Highlights from the 25th running of the Indianapolis 500

RACE: 25th Indianapolis 500

DATE: May 31, 1937

WINNER: Wilbur Shaw

AVERAGE SPEED: 113.580 mph

WHAT HAPPENED: In 92 degree heat, the man with four top-10 finishes in the previous seven races, including two runner-ups, finally broke through - just barely. Shaw led by two minutes with 20 laps to go when the oil pressure started dropping. So he backed off the pace to save the car and limped across the finish line with a race record average speed of 113.580 mph but just 2.16 seconds ahead of Ralph Hepburn. Three-time winner Louis Meyer, who had teamed up with Shaw in 1927, came in fourth.

NOTABLE: The margin of victory remained a record until the dramatic 1982 race when Gordon Johncock beat Rick Mears by 0.16 seconds. Rex Mays became the second driver to take the pole in back-to-back years. The Offy engines powered six of the top 11 finishers, including the cars of Shaw and Hepburn.