1955 Indianapolis 500

39th Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning bodyAAA
DateMay 30, 1955
WinnerBob Sweikert
Winning EntrantJohn Zink
Average speed128.209 mph (206.332 km/h)
Pole positionJerry Hoyt
Pole speed140.045 mph (225.381 km/h)
Most laps ledBob Sweikert (86)
Pre-race
Pace carChevrolet Bel Air
Pace car driverThomas H. Keating
StarterBill Vanderwater[1]
Honorary refereeRobert A. Stranahan, Jr.[1]
Estimated attendance150,000[2]
Chronology
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1954 1956

The 39th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1955. The event was race 1 of 11 of the 1955 AAA National Championship Trail and was race 3 of 7 in the 1955 World Championship of Drivers.

The race is notable to many as the race in which Bill Vukovich was killed in a crash while seemingly on his way to an unprecedented third consecutive Indy 500 win.

  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. ^ Cadou Jr., Jep (May 31, 1955). "Vukovich Killed In Pileup". The Indianapolis Star. p. 18. Retrieved June 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon