The 1955 Hoosier Hundred, held on September 17 at the one-mile dirt oval of the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, was the ninth round of the 11-race AAA Championship Car season. Bob Sweikert, the reigning national champion and winner of the 1953 edition of the race, earned the pole position with a fast qualifying lap of 38.53 seconds.
Sweikert jumped out to an early lead and dominated the opening 31 laps, but his engine failed on the backstretch while he was still well out front, forcing him out of the race. Johnny Thomson then assumed the lead on lap 32. However, Jimmy Bryan of Phoenix, Arizona, who had started deeper in the field (reportedly from the fifth row), steadily worked his way forward. Bryan took over the top spot on lap 55 and led the remaining distance to secure his second straight Hoosier Hundred victory. He crossed the finish line roughly an eighth of a mile ahead of Thomson. Finishing third was George Amick followed by Tony Bettenhausen and Pat O’Connor.
Bryan’s win on the demanding dirt surface further solidified his reputation as one of the era’s top dirt-track specialists. The race carried a winner’s share of about $6,975 from a total purse of roughly $27,360. This event highlighted the gritty, high-stakes nature of 1950s championship dirt racing just before the AAA handed sanctioning duties over to the newly formed USAC for the following season.
