1932 Indianapolis 500

Practice – April

Practice – Week 1

• Sunday May 1: Tony Gulotta and Luther Johnson teamed up to test one of the Studebaker entries for 660 miles at an average speed of 102.6 mph.
• Monday May 2: More entries continued to come in, swelling the entry list to 68 cars. Of interest was the Bowes Seal Fast team announcing a three-car effort with drivers Bill Cummings, Louis Schneider, and Deacon Litz
• Tuesday May 3: Last-minute entries brought the total to 71-72 cars, matching the number from 1931.
• Wednesday May 4: Juan Gaudino was sent to the hospital with burns on his face and hands after an acetylene torch he was working with exploded in the garage area. He was expected to be back in the car within a couple days. Russ Snowberger was out on the track, and suffered a flat tire.
• Friday May 6: Though track activity had been fairly light most of the week, by Friday, over one-third of the 71 expected entries had arrived at the Speedway.
• Saturday May 7: Some of the drivers left Indianapolis for the day to compete in other events. Billy Arnold, Deacon Litz, and Ira Hall competed in a special race meet in Chicago. Bill Cummings, Billy Winn, Paul Bost, and others raced at Langhorne.

Practice – Week 2

• Monday May 9: The five Studebaker Specials entries were out on the track on Monday. The drivers were Tony Gulotta, Luther Johnson, Pete Kreis, Cliff Bergere, and Bob McDonogh. Off the track, 1930 winner Billy Arnold was married in Chicago. He was expected to arrive at the track for practice later in the week.
• Tuesday May 10: Much of Tuesday was spent taking photographs with the cars and drivers.
• Wednesday May 11: At approximately 3 p.m., Ira Hall went into turn one at about 106 mph when he lost control. The car started sliding to the inside fence, he corrected, and the car slid up to the outside barrier. It slid along the outside wall for about 100 feet, then spun to the middle of the track. The car's frame was broken in the front. Neither Hall nor his riding mechanic G.A. Casey were injured. Leon Duray arrived at the Speedway for the first time Wednesday evening.
• Thursday May 12: Russ Snowberger was out on the track Thursday in the Hupp Comet. He had two laps of 114 mph. L. L. Corum, whose car was now disassembled, was not expected to be out on the track again for another week. Harry Miller's 16-cylinder machine was expected to arrive on Friday and be on the track with Bryan Saulpaugh behind the wheel.
• Friday May 13: T.E. "Pop" Meyers announced that he declined Louis Schneider's request to use car #13, citing a AAA Contest Board rule. Few cars made laps Friday, owing not little to the superstitious nature of Friday the 13th. Chet Miller took a few laps, but lightly brushed the wall in the south short chute. Pete Kreis did a ten-lap radiator test in his Studebaker, then was reportedly upset when informed he was driving on Friday the 13th. Also on the track were Frank Brisko and Roy Painter, but only for one or two slow laps apiece.

Practice – Week 3

• Sunday May 15: Joe Huff was out on the track in the S.O. Goldberg entry. Billy Arnold arrived at the Speedway Sunday, and expected to drive his first laps on Tuesday. Fred Frame was in Reading for the weekend, and won two races. Leon Duray's 16-cylinder car was seen in the garage area, and was expected to practice on Tuesday. After overheating problems plagued the car in 1931, the team reported that significant improvements had been made for 1932.
• Monday May 16: Wilbur Shaw was reported to be en route to the Speedway from California.
• Tuesday May 17: Louis Schneider was out on the track in the #1 Bowes Seal Fast Special. Juan Gaudino, who lost time due to changing engines, was now reportedly out on the track regularly. Off the track, Gar Wood was named the official starter for race day.
• Wednesday May 18: Several cars took to the track on Wednesday, as elimination trials were drawing closer. Frank Brisko made several medium paced laps, Louis Meyer was on the track in his 16-cylinder machine, and Joe Huff had been on the track as well. Al Miller ran a lap of 111 mph, and Bryan Saulpaugh drove one of Harry Miller's 16-cylinder machines. Just before sunset, Roy Painter suffered a flat tire going into turn three. He avoided another car, and swerved into the outside wall. The car suffered a bent rear spring and axle. Painter and his riding mechanic Thane Houser were not injured, and the car was expected to be repaired by the end of the week.
• Thursday May 19: Lou Moore led the speed chart with a practice lap of 117 mph. Also out on the track were Louis Meyer, Luther Johnson, Fred Frame, Marion Trexler, Billy Winn, Bob Carey, and Gene Haustein. Just before sundown, Russ Snowberger suffered a flat tire as he was driving through turn 3. He skidded but kept the car off the wall.
• Friday May 20: Newcomer Mauri Rose, driving the Jones-Miller, skidded at the exit of turn 4, and hit the outside wall. The car slid along the outside hub rail, crossed the track, then came to rest along the inside barrier. Rose was not injured, but the car suffered damage to the frame. Ira Hall, who hit the wall earlier in the month, was back out on the track Friday. Howdy Wilcox II completed a lap of 113.5 mph.

Time trials

Saturday May 21

		Name	Lap 1	Lap 2	Lap 3	Lap 4	Average Speed
1	8	|1912 Sunday May 22 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. Name Lap 1 Lap 2 Lap 3 Lap 4 Average Speed 22 3 |1912 Monday May 23 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. Name Lap 1 Lap 2 Lap 3 Lap 4 Average Speed 24 58 |1912 Tuesday May 24 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. Name Lap 1 Lap 2 Lap 3 Lap 4 Average Speed 27 34 |1912 Wednesday May 25 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. Name Lap 1 Lap 2 Lap 3 Lap 4 Average Speed 29 9 |1912 Thursday May 26 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. Name Lap 1 Lap 2 Lap 3 Lap 4 Average Speed 30 1 |1912Color box|gold|W|border=silver Friday May 27 The seventh day of time trials was held on Friday May 27. The day was marred by the second fatality in three days. Milton 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. Name Lap 1 Lap 2 Lap 3 Lap 4 Average Speed Notes 31 7 |1912 Saturday May 28 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." Name Lap 1 Lap 2 Lap 3 Lap 4 Average Speed Notes 37 26 |1912Color box|orange|R|border=silver Starting grid Alternates First alternate: George Howie Second alternate: James Patterson Failed to qualify Gene Haustein – Incomplete run Milton Jones – Practice crash Paul Rice – Broken axle in practice Roy Painter – Withdrew Bennie Benefiel – Practice crash Mauri Rose – Practice crash Dusty Fahrnow Freddie Winnai A. C. Aiken Arvol Brunmeier Buddy Calloway Danny Day Fred Clemons L. L. Corum Leon DeHart Leon Duray Sam Grecco William Gardner Harry Hunt George Kalen Edward Leipert Barney McKenna Fred Merzney Jack Mertz Milt Marion Al Theisen Marion Trexler George Wingerter Larry Wall Sam Ross Race summary 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, Pete 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 Note: Relief drivers in parentheses ' Former Indianapolis 500 winner ' Indianapolis 500 Rookie Statistics For 1932, riding mechanics were required. Works cited * *