| Race Name: | 13th Indianapolis 500 |
| Race Logo: | 1925 Indianapolis 500 program cover.jpg |
| Sanction: | AAA |
| Date: | May 30, 1925 |
| Winner: | Peter DePaolo |
| Team: | Duesenberg |
| Mph: | 101.127mi/h |
| Pole: | Leon Duray |
| Pole Speed: | 113.196mi/h |
| Leader: | Peter DePaolo (115) |
| Pace Car: | Rickenbacker 8 |
| Pace Driver: | Eddie Rickenbacker |
| Starter: | Seth Klein[1] |
| Honorary: | Charles M. Schwab |
| Attendance: | 150,000[2] |
| Previous: | 1924 |
| Next: | 1926 |
The 13th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1925.
Race winner Peter DePaolo became the first driver to complete the 500 miles in under five hours, and have an average over 100 mph. Norman Batten drove 21 laps of relief (laps 106–127) while DePaolo had his hands bandaged due to blisters and bruises.
Four-lap (10 mile) qualifying runs were utilized. Leon Duray won the pole position with a 4-lap track record of 113.196 mph. Peter DePaolo, who qualified second, set the 1-lap track record at 114.285 mph.
| Qualifying Results | |||||||
| Date | Driver | Lap 1 (mph) | Lap 2 (mph) | Lap 3 (mph) | Lap 4 (mph) | Average Speed (mph) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/26/1925 | Leon Duray | 113.22 | 113.44 | 113.44 | 113.41 | 113.196 | |
| Row | Inside | Middle | Outside | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 |  Leon Duray | 12 | Pete DePaolo | 6 | Harry Hartz |
| 2 | 2 | Earl Cooper | 1 | Dave Lewis | 17 | |
| 3 | 10 | Jules Ellingboe | 22 | 38 | ||
| 4 | 27 | Frank Elliott | 4 | 5 | Fred Comer | |
| 5 | 3 | Bennett Hill | 15 | 24 | ||
| 6 | 23 | Wade Morton | 29 | 8 | ||
| 7 | 19 | Ira Vail | 14 | Bob McDonogh | 7 | |
| 8 | 9 | |||||
DePaolo jumped into the lead at the start, with Earl Cooper close behind. Phil Shafer led briefly, but DePaolo returned to the lead by half-distance. On lap 106, DePaolo came in for relief from Norman Batten while his bloody, blistered hands were bandaged. Dave Lewis then took over the lead in a front-wheel-drive Miller. The front wheels providing good grip in the turns, Lewis began to pull away. Batten soon pitted and DePaolo returned to the cockpit, and set his sights on Lewis.
At about 400 miles, Lewis began to slow, physically exhausted from the grind over the bricks. His crew called him in, but he overshot his pit stall and had to continue for another lap. When he finally stopped, crewmen lifted him out and Bennett Hill climbed in, now 1 1/2 laps behind DePaolo after the botched pit entry and eventual stop.
Hill sped after DePaolo, unlapping himself with about 25 laps to go and gaining several seconds with each lap. But DePaolo crossed the finish line with a record sub-5-hour 500 57 seconds ahead of Hill.[3]
Former Indianapolis 500 winner
Indianapolis 500 Rookie
| Lap Leaders | |
|---|---|
| Laps | Leader |
| 1–54 | Pete DePaolo |
| 55–67 | Phil Shafer |
| 68–85 | Pete DePaolo |
| 86–88 | Harry Hartz |
| 89–104 | Pete DePaolo |
| 105–107 | Dave Lewis |
| 108–122 | Ralph Hepburn |
| 123–126 | Earl Cooper |
| 127–173 | Dave Lewis |
| 174–200 | Pete DePaolo |
| Total laps led | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Laps |
| Pete DePaolo | 115 |
| Dave Lewis | 50 |
| Ralph Hepburn | 15 |
| Phil Shafer | 13 |
| Earl Cooper | 4 |
| Harry Hartz | 3 |