It was a third consecutive victory as well as the fifth in the last eight runnings for driver-turned-owner Lou Moore, who followed up his one–two finishes of 1947 and 1948 with a “one–three.”

Bill Holland, runner-up to Mauri Rose in the previous two runnings, scored this time, mechanical trouble knocking Rose out of second eight laps from the end. Newcomer Johnnie Parsons moved up to claim second ahead of another Moore veteran, George Connor.

A pair of crowd-pleasing V8 Novis started one–two in the hands of Duke Nalon and Rex Mays, but both were out early (Nalon involved in a fiery crash), while Lee Wallard also fell out after leading in the ex–Wilbur Shaw, ex–Ted Horn Maserati.

Not only was the race televised for the first time, but local television was actually born on this day. With barely 3,000 sets ready for the occasion, WFBM Channel 6 (later to become WRTV) made a most ambitious debut by joining the air shortly after breakfast and then presenting live coverage of the entire Indianapolis 500.