1912 Indianapolis 500

2nd Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning bodyAAA
DateMay 30, 1912
WinnerJoe Dawson
Winning EntrantNational Motor Vehicle Company
Average speed78.719 mph (126.686 km/h)
Pole positionGil Andersen
Pole speedN/A
Most laps ledRalph DePalma (196)
Pre-race
Pace carStutz
Pace car driverCarl G. Fisher
StarterFred J. Wagner[1]
Honorary refereeR. P. Hooper[1]
Estimated attendance75,000[2]
Chronology
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1911 1913

The 1912 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race, the second such race in history, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1912. Indiana-born driver Joe Dawson won the race, leading only the final two laps. Ralph DePalma dominated the race, leading 196 of the 200 laps, and pulling out to an over 5-lap lead. But with just over two laps to go, his car failed with a broken connecting rod.

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Greenough, Walter S. (May 31, 1912). "Motor Mad Throng Sees Indiana Boy Win $35,000". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon