Who won 18 races driving Watson cars and an American race driver with 26 victories in top echelon open-wheel racing?
A. J. Watson A. J. Watson (May 8, 1924 – May 12, 2014) was a car builder and chief mechanic from 1949 through 1984 in the Indianapolis 500, winning the race six times as a car builder. Rodger Ward won 18 races driving Watson cars.
1989 Indianapolis 500 The 73rd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1989. Two-time World Drivers' Champion Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil became the first foreign winner of the race since 1966. Though Fittipaldi started on the front row and dominated most of the race, he found himself running second in the waning laps. Gambling on fuel, Al Unser Jr. caught up to Fittipaldi after a fortuitous caution period on lap 181, and subsequently took the lead on lap 196.