A half-century has passed since the epic battle between Jim Rathmann and Rodger Ward for victory in the 1960 Indianapolis 500. Yet it’s still regarded as one of the most intense, captivating, classic duels in Speedway history.
There were officially 29 lead changes among five drivers, making it one of the most competitive races in speedway history. 12 of those first-place swaps were between Rathmann and Ward during the last half of the race.
Not officially tallied, however, was the number of times the lead changed hands between Ward and Rathmann before the start/finish line. Often multiple times on a single lap.
Interestingly, the combatants were the first and second-place finishers from the previous year. Ward had won that one over Rathmann, making it the third time that Rathmann had finished second in his 10 years of 500 competition. 1952 and 1957 were the other two occasions.
Ward was returning to defend his 1959 victory with his team, the potent Bob Wilke-owned Leader Card Racers, intact from the previous year. The chief mechanic, A.J. Watson, was the whiz kid who’d transformed the Kurtis roadster concept into an object of innate beauty and pristine performance. The Watson-style roadster defined the Indy Car for a generation of followers.
By 1960, cars from his tiny Glendale, California, shop had already won two 500s and secured a prestigious pole position. Watson, undeniably the top builder of that era, routinely built cars for his team, owned by Oklahoman John Zink, as well as customer cars.
In 1958, the entire front row consisted of Watson roadsters, with a customer car snatching the coveted pole position.
It was no surprise, then, that when Rathmann convinced two Texas oilmen, Kenny Rich and Paul Lacey, to form an Indianapolis team, he also convinced them to buy a new Watson. It was reportedly one of the most expensive Watsons built, as Rathmann had Watson incorporate some of his own ideas into the design.
Rich and Lacey, new to Indianapolis racing, granted their driver almost complete control over the Ken-Paul team’s assembly. In putting together the team, Rathmann drew on his years of experience to persuade some of racing’s best talent to join him in what he envisioned as a likely 500 winner.
Foremost among them was Takeo “Chickie” Hirashima, a master Offenhauser builder whom Rathmann recruited from Watson to act as his chief mechanic. Just before race day, Rathmann brought on yet another highly talented individual, the legendary Smokey Yunick. Rathmann aimed for Yunick, known for transforming NASCAR’s clumsy pit stops into a seamless performance, to manage his pit work during the 500.
The month of May went as smoothly as might be expected for the two highly professional race teams. Rathmann, normally a better racer than qualifier, made the middle front row, outqualifying Ward, who started next to him in the third spot.
The irrepressible Eddie Sachs took the pole, but it was Ward who took the lead at the green, making a strong statement that any driver seeking to win the 500 would have to deal with him. Sachs came back to lead the second lap, setting the stage for a fight for supremacy with Ward that would last through the first quarter of the race.
1952 500 winner Troy Ruttman interrupted that duo for several laps, as did Rathmann, but the early battle for the win was between those two, with Ward’s experience giving him a slight edge over Sachs.
Then, at his first pit stop, everything fell apart for Ward. He stalled his engine. By the time the Watson team refired cantankerous four-banger Offy, he was a full 30 seconds behind the leader, Jim Rathmann.
Ward made a charge back to the front into fourth place, and when Sachs and Ruttman both fell out just past halfway, the battle for the lead, and possibly the win, was left to Rathmann and Ward.
In the last round of pit stops, Ward’s crew got him out just ahead of Rathmann, and their historic duel for first was on. Suddenly, however, Johnny Thomson charged into the mix. Ward later admitted he feared Thomson would pass them both, but Thomson fell out of contention with a faulty magneto.
In the closing stages, Ward seemed to have the faster car and pushed past Rathmann for first with six laps to go. But unexpectedly, he backed off. The fierce battle had worn his tires excessively. Rathmann flashed under the checkered flag, the winner.
Though he won the 500 twice, Ward believed that the 1960 race was his finest.
