1927 Indianapolis 500

The 15th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1927.

15th Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	AAA
Date	May 30, 1927
Winner	George Souders
Winning Entrant	William S. White
Average speed	97.545 mph (156.983 km/h)
Pole position	Frank Lockhart
Pole speed	120.100 mph (193.282 km/h)
Most laps led	Frank Lockhart (110)
Pre-race
Pace car	LaSalle V-8 Series 303
Pace car driver	Willard "Big Boy" Rader
Starter	George Townsend[1]
Honorary referee	Charles F. Kettering[1]
Estimated attendance	135,000[2]
Chronology
Previous Next 1926 1928

First-time starter George Souders wins by eight laps, the largest margin since 1913. Souders becomes the first driver to win the full-500 mile race solo, with neither help from a relief driver, nor accompanied by a riding mechanic.

Time trials

Four-lap (10 mile) qualifying runs were utilized. Frank Lockhart won the pole position with a speed of 120.10 mph. Lockhart set a new 1-lap track record on his final lap.

Qualifying Results
Date	Driver	Lap 1 (mph)	Lap 2 (mph)	Lap 3 (mph)	Lap 4 (mph)	Average Speed (mph)
5/26/1927	Frank Lockhart	120.192	119.474	119.824	120.918	120.100

Results

Finish	Start	No	Name	Qual	Rank	Laps	Led	Status
1	22	32	George Souders  R	111.551	12	200	51	Running
2	15	10	Earl Devore	107.497	23	200	0	Running
3	27	27	Tony Gulotta	107.765	22	200	0	Running
4	19	29	Wilbur Shaw  R	104.465	32	200	0	Running
5	28	21	Dave Evans  R	107.360	25	200	0	Running
6	7	14	Bob McDonogh	113.175	8	200	0	Running
7	18	16	Eddie Hearne	105.115	31	200	0	Running
8	25	6	Tommy Milton  W	108.758	20	200	0	Running
9	14	25	Cliff Bergere  R	108.820	19	200	0	Running
10	13	5	Frank Elliott	109.682	17	200	0	Running
11	33	31	Fred Frame  R	106.859	27	199	0	Flagged
12	32	42	Jim Hill  R	107.392	24	197	0	Flagged
13	31	24	Benny Shoaff  R	110.152	13	198	0	Rear end gears
14	26	41	Wade Morton	108.075	21	152	0	Crash
15	20	44	Al Melcher  R	102.918	33	144	0	Supercharger
16	23	43	Louis Schneider  R	109.910	15	137	0	Timing gears
17	12	9	Peter Kreis	109.900	16	123	0	Front axle
18	1	2	Frank Lockhart  W	120.100	1	120	110	Rod
19	6	15	Cliff Woodbury	113.200	7	108	0	Supercharger
20	17	26	Dutch Bauman  R	106.078	29	90	9	Pinion shaft
21	29	35	Al Cotey  R	106.295	28	87	0	Universal joint
22	16	17	W. E. Shattuc	107.060	26	83	0	Valve
23	30	23	Fred Lecklider	105.729	30	49	0	Crash T1
24	5	19	Ralph Hepburn	114.209	5	39	0	Fuel tank leak
25	4	1	Harry Hartz	116.739	4	38	0	Crankshaft
26	2	3	Peter DePaolo  W	119.510	2	31	30	Supercharger
27	3	12	Leon Duray	118.788	3	26	0	Fuel tank leak
28	9	4	Bennett Hill	112.013	10	26	0	Shackle bolt
29	21	18	Jules Ellingboe	113.239	6	25	0	Crash T4
30	10	8	Norman Batten	111.940	11	24	0	Caught fire
31	24	38	Babe Stapp  R	109.555	18	24	0	Universal joint
32	11	22	Jack Petticord  R	109.920	14	22	0	Supercharger
33	8	7	Dave Lewis	112.275	9	21	0	Front axle
[3]

Race details

For 1927, riding mechanics were optional;[4] however, no teams utilized them.

Eddie Hearne was the only driver in the field who had competed at the inaugural Indy 500. This would be the final time a driver from the inaugural race would compete.

References

1. Fox, Jack C. (1994). The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 (4th ed.). Carl Hungness Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 0-915088-05-3.
2. Patton, W. Blaine (May 31, 1927). "Hoosier Averages 97.45 Miles An Hour In 500-Mile Grind". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Indianapolis 500 1927". Ultimate Racing History. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
4. Blazier, John E.; Rollings, Tom (1994). Forgotten Heroes of the Speedways: The Riding Mechanics.

Grand Prix Race
Previous race: 1926 Italian Grand Prix	1927 Grand Prix season Grandes Épreuves	Next race: 1927 French Grand Prix
Previous race: 1926 Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis 500	Next race: 1928 Indianapolis 500