# 1950 Indianapolis 500

The 34th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1950. The event was sanctioned by the AAA and served as the premier event on the calendar of the 1950 AAA National Championship Trail. For the first time, the race was included as a points-paying event towards the FIA-sanctioned World Drivers' Championship. The race was originally scheduled for 200 laps (500 miles), but was stopped after 138 laps (345 miles) due to rain.
A rumor circulated in racing circles during and after this race that Johnnie Parsons's team discovered an irreparable crack in the engine block on race morning. The discovery supposedly precipitated Parsons to charge for the lap leader prizes. Presumably, he set his sights on leading as many laps as possible before the engine inevitably was to fail. Furthermore, the race ending early due to rain supposedly saved Parsons's day allowing him to secure the victory before the engine let go. However, the engine block crack was proved to be an urban myth, and it was said to be a very minor but acceptable level of porosity, which did not significantly affect the performance.
Parsons's win saw him score 9 points and move to a temporary first-place tie (after 3 races on the Formula One season calendar) in the first ever World Drivers' Championship, alongside Nino Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio, and also saw him become the first American to win a World Championship race. Parsons is one of only three drivers to have won his first World Championship race, the other two being Farina, who won the first World Championship race (the 1950 British Grand Prix, 17 days earlier) and Giancarlo Baghetti, who won the 1961 French Grand Prix. Despite the 500 being his only race in the 1950 World Championship, it would be enough to see him finish the championship 6th in points.
During the month, Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck were at the track to film scenes for the film To Please a Lady. Stanwyck was on hand in victory lane after the race for the traditional celebratory kiss to the winner. During 1951 a young Mario Andretti saw the film in his native Italy - where it was titled Indianapolis - an event which exposed the future Indianapolis 500 winner and four-time National Champion to the race for the first time.

## Time trials

Time trials was scheduled for six days.
* Saturday May 13: Walt Faulkner won the pole position with a record run of 134.343 mph.
* Sunday May 14
* Saturday May 20: The third day of time trials saw six cars complete runs. Bayliss Levrett (131.181 mph) was the fastest of the afternoon. Charles Van Acker was ruled physically disqualified, after a crash he suffered at the Speedway from 1949.
* Sunday May 21
* Saturday May 27: The day began with 11 spots open in the grid.
* Sunday May 28: Only one driver managed to bump his way into the field. Johnny McDowell bumped Cliff Griffith, while 15 other cars failed to make the field. The two Novi entries failed to qualify – Chet Miller had engine trouble in one of the cars, while the other snapped a supercharger shaft. Rain and two crashes cut the track time to less than three hours. Cy Marshall was among the few left in line when time trials closed at 6 p.m.

## Starting grid

| Row | Inside | Inside | Middle | Middle | Outside | Outside |
| 1 | 98 | Walt Faulkner R | 28 | Fred Agabashian | 31 | Mauri Rose W |
| 2 | 5 | George Connor | 1 | Johnnie Parsons | 49 | Jack McGrath |
| 3 | 69 | Duke Dinsmore | 14 | Tony Bettenhausen | 17 | Joie Chitwood |
| 4 | 3 | Bill Holland W | 59 | Pat Flaherty R | 54 | Cecil Green R |
| 5 | 18 | Duane Carter | 21 | Spider Webb | 81 | Jerry Hoyt R |
| 6 | 2 | Myron Fohr | 24 | Bayliss Levrett | 45 | Dick Rathmann R |
| 7 | 7 | Paul Russo | 4 | Walt Brown | 12 | Henry Banks |
| 8 | 67 | Bill Schindler R | 8 | Lee Wallard | 55 | Troy Ruttman |
| 9 | 23 | Sam Hanks | 15 | Mack Hellings | 22 | Jimmy Davies R |
| 10 | 76 | Jim Rathmann | 27 | Walt Ader R | 77 | Jackie Holmes |
| 11 | 75 | Gene Hartley R | 61 | Jimmy Jackson | 62 | Johnny McDowell |

## Box score

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Constructor | Qual | Rank | Laps | Time/Retired | Points | WDC Points |
| 1 | 5 | 1 | Johnnie Parsons | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 132.04 | 8 | 138 | 2:46:55.97 | 690 | 9 |
| 2 | 10 | 3 | Bill Holland W | Diedt-Offenhauser | 130.48 | 21 | 137 | - 1 Lap | 552 | 6 |
| 3 | 3 | 31 | Mauri Rose W | Diedt-Offenhauser | 132.31 | 6 | 137 | - 1 Lap | 483 | 4 |
| 4 | 12 | 54 | Cecil Green R | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 132.91 | 2 | 137 | - 1 Lap | 414 | 3 |
| 5 | 9 | 17 | Joie Chitwood (Tony Bettenhausen Laps 86–136) | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 130.75 | 19 | 136 | - 2 Laps | 217.5 127.5 | 1 1 |
| 6 | 23 | 8 | Lee Wallard | Moore-Offenhauser | 132.43 | 5 | 136 | - 2 Laps | 276 | |
| 7 | 1 | 98 | Walt Faulkner R | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 134.34 | 1 | 135 | - 3 Laps | 207 | |
| 8 | 4 | 5 | George Connor | Lesovsky-Offenhauser | 132.16 | 7 | 135 | - 3 Laps | 172.5 | |
| 9 | 19 | 7 | Paul Russo | Nichels-Offenhauser | 130.79 | 18 | 135 | - 3 Laps | 138 | |
| 10 | 11 | 59 | Pat Flaherty R | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 129.60 | 30 | 135 | - 3 Laps | 103.5 | |
| 11 | 16 | 2 | Myron Fohr | Marchese-Offenhauser | 131.71 | 11 | 133 | - 5 Laps | 69 | |
| 12 | 13 | 18 | Duane Carter | Stevens-Offenhauser | 131.66 | 12 | 133 | - 5 Laps | 34.5 | |
| 13 | 26 | 15 | Mack Hellings | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 130.68 | 20 | 132 | - 6 Laps | | |
| 14 | 6 | 49 | Jack McGrath | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 131.86 | 10 | 131 | Spun Off | | |
| 15 | 24 | 55 | Troy Ruttman | Lesovsky-Offenhauser | 131.91 | 9 | 130 | - 8 Laps | | |
| 16 | 31 | 75 | Gene Hartley R | Langley-Offenhauser | 129.21 | 32 | 128 | - 10 Laps | | |
| 17 | 27 | 22 | Jimmy Davies R | Ewing-Offenhauser | 130.40 | 23 | 128 | - 10 Laps | | |
| 18 | 33 | 62 | Johnny McDowell | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 129.69 | 27 | 128 | - 10 Laps | | |
| 19 | 20 | 4 | Walt Brown | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 130.45 | 22 | 127 | - 11 Laps | | |
| 20 | 14 | 21 | Spider Webb | Maserati-Offenhauser | 129.74 | 26 | 126 | - 12 Laps | | |
| 21 | 15 | 81 | Jerry Hoyt R | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 129.52 | 31 | 125 | - 13 Laps | | |
| 22 | 29 | 27 | Walt Ader R | Rae-Offenhauser | 129.94 | 25 | 123 | - 15 Laps | | |
| 23 | 30 | 77 | Jackie Holmes | Olson-Offenhauser | 129.69 | 28 | 123 | Spun Off | | |
| 24 | 28 | 76 | Jim Rathmann | Wetteroth-Offenhauser | 129.95 | 24 | 122 | - 16 Laps | | |
| 25 | 21 | 12 | Henry Banks (Fred Agabashian Laps 72–112) | Maserati-Offenhauser | 129.64 | 29 | 112 | Oil Line | | |
| 26 | 22 | 67 | Bill Schindler R | Snowberger-Offenhauser | 132.69 | 4 | 111 | Transmission | | |
| 27 | 17 | 24 | Bayliss Levrett (Bill Cantrell Laps 106–108) | Adams-Offenhauser | 131.18 | 14 | 108 | Oil Pressure | | |
| 28 | 2 | 28 | Fred Agabashian | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 132.79 | 3 | 64 | Oil Leak | | |
| 29 | 32 | 61 | Jimmy Jackson | Kurtis Kraft-Cummins | 129.20 | 33 | 52 | Compressor | | |
| 30 | 25 | 23 | Sam Hanks | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 131.59 | 13 | 42 | Oil Pressure | | |
| 31 | 8 | 14 | Tony Bettenhausen | Diedt-Offenhauser | 130.94 | 16 | 30 | Wheel Bearing | | |
| 32 | 18 | 45 | Dick Rathmann R | Watson-Offenhauser | 130.92 | 17 | 25 | Stalled | | |
| 33 | 7 | 69 | Duke Dinsmore | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 131.06 | 15 | 10 | Oil Leak | | |
| Source: |||||||||||
Note: Relief drivers in parentheses
W Former Indianapolis 500 winner
R Indianapolis 500 Rookie
All entrants utilized Firestone tires.
^1 – Includes 1 point for fastest lead lap.

### Race statistics

Lap Leaders :
| Laps | Leader |
| 1–9 | Mauri Rose |
| 10–32 | Johnnie Parsons |
| 33 | Mauri Rose |
| 34–104 | Johnnie Parsons |
| 105–109 | Mauri Rose |
| 110–117 | Bill Holland |
| 118–138 | Johnnie Parsons |
Total laps led :
| Driver | Laps |
| Johnnie Parsons | 115 |
| Mauri Rose | 15 |
| Bill Holland | 8 |
Yellow Lights: 7 minutes, 30 seconds :
| Laps* | Reason |
| 95–97 | Bill Schindler spin in turn 3 Jackie Holmes spin in turn 3 (2:40) |
| 135–138 | Rain; race ended (4:50) |
| * – Approximate lap counts ||