SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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The name A. J. Foyt seems to rush right past you. The cars as they pass a camera at full speed, seem to be saying “Foyt…Foyt….Foyt….” as they roar by us. When A. J. won the 1961, 1964 and 1967 Indy 500s and was only 32, it seemed inevitable that he would break the record of 3 wins at Indy held jointly by Louie Meyer, Wilbur Shaw and Mauri Rose and probably win several more. But by 1977 it had been a decade and it hadn’t happened. It was a little like Tiger Woods seeming like a sure bet to beat Jack Nicklaus, then seeming less sure then seeming more like a long shot.
I will never forget watching this. A. J. was roaring down the stretch, going all out to try to catch leader Gordon Johncock. Jim McKay, sending us to the last commercial of their delayed broadcast imploring us to stay tuned and see if A. J. can do it! Then a local sports anchor came on to hype their 11PM news. He smiled stupidly into the camera and said “It’s Foyt at Indy. Details at 11!” We are just about to get the details- without knowing in advance what they were- by watching the broadcast of the race.
The race featured a several other firsts, besides A.J.’s fourth win. Tom Sneva came back from his terrible crash of 1975 to be the first 200mph qualifying run and win the pole. Jim McElreath and his son Jim Jr. became the first father-son team trying to qualify, (Senior did, Junior, not). Janet Guthrie became the first women to make the field, causing Tony Hulman to acknowledge her in the famed opening, which still ended the same way: “In company with the first lady ever to qualify at Indianapolis, gentlemen, start your engines!” Tony would die of a heart attack the following October and be replaced by first this wife Mari and then his daughter Mari, who changed it to “Ladies and Gentleman, start your engines”.
The following drivers were mentioned in the highlight film but not in my prior articles:
- Danny Ongais, a Hawaiian rookie who had been a drag racer. He would be a regular at Indy through 1987 and make a comeback to participate in the 1996 and 1998 races as well. He made the top ten 4 times, including 4th in 1979 but is probably most famous for a terrible crash he survived in the 1981 race. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78CI7UWcpeM
- Clay Rigazzoni was a Swiss Formula 1 racer, (he’d won 5 grand Prix races). He crashed in practice but qualified and finished 30th due to mechanical difficulties. In 1980 he was paralyzed due to a crash at the Long Beach Grand Prix and became a commentator for Italian television, although he did compete in in sports car rallies with a hand-controlled car. He died in 2006 as the result of a crash on a public road. He was going 100 miles per hour at the time.
- George Snider holds the record for the most starts at Indy, (22) without winning. You’ve got to admire his persistence. He was there from 1965-1990, finishing 8th twice.
Here is ABC’s full race coverage, without the interruption from the local station:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GYKkU-4SVc
