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'''Royal Richard Rathmann''' (July 16, 1928 – November 23, 2011), was an American [[racing driver]] who competed primarily in [[Championship Car|Championship Cars]]. Competing professionally as '''Jim Rathmann''' - his [[Dick Rathmann|older brother's]] name - Rathmann is best known for winning the [[Indianapolis 500]] in [[1960 Indianapolis 500|1960]].
'''Royal Richard Rathmann''' (July 16, 1928 – November 23, 2011), was an American [[racing driver]] who competed primarily in [[Championship Car|Championship Cars]]. Competing professionally as '''Jim Rathmann''' - his [[Dick Rathmann|older brother's]] name - Rathmann is best known for winning the [[Indianapolis 500]] in [[1960 Indianapolis 500|1960]].


⚫
Rathmann and his older brother swapped names while teenagers. As a 16-year-old going by the name of '''Dick Rathmann''', he wanted to start racing. To enter races, he borrowed his older brother's I.D. and assumed the identity of '''"Jim Rathmann"'''.<ref>"The Talk of Gasoline Alley - May 11, 2011</ref> The name change stuck for life in public circles.
⚫
Rathmann drove in the [[AAA Contest Board|AAA]] and [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]] [[American open-wheel car racing|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 [[Autodromo Nazionale Monza|Monza]], [[Italy]], winning the 1958 event. He had 6 victories in addition to his Indy 500 win including the [[USAC Daytona 100]]. He also drove in 3 races in the NASCAR series from 1949 to 1951.


⚫
==Championship Car career==
⚫
Rathmann and his older brother swapped names while teenagers. As a 16-year-old going by the name of "Dick Rathmann," he wanted to start racing. To enter races, he borrowed his [[Dick Rathmann|older brother's]] I.D. and assumed the identity of "Jim Rathmann."<ref>"The Talk of Gasoline Alley - May 11, 2011</ref> The name change stuck for life in public circles.
⚫
Rathmann drove in the [[AAA Contest Board|AAA]] and [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]] [[Championship Car]] series in the 1949–1950 and 1952–1963 seasons with 38 starts, including the [[Indianapolis 500]] during each of those seasons. He had 2 victories in addition to his Indianapolis 500 win, including the [[USAC Daytona 100]].


Rathmann also participated in the two runnings of the [[Race of Two Worlds]] at [[Autodromo Nazionale Monza|Monza]], [[Italy]], winning the 1958 race, a non-championship event.
On August 15, 2007, Rathmann was inducted into the [[Motorsports Hall of Fame of America]].<ref name=MSHoF>[http://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/jim-rathmann.html Jim Rathmann] at the [[Motorsports Hall of Fame of America]]</ref> The ceremony took place in [[Detroit]].<ref>{{cite news
| url = http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070220/SPORTS01/702200371/1052
| title = Rathmann, Elliott lead way
| publisher = [[The Indianapolis Star]]
| date = February 20, 2007
| access-date = August 15, 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924050909/http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20070220%2FSPORTS01%2F702200371%2F1052
| archive-date = September 24, 2015
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> He died in 2011 after a seizure.<ref name="death">{{cite news |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/racing/11/23/obit.jim.rathmann.ap/index.html |title=1960 Indy 500 winner Rathmann dead at 83 |publisher=Sports Illustrated |date=23 November 2011 |access-date=23 November 2011}}</ref>


⚫
===1960 Indianapolis 500 victory===
⚫
==NASCAR career==
⚫
[[File:1960 Ken-Paul Special - June 2022 - Sarah Stierch.jpg|thumb|Rathmann's winning car from the 1960 Indianapolis 500.]]
⚫
Rathmann drove in 3 [[NASCAR]] [[Nextel Cup|Strictly Stock/Grand National]] races from 1949 to 1951, competing in one race in each of those years. He debuted in 1949 at [[Langhorne Speedway|Langhorne]]. Starting 13th in the race, Rathmann slid to 32nd by the end of the race. In 1950, Rathmann raced at the prestigious [[Daytona Beach Road Course]]. Starting 17th in this event, Rathmann finished a career-best 12th, two laps down. In his final race in 1951, Rathmann started a career-best 9th at [[Michigan State Fairgrounds Speedway|Detroit]]. He finished 52nd in this race.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.racing-reference.info/driver?id=rathmji01|title=Driver Jim Rathmann Career Statistics - Racing-Reference.info|website=www.racing-reference.info}}</ref>


⚫
Starting in the middle of the first row, Rathmann ran in the front the entire race. From the midway point on, Rathmann and fellow driver [[Rodger Ward]] were locked in a neck and neck duel for first. Tire wear became an issue as the race wore on and Rathmann was able to keep his wheels fresh long enough to outrace Ward to the finish. The race featured the most recorded lead changes in Indianapolis 500 history.
⚫
==1960 Indianapolis 500 win==


⚫
==Stock car career==
⚫
[[File:1960 Ken-Paul Special - June 2022 - Sarah Stierch.jpg|thumb|Rathmann's winning car from the 1960 Indianapolis 500.]]
⚫
Rathmann drove in 3 [[NASCAR]] [[Nextel Cup|Strictly Stock/Grand National]] races from 1949 to 1951, competing in one race in each of those years. He debuted in 1949 at [[Langhorne Speedway|Langhorne]]. Starting 13th in the race, Rathmann slid to 32nd by the end of the race. In 1950, Rathmann raced at the prestigious [[Daytona Beach Road Course]]. Starting 17th in this event, Rathmann finished a career-best 12th, two laps down. In his final race in 1951, Rathmann started a career-best 9th at [[Michigan State Fairgrounds Speedway|Detroit]]. He finished 52nd in this race.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.racing-reference.info/driver?id=rathmji01|title=Driver Jim Rathmann Career Statistics - Racing-Reference.info|website=www.racing-reference.info}}</ref>
⚫
Started first row centered, Rathmann ran in the front the entire race. From the midway point on, Rathmann and fellow driver [[Rodger Ward]] were locked in a neck and neck duel for first. Tire wear became an issue as the race wore on and Rathmann was able to keep his wheels fresh long enough to outrace Ward to the finish. The race featured the most recorded lead changes in the "Indy 500" history.

==World Championship career summary==
⚫
The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship of Drivers each year from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis 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.


==After racing==
==After racing==
Line 83: Line 78:


==Death==
==Death==
Over the decades after his victory, Rathmann was a regular visitor to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during May each year. He drove the pace car several times. However, he missed the 100th-anniversary celebration in [[2011 Indianapolis 500|2011]] due to failing health. 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.<ref name="death"/>
During the decades after his victory, Rathmann was a regular visitor to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during May each year. He drove the pace car several times. However, he missed the 100th-anniversary celebration in [[2011 Indianapolis 500|2011]] due to failing health. 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.<ref name="death"/>



==Complete AAA/USAC Championship Car results==
==Racing record==
===Complete AAA/USAC Championship Car results===
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! Year
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==Indianapolis 500 results==
===Indianapolis 500 results===
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{{col-end}}


==Complete Formula One World Championship results==
===Complete FIA World Drivers' Championship results===
([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]]) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]]) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
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|}

⚫
==World Championship career summary==
⚫
The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship of Drivers each year 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.


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 19:22, 24 September 2023

Not to be confused with Jim Rathmann (investigator).
Jim Rathmann
BornRoyal Richard Rathmann
(1928-07-16)July 16, 1928
Alhambra, California, U.S.
DiedNovember 23, 2011(2011-11-23) (aged 83)
Melbourne, Florida, U.S.
Championship titles
Major victories
Indianapolis 500 (1960)
Champ Car career
38 races run over 14 years
Best finish2nd (1957)
First race1949 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race1963 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
First win1957 Milwaukee 200 (Milwaukee)
Last win1960 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Wins Podiums Poles
3 7 1
NASCAR Cup Series career
3 races run over 3 years
Best finish89th (1950)
First race1949 Race 4 (Langhorne)
Last race1951 Motor City 250 (Detroit)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
Formula One World Championship career
Active years1950, 1952–1960
TeamsWetteroth, Kurtis Kraft, Moore, Epperly, Watson
Entries10
Championships0
Wins1
Podiums4
Career points26
Pole positions0
Fastest laps2
First entry1950 Indianapolis 500
First win1960 Indianapolis 500
Last entry1960 Indianapolis 500

Royal Richard Rathmann (July 16, 1928 – November 23, 2011), was an American racing driver who competed primarily in Championship Cars. Competing professionally as Jim Rathmann - his older brother's name - Rathmann is best known for winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1960.

Rathmann and his older brother swapped names while teenagers. As a 16-year-old going by the name of Dick Rathmann, he wanted to start racing. To enter races, he borrowed his older brother's I.D. and assumed the identity of "Jim Rathmann".[1] The name change stuck for life in public circles.

Championship Car career

Rathmann drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series in the 1949–1950 and 1952–1963 seasons with 38 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 during each of those seasons. He had 2 victories in addition to his Indianapolis 500 win, including the USAC Daytona 100.

Rathmann also participated in the two runnings of the Race of Two Worlds at Monza, Italy, winning the 1958 race, a non-championship event.

1960 Indianapolis 500 victory

Rathmann's winning car from the 1960 Indianapolis 500.

Starting in the middle of the first row, Rathmann ran in the front the entire race. From the midway point on, Rathmann and fellow driver Rodger Ward were locked in a neck and neck duel for first. Tire wear became an issue as the race wore on and Rathmann was able to keep his wheels fresh long enough to outrace Ward to the finish. The race featured the most recorded lead changes in Indianapolis 500 history.

Stock car career

Rathmann drove in 3 NASCAR Strictly Stock/Grand National races from 1949 to 1951, competing in one race in each of those years. He debuted in 1949 at Langhorne. Starting 13th in the race, Rathmann slid to 32nd by the end of the race. In 1950, Rathmann raced at the prestigious Daytona Beach Road Course. Starting 17th in this event, Rathmann finished a career-best 12th, two laps down. In his final race in 1951, Rathmann started a career-best 9th at Detroit. He finished 52nd in this race.[2]

World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship of Drivers each year from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis 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.

After racing

Astronaut Alan Shepard's Corvette on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

Rathmann later owned a Chevrolet-Cadillac dealership in Melbourne, Florida, where he befriended astronauts Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, and Gordon Cooper. Rathmann convinced GM President Ed Cole to set up a program which supplied each astronaut with a pair of new cars each year. Most chose a family car for their wives and a Corvette for themselves.[3] Alan Bean recalls Corvettes lined up in the parking lot outside the astronaut offices at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and friendly races between Shepard and Grissom along the Florida beach roads.[4]

After retiring from the car business, Rathmann lived with his wife, Mary Kay, in Indialantic, Florida.[5]

Death

During the decades after his victory, Rathmann was a regular visitor to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during May each year. He drove the pace car several times. However, he missed the 100th-anniversary celebration in 2011 due to failing health. 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.[6]

Racing record

Complete AAA/USAC Championship Car results

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos Points
1949 ARL INDY
11 		MIL
 TRE
 SPR MIL
 DUQ
 PIK SYR DET SPR LAN SAC
 DMR
DNQ 		39th 100
1950 INDY
24 		MIL
 LAN
 SPR
 MIL
 PIK
 SYR
 DET
 SPR
 SAC
 PHX
 BAY
 DAR
 - 0
1952 INDY
2 		MIL
10 		RAL
4 		SPR
DNQ 		MIL
DNQ 		DET
 DUQ
18 		PIK SYR
18 		DNC
DNQ 		SJS
 PHX
 6th 1.070
1953 INDY
7 		MIL
 SPR
 DET
 SPR
 MIL
 DUQ
 PIK SYR
 ISF
 SAC
 PHX
 26th 169.5
1954 INDY
28 		MIL
 LAN DAR
27 		SPR MIL DUQ PIK SYR ISF SAC PHX
 LVG
 - 0
1955 INDY
14 		MIL
20 		LAN SPR MIL DUQ PIK SYR ISF SAC PHX
 - 0
1956 INDY
20 		MIL
19 		LAN
 DAR
11 		ATL
4 		SPR
DNQ 		MIL
15 		DUQ
3 		SYR
DNQ 		ISF
15 		SAC
 PHX
 23rd 300
1957 INDY
2 		LAN
 MIL
5 		DET
 ATL
 SPR
 MIL
1 		DUQ
 SYR
 ISF
 TRE
6 		SAC
12 		PHX
6 		2nd 1.470
1958 TRE
 INDY
5 		MIL
7 		LAN
 ATL
 SPR
 MIL
23 		DUQ
 SYR
 ISF
 TRE
 SAC
 PHX
 14th 560
1959 DAY
1 		TRE
4 		INDY
2 		MIL
DNQ 		LAN
 SPR
 MIL
4 		DUQ
 SYR
 ISF
 TRE
 SAC
 PHX
 4th 1,154.8
1960 TRE INDY
1 		MIL
DNQ 		LAN
 SPR MIL
18 		DUQ SYR ISF TRE
21 		SAC PHX 4th 1,000
1961 TRE
DNQ 		INDY
30 		MIL
DNQ 		LAN MIL SPR DUQ SYR
DNQ 		ISF TRE SAC PHX - 0
1962 TRE INDY
9 		MIL
 LAN TRE
 SPR MIL
 LAN SYR
 ISF
 TRE
 SAC
 PHX
 19th 200
1963 TRE INDY
24 		MIL
 LAN TRE SPR MIL DUQ ISF TRE SAC PHX - 0

Indianapolis 500 results

Complete FIA World Drivers' Championship results

(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 WDC Points
1950 Pioneer Auto Repair Wetteroth Offenhauser L4 GBR MON 500
24 		SUI BEL FRA ITA NC 0
1952 Grancor-Wynn's Oil Kurtis Kraft 3000 Offenhauser L4 SUI 500
2 		BEL FRA GBR GER NED ITA 10th 6
1953 Travelon Trailer Kurtis Kraft 500B Offenhauser L4 ARG 500
7 		NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA NC 0
1954 Bardahl Kurtis Kraft 500C Offenhauser L4 ARG 500
28 		BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA ESP NC 0
1955 Belond Miracle Power Epperly Offenhauser L4 ARG MON 500
14 		BEL NED GBR ITA NC 0
1956 Hopkins Kurtis Kraft 500C Offenhauser L4 ARG MON 500
20 		BEL FRA GBR GER ITA NC 0
1957 Chiropractic Epperly Indy Roadster Offenhauser L4 ARG MON 500
2 		FRA GBR GER PES ITA 10th 7
1958 Leader Card 500 Roadster Epperly Indy Roadster Offenhauser L4 ARG MON NED 500
5 		BEL FRA GBR GER POR ITA MOR 21st 2
1959 Simoniz Watson Indy Roadster Offenhauser L4 MON 500
2 		NED FRA GBR GER POR ITA USA 11th 6
1960 Ken-Paul Watson Indy Roadster Offenhauser L4 ARG MON 500
1 		NED BEL FRA GBR POR ITA USA 8th 8

References

  1. ^ "The Talk of Gasoline Alley - May 11, 2011
  2. ^ "Driver Jim Rathmann Career Statistics - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info.
  3. ^ Bean, Alan. "Training".
  4. ^ Nelson, John (June 2009). "The AstroVette an astronaut's Corvette from the beginning of the Space Age". Vette. Archived from the original on 2012-04-24. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
  5. ^ Aumann, Mark (21 July 2010). "Rathmanns crisscross NASCAR, Indianapolis". NASCAR.COM. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference death was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Jim Rathmann Indy 500 Race Stats". Archived from the original on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
Preceded by Indianapolis 500 Winner
1960 		Succeeded by
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