1960 Indianapolis 500: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Jim Rathmann won a memorable Indianapolis 500 after a prolonged duel with Rodger Ward. The race was the final Indianapolis event to count towards the World Drivers’ Championship, while retaining its own USAC rules and identity.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Eddie Sachs	Ewing
Pole speed	146.592 mph (235.917 km/h)
Fastest lap	Jim Rathmann	Watson
Fastest-lap time	1:01.590 on lap 197
First	Jim Rathmann	Watson
Second	Rodger Ward	Watson
Third	Paul Goldsmith	Epperly

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
May practice — individual dates unconfirmed	Speedway practice and preparation	Start time unconfirmed
14 May 1960	Pole Day time trials	Start time unconfirmed
15 May 1960	Second day time trials	Start time unconfirmed
21 May 1960	Third day time trials — cancelled	Start time unconfirmed
22 May 1960	Final qualifying day	Start time unconfirmed
Date unconfirmed — after time trials	Carburetion tests and driver change	Start time unconfirmed
30 May 1960	Race	Start time unconfirmed

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Bruce McLaren arrived at round 3 leading the 1960 F1 World Championship on 14 points, with Stirling Moss on 8. Cooper – Climax headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 14 points.

Race entries

Thirty-three front-engined cars formed the field. The regular European Grand Prix contenders did not enter, with Monaco taking place the previous day. Eddie Sachs, defending winner Rodger Ward, Jim Rathmann and Troy Ruttman were among the leading contenders.

Speedway practice and preparation

Indianapolis used an extended preparation period around its time trials, rather than a conventional Grand Prix weekend. Drivers and crews prepared for sustained high-speed running on the oval and the demands of a 500-mile race. The available evidence does not support a complete daily practice log, so individual sessions and incidents have not been invented.

Pole Day time trials

Sachs secured pole with a record four-lap average of 146.592 mph. Indianapolis qualifying rewarded a sustained ten-mile run rather than one flying lap, and the day on which a car qualified mattered to its eventual grid position. Jim Rathmann and Ward joined Sachs on the front row.

Second day time trials

Qualifying continued with places still being filled behind the opening-day runners. The session belonged to the same four-lap time-trial system, rather than a second European-style practice time to be combined with the first. The available race account does not provide a complete narrative or timing list for this day.

Third day time trials — cancelled

Rain prevented the scheduled third day of qualifying. The cancellation left the final Sunday to complete the field and settle the remaining places. No running or times are attributed to this cancelled session.

Final qualifying day

Rookie Jim Hurtubise produced the fastest qualifying run of the meeting, averaging 149.056 mph and approaching 150 mph on his quickest lap. That did not displace Sachs from pole because the earlier qualifying day retained priority. Hurtubise therefore started well down the grid despite his outright speed.

Qualifying Classification

Grid positions followed Indianapolis’s qualifying-day priority and four-lap averages, not a single overall speed ranking. The table gives the speeds rounded as in the full race box score; Sachs’s precise pole average was 146.592 mph. After carburetion tests, Dempsey Wilson replaced Jimmy Daywalt in car 23, moving it to the rear. The displayed speed belongs to the qualified car.

Grid	No.	Driver	Car	Four-lap average (mph)
1	6	Eddie Sachs	Ewing	146.59
2	4	Jim Rathmann	Watson	146.37
3	1	Rodger Ward	Watson	145.56
4	97	Dick Rathmann	Watson	145.54
5	9	Len Sutton	Watson	145.44
6	28	Troy Ruttman	Watson	145.36
7	22	Eddie Johnson	Trevis	145.00
8	7	Don Branson	Phillips	144.75
9	65	Chuck Stevenson	Watson	144.66
10	10	Jimmy Bryan	Salih	144.53
11	73	Don Freeland	Kurtis Kraft	144.35
12	98	Lloyd Ruby	Watson	144.20
13	8	Johnny Boyd	Epperly	143.77
14	38	Bob Christie	Kurtis Kraft	143.63
15	32	Wayne Weiler	Kuzma	143.51
16	5	A. J. Foyt	Kurtis Kraft	143.46
17	3	Johnny Thomson	Lesovsky	146.44
18	2	Tony Bettenhausen	Watson	145.21
19	26	Shorty Templeman	Kurtis Kraft	143.85
20	37	Gene Force	Kurtis Kraft	143.47
21	14	Bobby Grim	Meskowski	143.15
22	27	Red Amick	Epperly	143.08
23	56	Jim Hurtubise	Christensen	149.05
24	48	Gene Hartley	Kurtis Kraft	143.89
25	44	Bob Veith	Meskowski	143.36
26	99	Paul Goldsmith	Epperly	142.78
27	17	Duane Carter	Kuzma	142.63
28	18	Bud Tingelstad	Trevis	142.35
29	46	Eddie Russo	Kurtis Kraft	142.20
30	76	Al Herman	Ewing	141.83
31	39	Bill Homeier	Kuzma	141.24
32	16	Jim McWithey	Epperly	140.37
33	23	Dempsey Wilson	Kurtis Kraft	143.21

Carburetion tests and driver change

The qualified cars underwent carburetion testing before race day. Afterwards, Dempsey Wilson took over Jimmy Daywalt’s car, with the replacement moving the entry to the back of the grid. That change explains why its starting position does not follow its qualifying speed.

What happened in the 1960 Indianapolis 500?

Ward, Sachs, Ruttman and Rathmann exchanged the lead through the first half. Ward stalled twice during his opening stop and had to recover lost ground. Cautions interrupted the action, but the race developed into a sustained contest between Ward and Rathmann.

Johnny Thomson threatened the pair before engine trouble slowed him. Ward and Rathmann continued trading the lead, balancing outright pace against tyre wear. Ward moved ahead again late in the race, only to discover exposed cords on his right-front tyre.

Rathmann passed for the final time on lap 197 and won by 12.75 seconds. Ward nursed his tyre home second, with Paul Goldsmith narrowly beating Don Branson for third. Thomson and Eddie Johnson completed the World Championship points, awarded separately from the USAC scoring system.

After the race, Bruce McLaren headed the drivers’ standings with 14 points, followed by Stirling Moss on 8. Cooper – Climax led the constructors’ table on 14, with Ferrari on 10.

1960 Indianapolis 500 race results

The 1960 Indianapolis 500 was held on 30 May 1960.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	4	Jim Rathmann	Watson	200	3:36:11.36	8
2	1	Rodger Ward	Watson	200	+12.75	6
3	99	Paul Goldsmith	Epperly	200	+3:07.30	4
4	7	Don Branson	Phillips	200	+3:07.98	3
5	3	Johnny Thomson	Lesovsky	200	+3:11.35	2
6	22	Eddie Johnson	Trevis	200	+4:10.61	1
7	98	Lloyd Ruby	Watson	200	+4:25.59	0
8	44	Bob Veith	Meskowski	200	+5:17.48	0
9	18	Bud Tingelstad	Trevis	200	+8:19.91	0
10	38	Bob Christie	Kurtis Kraft	200	+8:40.28	0
11	27	Red Amick	Epperly	200	+11:10.58	0
12	17	Duane Carter	Kuzma	200	+11:17.20	0
13	39	Bill Homeier	Kuzma	200	+12:10.71	0
14	48	Gene Hartley	Kurtis Kraft	196	-4 Laps	0
15	65	Chuck Stevenson	Watson	196	-4 Laps	0
16	14	Bobby Grim	Meskowski	194	-6 Laps	0
17	26	Shorty Templeman	Kurtis Kraft	191	Clutch	0
18	56	Jim Hurtubise	Christensen	185	Engine	0
19	10	Jimmy Bryan	Salih	152	Fuel System	0
20	28	Troy Ruttman	Watson	134	Axle	0
21	6	Eddie Sachs	Ewing	132	Magneto	0
22	73	Don Freeland	Kurtis Kraft	129	Magneto	0
23	2	Tony Bettenhausen	Watson	125	Engine	0
24	32	Wayne Weiler	Kuzma	103	Accident	0
25	5	A. J. Foyt	Kurtis Kraft	90	Clutch	0
26	46	Eddie Russo	Kurtis Kraft	84	Accident	0
27	8	Johnny Boyd	Epperly	77	Engine	0
28	37	Gene Force	Kurtis Kraft	74	Brakes	0
29	16	Jim McWithey	Epperly	60	Brakes	0
30	9	Len Sutton	Watson	47	Engine	0
31	97	Dick Rathmann	Watson	42	Brakes	0
32	76	Al Herman	Ewing	34	Clutch	0
33	23	Dempsey Wilson	Kurtis Kraft	11	Magneto	0

1960 Indianapolis 500 Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	4	Jim Rathmann	Watson	197	1:01.590

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

1960 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1960 Indianapolis 500.

1960 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Bruce McLaren	New Zealander	Cooper	14
2	Stirling Moss	British	Cooper / Lotus	8
3	Jim Rathmann	American	Watson	8
4	Cliff Allison	British	Ferrari	6
5	Rodger Ward	American	Watson	6
6	Phil Hill	American	Ferrari	4
7	Paul Goldsmith	American	Epperly	4
8	Carlos Menditeguy	Argentine	Cooper	3
9	Tony Brooks	British	Cooper	3
10	Don Branson	American	Phillips	3
11	Jo Bonnier	Swedish	BRM	2
12	Wolfgang von Trips	German	Ferrari	2
13	Johnny Thomson	American	Lesovsky	2
14	Innes Ireland	British	Lotus	1
15	Richie Ginther	American	Ferrari	1
16	Eddie Johnson	American	Trevis	1
–	Maurice Trintignant	French	Cooper / Cooper	0
–	Graham Hill	British	BRM	0
–	Lloyd Ruby	American	Watson	0
–	Bob Veith	American	Meskowski	0
–	Alberto Rodriguez Larreta	Argentine	Lotus	0
–	Bud Tingelstad	American	Trevis	0
–	José Froilán González	Argentine	Ferrari	0
–	Bob Christie	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
–	Roberto Bonomi	Argentine	Cooper	0
–	Red Amick	American	Epperly	0
–	Masten Gregory	American	Behra-Porsche / Cooper	0
–	Duane Carter	American	Kuzma	0
–	Gino Munaron	Italian	Maserati	0
–	Bill Homeier	American	Kuzma	0
–	Nasif Estéfano	Argentine	Maserati	0
–	Gene Hartley	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
–	Chuck Stevenson	American	Watson	0
–	Bobby Grim	American	Meskowski	0
–	Shorty Templeman	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
–	Jim Hurtubise	American	Christensen	0
–	Jimmy Bryan	American	Epperly	0
–	Troy Ruttman	American	Watson	0
–	Eddie Sachs	American	Ewing	0
–	Don Freeland	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
–	Tony Bettenhausen	American	Watson	0
–	Wayne Weiler	American	Epperly	0
–	Anthony Foyt	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
–	Eddie Russo	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
–	Johnny Boyd	American	Epperly	0
–	Gene Force	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
–	Jim McWithey	American	Epperly	0
–	Len Sutton	American	Watson	0
–	Dick Rathmann	American	Watson	0
–	Al Herman	American	Ewing	0
–	Dempsey Wilson	American	Kurtis Kraft	0
–	Dan Gurney	American	BRM	0
–	Jack Brabham	Australian	Cooper	0
–	Roy Salvadori	British	Cooper	0
–	Alan Stacey	British	Lotus	0
–	Chris Bristow	British	Cooper	0
–	Harry Schell	American	Cooper	0
–	John Surtees	British	Lotus	0
–	Ettore Chimeri	Venezuelan	Maserati	0
–	Antonio Creus	Spanish	Maserati	0
–	Giorgio Scarlatti	Italian	Maserati / Cooper	0

1960 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Cooper – Climax	14
2	Ferrari	10
3	Lotus – Climax	9
4	Cooper – Maserati	3
5	BRM	2
—	Behra-Porsche – Porsche	0
—	Maserati	0
—	JBW – Maserati	0
—	Scarab	0
—	Cooper – Castellotti	0

Drivers and constructors counted their best 6 results. Only the highest-placed eligible car for each constructor could score constructor points. Indianapolis counted towards the drivers’ championship only. Race winners scored eight points, and there was no fastest-lap bonus.

1960 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1960 Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires	7 February
2	1960 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	29 May
3	1960 Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana	30 May
4	1960 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	6 June
5	1960 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	19 June
6	1960 French Grand Prix	Reims-Gueux, Reims	3 July
7	1960 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	16 July
8	1960 Portuguese Grand Prix	Circuito da Boavista, Porto	14 August
9	1960 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	4 September
10	1960 United States Grand Prix	Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California	20 November