Troy Ruttman was just 22 when he won the 1952 Indianapolis 500, the youngest winner in the race's history at the time. The Oklahoma sprint-car prodigy later raced stock cars too, making seven NASCAR Grand National starts (best finish third, at Riverside in 1963); his stock-car wins came in USAC, where he took the 1956 Short Track Stock Car title.
Ruttman died of cancer in 1997 at 67 in Arizona. His versatility across open-wheel and stock cars marked him as one of the great all-around racers of his generation.
At a Glance
- Born: March 11, 1930, Mooreland, Oklahoma
- Died: May 19, 1997, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
- Age: 67
- Cause of death: Cancer
Final Resting Place
Mooreland Cemetery, Mooreland, Oklahoma.
Photo: Charles Ritterhouse via Find a Grave
From the Book
This profile is adapted from Legends at Rest: NASCAR Legends by Howard Wear.
Portrait: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Grave photo: Photo: Charles Ritterhouse via Find a Grave.