1928 Indianapolis 500
 | |||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | AAA | ||||
| Date | May 30, 1928 | ||||
| Winner | Louis Meyer | ||||
| Winning Entrant | Alden Sampson, II | ||||
| Average speed | 99.482 mph (160.101 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | Leon Duray | ||||
| Pole speed | 122.391 mph (196.969 km/h) | ||||
| Most laps led | Leon Duray (59) | ||||
| Pre-race | |||||
| Pace car | Marmon 8 (Model 78) | ||||
| Pace car driver | Joe Dawson | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The 16th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1928.
This was the first Indianapolis 500 presided over by new Speedway president Eddie Rickenbacker.
Leon Duray, driving a 1926 Miller FD 5/Miller SC, took the pole with an average speed of 122.391 mph (196.969 km/h)
Rookie driver Louis Meyer (though he had appeared as a relief driver in 1927) took the first of what would be three Indy 500 wins in his career. Meyer started 13th in a 1926 Miller 91 2/Miller SC and led for 19 of the 200 laps, winning at an average speed of 99.482 mph (160.101 km/h). He took home $28,250 in prize money.
Time trials
Four-lap (10 mile) qualifying runs were utilized. Leon Duray won the pole position.
| Qualifying Results | ||||||
| Date | Driver | Lap 1 (mph) | Lap 2 (mph) | Lap 3 (mph) | Lap 4 (mph) | Average Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/26/1928 | Leon Duray | 122.92 | 123.20 | 121.82 | 121.64 | 122.391 |
Results
Louis Meyer, the winner
| Finish | Start | No | Name | Qual | Rank | Laps | Led | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | 14 |  Louis Meyer (R) |
111.352 | 17 | 200 | 19 | Running |
| 2 | 8 | 28 | Lou Moore (R) |
113.826 | 8 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 3 | 12 | 3 | George Souders (W) |
111.444 | 16 | 200 | 9 | Running |
| 4 | 10 | 15 | Ray Keech (R) |
113.421 | 10 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 5 | 15 | 22 | Norman Batten |
106.585 | 21 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 6 | 5 | 7 | Babe Stapp |
116.887 | 5 | 200 | 7 | Running |
| 7 | 20 | 43 | Billy Arnold (R) |
111.926 | 12 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 8 | 14 | 27 | Fred Frame |
107.501 | 20 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 9 | 9 | 25 | Fred Comer |
113.690 | 9 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 10 | 4 | 8 | Tony Gulotta |
117.031 | 4 | 200 | 35 | Running |
| 11 | 7 | 24 | Louis Schneider |
114.036 | 7 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 12 | 23 | 12 | Dave Evans |
108.264 | 19 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 13 | 28 | 29 | Henry Kohlert (R) |
93.545 | 29 | 180 | 0 | Flagged |
| 14 | 17 | 23 | Deacon Litz (R) |
106.213 | 23 | 161 | 0 | Flagged |
| 15 | 21 | 39 | Jimmy Gleason (R) |
111.708 | 13 | 195 | 55 | Magneto |
| 16 | 18 | 5 | Cliff Durant |
99.990 | 26 | 175 | 0 | Supercharger |
| 17 | 11 | 33 | Johnny Seymour (R) |
111.671 | 14 | 170 | 0 | Supercharger |
| 18 | 24 | 6 | Earl Devore |
109.810 | 18 | 161 | 0 | Crash T1 |
| 19 | 1 | 4 | Leon Duray |
122.391 | 1 | 133 | 64 | Overheating |
| 20 | 16 | 38 | Sam Ross (R) |
106.572 | 22 | 132 | 0 | Timing gears |
| 21 | 27 | 26 | Ira Hall (R) |
96.886 | 27 | 115 | 0 | Crash T1 |
| 22 | 19 | 32 | Peter Kreis |
112.906 | 11 | 73 | 0 | Rod bearing |
| 23 | 2 | 10 | Cliff Woodbury |
120.418 | 2 | 55 | 0 | Timing gears |
| 24 | 6 | 16 | Ralph Hepburn |
116.354 | 6 | 48 | 0 | Timing gears |
| 25 | 29 | 1 | Wilbur Shaw |
100.956 | 25 | 42 | 0 | Timing gears |
| 26 | 26 | 18 | Benny Shoaff |
102.409 | 24 | 35 | 0 | Crash T1 |
| 27 | 25 | 41 | C. W. Belt (R) |
96.026 | 28 | 32 | 0 | Valve |
| 28 | 3 | 21 | Cliff Bergere |
119.956 | 3 | 7 | 0 | Supercharger |
| 29 | 22 | 34 | Russ Snowberger (R) |
111.618 | 15 | 4 | 11 | Supercharger |
| [1] | ||||||||
Race details
- For 1928, riding mechanics were optional,[2] however, no teams utilized them.
- L. L. Corum and Dutch Bauman qualified for the race, but on the morning of the race, both crashed out during practice runs. Bauman instead went on to serve as a relief driver for Tony Gulotta.
- Peter DePaolo crashed during practice and was injured. Wilbur Shaw qualified his car for the race on race morning.
References
- ↑ "Indianapolis 500 1928". Ultimate Racing History. Archived from the original on 15 January 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ↑ Blazier, John E. and Rollings, Tom (1994). Forgotten Heroes of the Speedways: The Riding Mechanics.
| Grand Prix Race | ||
|---|---|---|
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1928 Grand Prix season Grandes Épreuves |
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| Previous race: 1927 Indianapolis 500 |
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