# 1935 Indianapolis 500

The 23rd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1935. Despite attempts to improve participant safety by requiring crash helmets and installing green and yellow lights around the track, the event that year would prove to be one of the worst in terms of fatalities.
Kelly Petillo won the race, accompanied by riding mechanic Jimmy Dunham. Pete DePaolo, the 1925 winner, was the team principal, becoming the first individual to win the race separately as a driver and an owner.
The race was part of the 1935 AAA Championship Car season.

## Pre-race and qualifying

Ten-lap (25 mile) qualifying runs were utilized.
On May 21, nine days before the race, three prospective participants lost their lives. Rookie Johnny Hannon, on just his first lap at racing speed, had his car go over the outside retaining wall and was killed from a fractured skull. Later that day, driver Hartwell "Stubby" Stubblefield also had his car go over the outside wall, and both he and his riding mechanic Leo Whitaker died from injuries they received being thrown from the vehicle. Kelly Petillo, the eventual winner, had his own difficulties getting into the field. His initial qualifying run (a record-breaking 121.687 mph) was voided when his car was ruled to have exceeded the fuel limit. Returning to the track, he had an engine blow, before finally having a qualifying run of 115.095 that placed him 22nd in the field.
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 5/18/1935 | Rex Mays | 121.310 | 121.425 | 121.819 | 120.773 | 121.212 | 121.359 | 120.208 | 119.936 | 119.506 | 119.856 | 120.736 |

## Starting grid

| Row | Inside | Inside | Middle | Middle | Outside | Outside |
| 1 | 33 | Rex Mays | 6 | Al Gordon | 22 | Floyd Roberts R |
| 2 | 36 | Louis Meyer W | 1 | Bill Cummings W | 44 | Tony Gulotta |
| 3 | 21 | Ralph Hepburn | 19 | Fred Frame W | 18 | Chet Gardner |
| 4 | 2 | Mauri Rose | 3 | Russ Snowberger | 17 | Babe Stapp |
| 5 | 16 | Deacon Litz | 37 | George Connor R | 8 | Doc MacKenzie |
| 6 | 15 | Cliff Bergere | 34 | Chet Miller | 66 | Harry McQuinn |
| 7 | 9 | Shorty Cantlon | 14 | Wilbur Shaw | 4 | Al Miller |
| 8 | 5 | Kelly Petillo | 7 | Lou Moore | 41 | Frank Brisko |
| 9 | 45 | Clay Weatherly R | 43 | Ted Horn R | 42 | Johnny Seymour |
| 10 | 27 | Freddie Winnai | 35 | George Bailey | 39 | Jimmy Snyder R |
| 11 | 62 | Harris Insinger R | 26 | Louis Tomei R | 46 | Bob Sall R |

### Alternates

* First alternate: Dave Evans

### Failed to Qualify

* Emil Andres R (#52, #56)
* Herb Ardinger (#24)
* George Barringer (#23)
* L. L. Corum W (#49)
* Wesley Crawford (#48)
* Dusty Fahrnow (#53)
* Johnny Hannon R (#45) - Fatal accident
* Gene Haustein (#28)
* Harry Hunt R (#25)
* Herschell McKee R (#51)
* Zeke Meyer (#31)
* Duke Nalon R - Withdrew
* Floyd O'Neal R (#57)
* Roy Painter R (#51)
* Johnny Rae R (#47)
* Johnny Sawyer (#63)
* Phil Shafer (#31)
* Overton Snell R (#58)
* Stubby Stubblefield (#29) - Fatal accident
* Doc Williams R (#64)
* Robert Wilson R (#59)
* Billy Winn (#10)

## Race

Driver Clay Weatherly would beg Leon Duray, the owner of Hannon's crashed car, to allow him to drive it in the race. The car would prove no luckier for Weatherly, who would be killed when the car crashed through the inner guard rail coming out of turn four on lap nine. Rex Mays would lead most of the first 300 miles (480 km) before being forced out with mechanical failure. Petillo had climbed to second, and after Mays' departure led most of the remainder other than briefly following a pit stop. Petillo easily broke the record for the fastest average speed (106.240 mph) despite being slowed somewhat by rain near the end of the race. Petillo received approximately $33,000 in winnings for the race.

## Aftermath

The driver deaths in 1935 caused the Speedway to develop what is now known as the Rookie Orientation Program, which has been required for first-time drivers since 1936. Adjustments were also made to the configuration of the turns. Petillo would race in five more 500s, never again finishing higher than 18th. Six of the thirty-three drivers who started the race would end up having their lives ended in accidents at the Indy Speedway.

## Box score

| Finish | Start | No | Name | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | Qual | Rank | Laps | Status |
| 1 | 22 | 5 | Kelly Petillo | Kelly Petillo | Wetteroth | Offenhauser | 115.095 | 15 | 200 | Running |
| 2 | 20 | 14 | Wilbur Shaw | Gil Pirrung | Shaw | Offenhauser | 116.854 | 7 | 200 | Running |
| 3 | 5 | 1 | Bill Cummings W | H. C. Henning | Miller | Miller | 116.901 | 6 | 200 | Running |
| 4 | 3 | 22 | Floyd Roberts R | Earl Haskell | Miller | Miller | 118.671 | 3 | 200 | Running |
| 5 | 7 | 21 | Ralph Hepburn (Gene Haustein Laps 74–141) | Ralph Hepburn | Miller | Miller | 115.156 | 13 | 200 | Running |
| 6 | 19 | 9 | Shorty Cantlon (Billy Winn Laps 67–129) | William J. Cantlon | Stevens | Miller | 118.205 | 4 | 200 | Running |
| 7 | 9 | 18 | Chet Gardner | Alden Sampson II | Stevens | Miller | 114.556 | 17 | 200 | Running |
| 8 | 13 | 16 | Deacon Litz (Johnny Sawyer Laps 43–100) (Babe Stapp Laps 101–200) | A. B. Litz | Miller | Miller | 114.488 | 18 | 200 | Running |
| 9 | 15 | 8 | Doc MacKenzie | Gil Pirrung | Rigling | Miller | 114.294 | 20 | 200 | Running |
| 10 | 17 | 34 | Chet Miller | Fred Frame | Summers | Miller | 113.552 | 24 | 200 | Running |
| 11 | 8 | 19 | Fred Frame W (Frank Brisko Laps 120–200) | Harry Hartz | Wetteroth | Miller | 114.701 | 16 | 200 | Running |
| 12 | 4 | 36 | Louis Meyer W | Louis Meyer | Stevens | Miller | 117.938 | 5 | 200 | Running |
| 13 | 16 | 15 | Cliff Bergere | Phil Shafer | Rigling | Buick | 114.162 | 23 | 196 | Out of gas |
| 14 | 31 | 62 | Harris Insinger R | Mikan & Carson | Mikan-Carson | Studebaker | 111.729 | 30 | 185 | Flagged |
| 15 | 21 | 4 | Al Miller | H. C. Henning | Rigling | Miller | 115.303 | 12 | 178 | Magneto |
| 16 | 26 | 43 | Ted Horn R | Harry A. Miller | Miller-Ford | Ford | 113.213 | 27 | 145 | Steering |
| 17 | 1 | 33 | Rex Mays | Paul Weirick | Adams | Miller | 120.736 | 1 | 123 | Spring shackle |
| 18 | 23 | 7 | Lou Moore (Tony Gulotta Laps 109–116) | Lou Moore | Miller | Miller | 114.180 | 22 | 116 | Rod |
| 19 | 14 | 37 | George Connor R | Joe Marks | Stevens | Miller | 114.321 | 19 | 112 | Transmission |
| 20 | 10 | 2 | Mauri Rose (Paul Bost) | Four Wheel Drive Auto Company | Miller | Miller | 116.470 | 9 | 103 | Studs |
| 21 | 6 | 44 | Tony Gulotta | Leon Duray | Stevens | Miller | 115.459 | 11 | 102 | Magneto |
| 22 | 30 | 39 | Jimmy Snyder R | Joel Thorne | Snowberger | Studebaker | 112.249 | 29 | 97 | Spring |
| 23 | 24 | 41 | Frank Brisko | Kenneth Schroeder | Rigling | Studebaker | 113.307 | 26 | 79 | Universal joint |
| 24 | 27 | 42 | Johnny Seymour (George Barringer Laps 61–71) | Harry A. Miller | Miller-Ford | Ford | 112.696 | 28 | 71 | Grease leak |
| 25 | 12 | 17 | Babe Stapp | Joe Marks | Adams | Miller | 116.736 | 8 | 70 | Radiator |
| 26 | 29 | 35 | George Bailey | Harry A. Miller | Miller-Ford | Ford | 113.432 | 25 | 65 | Steering |
| 27 | 11 | 3 | Russ Snowberger | H. C. Henning | Miller | Miller | 114.209 | 21 | 59 | Exhaust pipe |
| 28 | 32 | 26 | Louis Tomei R | Joe Lencki | Miller | Lencki | 110.794 | 32 | 47 | Valve |
| 29 | 33 | 46 | Bob Sall R | Harry A. Miller | Miller-Ford | Ford | 110.519 | 33 | 47 | Steering |
| 30 | 2 | 6 | Al Gordon | William S. White | Weil | Miller | 119.481 | 2 | 17 | Crash T4 |
| 31 | 28 | 27 | Freddie Winnai | Harry Hartz | Duesenberg | Miller | 115.138 | 14 | 16 | Rod |
| 32 | 25 | 45 | Clay Weatherly R ✝ | Leon Duray | Stevens | Miller | 115.902 | 10 | 9 | Fatal accident at T4 |
| 33 | 18 | 66 | Harry McQuinn | Michael DeBaets | Rigling | Miller | 111.111 | 31 | 4 | Rod |
Note: Relief drivers in parentheses
W Former Indianapolis 500 winner
R Indianapolis 500 Rookie

### Race statistics

Lap Leaders :
| Laps | Leader |
| 1–63 | Rex Mays |
| 64–67 | Babe Stapp |
| 68–73 | Kelly Petillo |
| 74–99 | Rex Mays |
| 100–139 | Kelly Petillo |
| 140–144 | Wilbur Shaw |
| 145–200 | Kelly Petillo |
Total laps led :
| Driver | Laps |
| Kelly Petillo | 102 |
| Rex Mays | 89 |
| Wilbur Shaw | 5 |
| Babe Stapp | 4 |
Yellow Lights :
| Laps | Reason |
| 177–189 | Rain |
| * – Approximate lap counts ||

## Race details

For 1935, riding mechanics were required.