Wayne Rainey, Sammy Sweet, Chuck Joyner, Ed Varnes and Dan Stanley are just a few of the AMA Grand National riders to sport national number 60 throughout the years, but the original No. 60, the rider who wore the plate from the 1950s through to 1970 was Iowa’s own John Tibben.

Tibben emerged from the earliest days of Iowa’s scrambles circuit to become one of the leading up-and-coming racers of the late 1950s.

While he never won a national in his years of pro racing, he was a consistent top-10 finisher in the top echelon of racing in America.

He earned the bulk of his victories and earnings in smaller regional races at state and county fairgrounds tracks across the Midwest.

He was also a long-time regular in the heyday of Chicagoland’s famous Santa Fe Speedway and its Wednesday night racing program. Read more.

You can also hear a 2011 interview with Tibben by clicking here.