1958 USAC Championship Car season

The 1958 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 13 races, beginning in Trenton, New Jersey on March 30 and concluding in Phoenix, Arizona on November 11. There were also five non-championship events. The USAC National Champion was Tony Bettenhausen and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Jimmy Bryan. There were three fatalities during the season. Pat O'Connor lost his life in a first lap accident during the Indy 500. Art Bisch died of injuries suffered during the race at Lakewood Speedway. Jimmy Reece was killed in a late-race incident at the second Trenton 100. Bettenhausen became the first USAC champion without a single race win (and at the time the only one) during the season until Tom Sneva did so 20 years later.

1958 USAC Championship Car season
USAC National Championship Trail
Season
Races13
Start dateMarch 30
End dateNovember 11
Awards
National championUnited States Tony Bettenhausen
Indianapolis 500 winnerUnited States Jimmy Bryan
← 1957
1959 →

Schedule and results

edit
Rnd Date Race Name Track Location Type Pole Position Winning Driver
1 March 30   Trenton 100 Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Paved   Len Sutton   Len Sutton
2 May 30   International 500 Mile SweepstakesA Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana Paved   Dick Rathmann   Jimmy Bryan
3 June 8   Rex Mays Classic Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin Paved   Art Bisch   Art Bisch
4 June 15   Langhorne 100 Langhorne Speedway Langhorne, Pennsylvania Dirt   Jud Larson   Eddie Sachs
NC June 29   500 Miglia di Monza Autodromo Nazionale di Monza Monza, Italy Paved Heat 1:   Luigi Musso Heat 1:   Jim Rathmann
Heat 2:   Jim Rathmann Heat 2:   Jim Rathmann
Heat 3:   Jim Rathmann Heat 3:   Jim Rathmann
5 July 4   Atlanta 100 Lakewood Speedway Atlanta, Georgia Dirt   Don Branson   Jud Larson
NC July 4   Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Pikes Peak Highway Pikes Peak, Colorado Hill   Louie UnserB   Bobby Unser
NC July 20   Indianapolis Sweepstakes Williams Grove Speedway Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Dirt   Johnny Thomson   Jud Larson
6 August 16   Springfield 100 Illinois State Fairgrounds Springfield, Illinois Dirt   Jud Larson   Johnny Thomson
7 August 24   Milwaukee 200 Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin Paved   Jim Rathmann   Rodger Ward
8 September 1   Ted Horn Memorial DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Du Quoin, Illinois Dirt   Johnny Thomson   Johnny Thomson
9 September 6   Syracuse 100 New York State Fairgrounds Syracuse, New York Dirt   Jud Larson   Johnny Thomson
10 September 13   Hoosier Hundred Indiana State Fairgrounds Indianapolis, Indiana Dirt   Jud Larson   Eddie Sachs
11 September 28   Trenton 100 Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Paved   Jimmy Reece   Rodger Ward
12 October 26   Golden State 100 California State Fairgrounds Sacramento, California Dirt   Johnny Thomson   Johnny Thomson
13 November 11   Bobby Ball Memorial Arizona State Fairgrounds Phoenix, Arizona Dirt   Rex Easton   Jud Larson
  Paved/Dirt Oval
  Road Course/Hill Climb
  Non-championship race
^A Indianapolis 500 was USAC-sanctioned and counted towards the 1958 FIA World Championship of Drivers title.
^B No pole is awarded for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, in this schedule on the pole is the driver who started first. No lap led was awarded for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, however, a lap was awarded to the drivers that completed the climb.

Final points standings

edit
Pos Driver TRE1
 
INDY
 
MIL1
 
LAN
 
ATL
 
SPR
 
MIL2
 
DQSF
 
SYR
 
ISF
 
TRE2
 
SAC
 
PHX
 
Pts
1   Tony Bettenhausen 2 4 2 5 18 12 25 2 3 5 3 5 2 1830
2   George Amick 6 2 6 14 2 18 4 18 2 Wth 19 4 15 1640
3   Johnny Thomson 3 23 4 18 3 1 22 1 1 2 2 1 14 1520
4   Jud Larson 5 8 9 3 1 13 7 5 17 22 2 1 1250
5   Rodger Ward 11 20 19 DNQ 7 16 1 4 4 3 1 16 5 1160
6   Jimmy Bryan 1 1000
7   Eddie Sachs DNQ 22 10 1 6 DNQ 3 17 10 1 10 15 3 990
8   Johnny Boyd 3 5 15 800
9   Don Branson DNQ 4 5 7 12 3 6 4 6 12 7 790
10   A. J. Foyt 16 21 2 11 11 7 8 14 8 11 3 4 700
11   Len Sutton 1 32 11 9 4 9 9 6 DNQ DNQ 8 DNQ 9 670
12   Jimmy Reece DNQ 6 3 26 DNQ 7 7 660
13   Don Freeland 7 DNQ 6 3 21 9 18 16 14 DNQ 560
14   Jim Rathmann 5 7 23 560
15   Bob Veith 26 DNQ 6 2 16 6 18 480
16   Johnny Tolan 13 8 15 6 5 9 11 18 8 10 450
17   Eddie Johnson 9 22 10 DNQ 5 360
18   Joe Barzda  RY  9 13 16 4 11 13 15 4 320
19   Elmer George 12 DNQ 17 13 8 2 DNQ DNS 16 10 DNQ 17 8 300
20   Rex Easton DNQ 15 17 13 5 17 10 7 DNQ 13 13 6 270
21   Jack Turner 25 DNS 12 17 5 11 DNQ DNQ DNQ 230
22   Bill Cheesbourg 10 12 10 10 DNQ DNS DNS DNQ 220
23   Art Bisch 33 1 DNQ 16 200
24   Ed Elisian 28 DNQ DNQ 17 8 9 9 180
25   Ralph Liguori 4 8 15 DNQ 18 DNQ DNQ 170
26   Buzz Barton 7 DNQ 11 9 8 DNQ DNQ DNQ 170
27   Earl Motter DNQ 16 DNQ 10 14 16 DNQ 6 11 130
28   Al Keller DNQ 11 100
29   Jim Packard  R  14 DNQ 12 DNQ 12 DNQ 7 DNQ 80
30   Mike Magill 17 7 DNQ 60
31   Dempsey Wilson 10 15 20 DNQ 19 DNQ 12 18 11 60
32   Paul Russo 18 8 14 50
33   Chuck Rodee 8 50
34   Johnnie Parsons 12 Wth 50
35   Wayne Weiler  R  9 17 40
36   Bobby Grim  R  10 12 40
37   Shorty Templeman 19 13 11 12 DNQ 20 DNQ DNQ 30
38   Roy Graham 12 DNQ DNQ 10
-   Bob Schroeder  R  DNQ DNQ DNQ 13 15 DNQ 15 DNQ DNQ 0
-   Gene Hartley DNQ 18 13 0
-   Pat O’Connor 13 29 0
-   Lloyd Ruby  R  13 0
-   Dick Linder  R  14 17 DNQ 17 0
-   Dick Rathmann 27 14 24 0
-   Troy Ruttman DNQ 14 DNP 0
-   Bob Christie 14 0
-   Jiggs Peters 14 0
-   Jimmy Davies 20 15 DNQ DNP 0
-   Gene Force 15 DNQ 0
-   Bill Homeier DNQ DNQ 16 0
-   Pat Flaherty DNQ 16 0
-   Billy Garrett 21 18 0
-   Tony Bonadies DNQ DNQ 21 0
-   Chuck Weyant 24 DNQ DNQ DNS DNQ 0
-   Paul Goldsmith  R  30 0
-   Jerry Unser 31 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
-   Red Amick DNS 0
-   Jim McWithey DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
-   Van Johnson DNQ DNQ 0
-   Allen Crowe DNQ DNQ 0
-   Jimmy Daywalt DNQ DNQ 0
-   Don Edmunds DNQ DNQ 0
-   Bill Hyde DNQ DNQ 0
-   Ernie Koch DNQ DNQ 0
-   Tom Pistone DNP DNQ 0
-   Peter Collins DNQ 0
-   Fred Agabashian DNQ 0
-   Bud Clemons DNQ 0
-   Bob Cortner DNQ 0
-   Ray Crawford DNQ 0
-   Jack Ensley DNQ 0
-   Juan Manuel Fangio DNQ 0
-   Joe Giba DNQ 0
-   Al Herman DNQ 0
-   Eddie Russo DNQ 0
-   Carroll Shelby DNQ 0
-   Marshall Teague DNQ 0
-   Leroy Warriner DNQ 0
-   Norm Hall DNQ 0
-   Bill Chennault DNQ 0
-   Chuck Hulse DNQ 0
-   Buddy Cagle DNQ 0
-   Don Whittington DNQ 0
-   Dutch Schaefer DNP 0
Pos Driver TRE1
 
INDY
 
MIL1
 
LAN
 
ATL
 
SPR
 
MIL2
 
DQSF
 
SYR
 
ISF
 
TRE2
 
SAC
 
PHX
 
Pts
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th & 5th place
Light Blue 6th-10th place
Dark Blue Finished
(Outside Top 10)
Purple Did not finish
(Ret)
Red Did not qualify
(DNQ)
Brown Withdrawn
(Wth)
Black Disqualified
(DSQ)
White Did not start
(DNS)
Blank Did not
participate
(DNP)
Not competing
In-line notation
Bold Pole position
Italics Ran fastest race lap
* Led most race laps
 RY  Rookie of the Year
 R  Rookie

References

edit
  • Åberg, Andreas. "USAC National Championship 1958". Driver Database. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  • "1958 USAC National Championship Trail". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  • http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine (p. 278-279)

See also

edit