|| *Comments on the 1949 International 500:* View the most recent comment <#13> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 01.26.2016 - 4:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Info on some of the DNQ drivers... Tommy Mattson: Nationality: American Hometown: Auburn, New Jersey Born: June 8, 1914 Died: July 24, 1949 Frank Beardsley: Nationality: American Hometown: Meadville, Pennsylvania Born: January 2, 1926 Died: May 8, 2007 Byron Horne: Nationality: American Hometown: Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania Born: October 26, 1918 Died: April 25, 1995 Randall Beinke: Nationality: American Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana Born: August 20, 1914 Died: February 22, 1996 Ed Haddad: Nationality: American Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Born: October 23, 1911 Died: October 20, 1949 Lindley Bothwell: Nationality: American Hometown: Los Angeles, California Born: August 1, 1901 Died: June 19, 1986 2. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 01.26.2016 - 6:42 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) There were several serious crashes in qualifying and practice leading up to the race. Byron Horne had a very nasty crash during his rookie test early in the month and nearly died; although he would recover, he never came back to Indy. Frank Burany (the oldest living driver to have ever attempted the Indy 500-still alive at nearly 101 years old) also wrecked a car in practice and did not qualify. George Metzler passed a rookie test, but was driving an older car from 1936 and lacked the speed needed to make the race. He tried very hard during his qualifying attempt...too hard, as he lost control and wrecked his car during his attempt. Metzler was critically hurt and removed from the car in a coma; he died from his injuries a few days later. Notably this race featured the oldest car to EVER attempt to qualify for an Indy 500...Lindley Bothwell, an agriculturist and cheer organizer for California sporting events, entered a genuine 1913 Peugeot, complete with a seat for the riding mechanics of the day. Bothwell was a vintage car collector and had quite a head in getting vintage car racing off the ground in the US. The Peugeot came from his own personal collection and was supposedly the same vehicle Dario Resta drove to victory in the 1916 Indy race. He was not seriously expected to qualify due to the fact that his car was 36 years old...he primarily intended the 500 to break the Indy qualifying record for a Peugeot, set 30 years earlier by Howdy Wilcox. He succeeded in doing so (qualifying at about 103 MPH), but was more than 20 MPH too slow to make the field. 3. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 01.28.2016 - 5:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First Indy 500 starts for Johnnie Parsons, Myron Fohr, Jim Rathmann, Troy Ruttman, Johnny McDowell, George Fonder, Jackie Holmes, Bayliss Levrett, and Manny Ayulo. Only Indy 500 starts for Norm Houser and George Lynch. Last Indy 500 starts for Emil Andres, Bill Sheffler, Hal Cole, Bill Cantrell, and Charles Van Acker. 4. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 01.30.2016 - 6:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Qualifying results: 1. Duke Nalon-132.939 MPH 2. Johnnie Parsons-132.900 MPH 3. Myron Fohr-129.776 MPH 4. Rex Mays-129.552 MPH 5. Paul Russo-129.487 MPH 6. Bayliss Levrett-129.236 MPH 7. Lee Wallard-128.912 MPH 8. Jack McGrath-128.884 MPH 9. Bill Holland-128.673 MPH 10. Bill Sheffler-128.521 MPH 11. Mack Hellings-128.260 MPH 12. Duane Carter-128.233 MPH 13. George Connor-128.228 MPH 14. Jackie Holmes-128.087 MPH 15. Jimmy Jackson-128.023 MPH 16. George Lynch-127.823 MPH 17. Sam Hanks-127.809 MPH 18. Johnny Mantz-127.786 MPH 19. Mauri Rose-127.759 MPH 20. Norm Houser-127.756 MPH 21. Duke Dinsmore-127.750 MPH 22. George Fonder-127.289 MPH 23. Bill Cantrell-127.191 MPH 24. Hal Cole-127.168 MPH 25. Fred Agabashian-127.007 MPH 26. Spider Webb-127.002 MPH 27. Joie Chitwood-126.863 MPH 28. Charles Van Acker-126.524 MPH 29. Jim Rathmann-129.516 MPH 30. Johnny McDowell-126.139 MPH 31. Emil Andres-126.042 MPH 32. Troy Ruttman-125.945 MPH 33. Manny Ayulo-125.799 MPH 5. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 02.19.2016 - 1:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) At least one source I've come across gives Tommy Mattson's number for his DNQ as #52; he apparently had been involved in several accidents in practice and Manny Ayulo took it over and qualified it at pretty much the last second. 6. joey2448 posted: 12.04.2016 - 5:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jackie Holmes' No. 57 Offenhauser, owned by Pat Clancy, was a six-wheeled racecar, preceding the Tyrrell ran in F1 nearly three decades later. 7. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 03.21.2017 - 11:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First alternate: Ralph Pratt Pratt came extremely close to making the race; Manny Ayulo bumped him out at the very last second, by an extremely slim margin. 8. RaceFanX posted: 11.16.2018 - 3:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmy Jackson and Johnny Mantz ran the full 500-mile length of this race without a pit stop en route to their top-10 finishes, becoming just the third and fourth drivers ever to accomplish that feat at Indianapolis. To date, they remain the last to do so. 9. Canadianfan posted: 12.08.2018 - 12:43 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) The race was carried live for the first time in history on local television on WFBM-TV channel 6 of Indianapolis. The station signed on for the first time race morning May 30, 1949, with a documentary about the race entitled The Crucible of Speed, then covered the race itself. The race broadcast utilized three cameras located along the mainstrech. Earl Townsend, Jr. who had worked previously as a radio reporter, was the first television announcer. Dick Pittenger and Paul Roberts joined Townsend along with engineer Robert Robbins. The telecast reached approximately 3,000 local households. 10. RaceFanX posted: 03.13.2019 - 1:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bothwell's unusual entry in the vintage Peugeot was supposedly a publicity stunt sponsored by Mobil Oil. 11. possum posted: 10.26.2019 - 4:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Owner for both Novis should be Lewis Welch. 12. SweetRich posted: 02.29.2020 - 6:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The commentators for the race were Earl Townsend, Dick Pittenger and Paul Roberts. The sole pit road reporter was Robert Robbins. 13. JollyMeanGiant posted: 03.03.2021 - 1:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 42 cars completed full runs during qualifying. Ralph Pratt in the #34 (34th), Doc Williams in the #65 (35th), Bill Cantrell in the the #36 (36th), Henry Banks in the #21 (37th), Pat Flaherty in the #43 (38th), Tony Bettenhausen in the #46 (39th), Bettenhausen in the #16 (40th), Louis Tomei in the #42 (41st) and Banks in the #35 (42nd) were not fast enough to make the cut. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: