Rodger Morris Ward 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 victories, and two USAC National Championships, who conceived the classic tri-oval design and layout of Pocono International Raceway, modeled after his three favorite signature turns, at Trenton, Indianapolis and Milwaukee.
27 Facts About Rodger Ward
2.
Rodger Ward's father owned an auto wrecking business in Los Angeles.
3.
Rodger Ward was 14 years old when he built a Ford hot rod.
4.
Rodger Ward was a P-38 Lightning fighter pilot in World War II.
5.
Rodger Ward enjoyed flying so much he thought of making it his career.
6.
Rodger Ward began to fly B-17 Flying Fortress and was so good he was retained as an instructor.
7.
Rodger Ward began racing midget cars in 1946 after he was discharged from the Army.
8.
Rodger Ward's skills improved in 1947 and by 1948 he won the San Diego Grand Prix.
9.
Rodger Ward raced in an Offenhauser in 1949 and won several races.
10.
Rodger Ward shocked the midget car racing world when he broke Offenhauser motor's long winning streak by using Vic Edelbrock's Ford 60 "shaker" motor at Gilmore Stadium on August 10,1950.
11.
Rodger Ward drove Ken Brenn's Offy midget July 25,1959 to beat the top expensive and exotic sports cars in a Formula Libre race at Lime Rock Park.
12.
Later that year, Rodger Ward entered the United States Grand Prix for Formula One cars with the midget car, under the false belief that it was much quicker through the turns, a fact he found not true at the beginning of practice.
13.
Rodger Ward eventually retired from the race after twenty laps with a mechanical failure.
14.
Rodger Ward passed the test and qualified for the race.
15.
Rodger Ward finished 34 laps before his car suffered a broken oil line.
16.
Rodger Ward finished 130 laps in the 1952 Indianapolis 500 before the oil pressure failed.
17.
Rodger Ward completed all of the laps for the first time in 1956, finishing eighth.
18.
Rodger Ward won the USAC National Championship with victories at Milwaukee, DuQuoin and the Indy Fairgrounds.
19.
Rodger Ward battled Jim Rathmann for the lead in the 1960 Indianapolis 500.
20.
Rodger Ward took the lead at the 1962 Indianapolis 500 at lap 126 and led the rest of the race.
21.
The car was fast, but the jetting mistake left Rodger Ward having to pit every 20 laps for fuel.
22.
In 1966 Rodger Ward won the second race of the season at Trenton driving a supercharged Offy powered Lola.
23.
Rodger Ward had parked a running car 74 laps into the race and was considering his future.
24.
At the banquet, Rodger Ward stood at the podium and made a painful announcement to the crowd: "I always said I'd quit racing when it stopped being fun," he said.
25.
Rodger Ward retired to be a commentator for ABC's Wide World of Sports for NASCAR and Indycars from 1965 to 1970.
26.
Rodger Ward participated in 12 World Championship races, including 10 starts at Indy along with the 1959 United States Grand Prix and the 1963 United States Grand Prix.
27.
Rodger Ward won 1 race and finished on the podium twice.