Johnny Boyd

Johnny Boyd (19 August 1926 - 27 October 2003) was an American racing driver who competed in the Indianapolis 500 six times when it counted toward the Formula One World Championship, achieving a career-best third-place finish in 1958 that earned him four championship points. Born in Fresno, California, Boyd became best known as a midget racing specialist, dominating at venues including Kokomo, Gardena, and Fresno from the mid-1950s onwards. His success in midget racing—small, nimble cars racing on short oval tracks—established Boyd as one of America's most talented oval track specialists. Before his motorsport career, Boyd served in World War II as a member of the United States Army Air Force, experiencing combat and serving his country before returning to civilian life to pursue his racing ambitions.

Boyd's professional racing career began in the AAA Championship Car series in 1954, before the series transitioned to USAC (United States Auto Club) sanctioning in 1956. Over his Championship Car career spanning 1954 to 1966, Boyd made 56 starts, establishing himself as a consistently competitive if not dominant force in American open-wheel racing. He finished in the top ten 31 times throughout his career, with his best result being second position at Milwaukee in 1959, demonstrating the consistency that kept him competitive for more than a decade. Boyd qualified for the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in 1955, making his debut at the legendary Brickyard that remained American motorsport's crown jewel.

However, his debut proved tragic for reasons beyond his control. During the race, Boyd was involved in an accident that killed driver Bill Vukovich, one of Indianapolis racing's greatest champions who had won the 500 in 1953 and 1954 and was leading the 1955 race when the accident occurred. While Boyd was not at fault for the accident, being involved in an incident that claimed Vukovich's life must have been traumatic for the young driver. Boyd finished 29th in that tragic 1955 Indianapolis 500.

During the period from 1950 to 1960, the Indianapolis 500 counted as a round of the Formula One World Championship, despite using completely different technical regulations (American Championship cars rather than Formula One machinery) and attracting an almost entirely separate entry list from the European Grand Prix circus. This unusual arrangement meant American oval track specialists like Boyd technically competed in Formula One, though they never raced in Europe or drove actual Formula One cars. Boyd's 'Formula One' career therefore consists exclusively of his six Indianapolis 500 appearances from 1955 to 1960. Boyd's best Indianapolis 500 performance came in 1958, when he delivered a superb drive to finish third behind winner Jimmy Bryan and runner-up George Amick.

During the race, Boyd led for 18 laps, demonstrating genuine winning pace and coming agonizingly close to victory at American motorsport's most prestigious event. His third-place finish earned him four Formula One World Championship points, giving him 16th place in the 1958 World Championship standings—the closest he came to making an impact on the championship race. In total over a dozen Indianapolis 500 starts (extending beyond the World Championship era), Boyd finished in the top ten five times, demonstrating consistent competitiveness at the world's most demanding oval race. Beyond the Indianapolis 500, Boyd competed throughout the USAC Championship Car season at various oval tracks across the American Midwest and East Coast, racing against legends like A.

J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, and Rodger Ward. While he never won a USAC Championship Car race, his 31 top-ten finishes and consistent presence in the series demonstrated his talent and competitiveness throughout more than a decade of racing. Boyd's greatest success came in midget racing, where he was truly a star performer. Midget racing featured small, single-seater cars racing on short dirt and paved ovals, requiring exceptional car control and bravery.

Boyd won races at major midget racing venues including Kokomo, Indiana; Gardena, California; and his hometown track in Fresno, establishing himself as one of the discipline's leading drivers throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s. His midget racing success earned him lasting recognition, with induction into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2010—a posthumous honor recognizing his contributions to the discipline. Boyd's racing career effectively ended in 1967 when he failed to qualify for both the Indianapolis 500 and the Milwaukee race, two of USAC's most important events. After failing to make these fields at age 40, Boyd recognized that his competitive days had passed and retired from racing, stepping away after 13 years of competing at American open-wheel racing's highest level.

After retiring from racing, Boyd returned to his hometown of Fresno, California, where he lived for the remainder of his life. He maintained connections with the midget racing community and attended racing events when possible, though he kept a relatively low profile in his later years. Johnny Boyd passed away from cancer on 27 October 2003 at age 77 in Fresno, his lifelong home. Though his 'Formula One' career consisted solely of Indianapolis 500 appearances and he never competed in an actual Formula One race outside America, Boyd's consistent performances at Indianapolis and throughout the USAC Championship Car series, combined with his dominance in midget racing, established him as one of America's most respected oval track specialists of the 1950s and 1960s, earning him a well-deserved place in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.