FanPal.com | Jimmy Bryan Biography

Jimmy Bryan

Born: January 28, 1926
Died: June 19, 1960 (at age 34)

Biography

James Ernest Bryan (January 28, 1926 - June 19, 1960) was an American racecar driver who won the 1958 Indianapolis 500. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Bryan died as a result of injuries sustained in a champ car race at Langhorne Speedway.

Career

He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1952-1960 seasons with 72 starts, including each year's Indianapolis 500 race. He finished in the top ten 54 times, with 23 victories.

Bryan won the 1958 Indianapolis 500 and the 1954 AAA and 1956 and 1957 USAC National Championship. During his 1957 championship season, Bryan also won the inaugural running of the Race of Two Worlds at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy.

He died after a crash in a Champ car race at Langhorne Speedway in 1960, on the same day that two drivers were killed in the Belgian Grand Prix, making the day one of the most tragic in racing history. For many years one of the two championship races at the Phoenix International Raceway was a memorial race dedicated to Bryan.

Awards

He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1994.
He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1999.
He was inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2001.

Indy 500 results

Year	Car	Start	Qual	Rank	Finish	Laps	Led	Retired
1952	77	21	134.142	27	6	200	0	Running
1953	8	31	135.506	29	14	183	0	Flagged
1954	9	3	139.665	4	2	200	46	Running
1955	1	11	140.160	7	24	90	31	Fuel Pump
1956	2	19	143.741	9	19	185	0	Flagged
1957	1	15	141.188	17	3	200	0	Running
1958	1	7	144.185	8	1	200	139	Running
1959	6	20	142.118	24	33	1	0	Clutch
1960	10	10	144.532	13	19	152	0	Fuel Pump
Totals						1411	216

Starts	9
Poles	0
Front Row	1
Wins	1
Top 5	3
Top 10	4
Retired	3

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	WDC	Points
1951	Viking Trailer	Lesovsky	Offenhauser L4	SUI	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA	ESP				NC	0
1952	Peter Schmidt	Kurtis Kraft 3000	Offenhauser L4	SUI	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	NED	ITA				NC	0
1953	Blakely Oil	Schroeder	Offenhauser L4	ARG	500	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	SUI	ITA			NC	0
1954	Dean Van Lines	Kuzma Indy Roadster	Offenhauser L4	ARG	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	SUI	ITA	ESP			10th	6
1955	Dean Van Lines	Kuzma Indy Roadster	Offenhauser L4	ARG	MON	500	BEL	NED	GBR	ITA					NC	0
1956	Dean Van Lines	Kuzma Indy Roadster	Offenhauser L4	ARG	MON	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA				NC	0
1957	Dean Van Lines	Kuzma Indy Roadster	Offenhauser L4	ARG	MON	500	FRA	GBR	GER	PES	ITA				16th	4
1958	Belond AP / George Salih	Epperly Indy Roadster	Offenhauser L4	ARG	MON	NED	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	POR	ITA	MOR	13th	8
1959	Belond AP / George Salih	Epperly Indy Roadster	Offenhauser L4	MON	500	NED	FRA	GBR	GER	POR	ITA	USA			NC	0
1960	Metal-Cal	Epperly Indy Roadster	Offenhauser L4	ARG	MON	500	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	POR	ITA	USA		NC	0

[ Source: Wikipedia ]

Report a problem

Biography of Jimmy Bryan at FanPal • 2024