The 13th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1925.
Race winner Peter DePaolo became the first driver to complete the 500 miles in under five hours, and have an average over 100 mph. Norman Batten drove 21 laps of relief (laps 106–127) while DePaolo had his hands bandaged due to blisters and bruises.
Time trials Four-lap (10 mile) qualifying runs were utilized. Leon Duray won the pole position with a 4-lap track record of 113.196 mph. Peter DePaolo, who qualified second, set the 1-lap track record at 114.285 mph.
Qualifying Results Date Driver Lap 1(mph) Lap 2(mph) Lap 3(mph) Lap 4(mph) Average Speed(mph)5/26/1925 Leon Duray113.22113.44113.44113.41113.196
Starting grid RowInsideMiddleOutside 128 Leon Duray12 Pete DePaolo6 Harry Hartz 22 Earl Cooper1 Dave Lewis17 Ralph Hepburn 310 Jules Ellingboe22 Pietro Bordino 38 Pete Kreis 427 Frank Elliott4 Tommy Milton 5 Fred Comer 53 Bennett Hill15 W. E. Shattuc 24 Earl Devore 623 Wade Morton29 Herbert Jones 8 Ralph DePalma 719 Ira Vail14 Bob McDonogh7 Melville Jones (*) 89 Phil Shafer
Note: (*) Car qualified by Harold J. Skelly
Race summary
DePaolo jumped into the lead at the start, with Earl Cooper close behind. Phil Shafer led briefly, but DePaolo returned to the lead by half-distance. On lap 106, DePaolo came in for relief from Norman Batten while his bloody, blistered hands were bandaged. Dave Lewis then took over the lead in a front-wheel-drive Miller. The front wheels providing good grip in the turns, Lewis began to pull away. Batten soon pitted and DePaolo returned to the cockpit, and set his sights on Lewis.
At about 400 miles, Lewis began to slow, physically exhausted from the grind over the bricks. His crew called him in, but he overshot his pit stall and had to continue for another lap. When he finally stopped, crewmen lifted him out and Bennett Hill climbed in, now 1 1/2 laps behind DePaolo after the botched pit entry and eventual stop.
Hill sped after DePaolo, unlapping himself with about 25 laps to go and gaining several seconds with each lap. But DePaolo crossed the finish line with a record sub-5-hour 500 57 seconds ahead of Hill.Book "The Indianapolis 500: A Complete Pictorial History" p. 63-65
Box score FinishStartNoNameEntrantCarQualRankLapsStatus1212 Peter DePaolo(Norman Batten Laps 106–127)Duesenberg BrothersDuesenberg113.0832200 101.126 mph251 Dave Lewis(Bennett Hill Laps 174–200)R. Cliff DurantMiller109.0615200 +56.383229 Phil Shafer (Wade Morton Laps 160–200)Duesenberg BrothersDuesenberg103.52316200 +2:47.32436 Harry HartzHarry HartzMiller112.4333200 +6:42.125114 Tommy Milton Tommy MiltonMiller104.36613200 +11:46.246128 Leon Duray(Fred Comer Laps 105–155)Harry HartzMiller113.1961200 +12:54.647188 Ralph DePalma (L. L. Corum Laps 106–145)Ralph DePalmaMiller108.6076200 +13:06.598938 Pete Kreis (Norman Batten Laps 136–200)Duesenberg BrothersDuesenberg106.33810200 +14:47.3991415 W. E. Shattuc Dr. W. E. Shattuc, M.D.Miller102.07017200 +16:41.0110822 Pietro Bordino (Antoine Mourre Laps 74–179)Pietro BordinoFiat107.6619200 +19:58.5011125 Fred Comer(Ira Vail Laps 86–132)Harry HartzMiller104.29614200 +23:36.13121027 Frank Elliott(Ora Haibe Laps 81–130)Richard G. DoyleMiller104.91011200 +28:36.23131524 Earl Devore (Glenn Shultz Laps 92–115)(L. L. Corum Laps 170–198)Bancroft & PopeMiller97.79919198Flagged142014 Bob McDonogh(Bennett Hill Laps 129–140)Tommy MiltonMiller101.93118188Truss rod151623 Wade Morton(Jimmy Gleason Laps 110–156)Duesenberg BrothersDuesenberg95.82120156Crash BS16617 Ralph Hepburn Earl CooperMiller108.4897144Gas tank1742 Earl CooperR. Cliff DurantMiller110.4874127Crash T118133 Bennett Hill(Jules Ellingboe Laps 30–52)(Ray Cariens Laps 57–68)(Jerry Wunderlich Laps 69)Harry A. MillerMiller104.1671569Rear spring191729 Herbert Jones (Alfred Moss Laps 13–58)(Alfred Moss Laps 66–68)Herbert JonesMiller89.4012169Crash T1201919 Ira VailR. J. JohnsonMiller104.7851263Rod21217 Melville Jones (Fred Harder Laps 11–13)H. J. SkellyFronty-Ford T88.4782233Transmission22710 Jules EllingboeJerry WunderlichMiller107.832824Steering Note: Relief drivers in parentheses
Former Indianapolis 500 winner
Indianapolis 500 Rookie
Race statistics
Lap Leaders Laps Leader1–54 Pete DePaolo55–67 Phil Shafer68–85 Pete DePaolo86–88 Harry Hartz89–104 Pete DePaolo105–107 Dave Lewis108–122 Ralph Hepburn123–126 Earl Cooper127–173 Dave Lewis174–200 Pete DePaolo
Total laps led Leader LapsPete DePaolo 115Dave Lewis 50Ralph Hepburn 15Phil Shafer 13Earl Cooper 4Harry Hartz 3
Race details
For 1925, riding mechanics were optional, however, no teams utilized them. First alternate: noneThe Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004 Ralph DePalma would be the only driver in the race who had competed in the first Indy 500 in 1911. Though Pete DePaolo is widely recognized as the first driver to complete (and win) the Indianapolis 500 in under five hours (over 100 mph average speed), he was not eligible for the prestigious Champion Spark Plug 100 mph Club founded in 1935. Since DePaolo briefly received relief help from Norman Batten during the race, DePaolo failed the strict criteria for the club. He never managed to complete the full 500 miles again, and accomplish the feat solo. The race marked the first appearance of a front-wheel-drive car. Harry Miller built the car on the suggestion of driver Jimmy Murphy, who thought the concept would be quick on Indy's bricks while having less tire wear. The "Junior 8", without a driveshaft to the rear wheels, was only 36 inches tall, and a flyweight sub-1500 lbs. It showed its effectiveness and began a wave of front-drive cars for the next quarter-century. Murphy never got to drive it; he was killed in a crash at Syracuse the previous September. Miller hired Dave Lewis for the 500.Book "The Indianapolis 500: A Complete Pictorial History" p. 63
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