The 23rd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United St ...

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.Reed, Terry Indy. ''The Race and Ritual of the Indianapolis 500''. Potomac Books 2005. .

Race

Driver

Clay Weatherly Clay F. Weatherly (1910 – May 30, 1935) was an American racecar driver. He was killed in Speedway, Indiana, during the 1935 Indianapolis 500 The 23rd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thur ...

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 Rex Houston Mays Jr. (March 10, 1913 – November 6, 1949) was a AAA Championship Car race driver. He was a two-time AAA champion and won 8 points-scoring races. He made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 1934 and won the pole in 1935, 1936, and aga ...

would lead most of the first 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 a program to test rookie drivers which was instituted in 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.

Results

Alternates

*First alternate: Dave Evans

Failed to Qualify

* Emil Andres (#52, #56) *

Herb Ardinger Herbert Allen Ardinger (25 April 1910 in Glassport, Pennsylvania – 14 June 1973 in Wayne, Michigan) was an American racecar driver. Biography Ardinger competed in eight AAA Championship Car races from 1934 to 1939, including the 1934, 1936 ...

(#24) * George Barringer (#23) *

L. L. Corum Lora Lawrence (L.L. "Slim") Corum (January 8, 1899 - March 7, 1949) was co-winner of the 1924 Indianapolis 500. Biography L.L. Corum was born on January 8, 1899, in Jonesville, Indiana to Margaret Hannah Marquette and William Cecil Corum. During ...

(#49) * Wesley Crawford (#48) *

Dusty Fahrnow Herbert Dale "Dusty" Fahrnow (January 18, 1903 – May 25, 1981) was an American racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. A ...

(#53) * Johnny Hannon (#45) - Fatal accident * Gene Haustein (#28) *

Harry Hunt Harry Hunt (born 3 September 1988) is a British endurance and rally driver, and son of billionaire Jon Hunt. In 2016 he became the youngest British driver to take part in the Dakar Rally, finishing in 10th place out of 110 cars. He has particip ...

(#25) * Herschell McKee (#51) * Zeke Meyer (#31) * Duke Nalon - Withdrew * Floyd O'Neal (#57) * Roy Painter (#51) * Johnny Rae (#47) *

Johnny Sawyer Johnny Sawyer (7 June 1902, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – 17 June 1989, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) was an American racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of ...

(#63) * Phil Shafer (#31) *

Overton Snell Overton may refer to: Places Canada * Overton, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Overton, Aberdeen, a location * Overton, Frodsham, a location in Cheshire * Overton, Malpas, Cheshire * Overton, Gloucestershire, a hamlet in the parish of Arlingh ...

(#58) *

Stubby Stubblefield Wilburn Hartwell Stubblefield (a.k.a. W. H. Stubblefield; he later changed it to Hartwell Wilburn Stubblefield) (1907 in Oklahoma – May 21, 1935 in Indianapolis, Indiana), nicknamed "Stubby", was an American racecar driver. He was killed in ...

(#29) - Fatal accident * Doc Williams (#64) * Robert Wilson (#59) * Billy Winn (#10)

Race details

For 1935,

riding mechanic A riding mechanic was a mechanic that rode along with a race car during races, and who was tasked with maintaining, monitoring, and repairing the car during the race. The various duties included manually pumping oil and fuel, checking tire wear, ...

s were required.

References

{{Indy 500 Indianapolis 500 races

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of India ...

1935 in American motorsport