Ruttman's win also saw him become the youngest winner of a World Drivers' Championship race, a record he would hold for 51 years until the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix when Spanish driver Fernando Alonso won at the age of 22 years and 26 days.

The effort gained considerable attention, but Ascari was forced to retire after a few laps when the hub of a wheel on his car collapsed.

Though at least one rookie starter was in the field every year dating back to 1911, this was the first time the now-popular award was officially designated.

During the offseason, the Speedway management created the network to handle broadcasting duties in-house.

WIBC landed exclusive rights of the broadcast in the Indianapolis market, which eventually would draw the ire of the other major stations in the area.

At the time the new world championship was announced and first organized by the CSI, the United States did not yet have a Grand Prix.

[15] The drivers also earned separate points (on a different scale) towards the respective AAA or USAC national championships.

Race winner Troy Ruttman earned 8 points towards the World Championship and finished seventh in the final season standings.