Troy Ruttman was one of American racing’s most precocious talents—a driver whose fearless speed and early success propelled him into history before he was old enough to rent a car. Best remembered as the winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1952, Ruttman claimed that victory at just 22 years and 80 days old, a record that still stands as the youngest winner of the famous race. Competing from the age of 15, he enjoyed a blisteringly successful rise through the American open-wheel ranks, capturing multiple regional and AAA-sanctioned championships along the way.
| Nationality | American |
|---|---|
| Born | Troy Lynn Ruttman 11 March 1930 Mooreland, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | 19 May 1997 (aged 67) Lake Havasu City, Arizona, U.S. |
Racing ran in the family. Troy’s younger brother, Joe Ruttman, would also go on to become a professional racing driver, ensuring the Ruttman name carried weight across multiple generations of American motorsport.
Early Career
Ruttman’s competitive story began in 1945, when—at just 15 years old—he entered his family’s car in a roadster race in San Bernardino, California. He didn’t just participate; he won. That season, he dominated the local scene, taking victory in 19 of the 21 races staged at the venue. By 1947, he had secured the California Roadster Association (CRA) roadster championship, while also winning his first five midget car races that same year.
The momentum only increased in 1948. Ruttman successfully defended his CRA roadster title, captured the United Racing Association Blue Circuit (Offenhauser-powered) championship, and added an astonishing 23 midget car victories to his résumé. Before he was 20, he had already established himself as one of the most formidable young drivers in the country.
Sprint Car Career
In May 1949, Ruttman left California and headed to the Midwest to compete on the AAA Sprint Car and Championship Car circuits. The move paid immediate dividends. Over the next three and a half seasons, he won three AAA Sprint Car championships, confirming that his earlier success was no fluke of local competition.
During this period, Ruttman also competed heavily in midget racing, entering 51 events. He won 16 of those races and finished on the podium 28 times, a remarkable strike rate that reinforced his reputation as a driver of rare natural ability.
Championship Car Career
Ruttman’s Championship Car career spanned multiple stints in both the AAA and USAC series. He competed during the 1949–1952, 1954, 1956–1957, and 1960–1964 seasons, making 58 career starts. These included appearances in the Indianapolis 500 from 1949–1952, 1954, 1956–1957, and again from 1960–1964.
His strongest overall championship campaign came in 1952, when he finished runner-up in the National Championship standings, second only to Chuck Stevenson. That same year delivered his defining moment: victory at Indianapolis. Winning the 1952 Indianapolis 500 instantly made Ruttman the youngest winner in the event’s history—a milestone that cemented his place in racing lore.
Later in 1952, however, his trajectory changed dramatically. A serious sprint car crash in August left Ruttman injured and sidelined for approximately a year and a half. When he returned to competition in 1954, it was on a much-reduced schedule, and he never quite recaptured the brilliance of his early years. His recovery had lacked discipline; weight gain and an increasingly carefree lifestyle dulled the razor edge that once defined him. One competitor summed it up bluntly, describing Ruttman as a case of “too much, too young.”
Stock Car Career
Ruttman found renewed success in stock car racing, winning the 1956 USAC Short Track Stock Car division title. He later ventured into NASCAR, competing in seven races in the NASCAR Grand National Series between 1962 and 1964. He finished in the top ten on five occasions, with his best result coming in 1963 at Riverside International Raceway, where he placed third behind Dan Gurney and A. J. Foyt—two of America’s most celebrated racing names.
F1 World Drivers’ Championship Career
From 1950 through 1960, the Indianapolis 500 counted as a round of the FIA World Drivers’ Championship. As a result, drivers competing at Indianapolis during that era were credited with World Championship points in addition to their AAA or USAC standings.
Ruttman took part in seven World Drivers’ Championship events at Indianapolis. He also became one of the first American Championship Car drivers of the era to start a non-Indy FIA World Championship race, entering the 1958 French Grand Prix for Scuderia Centro Sud. Across his World Championship career, he recorded one victory and accumulated a total of 9.5 points.
His Indianapolis triumph in 1952 also carried global significance: it made him the youngest driver ever to win a round of the World Drivers’ Championship. That distinction stood for more than half a century, until Fernando Alonso claimed victory at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Retirement and Death
Ruttman retired from professional racing at just 34 years old. He settled in Plymouth, Michigan, where he ran a motorcycle and snowmobile dealership, stepping away from the limelight that had surrounded him since his teenage years.
He died of lung cancer on 19 May 1997, in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, just one month before the long-planned “Troy Ruttman Day” in his hometown of Mooreland, Oklahoma.
Troy Ruttman Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1950–1958, 1960 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Lesovsky, Kurtis Kraft, Kuzma, Watson |
| Entries | 12 (8 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | 9.5 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1950 Indianapolis 500 |
| First win | 1952 Indianapolis 500 |
| Last win | 1952 Indianapolis 500 |
| Last entry | 1960 Indianapolis 500 |
Troy Ruttman Wins
| Win No. | Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1952 Indianapolis 500 |
Troy Ruttman Teammates
| 13 drivers | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Cantrell | 1 | 1950 | |
| Allen Heath | 1 | 1952 | |
| Jimmy Jackson | 1 | 1954 | |
| Duane Carter | 1 | 1954 | |
| Pat Flaherty | 1 | 1956 | |
| Jud Larson | 1 | 1957 | |
| Carroll Shelby | 1 | 1958 | |
| Gerino Gerini | 1 | 1958 | |
| Francisco Godia-Sales | 1 | 1958 | |
| Jo Bonnier | 1 | 1958 | |
| Hans Herrmann | 1 | 1958 | |
| Wolfgang Seidel | 1 | 1958 | |
| Ebb Rose | 1 | 1960 |
Troy Ruttman Complete Formula One Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Bowes Racing Inc. | Lesovsky | Offenhauser Straight-4 | GBR | MON | 500 15 | SUI | BEL | FRA | ITA | NC | 0 | ||||
| 1951 | Christopher J.C. Agajanian | Kurtis Kraft 2000 | Offenhauser Straight-4 | SUI | 500 Ret | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | ESP | NC | 0 | |||
| 1952 | Christopher J.C. Agajanian | Kuzma | Offenhauser Straight-4 | SUI | 500 1 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | NED | ITA | 7th | 8 | |||
| 1953 | Travelon Trailer | Kurtis Kraft 500B | Offenhauser Straight-4 | ARG | 500 DNQ | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | NC | 0 | ||
| 1954 | Eugene A Casaroll | Kurtis Kraft 500A | Offenhauser Straight-4 | ARG | 500 4 † | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | ESP | 23rd= | 1.5 | ||
| 1955 | Novi Racing | Kurtis Kraft | Novi Straight-8s | ARG | MON | 500 DNQ | BEL | NED | GBR | ITA | NC | 0 | ||||
| 1956 | John Zink | Kurtis Kraft 500C | Offenhauser Straight-4 | ARG | MON | 500 Ret | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | NC | 0 | |||
| 1957 | John Zink | Watson | Offenhauser Straight-4 | ARG | MON | 500 Ret | FRA | GBR | GER | PES | ITA | NC | 0 | |||
| 1958 | Christopher J.C. Agajanian | Kuzma | Offenhauser Straight-4 | ARG | MON | NED | 500 DNQ | BEL | NC | 0 | ||||||
| 1958 | Scuderia Centro Sud | Maserati 250F | Maserati Straight-6 | FRA 10 | GBR | GER DNS | POR | ITA | MOR | NC | 0 | |||||
| 1960 | John Zink | Watson | Offenhauser Straight-4 | ARG | MON | 500 Ret | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | POR | ITA | USA | NC | 0 |
