1953 Indianapolis 500

Previous race

In Buenos Aires, Alberto Ascari led from pole to flag to claim his seventh consecutive World Championship victory. Juan Manuel Fangio, the returning 1951 champion, ran second until a transmission failure ended his race; Ascari’s Ferrari teammates Villoresi and González completed the top three.

Entrants

None of the regular Grand Prix teams or drivers are competing. The Indianapolis 500 operates under AAA rules with its own distinct field of American machinery. The race counts as round 2 of the World Championship, but no Formula One regulars have entered.

Weather

Race day is forecast to be extreme: Carburetion Day practice on Tuesday 26 May saw ambient temperatures of 89 °F (32 °C) and track temperatures of 113 °F (45 °C), a foretaste of the conditions expected for the 500.

Practice

On 15 May, the day before time trials opened, sixteen-year race veteran Chet Miller died in a crash in turn one during practice — he had held the 1-lap and 4-lap track records. Time trials finally got under way on 17 May after rain washed out the first scheduled day. Bill Vukovich secured pole position at a four-lap average of 138.392 mph despite rain falling on his final qualifying lap, his car sliding sideways entering turn one before he held on. The 33-car field was completed on Bump Day (24 May), with six cars bumped from their starting spots by faster qualifiers.