Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Grand Prix starting grid
Race starts
Grid positions from race-result records; not a separately verified pre-race grid.
| POS | DRIVER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Sachs | Ewing |
| 2 | Jim Rathmann | Watson |
| 3 | Rodger Ward | Watson |
| 4 | Dick Rathmann | Watson |
| 5 | Len Sutton | Watson |
| 6 | Troy Ruttman | Watson |
| 7 | Eddie Johnson | Trevis |
| 8 | Don Branson | Phillips |
| 9 | Chuck Stevenson | Watson |
| 10 | Jimmy Bryan | Epperly |
| 11 | Don Freeland | Kurtis Kraft |
| 12 | Lloyd Ruby | Watson |
| 13 | Johnny Boyd | Epperly |
| 14 | Bob Christie | Kurtis Kraft |
| 15 | Wayne Weiler | Epperly |
| 16 | Anthony Foyt | Kurtis Kraft |
| 17 | Johnny Thomson | Lesovsky |
| 18 | Tony Bettenhausen | Watson |
| 19 | Shorty Templeman | Kurtis Kraft |
| 20 | Gene Force | Kurtis Kraft |
| 21 | Bobby Grim | Meskowski |
| 22 | Red Amick | Epperly |
| 23 | Jim Hurtubise | Christensen |
| 24 | Gene Hartley | Kurtis Kraft |
| 25 | Bob Veith | Meskowski |
| 26 | Paul Goldsmith | Epperly |
| 27 | Duane Carter | Kuzma |
| 28 | Bud Tingelstad | Trevis |
| 29 | Eddie Russo | Kurtis Kraft |
| 30 | Al Herman | Ewing |
| 31 | Bill Homeier | Kuzma |
| 32 | Jim McWithey | Epperly |
| 33 | Dempsey Wilson | Kurtis Kraft |