1921 Indianapolis 500 1921 Indianapolis 500 The 9th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1921. Ralph DePalma dominated yet another early running of the 500, but again fails to win. He led 109 laps, and had a two-lap lead at the halfway point. A connecting rod broke, and he dropped out on lap 112. DePalma retires with one win, and 612 laps led in the "500." His laps led record would not be matched for 67 years until Al Unser, Sr. tied it in 1987. Tommy Milton won the first of two 500 victories.
Indianapolis 500 firsts Indianapolis 500 firsts †- During time trials, Bill Vukovich II turned his first lap at , to set the one-lap track record, and was the first driver to officially break the barrier. He, however, crashed on his second lap, and did not complete the four-lap qualifying run. Later in the afternoon, Joe Leonard qualified a four-lap average of to break the four-lap barrier. Later in the day, however, Bobby Unser qualified even faster, over , and became the first pole position winner to break and for his four-lap average. "Indianapolis 500 Chronicle", John Pope, copyright 1999<br> "2005 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race