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Pete DePaolo in 1925

Pete DePaolo racing in 1925

Pete DePaolo (April 15, 1898 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – November 26, 1980) was an American race car driver. He won the 1925 Indianapolis 500.

[edit] Racing career

Pete saw his first race in 1919, where he watched his uncle Ralph DePalma win. He drove his first Indianapolis 500 in 1922 (finishing 4th!).

He pulled out to a huge lead in the 1925 Indianapolis 500. His fingers became badly blistered around the midpoint of the race, and car owner Fred Duesenberg pulled DePaolo out of the car. DePaolo had his hands repaired in the infield care center, and returned in the car after missing 21 laps. He had dropped to fifth. He raced his way to the win on his way to the series drivers championship. The race was the first Indianapolis 500 to average over 100 miles per hour (101.270 mph). Pete did not consider this to be his greatest win (since he was replaced for 21 laps).

He began his only team in 1927. He finished second in the Indianapolis 500, and added two wins on his way to the series drivers championship.

He decided to retire after he was in a coma for 11 days after crashing in Spain in 1934.

[edit] Indy 500 results

Year	Car	Start	Qual	Rank	Finish	Laps	Led	Retired
1922	7	10	96.200	11	20	110	3	Crash T3
1924	12	13	99.280	13	6	200	0	Running
1925	12	2	113.083	2	1	200	115	Running
1926	12	27	96.709	18	5	153	0	Flagged
1927	3	2	119.510	2	26	31	30	Supercharger
1929	37	5	115.093	5	30	25	0	Steering
1930	5	21	99.956	19	33	19	0	Crash T3
Totals						738	148

Starts	7
Poles	0
Front Row	2
Wins	1
Top 5	2
Top 10	3
Retired	4

[edit] Car owner

He was car owner and team manager for Kelly Petillo's 1935 Indianapolis 500 victory.

He was a successful NASCAR team owner from 1955 to 1957. His drivers finished second, third, and second in the final points standings. The drivers accumulated 21 wins and 109 Top 10 finishes in 178 starts.

**Pete DePaolo**

Owner(s) Name	Pete DePaolo
Racing Series	NASCAR Grand National
Number of Championships	0
Number of Wins	21
Car Number(s)	12, 22, 87, 97, 98, 99, 297
Notable Driver(s)	Bill Amick Buck Baker Ralph Moody Marvin Panch Fireball Roberts Curtis Turner Joe Weatherly
Notable Sponsor(s)	DePaolo Engineering, Southeastern Dealers
Manufacturer	Ford
Shop Location
Year Opened	1955
Year Closed	1957

[edit] Awards

He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1995.
He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1995.

[edit] Writer

He wrote his biography in the book Wall Smacker, published in 1935

DePaolo was an Associate Editor at Speed Age magazine when he wrote an eight part series "I Drove The Boards" from July 1951 through August 1952.

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pete DePaolo

Preceded by Joe Boyer Lora L. Corum	Indianapolis 500 Winner 1925	Succeeded by Frank Lockhart