The 1960 USAC season showcased the United States Auto Club’s premier open-wheel and oval racing divisions during a transitional era of American motorsport. The flagship USAC National Championship Car series (big cars/Indy cars) featured 12 races from April to November, with A.J. Foyt claiming his first national title (1,680 points) after a dominant late-season run, including four wins—the first of his legendary career. Jim Rathmann won the Indianapolis 500 (May 30), averaging 138.767 mph, while Rodger Ward finished second in points. A tragic highlight was the death of three-time champion Jimmy Bryan in a Langhorne crash.
In the dirt-focused divisions, USAC National Midgets crowned Jimmy Davies as champion—the first driver/entrant to win both titles in the same year, edging out competitors like Leroy Warriner and Shorty Templeman in a competitive season of small, high-revving cars.
USAC Sprint Cars were split regionally: A.J. Foyt won the Eastern division, while Parnelli Jones took the Midwest title, reflecting the stars’ versatility across surfaces and series.
The USAC National Stock Car division saw Norm Nelson emerge as champion, with strong showings from Paul Goldsmith and Tony Bettenhausen in full-bodied, production-based racers on ovals.
USAC’s multi-division structure allowed crossover stars like Foyt to compete across midgets, sprints, stocks, and champ cars, building toward his multi-discipline dominance. The year blended high-speed paved events (like Indy) with gritty dirt-track battles, though safety concerns lingered amid fatalities and intense competition.
