived, and the 1950 event would take place without any European competitors.[13]

Parsons' win saw the FIA award him nine points towards the World Drivers' Championship (WDC), moving him into a tie for first in the WDC standings with Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio. With his victory, Parsons became the first American to win a WDC race. Despite not competing in any of the other events during the 1950 WDC season, the points he was awarded from the 500 were enough to see him finish sixth in the standings.

Parsons is one of only three drivers to win on their WDC début. The other two are Farina, who won the inaugural World Championship race – the 1950 British Grand Prix, 17 days earlier – and Giancarlo Baghetti, who won the 1961 French Grand Prix.

World Drivers' Championship standings
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  • Note: Only the top five positions are listed. Only the best 4 results counted towards the Championship.

Broadcasting

Radio

The race was carried live on the Mutual Broadcasting System, the precursor to the IMS Radio Network. The broadcast was sponsored by Perfect Circle Piston Rings and Bill Slater served as the anchor. Sid Collins moved into the booth for the first time to serve as analyst, and conducted the victory lane interview at the conclusion of the race. The broadcast feature live coverage of the start, the finish, and live updates throughout the race.

Prior to the race, it was reported that Slater might miss the race, due to illness. WIBC personality Sid Collins was named as a replacement, however, Slater was able to arrive in time for race day. Collins, who had previously served as a turn reporter, was invited to be the co-anchor in the booth.[14] For the first time, Collins interviewed the winner in victory lane at the conclusion of the race. Collins claims he burned his trousers on Parsons's hot exhaust pipe during the interview, which took place in the rain.

Because the race was shortened, Mutual had to interrupt Queen for a Day to cover the finish of the abbreviated event. This was cited by some as a reason why the Speedway would begin flag-to-flag coverage in 1953.

More information Mutual Broadcasting System, Booth Announcers ...

Television

The race was carried live for the second year in a row on local television on WFBM-TV channel 6 of Indianapolis. Earl Townsend, Jr. was the announcer, along with Dick Pittenger and Paul Roberts. After the race, Speedway management disallowed WFBM from broadcasting the race live again, feeling that gate attendance had been negatively affected.

More information WFBM-TV, Play-by-play ...

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1950 Indianapolis 500.
  1. [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. [2]
    "Parsons Sets Record As Rain Halts 500-Mile Speedway Race". The Cincinnati Enquirer. May 31, 1950. p. 1. Retrieved June 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  3. [3]
    "Great Moments From the Indy 500" (VanCamp's Pork and Beans Presents/Freetwood Sounds), 1975
  4. [4]
    "The Talk of Gasoline Alley" – WFNI, May 20, 2012
  5. [5]
    Vet Van Acker Is Ruled Out (May 22, 1950)
  6. [6]
    Speedway Qualifications End Tomorrow; 11 Vacancies
  7. [7]
    One Change In Lineup For Big Race (May 29, 1950)
  8. [8]
    "1950 Indianapolis 500". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  9. [9]
    Sansbury, Ed (May 30, 1959). "Rain Calls For End Of Classic After 138 Laps". Tucson Citizen. p. 1. Retrieved April 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  10. [10]
    O'Brien, J.E. (May 31, 1950). "Parsons waits booty after bobtailed 500". Indianapolis News. p. 13. Retrieved April 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  11. [11]
    Dunkley, Charles (May 31, 1950). "Johnny Parsons Wins Shortened 500-Mile Race". The Terra Haute Star. p. 1. Retrieved April 22, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  12. [12]
    The Talk of Gasoline Alley – 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004
  13. [13]
    "1950 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  14. [14]
    Davidson, Donald (2012-05-24). "IMS Radio Network celebrates 60th anniversary". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
Previous race:
1950 Monaco Grand Prix		 FIA Formula One World Championship
1950 season		 Next race:
1950 Swiss Grand Prix
Previous race:
1949 Indianapolis 500
Bill Holland		 1950 Indianapolis 500
Johnnie Parsons		 Next race:
1951 Indianapolis 500
Lee Wallard
Preceded by
121.327 mph
(1949 Indianapolis 500)
 Record for the Indianapolis 500 fastest average speed
124.002 mph		 Succeeded by
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