The 43rd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United State ...

on Saturday, May 30, 1959. The event was part of the 1959 USAC National Championship Trail and was also race 2 of 9 in the 1959 World Championship of Drivers.

Rodger Ward Rodger M. Ward (January 10, 1921 – July 5, 2004) was a World War II 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 v ...

earned the first of two career Indy 500 victories. A record sixteen cars completed the full 500 miles. All cars were required to have roll bars for the first time.

Practice and time trials

Two drivers,

Jerry Unser Jeremy Michael Unser Jr. (November 15, 1932 – May 17, 1959) was an American racecar driver. He was the 1957 USAC Stock Car champion. Jerry was the first of the Unser family to compete at Indianapolis. In his only start, in 1958, he was ca ...

and

Bob Cortner Robert Charles Cortner (April 16, 1927 – May 19, 1959) was an American automobile racing driver from Redlands, California. Cortner was killed practicing for the 1959 Indianapolis 500. Career Cortner was active on the midget car racing circuit, ...

, were killed in separate crashes during the month. On May 2, Unser lost control in Turn Four, spun, and flipped down the main stretch. The car caught fire and Unser suffered significant burns; he died from complications of his burns on May 17. On May 19, rookie Cortner crashed in turn three after being pushed by a wind gust. He was killed instantly of head injuries. On the morning of pole day,

Tony Bettenhausen Melvin Eugene "Tony" Bettenhausen (September 12, 1916 – May 12, 1961) was an American racing driver, who won the National Championship in 1951 and 1958. Bettenhausen was nicknamed the "Tinley Park Express" in honor of his hometown. He was n ...

suffered a bad crash during a practice run. His car hit the outside wall and flipped over the inside guardrail. Bettenhausen escaped the crash with only minor injuries, and would qualify on the second weekend of time trials. After three years of retirement,

Duane Carter Duane Carter (May 5, 1913 – March 7, 1993) was an American racecar driver. He raced midget cars, sprint cars, and IndyCars.Russ Congdon Russ is a masculine given name, often a short form of Russell (given name), Russell, and also a surname. People Given name or nickname * Russ Abbot (born 1947), British musician, comedian and actor * Russ Adams (born 1980), American retired bas ...

(#72) - Did not finish rookie test *

(#51) - Fatal accident *

Chuck Daigh Chuck Daigh (November 29, 1923 – April 29, 2008) was an American racing car driver. He broke into Grand Prix racing through Lance Reventlow's Scarab team, through the virtue of being one of the resident engineers. Born in Long Beach, California ...

(#98) *

Jimmy Davies James Richard Davies (August 8, 1929 – June 11, 1966) was an American racecar driver in Champ cars and midgets. He was the second man to win three USAC National Midget Championships.Don Edmunds Don Edmunds (September 23, 1930 – August 11, 2020) was an American racecar driver and car builder. Racing career He changed the nose on his first Kurtis midget car from Kurtis' design to his own. Indy car builder Eddie Kuzma hired Edmunds to ...

(#54, #57, #76) *

Jack Ensley Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...

(#92) * Gene Force (#55, #78) *

Andy Furci Andy may refer to: People * Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds * Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pi ...

(#91) *

Elmer George Elmer Ray George (July 15, 1928 – May 31, 1976) was an American race car driver. Born in Hockerville, Oklahoma, George died in Terre Haute, Indiana. He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1956–1963 seasons wi ...

(#21) * Bill Homeier (#42, #62) *

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

(#76, #91) * Johnny Kay (#17) - Did not finish rookie test * Ralph Ligouri (#12, #41) * Johnny Moorhouse (#91) * Earl Motter (#21) * Jim Packard (#55) *

Johnnie Parsons Johnnie Woodrow Parsons'' The Talk of Gasoline Alley'' – 1070-AM WIBC, May 15, 2007 (July 4, 1918 – September 8, 1984) was an American race car driver from Los Angeles, California who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1950. During his racing care ...

(#45) *

Chuck Rodee Chuck Rodee (born Charles J. Rodeghier September 8, 1927 – May 14, 1966) was an American racecar driver who died while attempting to qualify for the 1966 Indianapolis 500.Eddie Russo (#1, #78, #93, #98) * Bob Schroeder (#78) * Shorty Templeman (#69, #76) * Johnnie Tolan (#43) *

(#57) - Fatal accident * Wayne Weiler (#39) - Entry declined, failed physical *

Dempsey Wilson Dempsey Cothrin Wilson (March 11, 1927 – April 23, 1971) was an American racecar driver. Wilson was born in Los Angeles, California. He began his racing career on Southern California short tracks, racing roadsters, then midgets and stock ca ...

(#34, #82)

Race notes

*Fastest lead lap: Johnny Thomson – 1:01.89 *Two drivers,

and Bob Cortner, were killed as a result of accidents during practice for this race. *

Bobby Grim Robert "Bobby" Grim (September 4, 1924 – June 14, 1995) was an American racecar driver. Born in Coal City, Indiana, Grim died of cancer in Indianapolis, Indiana. He drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1958-1969 seasons wi ...

qualified 5th and won the Rookie of the Year award despite dropping out of the race before the halfway point. On lap 85, he suffered

magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...

failure, and began coasting to the pits. As was customary for drivers of the time, he raised his arm to signify to the other drivers he had lost power. However, due to the high speed he was still traveling, he dislocated his arm in the process. Visibly in pain, the crew thought he was coming in for relief, and quickly Jack Turner jumped behind the wheel, but the car would not run.'' The Talk of Gasoline Alley'' – 1070-AM WIBC, May 9, 2007 *The first scoring pylon, a famous landmark of the Speedway, was constructed at the south end of the pit area. *Last year's winner

Jimmy Bryan James Ernest Bryan (January 28, 1926 – June 19, 1960) was an American racecar driver who won the 1958 Indianapolis 500. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Bryan died as a result of injuries sustained in a champ car race at Langhorne Speedway. Career ...

using the same exact car that won the race in 1957 and 1958 fell out of the race being left on the grid with a clutch failure to finish last (33rd).

Championship standings after the race

;Formula One Drivers' Championship standings ;Formula One Constructors' Championship standings * Notes: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings. Also, points were not awarded in the 500 towards the F1 constructors championship.

Broadcasting

Radio

The race was carried live on the

IMS Radio Network The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network (known typically as the IMS Radio Network or the INDYCAR Radio Network), is an in-house radio syndication arrangement which broadcasts the Indianapolis 500, the NTT IndyCar Series, and Indy Lights to ...

Sid Collins Sid Collins (born Sidney Cahn Jr.) (July 17, 1922 – May 2, 1977) was an American broadcaster best known as the radio voice of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network from 1952–1976. Collins coined th ...

served as chief announcer.

Fred Agabashian Levon "Fred" Agabashian (August 21, 1913 – October 13, 1989) was an American racer of midget cars and Indy cars. Career Midget car racing Agabashian competed in his first midget car race in his teens. His first championship was the 1937 ...

joined the crew for the first time as "driver expert." The broadcast reached 385 affiliates, including

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...

References

External links

Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats
– Official Site {{F1GP 50-59

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

Indianapolis 500 races