The first successful turbocharged racing engine appears to have been in 1952 . Fred Agabashian in a diesel-powered Cummins Special qualified for the pole position at the Indianapolis 500 . The first successful application of turbocharging in automotive racing appears to have been in 1952 when Fred Agabashian in the diesel-powered Cummins Special qualified for pole position at the Indianapolis 500 and led for 175 m before ingested tire shards disabled the compressor section of the Elliott turbocharger .