1948 Indianapolis 500

The 32nd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1948.

32nd Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning bodyAAA
DateMay 31, 1948
WinnerMauri Rose
Winning EntrantLou Moore
Average speed119.814 mph (192.822 km/h)
Pole positionRex Mays
Pole speed130.577 mph (210.143 km/h)
Most laps ledMauri Rose (81)
Pre-race
Pace carChevrolet Fleetmaster
Pace car driverWilbur Shaw
StarterSeth Klein[1]
Honorary refereeAlbert G. Feeney[1]
Estimated attendance200,000[2]
Chronology
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1947 1949

For the second year in a row, the Blue Crown Spark Plug teammates Mauri Rose and Bill Holland finished 1st-2nd. Rose became the second driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in consecutive years. Unlike the previous year's race, no controversy surrounds the results. Coupled with his co-victory in 1941, Rose became the third three-time winner at Indy.

Fourth place finisher Ted Horn completed a noteworthy record of nine consecutive races from 1936 to 1948 completing 1,799 out of a possible 1,800 laps. His nine consecutive finishes of 4th or better (however, with no victories) is the best such streak in Indy history. The only lap he missed in 1940 was due to being flagged for a rain shower.

Duke Nalon's third-place finish would be the best-ever result for the popular Novi engine.[3]

Results
Finish Start No Name Chassis Engine Qual Rank Laps Led Status
1 3 3 United States Mauri Rose  W  Deidt Offenhauser 129.129 4 200 81 Running
2 2 2 United States Bill Holland Deidt Offenhauser 129.515 3 200 0 Running
3 11 54 United States Duke Nalon Kurtis Kraft Novi 131.603 1 200 9 Running
4 5 1 United States Ted Horn Maserati Maserati 126.565 9 200 74 Running
5 21 35 United States Mack Hellings  R  Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 127.968 6 200 0 Running
6 14 63 United States Hal Cole Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 124.391 18 200 0 Running
7 28 91 United States Lee Wallard  R  Meyer Offenhauser 128.420 5 200 0 Running
8 27 33 United States Johnny Mauro  R 
(Relieved by United StatesLouis Durant)		 Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 121.790 33 198 0 Flagged
9 23 7 United States Tommy Hinnershitz Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 125.122 14 198 0 Flagged
10 4 61 United States Jimmy Jackson Deidt Offenhauser 127.510 7 193 0 Spindle
11 12 4 Belgium Charles Van Acker Stevens Offenhauser 125.440 13 192 0 Flagged
12 20 19 United States Billy Devore Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 123.967 21 190 0 Flagged
13 8 98 United States Johnny Mantz  R  Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 122.791 27 185 0 Flagged
14 22 6 United States Tony Bettenhausen Stevens Offenhauser 126.396 10 167 0 Clutch
15 18 64 United States Hal Robson Adams Offenhauser 122.796 26 164 0 Valve
16 7 36 United States Bill Cantrell  R  Stevens Fageol 123.733 22 161 0 Steering
17 10 55 United States Joie Chitwood
(Relieved by United StatesPaul Russo)
(Relieved by United StatesJohnny Shackleford)		 Shaw Offenhauser 124.619 15 138 0 Fuel leak
18 24 53 United States Bill Sheffler Bromme Offenhauser 124.529 17 132 0 Spark plugs
19 1 5 United States Rex Mays Kurtis Kraft Winfield 130.577 2 129 36 Fuel leak
20 19 31 United States Chet Miller
(Had relief help)		 Mercedes Mercedes 127.249 8 108 0 Oil trouble
21 13 52 United States Jack McGrath  R  Bromme Offenhauser 124.580 16 70 0 Stalled
22 29 16 United States Duane Carter  R  Wetteroth Offenhauser 126.015 11 59 0 Lost wheel
23 32 26 United States Fred Agabashian Kurtis Kraft Duray 122.737 28 58 0 Oil line
24 9 34 United States Les Anderson Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 122.337 30 58 0 Gears
25 33 17 United States Mel Hansen Adams Sparks 122.117 32 42 0 Too slow
26 15 76 United States Sam Hanks Adams Sparks 124.266 19 34 0 Clutch
27 30 51 United States Spider Webb  R  Bromme Offenhauser 125.545 12 27 0 Oil line
28 17 9 United States George Connor Stevens Offenhauser 123.018 25 24 0 Drive shaft
29 6 74 United States Doc Williams Cooper Offenhauser 124.151 20 19 0 Clutch
30 31 86 United States Mike Salay  R  Wetteroth Offenhauser 123.393 24 13 0 Stalled
31 16 8 United States Emil Andres Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 123.550 23 11 0 Steering
32 25 25 United States Paul Russo Maserati Maserati 122.595 29 7 0 Oil leak
33 26 65 United States Harry McQuinn Maserati Maserati 122.154 31 1 0 Supercharger
[4][5]

Alternates
  • First alternate: Johnny Shackleford  R  (#48)[6]

Failed to Qualify

Broadcasting

Radio

The race was carried live on the Mutual Broadcasting System, the precursor to the IMS Radio Network. The broadcast was sponsored by Perfect Circle Piston Rings and Bill Slater served as the anchor. The broadcast feature live coverage of the start, the finish, and live updates throughout the race.

Sid Collins, from WIBC, joined the crew for the first time, serving as a turn reporter at the south end of the track.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1948 Indianapolis 500.
  • Johnny Mauro's 1948 Alfa Romeo 308
    Johnny Mauro's 1948 Alfa Romeo 308
  • 1948 Novi
    1948 Novi

See also

Notes

References
  1. 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.
  2. Stranahan, Bob (June 1, 1948). "Noses Out Teammate, Duke Nalon". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 1, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  3. The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 20, 2007
  4. "Indianapolis 500 1948". Ultimate Racing History. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  5. "Indianapolis Motor Speedway". www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  6. The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004
  7. ""1948 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes"". ChampCarStats.com. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
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