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1928 Indianapolis 500
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1928 Indianapolis 500
The 16th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1928. This was the first Indianapolis 500 presided over by new Speedway president Eddie Rickenbacker. Rain threatened to wash out the day, but the showers stopped and the race started on time. One brief shower slowed the race around the 400-mile mark, bringing out the yellow flag for a few laps.
It was the third year contested with the supercharged 911⁄2 cu. in. (1.5 L) displacement engine formula. A total of seven supercharged front-wheel drive cars were entered, and they swept the front row during time trials. Leon Duray in a Miller took the pole position with an average speed of 122.391 mph (196.969 km/h), a new track record. Duray dominated much of the first half of the race, setting a blistering pace. He dropped out in the second half, however, due to an overheating engine.
With twenty laps to go, Tony Gulotta led Jimmy Gleason and Louis Meyer. All three cars were running nose-to-tail. On lap 181, Gulotta slowed with a leaking fuel tank and a clogged fuel line. Gleason and Meyer then battled for the lead. On lap 196 Gleason headed for the pits to take on water for the radiator. A crew member missed the radiator and accidentally doused the car's magneto with water. The engine was ruined with a cracked water jacket in sight of victory.
Rookie driver Louis Meyer (though he had appeared as a relief driver in 1927) took the first of what would be three career Indy victories. Meyer did not even land his ride until one week before the race. Car owner Phil Shafer entered a rear-wheel drive Miller Special for Wilbur Shaw with initial backing from a fuel pump manufacturer. The deal fell through, and Shafer abruptly sold the car to Alden Sampson II four days before time trials were scheduled to begin. Sampson hired Louis Meyer to drive the car, the same machine that Tony Gulotta drove to a third place in 1927. Meyer put the car safely in the field in 13th starting position. He drove a steady, consistent pace, and led only once, the final 19 laps of the race. Despite predictions of record speed, and an early blistering pace, Meyer's average speed of 99.482 mph for the 500 miles fell short of the record set in 1926.
The race was scheduled for Wednesday May 30. Competitors began arriving at the grounds in mid-April, and the track was to be made available for practice and testing no later than May 1. Elimination trials were scheduled for three days (May 26–28), but qualifying extended to an additional day (and for a brief period on race morning) due to a short field. The annual awards banquet was scheduled for Thursday evening (May 31) at the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce.
Qualifications was scheduled for three days, May 26–28. The minimum speed to qualify was set at 90 mph. A total of 36 entries were expected to make attempts to fill the 33 starting positions. Qualified cars on the first day of trials would line up in the grid first, followed by the second day qualifiers, and so on.
Riding mechanics were optional, however, no teams entered utilized them.
The first day of elimination trials was held Saturday May 26. Qualifying was scheduled from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Any cars in line at 5 o'clock were permitted to make their runs, continuing until the track closed at sundown. The morning dawned dark, with the threat of rain looming, but fair skies prevailed. The existing track records going into the month were both held by Frank Lockhart. The one-lap track record (120.918 mph) and four-lap track record (120.100 mph) were both set during time trials in 1927.
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1928 Indianapolis 500
The 16th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1928. This was the first Indianapolis 500 presided over by new Speedway president Eddie Rickenbacker. Rain threatened to wash out the day, but the showers stopped and the race started on time. One brief shower slowed the race around the 400-mile mark, bringing out the yellow flag for a few laps.
It was the third year contested with the supercharged 911⁄2 cu. in. (1.5 L) displacement engine formula. A total of seven supercharged front-wheel drive cars were entered, and they swept the front row during time trials. Leon Duray in a Miller took the pole position with an average speed of 122.391 mph (196.969 km/h), a new track record. Duray dominated much of the first half of the race, setting a blistering pace. He dropped out in the second half, however, due to an overheating engine.
With twenty laps to go, Tony Gulotta led Jimmy Gleason and Louis Meyer. All three cars were running nose-to-tail. On lap 181, Gulotta slowed with a leaking fuel tank and a clogged fuel line. Gleason and Meyer then battled for the lead. On lap 196 Gleason headed for the pits to take on water for the radiator. A crew member missed the radiator and accidentally doused the car's magneto with water. The engine was ruined with a cracked water jacket in sight of victory.
Rookie driver Louis Meyer (though he had appeared as a relief driver in 1927) took the first of what would be three career Indy victories. Meyer did not even land his ride until one week before the race. Car owner Phil Shafer entered a rear-wheel drive Miller Special for Wilbur Shaw with initial backing from a fuel pump manufacturer. The deal fell through, and Shafer abruptly sold the car to Alden Sampson II four days before time trials were scheduled to begin. Sampson hired Louis Meyer to drive the car, the same machine that Tony Gulotta drove to a third place in 1927. Meyer put the car safely in the field in 13th starting position. He drove a steady, consistent pace, and led only once, the final 19 laps of the race. Despite predictions of record speed, and an early blistering pace, Meyer's average speed of 99.482 mph for the 500 miles fell short of the record set in 1926.
The race was scheduled for Wednesday May 30. Competitors began arriving at the grounds in mid-April, and the track was to be made available for practice and testing no later than May 1. Elimination trials were scheduled for three days (May 26–28), but qualifying extended to an additional day (and for a brief period on race morning) due to a short field. The annual awards banquet was scheduled for Thursday evening (May 31) at the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce.
Qualifications was scheduled for three days, May 26–28. The minimum speed to qualify was set at 90 mph. A total of 36 entries were expected to make attempts to fill the 33 starting positions. Qualified cars on the first day of trials would line up in the grid first, followed by the second day qualifiers, and so on.
Riding mechanics were optional, however, no teams entered utilized them.
The first day of elimination trials was held Saturday May 26. Qualifying was scheduled from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Any cars in line at 5 o'clock were permitted to make their runs, continuing until the track closed at sundown. The morning dawned dark, with the threat of rain looming, but fair skies prevailed. The existing track records going into the month were both held by Frank Lockhart. The one-lap track record (120.918 mph) and four-lap track record (120.100 mph) were both set during time trials in 1927.
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