1960 Indianapolis 500

44th Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	AAA / World Championship
Date	May 30, 1960
Winner	Jim Rathmann
Winning Entrant	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
Pace car	Oldsmobile
Pace car driver	Sam Hanks
Chronology
Previous Next 1959 1961

The 44th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1960. The event was part of the 1960 USAC National Championship Trail, and was included in the 1960 World Drivers Championship. 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.^[1] 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

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.^[2]

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.^[3]

Race recap

First half

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

The first caution came out on lap 47, after Duane Carter spun in turn 3. He did not hit the wall, came to a rest in the infield grass, then continued in the race. Later, Jim McWithey came into the pits without any brakes. He brushed the inside pit wall trying to slow the car down, but continued through the pit lane and wasn't able to stop until he reached the infield grass in turn 1. Later in the race, Eddie Russo and Wayne Weiler also suffer single-car crashes.

Rodger Ward 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.^[4] 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.

Second half

On about lap 124, Tony Bettenhausen came in for a routine pit stop. He complains of a smoking engine, but returns 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.

In the second half, Ward had caught up to Rathmann, with Johnny Thomson close behind in third. Rathmann and Ward swapped the lead several times, but 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, as he was afraid he had worn out his tires prematurely. Ward was aware of Rathmann's tendencies as a driver, and allowed him to pass him for the lead, knowing that Rathmann would frequently charge hard to take the lead, but once he was in the lead, would often back the pace down.^[4] Ward's prediction came true, but it was at the expense of losing ground to third place. Johnny Thomson was now catching up.

With Thomson closing in on the leaders, Ward and Rathmann started charging again, racing each other hard, swapping the lead between themselves. Meanwhile Thomson's engine lost power, and he slowed to a 5th place finish. In side ten laps to go, Rodger Ward seemed to have the faster car, and took the lead on lap 194. A few laps later though, Ward saw the cords in his right front tire showing, and he let off the pace. Jim Rathmann took the lead on lap 197, and pulled away for victory. Due to Ward's experience in tire testing, he was able to nurse his car to the finish without pitting to change the tire, and held on to second place.^[1] Despite winning twice (1959 and 1962), Rodger Ward often considered this race his personal best.^[4]

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

Classification

  1960 Indianapolis 500

Race details
Race 3 of 10 in the 1960 Formula One season
Date	30 May 1960
Official name	44th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes
Location	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis
Course	Permanent racing facility 4.023 km (2.500 mi)
Distance	200 laps, 804.675 km (500.000 mi)
Pole position
Driver	Eddie Sachs	Ewing-Offenhauser
Time	146.592 mph (235.917 km/h)
Fastest lap
Driver	Jim Rathmann	Watson-Offenhauser
Time	1:01.59
Podium
First	Jim Rathmann	Watson-Offenhauser
Second	Roger Ward	Watson-Offenhauser
Third	Paul Goldsmith	Epperly-Offenhauser
Lap leaders

Pos	Grid	No	Nat	Driver	Constructor	Qual	Rank	Laps	Led	Time/Retired	Points
1	2	4		Jim Rathmann	Watson-Offenhauser	146.37	4	200	100	3:36:11.36	8
2	3	1		Rodger Ward (W)	Watson-Offenhauser	145.56	5	200	58	+ 0:12.75	6
3	26	99		Paul Goldsmith	Epperly-Offenhauser	142.78	27	200	0	+ 3:07.30	4
4	8	7		Don Branson	Phillips-Offenhauser	144.75	11	200	0	+ 3:07.98	3
5	17	3		Johnny Thomson	Lesovsky-Offenhauser	146.44	3	200	10	+ 3:11.35	2
6	7	22		Eddie Johnson	Trevis-Offenhauser	145	10	200	0	+ 4:10.61	1
7	12	98		Lloyd Ruby (R)	Watson-Offenhauser	144.2	15	200	0	+ 4:25.59
8	25	44		Bob Veith	Meskowski-Offenhauser	143.36	23	200	0	+ 5:17.48
9	28	18		Bud Tingelstad (R)	Trevis-Offenhauser	142.35	29	200	0	+ 8:19.91
10	14	38		Bob Christie	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	143.63	19	200	0	+ 8:40.28
11	22	27		Red Amick	Epperly-Offenhauser	143.08	26	200	0	+ 11:10.58
12	27	17		Duane Carter	Kuzma-Offenhauser	142.63	28	200	0	+ 11:17.20
13	31	39		Bill Homeier	Kuzma-Offenhauser	141.24	32	200	0	+ 12:10.71
14	24	48		Gene Hartley	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	143.89	16	196	0	+ 4 Laps
15	9	65		Chuck Stevenson	Watson-Offenhauser	144.66	12	196	0	+ 4 Laps
16	21	14		Bobby Grim	Meskowski-Offenhauser	143.15	25	194	0	+ 6 Laps
17	19	26		Shorty Templeman	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	143.85	17	191	0	Clutch
18	23	56		Jim Hurtubise (R)	Christensen-Offenhauser	149.05	1	185	0	Engine
19	10	10		Jimmy Bryan (W)	Epperly-Offenhauser	144.53	13	152	0	Fuel System
20	6	28		Troy Ruttman (W)	Watson-Offenhauser	145.36	8	134	11	Axle
21	1	6		Eddie Sachs	Ewing-Offenhauser	146.59	2	132	21	Magneto
22	11	73		Don Freeland	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	144.35	14	129	0	Magneto
23	18	2		Tony Bettenhausen	Watson-Offenhauser	145.21	9	125	0	Engine
24	15	32		Wayne Weiler (R)	Epperly-Offenhauser	143.51	20	103	0	Accident
25	16	5		A.J. Foyt	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	143.46	22	90	0	Clutch
26	29	46		Eddie Russo	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	142.2	30	90	0	Accident
27	13	8		Johnny Boyd	Epperly-Offenhauser	143.77	18	77	0	Engine
28	20	37		Gene Force	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	143.47	21	74	0	Brakes
29	32	16		Jim McWithey	Epperly-Offenhauser	140.37	33	60	0	Brakes
30	5	9		Len Sutton	Watson-Offenhauser	145.44	7	47	0	Engine
31	4	97		Dick Rathmann	Watson-Offenhauser	145.54	6	42	0	Brakes
32	30	76		Al Herman	Ewing-Offenhauser	141.83	31	34	0	Clutch
33	33	23		Dempsey Wilson	Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser	143.21	24	11	0	Magneto

Alternates

• First alternate: Chuck Rodee^[5]

Lap leaders

1 Ward 2–3 Sachs 4–18 Ward 19–24 Ruttman 25–37 J. Rathmann 38–41 Ward 42–51 Sachs 52–56 Ruttman 57–61 Sachs 62–69 J. Rathmann 70–72 Sachs 73–74 J. Rathmann 75 Sachs 76–85 J. Rathmann 86–95 Thomson

96–122 J. Rathmann 123–127 Ward 128–141 J. Rathmann 142–146 Ward 147 J. Rathmann 148–151 Ward 152–162 J. Rathmann 163–169 Ward 170 J. Rathmann 171–177 Ward 178–182 J. Rathmann 183–189 Ward 190–193 J. Rathmann 194–196 Ward 197–200 J. Rathmann

Race notes

• 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 first scoring pylon, a famous landmark of the Speedway, was constructed at the south end of the pit area.
• 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).^[6] Climate historians would consider this to be the "traditional" climate for an Indianapolis 500 race.
• Despite some published claims that it was Smokey Yunick,^[7] the race-winning chief mechanic for Rathmann was Takeo "Chickie" Hirashima.^[8]

Spectator fatalities

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.^[9]) 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.^[10] In addition, his future wife Betty Hoyer, a student nurse, attended to the scene.^[11]

Championship standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings 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

Constructors' Championship standings Pos Constructor Points 1 Cooper-Climax 14 2 Ferrari 10 3 Lotus-Climax 9 4 Cooper-Maserati 3 5 BRM 2

• Notes: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings. Also, points scored in the 500 did not count towards the F1 constructors championship.

Broadcasting

Radio

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.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
Booth Announcers	Turn Reporters	Pit/garage reporters
Chief Announcer: Sid Collins Driver expert: Fred Agabashian Statistician: Charlie Brockman	Turn 1: Bill Frosh Turn 2: John Peterson Backstretch: Bernie Herman Turn 3: Lou Palmer Turn 4: Jim Shelton	Greg Smith (north) Jack Shapiro (center) Luke Walton (south)

Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1960 Indianapolis 500.

References

Works cited

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

Previous race: 1960 Monaco Grand Prix	FIA Formula One World Championship 1960 season	Next race: 1960 Dutch Grand Prix
Previous race: 1959 Indianapolis 500 Rodger Ward	1960 Indianapolis 500 Jim Rathmann	Next race: 1961 Indianapolis 500 A. J. Foyt
Preceded by 135.875 mph (1959 Indianapolis 500)	Record for the Indianapolis 500 fastest average speed 138.767 mph	Succeeded by 139.130 mph (1961 Indianapolis 500)

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