The 28th 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 May 30, 1940. The winner was

Wilbur Shaw Warren Wilbur Shaw (October 31, 1902 – October 30, 1954) was an American racing driver. He was president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death in 1954. Shaw was the automotive test evaluator for ''Popular Science'' magazin ...

in the same

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...

8CTF he had driven to victory in 1939. Shaw became the first driver in the history of the race to win in consecutive years. It also marked Shaw's third win in four years, making him the second three-time winner of the race. Shaw's average speed was 114.277 mph, slowed by rain which caused the last 50 laps to be run under caution. Shaw took home $31,875 () in prize winnings, plus additional prizes that included a car and a refrigerator. Fourth place finisher

Ted Horn Ted Horn (February 27, 1909 – October 10, 1948), born Eylard Theodore Von Horn, was an American racecar driver. He won the AAA National Championship in 1946, 1947 and 1948 and collected 24 wins, 12 second-place finishes and 13 third-place ...

was flagged due to the rain shower after completing only 199 laps - one lap short of the full distance. This marked the only blemish on his noteworthy record of nine consecutive races completing every lap. He eventually completed 1,799 out of a possible 1,800 laps from 1936 to 1948. The top four starting positions finished in the top four places, albeit in shuffled order.

Results

Note: The race was run under caution from lap 150 to 200 due to rain.

Alternates

*First alternate:

Tony Willman Anthony Peter Willman (February 20, 1907 West Allis, Wisconsin – October 12, 1941 Thompson, Connecticut) was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a midget car accident. Racing career Willman started racing in 1926. Limited racing dur ...

Failed to qualify

* George Bailey (#56) - Fatal accident *

Henry Banks Henry Banks (June 14, 1913 – December 18, 1994) was an American midget car and "big car" driver. "Married Roseanne Eisamann, two children, John Allen Banks, and Kathryn Roseanne Banks, three grandchildren Allen Edwin Banks, Jeffrey Henry Banks ...

(#39) *

Shorty Cantlon William A. "Shorty" Cantlon (October 8, 1903 – May 30, 1947) was an American racecar driver. He was killed on May 30, 1947, while racing in the 1947 Indianapolis 500 on lap 40 after swerving into the outside retaining wall to avoid the spinn ...

(#24) - Replaced by

Babe Stapp Elbert "Babe" Stapp (February 26, 1904 in San Antonio, Texas – September 17, 1980 in Indianapolis, Indiana) was an American racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involv ...

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 ...

(#62) * Port DeFraties (#51) *

René Dreyfus René Dreyfus (6 May 1905 – 16 August 1993) was a French driver who raced automobiles for 14 years in the 1920s and 1930s, the Golden Era of Grand Prix motor racing. Early life Dreyfus was born and raised in Nice to a Jewish family. He show ...

(#22) - drove two stints of relief for

René Le Bègue René Le Bègue (15 January 1914 – 24 February 1946) was a Parisian-born French race car driver in Rally and Grand Prix motor racing. In his first year of top level racing, his best showing came at the 1936 Spa 24 Hours endurance race when h ...

during the race *

Louis Durant Louis Durant (25 September 1910, in Topeka, Kansas – 13 February 1972, in San Bernardino, California) was an American racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the ...

(#12) *

Ira Hall Ira Hall (2 February 1892, Martinsville, Indiana – 6 February 1987, Tarpon Springs, Florida) was an American racecar driver. Hall was later elected sheriff of Vigo County, Indiana Vigo County ( ) is a county on the western border of the ...

(#47) * Bill Lipscomb (#57) *

Louis Unser Louis Unser (1896–1979) was an American auto racer and was the patriarch of the Unser family of racers. He won the Pikes Peak Hillclimb nine times between 1934 and 1953. He is buried at the Fairview Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

- Passed driver's test * Lou Webb (#37) *

Freddy Winnai Freddie Winnai (April 8, 1905 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – September 4, 1977 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an American racecar driver during the AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer t ...

(#59)

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 ...

1940 in American motorsport May 1940 sports events

Results

Alternates

Failed to qualify

See also

References