The
two time winner of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race was an
outstanding midget driver who continued to drive the small
cars in selected events even after winning the 500.
Ward scored several notable upsets in Vic Edelbrock’s
cross-fire Ford 60 against the all-Offy fields at Gilmore
Stadium and San Bernardino on
consecutive
nights in 1948. In addition to his many successes on the West
Coast he also won 100 mile races at DuQuoin in 1958 and
Milwaukee in 1959. In 1959, after wining the Indianapolis 500,
he drove Kenny Brenn’s midget to a victory against the world’s
top sports cars at Lime Rock, Connecticut. Ward ended the
season by driving the famous Wilke Offy in the U.S. Formula
One Grand Prix at Sebring, Florida.
Ward’s Indy career was slow getting started. From
1951 through 1958 he only had one top ten finish. For the next
six years he was 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 1st, 4th and 2nd in the
Memorial Day race. He was the National Driving Champion in
1959, and ’62 and is a member of the Auto Racing Hall of Fame
housed at Indianapolis.
