Rodger Ward

Rodger Ward (January 10, 1921 – July 5, 2004) was an American racecar driver who won the 1959 and 1962 Indianapolis 500. He also was the 1959 and 1962 USAC Championship Car champion. Ward was born in Beloit, Kansas, and died in Anaheim, California.

Early history

Ward's father owned an auto wrecking business in Los Angeles. He was 14 years old when he built a Ford hot rod. He was a P-38 Lightning fighter pilot in World War II. He enjoyed flying so much he thought of making it his career. He began to fly B-17 Flying Fortress and was so good he was retained as an instructor. After the war he was stationed in Wichita Falls, Texas when a quarter mile dirt track was built.

Midget car racing

He began racing midget cars in 1946 after he was discharged from the Army. He finished poorly. His skills improved in 1947 and by 1948 he won the San Diego Grand Prix. He raced in an Offenhauser in 1949 and won several races.

Ward shocked the midget car racing world when he broke Offenhauser motor's long winning streak by using Vic Edelbrock's Ford 60 "shaker" motor at Gilmore Stadium on August 10 1950. The motor was one of the first motors to feature nitromethane. Ward and Edelbrock went to the Orange Show Stadium the following night and won again. Ward used his midget car in 1959 to beat the top expensive and exotic sports cars in a Formula Libre race at Lime Rock Park. Midget cars were normally considered competitive for oval tracks only before that time.

Championship cars

He won the 1951 AAA Stock Car championship. The championship gave him an opportunity for a rookie test at the 1951 Indianapolis 500. He passed the test and qualified for the race. He finished 34 laps before his car suffered a broken oil line. He finished 130 laps in the 1952 Indianapolis 500 before the oil pressure failed. His 1953 Indianapolis 500 ended after 170 laps, and his 1954 Indianapolis 500 ended after his car stalled on the backstretch. He completed all of the laps for the first time in 1956, finishing eighth.

In 1959 he joined the Triple W team with owner Bob Wilke and mechanic A. J. Watson. Ward won his first Indianapolis 500. He won the AAA National Championship with victories at Milwaukee, DeQuoin and the Indy Fairgrounds. His 1959 season ended by competing in the only United States Grand Prix held at Sebring Raceway.

Ward battled Jim Rathmann for the lead in the 1960 Indianapolis 500. Ward took the lead on lap 183 (of 200). The lead switched back and forth between Ward and Rathmann until Rathmann pulled ahead on lap 197 and won the race.

Ward took the lead at the 1962 Indianapolis 500 at lap 126 and lead the rest of the race. He won the season championship that year, which had changed to USAC sanction in the interim.

He had his last start in the Indianapolis 500 in |1966 and he finished fifteenth. He had 26 victories in his 150 starts between 1950 and 1964, and he finished in the top ten in more than half of his starts. He retired in Tustin, California. He died on July 5, 2004.

Awards

• In 1992, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
• He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1995.
• Ward was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1995.
• Ward is a member of the Auto Racing Hall of Fame in Indianapolis.
• He was inducted in the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in 2003.

Indy 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1951 48 25 134.867 7 27 34 0 Oil line 1952 34 22 134.139 28 23 130 0 Oil pressure 1953 92 10 137.468 6 16 177 0 Stalled 1954 12 16 139.297 8 22 172 0 Engine 1955 27 30 135.049 30 28 53 0 Crash BS 1956 19 15 141.171 27 8 200 0 Running 1957 8 24 141.321 15 30 27 0 Supercharger 1958 8 11 143.266 14 20 93 0 Fuel pump 1959 5 6 144.035 7 1 200 130 Running 1960 1 3 145.560 5 2 200 58 Running 1961 2 4 146.187 5 3 200 7 Running 1962 3 2 149.371 2 1 200 66 Running 1963 1 4 149.800 6 4 200 0 Running 1964 2 3 156.406 3 2 200 0 Running 1966 26 13 159.468 19 15 74 0 Handling Totals 2160 261

Starts 15 Poles 0 Front Row 3 Wins 2 Top 5 6 Top 10 7 Retired 8

• Ward's finishes from 1959 thru 1963 and 1960 thru 1964 rank as the best and second best five-race finishing streaks in Indianapolis 500 history.

World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Rodger Ward participated in 12 World Championship races, including 10 starts at Indy along with the 1959 United States Grand Prix and the 1963 United States Grand Prix. He won 1 race and finished on the podium twice. He accumulated a total of 14 championship points.

Complete Formula One World Championship Results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	WDC	Points
1951	L & B Bromme	Bromme	Offenhauser	SUI	500 27	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA	ESP				-	0
1952	Federal Auto Associates	Kurtis Kraft 4000	Offenhauser	SUI	500 23	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	NED	ITA				-	0
1953	M. A. Walker	Kurtis Kraft	Offenhauser	ARG	500 16	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	SUI	ITA			-	0
1954	R. N. Sabourin	Pawl	Offenhauser	ARG	500 22	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	SUI	ITA	ESP			-	0
1955	E. R. Casale	Kuzma	Offenhauser	ARG	MON	500 28	BEL	NED	GBR	ITA					-	0
1956	Ed Walsh	Kurtis Kraft 500C	Offenhauser	ARG	MON	500 8	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA				-	0
1957	Roger Wolcott	Lesovsky	Offenhauser	ARG	MON	500 30	FRA	GBR	GER	PES	ITA				-	0
1958	Roger Wolcott	Lesovsky	Offenhauser	ARG	MON	NED	500 20	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	POR	ITA	MOR	-	0
1959	Leader Cards Inc.	Watson	Offenhauser	MON	500 1										10th	8
		Kurtis Kraft				NED	FRA	GBR	GER	POR	ITA	USA Ret
1960	Leader Cards Inc.	Watson	Offenhauser	ARG	MON	500 2	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	POR	ITA	USA		12th	6
1963	Reg Parnell Racing	Lotus 24	BRM V8	MON	BEL	NED	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA	USA Ret	MEX	RSA		-	0