The 24th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1936.
Louis Meyer was given the keys to the Packard after the race, and it has been a tradition ever since (with only a handful of exceptions).
To slow the cars, a fuel limit of 37.5 gallons of gasoline was implemented for the race distance.
At the start, polesitter Rex Mays led but soon dropped out with a faulty throttle.
Wilbur Shaw then took the lead, but lost time with a 17-minute pit stop to re-fasten loose rivets on his engine hood.