A. J. Watson built his first Indianapolis race car in 1950. He designed, built and “chiefed” the first Watson Roadster in 1956 and Pat Flaherty drove it to an Indy 500 victory. This is the car you see here.

Over the next eight years Watson Roadsters would win Indianapolis five times with Rodger Ward in 1959, Jim Rathmann in 1960, Ward in 1962, Parnelli Jones in 1963 and A.J. Foyt, Jr., in 1964. A Watson patterned car, built by Floyd Trevis and driven by A.J. Foyt, Jr., won the 1961 Indy 500. Jim Rathmann also won the 1958 Monza 500 and the 1959 Daytona 100 in Watson Roadsters.

The 1963 Indy field held 14 Watsons, but new rear engines and aerodynamics had begun to take over. Watson himself built rear engine cars for 1964 and Ward drove one of them to 2nd in the 500. A.J. Watson’s record-setting Indy career continues in the late 1990s.