25

37th Indianapolis International Motor Sweepstakes

30 May 1953Indianapolis804.675 km (4023 m x 200 Laps) = 500 Miles (2.5 Miles x 200 Laps)

 Pole Position: Bill Vukovich, Kurtis KK500A-Offenhauser, 4:20.13 (222.67 km/h = 138.39 mph) Fastest Lap: Bill Vukovich, Kurtis KK500A-Offenhauser, 1:06.24 (218.62 km/h = 135.87 mph lap 27) Race Results: Pos Car# Driver Car Time Speed Money 1 14 Bill Vukovich Kurtis KK500A-Offenhauser 3:53:01.69 128.74 $89,497 (207.17 km/h) 2 16 Art Cross Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser 3:56:32.56 126.83 $27,297 3 3 Sam Hanks/ 151 laps Duane Carter Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser 3:57:13.24 126.47 $16,422 49 laps 4 59 Freddie Agabashian/ 104 laps Paul Russo Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser 3:57:40.91 126.47 $12,947 96 laps 5 5 Jack McGrath Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser 4:00:51.33 124.56 $10,622 6 48 Jimmy Daywalt Kurtis KK3000-Offenhauser 4:01:11.88 124.38 $8,197 7 2 Jim Rathmann/ 112 laps Eddie Johnson Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser 4:01:47.65 124.07 $6,847 88 laps 8 12 Ernie McCoy Stevens-Offenhauser 4:03:06.23 123.40 $5,947 9 98 Tony Bettenhausen/ 115 laps Chuck Stevenson/ 44 laps Gene Hartly Kuzma-Offenhauser 196 Crash 3 $5,647 37 laps 10 53 Jim Davies Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser 193 Flagged $5,547 11 9 Duke Nalon Kurtis-Novi 191 Spun 3 $3,317 12 73 Carl Scarborough/ 69 laps Bob Scott Kurtis KK2000-Offenhauser 190 Flagged $3,147 121 laps 13 88 Manuel Ayulo Kuzma-Offenhauser 184 Rod $3,177 14 8 Jimmy Bryan Schroeder-Offenhauser 183 Flagged $3,057 15 49 Bill Holland/ 141 laps Jim Rathmann Kurtis KK500B-Offenhasuer 177 Cam gear $3,237 36 laps 16 92 Rodger Ward/ 138 laps Andy Linden/ 29 laps Duke Dinsmore Kurtis-Offenhauser 177 Stalled $2,917 10 laps 17 23 Walt Faulkner/ 134 laps Johnny Mantz Kurtis KK500A-Offenhauser 176 Flagged $2,497 42 laps Did Not Finish: 18 22 Marshall Teague Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser 169 Oil leak $2,377 19 62 Spider Webb/ 112 laps Johnny Thompson/ 45 laps Jackie Holmes Kurtis KK3000-Offenhauser 166 Oil leak $2,347 9 laps 20 51 Bob Sweikert Kuzma-Offenhauser 151 Radius rod $2,717 21 83 Mike Nazaruk Turner-Offenhauser 146 Stalled $2,287 22 77 Pat Flaherty Kurtis KK3000-Offenhauser 115 Crash NS $2,257 23 55 Jerry Hoyt/ 82 laps Chuck Stevenson/ 13 laps Andy Linden Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser 107 Overheating $2,227 12 laps 24 4 Duane Carter Lesovsky-Offenhauser 94 Ignition $2,197 25 7 Paul Russo Kurtis KK3000-Offenhauser 89 Magneto $2,167 26 21 Johnnie Parsons Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser 86 Crankshaft $2,637 27 38 Don Freeland Watson-Offenhauser 76 Crash 4 $2,107 28 41 Gene Hartley Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser 53 Crash 4 $2,077 29 97 Chuck Stevenson Kuzma-Offenhauser 42 Fuel leak $2,047 30 99 Cal Nidy Kurtis-Offenhauser 30 Magneto $2,317 31 29 Bob Scott Bromme-Offenhauser 14 Oil leak $2,187 32 56 Johnny Thomson Del Roy-Offenhauser 6 Ignition $1,907 33 32 Andy Linden Stevens-Offenhauser 3 Crash 3 $2,127 Lap Leaders: Car# Driver Car Laps Total 14 Bill Vukovich Kurtis KK500A-Offenhauser 1-48 195 59 Freddie Agabashian Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser 49 1 2 Jim Rathmann Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser 50 1 3 Sam Hanks Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser 51-53 3 14 Bill Vukovich Kurtis KK500A-Offenhauser 54-200 Qualifying Times: Bill Vukovich Freddie Agabashian Jack McGrath Kurtis KK500A-Offenhauser #14 Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser #59 Kurtis KK40O00-Offenhauser #5 Fuel Injection/Howard Keck Grancor-Elgin Piston Pin Jack Hinkle 4:20.13 4:21.73 4:23.54 138.39 mph 137.55 mph 136.60 mph Manuel Ayulo Andy Linden Tony Bettenhausen Kuzma-Offenhauser #88 Stevens-Offenhauser #32 Kuzma-Offenhauser #98 Peter Schmidt Cop-Sil-Loy/Rotary Engineering J.C. Agajanian 4:23.96 4:24.59 4:24.66 136.38 mph 136.06 mph 136.02 mph Jerry Hoyt Johnnie Parsons Sam Hanks Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser #55 Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser #21 Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser #3 John Zink Belond Equa-Flow Bardahl/Ed Walsh 4:25.23 4:21.50 4:21.76 135.73 mph 137.67 mph 137.53 mph Rodger Ward Bob Scott Art Cross Kurtis-Offenhauser #92 Bromme-Offenhauser #29 Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser #16 M.A. Walker Electric Belond Equa-Flow/Bromme Springfield Welding/Paoli 4:21.88 4:21.95 4:22.18 137.47 mph 137.43 mph 137.31 mph Gene Hartley Walt Faulkner Don Freeland Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser #41 Kurtis KK500A-Offenhauser #14 Watson-Offenhauser #38 Federal Engineering Automobile Shippers/Casaroll Bob Estes 4:22.27 4:22.55 4:23.03 137.26 mph 137.12 mph 136.87 mph Chuck Stevenson Paul Russo Spider Webb Kuzma-Offenhauser #97 Kurtis KK3000-Offenhauser #7 Kurtis KK3000-Offenhauser #62 J.C. Agajanian Federal Engineering Lubri-Loy/3-L Racing Team 4:23.62 4:24.28 4:24.38 136.56 mph 136.22 mph 136.17 mph Carl Scarborough Ernie McCoy Jimmy Daywalt Kurtis KK2000-Offenhauser #73 Stevens-Offenhauser #12 Kurtis KK3000-Offenhauser #48 McNamara/Lee Elkins H.A. Chapman Sumar/Chapman Root 4:24.83 4:24.85 4:25.20 135.94 mph 135.93 mph 135.75 mph Marshall Teague Mike Nazaruk Pat Flaherty Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser #22 Turner-Offenhauser #83 Kurtis KK3000-Offenhauser #77 Pure Oil/Hart Fullerton Kalamazoo/Lee Elkins Peter Schmidt 4:25.25 4:25.28 4:25.35 135.72 mph 135.71 mph 135.67 mph Jim Rathmann Duke Nalon Duane Carter Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser #2 Kurtis-Novi #9 Lesovsky-Offenhauser #4 Travelon Trailer/Ernest Ruiz Novi Governor/Jean Marcenac Miracle Power/Belanger 4:25.36 4:25.76 4:26.14 135.67 mph 135.46 mph 135.27 mph Bill Holland Bob Sweikert Cal Niday Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser #49 Kuzma-Offenhauser #51 Kurtis-Offenhauser #99 Ray Crawford Dean Van Lines Miracle Power/Belanger 4:21.12 4:23.02 4:24.52 137.87 mph 136.87 mph 136.10 mph Jimmy Bryan Jim Davies Johnny Thomson Schroeder-Offenhauser #8 Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser #53 Del Roy-Offenhauser #56 Blakely Oil/John McDaniel Pat Clancy Dr. R.N. Sabourin 4:25.67 4:26.07 4:26.15 135.51 mph 135.30 mph 135.26 mph Did Not Qualify: Car# Driver Car Entrant 6 Jim Rathmann Moore-Offenhauser Wynn's Friction Proofing/Walsh 10 Henry Banks Lesovsky-Offenhauser Hopkins/Motor Racers 15 Chet Miller Kurtis-Novi Novi Governor Crash 1 (fatal) 17 Joe Sostilio Kurtis KK500A-Chrysler Belanger Motors 24 Cliff Griffith Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser Bardahl/Ed Walsh Crash 1 25 George Connor Kurtis KK500A-Chrysler Chrysler/Wolcott 26 Eddie Johnson Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser City of Detroit 28 Pat O'Connor Deidt-Offenhauser Slick Racers 31 Len Duncan Schroeder-Offenhauser Caccia Motors 33 Art Cross Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser Ray Brady 34 Eddie Sachs Kurtis KK2000-Offenhauser Ludson Morris 35 Buzz Barton Pawl-Offenhauser Parks Offenhauser/L.E. Parks 36 Potsy Goacher Pankratz-Offenhauser Sid Street Motors 39 Bill Taylor Lesovsky-Offenhauser Blue Crown Spark Plug/Hopkins 42 Bill Cantrell Pankratz-Offenhauser Emmett Malloy 43 Roy Neuman Maserati Roy Neuman 44 LeRoy Warriner Kurtis KK1000-Offenhauser Jim Robbins 46 Johnny Fedricks Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser Dunn Engineering 52 Duke Dinsmore Kurtis KK2000-Offenhauser Sarafoff 57 Hal Robson Voelker Voelker 61 Bill Holland Kurtis KK3000-Offenhauser Slick Racers 63 Danny Oakes Moore-Offenhauser Lindsey Hopkins 64 Pat O'Connor Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser Engle-Stanko 65 Allen Heath Ewing-Offenhauser Commercial Motor Freight 66 Johnny Tolan Kurtis KK500A-Chrysler Chrysler/Wolcott 67 Johnny Kay Clemons-Offenhauser Jeanie-Lee/LeeGlessner 69 Joe Barzda Maserati California Speed 71 Jackie Holmes Kurtis-Offenhauser Merkler Machine Works 74 Pat O'Connor Schroeder-Offenhauser Brown Motor Company 75 Wayne Selser Christy-Offenhauser Christy 76 George Fonder Silnes-Offenhauser George Leitenberger 78 Cal Niday Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser Storey-Ricketts 79 Frank Armi Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser Mel-Rae/Mel Wiggers 81 Len Duncan Trevis-Offenhauser Central Excavating/Pete Salemi 82 Johnny Roberts Kurtis KK2000-Offenhauser William Burns 84 Bill Homeier Lesovsky-Offenhauser Coast Grain 85 Johnny Tolan Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser Blakely Oil 86 Bill Boyd Kurtis KK2000-Offenhauser Merz Engineerng 87 Bill Homeier Kurtis KK500B-Cadillac Cal Connell 89 Spider Webb Maserati-Offenhauser Fadely-Anderson/R.A. Cott 91 Red Hamilton Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser Clyde Dillon 93 Al Herman Kurtis KK2000-Offenhauser Traylor Engineering 95 Jorge Daponte Johnson-Wayne Wayne 96 Jud Larson Snowberger-Offenhauser Helin Flyer Notes:
  • Promoter: Indianapolis Motor Speedway. AAA Sanction No. 10153
  • Engine Specifications (cubic inches) and Restrictions:
    Normally Aspirated - 274.6
    Supercharged - 183.1
    Stock-Block - 274.6
    Minimum Qualifing Speed - 115 mph
  • Yellow flags totalled 0:09:08
  • Average qualifying speed: 136.46 mph
  • Weather: Sunny, Very hot, Dry.
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    Race Review:

    As usual the Indianapolis 500 was included in the World Championship but none of the Europeans went to The Brickyard in 1953. Qualifying resulted in Bill Vukovich - who had nearly won in 1952 - setting the pace with Fred Agabashian and Jack McGrath completing the front row while the second row was shared by Miguel Ayulo, Andy Linden and Tony Bettenhausen. Vukovich took the lead and remained the dominant force throughout the race, winning easily. The event was marked by extreme heat which resulted in many drivers needing replacements and one actually dying as a result of his exertions.