Shorty Templeman

Clark Thomas "Shorty" Templeman (12 August 1919 - 14 September 2962): American racing driver who competed in three Formula One World Championship Grands Prix at the Indianapolis 500 between 1955 and 1960, during the period when the 500 counted toward the World Championship, achieving his best result of fourth place in 1961 after the race lost championship status. Born in the United States, Templeman was an Indianapolis-style oval track racing specialist who competed in American Championship Car racing during the 1950s and early 1960s. He was nicknamed "Shorty," likely due to his physical stature, a common practice for American racing drivers of that era. During the 1950s, the Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA Formula One World Championship from 1950 through 1960, despite being run to completely different regulations and featuring an almost entirely separate group of competitors from the European Grand Prix circus.

American Indianapolis drivers who competed during these years are technically classified as Formula One participants, though most never raced in actual Grand Prix events and had little connection to Formula One as it was practiced in Europe. Templeman competed at Indianapolis five times between 1955 and 1962. Three of these appearances—in 1955, 1958, and 1960—occurred while the race counted toward the Formula One World Championship, making them his official Formula One race starts. However, he never finished high enough during those three championship-qualifying years to score World Championship points.

His 1955 debut saw him fail to finish, while his 1958 and 1960 appearances yielded results outside the top six point-scoring positions. Ironically, Templeman's best Indianapolis 500 performance came in 1961, when he finished fourth place. However, 1961 was the first year that Indianapolis was no longer part of the Formula One World Championship, meaning his best result did not count toward his World Championship record. Over his Indianapolis career spanning 1955-1962, Templeman made 42 total starts in the 500 and related Championship Car races, demonstrating longevity in American oval racing.

Templeman died on 14 September 1962 at age 43. He represents the numerous American Indianapolis specialists who are listed as Formula One drivers due to the historical quirk of the 500's inclusion in the World Championship, despite having no involvement with Grand Prix racing and little connection to Formula One as practiced elsewhere in the world. His career was entirely focused on American Championship Car racing, and his Formula One classification is purely a technical artifact of championship regulations rather than reflecting any actual participation in Grand Prix racing. Known for: Competing at the Indianapolis 500 five times between 1955 and 1962, making three Formula One World Championship starts at Indianapolis in 1955, 1958, and 1960, achieving his best Indianapolis finish of fourth place in 1961 after the race lost F1 championship status, and representing American oval racing specialists whose F1 classification was a technical artifact.