The 34th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1950. The event was part of the 1950 AAA National Championship Trail. The race was also included as the third round in the inaugural 1950 World Drivers Championship, and paid points towards the World Championship. The event, however, did not attract any European entries for 1950. Giuseppe Farina originally planned to enter, but his car never arrived. The Indianapolis 500 would be included on the World Championship calendar through 1960.
The race was originally scheduled for 200 laps (500 miles), but was stopped after 138 laps (345 miles) due to rain.
A rumor circulated in racing circles during and after this race that Johnnie Parsons's team discovered an irreparable crack in the engine block on race morning. The discovery supposedly precipitated Parsons to charge for the lap leader prizes.[1] Furthermore, the race ending early due to rain supposedly saved Parsons's day allowing him to secure the victory before the engine let go. However, the engine block crack was proved to be an urban myth,[2] and it was said to be a very minor but acceptable level of porosity, which did not significantly affect the performance.
Parsons' win saw him score 9 points move to equal first in the first ever World Drivers' Championship alongside Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio, and also saw him become the first American to win a World Championship race. Despite the 500 being his only race in the 1950 World Championship, it would be enough to see him finish 6th in points.
During the month, Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck were at the track to film scenes for the film To Please a Lady. Stanwyck was on hand in victory lane after the race for the traditional celebratory kiss to the winner. Taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_Indianapolis_500
Starting Lineup:
| Row 1 | Walt Faulkner | Fred Agabashian | Mauri Rose | |
| Row 2 | George Connor | Johnnie Parsons | Jack McGrath | |
| Row 3 | Duke Dinsmore | Tony Bettenhausen | Joie Chitwood | |
| Row 4 | Bill Holland | Pat Flaherty | Cecil Green | |
| Row 5 | Duane Carter | Spider Webb | Jerry Hoyt | |
| Row 6 | Myron Fohr | Bayliss Levrett | Dick Rathmann | |
| Row 7 | Paul Russo | Walt Brown | Henry Banks | |
| Row 8 | Bill Schindler | Lee Wallard | Troy Ruttman | |
| Row 9 | Sam Hanks | Mack Hellings | Jimmy Davies | |
| Row 10 | Jim Rathmann | Walt Ader | Jackie Holmes | |
| Row 11 | Gene Hartley | Jimmy Jackson | Johnny McDowell | |
| Other Drivers on Entry List: | ||||
| Al Miller | ||||
| Andy Linden | ||||
| Ben Zukor | ||||
| Bill Cantrell | ||||
| Bill Vukovich | ||||
| Billy Devore | ||||
| Billy Earl | ||||
| Bob Gregg | ||||
| Bob Sweikert | ||||
| Bud Rose | ||||
| Carl Forberg | ||||
| Carl Scarborough | ||||
| Charles Van Acker | ||||
| Chet Miller | ||||
| Chuck Leighton | ||||
| Cliff Griffith | ||||
| Cy Marshall | ||||
| Danny Kladis | ||||
| Dick Fraizer | ||||
| Duke Nalon | ||||
| Emil Andres | ||||
| Franco Rol | ||||
| George Fonder | ||||
| George Lynch | ||||
| Hal Cole | ||||
| Jim Rigsby | ||||
| Joe Adas | ||||
| Joe James | ||||
| Joel Thorne | ||||
| Johnny Fedricks | ||||
| Johnny Mantz | ||||
| Johnny Mauro | ||||
| Kenny Eaton | ||||
| Manny Ayulo | ||||
| Mark Light | ||||
| Marvin Burke | ||||
| Mike Burch | ||||
| Milt Fankhauser | ||||
| Nino Farina | ||||
| Norm Houser | ||||
| Piero Taruffi | ||||
| Potsy Goacher | ||||
| Ralph Pratt | ||||
| Ted Duncan | ||||
| Race Results: | ||||
| Finish | Driver | Laps | Status | Prize Money |
| 1 | Johnnie Parsons | 138 | 124.022 | $57,459 |
| 2 | Bill Holland | 137 | Running | $21,899 |
| 3 | Mauri Rose | 137 | Running | $15,269 |
| 4 | Cecil Green | 137 | Running | $10,964 |
| 5 | Joie Chitwood | 136 | Running | $8,789 |
| 6 | Lee Wallard | 136 | Running | $6,864 |
| 7 | Walt Faulkner | 135 | Running | $7,664 |
| 8 | George Connor | 135 | Running | $5,039 |
| 9 | Paul Russo | 135 | Running | $4,989 |
| 10 | Pat Flaherty | 135 | Running | $4,639 |
| 11 | Myron Fohr | 133 | Running | $3,734 |
| 12 | Duane Carter | 133 | Running | $3,464 |
| 13 | Mack Hellings | 132 | Running | $2,979 |
| 14 | Jack McGrath | 131 | Accident | $2,799 |
| 15 | Troy Ruttman | 130 | Running | $2,979 |
| 16 | Gene Hartley | 128 | Running | $2,509 |
| 17 | Jimmy Davies | 128 | Running | $2,339 |
| 18 | Johnny McDowell | 128 | Running | $2,769 |
| 19 | Walt Brown | 127 | Running | $2,339 |
| 20 | Spider Webb | 126 | Running | $2,509 |
| 21 | Jerry Hoyt | 125 | Running | $2,379 |
| 22 | Walt Ader | 123 | Running | $2,149 |
| 23 | Jackie Holmes | 123 | Accident | $2,119 |
| 24 | Jim Rathmann | 122 | Running | $2,089 |
| 25 | Henry Banks | 112 | Oil line | $2,059 |
| 26 | Bill Schindler | 111 | Universal joint | $2,604 |
| 27 | Bayliss Levrett | 108 | Oil pressure | $2,424 |
| 28 | Fred Agabashian | 64 | Oil line | $2,444 |
| 29 | Jimmy Jackson | 52 | Supercharger | $1,939 |
| 30 | Sam Hanks | 42 | Oil pressure | $2,134 |
| 31 | Tony Bettenhausen | 30 | Wheel | $1,879 |
| 32 | Dick Rathmann | 25 | Stalled | $2,149 |
| 33 | Duke Dinsmore | 10 | Oil leak | $1,844 |
| Lap Leaders: | ||||
| 1 9 | Mauri Rose | |||
| 10 32 | Johnnie Parsons | |||
| 33 | Mauri Rose | |||
| 34-104 | Johnnie Parsons | |||
| 105-109 | Mauri Rose | |||
| 110-117 | Bill Holland | |||
| 118-138 | Johnnie Parsons |
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