Sanctioning body USAC Date May 30, 1962 Winning team Leader Cards | Season 1962 USAC season | |
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Average speed 140.293 mph (225.780 km/h) | ||
The 46th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Wednesday, May 30, 1962.
Contents
A historic pole day as Parnelli Jones breaks the 150 mph (240 km/h) barrier in qualifying. Rodger Ward and Len Sutton finish 1st-2nd for Leader Cards Racing.
The 1962 Indy 500 marked the final 500 wherein the entire 33-car field consisted of U.S.-born participants.
Time trials
Time trials was scheduled for four days.
First half
Parnelli Jones took the lead at the start, and led the first 59 laps. The first incident on the track occurred on lap 17. A four-car crash in turn four involved Jack Turner, Bob Christie, Allen Crowe, and Chuck Rodee. A lengthy yellow light period was needed to clean up the incident.
Second half
Rodger Ward led the final 31 laps en route to victory. It was his second 500 win, after winning also in 1959. His Leader Cards teammate Len Sutton finished second, accomplishing the first team "sweep" of 1st-2nd since the Blue Crown team did it in 1947 and 1948.
After dominating much of the early race, Parnelli Jones, who started on the pole and led 120 laps, finished 7th.
Alternates
Radio
The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Sid Collins served as chief announcer. Fred Agabashian served as "driver expert."
Newcomer Howdy Bell joined the crew, serving as a turn reporter. It was his first of over 40 years with the network.
Television
A few minutes of highlights were shown on ABC's "Wide World Of Sports".