1920 Indianapolis 500
Eighth running of the Indianapolis 500
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The 8th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1920.
| |||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | AAA | ||||
| Date | May 31, 1920 | ||||
| Winner | Gaston Chevrolet | ||||
| Winning Riding Mechanic | John Bresnahan | ||||
| Winning Entrant | William Small Company | ||||
| Winning time | 5:38:32 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| Starter | E. C. Patterson[1] | ||||
| Honorary referee | Clifford C. Ireland[1] | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 120,000[2] (up 10k from previous year) | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
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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. About six 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. Chevrolet's victory was the last by a driver born outside of the United States until George Robson's victory in the 1946 running.
Time trials
Four-lap (10 miles (16 km)) qualifying runs were introduced in 1920. Previously one-lap runs were used. Ralph DePalma won the pole position at 99.65 mph (160.37 km/h). None of his four laps matched the track record (104.78 mph (168.63 km/h)) 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 |
Starting grid
| Row | Inside | Inside Center | Outside Center | Outside | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pace car position | 2 |  Ralph DePalma W |
6 | Joe Boyer |
3 | Louis Chevrolet | |
| 2 | 26 |  Jean Chassagne |
8 | Art Klein |
4 | Gaston Chevrolet |
5 | Roscoe Sarles |
| 3 | 7 | Bennett Hill R |
31 | Eddie Hearne |
9 | Ray Howard |
10 | Tommy Milton |
| 4 | 29 | Eddie O'Donnell |
34 | Willie Haupt |
32 | John Boling R |
12 | Jimmy Murphy R |
| 5 | 17 | André Boillot |
15 |  Pete Henderson |
25 | René Thomas W |
28 | Joe Thomas R |
| 6 | 18 | Howdy Wilcox W |
16 | Jules Goux W |
19 | Jean Porporato |
33 | Ralph Mulford |
Box score
| Finish | Start | No | Name | Entrant | Car | Qual | Rank | Laps | Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | Gaston Chevrolet |
William Small Company | Frontenac | 91.550 | 8 | 200 | 88.618 mph | ||
| 2 | 18 | 25 | René Thomas W |
Ernest Ballot | Ballot | 93.950 | 5 | 200 | +6:19.60 | ||
| 3 | 11 | 10 | Tommy Milton |
Duesenberg Brothers | Duesenberg | 90.200 | 11 | 200 | +6:30.48 | ||
| 4 | 15 | 12 | Jimmy Murphy R |
Duesenberg Brothers | Duesenberg | 88.700 | 13 | 200 | +13:59.35 | ||
| 5 | 1 | 2 | Ralph DePalma W |
Ralph DePalma | Ballot | 99.150 | 1 | 200 | +26:47.15 | ||
| 6 | 9 | 31 | Eddie Hearne |
Duesenberg Brothers | Duesenberg | 88.050 | 15 | 200 | +31:49.55 | ||
| 7 | 4 | 26 | Jean Chassagne |
Ernest Ballot | Ballot | 95.450 | 4 | 200 | +36:44.65 | ||
| 8 | 19 | 28 | Joe Thomas R (Art Klein Laps 105â115) (Harry Thicksten Laps 116â125) |
William Small Company | Frontenac | 92.800 | 6 | 200 | +43:09.55 | ||
| 9 | 23 | 33 | Ralph Mulford |
Ralph Mulford | MulfordâDuesenberg | â | â | 200 | +1:38:42.25 | ||
| 10 | 17 | 15 | Pete Henderson (Tom Alley Laps 93â200) |
Revere Motor Car Corporation | Duesenberg | 81.150 | 21 | 200 | +1:45:21.95 | ||
| 11 | 14 | 32 | John Boling R (Riley Brett Laps 99â199) |
C. L. Richards | Brett | 81.850 | 20 | 199 | Flagged | ||
| 12 | 2 | 6 | Joe Boyer (Ira Vail Laps 155â191) |
Frontenac Motor Corporation | Frontenac | 96.900 | 2 | 192 | Crash T3 | ||
| 13 | 10 | 9 | Ray Howard (Aldo Franchi Laps 41â90) |
Peugeot Auto Racing Company | Peugeot | 84.600 | 18 | 150 | Camshaft | ||
| 14 | 12 | 29 | Eddie O'Donnell |
Duesenberg Brothers | Duesenberg | 88.200 | 14 | 149 | Oil line | ||
| 15 | 21 | 16 | Jules Goux W |
Jules Goux | Peugeot | 84.300 | 19 | 148 | Engine trouble | ||
| 16 | 13 | 34 | Willie Haupt (Wade Morton Laps 55â111) |
Meteor Motors Company | Duesenberg | 85.480 | 16 | 146 | Rod | ||
| 17 | 8 | 7 | Bennett Hill R (Roscoe Sarles Laps 75â115) |
Frontenac Motor Corporation | Frontenac | 90.550 | 10 | 115 | Crash T4 | ||
| 18 | 3 | 3 | Louis Chevrolet (Salvatore Barbarino Laps 64â79) (Jerry Wunderlich Laps 80â94) |
William Small Company | Frontenac | 96.300 | 3 | 94 | Steering | ||
| 19 | 20 | 18 | Howdy Wilcox W |
Jules Goux | Peugeot | 88.820 | 12 | 65 | Engine trouble | ||
| 20 | 7 | 5 | Roscoe Sarles |
William Small Company | Frontenac | 90.750 | 9 | 58 | Crash T4 | ||
| 21 | 5 | 8 | Art Klein |
Frontenac Motor Corporation | Frontenac | 92.700 | 7 | 40 | Crash | ||
| 22 | 22 | 19 | Jean Porporato |
Jean Porporato | Grégoire | 79.980 | 22 | 23 | Ruled off | ||
| 23 | 16 | 17 | André Boillot |
Jules Goux | Peugeot | 85.400 | 17 | 16 | Engine trouble | ||
| [3][4] | |||||||||||
Note: Relief drivers in parentheses[5]
W Former Indianapolis 500 winner
R Indianapolis 500 Rookie
Statistics
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Race details
- For 1920, riding mechanics were required.[6]
- First alternate: none[7]
