1938 Indianapolis 500
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | AAA | ||||
| Date | May 30, 1938 | ||||
| Winner | Floyd Roberts | ||||
| Winning Entrant | Lou Moore | ||||
| Average speed | 117.200 mph | ||||
| Pole position | Floyd Roberts | ||||
| Pole speed | 125.681 mph | ||||
| Most laps led | Floyd Roberts, Jimmy Snyder (92 each) | ||||
| Pre-race | |||||
| Pace car | Hudson 112 | ||||
| Pace car driver | Stu Baits | ||||
| Starter | Seth Klein[1] | ||||
| Honorary referee | Harvey S. Firestone[1] | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 150,000[2] | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The 26th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1938. For 1938, riding mechanics were made optional; however, no teams utilized them in the race.[3] In addition, after seven years, the engine specifications were changed again. The 1930 "Junk" formula was eliminated. Normally aspirated engines were allowed 4.5 liters (down from 6.0 L), and superchargers would be permitted again, with a maximum displacement of 3.0 liters.
Time trials
Ten-lap (25 mile) qualifying runs were utilized. This would be the final time this distance was used. Floyd Roberts won the pole position.
| 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 5/21/1938 | Floyd Roberts | 126.174 | 126.743 | 124.138 | 125.839 | 125.857 | 125.122 | 124.688 | 125.523 | 125.892 | 126.886 | 125.506 |
Race Recap
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.[4] 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 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.[5]
Box score
| Finish | Start | No | Name | Qual | Rank | Laps | Led | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 23 |  Floyd Roberts
|
125.681 | 2 | 200 | 92 | Running |
| 2 | 7 | 1 | Wilbur Shaw W
|
120.987 | 13 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 3 | 5 | 3 | Chet Miller
|
121.898 | 9 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 4 | 6 | 2 | Ted Horn
|
121.327 | 12 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 5 | 18 | 38 | Chet Gardner
|
120.435 | 17 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 6 | 14 | 54 | Herb Ardinger
|
119.022 | 24 | 199 | 0 | Flagged |
| 7 | 25 | 45 | Harry McQuinn
|
119.492 | 21 | 197 | 0 | Flagged |
| 8 | 30 | 58 | Billy Devore
|
116.339 | 30 | 185 | 0 | Flagged |
| 9 | 13 | 22 | Joel Thorne R
|
119.155 | 23 | 185 | 0 | Flagged |
| 10 | 17 | 29 | Frank Wearne
|
121.405 | 11 | 181 | 0 | Flagged |
| 11 | 33 | 43 | Duke Nalon R
|
113.828 | 33 | 178 | 0 | Flagged |
| 12 | 29 | 12 | George Bailey
|
116.393 | 29 | 166 | 0 | Clutch |
| 13 | 9 | 27 | Mauri Rose
|
119.796 | 20 | 165 | 0 | Supercharger |
| 14 | 10 | 16 | Ronney Householder
|
125.769 | 1 | 154 | 0 | Supercharger |
| 15 | 15 | 6 | Jimmy Snyder
|
123.506 | 4 | 150 | 92 | Supercharger |
| 16 | 12 | 5 | Louis Meyer W
|
120.525 | 16 | 149 | 0 | Oil Pump |
| 17 | 4 | 17 | Tony Gulotta
|
122.499 | 6 | 130 | 0 | Rod |
| 18 | 22 | 55 | Al Miller
|
119.420 | 22 | 125 | 0 | Clutch |
| 19 | 19 | 15 | George Connor
|
120.326 | 18 | 119 | 0 | Engine |
| 20 | 32 | 9 | Cliff Bergere
|
114.464 | 32 | 111 | 0 | Piston |
| 21 | 31 | 33 | Henry Banks R
|
116.279 | 31 | 109 | 0 | Rod bearing |
| 22 | 21 | 35 | Kelly Petillo W
|
119.827 | 19 | 100 | 0 | Camshaft |
| 23 | 24 | 21 | Louis Tomei
|
121.599 | 10 | 88 | 0 | Rod |
| 24 | 16 | 7 | Bill Cummings W
|
122.393 | 7 | 72 | 0 | Radiator |
| 25 | 2 | 14 | Russ Snowberger
|
124.027 | 3 | 56 | 0 | Rod |
| 26 | 8 | 34 | Babe Stapp
|
120.595 | 15 | 54 | 0 | Valve |
| 27 | 26 | 10 | Tony Willman
|
118.458 | 25 | 47 | 0 | Valve |
| 28 | 3 | 8 | Rex Mays
|
122.845 | 5 | 45 | 16 | Supercharger |
| 29 | 28 | 42 | Emil Andres
|
117.126 | 27 | 45 | 0 | Crash T2 |
| 30 | 27 | 37 | Ira Hall
|
118.255 | 26 | 44 | 0 | Crash T3 |
| 31 | 11 | 26 | Frank Brisko
|
121.921 | 8 | 39 | 0 | Oil line |
| 32 | 23 | 36 | Al Putnam R
|
116.791 | 28 | 15 | 0 | Crankshaft |
| 33 | 20 | 47 | Shorty Cantlon
|
120.906 | 14 | 13 | 0 | Supercharger |
| [6] | ||||||||
Alternates
- First alternate: Charlie Crawford[7]
Failed to Qualify
- Frankie Beeder R (#45)
- Floyd Davis (#59)
- Fred Frame (#32)
- Ralph Hepburn (#4)
- Deacon Litz (#52)
- Tazio Nuvolari R (#48, #54)
- Jack Petticord (#57)
- Johnny Sawyer (#53)
- Johnny Seymour (#56)
- Doc Williams (#46)
- Billy Winn (#18, #24)[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b Fox, Jack C. (1994). The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 (4th ed.). Carl Hungness Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 0-915088-05-3.
- ^ "Roberts Is Winner; Sets Track Record; Spectator Is Killed". The Cincinnati Enquirer. May 31, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved June 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Blazier, John E.; Rollings, Tom (1994). Forgotten Heroes of the Speedways: The Riding Mechanics.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ New York Times, "Roberts Sets Record to Win Indianapolis Auto Classic; Spectator Is Killed", May 31, 1938, page 24.
- ^ "Indianapolis 500 1938". Ultimate Racing History. Archived from the original on January 17, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
- ^ The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004
- ^ "1938 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes". ChampCarStats.com. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
