Rodger Ward

Rodger Morris Ward (January 10, 1921 – July 5, 2004) was an American racing driver best known for his open-wheel career. He is generally regarded as one of the finest drivers of his generation, and is best known for winning two National Championships, and two Indianapolis 500s, both in 1959 and 1962. He also won the AAA National Stock Car Championship in 1951.

Early life

Ward was born in Beloit, Kansas, the son of Ralph and Geneva (née Banta) Ward. By 1930, the family had moved to California. He died in Anaheim, California.

Ward's father owned an auto wrecking business in Los Angeles. Rodger was 14 years old when he built a Ford hot rod. He was a P-38 Lightning fighter pilot in World War II. He enjoyed flying so much he thought of making it his career. He began to fly B-17 Flying Fortress and was so good he was retained as an instructor. After the war he was stationed in Wichita Falls, Texas when a quarter mile dirt track was built.

Driving career

Midget car career

Ward began racing midget cars in 1946 after he was discharged from the Army. He finished poorly. His skills improved in 1947 and by 1948 he won the San Diego Grand Prix. He raced in an Offenhauser in 1949 and won several races. The motor was one of the first to feature nitromethane for fuel. Ward and Edelbrock went to the Orange Show Stadium the following night and won again.

Ward drove Ken Brenn's Offy midget July 25, 1959 to beat the top expensive and exotic sports cars in a Formula Libre race at Lime Rock Park. Midget cars were normally considered competitive for oval tracks only before that time. Later that year, Ward entered the United States Grand Prix for Formula One cars with the midget car, under the false belief that it was much quicker through the turns, a fact he found not true at the beginning of practice. He eventually retired from the race after twenty laps with a mechanical failure.

Stock Car career

Ward participated in the AAA and later USAC Stock Car divisions. He started no less than 66 races, winning seven, and finishing in the top-five no less than 29 times. He won the AAA National Stock Car title in 1951.

Championship car career

Ward's AAA Stock Car championship gave him an opportunity for a rookie test at the 1951 Indianapolis 500. He passed the test and qualified for the race. He finished 34 laps before his car suffered a broken oil line. He finished 130 laps in the 1952 Indianapolis 500 before the oil pressure failed. His 1953 Indianapolis 500 ended after 170 laps, and his 1954 Indianapolis 500 ended after his car stalled on the backstretch. He completed all of the laps for the first time in 1956, finishing eighth.

For his Indianapolis 500 effort, Ward drove the same car but retired while running 15th with handling problems listed as the cause. The fact that late race attrition reduced the race to only five cars would have provided him a good finish as long as he was running and in fact he had been faster than the winner. Ward had parked a running car 74 laps into the race and was considering his future. At the banquet, Ward stood at the podium and made a painful announcement to the crowd: "I always said I'd quit racing when it stopped being fun," he said. He paused as he wiped away tears. "Today it wasn't fun anymore." He had 26 victories in his 150 starts between 1950 and 1966, and he finished in the top ten in more than half of his starts.

World Drivers' Championship career

The AAA/USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA World Drivers' Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship points and participation in addition to those which they received towards the AAA/USAC National Championship.

Ward participated in ten World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. He was also among a small number of USAC/Indianapolis drivers to start an FIA-sanctioned World Drivers' Championship event during the 1950-1960 period - competing for Leader Card Racers in the 1959 United States Grand Prix.

Ward also participated in the 1963 United States Grand Prix. During his World Drivers' Championship career, Ward won once, finished in the top three twice, and accumulated 14 World Drivers' Championship points.

Post-racing career

Ward retired to be a commentator for ABC's Wide World of Sports for NASCAR and Indycars from 1965 to 1970. From 1980-1985, he served as a driver expert for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, before retiring in Tustin, California. With the help of the Mattioli Family, Ward helped design the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. A unique course that resulted in a triangle shape, he designed the track after five corners of tracks he liked to race at, Trenton, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee. The track is still popular today.

In later years, Ward served as public relations director for the new Ontario Motor Speedway, and later managed the Circus Circus unlimited hydroplane team. He died on July 5, 2004, aged 83. International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1992) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1995) National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1995) West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame (2003)

Motorsports career results

AAA/USAC Championship Car results

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pos Points 1950 INDY MIL LAN SPR MIL PIK SYR DET SPR SAC PHX10 BAY DAR 47th 30 1951 INDY27 MIL5 LAN13 DARDNS SPRDNQ MIL DUQ DUQ PIK SYR DET DNC8 SJS17 PHX10 BAY17 30th 192 1952 INDY23 MILDNQ RAL9 SPRDNQ MIL7 DET16 DUQ PIK SYR13 DNCDNQ SJS18 PHX9 23rd 240 1953 INDY16 MIL18 SPR1 DET1 SPR17 MIL6 DUQDNQ PIK SYR7 ISF8 SAC13 PHX18 11th 540.2 1954 INDY22 MIL10 LAN16 DARDNQ SPR15 MIL26 DUQ11 PIK SYR18 ISF9 SAC13 PHXDNQ LVG4 23rd 210 1955 INDY28 MILDNQ LAN9 SPRDNQ MIL24 DUQDNQ PIK SYR9 ISF14 SAC PHX6 17th 252.2 1956 INDY8 MILDNP LANDNS DAR19 ATL16 SPR6 MIL3 DUQDNQ SYR10 ISF3 SAC16 PHX19 8th 862 1957 INDY30 LANDNQ MIL1 DET16 ATL16 SPR1 MIL18 DUQ3 SYR18 ISF13 TRE20 SAC1 PHX13 11th 740 1958 TRE11 INDY20 MIL19 LANDNQ ATL7 SPR16 MIL1 DUQ4 SYR4 ISF3 TRE1 SAC16 PHX5 5th 1,160 1959 DAY2 TRE2 INDY1 MIL13 LAN SPR18 MIL1 DUQ1 SYR3 ISF1 TRE18 SAC3 PHX17 1st 2,400 1960 TRE1 INDY2 MIL1 LAN SPRDNQ MIL21 DUQ16 SYR18 ISF14 TRE2 SAC17 PHX10 2nd 1,390 1961 TRE18 INDY3 MIL1 LAN MIL19 SPR6 DUQ17 SYR1 ISF17 TRE3 SAC1 PHX2 3rd 1,680 1962 TRE3 INDY1 MIL4 LAN TRE1 SPR17 MIL1 LAN SYR1 ISF5 TRE5 SAC PHX 1st 2,460 1963 TRE18 INDY4 MIL1 LAN TRE3 SPR1 MIL4 DUQ2 ISF1 TRE26 SAC1 PHX1 2nd 2,210 1964 PHX5 TRE18 INDY2 MIL13 LAN TRE7 SPR15 MIL2 DUQ13 ISF2 TRE4 SAC4 PHX2 2nd 2,128 1965 PHX11 TRE20 INDYDNQ MIL22 LANDNQ PIP TREDNQ IRP24 ATL LAN MIL22 SPR MIL23 DUQ ISF TRE23 SAC PHX15 48th 30 1966 PHX2 TRE1 INDY15 MIL LAN ATL PIP IRP LAN SPR MIL DUQ ISF TRE SAC PHX 15th 540

Indianapolis 500 results

Ward's finishes from 1959 to 1963 and 1960 to 1964 rank as the best and second best five-race finishing streaks in Indianapolis 500 history.

FIA World Drivers' Championship results

(key) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 WDC Points 1951 L & B Bromme Bromme Offenhauser SUI 500 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA ESP NC 0 1952 Federal Auto Associates Kurtis Kraft 4000 Offenhauser SUI 500 BEL FRA GBR GER NED ITA NC 0 1953 M. A. Walker Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser ARG 500 NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA NC 0 1954 R. N. Sabourin Pawl Offenhauser ARG 500 BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA ESP NC 0 1955 E. R. Casale Kuzma Offenhauser ARG MON 500 BEL NED GBR ITA NC 0 1956 Ed Walsh Kurtis Kraft 500C Offenhauser ARG MON 500 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA NC 0 1957 Roger Wolcott Lesovsky Offenhauser ARG MON 500 FRA GBR GER PES ITA NC 0 1958 Roger Wolcott Lesovsky Offenhauser ARG MON NED 500 BEL FRA GBR GER POR ITA MOR NC 0 1959 Leader Cards Inc. Watson Offenhauser MON 500 10th 8 Kurtis Kraft NED FRA GBR GER POR ITA USA 1960 Leader Cards Inc. Watson Offenhauser ARG MON 500 NED BEL FRA GBR POR ITA USA 12th 6 1963 Reg Parnell Racing Lotus 24 BRM V8 MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER ITA USA MEX RSA NC 0