Formula 1 historical archive

Lee Wallard won the 1951 Indianapolis 500

Lee Wallard won the 1951 Indianapolis 500 for Kurtis Kraft, ahead of Mike Nazaruk and Jack McGrath at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Browse the full classification, related season, driver, team, circuit, and championship history.

Race recap

Winner
Lee Wallard
Team
Kurtis Kraft
Top listed
Lee Wallard, Mike Nazaruk, and Jack McGrath
Race date
May 30, 1951
Pole
Duke Nalon
Fastest lap
Lee Wallard
Classified drivers
34
Circuit
Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The decisive result

Lee Wallard finished first for Kurtis Kraft. Mike Nazaruk is listed 2 for Kurtis Kraft, with Jack McGrath 3 for Kurtis Kraft.

Grid to finish

Andy Linden from P31 to P4 (+27), Bobby Ball from P29 to P5 (+24), and Carl Forberg from P24 to P7 (+17) recorded the largest positive grid-to-finish changes in the classification. Duke Nalon started from the listed P1 grid position.

Status and fastest lap

The classification lists 7 Engine, 7 Finished, 2 Axle, 2 Clutch, and 2 Fire. Lee Wallard holds the fastest-lap entry at 1:07.260 on lap 23. It records the result without speculating about incidents or strategy.

This summary sticks to the classification and does not speculate about incidents, strategy, weather, or causes. Source: F1DB (CC BY 4.0) · updated Jul 26, 2026.

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Race classification
PosDriverConstructorTime / statusPoints
1Lee WallardKurtis Kraft3:57:38.0509
2Mike NazarukKurtis Kraft3:59:25.2936
3Jack McGrathKurtis Kraft4:00:29.4402
3Manny AyuloKurtis KraftFinished2
4Andy LindenSherman4:02:18.1703
5Bobby BallSchroeder4:02:30.2802
6Henry BanksMoore4:03:18.0700
7Carl ForbergKurtis Kraft+7 laps0
8Duane CarterDeidt+20 laps0
9Tony BettenhausenDeidtSpun off0
10Duke NalonKurtis KraftRetirement0
11Gene ForceKurtis KraftEngine0
12Sam HanksKurtis KraftEngine0
13Bill SchindlerKurtis KraftEngine0
14Mauri RoseDeidtAccident0
15Walt FaulknerKuzmaEngine0
16Jimmy DaviesPawlAxle0
17Fred AgabashianKurtis KraftClutch0
18Carl ScarboroughKurtis KraftFire0
19Bill MackeyHallClutch0