1938 Indianapolis 500
Encyclopedia
The 26th running of the Indianapolis 500
took place on Monday, May 30, 1938. The race was won by the number 23 car driven by Floyd Roberts
. Roberts' car started in the pole position
, and was the first car to win from that start since 1930
. Roberts led 92 laps, posted an average speed of 117.200 miles per hours, and won $32,075.http://www.indy500.com/stats/view/boxscore/year/1938 Roberts' car was owned by Lou Moore
, who was also the chief mechanic. The race was marred by the death of 33 year old spectator Everett Spence. On lap 45 the number 42 car driven by Emil Andres
hit the wall in turn two, then flipped over several times, causing its right front wheel to fly off. The wheel traveled 100 feet (30.5 m) through the air and hit Spence, who was pronounced dead upon arriving at the hospital. Andres suffered a concussion, broken nose, and chest injuries.
on Monday, May 30, 1938.
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
took place on Monday, May 30, 1938. The race was won by the number 23 car driven by Floyd Roberts
Floyd Roberts
Floyd Roberts is a former Championship Car racing driver from Jamestown, North Dakota. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 1938 with a record speed of . He led for 92 laps. The following year, 1939, driving the same car, he was killed in a crash on the backstretch after hitting a wooden fence at near...
. Roberts' car started in the pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
, and was the first car to win from that start since 1930
1930 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1930 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1930.Note: Cars not finishing were awarded positions in the order in which they left the track, regardless of lap count...
. Roberts led 92 laps, posted an average speed of 117.200 miles per hours, and won $32,075.http://www.indy500.com/stats/view/boxscore/year/1938 Roberts' car was owned by Lou Moore
Lou Moore
Lewis Henry 'Lou' Moore was an American racecar driver, most known during his career for qualifying for the pole position of the 1932 Indianapolis 500. After his driving career, Moore became a legendary car owner...
, who was also the chief mechanic. The race was marred by the death of 33 year old spectator Everett Spence. On lap 45 the number 42 car driven by Emil Andres
Emil Andres
Emil Andres was an American racecar driver active during the 1930's and 1940's....
hit the wall in turn two, then flipped over several times, causing its right front wheel to fly off. The wheel traveled 100 feet (30.5 m) through the air and hit Spence, who was pronounced dead upon arriving at the hospital. Andres suffered a concussion, broken nose, and chest injuries.
Results
Results of the 1938 Indianapolis 500 held at IndianapolisIndianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
on Monday, May 30, 1938.
| Finish | Start | No | Name | Qual | Rank | Laps | Led | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 23 |  Floyd RobertsFloyd Roberts Floyd Roberts is a former Championship Car racing driver from Jamestown, North Dakota. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 1938 with a record speed of . He led for 92 laps. The following year, 1939, driving the same car, he was killed in a crash on the backstretch after hitting a wooden fence at near... |
125.681 | 2 | 200 | 92 | Running |
| 2 | 7 | 1 | Wilbur Shaw Wilbur Shaw Warren Wilbur Shaw was a noted American racing driver and president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death. Shaw was the automotive test evaluator for Popular Science magazine... |
120.987 | 13 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 3 | 5 | 3 | Chet Miller Chet Miller Chet Miller was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a crash in the south turn of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during practice for the 1953 Indianapolis 500. During his long Indy career, Miller earned the nickname "Dean of the Speedway"... |
121.898 | 9 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 4 | 6 | 2 | Ted Horn Ted Horn Ted Horn , born Eylard Theodore Von Horn, was an American race car driver. He won the AAA National Championship in 1946, 1947 and 1948 and collected 24 wins, 12 second-place finishes and 13 third-place finishes in 71 major American open-wheel races prior to his death at the DuQuoin State... |
121.327 | 12 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 5 | 18 | 38 | Chet Gardner Chet Gardner Chet Gardner, Born "Chester Leroy Gardner" was an American racecar driver, named by promoters as "The Grand Old Man of Auto Racing".... |
120.435 | 17 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 6 | 14 | 54 | Herb Ardinger Herb Ardinger Herb Ardinger was an American racecar driver.Ardinger competed in eight AAA Championship Car races from 1934 to 1939, including the 1934, 1936, 1937, and 1938 Indianapolis 500 races... |
119.022 | 24 | 199 | 0 | Flagged |
| 7 | 25 | 45 | Harry McQuinn Harry McQuinn Harry McQuinn was an American racecar driver active in the 1930s and 1940s.... |
119.492 | 21 | 197 | 0 | Flagged |
| 8 | 30 | 58 | Billy Devore |
116.339 | 30 | 185 | 0 | Flagged |
| 9 | 13 | 22 | Joel Thorne Joel Thorne Joel Thorne was an American racecar driver, engineer, and playboy. He died when he crashed his private plane, after what witnesses described as "stunting", into an apartment building, killing eight residents including a two month old baby... |
119.155 | 23 | 185 | 0 | Flagged |
| 10 | 17 | 29 | Frank Wearne Frank Wearne Frank Wearne was an American racecar driver. An Indianapolis 500 specialist, he participated in the race 7 times, with a best finish of 7th in 1940. He only made two Championship Car starts in races other than the Indy 500. -Indy 500 results:... |
121.405 | 11 | 181 | 0 | Flagged |
| 11 | 33 | 43 | Duke Nalon Duke Nalon Dennis "Duke" Nalon was a midget car, sprint car, and Indy 500 driver from Chicago, Illinois, United States.-Racing career:... |
113.828 | 33 | 178 | 0 | Flagged |
| 12 | 29 | 12 | George Bailey George Bailey (driver) George Bailey was an American racecar driver active in the 1930s. He was killed in a crash during practice for the 1940 Indianapolis 500.-Indy 500 results:... |
116.393 | 29 | 166 | 0 | Clutch |
| 13 | 9 | 27 | Mauri Rose Mauri Rose Mauri Rose was an American racecar driver.He started from the pole position driving a Maserati in the 1941 Indianapolis 500, but spark plug problems put him out of the race after sixty laps. He then took over the Wetteroth/Offenhauser car being driven by Floyd Davis that had started in 17th place.... |
119.796 | 20 | 165 | 0 | Supercharger |
| 14 | 10 | 16 | Ronney Householder Ronney Householder Ronney Householder was an American race car driver. He raced most of the year, in the Midwest in summer and the West Coast in the winter.-Racing career:... |
125.769 | 1 | 154 | 0 | Supercharger |
| 15 | 15 | 6 | Jimmy Snyder Jimmy Snyder (driver) Jimmy Snyder was an American racecar driver.Snyder was part of the midget car "Chicago Gang" with Emil Andres, Tony Bettenhausen, Cowboy O'Rourke, Paul Russo, and Wally Zale. They toured tracks in the Midwest and East Coast of the United States.Snyder won the 1937 track championship at the Chicago... |
123.506 | 4 | 150 | 92 | Supercharger |
| 16 | 12 | 5 | Louis Meyer Louis Meyer Louis Meyer was an American Hall of Fame race car driver best known as the first three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500.... |
120.525 | 16 | 149 | 0 | Oil Pump |
| 17 | 4 | 17 | Tony Gulotta Tony Gulotta Tony Gulotta was an American racecar driver active throughout the 1920s and 1930s.... |
122.499 | 6 | 130 | 0 | Rod |
| 18 | 22 | 55 | Al Miller Al Miller Al Miller II , was an American race car driver.Born Albert Krulac in Detroit, Michigan, Miller died in Mount Clemens, Michigan... |
119.420 | 22 | 125 | 0 | Clutch |
| 19 | 19 | 15 | George Connor George Connor (driver) George Connor was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:* In 14 Indianapolis starts, Connor drove without leading a lap. This ranks 5th on the all-time list.... |
120.326 | 18 | 119 | 0 | Engine |
| 20 | 32 | 9 | Cliff Bergere Cliff Bergere Cliff Bergere was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:... |
114.464 | 32 | 111 | 0 | Piston |
| 21 | 31 | 33 | Henry Banks Henry Banks Henry Banks was an American midget car and "big car" driver.-Background:Henry Banks was born in England, but brought up in Royal Oak, Michigan. He was the son of an early European race-driver... |
116.279 | 31 | 109 | 0 | Rod bearing |
| 22 | 21 | 35 | Kelly Petillo Kelly Petillo Cavino Michele "Kelly" Petillo, was an American race car driver.... |
119.827 | 19 | 100 | 0 | Camshaft |
| 23 | 24 | 21 | Louis Tomei Louis Tomei Luigi Gilbert "Louis" Tomei was an American racecar driver active during the 1930's and 1940's.-Indy 500 results:-Stunt performer:... |
121.599 | 10 | 88 | 0 | Rod |
| 24 | 16 | 7 | Bill Cummings Bill Cummings Bill Cummings knicknamed "Wild Bill", won the 1934 Indianapolis 500 and set the diesel . Cummings died driving a passenger automobile on State Road 29 in Indianapolis, when he hit a guard rail and plunged into Lick Creek... |
122.393 | 7 | 72 | 0 | Radiator |
| 25 | 2 | 14 | Russ Snowberger Russ Snowberger Russ Snowberger was an American racecar driver and owner active from the 1920s through the 1950s.... |
124.027 | 3 | 56 | 0 | Rod |
| 26 | 8 | 34 | Babe Stapp Babe Stapp Elbert "Babe" Stapp was an American racecar driver active in the 1920's and 1930's.-Career award:*He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1994.... |
120.595 | 15 | 54 | 0 | Valve |
| 27 | 26 | 10 | Tony Willman Tony Willman Tony Willman was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a midget car accident.-Career awards:*He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1992.... |
118.458 | 25 | 47 | 0 | Valve |
| 28 | 3 | 8 | Rex Mays Rex Mays Rex Mays is a former AAA Championship Car race driver from Riverside, California. He made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 1934 and won the pole in 1935, 1936, and again in 1940 and finished second, he returned the next year and finished second again. Mays won the AAA National Championship in 1940... |
122.845 | 5 | 45 | 16 | Supercharger |
| 29 | 28 | 42 | Emil Andres Emil Andres Emil Andres was an American racecar driver active during the 1930's and 1940's.... |
117.126 | 27 | 45 | 0 | Crash T2 |
| 30 | 27 | 37 | Ira Hall Ira Hall Ira Hall was an American racecar driver. Hall was later elected sheriff of Vigo County, Indiana.-Career award:... |
118.255 | 26 | 44 | 0 | Crash T3 |
| 31 | 11 | 26 | Frank Brisko Frank Brisko Frank Brisko was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:... |
121.921 | 8 | 39 | 0 | Oil line |
| 32 | 23 | 36 | Al Putnam Al Putnam Al Putnam was an American racecar driver. Putnam was killed during qualifying for the first dirt-car race to be held at the Indiana State Fair.-Indy 500 results:... |
116.791 | 28 | 15 | 0 | Crankshaft |
| 33 | 20 | 47 | Shorty Cantlon Shorty Cantlon William "Shorty" Cantlon was an American racecar driver. He was killed on May 30, 1947, while racing in the 1947 Indianapolis 500 on lap 40 after swerving into the outside retaining wall to avoid the spinning car of Bill Holland, who recovered from the spin to finish second... |
120.906 | 14 | 13 | 0 | Supercharger |
External links
See also
- 1938 AAA Championship Car season1938 AAA Championship Car seasonThe 1938 AAA Championship Car season consisted of two races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Syracuse, New York on September 10. There were also two non-championship events. The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Floyd Roberts.-Schedule and...