 | |||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | AAA | ||||
| Date | May 31, 1919 | ||||
| Winner | Howdy Wilcox | ||||
| Winning Entrant | I.M.S. Corp. | ||||
| Average speed | 88.050 mph (141.703 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | René Thomas | ||||
| Pole speed | 104.780 mph (168.627 km/h) | ||||
| Most laps led | Howdy Wilcox (98) | ||||
| Pre-race | |||||
| Pace car | Packard V12 (Twin Six) | ||||
| Pace car driver | Jesse G. Vincent | ||||
| Starter | E. C. Patterson[1] | ||||
| Honorary referee | Eddie Rickenbacker[1] | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 120,000[2] | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The 7th Liberty 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 31, 1919.
After a two-year hiatus due to World War I, the Indianapolis 500 returned to competition in 1919. Howdy Wilcox won, accompanied by riding mechanic Leo Banks. More than half the field (19 of 33 cars) consisted of rookie drivers, tied for the most ever, excluding the inaugural race where all 40 cars were considered "rookies." Ralph DePalma, the 1915 winner, and the driver who suffered a defeat in 1912, again put in a strong performance. DePalma led 93 of the first 102 laps, and drove the first half at record-breaking speed. Tire problems, however, necessitated a long pit stop, and DePalma finished in 6th place.
Rain was a factor during practice, limiting available track time in the days immediately leading up to time trials. Since most teams did not arrive until later in the month, some cars had very limited preparation time. Qualifying was supposed to be held on just one day, but officials decided to add two additional days due to the lost track time.
The first half of the race was marred by three fatalities. Driver Arthur Thurman died in a crash on lap 45. On lap 96, Louis LeCocq and his riding mechanic Robert Bandini wrecked in turn two, and both were burned to death.
- ^ a b Fox, Jack C. (1994). The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 (4th ed.). Carl Hungness Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 0-915088-05-3.
- ^ "120,000 See The Speedway Race". The Indianapolis News. May 31, 1919. p. 1. Retrieved June 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
