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| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | AAA | ||||
| Date | May 31, 1954 | ||||
| Winner | Bill Vukovich | ||||
| Winning Entrant | Howard Keck | ||||
| Average speed | 130.840 mph (210.567 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | Jack McGrath | ||||
| Pole speed | 141.033 mph (226.971 km/h) | ||||
| Most laps led | Bill Vukovich (90) | ||||
| Pre-race | |||||
| Pace car | Dodge Royal 500 | ||||
| Pace car driver | W. C. Newberg | ||||
| Starter | Bill Vanderwater[1] | ||||
| Honorary referee | Ralph DePalma[1] | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 175,000[2] | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
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The38th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1954. The event was part of the1954 AAA National Championship Trail, and was also race 2 of 9 in the1954 World Championship of Drivers.
Time trials was scheduled for four days.
Late in the afternoon on the final day of time trials,Bob Scott was bumped from the field. With help from his friendBob Sweikert, Scott was able to find a new car to qualify, the number 18 owned by Ray Brady. With only minutes left in time trials, Scott went on track to qualify. His first three laps were fast enough to bump into the starting lineup. As the sun was setting low in the sky, Scott was unable to see the flag waved by the flagman, having lost track of how many laps he had run, and mistook the white flag for the checkered flag. He also saw Sweikert waving his hands over his head, thinking Sweikert was congratulating him on the completion of his run. After only three of four required laps, Scott slowed and returned to the pits, thinking his run was over.[3] Upon his return to the pits, Scott was informed what had happened. Scott and Sweikert were left in tears over the disappointment and realization over how much money was lost by missing the race.[4] Scott died in a crash atDarlington Raceway over a month later.
R = Indianapolis 500 rookie; W = Former Indianapolis 500 winner
| Row | Inside | Middle | Outside | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 |  Jack McGrath | 19 | Jimmy Daywalt | 9 | Jimmy Bryan |
| 2 | 43 | Johnny Thomson | 98 | Chuck Stevenson | 7 | Don Freeland |
| 3 | 25 | Jimmy Reece | 16 | Duane Carter | 17 | Bob Sweikert |
| 4 | 1 | Sam Hanks | 34 | Troy Ruttman W | 35 | Pat O'Connor R |
| 5 | 24 | Cal Niday | 73 | Mike Nazaruk | 15 | Johnnie Parsons W |
| 6 | 12 | Rodger Ward | 31 | Gene Hartley | 51 | Bill Homeier R |
| 7 | 14 | Bill Vukovich W | 32 | Ernie McCoy | 10 | Tony Bettenhausen |
| 8 | 88 | Manny Ayulo | 74 | Andy Linden | 77 | Fred Agabashian |
| 9 | 28 | Larry Crockett R | 33 | Len Duncan R | 45 | Art Cross |
| 10 | 38 | Jim Rathmann | 65 | Spider Webb | 99 | Jerry Hoyt |
| 11 | 27 | Ed Elisian R | 5 | Paul Russo | 71 | Frank Armi R |
Bill Vukovich had to work much harder in this race due to his car was now 2 years old and the team had trouble getting it up to speed leading to a 19th place starting spot inside of row 7 for the race. Vukovich did not see the lead until lap 61 when he led 1 lap. He then after losing positions during pitstops worked his way forward, seeing the lead again on lap 92 leading for the next 38 laps until falling back due to another round of pitstops. Then Vukovich took the lead for good on 150 to win his second consecutive 500, setting a record (at the time) 130.840 mph average race speed. The record would stand until the1957 Indianapolis 500. Vukovich died the following year attempting to win his third consecutive Indy 500.
Note: Relief drivers in parentheses[7]
W Former Indianapolis 500 winner
R Indianapolis 500 Rookie
All entrants utilizedFirestone tires.
^1 – Includes 1 point for fastest lead lap
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The race was carried live flag-to-flag on theIndianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. It was the second time the race was carried in its entirety. The broadcast was anchored bySid Collins, his third as chief announcer, and seventh year overall with the crew.Charlie Brockman served as booth analyst and statistician, and also reported from victory lane.[10] For the first time ever, a female reporter was part of the radio crew. Paula Carr ofWIRE served as a roving reporter, interviewing celebrities and other special guests.[11]
Of note, the network expanded its coverage to include four qualifying wrap-up shows during time trials weekends.
The network expanded to include four qualifying wrap-up shows, and the number of affiliate stations increased to 210. All five major radio stations in Indianapolis carried the broadcast. The 1954 broadcast is notable in that it featured for the first time the famous phrase "Stay tuned for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Due to the increased number of affiliates at the time, the network needed a scripted "out-cue" to alert producers when to manually insert local commercials. A young WIBC marketing staff member named Alice Greene (née Bunger) is credited with inventing the phrase, and chief announcer Sid Collins coined it on-air. It has been used ever since, with all of the chief announcers proudly reciting it during their respective tenures.
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth Announcers | Turn Reporters | Pit/garage reporters |
South Turns: Bill Frosch | Luke Walton (north pits) Greg Smith (south pits) Dick Lingle Paula Carr | |
| 1954 Indianapolis 500 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 2 of 9 in the1954 Formula One season
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| Race details | |||||
| Date | May 31, 1954 (1954-05-31) | ||||
| Location | Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 4.023 km (2.500 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 200 laps, 804.672 km (500.000 miles) | ||||
The Indianapolis 500 was included in theFIAWorld Championship of Drivers from1950 through1960. The race was sanctioned byAAA through1955, and then byUSAC beginning in1956. At the time the new world championship was announced and first organized by theCSI, the United States did not yet have aGrand Prix. Indianapolis Motor Speedway vice president and general manager Theodore E. "Pop" Meyers lobbied that the Indianapolis 500 be selected as the race to represent the country and to pay points towards the world championship.[12][13]
Drivers competing at the Indianapolis 500 in 1950 through 1960 were credited with participation in and earned points towards the World Championship of Drivers.[14] However, the machines competing at Indianapolis were not necessarily run toFormula One specifications and regulations.[15] The drivers also earned separate points (on a differentscale) towards the respectiveAAA orUSACnational championships. No points, however, were awarded by the FIA towards theWorld Constructors Championship.
The 1954 Indianapolis 500 was round 2 of 9 on the1954 World Championship. The event, however, failed to attract interest from any of the regular competitors on the Grand Prix circuit. Race winnerBill Vukovich earned 8 points towards the World Championship. Despite not competing in any of the other World Championship events, he finished sixth in the final season standings.
| Pos | Driver | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1 |  Juan Manuel Fangio | 8 |
 16 | 2 | Bill Vukovich | 8 |
 1 | 3 |  Nino Farina | 6 |
| 14 | 4 | Jimmy Bryan | 6 |
| 2 | 5 | José Froilán González | 5 |
| Source:[16] | |||
| Pos | Driver | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Vukovich | 1,000 |
| 2 | Jimmy Bryan | 800 |
| 3 | Jack McGrath | 700 |
| 4 | Mike Nazaruk | 500 |
| 5 | Fred Agabashian | 400 |
| Source:[6] | |||
| Previous race: 1954 Argentine Grand Prix | FIA Formula One World Championship 1954 season | Next race: 1954 Belgian Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1953 Indianapolis 500 Bill Vukovich | 1954Indianapolis 500 Bill Vukovich | Next race: 1955 Indianapolis 500 Bob Sweikert |
| Preceded by 128.922mph (1952 Indianapolis 500) | Record for the Indianapolis 500 fastest average speed 130.840 mph | Succeeded by 135.601mph (1957 Indianapolis 500) |