1956 INDIANAPOLIS 500

The 40th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1956. The event was part of the 1956 USAC National Championship Trail, and was included in the 1956 World Championship of Drivers.
The 1956 race was the first to be governed by the United States Automobile Club. AAA withdrew from auto racing the previous August. Another change would have a more immediate effect on the current race. The track had been paved over with asphalt with only about 600 yards of the mainstretch still remaining brick.
The 1956 race is also known in Indy 500 lore as "Cagle's Miracle." Torrential rains pummeled the Speedway in the days leading up to the race. The track was full of standing water, access tunnels were completely flooded, and the infield was a muddy quagmire. The conditions threatened to postpone or outright cancel the race. Speedway superintendent Clarence Cagle supervised a massive cleanup effort, in which hundreds of thousands of gallons of water were pumped out of the tunnels and the infield. Cagle and his crew worked non-stop for 48 hours straight, some without sleep, and had the track ready just in time for race morning. Taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_Indianapolis_500

NOTE: 1956 was also the year that the first Hall of Fame Museum opened. It's the same building that is now the ticket office right on the corner of 16th and Georgetown.

Starting Lineup:

Row 1	Pat Flaherty	Jim Rathmann	Pat O'Connor
Row 2	Dick Rathmann	Tony Bettenhausen	Johnnie Parsons
Row 3	Fred Agabashian	Paul Russo	Andy Linden
Row 4	Bob Sweikert	Troy Ruttman	Johnny Boyd
Row 5	Sam Hanks	Ed Elisian	Rodger Ward
Row 6	Jimmy Daywalt	Ray Crawford	Johnny Thomson
Row 7	Jimmy Bryan	Keith Andrews	Jimmy Reece
Row 8	Gene Hartley	Bob Veith	Jack Turner
Row 9	Bob Christie	Don Freeland	Al Herman
Row 10	Al Keller	Billy Garrett	Cliff Griffith
Row 11	Johnnie Tolan	Eddie Johnson	Duke Dinsmore
Other Drivers on Entry List:
Bill Cheesbourg
Buddy Cagle
Cal Niday
Chuck Weyant
Dempsey Wilson
Dickie Reese
Earl Motter
Eddie Russo
Eddie Sachs
Edgar Elder
Ernie McCoy
George Amick
Gig Stephens
Jay Abney
Jim McWithey
Jimmy Davies
Johnny Baldwin
Johnny Kay
Len Duncan
Len Sutton
Leroy Warriner
Marshall Teague
Marvin Pifer
Mike Magill
Nino Farina
Roy Newman
Shorty Templeman
Tony Bonadies
Race Results:
Finish	Driver	Laps	Status	Prize Money
1	Pat Flaherty	200	128.49	$93,819
2	Sam Hanks	200	128.303	$32,919
3	Don Freeland	200	127.668	$20,419
4	Johnnie Parsons	200	126.631	$15,769
5	Dick Rathmann	200	126.133	$10,744
6	Bob Sweikert	200	125.489	$7,594
7	Bob Veith	200	125.048	$7,494
8	Rodger Ward	200	124.99	$6,294
9	Jimmy Reece	200	124.938	$6,044
10	Cliff Griffith	199	Running	$6,194
11	Gene Hartley	196	Running	$3,714
12	Fred Agabashian	196	Running	$3,644
13	Bob Christie	196	Running	$3,374
14	Al Keller	195	Running	$3,254
15	Eddie Johnson	195	Running	$3,434
16	Billy Garrett	194	Running	$3,014
17	Duke Dinsmore	191	Running	$3,094
18	Pat O'Connor	187	Running	$8,924
19	Jimmy Bryan	185	Running	$3,144
20	Jim Rathmann	175	Rings	$3,564
21	Johnnie Tolan	173	Mechanical	$3,084
22	Tony Bettenhausen	160	Accident	$2,754
23	Ed Elisian	160	Brakes	$2,624
24	Jimmy Daywalt	134	Accident	$2,594
25	Jack Turner	131	Mechanical	$2,564
26	Keith Andrews	94	Transmission	$2,804
27	Andy Linden	90	Oil leak	$2,534
28	Al Herman	74	Accident	$2,474
29	Ray Crawford	49	Accident	$2,444
30	Johnny Boyd	35	Oil leak	$2,414
31	Troy Ruttman	22	Spun out	$2,384
32	Johnny Thomson	22	Spun out	$2,854
33	Paul Russo	21	Accident	$3,974
Lap Leaders:
1 3	Jim Rathmann
4 10	Pat O'Connor
11 21	Paul Russo
22-40	Pat O'Connor
41	Pat Flaherty
42-44	Pat O'Connor
45	Pat Flaherty
46-55	Pat O'Connor
56-71	Johnnie Parsons
72-75	Don Freeland
76-200	Pat Flaherty