Which driver won the 1950 Indianapolis 500?

Johnnie Parsons won the 1950 Indianapolis 500.

The 34th Indianapolis 500 was held on May 30, 1950, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Parsons drove a Kurtis-built car entered by Frank Kurtis and led 115 of the race’s 138 completed laps. Rain stopped the contest before the scheduled 200 laps, so the winner was officially classified after 345 miles rather than the full 500.

The race was historically important beyond Parsons’s victory. It was the first Indianapolis 500 to count toward the newly established FIA World Championship of Drivers, the ancestor of today’s Formula One championship. Parsons earned eight points for the win and one for fastest lap, giving him nine championship points. Although he contested no other World Championship rounds, he finished sixth in the final 1950 standings.

A common mix-up is with later Indy 500 winners Sam Hanks, Lee Wallard, and Bill Vukovich. None of those drivers won the 1950 race.