A.J. Foyt shows off his trophy and sporty new jacket after winning the Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Sid Collins awaits to interview the winner.
Indianapolis, Ind. (September 17, 1960) – A.J. Foyt, 25-year-old Texan, won the hairiest Hoosier Hundred on Saturday afternoon.
Three spectacular crashes marred the eighth running of the 100-mile auto races at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, but no one was seriously hurt.
In fact, more damage to drivers and cars was caused by a steady stream of rocks dug up by the churning wheels of the cars.
Foyt, of Houston, Tex., collected $10,225 out of a record purse of $39,905.
Tony Bettenhausen of Tinley Park, Ill., driving the Doward Special, finished 8.5-seconds behind Foyt. Don Branson of Urbana, Ill., piloting the Bob Estes Special, finished third.
The crowd set another record with 24,865 paying to see the event.
Wayne Weiler of Phoenix, Ariz., escaped unhurt in the day’s worse looking accident. The 25-year-old pilot of the John Zink Special flipped into the air on the main straightaway coming out of the west turn after it hit the Stearley Motor Freight Special of Jim Packard, the 28-year-old Indianapolis driver. The accident occurred on the 54th lap while Packard was running in sixth place.
Jim Hurtubise, who shattered Indianapolis Speedway qualifying records during the “500” and won rookie-of-the-year honors, steered his Bernco Engineering Special to a stop against the inside guardrail after the car threw a right front tire on the 95th lap.
Al “Cotton” Farmer of Dallas, Tex., was knocked unconscious when a rock hit him on the head on the backstretch of the 66th lap. He spun in the in the middle of the west turn. Bobby Grim, driving the Forbes Special, had to spin purposely to keep from hitting Farmer. Farmer was riding in second place at the time and Grim was ninth at the time of the accident.
Most seriously hurt was Gene Force of Richmond, Ind., who suffered a large gash over his right eye when a big rock struck him at about the 60-mile mark. Force hung on gamely and coasted across the finish line for fourth place after his engine quit.
Rodger Ward of Indianapolis, the defending USAC national driving champion, broke the track record in qualifying with a lap of 101.609 miles per hour in hiss Leader Card Special.
Ward led the first 68 miles before a magneto went sour, forcing him into the pits.
Foyt’s victory gave him 200 championship points and allowed him to move up on the heels of Ward in the battle for the USAC driving title. Ward has 1,200 points while Foyt now has 1,140.
Most seriously hurt was Gene Force of Richmond, Ind., who suffered a large gash over his right eye when a big struck him at about the 60-mile mark. Force hung on gamely and coasted across the finish line for fourth place after his engine quit.
The race started an hour and 22 minutes late because the track was so wet from water being poured on it Friday and the unusually high humidity.
Foyt, starting in the eighth position, moved up to sixth place on the first lap, to fifth on the fourth circuit, to fourth on the 12th lap, to third on the 48th lap, and took over second when Farmer had his accident.
Foyt was trailing Ward by half-a-lap when Ward’s magneto failed.
Results –
1. A.J. Foyt
2. Tony Bettenhausen
3. Don Branson
4. Gene Force
5. Johnny Thomson
6. Roger McCluskey
7. Len Sutton
8. Chuck Stevenson
9. Shorty Templeman
10.Leo Drollinger
11.Chuck Hulse
12.Jim Hurtubise
13.Eddie Sachs
14.Rodger Ward
15.Al Farmer
16.Bobby Grim
17.Parnelli Jones
18.Jim Packard
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