Jim Rathmann

JIM RATHMANN, who started his racing career in hot rods, gained his greatest fame at Indianapolis and Monza, Italy. He drove in 14 Indianapolis 500 races and led the field at some point in six of them, including the 1960 race, which he won after a sensational battle with Rodger Ward. Rathmann also finished second at Indianapolis in 1952, 1957, and 1959, and set new one-lap and four-lap qualifying records in 1960. His other accomplishments included runner-up honors for the 1957 National Championship and victory in the 1958 Monza 500 (run in three segments) at an overall average speed of 166.722 miles per hour. In 1959, he scored an impressive triumph in the 100-mile United States Auto Club Championship race on the brand new 2.5 mile Daytona International Speedway where he completed the distance in only 35 minutes and averaged a phenomenal 170.261 miles per hour. Rathmann also drove stock cars from time to time and was the third-ranking driver in the 1955 American Automobile Association point standings.