Rodger Ward(1921-2004)

Rodger Ward was a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living winner of the Indy 500, having won in 1959 and 1962. Ward moved with his family to Los Angeles as a child. When he was 14, he built a Ford hot rod with parts from his father's junkyard business and began drag racing. A fighter and bomber pilot in World War II, Ward returned to Southern California after the war and began racing midgets. He passed his rookie test at Indianapolis in 1951. He considered quitting racing four years later, however, when his front axle snapped, triggering a crash that killed his close friend and two-time Indy 500 champion Bill Vukovich. But Vukovich's family convinced Ward to continue racing. During his career, Ward won 26 champ-car races and two U.S. Auto Club titles. His final victory was April 24, 1966, in Trenton, New Jersey.