Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
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Indianapolis 500 | |||||
Sanctioning body | AAA | ||||
Date | May 30, 1912 | ||||
Winner | Joe Dawson | ||||
Winning Entrant | National Motor Vehicle Company | ||||
Average speed | 78.719 mph (126.686 km/h) | ||||
Pole position | Gil Andersen | ||||
Pole speed | N/A | ||||
Most laps led | Ralph DePalma (196) | ||||
Pre-race | |||||
Pace car | Stutz | ||||
Pace car driver | Carl G. Fisher | ||||
Starter | Fred J. Wagner[1] | ||||
Honorary referee | R. P. Hooper[1] | ||||
Estimated attendance | 75,000[2] | ||||
Chronology | |||||
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The 1912 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race, the second such race in history, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1912. Indiana-born driver Joe Dawson won the race, leading only the final two laps. Ralph DePalma dominated the race, leading 196 of the 200 laps, and pulling out to an over 5-lap lead. But with just over two laps to go, his car failed with a broken connecting rod.