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1959 Indianapolis 500

January 01, 1970

The 43rd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1959. The event was part of the 1959 USAC National Championship Trail and was also race 2 of 9 in the 1959 World Championship of Drivers.

43rd Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning bodyUSAC
DateMay 30, 1959
WinnerRodger Ward
Winning teamLeader Cards
Average speed135.857 mph (218.641 km/h)
Pole positionJohnny Thomson
Pole speed145.908 mph (234.816 km/h)
Most laps ledRodger Ward (130)
Pre-race ceremonies
Pace carBuick Electra 225
Pace car driverSam Hanks
StarterBill Vanderwater[1]
Estimated attendance180,000[2]
Chronology
Previous Next
1958 1960

Rodger Ward earned the first of two career Indy 500 victories. A record sixteen cars completed the full 500 miles.

All cars were required to have roll bars for the first time.[3]

Practice and time trials edit

Two drivers, Jerry Unser and Bob Cortner, were killed in separate crashes during the month. On May 2, Unser lost control in Turn Four, spun, and flipped down the main stretch. The car caught fire and Unser suffered significant burns; he died from complications of his burns on May 17. On May 19, rookie Cortner crashed in turn three after being pushed by a wind gust. He was killed instantly of head injuries.[4]

On the morning of pole day, Tony Bettenhausen suffered a bad crash during a practice run. His car hit the outside wall and flipped over the inside guardrail. Bettenhausen escaped the crash with only minor injuries, and would qualify on the second weekend of time trials.

After three years of retirement, Duane Carter returned to the cockpit, and qualified for his ninth Indianapolis 500 start.

Time trials were scheduled for four days:

  • Saturday May 16 – Pole Day time trials
  • Sunday May 17 – Second day time trials
  • Saturday May 23 – Third day time trials
  • Sunday May 24 – Fourth day time trials

Starting grid edit

Row Inside Middle Outside
1 3   Johnny Thomson 44   Eddie Sachs 16   Jim Rathmann
2 73   Dick Rathmann 48   Bobby Grim  R  5   Rodger Ward
3 74   Bob Veith 19   Eddie Johnson 88   Gene Hartley
4 9   Don Branson  R  33   Johnny Boyd 37   Duane Carter
5 66   Jimmy Daywalt 24   Jack Turner 1   Tony Bettenhausen
6 99   Paul Goldsmith 10   A. J. Foyt 64   Pat Flaherty  W 
7 7   Jud Larson 6   Jimmy Bryan  W  71   Chuck Arnold  R 
8 8   Len Sutton 89   Al Herman 65   Bob Christie
9 15   Don Freeland 87   Red Amick  R  45   Paul Russo
10 57   Al Keller 47   Chuck Weyant 53   Bill Cheesbourg
11 77   Mike Magill 49   Ray Crawford 58   Jim McWithey  R 
R Indianapolis 500 rookie
W Indianapolis 500 winner

Alternates edit

  • First alternate: Rex Easton  R  (#39, #45)[5]

Failed to qualify edit

Box score edit

Pos Grid No Driver Constructor Qual Rank Laps Time/Retired Points
1 6 5   Rodger Ward Watson-Offenhauser 144.03 7 200 3:40:49.20 8
2 3 16   Jim Rathmann Watson-Offenhauser 144.43 4 200 + 0:23.28 6
3 1 3   Johnny Thomson Lesovsky-Offenhauser 145.90 1 200 + 0:50.64 51
4 15 1   Tony Bettenhausen Epperly-Offenhauser 142.72 18 200 + 1:47.09 3
5 16 99   Paul Goldsmith Epperly-Offenhauser 142.67 19 200 + 2:06.44 2
6 11 33   Johnny Boyd Epperly-Offenhauser 142.81 16 200 + 3:16.98  
7 12 37   Duane Carter Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 142.79 17 200 + 4:09.92  
8 8 19   Eddie Johnson Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 144.00 9 200 + 4:10.53  
9 27 45   Paul Russo Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 142.38 22 200 + 4:11.04  
10 17 10   A. J. Foyt Kuzma-Offenhauser 142.64 20 200 + 4:14.48  
11 9 88   Gene Hartley Kuzma-Offenhauser 143.57 10 200 + 5:42.48  
12 7 74   Bob Veith Moore-Offenhauser 144.02 8 200 + 6:09.73  
13 23 89   Al Herman Dunn-Offenhauser 141.93 29 200 + 6:40.40  
14 13 66   Jimmy Daywalt Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 144.68 3 200 + 6:41.54  
15 21 71   Chuck Arnold  R  Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 142.11 24 200 + 8:19.86  
16 33 58   Jim McWithey  R  Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 141.21 33 200 + 11:41.69  
17 2 44   Eddie Sachs Kuzma-Offenhauser 145.42 2 182 Spun off  
18 28 57   Al Keller Kuzma-Offenhauser 142.05 27 163 Engine  
19 18 64   Pat Flaherty  W  Watson-Offenhauser 142.39 21 162 Accident  
20 4 73   Dick Rathmann Watson-Offenhauser 144.24 5 150 Fire  
21 30 53   Bill Cheesbourg Kuzma-Offenhauser 141.78 30 147 Magneto  
22 25 15   Don Freeland Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 143.05 14 136 Magneto  
23 32 49   Ray Crawford Elder-Offenhauser 141.34 32 115 Accident  
24 10 9   Don Branson  R  Phillips-Offenhauser 143.31 12 112 Suspension  
25 24 65   Bob Christie Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 143.24 13 109 Engine  
26 5 48   Bobby Grim  R  Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 144.22 6 85 Magneto  
27 14 24   Jack Turner Christensen-Offenhauser 143.47 11 47 Fuel leak  
28 29 47   Chuck Weyant Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 141.95 28 45 Accident  
29 19 7   Jud Larson Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 142.29 23 45 Accident  
30 31 77   Mike Magill Sutton-Offenhauser 141.48 31 45 Accident  
31 26 87   Red Amick  R  Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser 142.92 15 45 Accident  
32 22 8   Len Sutton Lesovsky-Offenhauser 142.10 26 34 Accident  
33 20 6   Jimmy Bryan  W  Epperly-Offenhauser 142.11 25 1 Engine  

 W  Former Indianapolis 500 winner

 R  Indianapolis 500 Rookie

All entrants utilized Firestone tires.

Notes
  • ^1 – Includes 1 point for fastest lead lap

Race statistics edit

Race notes edit

  • Fastest lead lap: Johnny Thomson – 1:01.89
  • Two drivers, Jerry Unser and Bob Cortner, were killed as a result of accidents during practice for this race.
  • Bobby Grim qualified 5th and won the Rookie of the Year award despite dropping out of the race before the halfway point. On lap 85, he suffered magneto failure, and began coasting to the pits. As was customary for drivers of the time, he raised his arm to signify to the other drivers he had lost power. However, due to the high speed he was still traveling, he dislocated his arm in the process. Visibly in pain, the crew thought he was coming in for relief, and quickly Jack Turner jumped behind the wheel, but the car would not run.[11]
  • The first scoring pylon, a famous landmark of the Speedway, was constructed at the south end of the pit area.
  • Last year's winner Jimmy Bryan using the same exact car that won the race in 1957 and 1958 fell out of the race being left on the grid with a clutch failure to finish last (33rd).

Championship standings after the race edit

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

Broadcasting edit

Radio edit

The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Sid Collins served as chief announcer. Fred Agabashian joined the crew for the first time as "driver expert." The broadcast reached 385 affiliates, including Fairbanks, Alaska.[13]

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)

References edit

  1. ^ Fox, Jack C. (1994). The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 (4th ed.). Carl Hungness Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 0-915088-05-3.
  2. ^ Stranahan, Bob (May 31, 1959). "Good Race Day Time Had By All". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
  3. ^ The Talk of Gasoline Alley. May 3, 2010. WFNI.
  4. ^ . The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  5. ^ The Talk of Gasoline Alley – 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004
  6. ^ "1959 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes". ChampCarStats.com. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  7. ^ Barnet, Bob (May 31, 1959). "He Dodged Flying Iron to Win Fastest "500" (Part 1)". The Star Press. p. 21. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  8. ^ Barnet, Bob (May 31, 1959). "He Dodged Flying Iron to Win Fastest "500" (Part 2)". The Star Press. p. 22. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  9. ^ Claus, Jimmy (May 31, 1959). "Sporting Around (Part 1)". The Star Press. p. 43. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  10. ^ Claus, Jimmy (May 31, 1959). "Sporting Around (Part 2)". The Star Press. p. 44. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  11. ^ The Talk of Gasoline Alley – 1070-AM WIBC, May 9, 2007
  12. ^ a b "Indianapolis 1959 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  13. ^ "Alaska Joins '500' Hookup". The Indianapolis News. May 29, 1959. p. 44. Retrieved March 6, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. 

External links edit

  • – Official Site


Previous race:
1959 Monaco Grand Prix 		FIA Formula One World Championship
1959 season 		Next race:
1959 Dutch Grand Prix
Previous race:
1958 Indianapolis 500
Jimmy Bryan 		1959 Indianapolis 500
Rodger Ward 		Next race:
1960 Indianapolis 500
Jim Rathmann
Preceded by
135.601 mph
(1957 Indianapolis 500)
 Record for the Indianapolis 500 fastest average speed
135.875 mph 		Succeeded by

January 01, 1970
1959, indianapolis, 43rd, international, mile, sweepstakes, held, indianapolis, motor, speedway, saturday, 1959, event, part, 1959, usac, national, championship, trail, also, race, 1959, world, championship, drivers, 43rd, indianapolis, 500indianapolis, motor,. The 43rd International 500 Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday May 30 1959 The event was part of the 1959 USAC National Championship Trail and was also race 2 of 9 in the 1959 World Championship of Drivers 43rd Indianapolis 500Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayIndianapolis 500Sanctioning bodyUSACDateMay 30 1959WinnerRodger WardWinning teamLeader CardsAverage speed135 857 mph 218 641 km h Pole positionJohnny ThomsonPole speed145 908 mph 234 816 km h Most laps ledRodger Ward 130 Pre race ceremoniesPace carBuick Electra 225Pace car driverSam HanksStarterBill Vanderwater 1 Estimated attendance180 000 2 ChronologyPrevious Next1958 1960 Rodger Ward earned the first of two career Indy 500 victories A record sixteen cars completed the full 500 miles All cars were required to have roll bars for the first time 3 Contents 1 Practice and time trials 2 Starting grid 2 1 Alternates 2 2 Failed to qualify 3 Box score 3 1 Race statistics 4 Race notes 5 Championship standings after the race 6 Broadcasting 6 1 Radio 7 References 8 External linksPractice and time trials editTwo drivers Jerry Unser and Bob Cortner were killed in separate crashes during the month On May 2 Unser lost control in Turn Four spun and flipped down the main stretch The car caught fire and Unser suffered significant burns he died from complications of his burns on May 17 On May 19 rookie Cortner crashed in turn three after being pushed by a wind gust He was killed instantly of head injuries 4 On the morning of pole day Tony Bettenhausen suffered a bad crash during a practice run His car hit the outside wall and flipped over the inside guardrail Bettenhausen escaped the crash with only minor injuries and would qualify on the second weekend of time trials After three years of retirement Duane Carter returned to the cockpit and qualified for his ninth Indianapolis 500 start Time trials were scheduled for four days Saturday May 16 Pole Day time trials Sunday May 17 Second day time trials Saturday May 23 Third day time trials Sunday May 24 Fourth day time trialsStarting grid editRow Inside Middle Outside 1 3 nbsp Johnny Thomson 44 nbsp Eddie Sachs 16 nbsp Jim Rathmann 2 73 nbsp Dick Rathmann 48 nbsp Bobby Grim R 5 nbsp Rodger Ward 3 74 nbsp Bob Veith 19 nbsp Eddie Johnson 88 nbsp Gene Hartley 4 9 nbsp Don Branson R 33 nbsp Johnny Boyd 37 nbsp Duane Carter 5 66 nbsp Jimmy Daywalt 24 nbsp Jack Turner 1 nbsp Tony Bettenhausen 6 99 nbsp Paul Goldsmith 10 nbsp A J Foyt 64 nbsp Pat Flaherty W 7 7 nbsp Jud Larson 6 nbsp Jimmy Bryan W 71 nbsp Chuck Arnold R 8 8 nbsp Len Sutton 89 nbsp Al Herman 65 nbsp Bob Christie 9 15 nbsp Don Freeland 87 nbsp Red Amick R 45 nbsp Paul Russo 10 57 nbsp Al Keller 47 nbsp Chuck Weyant 53 nbsp Bill Cheesbourg 11 77 nbsp Mike Magill 49 nbsp Ray Crawford 58 nbsp Jim McWithey R R Indianapolis 500 rookie W Indianapolis 500 winner Alternates edit First alternate Rex Easton R 39 45 5 Failed to qualify edit Russ Congdon R 72 Did not finish rookie test Bob Cortner R 51 Fatal accident Chuck Daigh R 98 Jimmy Davies 53 Don Edmunds 54 57 76 Jack Ensley R 92 Gene Force 55 78 Andy Furci R 91 Elmer George 21 Bill Homeier 42 62 Van Johnson R 76 91 Johnny Kay R 17 Did not finish rookie test Ralph Ligouri R 12 41 Johnny Moorhouse R 91 Earl Motter R 21 Jim Packard R 55 Johnnie Parsons W 45 Chuck Rodee R 82 Eddie Russo 1 78 93 98 Bob Schroeder R 78 Shorty Templeman 69 76 Johnnie Tolan 43 Jerry Unser 57 Fatal accident Wayne Weiler R 39 Entry declined failed physical Dempsey Wilson 34 82 6 Box score editPos Grid No Driver Constructor Qual Rank Laps Time Retired Points 1 6 5 nbsp Rodger Ward Watson Offenhauser 144 03 7 200 3 40 49 20 8 2 3 16 nbsp Jim Rathmann Watson Offenhauser 144 43 4 200 0 23 28 6 3 1 3 nbsp Johnny Thomson Lesovsky Offenhauser 145 90 1 200 0 50 64 51 4 15 1 nbsp Tony Bettenhausen Epperly Offenhauser 142 72 18 200 1 47 09 3 5 16 99 nbsp Paul Goldsmith Epperly Offenhauser 142 67 19 200 2 06 44 2 6 11 33 nbsp Johnny Boyd Epperly Offenhauser 142 81 16 200 3 16 98 7 12 37 nbsp Duane Carter Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 142 79 17 200 4 09 92 8 8 19 nbsp Eddie Johnson Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 144 00 9 200 4 10 53 9 27 45 nbsp Paul Russo Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 142 38 22 200 4 11 04 10 17 10 nbsp A J Foyt Kuzma Offenhauser 142 64 20 200 4 14 48 11 9 88 nbsp Gene Hartley Kuzma Offenhauser 143 57 10 200 5 42 48 12 7 74 nbsp Bob Veith Moore Offenhauser 144 02 8 200 6 09 73 13 23 89 nbsp Al Herman Dunn Offenhauser 141 93 29 200 6 40 40 14 13 66 nbsp Jimmy Daywalt Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 144 68 3 200 6 41 54 15 21 71 nbsp Chuck Arnold R Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 142 11 24 200 8 19 86 16 33 58 nbsp Jim McWithey R Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 141 21 33 200 11 41 69 17 2 44 nbsp Eddie Sachs Kuzma Offenhauser 145 42 2 182 Spun off 18 28 57 nbsp Al Keller Kuzma Offenhauser 142 05 27 163 Engine 19 18 64 nbsp Pat Flaherty W Watson Offenhauser 142 39 21 162 Accident 20 4 73 nbsp Dick Rathmann Watson Offenhauser 144 24 5 150 Fire 21 30 53 nbsp Bill Cheesbourg Kuzma Offenhauser 141 78 30 147 Magneto 22 25 15 nbsp Don Freeland Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 143 05 14 136 Magneto 23 32 49 nbsp Ray Crawford Elder Offenhauser 141 34 32 115 Accident 24 10 9 nbsp Don Branson R Phillips Offenhauser 143 31 12 112 Suspension 25 24 65 nbsp Bob Christie Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 143 24 13 109 Engine 26 5 48 nbsp Bobby Grim R Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 144 22 6 85 Magneto 27 14 24 nbsp Jack Turner Christensen Offenhauser 143 47 11 47 Fuel leak 28 29 47 nbsp Chuck Weyant Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 141 95 28 45 Accident 29 19 7 nbsp Jud Larson Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 142 29 23 45 Accident 30 31 77 nbsp Mike Magill Sutton Offenhauser 141 48 31 45 Accident 31 26 87 nbsp Red Amick R Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser 142 92 15 45 Accident 32 22 8 nbsp Len Sutton Lesovsky Offenhauser 142 10 26 34 Accident 33 20 6 nbsp Jimmy Bryan W Epperly Offenhauser 142 11 25 1 Engine W Former Indianapolis 500 winner R Indianapolis 500 RookieAll entrants utilized Firestone tires Notes 1 Includes 1 point for fastest lead lap Race statistics edit Lap Leaders Laps Leader 1 4 Johnny Thomson 5 12 Rodger Ward 13 Jim Rathmann 14 16 Rodger Ward 17 30 Jim Rathmann 31 Pat Flaherty 32 33 Jim Rathmann 34 40 Pat Flaherty 41 42 Jim Rathmann 43 45 Pat Flaherty 46 48 Rodger Ward 49 84 Johnny Thomson 85 200 Rodger Ward Total laps led Driver Laps Rodger Ward 130 Johnny Thomson 40 Jim Rathmann 19 Pat Flaherty 11 Yellow Lights 43 minutes 17 seconds Laps Reason 8 10 Eddie Sachs spin in turn 1 2 25 36 40 Len Sutton crash in turn 1 5 42 47 56 Weyant Magil Amick Larson crash in turn 4 11 15 121 133 Ray Crawford crash in turn 3 17 30 167 173 Pat Flaherty crash on mainstretch 6 25 Approximate lap counts 7 8 9 10 Race notes editFastest lead lap Johnny Thomson 1 01 89 Two drivers Jerry Unser and Bob Cortner were killed as a result of accidents during practice for this race Bobby Grim qualified 5th and won the Rookie of the Year award despite dropping out of the race before the halfway point On lap 85 he suffered magneto failure and began coasting to the pits As was customary for drivers of the time he raised his arm to signify to the other drivers he had lost power However due to the high speed he was still traveling he dislocated his arm in the process Visibly in pain the crew thought he was coming in for relief and quickly Jack Turner jumped behind the wheel but the car would not run 11 The first scoring pylon a famous landmark of the Speedway was constructed at the south end of the pit area Last year s winner Jimmy Bryan using the same exact car that won the race in 1957 and 1958 fell out of the race being left on the grid with a clutch failure to finish last 33rd Championship standings after the race editFormula One Drivers Championship standings Pos Driver Points nbsp 1 nbsp Jack Brabham 9 nbsp 23 2 nbsp Rodger Ward 8 nbsp 1 3 nbsp Tony Brooks 6 nbsp 21 4 nbsp Jim Rathmann 6 nbsp 20 5 nbsp Johnny Thomson 5 Source 12 Formula One Constructors Championship standings Pos Constructor Points nbsp 1 nbsp Cooper Climax 8 nbsp 2 nbsp Ferrari 6 Source 12 Notes Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings Also points were not awarded in the 500 towards the F1 constructors championship Broadcasting editRadio edit The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network Sid Collins served as chief announcer Fred Agabashian joined the crew for the first time as driver expert The broadcast reached 385 affiliates including Fairbanks Alaska 13 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 References edit Fox Jack C 1994 The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911 1994 4th ed Carl Hungness Publishing p 22 ISBN 0 915088 05 3 Stranahan Bob May 31 1959 Good Race Day Time Had By All The Indianapolis Star p 1 Retrieved June 2 2017 via Newspapers com nbsp The Talk of Gasoline Alley May 3 2010 WFNI Fatalities May 1959 The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Archived from the original on February 4 2012 Retrieved January 9 2016 The Talk of Gasoline Alley 1070 AM WIBC May 14 2004 1959 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes ChampCarStats com Retrieved June 26 2015 Barnet Bob May 31 1959 He Dodged Flying Iron to Win Fastest 500 Part 1 The Star Press p 21 Retrieved April 20 2024 Barnet Bob May 31 1959 He Dodged Flying Iron to Win Fastest 500 Part 2 The Star Press p 22 Retrieved April 20 2024 Claus Jimmy May 31 1959 Sporting Around Part 1 The Star Press p 43 Retrieved April 20 2024 Claus Jimmy May 31 1959 Sporting Around Part 2 The Star Press p 44 Retrieved April 20 2024 The Talk of Gasoline Alley 1070 AM WIBC May 9 2007 a b Indianapolis 1959 Championship STATS F1 www statsf1 com Retrieved 18 March 2019 Alaska Joins 500 Hookup The Indianapolis News May 29 1959 p 44 Retrieved March 6 2018 via Newspapers com nbsp External links editIndianapolis 500 History Race amp All Time Stats Official Site Previous race 1959 Monaco Grand Prix FIA Formula One World Championship 1959 season Next race 1959 Dutch Grand Prix Previous race 1958 Indianapolis 500Jimmy Bryan 1959 Indianapolis 500Rodger Ward Next race 1960 Indianapolis 500Jim Rathmann Preceded by135 601 mph 1957 Indianapolis 500 Record for the Indianapolis 500 fastest average speed135 875 mph Succeeded by138 767 mph 1960 Indianapolis 500 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1959 Indianapolis 500 amp oldid 1219917188, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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