Troy Ruttman (born March 11, 1930 – May 19, 1997) was an American race car driver. He was the older brother of Jimmy Ruttman, and

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

driver Joe Ruttman. Ruttman won the

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 ...

in 1952, at the age of 22 years and 80 days. , he is the youngest winner of the race. From 1950–1960, the Indianapolis 500 also counted toward the World Drivers' Championship (now synonymous with

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

), although most of the racers did not compete in the other races in the Championship. Ruttman was the first Indianapolis 500 winner to participate in a Formula One event beyond Indy and his 1952 Indy 500 win earned him the distinction of being the youngest driver to win a round of the World Championship, an honor he held until

Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver currently competing for Alpine in Formula One. He won the series' World Drivers' Championship in and with Renault, and has also driven for McLaren, Ferrari, and Mi ...

won the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Racing career

Ruttman entered his family car in a roadster race in

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 ce ...

in 1945 at age 15, and won the race.Biography
at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame He won 19 of the 21 events staged there that season. By 1947 he was the California Roadster Association (CRA) roadster champion. He also won his first five

midget car Midget cars, also speedcars in Australia, is a class of racing cars. The cars are very small with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four cylinder engines. They originated in the United States in the 1930s and are raced on mo ...

races that season. In 1948 he repeated as the CRA roadster champion, United Racing Association Blue Circuit ( Offy) championship, and 23 midget car events.

Sprint car career

In May 1949 Ruttman left California for the AAA Sprint and Championship car circuits of the Midwest. He won three AAA Sprint Car championships over the next three and a half seasons. He competed in 51 midget races, winning 16 and placing in the top three 28 times. He was injured in a sprint car crash in August 1952, which sidelined Ruttman for one and a half racing seasons. Ruttman returned in 1954 on a greatly reduced schedule.

Championship car career

He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1949–1952, 1954, 1956–1957 and 1960–1964 seasons with 58 starts, including the

races in 1949–1952, 1954, 1956–1957, and 1960–1964. He finished in the top ten 26 times, with 5 victories and finished runner-up to Chuck Stevenson for the 1952 National Championship.

Stock car career

Ruttman won the 1956 USAC Short Track Stock Car division title. Ruttman also competed in 7 races in the

Grand National Series from 1962–1964, finishing in the top ten 5 times. His best finish was third at the 1963 race at Riverside International Raceway behind

Dan Gurney Daniel Sexton Gurney (April 13, 1931 – January 14, 2018) was an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner who reached racing's highest levels starting in 1958. Gurney won races in the Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am, ...

and A. J. Foyt.

World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960, and drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Troy Ruttman participated in nine World Championship races, seven times at Indy plus the 1958

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Grands Prix. His 1952 Indianapolis 500 win was his only win and podium finish, and he earned a total of 9.5 championship points.

Career awards

*He was inducted into the

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum is a Hall of Fame and museum for sprint car drivers, owners, mechanics, builders, manufacturers, promoters, sanctioning officials and media members. The museum is located in Knoxville, Iowa, the h ...

in 1993. *Ruttman was inducted into the

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycle ...

Troy Ruttman
at the

in 2005. *He was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2003. *Ruttman was inducted into the

West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame The West Coast Stock Car Hall Of Fame is a Hall of Fame for people associated with late-model stock car racing on the West Coast of the United States. Many NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series champions are inducted in the Hall of Fame. The ...

in its first class in 2002.Biography
at

, 2002, Retrieved November 7, 2007 *Inducted into the Indianapolis 500 Hall of Fame in May 1992.

Death

Ruttman died as a result of lung cancer on May 19, 1997 at Lake Havasu City, Arizona just a month before the long planned "Troy Ruttman Day" in his hometown of Mooreland, Oklahoma. He was survived by his first wife Beverly Benson, and second wife Clara. He had seven children.

Complete AAA/USAC Championship Car results

Indianapolis 500 results

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key) *† = Shared drive

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruttman, Troy 1930 births 1997 deaths Racing drivers from Oklahoma American Formula One drivers American people of German descent Scuderia Centro Sud Formula One drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers Indianapolis 500 winners NASCAR drivers National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees People from Woodward County, Oklahoma Deaths from lung cancer AAA Championship Car drivers Formula One race winners USAC Stock Car drivers