Highlights from the 43rd running of the Indianapolis 500

RACE: 43rd Indianapolis 500 DATE: May 30, 1959 WINNER: Roger Ward AVERAGE SPEED: 135.857 mph WHAT HAPPENED: Ward won the first of his two career Indy 500s in

RACE: 43rd Indianapolis 500

DATE: May 30, 1959

WINNER: Roger Ward

AVERAGE SPEED: 135.857 mph

WHAT HAPPENED: Ward won the first of his two career Indy 500s in perhaps the most competitive race at the point. Indy had a record 16 cars complete all 200 miles. Ward would later call Indy car races in the late 1960s.

NOTABLE: At this point in Indy's history, death on the track was still a regular occurrence and 1959 was no exception. Driver Jerry Unser and Bob Cortner were both killed in accidents leading up to the race.