Team story
Origins
The Sutton name appears in the world championship through the car driven by Mike Magill in the 1959 Indianapolis 500. It was the Dayton Steel Foundry Special, entered by George Walther Jr. and powered by Offenhauser. Magill secured thirty-first on the grid: this was an actual race appearance, not merely an entry application.
The Formula 1 journey
Magill’s race ended after 45 laps in an accident also involving Chuck Weyant, Jud Larson and Red Amick. The car overturned; Larson and Amick intervened to free the driver. Thirtieth place in the results records that retirement, not completion of the scheduled distance.
Historical timeline
Three chapters in the story of Sutton
Three episodes to revisit the people, cars and races that shaped this journey.
First appearance · Indianapolis 500
Mike Magill · Indianapolis 500 1959. The recorded position is P30; this number alone does not show whether the driver completed the race distance. This is the first recorded race start, or the first entry if the team never started a race.
Sporting landmark · Indianapolis 500
Mike Magill · Indianapolis 500 1959. The recorded position is P30; this number alone does not show whether the driver completed the race distance. This marks the first win or podium where one exists, otherwise the highest recorded placing for this constructor.
Latest recorded appearance · Indianapolis 500
Mike Magill · Indianapolis 500 1959. The recorded position is P30; this number alone does not show whether the driver completed the race distance. This is the last race start attributed to this constructor in the archive, not necessarily the end of the organisation behind it.
A distinctive way of racing
The chassis identification is not consistent: Formula 1’s archive calls it a Sutton, while the Indianapolis Motor Speedway archive lists it as a KK500G. The number 77, driver and sponsor identify the same appearance without turning the differing names into an undocumented company history.
What remains
Indianapolis awarded world drivers’ championship points between 1950 and 1960, while remaining an American event with its own rules. Sutton belongs to that setting, not to the teams regularly contesting European Grands Prix. Its sole world championship appearance remains tied to Magill’s curtailed race.