Troy Ruttman

TROY RUTTMAN won the 1952 Indianapolis 500 at a record 128.922 miles per hour and remains to this day the youngest winner, at age 22 at the time of his win. He began his career in hot rods at the tender age of 15 and had already won the California Roadster Association (now known as California Racing Association) title twice and the 1948 United Racing Association “Blue” circuit midget title (for Offenhauser-powered cars only) when he made his debut at Indianapolis in 1949. Ruttman drew international attention in 1951 when he drove a Mercury stock car to fourth overall in the Carrera Panamericana (Mexico) behind two Ferraris and a Chrysler. The Midwest Sprint Car Champion in 1951 after ranking second in 1949 and third in 1950, Ruttman won an astonishing 37 main event races from 1949 until a serious arm injury in August 1952 sidelined him for 18 months. He led laps at the Indianapolis 500 in 1952, 1957, 1960, and 1961, and dropped out of the 1962 race after climbing from 30th starting position to second. In 1957, he finished second overall in the three-stage Monza (Italy) 500-mile invitational Race of Two Worlds.