Jim Rathmann

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Jim Rathmann bigraphy, stories - American racing driver

Jim Rathmann : biography

July 16, 1928 – 23 November 2011

Jim Rathmann (July 16, 1928 – November 23, 2011), born Royal Richard Rathmann, was an American race car driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1960.

He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series in the 1949–1950 and 1952–1963 seasons with 42 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in each of those seasons. Rathmann also participated in the two runnings of the Race of Two Worlds at Monza, Italy, winning the 1958 event. He had 6 victories in addition to his Indy 500 win. He also drove in 3 races in the NASCAR series from 1949 to 1951.

Rathmann and his older brother notably swapped names while teenagers. As a 16-year old going by the name of "Dick Rathmann," he wanted to start racing. In order to enter races, he borrowed his older brother’s I.D. and assumed the identity of "Jim Rathmann.""The Talk of Gasoline Alley – May 11, 2011 The name change stuck for life in public circles.

On August 15, 2007, Rathmann was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. The ceremony took place in Detroit.

He died in 2011 after a seizure. 

World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Jim Rathmann participated in 10 World Championship races. He won 1 race, set 2 fastest lead laps, and finished on the podium 4 times. He accumulated a total of 29 championship points. This total is the largest number of World Championship points earned by a driver in the Indianapolis 500.

Death

Rathmann died on November 23, 2011. He had reportedly suffered a seizure at his home days earlier and died at a hospice center in Melbourne, Florida.

Indy 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired
1949 68 21 126.516 29 11 175 0 Flagged
1950 76 28 129.959 24 24 122 0 Flagged
1952 59 10 136.343 7 2 200 0 Running
1953 2 25 135.666 28 7 200 1 Running
1954 38 28 138.228 21 28 110 0 Crash T4
1955 33 20 138.707 24 14 191 0 Flagged
1956 24 2 145.120 3 20 175 3 Rings
1957 26 32 139.806 31 2 200 24 Running
1958 2 20 143.147 15 5 200 0 Running
1959 16 3 144.433 4 2 200 19 Running
1960 4 2 146.371 4 1 200 100 Running
1961 4 11 145.413 13 30 48 6 Magneto
1962 44 23 146.610 21 9 200 0 Running
1963 16 29 147.838 32 24 99 0 Magneto
Totals 2320 153
Starts 14
Poles 0
Front Row 3
Wins 1
Top 5 5
Top 10 7
Retired 4