The 23rd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 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.Fatalities – May 1935 , indymotorspeedway.com
Kelly Petillo won the race, accompanied by riding mechanic Jimmy Dunham. Pete DePaolo, the 1925 winner, was the team principal, becoming the first individual to win the race separately as a driver and an owner.
The race was part of the 1935 AAA Championship Car season.
Pre-race and qualifying Ten-lap (25 mile) qualifying runs were utilized.
On May 21, nine days before the race, three prospective participants lost their lives. Rookie Johnny Hannon, on just his first lap at racing speed, had his car go over the outside retaining wall and was killed from a fractured skull. Later that day, driver Hartwell "Stubby" Stubblefield also had his car go over the outside wall, and both he and his riding mechanic Leo Whitaker died from injuries they received being thrown from the vehicle.Three Auto Racers Killed, One Injured, In Memorial Day Trials at Indianapolis Associated Press, May 22, 1935, as seen on page 1 of the New York Times Kelly Petillo, the eventual winner, had his own difficulties getting into the field. His initial qualifying run (a record-breaking 121.687 mph) was voided when his car was ruled to have exceeded the fuel limit. Returning to the track, he had an engine blow, before finally having a qualifying run of 115.095 that placed him 22nd in the field.Reed, Terry Indy. The Race and Ritual of the Indianapolis 500. Potomac Books 2005. .
Qualifying Results Date Driver Lap 1(mph) Lap 2(mph) Lap 3(mph) Lap 4(mph) Lap 5(mph) Lap 6(mph) Lap 7(mph) Lap 8(mph) Lap 9(mph) Lap 10(mph) Average Speed(mph)Sat 5/18/1935Rex Mays121.310 121.425 121.819 120.773 121.212 121.359 120.208 119.936 119.506 119.856120.736
Starting grid RowInsideMiddleOutside 133 Rex Mays 6 Al Gordon22 Floyd Roberts 236 Louis Meyer 1 Bill Cummings 44 Tony Gulotta 321 Ralph Hepburn19 Fred Frame 18 Chet Gardner 42 Mauri Rose3 Russ Snowberger17 Babe Stapp 516 Deacon Litz37 George Connor 8 Doc MacKenzie 615 Cliff Bergere34 Chet Miller66 Harry McQuinn 79 Shorty Cantlon14 Wilbur Shaw4 Al Miller 85 Kelly Petillo7 Lou Moore41 Frank Brisko 945 Clay Weatherly 43 Ted Horn 42 Johnny Seymour 1027 Freddie Winnai35 George Bailey39 Jimmy Snyder 1162 Harris Insinger 26 Louis Tomei 46 Bob Sall
Alternates First alternate: Dave EvansThe Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004
Failed to Qualify
Emil Andres (#52, #56) Herb Ardinger (#24) George Barringer (#23) L. L. Corum (#49) Wesley Crawford (#48) Dusty Fahrnow (#53) Johnny Hannon (#45) - Fatal accident Gene Haustein (#28) Harry Hunt (#25) Herschell McKee (#51) Zeke Meyer (#31) Duke Nalon - Withdrew Floyd O'Neal (#57) Roy Painter (#51) Johnny Rae (#47) Johnny Sawyer (#63) Phil Shafer (#31) Overton Snell (#58) Stubby Stubblefield (#29) - Fatal accident Doc Williams (#64) Robert Wilson (#59) Billy Winn (#10)
Race Driver Clay Weatherly would beg Leon Duray, the owner of Hannon's crashed car, to allow him to drive it in the race. The car would prove no luckier for Weatherly, who would be killed when the car crashed through the inner guard rail coming out of turn four on lap nine. Rex Mays would lead most of the first before being forced out with mechanical failure. Petillo had climbed to second, and after Mays' departure led most of the remainder other than briefly following a pit stop. Petillo easily broke the record for the fastest average speed (106.240 mph) despite being slowed somewhat by rain near the end of the race.155,000 See Petillo Capture Indianapolis Auto Race; One Driver Is Killed. Associated Press, May 31, 1935, as seen on sports page 19 of the New York Times Petillo received approximately $33,000 in winnings for the race.
Aftermath The driver deaths in 1935 caused the Speedway to develop a multi-phase Rookie Test, required for first-time drivers beginning in 1936. Adjustments were also made to the configuration of the turns. Petillo would race in five more 500s, never again finishing higher than 18th. Six of the thirty-three drivers who started the race would end up having their lives ended in accidents at the Indy Speedway.
Box score FinishStartNoNameEntrantChassisEngineQualRankLapsStatus1225 Kelly PetilloKelly PetilloWetterothOffenhauser115.09515200 106.240 mph22014 Wilbur ShawGil PirrungShawOffenhauser116.8547200 +40.02351 Bill Cummings H. C. HenningMillerMiller116.9016200 +3:59.774322 Floyd Roberts Earl HaskellMillerMiller118.6713200 +8:14.345721 Ralph Hepburn(Gene Haustein Laps 74–141)Ralph HepburnMillerMiller115.15613200 +8:23.026199 Shorty Cantlon(Billy Winn Laps 67–129)William J. CantlonStevensMiller118.2054200 +14:14.367918 Chet GardnerAlden Sampson IIStevensMiller114.55617200 +14:16.3181316 Deacon Litz(Johnny Sawyer Laps 43–100)(Babe Stapp Laps 101–200)A. B. LitzMillerMiller114.48818200 +14:55.519158 Doc MacKenzieGil PirrungRiglingMiller114.29420200 +15:50.30101734 Chet MillerFred FrameSummersMiller113.55224200 +16:12.4511819 Fred Frame (Frank Brisko Laps 120–200)Harry HartzWetterothMiller114.70116200 +16:19.1512436 Louis Meyer Louis MeyerStevensMiller117.9385200 +16:51.43131615 Cliff BergerePhil ShaferRiglingBuick114.16223196Out of gas143162 Harris Insinger Mikan & CarsonMikan-CarsonStudebaker111.72930185Flagged15214 Al MillerH. C. HenningRiglingMiller115.30312178Magneto162643 Ted Horn Harry A. MillerMiller-FordFord113.21327145Steering17133 Rex MaysPaul WeirickAdamsMiller120.7361123Spring shackle18237 Lou Moore(Tony Gulotta Laps 109–116)Lou MooreMillerMiller114.18022116Rod191437 George Connor Joe MarksStevensMiller114.32119112Transmission20102 Mauri Rose(Paul Bost)Four Wheel Drive Auto CompanyMillerMiller116.4709103Studs21644 Tony GulottaLeon DurayStevensMiller115.45911102Magneto223039 Jimmy Snyder Joel ThorneSnowbergerStudebaker112.2492997Spring232441 Frank BriskoKenneth SchroederRiglingStudebaker113.3072679Universal joint242742 Johnny Seymour(George Barringer Laps 61–71)Harry A. MillerMiller-FordFord112.6962871Grease leak251217 Babe StappJoe MarksAdamsMiller116.736870Radiator262935 George BaileyHarry A. MillerMiller-FordFord113.4322565Steering27113 Russ SnowbergerH. C. HenningMillerMiller114.2092159Exhaust pipe283226 Louis Tomei Joe LenckiMillerLencki110.7943247Valve293346 Bob Sall Harry A. MillerMiller-FordFord110.5193347Steering3026 Al GordonWilliam S. WhiteWeilMiller119.481217Crash T4312827 Freddie WinnaiHarry HartzDuesenbergMiller115.1381416Rod322545 Clay Weatherly ✝Leon DurayStevensMiller115.902109Fatal accident at T4331866 Harry McQuinnMichael DeBaetsRiglingMiller111.111314Rod
Note: Relief drivers in parentheses
Former Indianapolis 500 winner
Indianapolis 500 Rookie
Race statistics
Lap Leaders Laps Leader1–63 Rex Mays64–67 Babe Stapp68–73 Kelly Petillo74–99 Rex Mays100–139 Kelly Petillo140–144 Wilbur Shaw145–200 Kelly Petillo
Total laps led Driver LapsKelly Petillo 102Rex Mays 89Wilbur Shaw 5Babe Stapp 4
Yellow Lights Laps* Reason 177–189 Rain* – Approximate lap counts
Race details For 1935, riding mechanics were required.
References