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 State ...

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 Kelly Carl Petillo (born Cavino Michele Petillo; December 5, 1903 or December 16, 1903 – June 30, 1970) was an American racecar driver. Life and career Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1903, Petillo moved with his family to Huntington Park ...

won the race, accompanied by riding mechanic Jimmy Dunham.

Pete DePaolo Pete DePaolo (April 6, 1898 – November 26, 1980) was an American race car driver who won the 1925 Indianapolis 500. Biography Peter DePaolo was born on April 6, 1898, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pete saw his first race in 1919, where he w ...

, 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 The 1935 AAA Championship Car season consisted of six races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Langhorne, Pennsylvania on October 13. There was also one non-championship event. The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis ...

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 John C. Hrankaj, publicly known as Johnny Hannon (November 10, 1908 – May 20, 1935) was an American racecar driver and boxer from Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania. He was killed while testing a car for the 1935 Indianapolis 500, in his first ye ...

, 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.

, 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 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 ag ...

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 (#24) *

George Barringer George Barringer (May 2, 1906 – September 2, 1946) was an American racecar driver, active during the 1930s and 1940s. Barringer made 17 Championship Car starts with a best finish of second at Springfield in August 1935 and Milwaukee in August ...

(#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 Wesley Charles Crafford (January 4, 1904 – January 9, 1961) 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. Aut ...

(#48) * Dusty Fahrnow (#53) *

(#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 participat ...

(#25) * Herschell McKee (#51) *

Zeke Meyer Herbert Ernest "Zeke" Meyer (March 19, 1891 – April 27, 1962) was an American racecar driver. He was not related to fellow driver Louis Meyer Louis Meyer (July 21, 1904 – October 7, 1995) was an American Hall of Fame race car drive ...

(#31) *

Duke Nalon Dennis "Duke" Nalon (March 2, 1913 – February 26, 2001) was an American midget car, sprint car, and Indy 500 driver from Chicago, Illinois, United States. Racing career Nalon began as a pit crew member for Wally Zale. Nalon occasionally warmed u ...

- Withdrew * Floyd O'Neal (#57) *

Roy Painter Roy Painter (born 1933) was a former leading figure on the British far right. A cab driver, he was a leading member of the Conservatives in Tottenham and had stood as a candidate for them in the Greater London Council. A supporter of Enoch Powell ...

(#51) *

Johnny Rae John Anthony Pompeo, better known as Johnny Rae (August 11, 1934 – September 4, 1993), was an American jazz drummer and vibraphonist. Born in Saugus, Massachusetts, Rae graduated from East Boston High School in 1952 and studied music at the N ...

(#47) * Johnny Sawyer (#63) *

Phil Shafer Phil "Red" Shafer (November 13, 1891 Des Moines, Iowa – January 29, 1971 Des Moines, Iowa) was an American racecar driver. He made 30 AAA Championship Car American open-wheel car racing, also known as Indy car racing, is a category o ...

(#31) * Overton Snell (#58) * Stubby Stubblefield (#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 Indi ...

1935 in American motorsport