- Johnny Boyd
Johnny Boyd (
August 19 ,1926 -October 27 ,2003 ) was an American racecar driver.Born in
Fresno, California , Boyd drove in the AAA and USACChampionship Car series from 1954 to 1966 with 56 starts. He finished in the top ten 31 times, with his best finish in 2nd position, in 1959 at Milwaukee.Boyd qualified for the
Indianapolis 500 for the first time in 1955 but finished 29th after being involved in an accident that killed driverBill Vukovich . In a dozen starts, his best race was in 1958, when he led 18 laps and finished 3rd. In total, he finished in the Top 10 at the 500 five times.After 1949 Boyd had become close friends with
Bob Sweikert ofHayward, California when he met him on the California racing circuit. The two often raced together, and Boyd qualified for entry in the 1955 Indianapolis 500 when Sweikert helped him overcome mechanical handling problems in Boyd's car. Sweikert won the race that day, but was overshadowed by the death of Vukovich. Boyd also raced against Sweikert in 1956 at Indy, but Sweikert was killed several weeks later in aSprint car race. [Dorie Sweikert, "Along For the Ride-A Love Story", (1998, Nicholas Ward Publishing, LLC.), no longer in print, reprinted under new publisher ca. 2005, available at [http://www.coastal181.com/nlm-working-April-2005/openwheel-1.htm Coastal 181.com bookstore, catalog #S-646] ]Boyd retired as a driver after failing to qualify for the Indy 500 and Milwaukee race in 1967. He died of cancer at age 77 in his hometown of Fresno.
Indy 500 results
World Championship career summary
The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Johnny Boyd participated in 6 World Championship races. He started on the pole 0 times, won 0 races, set 0 fastest laps, and finished on the podium 1 time. He accumulated a total of 4 championship points.
References
External links
* [http://www.indy500.com/news/story.php?story_id=2101 1950s, '60s Indianapolis 500 Contender Boyd Dies At 77]
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