1951 Indianapolis 500
The 1951 Indianapolis 500 was the second race of the 1951 Formula One World Championship held in Indianapolis on May 30th 1951. It was held just three days after the season-opening Monaco Grand Prix, preventing drivers from entering both races. The race was won by Troy Ruttman, who led Jimmy Jackson in a Kurtis Kraft 1-2. Bill Vukovich finished third in a Ferrari entered by Ecurie Nationale Belge.
The race was noted for its boycott by most of the major American teams, who disagreed with the race's inclusion in the World Championship and consequent flooding of European teams and drivers. Some American drivers entered rebadged cars for themselves, but eventually, the race was removed from the calendar for 1952.
Background
Formula 1 headed to the famous rectangle for the second time, with more experience this time. However, to prevent the total 'Europeanisation' of the race, the Indianapolis organisers moved the race to a date where it would be impossible for drivers to compete in both the Monaco Grand Prix and the 500. This didn't prevent teams from doing so, and while European teams would still compete, they had entered reduced squads fielding either test drivers for evaluation or local hopefuls. Surprisingly, however, and perhaps due to the relatively boring race last year, the entry list was at an all-time low, and while 34 cars were entered, Duke Dinsmore was set to compete in two cars, leading to a situation where no drivers would fail to qualify for the race.
The first entrant for the race was Jacques de Rham's Scuderia Maremmana, entering the race for the second time. Art Cross was the designated driver for the Jaguar-powered Deidt, the same combination as the previous season. Now that the engine had some experience at Indianapolis, the car was expected to perform even better than the previous year, when Myron Fohr took a memorable second place for the team, although the driver choice could be a drawback, as Art Cross was an almost complete rookie.
Then came the usual entrants, although they came with a twist. Mauro, Miller, Wallard, Pratt, Ball and Ward were the type of drivers you would see driving for big American teams, but the overflow of European entrants seemed to have driven them off, and the drivers had to come up with home-built cars that ran the risk of not being competitive. The absence of the usual AAA entrants could cement the supremacy of the car manufacturers in the Indy 500, while Mauro would have a hard time defending his title.
Scuderia Platé-Varzi was also quite eager to attend the race, hiring a Kuzma Indy Roadster for Manny Ayulo, and then for Bob Sweikert and Duke Dinsmore, who could also compete for Motorsport Bleu depending on his qualifying spot. The team would be using Maserati engines, so their performance could go either way.
Ecurie Albertini were a particularly mysterious team. Based in Monaco, they did not enter their home race, preferring to run a Kurtis-Kraft-Offy at Indianapolis for Andy Linden. Had they got something up their sleeve for the following races? The Grignard-Talbot-Lago combination didn't look very promising, but stranger things had happened...
Scuderia Ferrari were one of the rare teams to have entered one of their own drivers for the race. Their planned share of the extra car between Peter Whitehead and Reg Parnell allowed for one of the two to compete in the race, and it was Parnell who was chosen to compete. The team's second driver was either a well-kept secret or not found yet at that time. All we knew was, Jimmy Davies, who drove two races for Maserati the previous season, had been chosen to compete as second driver for the Scuderia.
Ferrari America were one of the good surprises at Monaco, with the Ferrari deal looking like a very good one indeed. The extra funding had allowed the team to go back to its roots by entering four Kurts-Kraft-Offys for the race with Joie Chitwood, Jimmy Jackson and Cecil Green immediately announced as drivers, with the then-unemployed Troy Ruttman added to the lineup after it became clear AAR would not return to racing. The team was one of the favourites for the overall win.
Again, Alfa Romeo had entered the race, this time with drivers they already knew and had worked with. Mauri Rose, three-time winner of the race, and Myron Fohr, twice runner-up in the AAA series and second-place finisher the previous year. They could also be a serious threat for the win.
Next were ENB, racing under Jacques Swaters' Garage Francorchamps banner in Ferraris. Indianapolis specialists Charles Van Acker and Bill Vukovich were to compete for what seemed to have become a mature operation.
Motorsport Bleu had decided to run a reduced team that year, but they hadn't ruled out the Indy 500 and had found two highly-rated drivers in Jack McGrath and Duke Dinsmore, with the latter also competing for Scuderia Platé-Varzi. However, they would still compete in their Talbot-Lago-Talbots, which would nevertheless be faster than the previous year thanks to the experience gained then.
Claes Racing Developments were then pretty much a shambles after the absolute mess concerning driver contracts. They had still managed to find themselves a driver for Indianapolis, Johnny McDowell, and their Maserati looked good, but they needed to pull their heads out of the water.
Two mysterious privateers had shown up to Indianapolis in Kurtis-Kraft-Offys found God-knows-where. Tony Gaze and Mike Hawthorn were virtually unknown and were accepted only in order to fill up the grid. Their performance would be interesting to watch, as would Dries van der Lof's, who was in very much the same situation, apart from the fact that he was driving a Kurtis-Kraft-Ferrari for Scuderia Commesso. He was also entered for a few races later in the season, so this was his chance to prove himself, thanks to the certainty of qualifying.
With Redman Racing Team not able to compete fully, sister team RWRT (Robert William Racing Team) would be in charge of running the team in Indianapolis, finding two drivers, Duke Nalon and Mike Nazaruk to compete in the customary Kurtis-Kraft-Offys. Apart from that, not much was known of the team.
America Motorsport Team was odd in that the team called itself American, yet used a Maserati chassis and engine. This was the first time this team was entered in any sort of major event and the fact that they found four drivers (Forberg, Schindler, Brown and Hellings) was nothing short of a miracle. They could be a dark horse, however.
Finally, Team Metcalf GP was a peculiar team, with the owner apparently not having any sort of common sense. His chassis was absolutely awful, yet he kept it. He had the decency to switch engines, but plumped for the relatively underpowered Jaguar instead of a tried-and-tested powerplant. The only good decision he made was to sign reigning AAA champion Henry Banks. It remained to be seen what Banks could do with what he was given.
Race weekend
Qualifying
Jimmy Davies stunned the crowd, scoring pole position in the Ferrari, becoming the youngest driver ever to score a pole position. His teammate Reg Parnell would start in a respectable seventh place. Duke Nalon took second place for Robert William Racing Team, while rookie teammate Mike Nazaruk only made it to 31st position.
Defending race winner Johnny Mauro proved his worth by qualifying in third position with his own car. He outqualified the four factory Kurtis Krafts entered by Ferrari America. Jimmy Jackson was the quickest of them, in fourth place, ahead of teammates Troy Ruttman (fifth), Joie Chitwood (14th) and Cecil Green (15th).
America Motosport Team also did fairly well, with Walt Brown qualifying sixth. However, his three teammates were extremely off the pace, with Schindler 28th, Hellings 32nd and Forberg 33rd. Alfa Romeo did not perform as well as in 1950, with Myron Fohr starting eighth and Mauri Rose only 18th.
The pivotal driver in qualifying was Duke Dinsmore, who drove two cars and would only race the car he qualified best. While he qualified the Platé-Varzi car in seventeenth position, he did better with the Talbot-Lago, making it to ninth place, far ahead of teammate Jack McGrath, only 23rd. At Platé-Varzi, the weekend was not over yet, as Bob Sweikert would start in tenth position.
Ecurie Nationale Belge were a pleasant surprise, proving themselves much quicker than the previous season. Charles Van Acker qualified eleventh, five spots ahead of Bill Vukovich. The Monégasque Ecurie Albertini made a good impression on début, taking Andy Linden to 12th position. In 13th position, Lee Wallard was the second-best privateer, with Al Miller 19th, Rodger Ward 26th, Ralph Pratt 27th and Bobby Ball 29th.
Johnny McDowell would start 20th for Claes Racing Development. Henry Banks also impressed, taking the Metcalf to 21st position. Equally impressive, rookie Dries van der Lof qualified 24th for Commesso and Mike Hawthorn 25th for himself. Art Cross disappointed for Maremmana, only 30th. In last place, Tony Gaze would make the field by default.
Race
Davies got off to a good start, and led the first lap, followed by Jackson, Nalon, Mauro and Brown. The worst starter was Charles van Acker, who dropped from 11th to 15th in just one lap. The battle at the front became very close, and the top four started trading places at almost every turn. Jackson led from Mauro at the end of lap 2, with the defending champion taking the lead on the next lap, while Davies dropped to fourth place. In the meantime, the rear was brought up by Tony Gaze and Carl Forberg, while van der Lof was already driving a surprisingly decent race in 20th place. Four laps, four leaders, as Nalon led the fourth lap, and barely kept his lead on lap 5, as he crossed the line neck and neck with Jackson.
Jackson retook the lead on lap 6 from Nalon and Mauro, while Forberg was in last and getting slower and slower. On lap 7, the leaders had a small tangle and lost time, but they had a decent cushion over the followers so lost no places and Jackson kept his lead, while Nalon dropped to fourth behind Davies. Mauro was now breathing down Jackson's neck and Davies took the advantage, coming right back behind the two, within striking distance of the race lead, which he took on lap 9, a lead he kept and extended on lap 10. Ruttman was also in good form and was slowly making up ground on Davies.
Over the next two laps, Ruttman and Mauro fell back somewhat, and Jackson made a phenomenal pass to take the lead away from Davies on lap 12. Meanwhile, Pratt, Wallard, Ball and Parnell started to make their way up the field while Vukovich did the exact opposite and began falling down the order. It became clear that the race would turn into a game of cat-and-mouse, with the leader running away, getting caught but not passed and so-on. Jackson was now in the lead for four laps, the most consecutively in this race.
Jackson made a big mistake on lap 16 and dropped back to third behind Davies and Mauro, with Ruttman and Parnell just behind. The situation stayed the same until lap 18, when Jackson took the lead back, with Myron Fohr joining the fight behind the top three. On lap 20 however, Jackson again messed up and gave up the lead to Mauro, dropping back to third in the process.
The order stayed pretty much the same at that point, but the battle for fourth place was heating up, as Ruttman, Fohr and Dinsmore crossed the line side-by-side, with Parnell, Wallard and Chitwood just a bit further behind. Mauro was still leading and was starting to pull out a small gap. Lap 22, however, was simply brilliant, as Davies took the lead, with Mauro second, Ruttman now third ahead of Jackson, Fohr and Dinsmore. Mauro responded by taking the lead again, with the two using their respective momenta to gain a substantial gap over their challengers, with Ruttman still third. However, Jackson dropped back to sixth place behind Dinsmore. Lap 24 saw the first retirement of the race, with Joie Chitwood blowing an engine out of ninth place. Mauro then started to set blistering lap times, Davies dropping back and eventually being passed by Ruttman, who was now second.
Mauro lost the lead to Ruttman on lap 27 after making a mistake and losing all his momentum. Ruttman became the youngest driver to lead an F1 race. In the meantime, Dinsmore and Wallard were making their way up the field and were now both in the top six. He barely kept his lead on the next lap, and while Mauro was again challenging, Myron Fohr was now right behind the two and seriously fighting for the win. It wouldn't last, as he would lose his ground as quickly as he gained it. Meanwhile, Ruttman set upon increasing his lead over Mauro, but soon found the task difficult, and he was unable to make a gap that would last a reasonable amount of time. The order, meanwhile, was changing constantly. Sweikert, Miller and Davies started to gain time on the cars ahead, while Parnell moved up to fourth place behind Ruttman, Mauro and Fohr, and Jackson dropped out of the points.
Dinsmore made up some more ground while Jackson lost his, basically switching positions, while Mauro used lapped traffic to slingshot to just behind Ruttman. He applied heavy pressure for a couple of laps before making the pass for the lead on lap 43. Ruttman wouldn't settle for second, and he repassed Mauro on the next lap, while Dinsmore was now up to fourth place and Charles Van Acker was steadily rising into the top ten. The battle was now heating up between Fohr and Dinsmore, while Mauro made a mistake on lap 47 and lost a substantial amount of time to Ruttman, whose lead was now getting bigger and bigger. Jackson was now making up second after second and was soon fighting with Fohr and Dinsmore for third place. Fohr responded by pulling out a lead over Dinsmore, who also increased the gap back to Jackson.
While Mauro fell further and further back, he was passed by Myron Fohr for second on lap 52. Fohr kept on going, and while Ruttman was now running at a regular pace, Fohr was catching up at the rate of knots, eventually taking the lead on lap 54. When doing so, however, he carried too much speed into turn 1 and had to brake, allowing Ruttman through into the lead once more. At the very front, the order didn't change much. Ruttman tried to pull out a gap, but Fohr always had an answer, and the result was that the two extended their lead over the chasing pack, joined by Charles Van Acker, who had been driving consistently fast for the past few laps. Meanwhile, Mauro was still losing ground and was passed by Jackson for third place.
Lap 61 saw the field reduced to 31 cars, as Tony Gaze retired from the race with a transmission failure. Sadly for the battle for the lead, Fohr started to experience mechanical problems. He wasn't forced to retire, but started to lose heaps of time to Ruttman, who was now free to run away with the race lead. Jackson was behind Fohr in no time and was ready to become the main challenger to Ruttman. Van Acker, meanwhile, was continuing his ascension, and so was Vukovich, who was now in the top ten.
Jackson didn't really step up to the plate at first, allowing Ruttman to keep his lead, while Van Acker was now up into the points, passing Mauro and Nalon, and then Fohr to reach third place, a very unexpected performance for ENB. With no pressure on his shoulders, Ruttman set about increasing his already impressive lead. Davies also started to gain some time on the chasing pack, while Fohr had apparently got rid of his car problems and had passed Van Acker, who was still holding his own at the front. We also saw the third retirement of the race on lap 79, when Art Cross had to come into the pitlane with a broken gearbox.
On lap 88, after experiencing heavy vibrations in his front right wheel, Bob Sweikert lost control of his car in turn 3. His car turned low onto the apron before moving back up the race track, colliding fairly hard with the wall. The car was completely destroyed, but Sweikert was unharmed. Ruttman was by now starting to stabilize his pace, but no one seemed to be able to mount an efficient response. He now had more than a one lap lead over the rest of the field. At this point, Jackson decided it was time to attack, and this he did well. Ruttman still managed to limit the damage, by also upping the pace. Bill Vukovich also surprised everyone by setting astonishingly quick laps to get in the points!
With Ruttman and Jackson at around the same pace, Mauro started to make up some of the lost time, as did Nazaruk, who had been at the back for most of the race. However, the event of these five laps were centered around Mack Hellings. While attempting to pass Bobby Ball on lap 110, Hellings skidded over some oil left behind by Chitwood's blown engine. Hellings was sent into the outside wall at over 200 km/h. The car briefly caught fire, but the flames quickly put themselves out before they could make any sort of damage. Hellings got out of his car in visible pain, and was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
ENB continued to take it in turns to have their drivers in a good position, as Van Acker started to gain some time back just as Vukovich lost his. Jackson started to make up the gap, but at a slow rate, and Nalon retired from 12th place with an oil leak. Feeling some kind of pressure, perhaps seeing Jackson getting closer to unlapping himself, Ruttman pushed a bit more to increase the gap between them. Al Miller, despite all of his experience, lost all hopes of points by spinning in turn 2 and stalling his car, ending his race.
Fohr was now on fire and started making up a staggering amount of time in just five laps, with Nazaruk also doing well. Jackson was now upping the pace to catch up to Ruttman, who seemed unable to do better. Other drivers, meanwhile, were gaining plenty of ground, such as Pratt, van der Lof and Mauro. Andy Linden was still fairly quick while the others were seemingly content with where they were, and he took the opportunity to take third place. Ruttman, as it turned out, was only delaying his response simply because his lead was large enough for him to do it. He picked up the pace once more, coinciding with Jackson slowing down a bit. A decent race was sadly ended on lap 132 when Reg Parnell spun on oil. The spin shed almost all of the speed from the car, but the car still collided very lightly with the inside wall, enough to snap the rear suspension, ending Parnell's race.
This time around, the drivers on form were Davies and Vukovich, who were setting some consistent fast times. In the meantime, Ruttman seemed to be slowing down a bit, while Jackson was speeding up. The gap stayed reasonably large, but it was nonetheless substantially smaller. Van Acker, Wallard and Brown were now on fire, and Van Acker entered the points once again. At the very front, Ruttman started to pull away again, as Jackson lost time. This time, it was Jimmy Davies and Myron Fohr who were on form, with Davies returning to the points once more. Ruttman was still pulling away, and with the three quarters of the race done, it was looking like only a retirement could stop him from becoming the youngest winner ever.
The next few laps were marked by two crashes, from Johnny Mauro and Johnny McDowell. On lap 152, Mauro ran a bit wide in turn 3 and lightly clipped the barrier. The car descended the banking at slow speed, Mauro still in control of the car, and stopped out of harm's way, but left some debris on the track. McDowell drove over the debris, and suffered a puncture on the next lap. The car span around and collided with the barrier, but McDowell had felt the puncture earlier and had slowed down, so the impact wasn't as hard as it could have been. At the front, Fohr hit trouble and had to slow down, being passed by Dinsmore, who was running at a good pace. At the opposite end, Bill Schindler also ran over debris from Mauro's accident, but managed to pit for new tyres, losing a substantial amount of time in the process.
Experience was crucial in a race like this. Jimmy Jackson knew that, and had chosen to unleash all his skill now. While Ruttman was pretty stable on pace, Jackson was on a roll, and had cut the gap to almost half of what it was just 15 laps earlier. 80% of the race was over, and Ruttman still led with a big gap over Jackson, who had a similar gap back to the chasing pack of Dinsmore, Davies, Fohr and Van Acker, all in a few seconds. Ruttman then showed that youth could be a match for experience by setting some more quick laps to increase his gap. Further back, Bobby Ball was absolutely flying, while Forberg briefly made his way out of last place for the first time since lap 10. This didn't last long, and he quickly fell back behind Hawthorn.
On lap 168, Walt Brown's race was sadly halted. His chance of points were ended when he brushed the side of Ralph Pratt while attempting to lap him. Pratt continued on relatively unscathed, but Brown suffered from suspension damage and had to retire. At the front, Ruttman was beginning to slow, perhaps prone to car trouble or to fatigue. Jackson kept consistently setting sufficient lap times, and slowly but surely began reeling Ruttman in. A driver who was surprisingly quick now was Mike Hawthorn, who started to make up heaps of ground. However, he was so far back that the only driver he could hope to overtake was Rodger Ward.
Nazaruk was now the man in form, and made it up to 17th place, while Jackson kept on reeling in Ruttman, at an even faster rate. The race was now getting interesting. Forberg was now certainly permanently out of last place, as Rodger Ward was now even slower, while Carl was picking up the pace. Jackson was still setting fast laps, while Ruttman was simply unable to respond on pace. The gap was shrinking fast. But the men on form were now Mike Nazaruk and Bill Vukovich, who entered the points. Forberg and Green were now getting quicker, although Forberg was a lost cause, literally, as he, Ward and Hawthorn were mathematically too far back from Ruttman to win the race without a retirement. Jackson's pace was beginning to slow, while Ruttman stayed consistent and managed to increase the gap a little with just 15 laps to go.
Ruttman and Jackson were now on almost the same pace, with Jackson still mildly quicker, but the main point was the battle for fourth place, with Davies, Fohr and Van Acker almost nose to tail, while Vukovich was still on a strong pace. Could he pip Jackson for second place? Meanwhile, van der Lof, Ball, Wallard, Pratt, Schindler and McGrath were now out of contention. It looked like Ruttman had saved the best for last, as he pulled off a series of insanely quick laps to increase his lead once again, to a realistically uncatchable margin, unless he encountered a problem. Vukovich, meanwhile, was unable to keep the pace he had been setting, and looked like he'd have to settle for third place. Mike Hawthorn also retired from the race, struck by a gearbox failure.
Ralph Pratt failed at the part that hurt the most, when his car, damaged during the collision with Walt Brown, finally gave up the ghost. Jackson seemed to give up, or was just unable to go any faster, and Ruttman could just coast home to victory, the youngest winner of the Indy 500 and of a Formula 1 race at just 21 years old. Vukovich cruised to third, while Myron Fohr secured fourth place ahead of Charles Van Acker.
Classification
Entry list
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Speed (mph) | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 34 |  Jimmy Davies
|
Ferrari | 136.364 | - |
| 2 | 24 | Duke Nalon
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 135.820 | - 0.544 |
| 3 | 2 | Johnny Mauro
|
Mauro | 135.685 | - 0.679 |
| 4 | 11 | Jimmy Jackson
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 135.676 | - 0.688 |
| 5 | 21 | Troy Ruttman
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 135.550 | - 0.814 |
| 6 | 26 | Walt Brown
|
Maserati | 135.416 | - 0.948 |
| 7 | 9 |  Reg Parnell
|
Ferrari | 135.281 | - 1.083 |
| 8 | 15 | Myron Fohr
|
Alfa Romeo | 135.147 | - 1.217 |
| 9 | 19 | Duke Dinsmore
|
Talbot-Lago-Talbot | 135.141 | - 1.223 |
| 10 | 30 | Bob Sweikert
|
Kuzma-Maserati | 135.014 | - 1.350 |
| 11 | 17 |  Charles Van Acker
|
Ferrari | 134.880 | - 1.484 |
| 12 | 8 | Andy Linden
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 134.747 | - 1.617 |
| 13 | 4 | Lee Wallard
|
Wallard | 134.481 | - 1.883 |
| 14 | 10 | Joie Chitwood
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 134.348 | - 2.016 |
| 15 | 12 | Cecil Green
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 134.345 | - 2.019 |
| 16 | 16 | Bill Vukovich
|
Ferrari | 134.315 | - 2.049 |
| 17 | 31 | Duke Dinsmore
|
Kuzma-Maserati | 134.084 | - 2.280 |
| 18 | 14 | Mauri Rose
|
Alfa Romeo | 133.690 | - 2.674 |
| 19 | 3 | Al Miller
|
Miller | 133.559 | - 2.805 |
| 20 | 20 | Johnny McDowell
|
Maserati | 133.428 | - 2.936 |
| 21 | 33 | Henry Banks
|
Metcalf-Jaguar | 133.298 | - 3.066 |
| 22 | 7 | Manuel Ayulo
|
Kuzma-Maserati | 133.287 | - 3.077 |
| 23 | 18 | Jack McGrath
|
Talbot-Lago-Talbot | 133.233 | - 3.131 |
| 24 | 32 |  Dries van der Lof
|
Kurtis Kraft-Ferrari | 133.168 | - 3.196 |
| 25 | 22 | Mike Hawthorn
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 133.038 | - 3.326 |
| 26 | 35 | Rodger Ward
|
Ward | 132.908 | - 3.456 |
| 27 | 5 | Ralph Pratt
|
Pratt | 132.392 | - 3.972 |
| 28 | 28 | Bill Schindler
|
Maserati | 132.341 | - 4.023 |
| 29 | 6 | Bobby Ball
|
Ball | 132.263 | - 4.101 |
| 30 | 1 | Art Cross
|
Deidt-Jaguar | 132.007 | - 4.357 |
| 31 | 25 | Mike Nazaruk
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 131.967 | - 4.397 |
| 32 | 29 | Mack Hellings
|
Maserati | 131.880 | - 4.484 |
| 33 | 27 | Carl Forberg
|
Maserati | 131.752 | - 4.612 |
| 34 | 23 |  Tony Gaze
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 131.245 | - 5.119 |
Race
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Troy Ruttman
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 200 | 3:57:24.56 | 5 | 9 |
| 2 | 11 | Jimmy Jackson
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 198 | + 2 laps | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | 16 | Bill Vukovich
|
Ferrari | 196 | + 4 laps | 16 | 4 |
| 4 | 15 | Myron Fohr
|
Alfa Romeo | 195 | + 5 laps | 8 | 3 |
| 5 | 17 | Charles Van Acker
|
Ferrari | 194 | + 6 laps | 11 | 2 |
| 6 | 34 | Jimmy Davies
|
Ferrari | 194 | + 6 laps | 1 | |
| 7 | 19 | Duke Dinsmore
|
Talbot-Lago-Talbot | 194 | + 6 laps | 9 | |
| 8 | 12 | Cecil Green
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 192 | + 8 laps | 15 | |
| 9 | 7 | Manuel Ayulo
|
Kuzma-Maserati | 192 | + 8 laps | 21 | |
| 10 | 8 | Andy Linden
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 187 | + 13 laps | 12 | |
| 11 | 6 | Bobby Ball
|
Ball | 182 | + 18 laps | 28 | |
| 12 | 14 | Mauri Rose
|
Alfa Romeo | 182 | + 18 laps | 17 | |
| 13 | 25 | Mike Nazaruk
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 181 | + 19 laps | 30 | |
| 14 | 33 | Henry Banks
|
Metcalf-Jaguar | 181 | + 19 laps | 20 | |
| 15 | 4 | Lee Wallard
|
Wallard | 181 | + 19 laps | 13 | |
| 16 | 5 | Ralph Pratt
|
Pratt | 181 | Collision damage | 26 | |
| 17 | 32 | Dries van der Lof
|
Kurtis Kraft-Ferrari | 180 | + 20 laps | 23 | |
| 18 | 18 | Jack McGrath
|
Talbot-Lago-Talbot | 179 | + 21 laps | 22 | |
| 19 | 28 | Bill Schindler
|
Maserati | 178 | + 22 laps | 27 | |
| 20 | 22 | Mike Hawthorn
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 172 | Gearbox | 24 | |
| 21 | 35 | Rodger Ward
|
Ward | 170 | + 30 laps | 25 | |
| 22 | 27 | Carl Forberg
|
Maserati | 169 | + 31 laps | 32 | |
| Ret | 26 | Walt Brown
|
Maserati | 158 | Collision | 6 | |
| Ret | 2 | Johnny Mauro
|
Mauro | 138 | Accident | 3 | |
| Ret | 20 | Johnny McDowell
|
Maserati | 133 | Accident | 19 | |
| Ret | 9 | Reg Parnell
|
Ferrari | 121 | Accident | 7 | |
| Ret | 3 | Al Miller
|
Miller | 108 | Spin | 18 | |
| Ret | 24 | Duke Nalon
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 103 | Oil leak | 2 | |
| Ret | 29 | Mack Hellings
|
Maserati | 94 | Accident | 31 | |
| Ret | 30 | Bob Sweikert
|
Kuzma-Maserati | 76 | Accident | 10 | |
| Ret | 1 | Art Cross
|
Deidt-Jaguar | 70 | Gearbox | 29 | |
| Ret | 23 | Tony Gaze
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 51 | Transmission | 33 | |
| Ret | 10 | Joie Chitwood
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 21 | Engine | 14 |
Notes
Drivers
- First victory for Troy Ruttman.
- First fastest lap for Troy Ruttman.
- First and only pole position for Jimmy Davies.
- First podium for Troy Ruttman, Jimmy Jackson and Bill Vukovich (only podium for Jackson and Vukovich).
- First points for Troy Ruttman, Jimmy Jackson, Bill Vukovich and Charles Van Acker (only points for Jackson, Vukovich and Van Acker).
- Final points for Myron Fohr.
- First entry and start for Art Cross, Bobby Ball, Duke Dinsmore, Johnny McDowell, Mike Hawthorn, Tony Gaze, Mike Nazaruk, Walt Brown, Carl Forberg, Bill Schindler, Mack Hellings, Bob Sweikert, Dries van der Lof, Henry Banks and Rodger Ward (only entry for Cross, Ball, Dinsmore, McDowell, Nazaruk, Brown, Forberg, Schindler, Hellings, Banks and Ward).
- Final entry and start for Johnny Mauro, Al Miller, Lee Wallard, Ralph Pratt, Manuel Ayulo, Andy Linden, Joie Chitwood, Jimmy Jackson, Cecil Green, Myron Fohr, Jack McGrath, Duke Nalon and Jimmy Davies.
Constructors
- First and only victory for Kurtis Kraft.
- First and only fastest lap for Kurtis Kraft.
- First and only podium for Kurtis Kraft.
- First and only points for Kurtis Kraft.
- First and only entry and start for Mauro, Miller, Wallard, Pratt, Ball, Kuzma and Ward.
- Final entry and for Deidt.
Entrants
- First victory for Ferrari America.
- First fastest lap for Ferrari America.
- First podium for Ferrari America and Ecurie Nationale Belge (as Garage Francorchamps).
- First points for Ferrari America and Ecurie Nationale Belge (as Garage Francorchamps).
- First start for Ecurie Albertini, Mike Hawthorn, Robert William Racing Team, America Motorsport Team, Scuderia Commesso and Tony Gaze (only start for Hawthorn, Robert William and America Motorsport).
- First entry for Ecurie Albertini, Mike Hawthorn, Robert William Racing Team, America Motorsport Team and Tony Gaze (only entry for Robert William and America Motorsport).
Laps led
- Jimmy Davies: 7 laps (1, 9-11, 16-17, 22)
- Jimmy Jackson: 10 laps (2, 6-8, 12-15, 18-19)
- Johnny Mauro: 8 laps (3, 20-21, 23-26, 43)
- Duke Nalon: 2 laps (4-5)
- Troy Ruttman: 172 laps (27-42, 44-53, 55-200)
- Myron Fohr: 1 lap (54)
Records
Drivers
- Youngest race winner: Troy Ruttman (21 years, 2 months and 19 days)
- Youngest pole scorer: Jimmy Davies (21 years, 9 months and 11 days)
- Youngest fastest lap scorer: Troy Ruttman (21 years, 2 months and 19 days)
- Youngest lap leader: Jimmy Davies (21 years, 9 months and 11 days) then Troy Ruttman (21 years, 2 months and 19 days)
- Youngest podium scorer: Troy Ruttman (21 years, 2 months and 19 days)
- Youngest points scorer: Troy Ruttman (21 years, 2 months and 19 days)
Constructors
Race
- Most race leaders (6)
- Fastest average speed (203.36 km/h)
- Most classified finishers (22)
- Most finishers (20)
Championship standings
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Robert Manzon
|
9 |
| 2 | Troy Ruttman
|
9 |
| 3 |  Consalvo Sanesi
|
6 |
| 4 | Jimmy Jackson
|
6 |
| 5 | Dorino Serafini
|
4 |
| Pos | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser
|
9 |
| 2 | Gordini
|
9 |
| 3 | Ferrari
|
8 |
| 4 | Alfa Romeo
|
6 |
| 5 | Maserati
|
2 |
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari America
|
9 |
| 2 | / Alexander Racing Team
|
9 |
| 3 | Alfa Romeo SpA
|
6 |
| 4 | Ecurie Nationale Belge
|
4 |
| 5 | Scuderia Ferrari
|
4 |
- Only the top five positions are listed.
| Previous race: 1951 Monaco Grand Prix |
Alternate Formula 1 World Championship 1951 Season |
Next race: 1951 Belgian Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1950 Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis 500 | Next race: None |