1920 Indianapolis 500
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| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | AAA | ||||
| Date | May 31, 1920 | ||||
| Winner | Gaston Chevrolet | ||||
| Winning Entrant | William Small Company | ||||
| Average speed | 88.618 mph (142.617 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | Ralph DePalma | ||||
| Pole speed | 99.150 mph (159.566 km/h) | ||||
| Most laps led | Joe Boyer (93) | ||||
| Pre-race | |||||
| Pace car | Marmon 6 (Model 34) | ||||
| Pace car driver | Barney Oldfield | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The 8th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1920.
Ralph DePalma held a two lap lead when the car stalled on lap 187. His riding mechanic Pete DePaolo ran to the pits to get a can of gasoline, thinking they were out of fuel. DePalma was able to get the car rolling again, and the two rejoined the race. However, during the delay, the lead went to Gaston Chevrolet. Chevrolet himself ran out of fuel on lap 197, but he was able to coast to the pits and refuel. Chevrolet held on to win. Seven months later, he was fatally injured in a crash at Beverly Hills.
Chevrolet won the race without a single tire change, a remarkable feat at the time. Chevrolet was accompanied by riding mechanic John Bresnahan.
Time trials
Four-lap (10 mile) qualifying runs were introduced in 1920. Previously one-lap runs were used. Ralph De Palma won the pole position at 99.65 mph. None of his four laps matched the track record (104.78 mph) set the previous year.
| Qualifying Results | ||||||
| Date | Driver | Lap 1 (mph) | Lap 2 (mph) | Lap 3 (mph) | Lap 4 (mph) | Average Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/26/1920 | Ralph DePalma | 98.1 | 99.4 | 99.5 | 99.95 | 99.65 |
Box score
| Finish | Start | No | Name | Qual | Rank | Laps | Led | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 |  Gaston Chevrolet |
91.550 | 8 | 200 | 14 | Running |
| 2 | 18 | 25 | René Thomas (W) |
93.950 | 5 | 200 | 12 | Running |
| 3 | 11 | 10 |  Tommy Milton |
90.200 | 11 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 4 | 15 | 12 | Jimmy Murphy (R) |
88.700 | 13 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 5 | 1 | 2 | .svg.png){kind=small} Ralph DePalma (W) |
99.150 | 1 | 200 | 79 | Running |
| 6 | 9 | 31 | Eddie Hearne |
88.050 | 15 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 7 | 4 | 26 | Jean Chassagne |
95.450 | 4 | 200 | 1 | Running |
| 8 | 19 | 28 | Joe Thomas (R) |
92.800 | 6 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 9 | 23 | 33 | Ralph Mulford |
— | — | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 10 | 17 | 15 |  Pete Henderson |
81.150 | 21 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 11 | 14 | 32 | John Boling (R) |
81.850 | 20 | 199 | 0 | Flagged |
| 12 | 2 | 6 | Joe Boyer |
96.900 | 2 | 192 | 93 | Crash T3 |
| 13 | 10 | 9 | Ray Howard |
84.600 | 18 | 150 | 0 | Camshaft |
| 14 | 12 | 29 | Eddie O'Donnell |
88.200 | 14 | 149 | 0 | Oil line |
| 15 | 21 | 16 | Jules Goux (W) |
84.300 | 19 | 148 | 0 | Engine trouble |
| 16 | 13 | 34 | Willie Haupt |
85.480 | 16 | 146 | 0 | Rod |
| 17 | 8 | 7 | Bennett Hill (R) |
90.550 | 10 | 115 | 0 | Crash T4 |
| 18 | 3 | 3 |  Louis Chevrolet |
96.300 | 3 | 94 | 0 | Steering |
| 19 | 20 | 18 | Howdy Wilcox (W) |
88.820 | 12 | 65 | 0 | Engine trouble |
| 20 | 7 | 5 | Roscoe Sarles |
90.750 | 9 | 58 | 0 | Crash T4 |
| 21 | 5 | 8 | Art Klein |
92.700 | 7 | 40 | 1 | Crash |
| 22 | 22 | 19 | Jean Porporato |
79.980 | 22 | 23 | 0 | Ruled off |
| 23 | 16 | 17 | André Boillot |
85.400 | 17 | 16 | 0 | Engine trouble |
| [1] | ||||||||
Race details
- For 1920, riding mechanics were required.[2]
- First alternate: none[3]
References
- ↑ "Indianapolis 500 1920". Ultimate Racing History. Archived from the original on 15 January 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ↑ Blazier, John E.; Rollings, Tom (1994). Forgotten Heroes of the Speedways: The Riding Mechanics.
- ↑ The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004
| 1919 Indianapolis 500 Howdy Wilcox |
1920 Indianapolis 500 Gaston Chevrolet |
1921 Indianapolis 500 Tommy Milton |