The 1924 Indianapolis 500, the 12th running of the famed race, took place on May 30 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway under cool, dry conditions with a field of just 22 starters. It marked a breakthrough moment for supercharged engines, as the winning Duesenberg featured one of these innovative powerplants, helping set a new race record. L.L. Corum started the race in the #15 Duesenberg from the Duesenberg Brothers team, while teammate Joe Boyer began in his own entry and quickly led the opening lap before mechanical troubles sidelined it. Boyer, a bold and wealthy racer known for aggressive driving, later took over Corum’s car around lap 109–112 during a pit stop. From there, he charged through the field, overtaking leaders like Earl Cooper’s Miller (which had led a race-high 119 laps) and Jimmy Murphy (the pole-sitter who led 56 laps), ultimately taking the lead on lap 177 and holding it to the finish. The duo crossed the line first after 200 laps in a time of 5 hours, 5 minutes, and 23.51 seconds, averaging a record 98.234 mph—shaving over 12 minutes off the previous mark.
Due to the era’s common use of relief drivers to combat the grueling demands of a 500-mile race, both Corum and Boyer were officially declared co-winners, the first (and only the second-ever) such shared victory in Indy 500 history. Earl Cooper finished a close second, just 1 minute and 23 seconds behind—the tightest margin in the race’s history up to that point—followed by Jimmy Murphy in third. The event highlighted fierce competition and advancing technology, but it carried a tragic note: Joe Boyer, who had delivered such a dramatic drive, lost his life in a crash at Altoona Speedway just a few months later in September 1924. This quirky, team-driven classic remains a memorable chapter in the early days of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
May 29, 1924
May 30, 1924
May 31, 1924