Mauri Rose (1941, 1947, 1948)

Mauri Rose made it to Victory Lane three times at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, becoming the third racer to accomplish that feat in 1947. He is one of the greatest to run at the Brickyard.

His three wins in four races (no races were held from 1942-1945 due to WWII) is an accomplishment no other Indy 500 driver can say they hold.

However, it didn't come easily for Rose, and surely not traditionally either.


Rose had the fastest car by far in the 1941 race, winning the pole position. He led 20 laps and was pulling away when he had a spark plug problem knock him out of the race on lap 60.

He wasn't out of a car long, however.  Rose's teammate, Floyd Davis, was running 14th when he was called into the pits to relinquish his seat. Reluctantly, Davis climbed out of the car, and Rose took his place. He drove Davis's car up near the front of the field, but was well behind leader (and three time winner) Wilbur Shaw. Unluckily for Shaw, though, a wheel on his car collapses on lap 151. He said later that the defective tire was marked so that it wouldn't be used. However, a fire broke out on race day morning in the garage, and the marking on the tire washed off from the firefighters trying to put out the flames.  After Shaw's crash, it takes only ten laps for Rose to move to the lead. He cruised to a 90 second victory. Both he and Davis got credit for the victory, even though Davis never led a lap.

The 1947 race also was "gift wrapped" for Rose. Bill Holland leads his teammate Rose by a comfortable margin late in the race. In fact, team owner Lou Moore displays "EZY" for both Holland and Rose. Holland listens, Rose does not. Rose charges up and on lap 193 passes Holland for the lead. Holland actually thought Rose was a lap down. He even waved happily to Rose as he made the pass. Rose won by 32 seconds, and a very upset Holland realizes he's given away the Indianapolis 500.

Rose and Holland have another 1-2 finish in 1948, but without controversy. Rose won by 84 seconds to win his third and final Indy 500.

His win-first and never-back-down attitude led him to victory in 1947, and probably would have led him to more victories after 1948. However, he defied his team owner once too many times, and ended up losing his drive in the 1950 race. He retired a couple years later. How many races could this man have won? He lost four races during the war, and his career ended up being cut short. This man could have easily won one or two more times...could he truly be the best racer in the history of Indy?