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Posted: May 25, 2020 8:13 AMUpdated: May 25, 2020 9:18 AM

History: Oklahoma Owned Car Wins 1955 Indy 500

 

One of the crown jewels of Memorial Day weekend that we missed out on due to the COVID-19 pandemic was the Indianapolis 500. This is the first time since World War II that the race hadn’t been run as scheduled. A Tulsan with Osage County ties plays a big part in the history of motorsports most spectacular show.

John Zink was a car owner in the 1950s and 1960s. He owned two cars that won the Indy 500, in 1955 with Bob Sweikert and in 1956 with Pat Flaherty. Here is audio from the 1955 Indy 500 finish courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

He also owned the car that Mooreland, Oklahoma native Troy Ruttman would finish second with in 1958. Ruttman, driving a different car became the only Oklahoma to take the checkered flag at Indy in 1952.

Zink was a businessman who got his start at his father’s petroleum company in 1929. He would go on to earn 35 patents for combustion equipment. His John Zink Ranch in Skiatook still hosts scout camps to this day.

Zink could be the most famous name in Oklahoma in auto racing. He is inducted in the Indy 500 and Auto Racing Hall’s of Fame. This year’s running of the 500 is tentatively rescheduled for August 23.

(PHOTO COURTESY: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum)

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