The 32nd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1948.
For the second year in a row, the Blue Crown Spark Plug teammates
Mauri Rose
Maurice "Mauri" Rose (May 26, 1906 – January 1, 1981) was an American racecar driver.
He started from the pole position driving a Maserati in the 1941 Indianapolis 500, but spark plug problems put him out of the race after sixty laps. He then t ...
and
Bill Holland
Willard Holland (December 18, 1907 – May 19, 1984)) was an American race car driver from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1949 and finished second in 1947, 1948 and 1950. He also was runner up in the 1947 American ...
finished 1st-2nd. Rose became the second driver to win the
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 ...
in consecutive years. Unlike the previous year's race, no controversy surrounds the results. Coupled with his co-victory in 1941, Rose became the third three-time winner at Indy.
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 ...
completed a noteworthy record of nine consecutive races from 1936 to 1948 completing 1,799 out of a possible 1,800 laps. His nine consecutive finishes of 4th or better (however, with no victories) is the best such streak in Indy history. The only lap he missed in 1940 was due to being flagged for a rain shower.
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 ...
's third-place finish would be the best-ever result for the popular Novi engine.
Manny Ayulo
Manuel Leaonedas Ayulo (October 20, 1921 – May 17, 1955) was an American racecar driver. His efforts, along with those of friend and teammate Jack McGrath, helped establish track roadsters as viable race cars. Ayulo was killed in practic ...
(#88)
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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 ...
(#38)
*
Cliff Bergere
Cliff Bergere (December 6, 1896 Toledo, Ohio – June 18, 1980 Dade City, Florida) was an American stuntman and racecar driver.
Bergere did stunt driving for movies, including the 1923 film ''The Eagle's Talons'', before embarking on a racing ca ...
Red Byron
Robert Nold "Red" Byron (March 12, 1915 – November 11, 1960) was an American stock car racing driver, who was successful in NASCAR competition in the sanctioning body's first years. He was NASCAR's first Modified champion (and its first c ...
Myron Fohr
Myron William Fohr (June 17, 1912 – January 14, 1994) was an American racing driver. He finished the runner-up in the AAA Championship Car National Championship during back-to-back years, in 1948 and 1949. He competed in the Indianapolis 5 ...
(#32)
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Ken Fowler Ken Fowler (15 March 1907 in Fargo, North Dakota – 16 January 1981 in St. James City, Florida) was an American racecar driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of ...
Andy Granatelli
Anthony "Andy" Granatelli (March 18, 1923 – December 29, 2013) was an American businessman, most prominent as the CEO of STP as well as a major figure in automobile racing events.
Granatelli was born in Dallas, Texas. Along with his brot ...
Ralph Hepburn
Ralph R. Hepburn (April 11, 1896 – May 16, 1948) was a pioneer American motorcycle racing champion and an Indianapolis 500 racecar driver.
Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Hepburn's family moved to Los Angeles, California when he was ten ...
Ronney Householder Ronney Householder (May 5, 1908 in Omaha, Nebraska – November 11, 1972 in Detroit, Michigan) was an American race car driver. He raced most of the year, in the Midwest in summer and the West Coast in the winter.George Lynch (#56)
* George Metzler (#47)
* Al Miller (#66)
* Cowboy O'Rourke (#45)
*
Johnnie Parsons
Johnnie Woodrow Parsons'' The Talk of Gasoline Alley'' – 1070-AM WIBC, May 15, 2007 (July 4, 1918 – September 8, 1984) was an American race car driver from Los Angeles, California who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1950.
During his racing care ...
(#39)
*
Joe Perkins
Joe Perkins (born December 1, 1935) was an American singer whose song, "Little Eeefin' Annie", was a minor hit in 1963, reaching number 76 on the '' Billboard'' chart. The song featured eefer Jimmie Riddle. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee ...
Joel Thorne
Joel W. Thorne (16 October 1914 New York City – 17 October 1955 North Hollywood, California) was an American racecar driver, engineer, and playboy. He died when he crashed his private plane, after what witnesses described as "stunting", into ...
(#57)
*
Louis Tomei
Luigi Gilbert "Louis" Tomei (February 17, 1910 in Portland, Oregon – May 15, 1955 in Los Angeles) was an American racecar driver active during the 1930s and 1940s, and a stuntman active during the 1940s and 1950s.
Indy 500 results
S ...
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...
, the precursor to the
IMS Radio Network
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network (known typically as the IMS Radio Network or the INDYCAR Radio Network), is an in-house radio syndication arrangement which broadcasts the Indianapolis 500, the NTT IndyCar Series, and Indy Lights to ...
. The broadcast was sponsored by Perfect Circle Piston Rings and Bill Slater served as the anchor. The broadcast feature live coverage of the start, the finish, and live updates throughout the race.
Sid Collins, from WIBC, joined the crew for the first time, serving as a turn reporter at the south end of the track.
Gallery
File:Alfa Romeo 308.jpg, Johnny Mauro's 1948 Alfa Romeo 308
File:1948NoviIndy500.jpg, 1948 Novi
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 ...
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 ...