51

40th Indianapolis International Sweepstakes

30 May 1956Indianapolis804.675 km (4023 m x 200 Laps) = 500 Miles (2.5 Miles x 200 Laps)

 Pole Position: Pat Flaherty, Watson-Offenhauser, 4:07.26 (234.26 km/h = 145.60 mph) Fastest Lap: Paul Russo, Kurtis-Novi, 1:02.32 (232.37 km/h = 144.42 mph lap 19) Race Results: Pos Car# Driver Car Time Speed Money 1 8 Pat Flaherty Watson-Offenhauser 3:53:28.84 128.49 $93,819 (206.77 km/h) 2 4 Sam Hanks Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser 3:53:49.30 128.30 $32,919 3 16 Don Freeland Phillips-Offenhauser 3:54:59.07 127.67 $20,419 4 98 Johnnie Parsons Kuzma-Offenhauser 3:56:52.48 126.63 $15,769 5 73 Dick Rathmann Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser 3:57:50.65 126.13 $10,744 6 1 Bob Sweikert Kuzma-Offenhauser 3:59:03.83 125.49 $7,594 7 14 Bob Veith Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser 3:59:54.15 125.05 $7,494 8 19 Rodger Ward Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser 4:00:01.15 124.99 $6,294 9 26 Jimmy Reece Lesovsky-Offenhauser 4:00:67.11 124.94 $6,044 10 27 Cliff Griffith Stevens-Offenhauser 4:01:45.48 123.47 $6,194 11 82 Gene Hartley Kuzma-Offenhauser 196 Flagged 122.96 $3,714 12 42 Freddie Agabashian Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser 196 Flagged 122.51 $3,644 13 57 Bob Christie Kurtis KK500D-Offenhauser 196 Flagged 122.32 $3,374 14 55 Al Keller Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser 195 Flagged 121.90 $3,254 15 81 Eddie Johnson Kuzma-Offenhauser 195 Flagged 121.46 $3,434 16 41 Billy Garrett Kuzma-Offenhauser 194 Flagged 120.09 $3,014 17 64 Duke Dinsmore Kurtis KK500A-Offenhauser 191 Flagged 118.94 $3,094 18 7 Pat O'Connor Kurtis KK500D-Offenhauser 187 Flagged $8,924 19 2 Jimmy Bryan Kuzma-Offenhauser 185 Flagged $3,144 Did Not Finish: 20 24 Jim Rathmann Kurtis KK500C-Offenhasuer 175 Rings $3,564 21 34 Johnnie Tolan Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser 173 Mechanical $3,084 22 99 Tony Bettenhausen Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser 160 Crash 1 $2,754 23 10 Ed Elisian/ 123 laps Eddie Russo Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser 160 Stalled $2,624 37 laps 24 48 Jimmy Daywalt Kurtis KK500D-Offenhauser 134 Crash 2 $2,594 25 54 Jack Turner Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser 131 Engine $2,564 26 89 Keith Andrews Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser 94 Spun 4 $2,804 27 5 Andy Linden Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser 90 Oil Leak $2,534 28 12 Al Herman Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser 74 Crash FS $2,474 29 49 Ray Crawford Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser 49 Crash 4 $2,444 30 15 Johnny Boyd Kurtis KK500E-Offenhauser 35 Engine $2,444 31 53 Troy Ruttman Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser 22 Spun FS $2,384 32 88 Johnny Thomson Kuzma-Offenhauser 22 Spun FS $2,854 33 29 Paul Russo Kurtis-Novi 21 Crash 1 $3,974 Lap Leaders: Car# Driver Car Laps Total 24 Jim Rathmann Kurtis KK500C-Offenhasuer 1-3 3 7 Pat O'Connor Kurtis KK500D-Offenhauser 4-10 39 29 Paul Russo Kurtis-Novi 11-21 11 7 Pat O'Connor Kurtis KK500D-Offenhauser 22-40 8 Pat Flaherty Watson-Offenhauser 41 127 7 Pat O'Connor Kurtis KK500D-Offenhauser 42-44 8 Pat Flaherty Watson-Offenhauser 45 7 Pat O'Connor Kurtis KK500D-Offenhauser 46-55 98 Johnnie Parsons Kuzma-Offenhauser 56-71 16 16 Don Freeland Phillips-Offenhauser 72-75 4 8 Pat Flaherty Watson-Offenhauser 76-200 Qualifying Times: Pat Flaherty Jim Rathmann Pat O'Connor Watson-Offenhauser #8 Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser #24 Kurtis KK500D-Offenhauser #7 John Zink Lindsey Hopkins Ansted Rotary 4:07.26 4:08.07 4:08.31 145.60 mph 145.12 mph 144.98 mph Dick Rathmann Tony Bettenhausen Johnny Parsons Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser #73 Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser #99 Kuzma-Offenhauser #98 McNamara/Kalamazoo Sports Belanger Motors J.C. Agajanian 4:08.72 4:08.96 4:09.75 144.74 mph 144.60 mph 144.14 mph Freddie Agabashian Paul Russo Andy Linden Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser #42 Kurtis-Novi #29 Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser #5 Federal Engineering Novi Vespa/Novi Racing H.A. Chapman 4:09.88 4:10.79 4:11.65 144.07 mph 143.55 mph 143.06 mph Bob Sweikert Troy Ruttman Johnny Boyd Kuzma-Offenhauser #1 Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser #53 Kurtis KK500E-Offenhauser #15 D-A Lubricants Racing John Zink Bowes Seal Fast/Bignotti 4:11.69 4:12.66 4:12.92 143.03 mph 142.48 mph 142.34 mph Sam Hanks Ed Elisian Roger Ward Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser #4 Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser #10 Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser #19 Jones & Maley/Cars Inc. Hoyt Machine/Fred Sommer Filter Queen/Ed Walsh 4:13.43 4:14.63 4:15.01 142.05 mph 141.38 mph 141.17 mph Jimmy Daywalt Ray Crawford Johnny Thomson Kurtis KK500D-Offenhauser #48 Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser #49 Kuzma-Offenhauser #88 Sumar/Chapman Root Ray Crawford Peter Schmidt 4:15.36 4:15.53 4:07.34 140.98 mph 140.88 mph 145.55 mph Jimmy Bryan Keith Andrews Jimmy Reece Kuzma-Offenhauser #2 Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser #89 Lesovsky-Offenhauser #26 Dean Van Lines Dunn Engineering Massaglia Hotels 4:10.45 4:11.79 4:11.95 143.74 mph 142.98 mph 142.89 mph Gene Hartley Bob Veith Jack Turner Kuzma-Offenhauser #82 Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser #14 Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser #54 Central Excavating/Pete Salemi Federal Engineering Travelon Trailer/Ernest Ruiz 4:12.02 4:12.57 4:12.82 142.85 mph 142.54 mph 142.39 mph Bob Christie Don Freeland Al Herman Kurtis KK500D-Offenhauser #57 Phillips-Offenhauser #16 Kurtis KK500B-Offenhauser #12 Helse/H.H. Johnson Bob Estes Bardahl/Pat Clancy 4:13.10 4:14.06 4:14.22 142.24 mph 141.70 mph 141.61 mph Al Keller Billy Garrett Cliff Griffith Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser #55 Kuzma-Offenhauser #41 Stevens-Offenhauser #27 Sam Traylor Greenman-Casale Jim Robbins 4:14.97 4:16.12 4:14.47 141.19 mph 140.56 mph 141.47 mph Johnnnie Tolan Eddie Johnson Duke Dinsmore Kurtis KK500C-Offenhauser #34 Kuzma-Offenhauser #81 Kurtis KK500A-Offenhauser #64 Trio Brass Foundry/Anderson Central Excavating/Pete Salemi Shannon's 4:17.03 4:18.82 4:20.06 140.06 mph 139.09 mph 138.43 mph Did Not Qualify: Car# Driver Car Entrant 3 Marshall Teague Kuzma-Offenhauser Dean Van Lines 9 Giuseppe Farina Kurtis KK500D-Ferrari Bardahl-Ferrari 22 Dempsey Wilson Kurtis-Offenhauser Martin Brothers 25 Tony Bonadies Kurtis KK3000-Offenhauser Donaldson 31 Jimmy Davies Kurtis KK500F-Novi Novi Air Conditioning 33 Eddie Russo Epperly-Offenhauser Belond Miracle/Calif. Muffler 35 Johnny Kay Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser Peter Wales Trucking 46 Shorty Templeman Hillegass-Offenhauser Lee Glessner 47 Marshall Teague Kurtis-Offenhauser Sumar/Chapman Root 51 Len Duncan Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser Ray Brady 58 Eddie Sachs Schroeder-Offenhauser Ray Brady 62 Len Sutton Lesovsky-Offenhauser Wolcott Fuel Injection Crash 3 74 Mike Magill Templeton-Offenhauser Chesty Foods 75 Marvin Pifer Ewing-Offenhauser Commercial Motor Freight Crash 4 77 Jim McWithey Schroeder-Offenhauser Dayton Steel Foundry 78 Dick Rathmann Lesovsky-Studebacker Lindsey Hopkins 79 Dempsey Wilson Silnes-Offenhauser Marquette Tool 84 Bill Cheesbourg Lesovsky-Offenhauser Cecil McDonald 85 Gig Stephens Kurtis KK2000-Offenhauser Slick Racers 87 Dick Reese Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser Cecil McDonald 87 Bill Cheesbourg Kurtis KK4000-Offenhauser Cecil McDonald 91 Johnny Baldwin Ferrari 555 Bardahl-Ferrari 93 LeRoy Warriner Kurtis KK3000-Offenhauser Roy McKay Notes:
  • Promoter: Indianapolis Motor Speedway. USAC Sanction No. 56CH1
  • Engine Specifications (cubic inches) and Restrictions:
    Normally Aspirated - 274.6
    Supercharged - 183.1
    Stock-Block - 274.6
    Minimum Qualifing Speed - 115 mph
  • Dick Rathmann wrecked SW turn after taking checkered flag.
  • Yellow flags totalled 1:11:15.
  • Average qualifying speed: 142.53 mph
  • Weather: Overcast, Dry.
    •
    Race Review:

    There had been big changes at The Brickyard since the disastrous 1955 race with the whole track having been resurfaced. Qualifying was disrupted by torrential rain and flooding which meant that Giuseppe Farina, who had turned up to race a Ferrari, was unable to record a lap having missed the early qualifying days. Pat Flaherty was on the pole but at the start it was Jim Rathmann who led the way. The race was disrupted by several serious accidents but Flaherty avoided them all to win in his John Zink Special.