1955 Indianapolis 500
44th World Championship race
Fact File
| Date: | Monday, 30 May 1955 |
|---|---|
| Winner: |  Bob Sweikert Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser |
| Pole position: | Jerry Hoyt Stevens-Offenhauser |
| Fastest lap: | Bill Vukovich Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser |
| Circuit: | Indianapolis, 200 laps |
| Round: | 3 of 7 |
Race Result
| Pos | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +13 | Bob Sweikert | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 200 | 3hr 53m 59.530s | 8 |
| 2 | Tony Bettenhausen & Paul Russo | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 200 | +2m 43.560s | 3 3 | |
| 3 | +7 | Jimmy Davies | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 200 | 4 | |
| 4 | +29 | Johnny Thomson | Kuzma-Offenhauser | 200 | 3 | |
| 5 | +2 | Walt Faulkner & Bill Homeier | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 200 | 1 1 | |
| 6 | +2 | Andy Linden | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 200 | ||
| 7 | +9 | Al Herman | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 200 | ||
| 8 | +11 | Pat O’Connor | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 200 | ||
| 9 | +8 | Jimmy Daywalt | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 200 | ||
| 10 | +2 | Pat Flaherty | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 200 | ||
| 11 | +7 | Duane Carter | Kuzma-Offenhauser | 197 | +3 laps | |
| 12 | +13 | Chuck Weyant | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 196 | +4 laps | |
| 13 | +19 | Eddie Johnson | Trevis-Offenhauser | 196 | +4 laps | |
| 14 | +6 | Jim Rathmann | Epperly-Offenhauser | 191 | +9 laps | |
| 15 | +6 | Don Freeland | Phillips-Offenhauser | 178 | DNF | |
| 16 | -7 | Cal Niday | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 170 | DNF | |
| 17 | +7 | Art Cross | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 168 | DNF | |
| 18 | +13 | Shorty Templeman | Trevis-Offenhauser | 142 | DNF | |
| 19 | -13 | Sam Hanks | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 134 | DNF | |
| 20 | +8 | Keith Andrews | Schroeder-Offenhauser | 120 | DNF | |
| 21 | +6 | Johnnie Parsons | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 119 | DNF | |
| 22 | -9 | Eddie Russo | Pawl-Offenhauser | 112 | DNF | |
| 23 | Ray Crawford | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 111 | DNF | ||
| 24 | -13 | Jimmy Bryan | Kuzma-Offenhauser | 90 | DNF | |
| 25 | -20 | Bill Vukovich | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 56 | DNF | 1 FL |
| 26 | -23 | Jack McGrath | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 54 | DNF | |
| 27 | -5 | Al Keller | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 54 | DNF | |
| 28 | +2 | Rodger Ward | Kuzma-Offenhauser | 53 | DNF | |
| 29 | -3 | Johnny Boyd | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 53 | DNF | |
| 30 | -1 | Ed Elisian | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 53 | DNF | |
| 31 | -30 | Jerry Hoyt | Stevens-Offenhauser | 40 | DNF | |
| 32 | -28 | Fred Agabashian | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 39 | DNF | |
| 33 | -18 | Jimmy Reece | Pankratz-Offenhauser | 10 | DNF |
Championship Standings
How the championship standings stood post-race.
Driver
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Maurice Trintignant | 11.33 |
| 2 |  Juan Manuel Fangio | 10 |
| 3 | Bob Sweikert | 8 |
| 4 |  Giuseppe Farina | 6.33 |
| 5 | Eugenio Castellotti | 6 |
| 6 | Jimmy Davies | 4 |
| 7 | Paul Russo | 3 |
| = | Tony Bettenhausen | 3 |
| 9 | Johnny Thomson | 3 |
| 10 | Jose Froilan Gonzalez | 2 |
| 11 | Cesare Perdisa | 2 |
| = | Jean Behra | 2 |
| 13 | Roberto Mieres | 2 |
| = | Luigi Villoresi | 2 |
| 15 | Umberto Maglioli | 1.33 |
| 16 |  Hans Herrmann | 1 |
| = |  Stirling Moss | 1 |
| = | Karl Kling | 1 |
| 19 | Bill Homeier | 1 |
| = | Walt Faulkner | 1 |
| 21 | Bill Vukovich | 1 |
Statistics & Milestones
- Race debut
- Driver: Keith Andrews, Johnny Boyd, Ray Crawford, Al Herman, Al Keller, Eddie Russo, Shorty Templeman, Chuck Weyant
- Constructor: Epperly
- Last start
- Driver: Art Cross, Jimmy Davies, Walt Faulkner, Jerry Hoyt, Jack McGrath, Cal Niday, Bill Vukovich
- Constructor: Pankratz, Pawl, Schroeder
- Wins
- Driver: 1st and only for Bob Sweikert (13th different winner, 5th American driver)
- Constructor: 5th and last for Kurtis Kraft
- Race 1-2
- Constructor: 3rd and last for Kurtis Kraft
- Podiums
- Driver: 1st and only for Bob Sweikert (41st different podium finisher, 15th American driver), 1st and only for Tony Bettenhausen (42nd different podium finisher, 16th American driver), 1st and only for Paul Russo (43rd different podium finisher, 17th American driver), 1st and only for Jimmy Davies (44th different podium finisher, 18th American driver)
- Constructor: 12th, 13th & 14th for Kurtis Kraft
- Poles
- Driver: 1st and only for Jerry Hoyt (10th different polesitter, 6th American driver)
- Constructor: 1st and only fpr Stevens (7th different polesitter)
- Fastest laps
- Driver: 3rd and last for Bill Vukovich
- Constructor: 6th for Kurtis Kraft
- Front row starts
- Driver: 5th and last for Jack McGrath, 1st and only for Jerry Hoyt & Tony Bettenhausen (28th & 29th different front row starters, 12th & 13th American drivers)
- Points finishes
- Driver: 4th and last for Bill Vukovich, 1st and only for Bob Sweikert, Jimmy Davies (66th & 67th different point scorers, 22nd & 23rd American driver), 1st for Johnny Thomson, Bill Homeier & Walt Faulkner (68th-70th different point scorers, 24th-26th American drivers)