1932 Indianapolis 500


The 20th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1932. Attrition is the story of the race, with 26 of the 40 cars dropping out due to crashes or mechanical failure. A record eight different drivers led laps during the race, with no driver seemingly able to hold the lead without experiencing some sort of trouble. For the third year in a row, Billy Arnold looks as if he will be the dominant car, but he sailed over the turn three wall on lap 59. Rookie Bob Carey also hit the wall while leading. Fred Frame took the lead for good on lap 152, and won from the 27th starting position - the furthest back of any winner except for Ray Harroun in 1911 and later, Louis Meyer in 1936. Frame was accompanied by riding mechanic Jerry Houck.
In the third year of the "stock-based" formula, speeds were beginning to increase once again, but not quite to levels seen in the late-1920s. Lou Moore qualified for the pole position with an average speed of 117.363 mph, the fastest time trial run in three years. Likewise on race day, Frame's winning average speed of 104.144 mph broke Peter DePaolo's record set back in 1925.
The race was part of the 1932 AAA Championship Car season. The month was marred by two fatalities during practice. Riding mechanic Harry Cox was killed in a crash on May 25, and driver M. C. Jones died from injuries suffered in a crash on May 27.

Race schedule

Practice – April

The deadline for entries to be received was midnight on Monday May 2. Teams and drivers began arriving at the Speedway in early April, setting up shop in Gasoline Alley. In addition, Tom Beall's popular diner was already open in the garage area. Tony Gulotta was on the track in the Hunt Special on April 6, as was Lou Moore in the Boyle Valve Special. Making news in mid-April was Argentine driver Juan Gaudino, who arrived on April 13 to enter the race for the first time. Gaudino had intended to enter in 1931, but withdrew after a crash in South America just before he was to make the trip.
On Monday April 18, Joe Russo was practicing on the track when he lost control at the north end and crashed into the retaining wall. He suffered minor injuries to his head and face, and needed three stitches to his lip. The frame of the car was bent, but the car was expected to be repaired.
Billy Devore, Terry Curley, S.T. "Pink" Donaldson, and Bert Lustig, all arrived from the west coast on April 21, each looking for rides. Some of the biggest news came on April 27. Babe Stapp was seriously injured in a crash at Legion Ascot Speedway, and would be forced to sit out the month of May.
By the end of April, at least nine cars were already at the Speedway being prepped. Drivers were even spending some free time at the Speedway Golf Course.

Practice – Week 1

The deadline for entries to be received was midnight on Monday May 2. Though initially down from the previous year, at least 40 cars had submitted entries by May 1, and more were expected when postmarked entries were all processed.
Qualifications was scheduled for seven days, starting on Saturday May 21, and continuing through Friday May 27. Four-lap qualifying runs were used. Each entry was allowed three attempts to qualify. The minimum speed for qualifying was set at 100 mph. Each day of time trials would end at sundown.

Saturday May 21

The first day of time trials was scheduled for Saturday May 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:59 p.m.. All cars were required to be in line no later than 5 p.m. in order to make a qualifying attempt. Over 12,000 spectators arrived under hot and sunny weather conditions. During a run in the morning, Bryan Saulpaugh driving one of Harry Miller's 16-cylinder machines, had just completed a lap of 116 mph when a tire blew going into turn 1. Traveling more than 120 mph, he entered the turn too fast and the tread sheared off the tire. The car broke into a spin, but Saulpaugh was able to keep the car off the wall. Also having trouble in the morning was Zeke Meyer, who hit the wall in turn four after something broke in the steering mechanism.
Frank Brisko was the first driver to complete a qualifying run. Luther Johnson blew a tire and pulled into the pits during his first attempt. The early qualifiers were led by Billy Arnold, who put in a four-lap average of 116.290 mph. Bryan Saulpaugh, who had avoided serious mishap during a practice run, rebounded to post a four-lap average of 114.369 mph, good enough for the front row.
Late in the day, Lou Moore took the track, and grabbed the pole position with a four-lap average of 117.363 mph. His fourth lap was a single-lap track record for a non-supercharged engine. Last year's polesitter Russ Snowberger qualified fourth.
The day ended with the field filled to 21 cars.
NameLap 1
Lap 2
Lap 3
Lap 4
Average Speed
18 Lou Moore116.595117.249117.066118.577117.363
25 Billy Arnold '115.920116.279116.279116.686116.290
327 Bryan Saulpaugh '114.373114.518114.460114.126114.369
44 Russ Snowberger113.967114.141114.708114.489114.326
535 Ira Hall113.967113.737114.358114.767114.206
66 Howdy Wilcox II '113.794114.358113.350112.388113.468
716 Louis Meyer '112.599112.122112.136113.037112.471
817 Paul Bost112.402112.416111.566111.166111.885
92 Billy Winn111.704111.607112.346111.552111.801
1022 Cliff Bergere111.001111.773111.690111.552111.503
1146 Luther Johnson110.633111.607111.345111.290111.218
1210 Bill Cummings111.070111.043111.303111.400111.204
1332 Frank Brisko110.343111.152111.455111.649111.149
1461 Bob Carey '110.538111.359111.483110.906111.070
1555 Joe Huff110.2541110.1321110.647110.579110.402
1648 Wesley Crawford109.237111.400111.469109.516110.396
1718 Peter Kreis109.877110.146110.728110.335110.270
1829 Al Miller '109.930109.944110.443110.200110.129
1924 Deacon Litz111.070110.308108.108108.748109.546
2025 Tony Gulotta109.078108.630108.946108.932108.896
2141 Joe Russo108.499108.395108.893109.383108.791

The second day of time trials was held Sunday May 22. Only two cars qualified, Wilbur Shaw and Al Aspen. Shaw's four-lap average speed time was identical to Russ Snowberger's from a day earlier.
NameLap 1
Lap 2
Lap 3
Lap 4
Average Speed
223 Wilbur Shaw113.737114.548114.987114.040114.326
2321 Al Aspen108.199107.953107.373108.512108.008

The third day of time trials was held Monday May 23. Hartwell "Stubby" Stubblefield wowed the crowd with a first lap of 117.310 mph, nearly as fast as the pole position. He upped his speed to 117.540 mph, and appeared to be on his way to becoming the fastest qualifier. On his fourth and final lap, however, he sensed he had a tire going down. Going into turn 3, he backed off and attempted to coast around to the pits, intending to abort the run. He shut the engine off on the mainstretch, but inadvertently coasted across the finish line. Officials ruled that he had completed the run, and the time would stand. His fourth lap of 101.488 pulled his four-lap average down to 112.988 mph. Instead of being the fastest qualifier, he had to settle for the slower speed, but nevertheless, was safely qualified.
Bob McDonogh made a conservative run of 113.279 mph, to be the fastest car of the afternoon, and the first four-wheel drive car in Indy history. Phil Shafer was the only other qualifier, putting in a speed of 110.708 mph without wearing a helmet.
By the end of the third day, only 26 grid position had been filled. With many strong contenders still in the garage area, officials reiterated that qualifications would continue through Saturday as needed, to ensure all cars had the opportunity to qualify.
NameLap 1
Lap 2
Lap 3
Lap 4
Average Speed
2458 Bob McDonogh112.938112.388113.179114.635113.279
2515 Stubby Stubblefield117.310117.570117.005101.488112.899
2633 Phil Shafer110.769110.240110.674110.152110.708

The fourth day of time trials was held Tuesday May 24. Qualifications continued to move at a slow pace, as only two cars completed runs Tuesday. Late in the day, Gus Schrader was the first driver out, in the four-wheel drive Miller Special. The car had only been on the track three days, and the 112.003 mph average, though safe to make the field, was said to be modest to its capabilities. Fred Frame was the only other driver on the track, also driving a newly arrived machine. Frame's car had arrived only three days earlier, and had been on the track only once, but not at speed.
NameLap 1
Lap 2
Lap 3
Lap 4
Average Speed
2734 Fred Frame113.479113.364113.982114.606113.856
2845 Gus Schrader 112.740112.528111.193111.566112.003

The fifth day of time trials was held Wednesday May 25. To the increasing chagrin of officials, only one car completed a qualifying attempt, further dragging out the already slow qualifying process. Chet Miller secured the 29th spot in the field, leaving eleven spots open. The day was marred by the death of Harry Cox, the riding mechanic for Bennie Benefiel. The car hit the inside wall, lost a wheel, then skidded into the outside wall. The car went over the outside retaining wall in turn 1, and dropped twenty feet to the ground. It hit two trees, then came to rest against another tree. Benefiel and Cox were thrown from the car. Benefiel was conscious but seriously injured. Cox suffered a broken neck and other injuries, and died at the scene.
Louis Schneider had his car out on the track for practice, but came in complaining of steering problems. Roy Painter announced his car was withdrawn due to an illegal tread width.
NameLap 1
Lap 2
Lap 3
Lap 4
Average Speed
299 Chet Miller111.912111.207110.105111.001111.053

The sixth day of time trials was held Thursday May 26. For the second day in a row, only one car completed a run. Louis Schneider, driving the same Bowes Seal Fast entry he won with in 1931, took the 30th starting position.
NameLap 1
Lap 2
Lap 3
Lap 4
Average Speed
301 Louis Schneider 110.457110.728110.619110.919110.681

The seventh day of time trials was held on Friday May 27. The day was marred by the second fatality in three days. M. C. Jones and his riding mechanic Harold Gray were on a practice run early in the day when car went out of control in turn one. The car went over the wall in turn one, and landed upright on a grassy plot outside of the track. Both Jones and Gray were thrown from the car. Gray survived, suffering a broken arm and internal injuries. Jones died about six hours later at City Hospital. In a separate incident, Ira Hall crashed his already-qualified car in turn 3. The car was badly damaged, but Hall was not injured. Also having trouble was Paul Rice, whose car broke a front axle. He narrowly missed hitting the outside wall at the exit of turn four.
Seven cars completed qualifying runs, but George Howie would eventually be "crowded out" from the field on Saturday. Gene Haustein made an unsuccessful attempt.
NameLap 1
Lap 2
Lap 3
Lap 4
Average Speed
317 Ernie Triplett114.935
3257 Malcolm Fox '111.149
3349 Johnny Kreiger '109.276
3472 Ray Campbell '108.969
3565 Freddy Winnai108.755
3614 Juan Gaudino '107.466
47 George Howie103.490
23 Gene HausteinIncomplete

The final day of time trials was held on Saturday May 28. Due to the number of spots remaining, and the number of entries still to qualify, the hours for qualifying were extended to 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for Saturday. The field was filled to 40 cars, and two drivers were "crowded out." Kelly Petillo made the field just before the close of qualifying.
After qualifying concluded, the track was closed to clean up oil spills and prepare the surface for the race. A brief session was allowed late Sunday afternoon for the traditional "carburetion tests."
NameLap 1
Lap 2
Lap 3
Lap 4
Average Speed
3726 Al Gordon '111.649111.207111.649110.660111.290
3837 Zeke Meyer110.745
3942 Doc MacKenzie '107.630107.940108.431108.630108.154
4036 Kelly Petillo 104.645
75 James Patterson101.246

Alternates

Start

The race began at 10:00 a.m. with Edsel Ford driving the Lincoln Model KB pace car and Theodore E. "Pop" Meyers riding along, marshaling the start. Honorary starter Gar Wood joined Seth Kline to wave the green flag. At the start, Lou Moore took the lead into turn one from the pole position. Billy Arnold was second, Billy Winn third, and Ernie Triplett fourth. Arnold took the lead on the second lap, and began setting the pace. Arnold's average speed after 10 laps was 110.250 mph, breaking the previous record set in 1928.
On lap 3, Al Gordon crashed over the outside wall in turn 4. Stubby Stubblefield sideswiped Gordon, but was able to continue Gordon and his riding mechanic were uninjured. Also crashing out on lap 7 was Gus Schrader.

First half

Attrition started to mount early with several cars dropping out in the first 100 miles. Several other cars were into the pits with early tire wear, and Joe Huff needed a three-minute pit stop to repair a leaking radiator cap.
At the 50-mile mark, Billy Arnold led Lou Moore by 49 seconds. By the 100-mark, the lead had stretched to a minute and 18 seconds, and Bob Carey had moved up to second. By lap 50, Arnold had lapped the entire field except for Carey, and was running a record pace.
On lap 59, Billy Arnold's day came to end in a bad crash in turn 3. Arnold and riding mechanic Spider Matlock crashed over the wall while leading. Arnold suffered a broken shoulder and Matlock a broken pelvis – injuries similar to those suffered by them in a crash a year earlier. Arnold would retire from racing after the crash. The incident put Bob Carey in the lead from lap 59–94. After the race, Arnold found out that his grandmother had died the day before the race.
Carey led Lou Moore as the race passed the 200-mile distance. The race was still running at a record-shattering pace. Moore dropped out with bad timing gears, and Ernie Triplett moved up to second. On lap 94, Carey hit the outside wall in turn 4 while leading, spun around three times, and drove the car back to the pits with a damaged left front wheel. He lost ten minutes in the pits, and that handed the lead to Ernie Triplett.
Also in the pits was 8th place Fred Frame, who had water boiling from the radiator. Frame was about four laps down, and was in the pits for about one minute.

Second half

At the halfway point, Ernie Triplett led Howdy Wilcox II, Louis Schneider and Cliff Bergere. Triplett's time in front was short-lived. Ira Hall took the lead on lap 110, and Triplett dropped out after 125 laps with a failed clutch. Schneider dropped out at the same time with a broken frame.
With contenders dropping out in quick succession, Fred Frame came to the lead on lap 126. Frame led Wilbur Shaw, the only other car on the lead lap. Howdy Wilcox II and Cliff Bergere were running 3rd-4th one lap down.
As the race reached the 400-mile mark, Frame continued to lead. Wilbur Shaw lost over nine minutes after stalling his car in the pits then eventually dropped out with a broken axle. Frame was now all alone out front, and controlled the race to the finish. In the final 20 laps, Frame held an over 40-second lead over Howdy Wilcox II, with Cliff Bergere in third.

Finish

Late in the race, three incidents brought attention. On lap 182, Ira Hall blew a tire, spun and brushed the wall in the south end of the track. He was able to continue, but left his riding mechanic behind when he limped back to the pits. He re-joined the race, and was issued a one-lap penalty for driving off without the riding mechanic. He completed the 500 miles in 7th place. Luther Johnson lost a wheel on the mainstretch, and Tony Gulotta blew a tire in turn one. Gulotta's tire flung off the wheel, and nearly went over the fence into the stands. On the 178th lap, Peter Kreis skidded and crashed on the mainstretch.
Fred Frame led 58 of the final 75 laps and won the race by 44 seconds over Howdy Wilcox II. After strong showings in previous years, Frame, accompanied by riding mechanic Jerry Houck won with an average speed of, a time that broke the seven-year-old record set by Peter DePaolo. Frame charged from 27th starting position, aided by high attrition and a steady pace. It was the furthest back at that time that any driver had won the race except for Ray Harroun in 1911. Louis Meyer would equal Ray Harroun's furthest back to win in 1936. Frame's drive was not without incident, as he required six pit stops, each time taking on water to battle an overheating engine.
Source: The Indianapolis News

Box score

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