 | |||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | AAA | ||||
| Date | May 30, 1951 | ||||
| Winner | Lee Wallard | ||||
| Winning Entrant | Murrell Belanger | ||||
| Average speed | 126.244 mph (203.170 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | Duke Nalon | ||||
| Pole speed | 136.498 mph (219.672 km/h) | ||||
| Most laps led | Lee Wallard (159) | ||||
| Pre-race | |||||
| Pace car | Chrysler New Yorker | ||||
| Pace car driver | David A. Wallace | ||||
| Starter | Seth Klein[1] | ||||
| Honorary referee | Clarence Beesmyer[1] | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 150,000[2] | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The 35th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1951. The event was part of the 1951 AAA National Championship Trail, and was also race 2 of 8 in the 1951 World Championship of Drivers. For the second year in a row, no European Formula One-based teams entered the race.
Duke Nalon, who had suffered serious burns in a crash in 1949, and who missed the 1950 race, made a comeback at Indy by winning the pole position in a Novi. Heavy attrition saw only eight cars running at the finish. Winner Lee Wallard's car lost its brakes, suffered a damaged exhaust pipe, and broke a shock absorber mounting.[3][4] In addition to the unbearably uncomfortable ride, Wallard had worn a fire retardant outfit, created by dipping his uniform in a mixture of borax crystals and water. Due to not wearing an undershirt, Wallard suffered serious chafing, and required treatment at the infield hospital after the victory lane celebration.[4] It was estimated he lost 15 pounds during the race.[4]
Wallard's winning car had the smallest displacement in the field. About a week after winning the race, Wallard suffered severe burns in a crash at Reading, which effectively ended his professional racing career. Three-time winner Mauri Rose, in his 15th Indy start, crashed and flipped on lap 126. It was his final 500, as he retired from driving after the crash.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Stranahan, Bob (May 31, 1951). "Pilot's Hoosier's Car To Victory; Nazaruk Second". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Van Camp's Pork & Beans Presents: Great Moments From the Indy 500 – Fleetwood Sounds, 1975
- ^ a b c The Talk of Gasoline Alley – 1070-AM WIBC/Network Indiana, May 17, 2007
