 | |||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | AAA | ||||
| Date | May 30, 1921 | ||||
| Winner | Tommy Milton | ||||
| Winning Entrant | Louis Chevrolet | ||||
| Average speed | 89.621 mph (144.231 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | Ralph DePalma | ||||
| Pole speed | 100.750 mph (162.141 km/h) | ||||
| Most laps led | Ralph DePalma (108) | ||||
| Pre-race | |||||
| Pace car | H.C.S. 6 | ||||
| Pace car driver | Harry C. Stutz | ||||
| Starter | Thomas J. Hay[1] | ||||
| Honorary referee | David Beecroft[1] | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 135,000-150,000[2] ("last year was 125k") | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The 9th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1921.
Ralph DePalma dominated another early running of the 500, but again failed to win. He led 109 laps, and had a two-lap lead at the halfway point. A connecting rod broke, and he dropped out on lap 112. DePalma retired with one win, and 612 laps led in the "500." His laps led record would not be matched for 66 years until Al Unser, Sr. reached it in 1987.
Tommy Milton won the first of two 500 victories. He was accompanied by riding mechanic Harry Franck. The only European car to finish was a 1921 Grand Prix Sunbeam driven by Ora Haibe who was placed fifth.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Race Throngs Upset Records". The Indianapolis Star. May 31, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved June 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
