Sadly died after a long battle with ill-health. Despite this, he was still a regular, and very popular, visitor to historic events. Ward, who was 1959 and 1962 Indycar Champion and 1951 AAA Stock Car Champion, was a very popular, outgoing man who initially followed his father's footsteps and beame a mechanic at his dad's garage near Los Angeles. This fired the love of cars in Rodger and after serving in the United States Air Corps during World War Two (which included a spell as an instructor on the Lockheed Lightning P38 fighter plane), he started racing midgets in 1946. He then went on to enjoy a successful career, with Indianapolis 500 wins in 1959 and 1962 a particular highlight.

Biography last updated 9 Mar 2016