SWC75
Bored Historian
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In the past couple of years I have prepared for the Indianapolis 500 by reviewing highlight shows of Indy 500’s from the 1950’s and 1960’s. I was born in 1953 and have a preference for reading and seeing videos on things I barely remember or that happened before my time to fill in the blanks of my “memory”. But it was suggested that I move on to later decades in future posts so this year I’ll go through the Indy 500’s of the 70’s. As I explained before, I’m not really a “Car guy” but the stories of the people driving them interest me. I also always watch Indy as part of the “spring traditions” in sports, along with the Masters, the Triple Crown of horse racing, etc. Spring is my favorite time of year and watching these annual events are a a part of enjoying it.
1970
The drivers mentioned in the highlight film:
- Mario Andretti had won both the seasonal, (“national”) championship and the Indy 500 in 1969. He also won stock car races and was a future Formula Champion. But he was starting the most famous string of Indy hard-luck in the events history. Everybody knew he was one of the greatest drivers in the world. But from 1970-1994 he competed in all but one Indy and never won again. They called it the “Andretti curse” and 1970 was the beginning of it. He finished in in the top 10 8 times and second twice, including 1981 when it appeared he’d won for the second time when Bobby Unser was penalized for passing under the yellow. But the penalty was rescinded and Unser got the win.
- Al Unser had much more success at Indy, winning this year, the next and again 1978 and 1987, 17 years after this, his first win. He finished in the top 5 9 other times.
- Joe Leonard started out as a motorcycle racer who raced at Indy from 1965-73 but never won. He won the pole in 1968 with one of Andy Granatelli’s turbine cars but the car gave out before the end and he finished 12th.
- Bobby Unser had won the 1968 race and would win twice more, in 1975 and 1981. But this was not his year.
- Mark Donohue was the guy you wanted to be in the early 1970’s. Handsome, smart, (an engineer who helped set up his own car mechanically) and arguably the best race driver in the world at the time. He dominated the Trans-Am and Can-Am series, won the 1972 Indianbapo9lis 500 and then won the first international race of champions, a series featuring the top drivers from all types of auto racing- Indycar, stock car, sports cars, Formula One in identical cars. Donohue won 3 of the 4 races. Then he decided to go after the Formula One title in 1975. At the Austrian Grand Prix a tire blew and his car crashed into a catch fence. He walked away from form the crash complaining of headache. The next day he collapsed into a coma and died from cerebral hemorrhage. It was alter determined he’d been hit by a wooden post holding an advertisement. I’ve heard that his helmet may have had a hairline fracture in it before the crash. All fatal crashes are bad but it seemed like an inappropriate way for a guy who was a hero to so many to go out.
- John Rutherford had movie star looks but also considerable talent, winning Indy in 1974, 1975 and 1980.
- Word association: Race car driver: A. J. Foyt. He was the first to win at Indy four times and already had three of them by 1970 but the fourth wouldn’t come until 1978. His Indy career spans an incredible 1958-1992
- Art Pollard was a 43 year old grandfather. He retired form Indy in 1972 but made a comeback a year later, only to die in a practice run.
- Lloyd Ruby was another veteran with hard luck at Indy. He was in 18 of them in a row from 1960-77 and led in parts of 5 of them but never won. His biography is entitled: “Lloyd Ruby greatest driver never to win the Indianapolis 500”.
- Bentley Warren crashed in practice and missed the race. He failed to qualify in three other Indys but did manage to finish 15th in 1971 and 17th in 1975. Hey, how many Indys have you been in?
- Greg Weld was another also ran who crashed in practice/qualifying no less than three times, “failed his rookie test” in 1965 and failed to qualify two other times. The only race he actually got into was this one and he finished 32nd, losing a piston on the 12th lap. His claim to fame: he was the last driver to drive the famous “novi” engine, said to be the most powerful in Indy history, in 1966.
- George Follmer raced Indy Cars, Formula One and sports cars. He was the one driver to beat Mark Donahue in the IROC series.
- Larry Cannon tried and failed to qualify at Indy no less than 9 times. He made it three times but never finished higher than 17th.
- Sam Posey was mostly a sports car driver who went on to a lengthy career as a TV commentator, later working Indy with Jim McKay many times.
- I haven’t been able to find anything on “Al Acosta”.
- Bill Vukovich is the son of his legendary namesake father who won the 1953 and 1954 500’s and was leading in 1955 when he fatally crashed. Bill II had a much longer career than his father but not as successful, although he finished 2nd in 1973 and 3rd the next year. His son Bill III, was the rookie of the year at Indy in 1988 but was killed in a crash in California two years later. Bill II lives on with memories of his father and his son, both lost to the sport they all loved.
- Jim Malloy’s Indy 500 ended with his car malfunctioning just as the green flag came down and turning sideways into the field, anticipating the Salt Walther crash three years later. But Malloy somehow missed everyone. Still his race was over. Two years later, so was his life after a practice crash at Indy where his car again suddenly went sideways, this time into a wall.
- Bruce Walkup, (a strange name for an auto racer), was in the 1969-70 Indy 500’s. His 29th place finish this year was the best he could do.
- Jack Brabham was one of the great names of racing, winning the Formula One title in 1959 and 1966 and then becoming one of the most successful team owners. This was his fourth and final attempt to win at Indy, where his highest finish was 9th.
- Parnelli Jones was the 1963 Indy champion and had almost won it with the first turbine car in 1967 before it gave out on lap #196, (of 200). He was now a car owner.
- Dick Simon was in every Indy 500 from 1970-1988, except two in which he failed to qualify, competing in his last one at age 55. His last two rides were his best, producing his only two top 10 finishes, 6th and 9th.
- Mel Kenyon was “the greatest midget racer of all time.” He wasn’t a midget. He drove midget cars, a very small type of race car with a high amount of power under the hood, (what there is of it). He raced at Indy and finished in the top 5 four times but never won in the big cars.
- Roger McCluskey competed in every Indy 500 from 1961-79. This was his highest finish, 4th.
- Ronnie Bucknum was another driver who raced Indy Cars, Sports Cars and Formula One. This was the last time he qualified at Indy and his best finish, 15th.
- Sam Sessions was at Indy from 1966-75, qualifying 7 times but never finishing better than 25th. He died in a snowmobiling accident in 1977.
- Jerry Grant was at Indy from 1964-77. His 7th place finish this year was his best, although he crossed the finished line 2nds in 1973. He was penalized due to a mix-up in the pits and dropped to 12th.
Here is the “full” race broadcast, in reality the edited version of the live commentary by Jim McKay, Chris Economaki and Roger Ward that was shown on tape delay that evening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU4_EPQp8es
1970
The drivers mentioned in the highlight film:
- Mario Andretti had won both the seasonal, (“national”) championship and the Indy 500 in 1969. He also won stock car races and was a future Formula Champion. But he was starting the most famous string of Indy hard-luck in the events history. Everybody knew he was one of the greatest drivers in the world. But from 1970-1994 he competed in all but one Indy and never won again. They called it the “Andretti curse” and 1970 was the beginning of it. He finished in in the top 10 8 times and second twice, including 1981 when it appeared he’d won for the second time when Bobby Unser was penalized for passing under the yellow. But the penalty was rescinded and Unser got the win.
- Al Unser had much more success at Indy, winning this year, the next and again 1978 and 1987, 17 years after this, his first win. He finished in the top 5 9 other times.
- Joe Leonard started out as a motorcycle racer who raced at Indy from 1965-73 but never won. He won the pole in 1968 with one of Andy Granatelli’s turbine cars but the car gave out before the end and he finished 12th.
- Bobby Unser had won the 1968 race and would win twice more, in 1975 and 1981. But this was not his year.
- Mark Donohue was the guy you wanted to be in the early 1970’s. Handsome, smart, (an engineer who helped set up his own car mechanically) and arguably the best race driver in the world at the time. He dominated the Trans-Am and Can-Am series, won the 1972 Indianbapo9lis 500 and then won the first international race of champions, a series featuring the top drivers from all types of auto racing- Indycar, stock car, sports cars, Formula One in identical cars. Donohue won 3 of the 4 races. Then he decided to go after the Formula One title in 1975. At the Austrian Grand Prix a tire blew and his car crashed into a catch fence. He walked away from form the crash complaining of headache. The next day he collapsed into a coma and died from cerebral hemorrhage. It was alter determined he’d been hit by a wooden post holding an advertisement. I’ve heard that his helmet may have had a hairline fracture in it before the crash. All fatal crashes are bad but it seemed like an inappropriate way for a guy who was a hero to so many to go out.
- John Rutherford had movie star looks but also considerable talent, winning Indy in 1974, 1975 and 1980.
- Word association: Race car driver: A. J. Foyt. He was the first to win at Indy four times and already had three of them by 1970 but the fourth wouldn’t come until 1978. His Indy career spans an incredible 1958-1992
- Art Pollard was a 43 year old grandfather. He retired form Indy in 1972 but made a comeback a year later, only to die in a practice run.
- Lloyd Ruby was another veteran with hard luck at Indy. He was in 18 of them in a row from 1960-77 and led in parts of 5 of them but never won. His biography is entitled: “Lloyd Ruby greatest driver never to win the Indianapolis 500”.
- Bentley Warren crashed in practice and missed the race. He failed to qualify in three other Indys but did manage to finish 15th in 1971 and 17th in 1975. Hey, how many Indys have you been in?
- Greg Weld was another also ran who crashed in practice/qualifying no less than three times, “failed his rookie test” in 1965 and failed to qualify two other times. The only race he actually got into was this one and he finished 32nd, losing a piston on the 12th lap. His claim to fame: he was the last driver to drive the famous “novi” engine, said to be the most powerful in Indy history, in 1966.
- George Follmer raced Indy Cars, Formula One and sports cars. He was the one driver to beat Mark Donahue in the IROC series.
- Larry Cannon tried and failed to qualify at Indy no less than 9 times. He made it three times but never finished higher than 17th.
- Sam Posey was mostly a sports car driver who went on to a lengthy career as a TV commentator, later working Indy with Jim McKay many times.
- I haven’t been able to find anything on “Al Acosta”.
- Bill Vukovich is the son of his legendary namesake father who won the 1953 and 1954 500’s and was leading in 1955 when he fatally crashed. Bill II had a much longer career than his father but not as successful, although he finished 2nd in 1973 and 3rd the next year. His son Bill III, was the rookie of the year at Indy in 1988 but was killed in a crash in California two years later. Bill II lives on with memories of his father and his son, both lost to the sport they all loved.
- Jim Malloy’s Indy 500 ended with his car malfunctioning just as the green flag came down and turning sideways into the field, anticipating the Salt Walther crash three years later. But Malloy somehow missed everyone. Still his race was over. Two years later, so was his life after a practice crash at Indy where his car again suddenly went sideways, this time into a wall.
- Bruce Walkup, (a strange name for an auto racer), was in the 1969-70 Indy 500’s. His 29th place finish this year was the best he could do.
- Jack Brabham was one of the great names of racing, winning the Formula One title in 1959 and 1966 and then becoming one of the most successful team owners. This was his fourth and final attempt to win at Indy, where his highest finish was 9th.
- Parnelli Jones was the 1963 Indy champion and had almost won it with the first turbine car in 1967 before it gave out on lap #196, (of 200). He was now a car owner.
- Dick Simon was in every Indy 500 from 1970-1988, except two in which he failed to qualify, competing in his last one at age 55. His last two rides were his best, producing his only two top 10 finishes, 6th and 9th.
- Mel Kenyon was “the greatest midget racer of all time.” He wasn’t a midget. He drove midget cars, a very small type of race car with a high amount of power under the hood, (what there is of it). He raced at Indy and finished in the top 5 four times but never won in the big cars.
- Roger McCluskey competed in every Indy 500 from 1961-79. This was his highest finish, 4th.
- Ronnie Bucknum was another driver who raced Indy Cars, Sports Cars and Formula One. This was the last time he qualified at Indy and his best finish, 15th.
- Sam Sessions was at Indy from 1966-75, qualifying 7 times but never finishing better than 25th. He died in a snowmobiling accident in 1977.
- Jerry Grant was at Indy from 1964-77. His 7th place finish this year was his best, although he crossed the finished line 2nds in 1973. He was penalized due to a mix-up in the pits and dropped to 12th.
Here is the “full” race broadcast, in reality the edited version of the live commentary by Jim McKay, Chris Economaki and Roger Ward that was shown on tape delay that evening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU4_EPQp8es
