1946 Indianapolis 500

30th Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	AAA
Date	May 30, 1946
Winner	George Robson
Winning Entrant	Thorne Engineering
Average speed	114.820 mph (184.785 km/h)
Pole position	Cliff Bergere
Pole speed	126.471 mph (203.535 km/h)
Most laps led	George Robson (138)
Pre-race
Pace car	Lincoln Continental
Pace car driver	Henry Ford II
Starter	Seth Klein[1]
Honorary referee	Jack Dempsey[1]
Estimated attendance	165,000[2]
Chronology
Previous Next 1942-45 (canceled-WWII) 1947

The 30th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1946. This was the first Indianapolis 500 presided over by new track owner Tony Hulman. The track had closed in late 1941 due to World War II, and over the next four years, the facility fell into a terrible state of disrepair. Hulman purchased the Speedway in November 1945, and quickly went to work cleaning up the grounds, which had become overwhelmed by overgrowth and weeds. The Speedway re-opened, and the 1946 race was considered a rousing success.

Race winner George Robson would be killed in a racing crash just months after the victory.

The 1946 running of the 500 was the first of sixty-one consecutive years (1946-2006) that featured popular fixture Tom Carnegie on the Speedway public address system.^[3]

During the pre-race ceremonies, James Melton performed the song "Back Home Again in Indiana." It was the first time the traditional song had been performed before the start of the race.^[4]

On December 7, 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor launched the United States into World War II. On December 29, 1941, then-president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Eddie Rickenbacker announced that the 1942 Indianapolis 500 was cancelled,^[5] and the race would remain suspended throughout the duration of the war.^[5] The Speedway gates were locked, and the facility was abandoned. The race would not be held from 1942 to 1945. During the period in which the track was closed, it fell into a terrible state of disrepair. Grass and weeds overwhelmed the brick racing surface,^[6] and the old wooden grandstands became frail and unsuitable and inhospitable.

Tony Hulman announced the Indianapolis 500 would resume on its traditional date of Memorial Day for 1946.^[7] The AAA Contest Board subsequently announced that the specifications and rules would remain largely unchanged from 1941.^[8]

In mid-December, Indiana Lieutenant Governor Richard T. James, while on an official trip to Europe, formally extended invitations to European racing teams to enter for the 500.^[9][10]

The deadline for entries to be received was midnight on May 1, along with a $125 entry fee.^[11] As had been customary, the track was made available for practice beginning May 1. Some teams, however, began arriving and setting up at the track as early as mid-March. Due to the ongoing renovations and construction, spectators were not allowed through the gates until May 11; only participants and press were allowed to enter the gates before then. In addition, practice over the first ten days of May was limited to 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily. On May 11, the track was opened to spectators for the first time during the month for a charge of 50¢ per person. Also on May 11, practice time was extended from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Time trials was tentatively scheduled for five days - the two weekends leading up to race day, along with the Tuesday two days before the race.^[12] However, rain and the lingering shortage of necessary parts kept many of the cars off the track. Eventually, eight total days were made available for qualifying in order to fill the field to the traditional 33 cars.

The rules announced were largely carried over from 1941, with few changes. Prize money was set at $20,000 for first place, and the traditional 33 cars would make up the starting grid.^[13]

Tickets for the 1946 Indianapolis 500 officially went on sale on February 1.^[7][14] Mail orders had been pouring steadily in since the track was sold in November. Some eager fans sent requests for tickets as early as August (shortly after V-J Day) anticipating the track would reopen.^[15] Even though at the time there were no plans yet in place to reopen the track, much less hold the race.

Numerous announcements were made with regard to officials and personnel. Seth Klein returned as the chief starter,^[16] Chester Ricker returned as the director of timing and scoring,^[17] and Henry Ford II was named the driver of the Lincoln Continental pace car.^[18][19] Kirkpatrick studio was signed on as the official photographers of the 500-mile race.^[20] The Indiana State Police was assigned to crowd control duties.^[21]

Entries slowly began to arrive, bringing the total to six by the end of the month. Cliff Bergere and Joie Chitwood were the first two drivers to be entered. Cars were entered for Russ Snowberger,^[22] Ted Horn and George Connor.^[23] On February 7, Harry McQuinn flew into the Speedway, landing his Aeronca Champion airplane on the backstretch, arriving to personally deliver his entry for the race. Construction workers at the track briefly halted work to watch the plane land.^[24] Though not yet entered, driver Al Putnam was preparing for the race.^[25]

Speedway officials continued to rebuild staff for the race. Clifford M. Rigsbee was appointed head of a new technical group at the Speedway.^[26] A welcoming committee with the local chamber of commerce was formed, in order to re-acclimate spectators to the event after the hiatus during the war. In addition, the Speedway announced Dr. E. Rogers Smith as the chief of the track medical staff.^[27]

The $300,000 renovation project at the track was reported to be on-schedule. The grounds were now mostly cleaned up, and the biggest item of work was the pouring of concrete for the new Paddock grandstand across from the Pagoda. Excavation for the new G grandstand was underway, and many new parquet seats were already in place behind the pit area. The old diner adjacent to Gasoline Alley had been razed and a new restaurant was to be built in its place.^[28] With less than two months until race day, advanced reserved tickets sales were reported as brisk.^[29]

By the end of the month, the entry list was up to 15 cars. Cars were entered for Al Putnam, Steve Truchan, and Arthur M. Sims entered the machine that Wilbur Shaw drove to victory in the 1937 race, but a driver was not yet named. One other car was entered by Ed Walsh without a driver named.^[30] Three-time pole position holder and 1941 National Champion Rex Mays was slated to drive the Bowes Seal Fast Special, the same car he drove to second place in 1941.^[31][32] Despite facing financial and transportation difficulties, at least five European drivers were inquiring about submitting entries.^[33]

Early in the month, a minor controversy loomed. It was reported some drivers, particularly those from the U.S. West Coast, were expressing concern about the perceived low purse announced for the race.^[34]

With less than a month to go before the track officially opened for practice, entries continued to pour in. Cars were entered for Harry Schell, Raphaël Bethenod,^[35] Emil Andres,^[11] George Barringer,^[11] Joel Thorne,^[36] Cliff Bergere,^[37] Rudolf Caracciola,^[38] Tazio Nuvolari,^[39] Chet Miller,^[39] and several others.^[40] By the end of the month, the entry list was up to 44 cars.^[39]

Refurbishment of the facility continued, including the near-completion of new grandstands.^[41] On April 6, the Speedway Golf Course opened for business.^[42] Officials announced that a small number of tickets were still available.^[43]

George Barringer arrived with his car on April 22,^[44][45] and two days later on April 24, Barringer became the first driver to take to the track for the year. Barringer's supercharged rear-engined machine completed laps over 115 mph.^[38] Track president Wilbur Shaw, George Connor, Chet Miller, and others were on hand to watch. The following day, April 25, Tony Bettenhausen became the second driver to take laps.^[40]

Off the track, Roy E. Cole, vice-president in charge of engineering at Studebaker, was named the chairman of the technical committee for the race.^[46] Also, the Lap Prize Fund was accumulating,^[47] and the prize fund was announced at $60,000, quelling some of the concern about a low purse.

The track officially opened for practice on Wednesday May 1. However, practice time was limited to 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm for the first ten days in order to allow construction crews extra time to finish refurbishing the facility. In addition, spectators were not allowed inside the gates until May 11. The deadline for entries to be received was midnight on May 1, and any entries postmarked on or before May 1 were accepted. Numerous entries came in just before the deadline,^[48] bringing the total to 56 cars.^[49][50]

During the first week, many drivers and mechanics had arrived at the track,^[51] often seen hanging out at the restaurant in Gasoline Alley,^[48] and working on cars.^[52][53] However, few cars took to the track yet. At least ten cars were already in the garage area by Saturday May 4, with more arriving each day.^[12] At the end of the first week, Tazio Nuvolari announced he was withdrawing from the race, due to the death of his son. Achille Varzi was named his replacement, but the car would ultimately fail to qualify.^[54][55]

Practice started in earnest beginning on May 11. The track was now open from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and spectators were allowed to attended.

Time trials was originally scheduled for five days (May 18–19, 25–26, and 28), but rain delays took away available track time. In addition, post-war shortages of certain replacement parts delayed some cars from being able to participate in practice sessions. Officials eventually would make the track available for qualifying on three additional days in order to fill the field to the traditional 33 cars. The minimum speed to qualify was set at 115 mph. Approximately 56 entries were expected to make attempts to qualify.

Officials retained the four lap (10-mile) qualifying runs that were traditional from 1920–1933 and from 1939–1941. The fastest qualifier on the first day of time trials ("pole day") would win the pole position. Cars that qualified on the second day would line up behind the first qualifiers, and so on. Prior to World War II, on time trials days the track would typically be open until "sundown." But for 1946, the times were standardized such that the track would close each day at 5:30 p.m., except for the final day^[52][53] - unless weather interfered.

The first day of time trials was scheduled for Saturday May 18. The track would be open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The favorites for the front row included Harry McQuinn, Cliff Bergere, Rex Mays, and Ted Horn. Since many teams were lacking practice time, and some lacking parts, less than a dozen cars were expected to take to the track on Saturday.^[56][57]

Over 20,000 spectators arrived for the first significant track action in nearly five years. However, rain threatened most of the afternoon, and allowed only six cars to complete runs. During a practice run, Frank McGurk in the Shoof Special spun coming out of turn four and hit the outside wall. The car hit the outside rail a second time, then slid across the track hitting the inside guardrail. McGurk was not seriously injured. The car was not seriously damaged, and was expected to be repaired. Pole favorites Rex Mays and Ted Horn suffered engine problems, preventing them from going out Saturday. Horn broke a water pump, while Mays suffered broken connecting rods and bearings.^[58]

Indy veteran Cliff Bergere won the pole position with a speed of 126.471 mph. At age 49, Bergere became the oldest pole winner in Indy history up to that point. Paul Russo, driving a unique twin-four-cylinder engine machine, qualified second to sit in the middle of the front row. On Russo's car, one engine drove the front axle, and the second engine drove the rear axle. Russo was on pace to take the pole through three laps, but on his fourth and final lap, one of his superchargers got too hot, and dropped the speed down.^[58] Sam Hanks rounded out the front row, despite leaking oil which obscured his goggles.^[58] Rear-wheel drive cars swept two spots on the front row, with Jimmy Jackson (5th) the highest front-wheel-drive-only machine.

Rain closed the track for nearly two hours, prompting officials to extend qualifying until 7:30 p.m. Still, only seven cars made runs, and only six were completed. Mauri Rose had a fast first lap that could have put him on the front row, but the engine threw a rod on lap two.

Pos	No.	Name	Lap 1 (mph)	Lap 2 (mph)	Lap 3 (mph)	Lap 4 (mph)	Average Speed (mph)	Notes
1	3	Cliff Bergere	126.743	126.511	125.436	127.208	126.471
2	10	Paul Russo	127.350	126.814	127.371	123.288	126.183
3	32	Sam Hanks	126.098	124.706	123.694	124.189	124.762
4	47	Hal Cole  R	120.514	120.773	120.096	121.540	120.728
5	61	Jimmy Jackson  R	120.643	119.592	120.563	119.872	120.257
6	33	Louis Durant  R	119.111	119.348	119.205	118.234	118.973
—	8	Mauri Rose	125.980				Incomplete	Engine threw a rod

• Source: The Indianapolis Star^[59][60]

Time trials was scheduled for 12:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. A crowd of 40,000-60,000 spectators^[58] arrived but not a single car made a qualifying attempt. High winds kept most cars off the track early on, and later rain washed out most of remainder of the afternoon. Some cars did practice, but when the rains came, most spectators departed. Officials announced that Monday May 20 would be designated for qualifying, in order to make up for lost track time over the weekend.^[61][62]

After weather interfered on Sunday, officials made Monday May 20 available for qualifications. Three cars completed runs in front of a small crowd of only 3,000 spectators. Ted Horn (driving Wilbur Shaw's 1940 winning car) was the fastest of the day. Horn's car, prepared by "Cotton" Henning, ran two identical laps, and put him on the inside of row three.

Officials announced that Tuesday May 21 would not be available for qualifications.

Pos	No.	Name	Lap 1 (mph)	Lap 2 (mph)	Lap 3 (mph)	Lap 4 (mph)	Average Speed (mph)	Notes
7	29	Ted Horn	124.206	123.745	124.206	123.762	123.980
8	45	Duke Dinsmore  R	122.666	123.321	123.660	123.474	123.279
—	42	Tony Bettenhausen  R	122.084	122.017	122.117	122.228	121.860	Withdrawn 5/28

Charles Van Acker crashed. Duke Nalon made an exhibition run.

Qualifying resumed on Wednesday May 22. Approximately 20,000 spectators saw five cars complete runs, and the field was filled to 14 cars. Mauri Rose, who threw a rod on his first attempts, returned Wednesday with a different engine, was the fastest car of the day.

During a practice run for his driver's test, Hal Robson broke an axle in turn two, lost a wheel, and spun out. Robson was not injured, and completed the test later on in a different car.

Pos	No.	Name	Lap 1 (mph)	Lap 2 (mph)	Lap 3 (mph)	Lap 4 (mph)	Average Speed (mph)	Notes
9	8	Mauri Rose	125.125	123.457	123.609	124.052	124.065
10	25	Russ Snowberger	122.349	121.852	120.935	121.245	121.593
11	18	Emil Andres	121.163	121.589	120.968	120.838	121.139
12	24	Joie Chitwood	120.144	120.224	119.570	119.332	119.816
13	12	Al Putnam	117.325	115.370	115.518	116.944	116.283

After two days of practice only, time trials resumed on Saturday May 25. With a speed of 128.861 mph, Rex Mays tentatively became the fastest qualifier in the field. As a qualifier on the fourth day, however, Mays would line up in 14th starting position. Mays was followed by George Robson and Jimmy Wilburn, both over 125 mph. Wilburn had passed his rookie driver's test just two hours prior to making his attempt. A crowd of about 12,500 witnessed the afternoon.

Pos	No.	Name	Lap 1 (mph)	Lap 2 (mph)	Lap 3 (mph)	Lap 4 (mph)	Average Speed (mph)	Notes
14	1	Rex Mays	129.608	128.737	128.133	128.977	128.861
15	16	George Robson	127.262	125.611	125.401	123.938	125.541
16	63	Jimmy Wilburn  R	124.757	125.035	125.174	125.488	125.113
17	5	Chet Miller	124.481	124.585	124.292	125.244	124.649
18	14	Harry McQuinn	125.927	124.688	124.395	123.018	124.499
—	2	Ralph Hepburn	125.927				Incomplete	Car quit

Ralph Hepburn shattered the one-lap and four-lap track records and became the fastest qualifier in the field. Hepburn returned to the track a day after his car quit during his first attempt. Under cold weather and threatening skies, about 22,500^{[citation needed]} spectators saw fours drivers complete runs, and the field was filled to 22 cars.

Hepburn's fourth lap was the fastest, a track record 134.449 mph (216.375 km/h), and his four-lap average was a record 133.944 mph (215.562 km/h). Hepburn drove the 8-cylinder front-wheel drive Novi Governor Special, entered by W.S. Winfield.

Pos	No.	Name	Lap 1 (mph)	Lap 2 (mph)	Lap 3 (mph)	Lap 4 (mph)	Average Speed (mph)	Notes
19	2	Ralph Hepburn	134.288	133.136	133.990	134.449	133.944	New 1-lap and 4-lap track records; fastest qualifier
20	64	Shorty Cantlon	122.900	122.183	122.666	121.984	122.432
21	31	Henry Banks	121.687	120.434	119.729	119.063	120.220
22	15	Louis Tomei	117.955	118.483	119.872	120.498	119.193

At the request of many teams, time trials was extended into yet another day, with the track open from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Four cars completed runs, tentatively filling the field to 27 cars. Hal Robson joined his brother George in the field, but the speeds were noticeably down from Sunday's record-breaking efforts.

With only one day remaining to qualify, six positions were tentatively left to be filled.

Pos	No.	Name	Lap 1 (mph)	Lap 2 (mph)	Lap 3 (mph)	Lap 4 (mph)	Average Speed (mph)	Notes
23	48	Hal Robson  R	121.392	120.724	121.951	121.803	121.466
24	26	George Barringer	122.001	120.546	120.032	119.936	120.623
25	39	Bill Sheffler  R	121.049	120.838	120.417	120.144	120.611
—	37	Buddy Rusch  R	116.339	116.732	116.475	115.533	116.268	Bumped on 5/28

The deadline for qualifications was set at sundown (8:08 p.m.) on Tuesday May 28. When the day opened, six spots were left open in the field. Tony Bettenhausen withdrew his previously-qualified car due to a broken crankshaft. He would re-qualify a new car to be the fastest driver of the day.

During a practice run, Caracciola, in one of the Thorne Engineering Specials, lost control and crashed in turn two. He was thrown from the machine, which was badly damaged. Caracciola was seriously injured, and rushed to the hospital. After his release from the hospital, track owner Tony Hulman invited Caracciola to recuperate at his home in Terre Haute.^[63]

Danny Kladis was the first driver to complete a run during the afternoon, at a relatively slow pace of 118.890 mph (191.335 km/h). He slipped down the standings as the day progressed, but his speed would hold up and he barely held on to qualify 33rd. Late in the afternoon, Charles Van Acker completed his required four laps at an average of 115.666 mph to fill the field at 33 cars. Buddy Rusch was now "on the bubble", the slowest car in the field. Steve Truchan was the next car out, but he pulled into the pits after only three laps.

Just minutes before sundown, three cars took to the track in an effort to bump their way into the field. Tony Bettenhausen, Billy Devore and George Connor all took to the track at the same time in order to make it in before the deadline. Bettenhausen earned a new spot in the field after withdrawing his previous car. Connor and Devore bumped Buddy Rusch and Charles Van Acker, respectively. One final car, Freddie Winnai made a last-ditch effort to make the field, but the car quit before completing a lap.

Pos	No.	Name	Lap 1 (mph)	Lap 2 (mph)	Lap 3 (mph)	Lap 4 (mph)	Average Speed (mph)	Notes
26	42	Tony Bettenhausen  R	123.882	122.018	123.476	122.017	123.094
27	4	Mel Hansen	121.098	121.163	121.000	122.482	121.431
28	52	Luigi Villoresi  R	121.441	120.530	121.147	121.885	121.249
29	7	Frank Wearne	121.771	120.627	121.179	121.355	121.233
30	38	George Connor	120.160	119.713	120.401	119.475	120.004
31	17	Billy Devore	120.514	120.064	119.760	119.174	119.876
32	54	Duke Nalon	118.202	119.506	120.401	120.838	119.682
33	59	Danny Kladis  R	118.825	118.969	119.079	118.687	118.890
—	x	Charles Van Acker  R	114.899	116.445	115.652	115.681	115.666	Bumped
—	x	Steve Truchan  R					Incomplete	Pulled in after three laps
—	x	Freddie Winnai					Incomplete	Car quit

Row	Inside	Middle	Outside
1	Cliff Bergere 126.471 mph (203.535 km/h)	Paul Russo 126.183 mph (203.072 km/h)	Sam Hanks 124.762 mph (200.785 km/h)
2	Hal Cole  R  120.728 mph (194.293 km/h)	Jimmy Jackson  R  120.257 mph (193.535 km/h)	Louis Durant  R  118.973 mph (191.468 km/h)
3	Ted Horn 123.980 mph (199.526 km/h)	Duke Dinsmore  R  123.279 mph (198.398 km/h)	Mauri Rose  W  124.065 mph (199.663 km/h)
4	Russ Snowberger 121.593 mph (195.685 km/h)	Emil Andres 121.139 mph (194.954 km/h)	Joie Chitwood 119.816 mph (192.825 km/h)
5	Al Putnam 116.283 mph (187.139 km/h)	Rex Mays 128.861 mph (207.382 km/h)	George Robson 125.54 mph (202.04 km/h)
6	Jimmy Wilburn  R  125.113 mph (201.350 km/h)	Chet Miller 124.649 mph (200.603 km/h)	Harry McQuinn 124.499 mph (200.362 km/h)
7	Ralph Hepburn 133.944 mph (215.562 km/h)	Shorty Cantlon 122.432 mph (197.035 km/h)	Henry Banks 120.220 mph (193.475 km/h)
8	Louis Tomei 119.193 mph (191.823 km/h)	Hal Robson  R  121.466 mph (195.481 km/h)	George Barringer 120.628 mph (194.132 km/h)
9	Bill Sheffler  R  120.611 mph (194.105 km/h)	Tony Bettenhausen  R  123.094 mph (198.101 km/h)	Mel Hansen 121.431 mph (195.424 km/h)
10	Luigi Villoresi  R  121.249 mph (195.131 km/h)	Frank Wearne 121.233 mph (195.106 km/h)	George Connor 120.006 mph (193.131 km/h)
11	Billy Devore 119.876 mph (192.922 km/h)	Duke Nalon 119.682 mph (192.610 km/h)	Danny Kladis  R  118.890 mph (191.335 km/h)

• First alternate: Buddy Rusch  R  (#37)^[64] – Bumped (116.268 mph (187.115 km/h))

At the start, Mauri Rose tied an Indy record by leading the first lap from the 9th starting position. Attrition was high in the first race after World War II, as three of the first four cars on the grid were out before the 50 mile mark (20 laps). Paul Russo crashed in turn 3 on lap 16. Debris, oil, and leaking gasoline at the crash scene necessitated a lengthy caution period. Russo suffered a broken leg, and some other minor injuries. Several other drivers dropped out early with a bevy of mechanical problems, including Sam Hanks, Rex Mays, George Barringer, Henry Banks, and George Connor.

On lap 40, Mauri Rose suffered a heavy crash in turn 3. Rose entered the race as the defending co-winner, having won the 1941 race with Floyd Davis. Rose spun and the car reportedly rolled over the retaining wall. Rose suffered burns, but no critical injuries.

George Robson took the lead for good on lap 93. His six-cylinder Sparks was the first 6-cylinder winning car since Ray Harroun in 1911. Rookie Jimmy Jackson finished second, at the relatively close margin of 44 seconds.

Ted Horn made two lengthy pit stops and fell seven laps behind the last running car. Horn returned to the track, and charged all the way up to third place at the finish. Horn was the fastest car on the track in the second half, and he completed the entire 500 miles, but was 12 minutes behind Robson.

A mild controversy came about after the race, as race winner Robson was accused of breaking the rules by not exiting the cockpit of the car during pit stops. A protest was filed, but it was later dismissed.^[66] Only nine cars were still running at the finish. Rookie Bill Sheffler, running off the pace most of the afternoon, nursed his car to 9th place finish. Under the rules at the time, all cars still running at the finish were placed ahead all cars that had dropped out - regardless of total laps completed. Sheffler, running a pace of about 60 mph, managed to complete 139 laps before he was flagged off as the last car still running.

Finish	Grid	No	Name	Chassis	Engine	Laps	Status
1	15	16	George Robson	Adams	Sparks SC	200	114.820 mph
2	5	61	Jimmy Jackson  R	Miller FD	Offenhauser	200	+34.04
3	7	29	Ted Horn	Maserati	Maserati SC	200	+11:52.90
4	11	18	Emil Andres	Maserati	Maserati SC	200	+14:01.95
5	12	24	Joie Chitwood (Sam Hanks Laps 52–200)	Wetteroth	Offenhauser	200	+15:18.60
6	6	33	Louis Durant  R	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo SC	200	+24:04.18
7	28	52	Luigi Villoresi  R	Maserati	Maserati SC	200	+36:13.53
8	29	7	Frank Wearne	Shaw	Offenhauser	197	Flagged
9	25	39	Bill Sheffler  R	Bromme	Offenhauser	139	Flagged
10	31	17	Billy Devore	Wetteroth	Offenhauser	167	Throttle
11	27	4	Mel Hansen	Kurtis	Novi SC	143	Crankshaft
12	10	25	Russ Snowberger (Duke Nalon Laps 90–134)	Maserati	Maserati SC	134	Differential
13	18	14	Harry McQuinn (Jimmy Wilburn Laps 90–124)	Adams	Sparks SC	124	Out of oil
14	19	2	Ralph Hepburn	Kurtis	Novi SC	121	Stalled
15	13	12	Al Putnam (George Connor Laps 100–120)	Hartz	Offenhauser	120	Magneto
16	1	3	Cliff Bergere (Rex Mays Laps 60–82)	Wetteroth	Offenhauser	82	Out of oil
17	8	45	Duke Dinsmore  R	Adams	Offenhauser	82	Rod
18	17	5	Chet Miller (Louis Tomei Laps 58–64)	Williams FD	Offenhauser	64	Oil line
19	16	63	Jimmy Wilburn  R	Alfa Romeo 8C35	Alfa Romeo	52	Engine
20	26	42	Tony Bettenhausen  R	Miller-Hartz	Miller SC	47	Rod
21	33	59	Danny Kladis  R	Miller FD	Ford V8	46	Towed
22	32	54	Duke Nalon	Maserati 4CL	Maserati SC	45	Universal joint
23	9	8	Mauri Rose  W	Lencki	Offenhauser	40	Crash T3
24	30	38	George Connor	Kurtis FWD	Offenhauser	38	Piston
25	23	48	Hal Robson  R	Bugatti	Miller	37	Rod
26	22	15	Louis Tomei	Stevens FD	Brisko	34	Oil line
27	21	31	Henry Banks	Snowberger FD	Offenhauser	32	Pinion shaft
28	20	64	Shorty Cantlon	Miller ED	Offenhauser	28	Clutch
29	24	26	George Barringer	Miller 4DRE	Miller SC	27	Gears
30	14	1	Rex Mays	Stevens	Winfield	26	Manifold
31	3	32	Sam Hanks	Sampson	Sampson SC	18	Oil line
32	4	47	Hal Cole  R	Alfa Romeo P3	Alfa Romeo SC	16	Fuel leak
33	2	10	Paul Russo	Fageol 4WD	Twin Offenhauser	16	Crash T3
[67]

Note: Relief drivers in parentheses^[68]

 W  Former Indianapolis 500 winner

 R  Indianapolis 500 Rookie

All entrants utilized Firestone tires.

The race was carried live on the Mutual Broadcasting System. The broadcast was sponsored by Perfect Circle Piston Rings and Bill Slater served as the anchor.^[70] The broadcast featured live coverage of the start, the finish, and live updates throughout the race.

• 1946 AAA Championship Car season

• Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats – Official Site
• 1946 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Mutual: Re-broadcast on "The All-Night Race Party" - WFNI (May 28, 2011)