1978 Indianapolis 500

62nd running of the Indianapolis 500 February 2025 62nd Indianapolis 500 Indy500winningcar1978.JPG USAC 1978 USAC Trail Jim Hall/Chaparral May 28, 1978 Al Unser Sr. Hywel Absalom2011 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Official Media Guide Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation/IMS Public Relations 2011 Statistics 176 English https://doctorindy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2011-Indy-500-Media-Guide.pdf 161.363 mi/h km/h on 3:05:54.99 Tom Sneva 202.156 mi/h km/h on Tom Sneva Rick Mears & Larry Rice Al Unser, Sr. (121) Purdue band Jim Nabors Mary F. Hulman Chevrolet Corvette C3 Jim Rathmann Pat VidanFox Jack C. The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 Carl Hungness Publishing 4th 1994 22 en 0-915088-05-3 325,000Al Unser Captures 3rd '500' https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11434502/ Robin Miller Robin Miller (journalist) The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com May 29, 1978 June 2, 2017 ABC 13.4 26 Jim McKay and Jackie Stewart 1977 1979 The 62nd 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1978. Danny Ongais dominated the early stages of the race but eventually dropped out with a blown engine. Al Unser Sr. dominated the second half, and held a large lead late in the race. However, Unser bent the front wing of his Lola during a pit stop on lap 180, causing his handling to go away over the final twenty laps. Second place Tom Sneva charged to catch Unser's crippled Lola but came up 8 seconds short at the finish line – the second-closest finish in Indy history to that point. Unser held off the challenge, and became a three-time winner of the 500. It was Al Unser's third Indy victory in the decade of the 1970s, and the fifth of nine overall victories by the Unser family. Al Unser Sr. entered the month having won the 1977 California 500 at Ontario the previous September. Later in the 1978 season, Unser would go on to win the Pocono 500 and the California 500 again, sweeping the "triple crown" of Indy car racing for 1978. As of 2015 (the last year there was a "Triple Crown") Unser is the only driver in history to win all three 500-mile "triple crown" races in the same season, and coupled with the win at Ontario in 1977, set a record by winning four straight 500-mile Indy car races. Second year driver Janet Guthrie finished ninth, and it was later revealed she drove with a fractured wrist.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BnpQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9xEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6944,5961732&dq=janet+guthrie+broken+wrist&hl=en Janet Proves Her Point Milwaukee Sentinel 1978-05-29 2012-04-03 2016-04-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20160409051433/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BnpQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9xEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6944,5961732&dq=janet+guthrie+broken+wrist&hl=en dead It was the highest finish for a female driver in Indy history until Danica Patrick finished in fourth place in 2005. During time trials, Tom Sneva, who had broken the 200 mph on barrier a year earlier, bettered his own record. This time he managed to complete all four qualifying laps over 200 mph on, setting once again new one-lap and four-lap track records. Tony Hulman, the popular owner and president of the track since 1945, died the previous October. His widow Mary F. Hulman was named the chairperson of the board of the Speedway, and for the first time she delivered the famous starting command. Along with the death of Tony Hulman, the race was held just five weeks after eight USAC officials were killed in a plane crash. With dissent increasing among the participants about organizational issues and poor revenue, the 1978 race would be the final Indy 500 contested prior to the formation of CART and prior to the first open wheel "split." Al Unser's victory was the first Indy triumph for the Cosworth DFX V8 engine. The British-based engine building company would go on to win the Indianapolis 500 for ten consecutive years. Race schedule Race schedule – May, 1978SunMonTueWedThuFriSat  1  2  3  4  5  6Practice 7Practice 8Practice 9Practice10Practice11Practice12Practice13Time Trials14Time Trials15Practice16Practice17Practice18Practice19Practice20Time Trials21Time Trials22 23 24 25Carb Day26Mini-Marathon27Parade28Indy 50029Memorial Day30 31     Color Notes Green Practice Dark Blue Time trials Silver Race day Red Rained out* Blank No track activity * Includes days where trackactivity was significantlylimited due to rain Practice and time trials For 1978, the turbocharger "boost" settings were set at 80 inHg, the same regulations used in 1974–1975 and 1977.Sneva's 202.15 On Pole Again https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star/152141720/ The Indianapolis Star Robin Miller Robin Miller (journalist) 1 Newspapers.com May 21, 1978 July 27, 2024 The first weekend of time trials was scheduled for May 13–14. Rain, however, washed out the entire first weekend. Pole qualifying was moved to Saturday May 20. Practice On Wednesday May 10, Mario Andretti turned a practice lap of 201.838 mph on, faster than the track record. Minutes later, Danny Ongais upped the best speed to 201.974 mph on. On Thursday May 11, rookie Rick Mears also joined the coveted "200 mph club" in practice. Johnny Rutherford (199.2 mph on) and A. J. Foyt (199.158 mph on) were also within striking distance. On Friday May 12, the final day of practice before pole qualifying was scheduled to be held, Mario Andretti shattered the unofficial track record, turning a lap of 203.482 mph on. Also over 200 mph on were Mears, Rutherford, and Foyt. Tom Sneva, the driver who broke the 200 mph barrier a year earlier, was the slowest of the three Penske cars, managing only a 196.3 mph on lap during practice. The rainout of time trials complicated the schedule for Mario Andretti. He was forced to leave the track and fly to Zolder for the Belgian Grand Prix which he won driving the Lotus 79 for the first time. Arrangements were being made for another driver to qualify the car for him, and he would return to the cockpit for race day. With no track activity possible at Indy for Sunday, A. J. Foyt flew to Talladega and finished third in the NASCAR Winston 500. During the second week of practice, Pancho Carter and Tom Sneva joined the "200 mph club." Sneva had a hand-timed lap of about 203.1 mph on, inching closer to Andretti's mark from the previous week. Danny Ongais destroyed his primary car in a crash in turn four on Tuesday May 16. He was not seriously injured, but would have to qualify with his back-up car. Pole Day – Saturday May 20 200px|thumb|right|Tom Sneva won his second-consecutive pole position. Since the first two days of time trials were rained out, pole qualifying was moved to the third day (May 20). The field was allowed one trip through the original qualifying draw order. Each car would be guaranteed an opportunity for one attempt during pole round. As soon as they reached the end of the qualifying draw, the pole position round would be concluded, and the "Third Day" of qualifying would commence. Pole day dawned with temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s. Qualifying started promptly at 11:00 a.m., with Johnny Rutherford first out on the track. He fell short of the 200 mph barrier on all four laps, and settled for an average of 197.098 mph on. At 12:03 p.m., Tom Sneva took to the track. Following in his own footsteps from the previous year, he set new all-time one-lap and four-lap track records, becoming the first driver in Indy history to complete all four qualifying laps over 200 mph. Lap 1 – 44.20 seconds, 203.620 mph on (new 1-lap track record) Lap 2 – 44.43 seconds, 202.566 mph on Lap 3 – 44.60 seconds, 201.794 mph on Lap 4 – 44.85 seconds, 200.669 mph on Total – 2:58.08, 202.156 mph on (new 4-lap track record) Due to changes in the rules in subsequent years, Sneva's one-lap and four-lap track records would stand until 1982. Sneva's four-lap average secured the pole position, his second pole in a row. Sneva's Penske teammate, rookie Rick Mears, was the next car out. Mears completed three laps over 200 mph, and his four-lap average of 200.078 mph on was a rookie speed record, and would be good enough for the front row. Janet Guthrie returned for her second start, and qualified strongly at 190.325 mph on. At 12:39 p.m., Danny Ongais made it an "all 200 mph" front row, securing second starting position at 200.122 mph on. After practicing over 200 mph, A. J. Foyt was forced to wave off his run, and missed his chance at qualifying during the pole round. Mike Hiss was hired by Penske to drive substitute for Mario Andretti during time trials. Hiss qualified the car with a respectable speed of 194.647 mph on to rank 8th. However, on race day, Andretti would get back in the car, and he would be forced to line up in the 33rd starting position due to the driver switch. Rain late in the day hampered the qualifying attempts. The trip through the original qualifying line exhausted at 5 p.m., and Tom Sneva officially secured the pole position. Several drivers including Bobby Unser, A. J. Foyt, and Pancho Carter, were unable to qualify during the pole round. At 5 p.m., the "third day" of time trials officially commenced, and those drivers would line up behind the cars from the pole round. The day ended with the field filled to twenty cars. Bobby Unser finished his run in the rain as the lone "third day" qualifier. The track was closed for the day as soon as Unser returned to the pits at 5:11 p.m. Bump Day – Sunday May 21 125px|thumb|right|Jim Hurtubise drew controversy on Bump Day.The final day of time trials opened with 13 spots unfilled. A. J. Foyt at 200.120 mph on was the fastest driver of the day. His speed was tied for second-fastest, but as a final day qualifier, he would line up 20th. Roger Rager was the only major on-track incident of the day. At 3:53 p.m., on his second warm-up lap, he hit the outside wall in turn four, suffering an injured hand. Rager would miss the race. After a wave off on Saturday, Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon went out for his second attempt. He spun and brushed the wall on his second qualifying lap, and had to abort the run. Later on his third and final attempt, he was too slow to bump his way into the field. Dick Simon brushed the wall on the main stretch shaking down a car for Bill Puterbaugh. The car lost two wheels and it was too late in the day for the car to be repaired. In the final hour, there was one spot left in the field when Bob Harkey was preparing to make his attempt. Jim Hurtubise, who had once again entered his now-infamous Mallard/Offy front-engined car, had been denied the permission to qualify, due to lack of speed. USAC had decided to set a 180 mph on minimum speed in order to pass "final" inspection, receive the appropriate sticker, and be allowed to make a qualifying attempt. They deemed Hurtubise ineligible, claiming he had not broken 175 mph on,https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ux1SAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WDUNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5592,5478280&dq=jim+hurtubise+police&hl=en 'Herk' Can Always Make It Interesting Times-Union 1978-05-22 2012-04-04https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aHZbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_1ANAAAAIBAJ&pg=4169,1949510&dq=jim+hurtubise+1978+police&hl=en Jim Hurtubise has been Indy's 'Nice Guy' this year The Madison Courier 1979-05-18 2012-04-05 despite some claiming he had lapped over 184 mph on. Hurtubise considered the ruling a personal harassment, lies, and an effort by USAC, Goodyear, and the Speedway to single him out and keep him from qualifying. After being a popular fixture amongst the fans for many years, several episodes of antics had caused some to begin to view Hurtubise unfavorably.Donald Davidson Rick Shaffer Autocourse Official History of the Indianapolis 500 MBI Publishing Company 2006 222 Hurtubise got into a heated exchange with chief steward Tom Binford, then proceeded to climb into Harkey's car, shouting "If I can't qualify, no one can!" After a few minutes, Hurtubise was coaxed out of the car, and Harkey climbed in to crank it up. With some encouragement from the crowd, Hurtubise then jumped in front of Harkey, preventing him from pulling out of the pits. He had to be restrained by safety patrol members, and Harkey managed to pull away. While Harkey was on the backstretch of his warm-up lap, Hurtubise jumped over the pit wall and ran out on the race track in order to disrupt and halt the qualifying attempt. Running down the main stretch, several guards chased after him. Hurtubise was tackled by John Martin and was then detained by police. By this time, the crowd's opinion had changed, and they began booing and jeering Hurtubise for going too far by disrupting qualifying. Hurtubise was banned from the track for the remainder of the month. Harkey managed to finish his qualifying attempt without incident, but his speed was not fast enough to stand. Within twenty minutes, Harkey was bumped by Joe Saldana. The day closed with Cliff Hucul bumping Graham McRae with two minutes left in the day. After missing time trials, Mario Andretti won the Grand Prix of Belgium. He traveled back to Indianapolis during the week, and would be back in time for Carburetion Day "tests." Carburetion Day The final practice was held on Thursday May 25. A. J. Foyt turned a fast lap of 199.468 mph, but then shut the engine off due to an oil line problem. He coasted to stop and required a tow-in. Gary Bettenhausen skipped the session as the crew was installing a new engine. Joe Saldana also failed to turn any laps as his crew was putting the finishing touches on a new engine install. Mario Andretti returned from Belgium and turned a lap of 192.719 mph, the third-fastest of the day. No incidents were reported. Pit Stop Contest The elimination rounds for the 2nd annual Miller Pit Stop Contest were held Thursday May 25. Eight teams qualified for the contest during preliminary trials on May 17–18. Johnny Rutherford (12.89 seconds) was the fastest qualifier, with Wally Dallenbach (19.86 seconds) ranking second, and Al Loquasto (20.53 second) third. The other qualifiers included Larry Dickson (20.85 seconds), Johnny Parsons (20.89), Roger McCluskey, Pancho Carter, and Bobby Olivero. However, Olivero was later replaced by Mike Mosley. Loquasto was bumped from the race starting lineup, but stayed to compete in the pit stop contest. The finals pitted Team McLaren (Johnny Rutherford) versus the Russ Polak/Dickson-Looper team (Larry Dickson). Rutherford's crew was victorious, the first of back-to-back wins in the event for Team McLaren. Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals Johnny Rutherford(Team McLaren) Johnny Parsons(Lindsey Hopkins) Pancho Carter(Fletcher Racing) Al Loquasto(Loquasto) Roger McCluskey(Warner Hodgdon) Wally Dallenbach(O'Connell Racing) Larry Dickson(Dickson-Looper) Mike Mosley(Morales Motorsports) Johnny Rutherford(Team McLaren) Pancho Carter(Fletcher Racing) Larry Dickson(Dickson-Looper) Roger McCluskey(Warner Hodgdon) Johnny Rutherford(Team McLaren) 13.80 Larry Dickson(Dickson-Looper) 17.27 Starting lineup RowInsideMiddleOutside11 USA Tom SnevaNorton SpiritTeam PenskePenske PC-6, Cosworth DFX202.156 mph km/h on25 USA Danny OngaisInterscope RacingTed FieldParnelli, Cosworth DFX200.122 mph km/h on71 USA Rick Mears orange R silverCAM2 Motor OilTeam PenskePenske PC-6, Cosworth DFX200.078 mph km/h on24 USA Johnny Rutherford gold W silver1st National City Travelers ChecksTeam McLarenMcLaren 77, Cosworth DFX197.098 mph km/h on2 USA Al Unser gold W silver1st National City Travelers ChecksChaparral RacingLola 78, Cosworth DFX196.474 mph km/h on20 USA Gordon Johncock gold W silverNorth American Van LinesPatrick RacingWildcat 78, DGS195.833 mph km/h on36 USA Wally Dallenbach Sr.Sugaripe PruneJerry O'ConnellMcLaren 77, Cosworth DFX195.228 mph km/h on16 USA Johnny Parsons1st National City Travelers ChecksLindsey HopkinsLightning, Offenhauser194.280 mph km/h on80 USA Larry DicksonPolak Construction/Sta-On Car GlazeRuss PolakPenske PC-5, Cosworth DFX193.434 mph km/h on417 USA Dick SimonLa MachineRolla VollstedtVollstedt, Offenhauser192.967 mph km/h on11 USA Roger McCluskeyNational Auto EngineeringWarner HodgdonEagle 76, AMC192.256 mph km/h on24 USA Sheldon KinserThermo KingRalph WilkeWatson, Offenhauser192.051 mph km/h on540USA Steve KrisiloffForeman IndustriesPatrick RacingWildcat, DGS191.255 mph km/h on22 USA Tom Bagley orange R silverKent OilRalph WilkeWatson 77, Offenhauser190.941 mph km/h on51 USA Janet GuthrieTexaco StarJanet GuthrieWildcat, DGS190.325 mph km/h on619 USA Spike GehlhausenHubler Chevrolet/WIRECarl GehlhausenEagle 74, Offenhauser190.325 mph km/h on39 USA John MahlerTibonCarl GehlhausenEagle, Offenhauser189.723 mph km/h on43 USA Tom BigelowArmstrong MouldingSherman ArmstrongWildcat 76, DGS189.115 mph km/h on748USA Bobby Unser gold W silverARCO GraphiteAll American RacersEagle 78, Cosworth DFX194.658 mph km/h on14 USA A. J. Foyt gold W silverGilmore/CiticorpA. J. Foyt EnterprisesCoyote, Foyt V-8200.122 mph km/h on8 USA Pancho CarterBudweiserArizona MechanicsLightning, Offenhauser196.829 mph km/h on877 USA Salt WaltherDayton-WaltherGeorge WaltherMcLaren, Cosworth DFX193.226 mph km/h on84 USA George SniderGilmore/CiticorpA. J. Foyt EnterprisesCoyote, Foyt V-8192.627 mph km/h on69 USA Joe Saldana orange R silverMr. Wize-Buys CarpetDynamics Inc.Eagle 73, Offenhauser190.809 mph km/h on978 USA Mike MosleyAlex XLNT FoodsAlex MoralesLightning, Offenhauser188.719 mph km/h on26 USA Jim McElreathCircle City CoalJim McElreathEagle 74, Offenhauser188.058 mph km/h on29 CAN Cliff HuculWendy's HamburgersHucul-Hunter-ArndtMcLaren, Offenhauser187.803 mph km/h on1088USA Jerry KarlMachinists UnionFrank FioreMcLaren, Cosworth DFX187.549 mph km/h on47 USA Phil Threshie orange R silverCircle Chevy/TutwilerPhil ThreshieLightning, Offenhauser187.520 mph km/h on35 USA Larry Rice orange R silverBryant Heating/WIBCPatrick SantelloLightning, Offenhauser187.393 mph km/h on1198 USA Gary BettenhausenOberdorferGrant KingKing 76, Offenhauser187.324 mph km/h on30 USA Jerry SnevaSmock MaterialsMarv SchmidtMcLaren, Offenhauser187.266 mph km/h on7 USA Mario Andretti gold W silverGould ChargeTeam PenskePenske PC-6, Cosworth DFX194.329 mph km/h onhttps://www.racing-reference.info/race/1978-05/UO Race Resultshttp://www.champcarstats.com/races/197805.htm 1978 International 500 Mile Sweepstakeshttps://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/indy500/history/historical-stats/race-stats/starting-grids/1978 Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2020-03-05 2020-08-28 https://web.archive.org/web/20200828074353/https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/indy500/history/historical-stats/race-stats/starting-grids/1978 dead NavajoWhite silver Mike Hiss qualified Mario Andretti's car while Andretti was in Belgium to compete in the Belgian Grand Prix, a race Andretti would win. Andretti took over the car for race day. Due to the driver change, USAC rules stated the entry must start at the rear of the field (33rd). Alternates First alternate: Graham McRae (#33, #34) – Bumped Second alternate: Bob Harkey (#42) – Bumped Failed to qualify Al Loquasto (#86) – Bumped Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon (#85) – Too slow Bill Vukovich Jr. (#18, #93) – Incomplete qualifying run John Martin (#28) – Incomplete qualifying runs Bubby Jones (#18) – Incomplete qualifying runs Gary Irvin orange R silver (#9) – Incomplete qualifying run Roger Rager orange R silver (#9, #97) – Wrecked during qualifying attempt Mike Hiss (#7, #66) – qualified 8th, but turned the car over to Mario Andretti Lee Kunzman (#90) Bobby Olivero (#78) Eldon Rasmussen (#58) Jim Hurtubise – Barred from making a qualifying attempt due to lack of speed; detained by police after running out onto the track to disrupt time trials. orange R silver = Indianapolis 500 rookiegold W silver = Former Indianapolis 500 winner Race summary 200px|thumb|right|1978 was the first of ten consecutive Indy victories for the Cosworth DFX engine. Start Race day dawned hot and humid, with temperatures in the high 80s (°F). After the death of Tony Hulman, the starting command was recited by his widow Mary F. Hulman. With Janet Guthrie in the field once again, the traditional command was again tweaked. This time command was worded "Lady and Gentlemen, start your engines!" During the pace laps, Gary Bettenhausen pulled into the pits with mechanical trouble, and missed the start. At the green flag, Danny Ongais darted into the lead, with Tom Sneva falling in line behind him in second. Rick Mears suddenly faded and pulled to the outside, and was passed by several cars. Ongais completed the first lap at a record speed of 185.185 mph on. Sheldon Kinser stalled on the backstretch, and brought out the yellow light for three laps. Rick Mears ducked into the pits for an unscheduled stop. He had neglected to fasten his helmet strap properly, and nearly lost his helmet at the start of the race. He was able to properly fasten his helmet, and returned to the race.http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1989-05-28/sports/8901270783_1_rick-mears-race-pole Mears Uses A Good Yawn For Fast Lap Sun-Sentinel Gordon Wittenmyer 1989-05-28 2012-04-04 2014-11-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20141110154921/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1989-05-28/sports/8901270783_1_rick-mears-race-pole dead The green came back out on lap 5, with Ongais pulling out to a comfortable lead. Cliff Hucul went to pits, and was out of the race with a broken oil line. First half Mario Andretti quickly charged from last starting position to run as high as 13th in the early going. However, he was forced to pit to change a bad spark plug wire. He lost 8 laps, and was effectively out of contention for the rest of the day. On lap 26, Spike Gehlhausen crashed exiting turn 2, and came to rest along the outside wall on the backstretch. Leader Danny Ongais was in the pits when the yellow came out, which gave the lead temporarily to Steve Krisiloff. However, under the yellow light condition, Krisiloff violated the PACER light rules, and was penalized one lap. That gave the lead to Tom Sneva. With Ongais in second right behind Sneva, the green light came back on down the backstretch on lap 31. Sneva led for barely a lap, and Ongais passed him for the lead the next time by. Salt Walther dropped out with a bad clutch, and proceeded to rant his frustration of his chief mechanic Tommy Smith during a heated television interview. It was reported that Smith made a change to the throttling system the night before the race; while Walther's team worked on repairing the car, Smith reportedly left the track, having parted ways with the team. Danny Ongais led 68 of the first 75 laps. The team reported that Ongais had lost his two-way radio, and was forced to communicate only by sign boards for the rest of the race. Al Unser Sr. took the lead for the first time on lap 76. He held the lead at the halfway point. A. J. Foyt, who had charged near the front early on, started to fade, and after long pit stops, was laps down to the leaders. Janet Guthrie, on the other hand, was moving up into the top ten. Second half Rookie Rick Mears dropped out after 103 laps with a blown engine. By lap 120, thirteen cars were out of the race, with hot conditions contributing to the attrition. Al Unser Sr. led, with Danny Ongais and Tom Sneva in the top three. Unser continued to hold a small lead over Ongais, with his crew's efficient and quick pit stops increasing the margin. Suddenly on lap 145, second place Danny Ongais came into the pits with smoke pouring from the car. After having led 71 laps (nearly half the race up to that point), Ongais was out with a blown engine. Finish Al Unser Sr. led second place Tom Sneva by over 20 seconds. Those were the only two cars left on the lead lap. On lap 180, Unser came onto the pits for his final stop. Unser overshot his pit box by a few feet, and hit a spare tire with his front wing. The team decided not to change tires, and filled the car with fuel only. His stop was 17 seconds, his worst pit stop of the day. One lap later, Tom Sneva pitted, taking fuel only. His pit stop, however, was not fast, and he did not immediately gain ground on Unser. With a 30-second lead, Unser had 19 laps to go to victory. However, his front wing was reportedly damaged from hitting the tire, and Unser's handling was starting to go away. Sneva began cutting away at his lead, by about a second per lap. With three laps to go, Sneva had cut the lead to 14 seconds. Then with one lap to go, it was down to 10 seconds. On the final lap, third place Gordon Johncock slipped by Unser to get one of his laps back. Unser nursed the car around on the final lap, and won this third Indy 500. Second place for the second year in a row, Tom Sneva finished 8.09 seconds behind. After the race, Unser claimed that he was merely 'taking it easy' over the final 20 laps, and that clipping the tire during his pit stop was not affecting his handing. In any case, it was the second-closest finish in Indy history to that point. Wally Dallenbach and A. J. Foyt both stalled on the course out of fuel, but both finished strongly, 5th and 7th, respectively. Janet Guthrie finished 9th, and revealed after the race that she drove with a fractured wrist. Two days before the race, she fell during a charity tennis match, suffering the injury. Late in the race, the Patrick Racing Wildcats of Gordon Johncock and Steve Krisiloff were penalized one lap by stewards - Johncock for running over an air-hose, and Krisiloff for speeding too fast under caution. If the penalties had not happened, Johncock would have barely finished runner-up behind Al Unser, and Krisiloff would have still finished fourth, but would have been the only driver one lap down. George Bignotti announced his intentions to protest Johncock's penalty, claiming that officials overlooked Unser running over his air hose, and did not treat both drivers equally. However, post-race footage showed that Unser, although coming very close, did not run over his air hose, and the team declined to protest. Box score FinishGridNoNameChassisEngineLapsStatusPoints152USA Al Unser gold W silverLola T500Cosworth DFX200 161.363 mph1000211USA Tom SnevaPenske PC-6Cosworth DFX200 +8.098003620USA Gordon Johncock gold W silver Wildcat 78 DGS199Flagged70041340USA Steve KrisiloffWildcat DGS198Flagged600576USA Wally Dallenbach Sr.McLaren 77Cosworth DFX195Out of fuel50061948USA Bobby Unser gold W silverEagle 78Cosworth DFX195Flagged40072014USA A. J. Foyt gold W silverCoyoteFoyt V-8191Flagged30082384USA George SniderCoyoteFoyt V-8191Flagged25091551USA Janet GuthrieWildcat DGS190Flagged010816USA Johnny ParsonsLightningOffenhauser186Flagged150113035USA Larry Rice orange R silverLightningOffenhauser186Engine10012337USA Mario Andretti gold W silverPenske PC-6Cosworth DFX185Flagged501344USA Johnny Rutherford gold W silverMcLaren 77Cosworth DFX180Flagged25142888USA Jerry KarlMcLarenCosworth DFX176Flagged25152469USA Joe Saldana orange R silverEagle 73Offenhauser173Flagged25163198USA Gary BettenhausenKing 76Offenhauser147Piston25172578USA Mike MosleyLightningOffenhauser146Broken Gear2018225USA Danny OngaisParnelliCosworth DFX145Piston20191017USA Dick SimonVollstedtOffenhauser138Wheel Bearing20202626USA Jim McElreathEagle 74Offenhauser132Engine20211843USA Tom BigelowWildcat 76 DGS107Connecting Rod1522980USA Larry DicksonPenske PC-5Cosworth DFX104Oil Pressure1523371USA Rick Mears orange R silverPenske PC-6Cosworth DFX103Engine1524218USA Pancho CarterLightningCosworth DFX92Exhaust Header15251111USA Roger McCluskeyEagle 76AMC82Clutch10261739USA John MahlerEagleOffenhauser58Timing gear10271422USA Tom Bagley orange R silverWatson 77Offenhauser25Overheating10282277USA Salt WaltherMcLarenCosworth DFX24Clutch10291619USA Spike GehlhausenEagle 74Offenhauser23Crash T25302947USA Phil Threshie orange R silverLightningOffenhauser22Oil Pressure5313230USA Jerry SnevaMcLarenOffenhauser18Rear End5321224USA Sheldon KinserWatsonOffenhauser15Oil Pressure5332729CAN Cliff HuculMcLarenOffenhauser4Oil Line5http://www.champcarstats.com/races/197805.htm 1978 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes gold W silver Former Indianapolis 500 winner orange R silver Indianapolis 500 Rookie All cars utilized Goodyear tires. Race statistics Lap Leaders Laps Leader 1–11 Danny Ongais 12 Tom Sneva 13–25 Danny Ongais 26–30 Steve Krisiloff 31 Tom Sneva 32–75 Danny Ongais 76–107 Al Unser Sr. 108–110 Danny Ongais 111–179 Al Unser Sr. 180 Tom Sneva 181– 200 Al Unser Sr. Total laps led Driver Laps Al Unser Sr. 121 Danny Ongais 71 Steve Krisiloff 5 Tom Sneva 3 PACER Yellow Light PeriodsHow They Finished https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star/15067759/ The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com May 29, 1978 August 20, 20246 for 23 laps Laps Reason2–4 Sheldon Kinser tow-in9–11 Sheldon Kinser tow-in26–31 Spike Gehlhausen crash turn 248–51 Debris84–85 Debris114–118 Rick Mears & Tom Bigelow tow-in Points standings after the race RankDriverPointsDifferencePositionChange1 Tom Sneva 1725 Leader +12 Gordon Johncock 1688 -37 03 Al Unser 1325 -400 +64 Steve Krisiloff 1150 -575 +15 A. J. Foyt 1078 -647 -16 Danny Ongais 1075 -650 -57 Wally Dallenbach 868 -857 -18 Bobby Unser 434 -1291 Outside top 209 Bobby Olivero 360 -1365 -29 Dick Simon 360 -1365 -1 Broadcasting Radio The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Paul Page served as anchor for the second year despite what happened on December 1, 1977. On that day while he was doing a helicopter traffic report, Page was nearly killed in an accident, as the helicopter he was riding aboard crashed near Speedway Senior High School in Speedway, Indiana.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9687512/wills-steven-the-indianapolis-star/ Wills, Steven, the Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, IN, Dec 2 1977, Pg 1 The Indianapolis Star 2 December 1977 1 Page would fully recover to call the race. Lou Palmer reported from victory lane. Mike Hiss, who had served as a substitute driver for Mario Andretti during time trials, served as the "driver expert." This would be the 31st and final year for Jim Shelton on the crew. After eleven previous appearances, Fred Agabashian also had departed from the crew. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio NetworkBooth AnnouncersTurn ReportersPit/garage reportersChief Announcer: Paul Page Driver expert: Mike Hiss Statistician: John DeCamp Historian: Donald DavidsonTurn 1: Ron Carrell Turn 2: Howdy Bell Backstretch: Darl Wible Turn 3: Doug Zink Turn 4: Jim SheltonJerry Baker (north pits)Chuck Marlowe (north-center pits)Luke Walton (south-center pits)Lou Palmer (south pits)Bob Forbes (garages) Television The race was carried in the United States on ABC Sports on a same-day tape delay basis. Billed as an "ABC Sports Exclusive," the race was introduced with the 1977 song African Symphony, written by Van McCoy, and performed by Saint Tropez.doctorindy 1978 Indianapolis 500 - FULL RACE "EXTENDED VERSION" 2013-01-03 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK3-Pmvt7eo&t=158 2017-07-01 Jim McKay anchored the broadcast. The broadcast has re-aired on ESPN Classic since May 2011. The full race broadcast has been available since May 10, 2018 on the official IndyCar Series YouTube channel.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvIapLxWcoo 1978 Indianapolis 500 YouTube ABC TelevisionBooth AnnouncersPit/garage reportersHost: Chris Schenkel Announcer: Jim McKay Color: Jackie StewartChris EconomakiBill FlemmingSam Posey Gallery Notes See also 1978 USAC Championship Car season References Works cited 1978 Indianapolis 500 Official Track Report Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats – Official Site 1978 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network 1977 A. J. Foyt 1978 Al Unser 1979 Rick Mears Category:Indianapolis 500 races Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 Category:1978 in American motorsport Indianapolis 500