A new set of engine rules, a 16-cylinder challenger and a driver who led every lap from lap 3 made the 18th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes a race of records.
The race ended on Friday 30 May 1930 with a victory for Billy Arnold, who led 198 consecutive laps, an all-time record. Arnold also became the first member of the 100 mph Club, after a run without relief drivers, and he took the flag ahead of a 38-car field.
The 1930 Indianapolis 500 was the 18th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes, held on Friday 30 May 1930 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It also counted toward the 1930 AAA Championship Car season, and it became known for a record-setting win and for a set of engine rules that stayed in place until 1937.
Why did Billy Arnold's win stand out?
Billy Arnold won the 18th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes on Friday 30 May 1930, leading every lap from lap 3 to the finish. His run of 198 consecutive laps led stood as an all-time Indianapolis record. He also became the first driver to complete the distance in under five hours without relief help.
Arnold rode with riding mechanic Spider Matlock. DePaolo's 1925 effort came in under five hours, though he had a relief driver for 21 laps. Arnold's speed earned him a place in the 100 mph Club as its inaugural member.
The 1930 rules aimed to make the racers look more like the cars people actually drove.
What rules shaped the 1930 field?
The 1930 race introduced a substantially new set of engine rules. Engines could now displace up to 366 cu in (6.0 L), against an earlier 1.5 L limit, and superchargers were banned except on two-cycle engines, and riding mechanics returned as a requirement. The traditional limit of 33 cars was lifted, and the package stayed in force through 1937.
The rules are often called the Junk Formula or the Junkyard. A common belief holds that the rules were a reaction to the 1929 market crash and aimed to keep fields full during the Depression. That belief is mistaken, because the changes were being drafted by 1928, and the AAA Contest Board signed them off in January 1929.
Speedway president Eddie Rickenbacker wanted to lure passenger car makers back, and to return the track to its roots as a testing place for road car makers, and to make the racers look more like cars sold to the public. He wanted to move away from the supercharged specialist machines of the 1920s. When the changes were announced, he said that "Even a Model T can win."
How did practice build up in May?
Entries were due by midnight on 1 May, and the first car took to the track around 6 May. Most teams did not reach the Speedway until the second full week, and activity picked up in the middle of the month. By Monday 19 May ten cars had run, with Louis Schneider fastest at 105 mph.
On Tuesday 20 May attention turned to the Sampson Special of Louis Meyer, a 201-c.i.d., 16-cylinder machine that had just been completed. Cantlon posted 109 mph that day. On Wednesday 21 May Meyer ran 110.56 mph in the 16-cylinder car and quickly became a favourite for the front row.
On Thursday 22 May Ralph Hepburn ran 112.20 mph and Billy Arnold ran 111.83 mph, both in Harry Hartz's Miller Special. Speculation grew that Hartz would hand the car to Hepburn or Arnold, but no arrangement was announced, and as late as the Friday night Hartz was still telling the press that he would race it himself.
The Sampson Special was finished in a garage and first started at the Steinhart Brake Services building before it was taken to the Speedway.
How was qualifying organised?
Qualifying was scheduled for five days, from Saturday 24 May to Wednesday 28 May. Each car made four-lap runs and could make up to three attempts. The minimum speed was 85 mph, and each day's time trials ended at sundown.
| Day | Qualifying summary | Notable run |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday 24 May | L. L. Corum first to qualify; Arnold won pole | Arnold, 113.268 mph four-lap run |
| Sunday 25 May | Two cars completed runs | Gulotta 12th-fastest, started 20th |
| Monday 26 May | Three cars; field at 24 | Bill Cummings, 106.173 mph |
| Tuesday 27 May | Six cars qualified; field at 30 | Wilbur Shaw, 106.132 mph average |
| Wednesday 28 May | Eight cars qualified; field at 38 | Deacon Litz, 105.755 mph |
Who won the pole in 1930?
Harry Hartz's car was the first to be taken out for a qualifying attempt by Hartz himself, but after one lap of 110.429 mph he handed it to Arnold. Arnold then secured pole with 113.268 mph over four laps. It was the fastest qualifying effort of the first day.
L. L. Corum was the opening qualifier that day. Ernie Triplett, who had hit the wall the day before, qualified sixth. Louis Meyer, who had been expected to take pole after his Friday practice, qualified second after a gear ratio change the team made that Saturday morning.
How did the field reach 38 cars?
Sunday 25 May was quiet, with only two cars finishing runs, and most of the work fell to later days. Peter DePaolo had to change engines after crankshaft damage from Saturday. Tony Gulotta set the 12th-fastest speed so far, but as a second-day qualifier he lined up 20th.
On Monday 26 May, Bill Cummings set the day's best run and completed it after 6 p.m. Other drivers, including Julius C. Slade, Rick Decker and Bill Denver, failed to finish their runs because of engine trouble or quitting after a few laps. A near-accident with Peter DePaolo happened while the car was being driven to the grounds.
On Tuesday 27 May six cars completed attempts, and Wilbur Shaw led the speed chart. Decker, whose engine had failed on Monday, spent the day installing a new engine in his car, which had been loaned an engine by the owner of another entry. Two entries scratched after failing to arrive, and about twelve hopefuls were left for Wednesday.
The final day, Wednesday 28 May, ended at sundown at 7:04 p.m. Eight cars qualified, which brought the field to 38. Deacon Litz was the fastest of the day at 105.755 mph, and no cars were bumped or crowded out. With as many as 46 or 47 possible qualifiers on the list, four failed to make it, and three cars never turned up at all. Doc MacKenzie never reached the track, and Sam Greco's engine failed in the final half hour.
How did the race start?
Meyer went to the front at the start, passing polesitter Billy Arnold immediately. He held the lead through laps 1 and 2, before Arnold took over on lap 3 and kept it for the rest of the afternoon, while Rick Decker never started and Chet Gardner quit on the first lap.
Rick Decker's engine would not crank on the grid, so he did not start. Decker's machine survived only 8 laps once the crew had it going. Chet Gardner spun and brushed the north wall on the first lap, and he became the first driver in Indianapolis history to quit without completing a lap.
What happened in the crash on lap twenty-three?
A major crash broke out on lap twenty-three. Fred Roberts, driving in relief for Pete DePaolo, lost control in turn three and collided with Deacon Litz's machine, leaving Litz with a broken arm. Barnes, the riding mechanic in Litz's car, was cut on the head.
Seymour, Stapp, Moore and Trexler also had their cars involved. Stapp's car climbed the wall, though he avoided serious injury. Jimmy Gleason drove through the debris and back to the pits, where broken timing gears ended his race.
Why did Louis Meyer fall back?
After leading early, Louis Meyer stopped on lap 22 because his throttle linkage had broken. The stop cost him more than four minutes, and he slipped as far back as 13th. He came back onto the track and began to charge through the field.
By lap 140 Meyer had clawed his way into the top five, but he could not close the gap on Arnold. He held fourth for the last 50 laps and crossed the line sixteen minutes behind the winner.
Why was the lap 31 crash so tragic?
On lap 31 Cy Marshall wrecked in turn three. He was pinned under the wreckage but survived. Paul Marshall, who was riding as mechanic, was flung clear and died from a fractured skull. The death marred an afternoon that otherwise saw a record-setting drive.
How did Arnold win the race?
Arnold won by more than seven minutes, roughly four laps, over second-place Shorty Cantlon. Cantlon had been relieved by Herman Schurch for laps 97 to 151. No other driver challenged Arnold in the second half, and he drove on alone to the chequered flag.
Arnold made a pit stop on lap 111 but took no relief driver, and he drove the whole 500 miles himself. His 198 laps ran unbroken from lap 3 to lap 200, which set an all-time record for total and consecutive laps led.
What is the Chet Miller story?
One of the best-known tales from the race involves driver Chet Miller. Just short of halfway, Miller stopped in his Fronty-Ford, a car built largely from Model T parts, after the team found a broken right front spring. Officials would not let him return until the repair was made.
With no suitable part at hand, the crew spotted an unattended Model T parked in the infield. They removed the spring they needed and fitted it to Miller's car. The stop took more than 41 minutes, and Miller went on to finish 13th.
Afterwards, the team returned to the infield to put the spring back on the spectator's car. The owner was never located, and it is believed that he never knew what had happened to his car.
What changed in the race itself?
The 1930 race was the first since 1922 to require riding mechanics. It was also the first Indianapolis 500 to use the green flag to start the race. Earlier races had used the red flag before modern traffic signalling practices were standardised.
The race came after the 1929 market crash, and it was the first Indianapolis 500 staged in the Depression years, although the rules were not a response to the crash.
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