Team story
Origins
A.J. Watson arrived at Indianapolis in 1950 with a car backed by Glendale merchants, nicknamed Pots and Pans. Dick Rathmann drove it for just 25 laps.
Watson later also worked as a chief mechanic: Bob Sweikert’s victory in 1955 came in a Kurtis, not a chassis to be credited to Watson’s own marque.
The Formula 1 journey
The first Indianapolis victory with a Watson came in 1956, thanks to Pat Flaherty. Rodger Ward won in 1959 and Jim Rathmann in 1960, beating Ward: these were three victories during the period when the 500 awarded world championship points. The 1960 contest put two Watsons belonging to different entrants at the front, not a pair necessarily run by the same team.
Historical timeline
Three chapters in the story of Watson
Three episodes to revisit the people, cars and races that shaped this journey.
First appearance · Indianapolis 500
Dick Rathmann · Indianapolis 500 1950. The recorded position is P32; 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
Pat Flaherty · Indianapolis 500 1956. The recorded position is P1; 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
Dick Rathmann · Indianapolis 500 1960. The recorded position is P31; 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 roadsters were built in Glendale and also sold to customers. Watson sought low weight and simplicity, using magnesium components among other measures. The agreement with Bob Wilke and Leader Cards combined his work as a constructor with responsibility for Ward’s cars.
Wilke, Ward and Watson formed the partnership known as the Flying Ws, but other entrants continued to use the same chassis.
What remains
Ward won again in 1962; Parnelli Jones in 1963 and A.J. Foyt in 1964 completed six Indianapolis victories for Watson chassis. The last three were no longer world championship results.
The constructor belongs to American racing’s technical and sporting history: its presence in the 1950–1960 world championship archives implies neither regular involvement in European Grands Prix nor that every success for the mechanic was a victory for his own car.