1912 INDIANAPOLIS 500

The '1912 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race', or 'International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race', the second such race in history, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1912.
In the aftermath of victory by Ray Harroun in the single-seat Marmon "Wasp" in the first 500-Mile Race the year before, new rules make the presence of riding mechanics mandatory; maximum engine size remains 600 cubic inches (9.83 liters) displacement. At $50,000, the race purse is nearly double that of 1911.
Out of 29 original entries, 24 qualify for the race by sustaining a speed faster than a minimum of 75 mph (120.7 km/h) for a full lap, an increase from the quarter-mile qualifying distance of the inaugural year. David L. Bruce-Brown runs fastest at 88.45 mph (142.35 km/h), but starting positions are again determined by entry date. Lining up five cars to the first four rows and four to a fifth, a change from the previous year's starting method is movement of the pace car, a Stutz, from the inside of the first row to out in front of the field.
Upon wave of the then-red starting flag, Teddy Tetzlaff takes the lead in a Fiat from the third starting position in the center of the first row, and leads for the first two laps before being overtaken by the grey # 4 Mercedes of Italian-born Ralph DePalma.
DePalma's domination of most of the event is total, as he builds an eventual five-and-a-half lap, eleven minute advantage over second, and leads uncontested for the next 194 laps...before suffering one of the most confounding mechanical failures in motorsport history at the beginning of lap 197, as his Mercedes begins misfiring, and slowing on the mainstretch at the conclusion of the lap. Nursed on the 198th lap by DePalma at reduced speed, the car finally loses all power at the end of the backstretch on lap 199, as a broken connecting rod rips a hole in the crankcase.
With the car's momentum carrying it around to the fourth turn, DePalma and riding mechanic Rupert Jeffkins then enter themselves into motor racing lore, as well as inspire the cheers of the more than 80,000 in attendance, as they climb from the vehicle and begin pushing it down the five-eighths of a mile mainstretch toward the start-finish line.
Indianapolis driver Joe Dawson, running in the second position for most of the race in his blue and white National Motor Vehicle Company entry, finally passes DePalma midway down the mainstretch to assume the lead for the concluding two laps, the fewest led to date, in either a single race or an entire career, by a race winner. Finishing more than ten minutes ahead of newly-second place Tetzlaff, Dawson completes another two laps for good measure upon fear of a scoring miscue. Sometime thereafter, DePalma and Jeffkins finally bring their car across the line, but in twofold futile endeavour: Speedway rules, dictating that a car must complete laps under its own power, mark DePalma's final number of circuits at 198, and the push across the line, even if to be counted, bringing them only to the beginning of the final lap.
Dawson's run in the American-manufactured, four-cylinder National, with a winning time of 6:21:06 and averaging 78.719 mph (126.686 km/h), is twenty-one minutes two seconds faster than the previous 1911 record; he garners $20,000 and additional contingency awards.
Throughout the remainder of the field, only the top ten finishers earn prize money, rules stipulating all entries complete the 500 miles to collect. Ralph Mulford, involved in the controversial finish the year before, and being forced to stop numerous times due to clutch problems in his Knox, finds irritation with the requirement and proceeds to drive on, long after all others are presented the chequered flag...and even after Speedway president Carl Fisher and starter Fred Wagner leave the grounds (the latter after getting into an argument over whether to flag Mulford off before he had completed the distance, Wagner in favor and Fisher against).
Through numerous accounts of the run, including his reportedly changing shock absorbers for a gentler ride, as well as stopping for a dinner-on-the-go of fried chicken and ice-cream with his riding mechanic, Mulford's finish finally arrives, amid deserted grandstands and a setting sun over the mainstraightaway, 8:53:00 after the start, and with an average speed of 56.285 mph (90.582 km/h), which remains a record: the slowest finishing speed to date in 500 history.

Contents

Official Results

Qualification Results

Race Results

Notes

References

Official Results

Qualification Results

''Entries required to complete one lap in excess of 75 mph (120.7 km/h) to qualify, but starting grid placement determined by order of entry date.''

Row	Far Inside	Inside Center	Center	Outside Center	Far Outside
1	'Gil Anderson' 80.93 mph / 130.24 km/h	'Len Zengel' 78.85 mph / 126.90 km/h	'Teddy Tetzlaff' 84.24 mph / 135.57 km/h	'Ralph DePalma' ( Italian-born) 86.02 mph / 138.44 km/h	'Eddie Hearne' 81.85 mph / 131.72 km/h
2	'Spencer Wishart' 83.95 mph / 135.10 km/h	'Joe Dawson' 86.13 mph / 138.61 km/h	'Howdy Wilcox' 87.20 mph / 140.33 km/h	'Harry Knight' 75.92 mph / 122.18 km/h	'Bert Dingley' 80.77 mph / 129.99 km/h
3	'Johnny Jenkins' 80.82 mph / 130.07 km/h	'Bob Burman' 84.11 mph / 135.36 km/h	'Eddie Rickenbacker' ''Qualified by Lee Frayer'' 77.30 mph / 124.40 km/h	'Billy Liesaw' 77.51 mph / 124.74 km/h	'Bill Endicott' 80.57 mph / 129.66 km/h
4	'Ralph Mulford' 87.88 mph / 141.43 km/h	'Hughie Hughes' 81.81 mph / 131.66 km/h	'Joe Horan' 80.48 mph / 129.52 km/h	'Mel Marquette' 78.08 mph / 125.66 km/h	'Len Ormsby' 84.09 mph / 135.33 km/h
5	'Joe Matson' 79.90 mph / 128.59 km/h	'Charlie Merz' 78.88 mph / 126.95 km/h	'David L. Bruce-Brown' 88.45 mph / 142.35 km/h	'Louis Disbrow' 76.54 mph / 123.18 km/h

Race Results

: ''Race finishing times recorded down to second intervals.''

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Entrant	Engine	Cylinders	Displacement	Chassis	Color	Qual Speed	Start Pos	Laps Led	Time	Laps / Speed / Reason Out
1	8	'Joe Dawson' ★	National	National Motor Vehicle Company	National	4	491 in³ / 8.05 L	National	blue/white	86.13 mph / 138.61 km/h	7	2	6:21:06	200 - 78.719 mph / 126.686 km/h
2	3	'Teddy Tetzlaff'	Fiat	E. E. Hewlett	Fiat	4	589 in³ / 9.65 L	Fiat	red	84.24 mph / 135.57 km/h	3	2	6:31:29 / +10:23	200 - 76.632 mph / 123.327 km/h
3	21	'Hughie Hughes'	Mercer	Mercer Motors Company	Mercer	4	301 in³ / 4.93 L	Mercer	yellow	81.81 mph / 131.66 km/h	17	0	6:33:09 / +12:03	200 - 76.307 mph / 122.80 km/h
4	28	'Charlie Merz'	Stutz	Ideal Motor Car Company	Wisconsin	4	390 in³ / 6.39 L	Stutz	gray	78.88 mph / 126.95 km/h	22	0	6:34:40 / +13:34	200 - 76.014 mph / 122.333 km/h
5	18	'Bill Endicott'	Schacht	Schacht Motor Car Company	Wisconsin	4	390 in³ / 6.39 L	Schacht	red	80.57 mph / 129.66 km/h	15	0	6:46:28 / +25:22	200 - 73.807 mph / 118.781 km/h
6	2	'Len Zengel'	Stutz	Ideal Motor Car Company	Wisconsin	4	390 in³ / 6.39 L	Stutz	gray	78.85 mph / 126.90 km/h	2	0	6:50:28 / +29:22	200 – 73.088 mph / 117.624 km/h
7	14	'Johnny Jenkins'	White	White Indianapolis Company	White	6	490 in³ / 8.03 L	White	white	80.82 mph / 130.07 km/h	11	0	6:52:38 / +31:32	200 – 72.704 mph / 117.006 km/h
8	22	'Joe Horan'	Lozier	Dr. W. H. Chambers	Lozier	4	545 in³ / 8.39 L	Lozier	white/red	80.48 mph / 129.52 km/h	18	0	6:59:38 / +38:32	200 – 71.491 mph / 115.054 km/h
9	9	'Howdy Wilcox'	National	National Motor Vehicle Company	National	4	590 in³ / 9.67 L	National	blue/white	87.20 mph / 140.33 km/h	8	0	7:11:30 / +50:24	200 – 69.525 mph / 111.890 km/h
10	19	'Ralph Mulford'	Knox	Ralph Mulford	Knox	6	597 in³ / 9.78 L	Knox	white/red	87.88 mph / 141.43	16	0	8:53:00 / +2:31:54	200 – 56.285 mph / 90.582 km/h
11	4	'Ralph DePalma' ( Italian-born)	Mercedes	E. J. Schroeder	Mercedes	4	583 in³ / 9.55 L	Mercedes	white	86.02 mph / 138.44	4	196	DNF	198 – connecting rod
12	15	'Bob Burman'	Cutting	Clark-Carter Auto Company	Cutting	4	598 in³ / 9.80 L	Cutting	white/red	84.11 mph / 135.36 km/h	12	0	DNF	157 – accident, turn two
13	12	'Bert Dingley'	Simplex	Bert Dingley	Simplex	4	597 in³ / 9.67 L	Simplex	red/white	80.77 mph / 129.99 km/h	10	0	DNF	116 - connecting rod
14	25	'Joe Matson'	Lozier	O. Applegate	Lozier	4	545 in³ / 8.93 L	Lozier	white/red	79.90 mph / 128.59 km/h	21	0	DNF	110 - crackshaft
15	7	'Spencer Wishart'	Mercedes	Spencer Wishart	Mercedes	4	583 in³ / 9.55 L	Mercedes	gray/black/red	83.95 mph / 135.10 km/h	6	0	DNF	82 - water connection
16	3	'Gil Anderson'	Stutz	Ideal Motor Car Company	Wisconsin	4	390 in³ / 6.39 L	Stutz	gray/white	80.93 mph / 130.24 km/h	1	0	DNF	80 - accident, turn three
17	17	'Billy Liesaw'	Marquette-Buick	Will Thomson	Buick	4	594 in³ / 9.73 L	Marquette	tan/red	77.51 mph / 124.74	14	0	DNF	72 - caught fire
18	46	'Louis Disbrow'	Case	J. I. Case T. M. Company	Case	6	450 in³ / 7.37 L	Case	white/red	76.54 mph / 123.18 km/h	24	0	DNF	67 - differential pin
19	23	'Mel Marquette'	McFarlan	Speed Motors Company	McFarlan	6	425 in³ / 6.96 L	McFarlan	gray	78.08 mph / 125.66 km/h	19	0	DNF	63 - broken wheels
20	6	'Eddie Hearne'	Case	J. I. Case T. M. Company	Case	6	450 in³ / 7.37 L	Case	white/red	81.85 mph / 131.72 km/h	5	0	DNF	55 - burned bearing
21	16	'Eddie Rickenbacker'	Firestone-Columbus	Columbus Buggy Company	Firestone-Columbus	4	345 in³ / 5.65 L	Fiat	crimson/black	77.30 mph / 124.40 km/h	13	0	DNF	43 - intake valve
22	29	'David L. Bruce-Brown'	National	National Motor Vehicle Company	National	4	590 in³ / 9.67 L	National	blue/white	88.45 mph / 142.35 km/h	23	0	DNF	25 - valve trouble
23	10	'Harry Knight'	Lexington	Lexington Motor Car Company	Lexington	6	422 in³ / 6.92 L	Lexington	brown/white	75.92 mph / 122.18 km/h	9	0	DNF	6 - engine trouble
24	26	'Len Ormsby'	Opel	I. C. Stern & B. C. Noble	Opel	4	450 in³ / 7.37 L	Opel	gray/red	84.09 mph / 135.33 km/h	20	0	DNF	5 - connecting rod

: ''
★ Joe Dawson was relieved by Don Herr for laps 108-144.''

Notes

'Race field average engine displacement':

★ 491.46 in³ / 8.05 L
'Race field average qualifying speed':

★ 81.762 mph / 131.583 km/h
'Finishing entries average time and finishing speed':

★ 6:57:25 (-8:02 from previous year and previous record)

★ 72.457 mph / 116.609 km/h (+1.717 mph / +2.763 km/h, from previous year and previous record)

References

''Indianapolis 500 Chronicle'', 1999, Rick Pope

''2006 Indianapolis 500 Official Program''