1954 Indianapolis 500

38th Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	AAA
Date	May 31, 1954
Winner	Bill Vukovich
Winning Entrant	Howard B. Keck
Average speed	130.840 mph (210.567 km/h)
Pole position	Jack McGrath
Pole speed	141.033 mph (226.971 km/h)
Most laps led	Bill Vukovich (90)
Pre-race
Pace car	Dodge Royal 500
Pace car driver	W. C. Newberg
Starter	Bill Vanderwater
Honorary referee	Ralph DePalma
Estimated attendance	175,000
Chronology
Previous Next 1953 1955

The 38th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1954. The event was part of the 1954 AAA National Championship Trail, and was also race 2 of 9 in the 1954 World Championship of Drivers.

Time trials

Time trials was scheduled for four days.

• Saturday May 15 – Pole Day time trials
• Sunday May 16 – Second day time trials
• Saturday May 22 – Third day time trials
• Sunday May 23 – Fourth day time trials

Starting grid

 R  = Indianapolis 500 rookie;  W  = Former Indianapolis 500 winner

Row	Inside		Middle		Outside
1	2	Jack McGrath	19	Jimmy Daywalt	9	Jimmy Bryan
2	43	Johnny Thomson	98	Chuck Stevenson	7	Don Freeland
3	25	Jimmy Reece	16	Duane Carter	17	Bob Sweikert
4	1	Sam Hanks	34	Troy Ruttman  W	35	Pat O'Connor  R
5	24	Cal Niday	73	Mike Nazaruk	15	Johnnie Parsons  W
6	12	Rodger Ward	31	Gene Hartley	51	Bill Homeier  R
7	14	Bill Vukovich  W	32	Ernie McCoy	10	Tony Bettenhausen
8	88	Manny Ayulo	74	Andy Linden	77	Fred Agabashian
9	28	Larry Crockett  R	33	Len Duncan  R	45	Art Cross
10	38	Jim Rathmann	65	Spider Webb	99	Jerry Hoyt
11	27	Ed Elisian  R	5	Paul Russo	71	Frank Armi  R

Alternates

• First alternate: Eddie Johnson (#26) — Johnson drove relief during the race

Failed to qualify

• Henry Banks (#26) - Retired
• Joe Barzda  R (#54)
• Bill Boyd  R  (#47)
• Wally Campbell  R  (#66, #81) - Failed rookie test
• Bob Christie  R  (#66)
• George Connor (#27, #32) - Retired
• Ray Crawford  R  (#32) - Entry declined
• Jimmy Davies (#53)
• Billy Devore (#93)
• Duke Dinsmore (#62, #67)
• Walt Faulkner (#44, #97)
• Pat Flaherty (#39, #76, #89)
• Johnny Fedricks  R  (#89)
• George Fonder (#33, #36)
• Potsy Goacher  R  (#67)
• Cliff Griffith (#22)
• Al Herman  R  (#36)
• Bill Holland  W #38)
• Frank Mundy  R  (#41)
• Duke Nalon (#8)
• Danny Oakes  R  (#47, #49)
• Eddie Russo  R  (#37)
• Eddie Sachs  R  (#54)
• Bob Scott (#18, #21)
• Joe Sostilio  R  (#45)
• Marshall Teague (#3)
• George Tichenor  R  (#22)
• Johnnie Tolan  R  (#69)
• Lee Wallard W (#99) - Retired
• Leroy Warriner (#67) - Withdrew, injured
• Chuck Weyant  R  (#52)

Race summary

Bill Vukovich had to work much harder in this race due to his car was now 2 years old and the team had trouble getting it up to speed leading to a 19th place starting spot inside of row 7 for the race. Vukovich did not see the lead until lap 61 when he led 1 lap. He then after losing positions during pitstops worked his way forward, seeing the lead again on lap 92 leading for the next 38 laps until falling back due to another round of pitstops. Then Vukovich took the lead for good on 150 to win his second consecutive 500, setting a record (at the time) 130.840 mph average race speed. The record would stand until the 1957 Indianapolis 500. Vukovich died the following year attempting to win his third consecutive Indy 500.

Box score

Finish	Grid	No.	Driver	Constructor	Qual	Rank	Laps	Time/Retired	Points	WDC Points
1	19	14	Bill Vukovich  W	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	138.47	14	200	3:49:17.27	1,000	8
2	3	9	Jimmy Bryan	Kuzma-Offenhauser	139.66	5	200	+ 1:09.95	800	6
3	1	2	Jack McGrath	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	141.03	1	200	+ 1:19.73	700	51
4	11	34	Troy Ruttman  W  (Duane Carter Laps 101-170)	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	137.73	31	200	+ 2:52.68	387 213	1.5 1.5
5	14	73	Mike Nazaruk	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	139.58	6	200	+ 3:24.55	500	2
6	24	77	Fred Agabashian	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	137.74	30	200	+ 3:47.55	400
7	6	7	Don Freeland	Phillips-Offenhauser	138.33	16	200	+ 4:13.35	300
8	32	5	Paul Russo (Jerry Hoyt Laps 151-200)	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	137.67	32	200	+ 5:01.17	187.5 62.5
9	25	28	Larry Crockett  R	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	139.55	8	200	+ 7:07.24	200
10	13	24	Cal Niday	Stevens-Offenhauser	139.82	3	200	+ 7:07.69	150
11	27	45	Art Cross (Johnnie Parsons Laps 121-142) (Sam Hanks Laps 143-153) (Andy Linden Laps 154-170) (Jimmy Davies Laps 171-200)	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	138.67	13	200	+ 8:22.19	59.5 12.5 5.5 8 14.5
12	5	98	Chuck Stevenson (Walt Faulkner Laps 56-94 (Walt Faulkner Laps 122-199)	Kuzma-Offenhauser	138.77	12	199	-1 Lap	21.5 28.5
13	22	88	Manny Ayulo	Kuzma-Offenhauser	138.16	22	197	-3 Laps
14	9	17	Bob Sweikert	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	138.20	21	197	-3 Laps
15	8	16	Duane Carter (Marshall Teague Laps 77-105) (Jimmy Jackson Laps 106-120) (Tony Bettenhausen Laps 121-154) (Jimmy Jackson Laps 155-196)	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	138.23	19	196	-4 Laps
16	20	32	Ernie McCoy	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	138.41	15	194	-6 Laps
17	7	25	Jimmy Reece	Pankratz-Offenhauser	138.31	17	194	-6 Laps
18	31	27	Ed Elisian  R  (Bob Scott Laps 149-193)	Stevens-Offenhauser	137.79	29	193	-7 Laps
19	33	71	Frank Armi  R  (George Fonder Laps 141-164)	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	137.67	33	193	-7 Laps
20	10	1	Sam Hanks (Jimmy Davies Laps 113-148) (Jim Rathmann Laps 149-191)	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	137.99	25	191	Spun Off
21	12	35	Pat O'Connor  R	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	138.08	23	181	Spun Off
22	16	12	Rodger Ward (Eddie Johnson Laps 94-160)	Pawl-Offenhauser	139.92	2	172	Retirement
23	17	31	Gene Hartley (Marshall Teague Laps 152-168)	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	139.06	10	168	Clutch
24	4	43	Johnny Thomson (Andy Linden Laps 114-140) (Bill Homeier Laps 141-165)	Nichels-Offenhauser	138.78	11	165	Retirement
25	23	74	Andy Linden (Bob Scott Laps 87-138)	Schroeder-Offenhauser	137.82	27	165	Suspension
26	30	99	Jerry Hoyt	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	137.82	28	130	Engine
27	2	19	Jimmy Daywalt	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	139.78	4	111	Accident
28	28	38	Jim Rathmann (Pat Flaherty Laps 96-110)	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	138.22	20	110	Accident
29	21	10	Tony Bettenhausen	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	138.27	18	105	Wheel Bearing
30	29	65	Spider Webb (Danny Kladis Laps 55-104)	Bromme-Offenhauser	137.97	26	104	Fuel pump
31	26	33	Len Duncan  R  (George Fonder Laps 44-101)	Schroeder-Offenhauser	139.21	9	101	Brakes
32	15	15	Johnnie Parsons  W	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	139.57	7	79	Engine
33	18	51	Bill Homeier  R	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	138.00	24	74	Accident

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
1–44	Jack McGrath
45–50	Jimmy Daywalt
51–54	Art Cross
55	Jimmy Daywalt
56–59	Art Cross
60	Jimmy Daywalt
61	Bill Vukovich
62	Sam Hanks
63–88	Jimmy Bryan
89–91	Jack McGrath
92–129	Bill Vukovich
130–149	Jimmy Bryan
150–200	Bill Vukovich

Total laps led
Driver	Laps
Bill Vukovich	90
Jack McGrath	47
Jimmy Bryan	46
Art Cross	8
Jimmy Daywalt	8
Sam Hanks	1

Yellow Lights: 21 minutes, 16 seconds
Laps*	Reason
55	Troy Ruttman spin in turn 3 (1:01)
111–115	Jimmy Daywalt, Pat Flaherty crash in turn 4 (12:25)
183–190	Pat O'Connor spin in turn 2; Rain & wind (6:37)
197	Jim Rathmann spin on mainstretch (1:13)
* – Approximate lap counts

Additional stats

• Pole position: Jack McGrath – 4:15.26 (4 laps)
• Pole Speed: 141.033 mph (average for 4 laps)
• Fastest Lead Lap: Jack McGrath – 1:04.04 (140.540 mph)
• Relief drivers:
  • Troy Ruttman (130 laps) & Duane Carter (70) shared car no 34. Shared points for 4th position.
  • Paul Russo (150) & Jerry Hoyt (50) shared car no 5.
  • Art Cross (120), Jimmie Davies (30), Johnnie Parsons (22), Andy Linden (17) & Sam Hanks (11) shared car no 45.
  • Chuck Stevenson (82), Walt Faulkner (117) shared car no 98.
  • Duane Carter (76), Jimmy Jackson (57), Tony Bettenhausen (34) & Marshall Teague (29) shared car no 16.
  • Ed Elisian (148) & Bob Scott (45) shared car no 27.
  • Frank Armi (179) & George Fonder (14) shared car no 71.
  • Sam Hanks (112), Jimmie Davies (36) & Jim Rathmann (43) shared car no 1.
  • Rodger Ward (105) & Eddie Johnson (67) shared car no 12.
  • Gene Hartley (151) & Marshall Teague (17) shared car no 31.
  • Andy Linden (113) & Bob Scott (52) shared car no 74.
  • Johnny Thomson (113), Andy Linden (27) & Jimmy Daywalt (25) shared car no 43.
  • Jim Rathmann (95) & Pat Flaherty (15) shared car no 38.
  • Spider Webb (54) & Danny Kladis (50) shared car no 65.
  • Len Duncan (43) & George Fonder (58) shared car no 33.
• It was the first Indy 500 where the entire field on race day had Offenhauser engines.

Broadcasting

Radio

The race was carried live flag-to-flag on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. It was the second time the race was carried in its entirety. The broadcast was anchored by Sid Collins, his third as chief announcer, and seventh year overall with the crew. Charlie Brockman served as booth analyst and statistician, and also reported from victory lane. For the first time ever, a female reporter was part of the radio crew. Paula Carr of WIRE served as a roving reporter, interviewing celebrities and other special guests.

Of note, the network expanded its coverage to include four qualifying wrap-up shows during time trials weekends.

The network expanded to include four qualifying wrap-up shows, and the number of affiliate stations increased to 210. All five major radio stations in Indianapolis carried the broadcast. The 1954 broadcast is notable in that it featured for the first time the famous phrase "Stay tuned for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Due to the increased number of affiliates at the time, the network needed a scripted "out-cue" to alert producers when to manually insert local commercials. A young WIBC marketing staff member named Alice Greene (née Bunger) is credited with inventing the phrase, and chief announcer Sid Collins coined it on-air. It has been used ever since, with all of the chief announcers proudly reciting it during their respective tenures.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
Booth Announcers	Turn Reporters	Pit/garage reporters
Chief Announcer: Sid Collins Color: Charlie Brockman	South Turns: Bill Frosch Backstretch: Jack Shapiro North Turns: Easy Gwynn	Luke Walton (north pits) Greg Smith (south pits) Dick Lingle Paula Carr

World Drivers' Championship

1954 Indianapolis 500
Race 2 of 9 in the 1954 Formula One season ← Previous race Next race →
Race details
Date	May 31, 1954 (1954-05-31)
Location	Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	4.023 km (2.500 miles)
Distance	200 laps, 804.672 km (500.000 miles)

Background

The Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA World Championship of Drivers from 1950 through 1960. The race was sanctioned by AAA through 1955, and then by USAC beginning in 1956. At the time the new world championship was announced and first organized by the CSI, the United States did not yet have a Grand Prix. Indianapolis Motor Speedway vice president and general manager Theodore E. "Pop" Meyers lobbied that the Indianapolis 500 be selected as the race to represent the country and to pay points towards the world championship.

Drivers competing at the Indianapolis 500 in 1950 through 1960 were credited with participation in and earned points towards the World Championship of Drivers. However, the machines competing at Indianapolis were not necessarily run to Formula One specifications and regulations. The drivers also earned separate points (on a different scale) towards the respective AAA or USAC national championships. No points, however, were awarded by the FIA towards the World Constructors Championship.

Summary

The 1954 Indianapolis 500 was round 2 of 9 on the 1954 World Championship. The event, however, failed to attract interest from any of the regular competitors on the Grand Prix circuit. Race winner Bill Vukovich earned 8 points towards the World Championship. Despite not competing in any of the other World Championship events, he finished sixth in the final season standings.

World Drivers' Championship standings after the race

	Pos	Driver	Points
	1	Juan Manuel Fangio	8
16	2	Bill Vukovich	8
1	3	Nino Farina	6
14	4	Jimmy Bryan	6
2	5	José Froilán González	5
Source:

• Note: Only the top five positions are included.

AAA Championship car standings after the race

	Pos	Driver	Points
	1	Bill Vukovich	1,000
	2	Jimmy Bryan	800
	3	Jack McGrath	700
	4	Mike Nazaruk	500
	5	Fred Agabashian	400
Source:

• Note: Only the top five positions are included.

External links

• Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats – Official Site
• 1954 Indianapolis 500 at RacingReference.info (Relief driver statistics)