It looked like Frank Lockhart would win again in 1927. His Miller was the fastest car in the race, qualifying at more than 120 miles an hour. For the first 120 laps he seemed unbeatable, but then a connecting rod broke and he ended up in 18th place. The win went to rookie George Souders driving a second-hand Duesenberg.

Norm Batten won praise for his heroics after his car caught fire and he stayed with it long enough steer it out of danger before leaping out.

This would be Lockhart's final Indianapolis 500. A month before the 1928 race he would die in a crash at Daytona Beach while attempting to set a speed record in the futuristic-looking Stutz Black Hawk Special.