The 1925 Indianapolis 500, the 13th running of the race, took place on May 30 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Peter DePaolo drove a supercharged Duesenberg to victory, becoming the first driver to average over 100 mph (101.127 mph) and finish the 500 miles in under five hours. He led a race-high 115 laps but needed relief driver Norman Batten for 21 laps mid-race due to severely blistered hands, dropping to fifth before battling back to win by about 57 seconds.
Dave Lewis and relief driver Bennett Hill took second in the innovative front-wheel-drive Miller (the first such car at Indy), averaging 100.823 mph, while Phil Shafer and Wade Morton placed third in another Duesenberg at 100.185 mph—marking the first time the top three all finished under five hours. The race highlighted rapid advances in supercharging and engineering, with relief drivers still common to ease the grueling conditions. DePaolo’s breakthrough performance, as nephew of 1915 winner Ralph DePalma, set a new benchmark for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
May 29, 1925
May 29, 1925
May 29, 1925
May 31, 1925