Rodger Ward

Rodger M. Ward (January 10, 1921 – July 5, 2004) was a WWII P-38 aviator in the United States Army Air Forces, and an American race driver with 26 victories in top echelon open-wheel racing in North America, two Indianapolis 500 victories, and two USAC National Championships, who conceived the classic tri-oval design and layout of Pocono International Raceway, modeled after his three favorite signature turns, at Trenton, Indianapolis and Milwaukee.

For the Australian actor, see Roger Ward.
Rodger Ward
Born(1921-01-10)January 10, 1921
Beloit, Kansas
DiedJuly 5, 2004(2004-07-05) (aged 83)
Anaheim, California
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality American
Active years1951–1960, 1963
TeamsKurtis Kraft, Lesovsky, Watson, Bromme, Pawl, Kuzma, Lotus
Entries12
Championships0
Wins1
Podiums2
Career points14
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1951 Indianapolis 500
First win1959 Indianapolis 500
Last win1959 Indianapolis 500
Last entry1963 United States Grand Prix

Early history

Ward was born in Beloit, Kansas,[1] 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.[2]

Midget car racing

He 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.[2]

Ward shocked the midget car racing world when he broke Offenhauser motor's long winning streak by using Vic Edelbrock's Ford 60 "shaker" motor at Gilmore Stadium on August 10, 1950.[3] 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.[4] 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.

Championship cars

He won the 1951 AAA Stock Car (later USAC Stock Car) championship. The 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.[2]

In 1959 he joined the Leader Card Racers team with owner Bob Wilke and mechanic A. J. Watson; forming what was known as the "3 W's". Ward won his first Indianapolis 500. He won the USAC National Championship with victories at Milwaukee, DuQuoin and the Indy Fairgrounds.[2] His 1959 season ended by competing in the only United States Grand Prix held at Sebring Raceway.[4]

The Lola-Offy that Ward drove in his final Champ Car race, the 1966 Indy 500

Ward battled Jim Rathmann for the lead in the 1960 Indianapolis 500. In one of the epic duels in Indy 500 history, Ward and Rathmann exchanged the lead 14 times before Ward slowed on lap 197 to nurse his frayed right front tire to the finish. Rathmann, also struggling with worn-out tires after such a furious pace, took the lead on lap 197 and the two drivers limped home in what is still regarded as one of the greatest duels for the win in Indianapolis 500 history.[2]

Ward took the lead at the 1962 Indianapolis 500 at lap 126 and led the rest of the race. He also won the season championship that year.[2]

In the midst of the Lotus-Ford rear-engine invasion in 1964, car owner/chief mechanic A.J. Watson built the first rear-engined Watson, mated to the four-cam Ford. But the night before the 1964 Indianapolis 500, Ward and Watson made a highly uncharacteristic strategic error. Going against the strong recommendation (read: orders) from Ford to use gasoline fuel instead of the cooler-burning but more powerful methanol/gasoline. The car was fast, but the jetting mistake left Ward having to pit every 20 laps for fuel. Later Ward calculated that he had spent two minutes less on the track than winner A.J. Foyt, yet only lost the race by approximately 1 minute.

In addition, the horrific second-lap accident, in which his friends Dave MacDonald and Eddie Sachs both perished in a fiery, gasoline-fueled wreck, left an indelible impression on Ward. After a difficult month of May, 1965, Ward suffered the embarrassment of failing to qualify. Ward was with a new team in 1966 driving a Lola for a new owner, John W. Mecom Jr. Ward won the second race of the season at Trenton driving a Lola/Ford but found that Ford was not going to supply an engine for his Indianapolis 500 effort. Worse than that Ford was supplying engines for his teammates, Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill who were rookies. Ward drove a supercharged Offy powered Lola in the race and 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.

After retirement

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.

In later years, he 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.[2]

Awards

Complete 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 PHX
10		 BAY DAR 47th 30
1951 INDY
27		 MIL
5		 LAN
13		 DAR
DNS		 SPR
DNQ		 MIL DUQ DUQ PIK SYR DET DNC
8		 SJS
17		 PHX
10		 BAY
17		 30th 192
1952 INDY
23		 MIL
DNQ		 RAL
9		 SPR
DNQ		 MIL
7		 DET
16		 DUQ PIK SYR
13		 DNC
DNQ		 SJS
18		 PHX
9		 23rd 240
1953 INDY
16		 MIL
18		 SPR
1		 DET
1		 SPR
17		 MIL
6		 DUQ
DNQ		 PIK SYR
7		 ISF
8		 SAC
13		 PHX
18		 11th 540.2
1954 INDY
22		 MIL
10		 LAN
16		 DAR
DNQ		 SPR
15		 MIL
26		 DUQ
11		 PIK SYR
18		 ISF
9		 SAC
13		 PHX
DNQ		 LVG
4		 23rd 210
1955 INDY
28		 MIL
DNQ		 LAN
9		 SPR
DNQ		 MIL
24		 DUQ
DNQ		 PIK SYR
9		 ISF
14		 SAC PHX
6		 17th 252.2
1956 INDY
8		 MIL
DNP		 LAN
DNS		 DAR
19		 ATL
16		 SPR
6		 MIL
3		 DUQ
DNQ		 SYR
10		 ISF
3		 SAC
16		 PHX
19		 8th 862
1957 INDY
30		 LAN
DNQ		 MIL
1		 DET
16		 ATL
16		 SPR
1		 MIL
18		 DUQ
3		 SYR
18		 ISF
13		 TRE
20		 SAC
1		 PHX
13		 11th 740
1958 TRE
11		 INDY
20		 MIL
19		 LAN
DNQ		 ATL
7		 SPR
16		 MIL
1		 DUQ
4		 SYR
4		 ISF
3		 TRE
1		 SAC
16		 PHX
5		 5th 1,160
1959 DAY
2		 TRE
2		 INDY
1		 MIL
13		 LAN SPR
18		 MIL
1		 DUQ
1		 SYR
3		 ISF
1		 TRE
18		 SAC
3		 PHX
17		 1st 2,400
1960 TRE
1		 INDY
2		 MIL
1		 LAN SPR
DNQ		 MIL
21		 DUQ
16		 SYR
18		 ISF
14		 TRE
2		 SAC
17		 PHX
10		 2nd 1,390
1961 TRE
18		 INDY
3		 MIL
1		 LAN MIL
19		 SPR
6		 DUQ
17		 SYR
1		 ISF
17		 TRE
3		 SAC
1		 PHX
2		 3rd 1,680
1962 TRE
3		 INDY
1		 MIL
4		 LAN TRE
1		 SPR
17		 MIL
1		 LAN SYR
1		 ISF
5		 TRE
5		 SAC PHX 1st 2,460
1963 TRE
18		 INDY
4		 MIL
1		 LAN TRE
3		 SPR
1		 MIL
4		 DUQ
2		 ISF
1		 TRE
26		 SAC
1		 PHX
1		 2nd 2,210
1964 PHX
5		 TRE
18		 INDY
2		 MIL
13		 LAN TRE
7		 SPR
15		 MIL
2		 DUQ
13		 ISF
2		 TRE
4		 SAC
4		 PHX
2		 2nd 2,128
1965 PHX
11		 TRE
20		 INDY
DNQ		 MIL
22		 LAN
DNQ		 PIP TRE
DNQ		 IRP
24		 ATL LAN MIL
22		 SPR MIL
23		 DUQ ISF TRE
23		 SAC PHX
15		 48th 30
1966 PHX
2		 TRE
1		 INDY
15		 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.

World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Rodger Ward participated in 12 World Championship races, including 10 starts at Indy along with the 1959 United States Grand Prix and the 1963 United States Grand Prix. He won 1 race and finished on the podium twice. He accumulated a total of 14 championship points.

Complete Formula One World 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
27		 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA ESP NC 0
1952 Federal Auto Associates Kurtis Kraft 4000 Offenhauser SUI 500
23		 BEL FRA GBR GER NED ITA NC 0
1953 M. A. Walker Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser ARG 500
16		 NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA NC 0
1954 R. N. Sabourin Pawl Offenhauser ARG 500
22		 BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA ESP NC 0
1955 E. R. Casale Kuzma Offenhauser ARG MON 500
28		 BEL NED GBR ITA NC 0
1956 Ed Walsh Kurtis Kraft 500C Offenhauser ARG MON 500
8		 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA NC 0
1957 Roger Wolcott Lesovsky Offenhauser ARG MON 500
30		 FRA GBR GER PES ITA NC 0
1958 Roger Wolcott Lesovsky Offenhauser ARG MON NED 500
20		 BEL FRA GBR GER POR ITA MOR NC 0
1959 Leader Cards Inc. Watson Offenhauser MON 500
1		 10th 8
Kurtis Kraft NED FRA GBR GER POR ITA USA
Ret
1960 Leader Cards Inc. Watson Offenhauser ARG MON 500
2		 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
Ret		 MEX RSA NC 0
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References
  1. Brian Laban (1981). Winners: a who's who of motor racing champions. Orbis. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-85613-042-7.
  2. Biography at the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame, written in 2003, Retrieved November 13, 2007
  3. Vic Edelbrock's Biography Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame, Retrieved January 11, 2007
  4. Biography Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame (name is spelled incorrectly), Retrieved January 11, 2007
  5. Rodger Ward at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
Preceded by
Jimmy Bryan		 Indianapolis 500 Winner
1959		 Succeeded by
Jim Rathmann
Preceded by
A. J. Foyt		 Indianapolis 500 Winner
1962		 Succeeded by
Parnelli Jones
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