1960 Indianapolis 500

44th Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	USAC
Date	May 30, 1960
Winner	Jim Rathmann
Winning team	Ken-Paul
Average speed	138.767 mph (223.324 km/h)
Pole position	Eddie Sachs
Pole speed	146.592 mph (235.917 km/h)
Most laps led	Jim Rathmann (100)
Pre-race ceremonies
Pace car	Oldsmobile
Pace car driver	Sam Hanks
Starter	Bill Vanderwater[1]
Estimated attendance	200,000[2]
Chronology
Previous Next 1959 1961

The 44th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Monday, May 30, 1960. The event was race 2 of 12 of the 1960 USAC National Championship Trail and was also race 3 of 10 in the 1960 World Championship of Drivers. It would be the final time World Championship points would be awarded at the Indy 500.

Often regarded as the greatest two-man duel in Indianapolis 500 history, the 1960 race saw a then-record 29 lead changes (a record that stood until 2012). Jim Rathmann and Rodger Ward battled out nearly the entire second half. Rathmann took the lead for good on lap 197 after Ward was forced to slow down with a worn out tire.^[3] Rathmann's margin of victory of 12.75 seconds was the second-closest finish in Indy history at the time.

The inaugural 500 Festival Open Invitation was held at the Speedway Golf Course in the four days leading up to the race.

Time trials was scheduled for four days, but the third day was rained out.

• Saturday May 14 – Pole Day time trials
  • Eddie Sachs set a track record of 146.592 mph to win the pole position.
• Sunday May 15 – Second day time trials
• Saturday May 21 – Third day time trials
  • The third day of time trials was rained out.
• Sunday May 22 – Fourth day time trials
  • Jim Hurtubise nearly broke the elusive and much-anticipated 150 mph barrier. Hurtubise's four-lap qualifying average of 149.056 mph featured a new one-lap record of 149.601 mph (on lap 3), to establish himself as the fastest qualifier in the field.^[4]

After Carburetion tests, Dempsey Wilson replaced Jimmy Daywalt as the driver for the #23 entry, and the car was moved to the rear of the starting grid.^[5]

Row	Inside		Middle		Outside
1	6	Eddie Sachs	4	Jim Rathmann	1	Rodger Ward  W
2	97	Dick Rathmann	9	Len Sutton	28	Troy Ruttman  W
3	22	Eddie Johnson	7	Don Branson	65	Chuck Stevenson
4	10	Jimmy Bryan  W	73	Don Freeland	98	Lloyd Ruby  R
5	8	Johnny Boyd	38	Bob Christie	32	Wayne Weiler  R
6	5	A. J. Foyt	3	Johnny Thomson	2	Tony Bettenhausen
7	26	Shorty Templeman	37	Gene Force	14	Bobby Grim
8	27	Red Amick	55	Jim Hurtubise  R	48	Gene Hartley
9	44	Bob Veith	99	Paul Goldsmith	17	Duane Carter
10	18	Bud Tingelstad  R	46	Eddie Russo	76	Al Herman
11	39	Bill Homeier	16	Jim McWithey	23	Dempsey Wilson

• First alternate: Chuck Rodee  R  (#89)^[6]

The race started out with four contenders in the first half. Rodger Ward took the lead on lap 1 from the outside of the front row. Ward led the first lap. But polesitter Eddie Sachs took the lead on lap 2. Two laps later, Ward was back in front, and the record-setting number of lead changes was already under way. Troy Ruttman and Jim Rathmann also took turns at the front.

The first caution came out on lap 47 when Duane Carter spun in turn 3. He did not hit the wall, and came to a rest in the infield grass. Carter was able to continue. Moments later, Don Branson came into the pits, but came in too hot. He lost control and did a half spin, tagging the pit wall. The crew jumped out the way, and no one was injured. The damage was minimal, and Branson was able to continue.

On lap 66, Jim McWithey came into the pits without any brakes. He brushed the inside pit wall trying to slow the car down, but failed to stop. He continued through the pit lane and finally came to rest in the infield grass in turn 1. On lap 88 Eddie Russo hit the wall exiting turn two, and slid down the backstretch. Russo was taken to the hospital for a scalp wound and a concussion. During the yellow for Russo's crash, Wayne Weiler brushed the wall in turn two. His car suffered suspension damage, and he dropped out after 103 laps.

The green came back out on lap 100, but almost immediately, the yellow light was back on. Chuck Stevenson spun in the south short-chute exiting the pits. Stevenson was able to continue in the race. It was the fourth and final yellow light period of the afternoon. The green came back out for good on lap 110.

Rodger Ward had stalled his engine twice during his first pit stop, losing considerable ground. After getting back on the track, he started charging to catch up to the front of the field.^[8] Shortly after the halfway point, Eddie Sachs and Troy Ruttman would both drop out of the race, ultimately leaving Rathmann and Ward to battle it out in front.

On about lap 124, Tony Bettenhausen came in for a routine pit stop. He complained of a smoking engine, but returned to the track. One lap later, he was back in the pits with a fire and a blown engine. Bettenhausen was unhurt, but hoisted himself out of the cockpit as it was coasting to stop in the pits to avoid getting burned. Safety crew extinguished the fire and no one was injured.

In the second half, Rodger Ward had caught up to Jim Rathmann, with Johnny Thomson close behind in third. Rathmann and Ward swapped the lead several times, meanwhile Ward was hoping that the pace would slow down, in order to save his tires to the end. After stalling in the pits earlier, the hard charge Ward made to get back to the front was a concern. He feared that that he had worn out his tires prematurely. Ward was aware of Rathmann's tendencies as a driver, and allowed Rathmann to pass him for the lead. Rathmann had a reputation for charging hard to take the lead, but once he was in the lead, he would often back the pace down.^[8] Ward's prediction came true, but it was at the expense of losing ground to third place. Johnny Thomson was now catching up. Thomson's day was not without incident, however. He blew a right rear tire around lap 145; but it occurred as he was already pulling into his pit stall for a routine pit stop.

Ward and Rathmann came in for their final scheduled pit stops on lap 148. Ward's crew had him out first, with Rathmann right behind.

With 48 laps to go, three cars were on the lead lap. Rathmann now led Ward, and Thomson was just ten second behind in third place. With Thomson closing in on the leaders, Ward and Rathmann started charging again, racing each other hard, swapping the lead several times between themselves. Thomson narrowed the deficit to about 8 seconds, but on lap 172 his engine started losing power. He slowed and wound up nursing his car to a 5th-place finish.

Inside ten laps to go, Rodger Ward seemed to have the faster car, and he took the lead on lap 194. He was less than six laps from victory. A few laps later though, Ward observed the cords in his right front tire showing, and he backed off the pace. Jim Rathmann took the lead for good on lap 197, and pulled away for victory. Due to Ward's experience as a tire tester, he was able to nurse his car to the finish line without pitting to change the bad tire. He finished second place, about 12 seconds behind Rathmann.^[3] Despite winning twice (1959 and 1962), Rodger Ward often considered this race his personal best.^[8]

Paul Goldsmith charged from 26th starting position to finish 3rd, holding off 4th place Don Branson by about a car length.

Pos	Grid	No	Driver	Constructor	Qual	Rank	Laps	Time/Retired	Points	WDC Points
1	2	4	Jim Rathmann	Watson-Offenhauser	146.37	4	200	3:36:11.36	1,000	8
2	3	1	Rodger Ward  W	Watson-Offenhauser	145.56	5	200	+ 0:12.75	800	6
3	26	99	Paul Goldsmith	Epperly-Offenhauser	142.78	27	200	+ 3:07.30	700	4
4	8	7	Don Branson	Phillips-Offenhauser	144.75	11	200	+ 3:07.98	600	3
5	17	3	Johnny Thomson	Lesovsky-Offenhauser	146.44	3	200	+ 3:11.35	500	2
6	7	22	Eddie Johnson	Trevis-Offenhauser	145.00	10	200	+ 4:10.61	400	1
7	12	98	Lloyd Ruby  R	Watson-Offenhauser	144.20	15	200	+ 4:25.59	300
8	25	44	Bob Veith	Meskowski-Offenhauser	143.36	23	200	+ 5:17.48	250
9	28	18	Bud Tingelstad  R	Trevis-Offenhauser	142.35	29	200	+ 8:19.91	200
10	14	38	Bob Christie	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	143.63	19	200	+ 8:40.28	150
11	22	27	Red Amick	Epperly-Offenhauser	143.08	26	200	+ 11:10.58	100
12	27	17	Duane Carter	Kuzma-Offenhauser	142.63	28	200	+ 11:17.20	50
13	31	39	Bill Homeier	Kuzma-Offenhauser	141.24	32	200	+ 12:10.71
14	24	48	Gene Hartley	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	143.89	16	196	+ 4 Laps
15	9	65	Chuck Stevenson	Watson-Offenhauser	144.66	12	196	+ 4 Laps
16	21	14	Bobby Grim	Meskowski-Offenhauser	143.15	25	194	+ 6 Laps
17	19	26	Shorty Templeman	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	143.85	17	191	Clutch
18	23	56	Jim Hurtubise  R	Christensen-Offenhauser	149.05	1	185	Engine
19	10	10	Jimmy Bryan  W	Epperly-Offenhauser	144.53	13	152	Fuel System
20	6	28	Troy Ruttman  W	Watson-Offenhauser	145.36	8	134	Axle
21	1	6	Eddie Sachs	Ewing-Offenhauser	146.59	2	132	Magneto
22	11	73	Don Freeland	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	144.35	14	129	Magneto
23	18	2	Tony Bettenhausen	Watson-Offenhauser	145.21	9	125	Engine
24	15	32	Wayne Weiler  R	Epperly-Offenhauser	143.51	20	103	Accident
25	16	5	A. J. Foyt	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	143.46	22	90	Clutch
26	29	46	Eddie Russo	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	142.20	30	90	Accident
27	13	8	Johnny Boyd	Epperly-Offenhauser	143.77	18	77	Engine
28	20	37	Gene Force	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	143.47	21	74	Brakes
29	32	16	Jim McWithey	Epperly-Offenhauser	140.37	33	60	Brakes
30	5	9	Len Sutton	Watson-Offenhauser	145.44	7	47	Engine
31	4	97	Dick Rathmann	Watson-Offenhauser	145.54	6	42	Brakes
32	30	76	Al Herman	Ewing-Offenhauser	141.83	31	34	Clutch
33	33	23	Dempsey Wilson	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	143.21	24	11	Magneto

 W  Former Indianapolis 500 winner

 R  Indianapolis 500 Rookie

All entrants utilized Firestone tires.

• Fastest Lead Lap: Jim Rathmann – 1:01.59
• The 1960 Indianapolis 500 was the final 500 which featured a 33-car field consisting of all front-engined cars.
• The weather on race day would reach a high of 75 °F (24 °C) with wind speeds up to 15 miles per hour (24 km/h).^[10] Climate historians would consider this to be the "traditional" climate for an Indianapolis 500 race.
• Despite some published claims that it was Smokey Yunick,^[11] the race-winning chief mechanic for Rathmann was Takeo "Chickie" Hirashima.^[12]

Two spectators in the infield, Fred H. Linder, 36, of Indianapolis, and William C. Craig, 37, of Zionsville, were killed, and as many as 82 were injured, when a homemade scaffolding collapsed. Approximately 125–130 patrons had paid a small fee ($5–$10) to view the race from the 30-foot tall scaffolding, erected by a private individual (Wilbur Shortridge, Jr.^[13]) and not the Speedway – a practice that was allowed at the time. The structure was partially anchored to a pick-up truck, and situated in the infield of turn three. Over the years, the private scaffold platforms had become a popular fixture at the Speedway, with often many located around the massive infield. They were not sponsored by the track, and at times, the track management would attempt to curtail the practice, with safety in mind. However, enforcement was inconsistent, and they were not banned outright prior to 1960.

During the parade lap as the field drove by, the people on the platform began to lean and wave at the cars, which caused the scaffolding to become unstable. It soon tipped forward and fell to the ground, crushing people who were underneath the structure, and the 125–130 people who were on it either fell or jumped to the ground. Linder and Craig were pronounced dead of broken necks, and over 80 were injured, about 22 seriously.

After the accident, the Speedway banned "bootleg" homemade scaffolds at the track, a rule that still exists to this day. The track management was scrutinized by the state fire marshal and other officials for allowing the scaffolds to be constructed without permits, inspections, or any sort of safety rules. Other reports even criticized spectators who witnessed the tragedy and did little to offer help, whereas many in attendance were totally unaware of the accident. Johnny Rutherford, who was attending the race for the first time as a spectator, claims to have witnessed the accident.^[14] In addition, his future wife Betty Hoyer, a student nurse, attended to the scene.^[15]

The scaffold collapse was captured in a prize-winning series of images by Indianapolis News photographer J. Parke Randall

1960 Indianapolis 500
Race 2 of 10 in the 1960 Formula One season ← Previous race Next race →
Race details
Date	May 30, 1960 (1960-05-30)
Location	Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	4.023 km (2.500 miles)
Distance	200 laps, 804.672 km (500.000 miles)

The Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA World Championship of Drivers from 1950 through 1960. The race was sanctioned by AAA through 1955, and then by USAC beginning in 1956. At the time the new world championship was announced and first organized by the CSI, the United States did not yet have a Grand Prix. Indianapolis Motor Speedway vice president and general manager Theodore E. "Pop" Meyers lobbied that the Indianapolis 500 be selected as the race to represent the country and to pay points towards the world championship.^[16][17]

Drivers competing at the Indianapolis 500 in 1950 through 1960 were credited with participation in and earned points towards the World Championship of Drivers.^[18] However, the machines competing at Indianapolis were not necessarily run to Formula One specifications and regulations.^[19] The drivers also earned separate points (on a different scale) towards the respective AAA or USAC national championships. No points, however, were awarded by the FIA towards the World Constructors' Championship.

The 1960 Indianapolis 500 was round 3 of 10 on the 1960 World Championship. The event, however, failed to attract interest from any of the regular competitors on the Grand Prix circuit, particularly since it was held the day after the Monaco Grand Prix. Race winner Jim Rathmann earned 8 points towards the World Championship. Despite not competing in any of the other World Championship events, he finished eighth in the final season standings. This would be the final time the Indianapolis 500 paid points towards the World Championship of Drivers.

	Pos	Driver	Points
	1	Bruce McLaren	14
	2	Stirling Moss	8
31	3	Jim Rathmann	8
1	4	Cliff Allison	6
29	5	Rodger Ward	6
Source: [20]

• Notes: Only the top five positions are included.

The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Sid Collins served as chief announcer. Fred Agabashian served as "driver expert" for the second year. After the race, Luke Walton reported from victory lane.

For the first time, the network reached South Africa via tape-delay rebroadcasts.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1960 Indianapolis 500.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1960 Indianapolis 500.

• Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats – Official Site
• 1960 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network