100 Greatest Moments in Indianapolis 500 History - #100

Hello one and all, in case you haven’t heard, we are just one hundred days away from the 105^th Indianapolis 500. And of course, if you know me any at all, you know that the Indianapolis 500 is the most important day on the calendar for me each and every year. The only day that even comes close for me is March 12^th, my inspirational mother’s birthday. So, in celebration of this date, we’re going to start doing a daily countdown over the next hundred days until we reach the 105^th edition of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, and with it, we are going to relive the 100 greatest moments in Indy 500 history. With that being said, let’s start the countdown with the 100^th greatest moment in Indianapolis 500 history!

 

#100 – Peter DePaolo Goes 100mph

This works out really well in the game of numbers. Our number 100 moment is the first driver to average 100 miles an hour in Indy history. It was the 13^th running of the International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race, what we now know as the Indianapolis 500, on May 30^th, 1925. This year’s 500 will be on the 96^th anniversary of this moment. Peter DePaolo had good speed on the entire leadup to the race. His four-lap qualifying run at 113.083 miles an hour put him second on the grid alongside pole winner Leon Duray who set the then four-lap track record. However, it was DePaolo who set the new one-lap track record when he timed in at 114.285 miles an hour during his time trial run. Once the race started, DePaulo’s car stalled on the start line dropping back into the running order before gaining the lead thanks to his hard charging style and fast pace setting Duesenberg. However, on lap 105, DePaolo came down pit road and car owner Fred Duesenberg pulled his driver out of the car and get his hands bandaged due to severe blisters. Norman Batten took control of the car and ran the next 21-laps. DePaulo got back in the car on lap 128 running in fifth position and began to set a blistering pace (see what I did there?) to reclaim the lead for good. He overcame fast closing Dave Lewis and DePaulo took the checkered flag and win the race by 53-seconds, and with that, the 27-year-old from Roseland, New Jersey would live forever in racing history. With his performance, he was the first to complete the race in under five hours, four hours and fifty-six minutes to be exact, putting his average speed at 101.127 miles an hour. DePaulo led 115 of the race’s 200 laps, and his accomplishment, which may seem inconsequential today thanks to 220+ miles per hour speeds, was significant for it’s day. DePaulo had Indy running through his veins. His uncle was 1919 winner Ralph DePalma, and Pete would constantly return to the track even after retirement. In fact, in 1971, he became the first former driver to sing “Back Home Again in Indiana” prior the race. The 1925 race would be his lone win in seven starts at Indianapolis, and one of the great achievements in Indianapolis 500 history.