The 21st International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1933. Louis Meyer defeated Wilbur Shaw by a time of 401.89 seconds (6.69 minutes). The average speed of the race was while Bill Cummings achieved the pole position with a speed of . The race was part of the 1933 AAA Championship Car season.
Meyer was accompanied by riding mechanic Lawson Harris.
The 1933 month of May at Indianapolis was the deadliest running of the 500. Five participants were fatally injured. During practice, Bill Denver and his riding mechanic Bob Hurst were killed in a crash. On race day, Mark Billman was killed in a crash on lap 79 while Lester Spangler and his riding mechanic G.L. "Monk" Jordan were killed in a crash on lap 132. It was the fifth straight year at least one competitor died in a crash during the month.
Time trials Ten-lap (25 mile) qualifying runs were utilized. 42 cars averaged faster than the designated 100 mph mark, making for the largest starting field in the race's history.
Starting grid RowInsideMiddleOutside 15 Bill Cummings 58 Frank Brisko12 Fred Frame 237 Lou Moore16 Ernie Triplett36 Louis Meyer 315 Lester Spangler 10 Ira Hall6 Cliff Bergere 48 Stubby Stubblefield2 Pete Kreis34 Tony Gulotta 525 Shorty Cantlon26 Deacon Litz21 Chet Gardner 69 Zeke Meyer4 Russ Snowberger47 L. L. Corum 768 Bennett Hill46 Luther Johnson22 Louis Schneider 864 Mark Billman 17 Wilbur Shaw19 Al Miller 927 Kelly Petillo32 Wesley Crawford14 Raúl Riganti 1029 Gene Haustein45 Babe Stapp57 Malcolm Fox 1118 Joe Russo28 Chet Miller24 Paul Bost 1253 Johnny Sawyer 65 Freddie Winnai38 Dave Evans 1359 Ray Campbell61 Rick Decker51 Doc MacKenzie 1449 Willard Prentiss 23 Ralph Hepburn3 Mauri Rose
Alternates First alternate: Sam Palmer The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004 Howdy Wilcox II had qualified for the race, but officials disqualified him from the field when they learned that he had diabetes. On race day, he was replaced in the car by Mauri Rose.
Failed to Qualify
Al Aspen (#42) George Barringer (#54) Paul Butler (#56) Ray Carter (#63) Terry Curley (#66) Frank Davidson (#76) Danny Day Leon DeHart (#55) Bill Denver (#42) - Fatal accident Harry Falt (#71) Speed Gardner (#31) George Howie (#48) - Withdrew L. A. Lariviere (#75) Harry Lewis (#44) Virgil Livengood (#69) Jack Mertz (#79) Roy Painter (#72) Phil Shafer (#7) Overton Snell (#52) Bill Sockwell (#74) Howdy Wilcox II (#3) - Replaced by Mauri Rose Doc Williams (#66)
Race summary
Bill Cummings led early on from the pole, turning laps of 113 mph. He faded from the front and dropped out with mechanical problems. Louis Meyer came from 7th starting position to first lead at 325 miles. By 400 miles, he had a commanding lead and was signaled "E-Z" by his pit crew to slow from his 110 mph pace. He cruised to the checkered with a lead of over 5 laps over Wilbur Shaw, with a new record average speed.Book "The Indianapolis 500: A Complete Pictorial History" p.99-100
Box score FinishStartNoNameEntrantChassisEngineQualRankLapsStatus1636 Louis Meyer Louis MeyerMillerMiller116.9777200 104.162 mph22317 Wilbur ShawLeon DurayStevensMiller115.49712200 +6:41.893437 Lou MooreMaley & ScullyDuesenbergMiller117.8434200 +7:16.0441521 Chet GardnerAlden Sampson IIStevensMiller112.31922200 +8:28.965108 Stubby StubblefieldPhil ShaferRiglingBuick114.78413200 +9:43.0763638 Dave EvansArthur E. RoseRiglingStudebaker109.44836200 +10:43.0771234 Tony GulottaThe Studebaker CorporationRiglingStudebaker113.57815200 +14:58.008174 Russ Snowberger(George Howie Laps 110–115)(Mauri Rose Laps 116–200)Russell SnowbergerSnowbergerStudebaker110.76927200 +14:59.099169 Zeke MeyerThe Studebaker CorporationRiglingStudebaker111.09925200 +17:43.74102046 Luther Johnson(Ralph Hepburn Laps 116–147)(Sam Palmer Laps 148–200)The Studebaker CorporationRiglingStudebaker110.09731200 +20:21.471196 Cliff Bergere(Sam Palmer Laps 83–120) The Studebaker CorporationRiglingStudebaker115.64311200 +22:39.63121847 L. L. Corum The Studebaker CorporationRiglingStudebaker110.46529200 +22:48.64134049 Willard Prentiss (Harold Shaw Laps 145–146)J. W. KleinschmidtRiglingDuesenberg107.77641200 +32:31.08142714 Raúl Riganti(Juan Gaudino Laps 120–140)(Juan Gaudino Laps 158–174)Raúl RigantiChryslerChrysler108.08139200 +33:43.38152829 Gene HausteinLawrence J. MartzHudsonHudson107.60342197Flagged161426 Deacon Litz(Louis Schneider Laps 50–97)(Louis Schneider Laps 153–197)A. B. LitzMillerMiller113.13817197Flagged173118 Joe RussoF. P. DuesenbergDuesenbergDuesenberg112.53120192Flagged183951 Doc MacKenzieRay T. BradyDuesenbergStudebaker108.07340192Rear axle192527 Kelly PetilloWilliam M. YahrSmithMiller113.03718168Spun & stalled203228 Chet Miller(Shorty Cantlon Laps 102–145)R. G. "Buddy" MarrHudsonHudson112.02523163Rod212419 Al MillerR. G. "Buddy" MarrHudsonHudson109.79935161Rod221968 Bennett Hill(Frank Brisko Laps 110–130)S. C. GoldbergCooperCooper110.26430158Rod232945 Babe StappM. J. BoyleMillerMiller116.6269156Out of gas242632 Wesley Crawford(Billy Winn Laps 122–147)Frank BriskoStevensMiller109.86233147Crash T12515 Bill Cummings(Frank Brisko Laps 113–120) M. J. BoyleMillerMiller118.5211136Radiator26715 Lester Spangler ✝Harry HartzMillerMiller116.9038132Died in crash at T1273565 Freddie Winnai(Terry Curley Laps 100–104) James KempDuesenbergDuesenberg111.01826125Engine trouble283057 Malcolm FoxWilliam RichardsStudebakerStudebaker112.92219121Crash T129312 Fred Frame Harry HartzWetterothMiller117.864385Valve302264 Mark Billman ✝James KempDuesenbergDuesenberg112.4102179Died in crash at T2313453 Johnny Sawyer Lencki & UngerMillerMiller110.5902877Clutch32112 Pete KreisFred FrameSummersMiller114.3701463Universal joint33516 Ernie TriplettWilliam S. WhiteWeilMiller117.685561Piston341325 Shorty CantlonWilliam CantlonStevensMiller113.3841650Rod35423 Mauri Rose Joe MarksStevensMiller117.649648Timing gears36258 Frank BriskoF.W.D. Auto CompanyMillerMiller118.388247Oil too hot37810 Ira HallDenny DuesenbergStevensDuesenberg115.7391037Piston384123 Ralph HepburnS. C. GoldbergCooperCooper110.0013233Rod bearing393759 Ray CampbellTulio GulottaHudsonHudson108.6503724Oil leak403324 Paul BostFred FrameDuesenbergMiller111.3302413Oil line413861 Rick DeckerBessie DeckerMillerMiller108.2803813Manifold422122 Louis Schneider W. R. BlackburnStevensMiller109.850341Stalled
Note: Relief drivers in parentheses
Former Indianapolis 500 winner
Indianapolis 500 Rookie
Race statistics
Lap Leaders Laps Leader1–32 Bill Cummings33–36 Fred Frame37–38 Babe Stapp39–50 Fred Frame51–63 Babe Stapp64–84 Fred Frame85–129 Babe Stapp130–200 Louis Meyer
Total laps led Driver LapsLouis Meyer 71Babe Stapp 60Fred Frame 37Bill Cummings 32
Race details For 1933, riding mechanics were required.
Despite the deadly month, three rules were installed to make the racing safer. Cars were allowed a maximum of 6 quarts of oil, and could not add oil during the race (a rule still in place today). These changes meant to send "leakers" to the garage and not make the track slippery. Also, fuel tanks were a maximum of 15 gallons, instead of 40 gallons or more. Cars would have to pit more often for fuel and crews could inspect tire wear and other problems.Book "The Indianapolis 500: A Complete Pictorial History" p.98
"Will Overhead" In 1933, one of the more famous bits of Indy 500 nostalgia occurred. Telegraph was still being used to transmit race information to newspapers and other outlets across the United States. George Zanaon, a typesetter for The World-Independent newspaper in the town of Walsenburg, Colorado was preparing a story for that day's Indianapolis 500. Since Memorial Day was a holiday, his young editor John B. Kirkpatrick was alone monitoring the Associated Press wire for race updates. The race took several hours to complete, and the AP wire was shut down prior to the finish. Kirkpatrick had nearly the entire story ready for print, minus the winner of the race. A helpful AP editor in Denver advised him that he would send the name of the winner via Western Union telegraph.
The telegraph Kirkpatrick received, in typical newspaper shorthand lingo was: "WILL OVERHEAD WINNER OF INDIANAPOLIS 500," meaning that he would send the information by telegraph when the information was available. The young editor misunderstood the jargon in the message, and interpreted it as saying a driver named Will Overhead was the winner. The headline read "Will Overhead won the Indianapolis Memorial Day race today. At the two hundred fifty mile post Babe Stapp was leading the string of racing cars, but gave way to Overhead on the last half of the 500 mile grind." The true winner was Louis Meyer. The gaffe put the town of Walsenburg, and The World-Independent newspaper (now known as the Huerfano World Journal), on the map in racing circles.
References
1933 Indianapolis 500 - Racing Reference