James Ernest "Jimmy" Bryan (January 28, 1926 – June 19, 1960) was an American racing driver. Well-known for his habit of racing with an unlit cigar, Bryan was a three-time National Champion, and won the Indianapolis 500 in 1958. In Europe he is well-known for winning the 1957 Race of Two Worlds.
Early life
Bryan was born on January 28, 1926, in Phoenix, Arizona, to Reginald Louis, a baker, and Pauline (née Wainwright).
Driving career
Championship car career
Bryan drove in the AAA and USACChampionship Car series, racing in the 1952–1960 seasons with 72 starts, including each year's Indianapolis 500 race. He finished in the top ten 54 times, with 23 victories.
The AAA/USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIAWorld Drivers' Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship points and participation in addition to those which they received towards the AAA/USACNational Championship.
Bryan participated in nine World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. He won once, finished in the top three three times, and accumulated 18 World Drivers' Championship points.
Death and legacy
Bryan died after a crash in a Championship car race at Langhorne Speedway in 1960, on the same day that two drivers were killed in the Belgian Grand Prix, making the day one of the most tragic in racing history. For many years one of the two Championship races at the Phoenix International Raceway was traditionally called the Jimmy Bryan Memorial. He was also memorialized in a song by Harry Weger titled "The Ballad of Jimmy Bryan". Bryan is buried in Phoenix's Greenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery.
Awards and honors
Bryan has been inducted into the following halls of fame: