Considering all the legendary personalities in motorsports history, constructor, crew chief and team owner A.J. Watson continues to exemplify the spirit, determination and character that defined the competitors at the Indianapolis 500. A former B-17 navigator born in Mansfield, Ohio, and raised in California, the epicenter of American car culture, Watson gravitated to racing by 1947 and first came to the Speedway in 1948 as a crew member with Bob Estes’ Connie Weidel-built car, driven by Manny Ayulo, which failed to qualify but hooked Watson on Indianapolis. As a car builder, Watson soon took the dominant Indianapolis roadsters of Frank Kurtis to their heights of performance with lightweight construction, sleeker aerodynamics and expert “Offy” engine tuning. Watson’s long career could easily fill several volumes, and during his active years through 1984, A.J. dominated the Indianapolis 500 for nearly a full decade from 1956 to ‘64, earning four Indianapolis 500 wins as chief mechanic (1955, 1956, 1959, 1962) and six as a constructor (1956, 1959, 1960, 1962-64). In fact, Watson’s Indy roadsters were so effective, according to Speedway Historian Donald Davidson, the 1963 Indianapolis 500 starting lineup included 14 Watson-built cars plus another seven cars “… either built with his blessing by associates, or at least clearly copied from his design.” Piloting Watson’s creations were many of the top drivers of the postwar era. A pivotal moment in A.J. Watson’s career came in 1960, when J.C. “Aggie” Agajanian, the famed Southern California businessman, longstanding racing promoter, innovator and team owner, purchased a new Watson roadster, the 10th of the 23 Indy roadsters built by Watson. Quite likely the most famous and successful of all Watson roadsters, it carried Agajanian’s signature No. 98 and finished seventh on its Indianapolis debut with Lloyd Ruby driving. Agajanian’s team returned to the Speedway in 1961 with new red, white and blue livery and Willard Battery sponsorship. Parnelli Jones, a young sprint car ace from California, was the new driver, who also applied the car’s “Ol’ Calhoun” nickname from an old football joke. Starting fifth, Jones and Ol’ Calhoun led 27 racing laps and finished 12th in 1961, with Jones sharing Rookie of the Year honors with Bobby Marshman in the process. For 1962, Jones and the Watson made history by taking pole position as the first to exceed 150 MPH (150.370 MPH) on the Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval. This time, Jones and Ol’ Calhoun easily led the pack for the first 120 laps (300 miles) but slipped to finish in seventh with brake issues.
