In 1947 and 1948, Rose captured back-to-back Indianapolis 500s driving one of the Diedt/Offenhauser Blue Crown Spark Plug Specials, owned and prepared by veteran driver/car owner Lou Moore.

[1] Late in the 1947 race, Rose found himself lying second to his rookie teammate, Bill Holland, when both were given a sign reading "EZY" from pit lane.

Rose again ignored car owner Lou Moore's "EZ" signs from the pits and continued to push in pursuit of Holland.

For the 1967 race, officials of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway invited him to drive the pace car.

While his career in racing was filled with success, he considered his most important accomplishment to be his invention of a device that made it possible for those without the use of their legs to drive an automobile.