Indianapolis 500 1951 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Lee Wallard claimed victory in the 35th Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 1951, winning the second World Championship round in front of 175,000 spectators at the legendary Brickyard. Driving the Belanger Special, a Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser roadster, Wallard led for 150 of the 200 laps to dominate the race and score his only Indianapolis 500 victory. The triumph added nine championship points to Wallard's tally in a parallel championship structure that continued to create the odd situation where drivers could accumulate World Championship points without ever competing against their European rivals.

The race was marred by tragedy when driver Bill Mackey crashed fatally on lap 133, a grim reminder of Indianapolis' lethal reputation. The high-speed oval, with cars averaging speeds over 125 mph and minimal safety provisions, claimed lives with horrifying regularity. The American roadsters, with their offset chassis designed specifically for turning left and their powerful Offenhauser engines, represented an entirely different engineering philosophy from the European road racing cars. The two worlds of motor racing remained completely separate despite nominally competing for the same World Championship.

Mike Nazaruk finished second in another Kurtis Kraft, while Jack McGrath and Manuel Ayulo shared third place after both drivers swapped cars during the race under the relief driver rules. The Indianapolis 500's inclusion in the World Championship would continue until 1960, but the points scored at the Brickyard never influenced the championship battle being waged on the European circuits. For Fangio, Farina, Ascari, and the other European stars, the Indianapolis results were a curious footnote to their season-long duel for supremacy.