Johnny Mantz

Johnny Mantz
Mantz, circa 1957
Born	John Robert Mantz (1918-09-18)September 18, 1918 Hebron, Indiana, U.S.
Died	October 25, 1972(1972-10-25) (aged 54) Ojai, California, U.S.
Championship titles
USAC Stock Car (1956) Major victories Southern 500 (1950)
AAA/USAC Stock Car career
Years active	1952–1954, 1956–1959
Championships	1
Best finish	1st in 1956
NASCAR driver
NASCAR Cup Series career
12 races run over 4 years
Best finish	6th (1950)
First race	1950 Race 10 (Hillsboro)
Last race	1956 Race 3 (Lancaster)
First win	1950 Southern 500 (Darlington)
Wins Top tens Poles 1 8 0
Champ Car career
17 races run over 4 years
Best finish	9th (1949)
First race	1948 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race	1952 Pikes Peak Hill Climb (Pikes Peak)
First win	1948 Milwaukee 100 (Milwaukee)
Wins Podiums Poles 1 2 1
Formula One World Championship career
Active years	1953
Teams	Kurtis Kraft
Entries	1
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1953 Indianapolis 500

Johnny Mantz^[1] (September 18, 1918 – October 25, 1972)^[2] was an American racecar driver.

He made 17 starts in the AAA Championship Car series from 1948 to 1952, capturing a victory in his rookie season at the Milwaukee Mile as well as winning the non-championship Indianapolis Sweepstakes at Williams Grove Speedway.

Mantz made two starts in the Indianapolis 500. They were 1948 and 1949. He started 8th in 1948 and finished a black-flagged 13th, completing 185 laps. In 1949 he started 9th and finished 7th, completing all 200 laps. In 1953 he drove relief for Walt Faulkner.^[3]

He was a member of the Lincoln team in the first Carrera Panamericana in Mexico in 1950. He and Bill Stroppe were able to lead quite a bit of the multi-day race. With the finish line in sight and no more spare tires to run, Mantz was forced to run on rims and limped across the finish line ending up 9th.^[3]

He was the first USAC Stock Car national champ in 1956.^[2] Mantz also made 12 NASCAR Grand National starts from 1950–1951 and 1955-1956. He won in his third NASCAR race, the first Southern 500 held at Darlington Raceway.^[2] This was the first 500-mile race in the history of NASCAR. The newly built Darlington Raceway was also the first "Super Speedway" for NASCAR, even though it was a little under a mile and a half in size. The Southern 500 was also the only paved event for NASCAR in 1950. Mantz and his Plymouth were the race's slowest qualifier, almost 10 MPH slower than the pole winner, Curtis Turner. But because he qualified on the 9th of 15 days of time trials, he started 43rd in the 75 car field. Mantz fitted truck tires that did not wear quickly or blow out, while his competitors had to stop often to pit for new tires. It was his only NASCAR win. He would win by 9 laps over the second-place finisher, Fireball Roberts, with an average speed of 75.250MPH. The race took more than 6 hours to run. Other than the car number, Mantz had one lone sponsorship decal on his car which was placed by the Justice Brothers for the product they were distributing. As of 2010, the speedway presents the Johnny Mantz trophy to the winner of the Southern 500.^[3]

Mantz was also the first person to try to bring NASCAR sanctions to the West Coast of the United States. Mantz's last stock car race was in Pomona, California in 1958. He won this race.^[2]

Mantz was featured in several magazine advertisements for Ford cars in the early 1960s.^[3]

He died at 54 years old in a fatal car accident near Ojai, California.^[2]

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. In the 1953 Indianapolis 500, Mantz drove in relief of Walt Faulkner. As a result of this shared ride, Mantz participated in 1 World Championship race, but he scored no World Championship points.

• Johnny Mantz driver statistics at Racing-Reference