The 40th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1956. The event was part of the 1956 USAC National Championship Trail and was also race 3 of 8 in the 1956 World Championship of Drivers. The 1956 race was the first to be governed by the United States Automobile Club. The AAA withdrew from auto racing the previous August after a succession of incidents, including the Le Mans disaster and the fatal crash of Bill Vukovich during the 1955 race. Another change was made to the track that would have an immediate effect on the racing. The vast majority of the circuit was paved over in asphalt. A short stretch approximately 600 yards in length was left brick along the mainstretch. Speeds were expected to climb, and qualifying records were expected to be shattered during time trials.
The 1956 race is also known in Indy 500 lore as "Cagle's Miracle". Torrential rains pummeled the Speedway in the days leading up to the race. The track was full of standing water, access tunnels were completely flooded, and the infield was a muddy quagmire. The conditions threatened to postpone or outright cancel the race. Speedway superintendent Clarence Cagle supervised a massive cleanup effort, in which hundreds of thousands of gallons of water were pumped out of the tunnels and out of the infield. Cagle and his crew worked non-stop for 48 hours straight, some without sleep, and had the track ready just in time for race morning."Autocourse Official History of the Indianapolis 500" Donald Davidson, 2006, page 138
The race was slowed by a then-record eleven yellow caution light periods which totaled 1 hour, 11 minutes, and 15 seconds. The race was described by veteran sportswriters as "a series of sprint races between yellow lights". Pat Flaherty led a total of 127 laps en route to victory; taking the lead for good on lap 76. Sam Hanks - the popular veteran still searching for his first "500" victory - came home second, just 20 seconds behind. Hanks charged during the second half, but the numerous cautions stymied his chances to catch up to much less pass Flaherty. No less than twelve cars were involved in crashes or spins, including Dick Rathmann, who took the checkered flag to finish 5th, only to wreck in turn 1 on his cool down lap. Blown tires were the culprit for several of the incidents.
Time trials Saturday May 19 Pole Day attracted a record crowd of 125,000 spectators. With the new asphalt surface, new track records were expected. Pat Flaherty won the pole position with a new one-lap track record of 146.056 mph and a new four-lap track record of 145.596 mph. A total of ten drivers would qualify faster than the old track record from 1954. Jim Rathmann and Pat O'Connor rounded out the front row.
Two cars suffered spins, Bob Christie and Jack Turner. Neither drivers were injured, and both would ultimately make the field. Ed Elisian waved off twice before making the field on his third and final attempt. By the end of the day, the field was filled to 17 cars.
Sunday May 20 The second day of Time Trials was held on Sunday May 20. Twelve cars completed qualifying attempts, and the field was filled to 29 cars. Johnny Thomson (145.549 mph) was the fastest driver of the day. Thomson's speed was the second-fastest in the entire field, just 0.08 seconds slower than polesitter Pat Flaherty's time. At the end of the first weekend of time trials, there were only four spots left open in the grid.
Saturday May 26 The third day of Time Trials was scheduled for Saturday May 26. Rain washed out all track activity for the day.
Sunday May 27 The fourth and final day of Time Trials was scheduled for Sunday May 27. USAC officials announced Sunday morning that a minimum of two hours would be made available for qualifying. Eighteen cars lined up intending to make a qualifying attempt, however, rain persisted throughout the day. Six cars were able to take to the track, and five completed runs. The field was filled to 33 cars, with one car (Eddie Sachs) bumped. Eddie Johnson, the last car to make it out, completed his run in the rain.
One of the drivers not able to qualify was Giuseppe "Nino" Farina. He was unable to get his Bardahl-Ferrari up to speed, and he did not make a qualifying attempt.
Qualifying had lasted only 57 minutes before more rains came. With 12 cars still waiting in line, USAC officials announced that they would extended qualifying beyond the 6 o'clock gun in order to allow those cars a chance. Around 7:30 p.m., the skies opened up, and any chance to continue qualifying before sunset was lost. After a late-night meeting, USAC announced that they would re-open qualifying on Monday morning at 8 a.m. The track would be available for exactly 63 minutes (to fulfill the two hours they promised on Sunday morning). Jean Marcenac, chief mechanic for the Novi team, threatened to withdraw the already-qualified car of Paul Russo in protest of the decision. He claimed that the officials miscalculated the time needed for all 12 cars to get a fair shot; and that his team's other driver (Eddie Russo) had virtually no chance to make it to the front of the line.
The issue became moot as torrential rains flooded the Speedway during Sunday night and into Monday. The extra qualifying session was cancelled, and the field was set. On Carburetion Day (Tuesday May 29), rain had finally stopped, allowing a brief, 45-minute practice session. Meanwhile, parts of the facility were badly flooded, and the infield was a muddy quagmire. With the race scheduled for Wednesday, track superintendent Clarence Cagle oversaw a massive clean-up effort.
Starting grid RowInsideMiddleOutside 18 Pat Flaherty24 Jim Rathmann7 Pat O'Connor 273 Dick Rathmann99 Tony Bettenhausen98 Johnnie Parsons 347 Fred Agabashian29 Paul Russo5 Andy Linden 41 Bob Sweikert 53 Troy Ruttman 15 Johnny Boyd 54 Sam Hanks10 Ed Elisian19 Rodger Ward 648 Jimmy Daywalt49 Ray Crawford88 Johnny Thomson 72 Jimmy Bryan89 Keith Andrews26 Jimmy Reece 882 Gene Hartley14 Bob Veith 54 Jack Turner 957 Bob Christie 16 Don Freeland12 Al Herman 1055 Al Keller41 Billy Garrett 27 Cliff Griffith 1134 Johnnie Tolan 81 Eddie Johnson64 Duke Dinsmore
Alternates First alternate: Eddie Sachs (#58)The Talk of Gasoline Alley – 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004 Second alternate: none
Failed to Qualify - Waiting in line when qualifying ended Marshall Teague (#3, #47) Eddie Russo (#10, #27, #33) Mike Magill (#74) Shorty Templeman (#46) Tony Bonadies (#25) Len Duncan (#51) Earl Motter (#9, #41) Johnny Kay (#35) Danny Kladis (#91) Jim McWithey (#77) Bill Cheesbourg (#84, #87)
Failed to Qualify
Dempsey Wilson (#22, #79) – Incomplete run Johnny Baldwin (#91) Jimmy Davies (#31) Giuseppe "Nino" Farina (#9) Elmer George (#78) Ernie McCoy Duke Nalon (#31) Roy Newman (#74) Cal Niday Dickie Reese (#87)
Gig Stephens (#85) Leroy Warriner (#93) Chuck Weyant (#22) - Injured Marvin Pifer (#75) - Practice crash Len Sutton (#62) - Practice crash Buddy Cagle (#81) - Wrecked rookie test Edgar Elder (#41) - Did not finish rookie test Jay Abney (#87) - Entry declined George Amick (#33) - Entry declined, failed physical
Race summary Start
After torrential rains and flooding throughout the week, track crews had worked diligently for more than two days to clean up the grounds. Rumors of a postponement or an outright cancellation were unfounded. Showers fell overnight, but ceased by the time the gates opened at 5 a.m., and the facility was ready to go. Race day dawned sunny and the track was dry. Tony Hulman gave the command to start engines at 10:56 a.m., and the field pulled away behind the DeSoto pace car.
At the start, Jim Rathmann grabbed the lead going into turn one from the middle of the front row. Pole winner Pat Flaherty followed in second, and Pat O'Connor third. Down the backstretch, O'Connor moved into second, followed by Tony Bettenhausen. Flaherty slipped to fourth. Rathmann completed the first lap at a record speed of 138.867 mph. On lap 4, O'Connor took the lead in turn three. The race was already unfolding as ultra-competitive, as the top four to five cars were running close together on the track and jockeying for position. Jimmy Daywalt pulled into the pits with magneto failure. His crew went to work to get him back in the race. On lap 11, Paul Russo in the Novi machine now led, with O'Connor second, and Flaherty third. Russo set a blistering pace, averaging 142.255 mph for the first twenty laps (50 miles), a new race record. Russo also set the fastest lap of the race on lap 19 (144.416 mph).
First half On lap 22, Paul Russo was still leading, but going into turn one, he violently blew a right rear tire. The car broke into a spin, and crashed into the outside wall. Russo was not seriously injured. He climbed from the car and ran to the infield grass. The remnants of the tire flew into the grandstands, and two spectators suffered minor injuries. The first yellow caution period of the day came out, with Pat O'Connor now in the lead. Under the caution, another crash occurred. Johnny Thomson lost control at the south end of the mainstretch, hitting the inside pit wall, and swerving out into the path of other cars. Johnnie Tolan, Keith Andrews, Sam Hanks and Troy Ruttman also became involved, with Ruttman spinning out and coming to a rest in the infield in turn one. The most serious injury was to a pit crew member, who suffered a broken leg when Thomson's car careened towards the pits. The yellow light would stay on for over 15 minutes to clear the track and clean up an oil spill caused by the accident. Tolan, Hanks, and Andrews would continue, but Thomson and Ruttman were out of the race.
The green came back out on lap 31. Pat O'Connor led, with Pat Flaherty close behind. The two drivers swapped the lead multiple times over the next several laps. At the 40-lap mark (100 miles), the top five was Flaherty, O'Connor, Johnnie Parsons, Tony Bettenhausen, and Jim Rathmann. The second yellow came out when Ray Crawford spun at the north end of the mainstretch. After a series of pit stops by the leaders, Johnnie Parsons now led. Don Freeland moved into second, then took the lead when Parsons made his pit stop on lap 72.
Al Herman's car locked up the rear wheels and crashed near the start/finish line on lap 75. It brought out the third yellow of the afternoon. Freeland and Bob Sweikert, running 1st-2nd, came into the pits during the yellow. Tony Bettenhausen suffered a small fire in the pits, but it was quickly extinguished and he was able to rejoin the race. When the green came back out on lap 88, Pat Flaherty was now in front.
Don Freeland did a spin in turn two on lap 96, but was able to drive the car back to the pits. The yellow light was on for about two laps. At the halfway point, Pat Flaherty led, with Sam Hanks second, and Bob Sweikert third. Andy Linden pulled into the pits with the car smoking, and he was forced to drop out with an oil leak.
Second half Tire problems were befalling numerous drivers. Officials from Firestone believed that the high track temperature was responsible for the many tire failures. Lee Wallard, observing the race on the radio network, felt that the drivers were racing too hard and were wearing out their tires. He conjectured that some drivers were unwilling to pit for new tires because they did not want to give up valuable track position. Keith Andrews, as-such, reportedly blew a right-front tire, and spun on the mainstretch. He later dropped out with transmission failure.