1975 Indianapolis 500

59th running of the Indianapolis 500 February 2025 59th Indianapolis 500 Indy500winningcar1975.JPG USAC 1975 USAC Trail All American Racers May 25, 1975 Bobby Unser(435 miles, rain) Wayne Leary2011 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 149.213 mi/h km/h on 2:54:55.08 A. J. Foyt 193.976 mi/h km/h on Foyt Bill Puterbaugh Wally Dallenbach (96) Purdue Band Jim Nabors Tony Hulman Buick Century Custom V-8 James Garner Pat VidanFox Jack C. The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 Carl Hungness Publishing 4th 1994 22 en 0-915088-05-3 300,000Bobby U. Wins Rain-Cut '500' https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11434312/ Ray Marquette The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com May 26, 1975 June 2, 2017 ABC Keith Jackson and Jackie Stewart 14.9 30 1974 1976 The 59th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 25, 1975. A. J. Foyt started on the pole position and Bobby Unser won his second Indianapolis 500. Dan Gurney, one of the founders of All American Racers, who finished second as a driver himself in 1968–1969, won his first and only Indy 500 as a car owner. Gurney's Eagle chassis itself scored its third "500" win. The race was part of the 1975 USAC National Championship Trail. On the 174th lap (435 miles), a heavy downpour pelted the Speedway, and officials immediately ended the race, just 26 laps short of the scheduled distance. Bobby Unser was leading the race at the red flag, and was declared the winner. Defending champion Johnny Rutherford was in second place, and pole-sitter A. J. Foyt came home third. Tom Sneva survived a spectacular crash in turn two on lap 125. His car touched wheels with the car of Eldon Rasmussen, and flipped into the catch fence near the Turn Two Suites. The engine on Sneva's car ripped off in a huge fire-flash, and the car came to rest upright with Sneva trapped in the cockpit. Sneva miraculously suffered only minor injuries, and walked away from the wreck with assistance from the safety crews. On the morning of the race, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was ceremoniously designated to the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, the Hulman family celebrated thirty years of ownership of the facility. Race schedule A year earlier (1974), the race was held in the wake of the energy crisis. USAC cut out a week of practice, and trimmed time trials from four days down to two days, in order to reduce energy consumption. These changes were well received by competitors and fans, and USAC decided to make most of the schedule changes permanent. However, time trials were restored back to four days for 1975 and beyond. In addition, the opening day of practice was pushed back 48 hours to Saturday (in 1974 Opening Day was not until Monday); although rain would wash out Saturday and cars would not take to the track until Sunday. This basic schedule would remain in place through 1997. Race schedule — May, 1975SunMonTueWedThuFriSat         1  2  3Practice 4Opening Day 5Practice 6Practice 7Practice 8Practice 9Practice10Pole Day11Time Trials12Practice13Practice14Practice15Practice16Practice17Time Trials18Time Trials19 20 21 22Carb Day23 24Parade25Indy 50026Memorial Day27 28 29 30 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 Time trials thumb|right|300px|Tony Hulman, owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, at the 1975 race. For the second year in a row, pop-off valves were required during time trials. Turbocharger "boost" levels were set at 80 inHG maximum.Foyt, Johncock head list of Indy pole contenders https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-journal-1975-indy-foyt-to-qu/13502894/ The Indianapolis Star Al Stilley 1 Newspapers.com May 10, 1975 July 27, 2024 Top speeds would be in the low to mid-190 mph range, and would not challenge the existing track record. On Thursday May 8, Gordon Johncock showed himself as a favorite for the pole, completing a practice lap at 195.228 mph. Johncock consistently led the speed charts on four of the practice days. A. J. Foyt was close behind, topping the speed chart twice. Pole Day – Saturday May 10 Pole day dawned sunny and mild. Rookie Al Loquasto was the first driver out to qualify. Mike Mosley (187.833 mph) led the speeds early on, and was the fastest car through the first hour. At 12:15 p.m., Tom Sneva (190.094 mph) moved into the top spot. About an hour later, Bobby Unser took to the track, and at 191.073 mph, bumped Sneva off the pole spot. Unser's speed did not last long, as Gordon Johncock, the next car out, then took over the provisional pole at 191.652 mph. The track remained mostly quiet over the next three hours, as drivers waited for cooler conditions. Shortly after 4 p.m., the track action ramped up once again. A. J. Foyt blistered the track, with his first lap coming in at 195.313 mph. His four-lap average of 193.975 mph secured the pole position. The final qualifying attempt of the afternoon was put in by Bill Puterbaugh. After six years of failure, Puterbaugh finally qualified for his first Indy 500. He pumped his fist as he returned to the pits, putting in the 15th-fastest speed of the day. The day closed with the field filled to 22 cars. With Foyt, Johncock, and Bobby Unser qualifying 1-2-3, it was the first time in Indy history that former winners swept the front row. Second Day – Sunday May 11 After blowing his engine the day before, Wally Dallenbach returned to the track and qualified. His speed of 190.646 mph was the 4th-fastest overall, but as a second day qualifier, he would be forced to line up 21st. A total of six cars qualified, and at the close of the first weekend of time trials, the field was filled to 28 cars. Third Day – Saturday May 17 With five spots open in the field, qualifying opened with Mike Hiss the first car to make an attempt. The field was quickly filled to 33 cars, and Lee Kunzman was the first car on the bubble. Mario Andretti returned from Monaco, and put his car solidly in the field with a speed of 186.480 mph, easily the fastest driver of the day, bumping Kunzman in the process. At 12:18 p.m., Al Loquasto was now on the bubble. Billy Scott made two attempts to bump his way in, but blew his engine on the first attempt, and waved off the second. No other cars made an attempt the rest of the day. Bump Day – Sunday May 18 On the final day of time trials, Al Loquasto still clung to the bubble spot. Eldon Rasmussen was the first car out to make an attempt. His first lap was over 183 mph, but the next two laps dropped off and the team waved off the run. Three hours later, Jim Hurtubise blew an engine after one slow lap, and Loquasto was still on the bubble after over 24 hours. With about an hour left in the day, Loquasto survived yet two more attempts. At 5:18 p.m., with just under 42 minutes left in the day, Eldon Rasmussen made his second attempt. His speed of 181.910 mph finally bumped Loquasto. At 5:51 p.m., Tom Bigelow bumped Rick Muther from the field with a speed of 181.864 mph. That put Mike Hiss on the bubble spot with just over five minutes to go. After an aborted run by Jim Hurtubise, Billy Scott hurriedly left the pit lane. He made it out onto the track just before the 6 o'clock gun that ended qualifying. Scott managed two laps over 180 mph, a little shy of Mike Hiss's 181.754 mph bubble speed. Scott's third lap dropped off to 179 mph, then on his final lap, he looped the car in turn four. Scott crashed into the outside wall almost head-on, but walked away not seriously injured. Scott's crash ended the session, and the field was set.Marquette Ray Bigelow, Rasmussen bump way into '500 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-bump-day-for-the-i/172469070/ 16 May 2025 The Indianapolis Star via Newspapers.com 19 May 1975 Starting grid RowInsideMiddleOutside1 14USA A. J. Foyt gold W silver 20USA Gordon Johncock gold W silver 48USA Bobby Unser gold W silver2 68USA Tom Sneva 12USA Mike Mosley 7USA Lloyd Ruby3 2USA Johnny Rutherford gold W silver 6USA Bill Vukovich II 77USA Salt Walther4 78USA Jimmy Caruthers 4USA Al Unser gold W silver 93USA Johnny Parsons5 16USA Bobby Allison 73USA Jerry Grant 83USA Bill Puterbaugh orange R silver6 89USA John Martin 24USA Bentley Warren 11USA Pancho Carter7 45USA Gary Bettenhausen 30USA Jerry Karl 40USA Wally Dallenbach Sr.8 15USA Roger McCluskey 33USA Bob Harkey 97USA George Snider9 36USA Sammy Sessions 19USA Sheldon Kinser orange R silver 21USA Mario Andretti gold W silver10 63USA Larry McCoy orange R silver 98USA Steve Krisiloff 44USA Dick Simon11 94USA Mike Hiss 58CAN Eldon Rasmussen orange R silver 17USA Tom Bigelow Alternates First alternate: Rick Muther (#46, #52) – Bumped Second alternate: Al Loquasto orange R silver (#38, #86) – Bumped Failed to qualify 28em Lee Kunzman (#52, #55) – Bumped Billy Scott orange R silver (#76) – Wrecked qualifying Jim Hurtubise (#52, #56) – Wave off Tom Bigelow (#17) – Wave off Graham McRae (#75) – Wave off Jan Opperman (#28, #46) – Incomplete run Larry Cannon (#59) – Wrecked in practice Chuck Gurney orange R silver (#23) – Wrecked in practice Jigger Sirois orange R silver (#52) – Wrecked in practice Jerry Sneva orange R silver (#37, #38) – Wrecked in practice George Follmer (#28, #52) – Blew engine in practice John Hubbard orange R silver (#53) Dan Murphy orange R silver (#25) Bob Nagel orange R silver Bill Simpson (#52, #98) Race summary Start thumb|right|200px|The Speedway was placed on the National Register of Historic Places Gordon Johncock took the lead at the start and led the first 8 laps. But Johncock dropped out on lap 11 with an ignition failure. Also out early were Salt Walther (his Indy record third last place finish), and Lloyd Ruby, both out with engine problems. Polesitter A. J. Foyt took the lead on lap 9. He briefly lost the lead for three laps during a pit stop on lap 22, but re-assumed the lead on lap 25, and led through lap 58. Salt Walther, who had dropped out, summoned his teammate Bob Harkey to the pits on lap 18. Walther climbed in the car and took over the machine for the remainder of the race. While the driver switch was apparently agreed upon before the race if the circumstances arose, Walther was criticized for making the switch under green, and not waiting for a caution period. The Harkey/Walther car fell a few laps down during the stop. First half The first yellow came out on lap 45 for Mike Hiss, who went high and brushed the wall in turn three. During his first scheduled pit stop, Mario Andretti's car stalled several times trying to leave the pit lane. He lost several laps, but eventually rejoined the race. On the leaders' lap 68, Andretti spun out on the backstretch, and slammed into the inside wall near the entrance to turn three. He was out of the race after completing only 49 laps. Wally Dallenbach took the lead for the first time on lap 59. He would lead a total of 96 laps, giving up the lead only during pit stops. NASCAR regular Bobby Allison managed to lead one lap during a pit stop shuffle, in what would be his final start at Indy. Allison had decided to skip the World 600 at Charlotte and was the final noteworthy "cross over" driver to the Indy 500 during that era. On the 73rd lap, A. J. Foyt passed Cliff Bergere (2,425) for first place all-time in total laps completed at the Indy 500. Second half During a sequence of green flag pit stops, A. J. Foyt appeared to run out of fuel going into turn 1. Coasting down the backstretch, seemingly without power, it appeared that Foyt was fiddling with his headrest or something behind the cockpit. Seconds later, he was back up to speed, and made it to the pits for fuel. On lap 125, Tom Sneva approached the lapped car of Eldon Rasmussen in turn 1. As the two cars went side-by-side in turn two, they touched wheels and Sneva's car flipped up into a huge wreck. Sneva did a barrel-roll over the front nose of Rasmussen's car, becoming completely airborne and upside-down. The car rolled upright, and hit the outside wall and catch fence with the back end. The engine, gearbox, and rear of the car were ripped from the chassis, leaving a huge fire flash as the fuel and oil ignited in front of the Turn Two Suites. The cockpit section continued down the track, flipping at least twice, and came to rest on the track, right side up, then spun for several yards, coming to rest facing backwards. The engine and other parts scattered in different directions, and littered the track with debris bringing out the caution. Sneva was conscious when the car came to rest, and immediately started unbuckling his seat belts trying to get out. The back of the car was still on fire, and he unknowingly lifted his visor, which singed his face with burns. He then put his hand down in a pool of methanol, which burned his fingers.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZTkoAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CSkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7084,3803302&dq=tom+sneva+crash&hl=en Sneva Looks to Next Race The Modesto Bee 1975-05-28 2012-04-17 2016-03-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20160313051639/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZTkoAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CSkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7084,3803302&dq=tom+sneva+crash&hl=en dead His legs were trapped in the cockpit, and he was not able to get out of the car on his own. Rescue workers immediately arrived at the scene, and put out the remaining fires. A moment later, he was pulled from the wreck, and with assistance, walked to the ambulance. Sneva did not suffer any serious bodily injuries, but was listed in serious condition with burns to his face and hands. After a couple days, Sneva's condition was quickly upgraded, and after a month, he was back racing. After leading 96 laps, Wally Dallenbach dropped out with a blown piston on lap 162. That handed the lead to Johnny Rutherford, with Bobby Unser now in second. Bobby Unser took the lead on lap 165. The skies were threatening, and rain was expected to move into the vicinity of the Speedway. Finish On lap 170, Gary Bettenhausen's right rear hub exploded and he lost the wheel down the mainstretch. Precariously riding on three wheels, he skillfully managed to keep the car mostly off the wall, and was able to park the car down in the infield of turn one. The caution light came on for the debris, and leader Bobby Unser ducked into the pits for a quick stop (fuel only). Second place Johnny Rutherford also made a pit stop. A minor fire broke out in Dick Simon's pit, but it was quickly doused. Under the yellow, the skies became increasingly dark, and the rain that had been threatening finally was about to arrive. Bobby Unser suddenly ducked into the pits for a second "splash-and-go" pit stop, topping off the tank in just 6 seconds. Unser's pit stop allowed third place A. J. Foyt to unlap himself back onto the lead lap. One lap later, the skies opened up, and it began to pour rain. It was lap 174 and Bobby Unser was leading, with Johnny Rutherford about a half lap behind in second. The track became flooded and many of the cars began hydroplaning and spinning out of control. The visibility dropped to near zero, as the heavy rain and the "rooster tails" made it difficult for the drivers to see. Fans began scurrying for cover. Bill Vukovich II's car skidded in turn 4, slid backwards to the inside of the turn and backed into the fencing, narrowly missing a photographer, but Vukovich somehow managed to get it back under control. Starter Pat Vidan took out the red and checkered flag, and the race was halted and declared complete. The leaders had to precariously coast around to the finish line. Despite several wrecked cars blocking the track, Unser, Rutherford, and Foyt all managed to make it to the finish line cleanly. The race was officially called with Unser completing 174 laps (435 miles), just 26 laps short of the scheduled distance. Defending champion Johnny Rutherford followed with a second place, and pole-sitter Foyt finished third, still looking for the elusive fourth Indy win. Box score FinishStartNoNameChassisEngineQualLapsTime/Retired1348USA Bobby Unser gold W silverEagleOffenhauser191.073174 149.213 mph272USA Johnny Rutherford gold W silverMcLaren M16Offenhauser185.998174 +1:04.053114USA A. J. Foyt gold W silverCoyoteFoyt V-8193.976174 +1:48.6641811USA Pancho CarterEagleOffenhauser183.449169Flagged (-5 laps)52215USA Roger McCluskeyRileyOffenhauser183.964167Flagged (-7 laps)686USA Bill Vukovich IIEagleOffenhauser185.845166Flagged (-8 laps)71583USA Bill Puterbaugh orange R silverEagleOffenhauser183.833165Flagged (-9 laps)82497USA George SniderEagleOffenhauser182.918165Flagged (-9 laps)92140USA Wally Dallenbach Sr.Wildcat DGS190.648162Piston102333USA Bob Harkey(Salt Walther Laps 18–162)McLaren M16Offenhauser183.786162Flagged (-12 laps)112998USA Steve KrisiloffEagleOffenhauser182.408162Flagged (-12 laps)122619USA Sheldon Kinser orange R silverKingfishOffenhauser182.389161Flagged (-13 laps)132030USA Jerry KarlEagleChevrolet182.537161Flagged (-13 laps)141078USA Jimmy CaruthersEagleOffenhauser185.615161Flagged (-13 laps)151945USA Gary BettenhausenEagleOffenhauser182.611158Crash FS16114USA Al Unser gold W silverEagleOffenhauser185.452157Rod172536USA Sammy SessionsEagleOffenhauser182.751155Engine183317USA Tom BigelowVollstedtOffenhauser181.864151Magneto191293USA Johnny ParsonsEagleOffenhauser184.521140Transmission201473USA Jerry GrantEagleOffenhauser184.266137Piston213044USA Dick SimonEagleFoyt V-8181.891133Flagged (-31 laps)22468USA Tom SnevaMcLaren M16Offenhauser190.094125Crash T2231724USA Bentley WarrenKingfishOffenhauser183.589120Flagged (-54 laps)243258CAN Eldon Rasmussen orange R silverRas-CarFoyt V-8181.910119Valve251316USA Bobby AllisonMcLaren M16Offenhauser184.398112Gearbox26512USA Mike MosleyEagleOffenhauser187.83394Engine271689USA John MartinMcLaren M16Offenhauser183.65561Radiator282721USA Mario Andretti gold W silverEagleOffenhauser186.48049Crash BS293194USA Mike HissFinleyOffenhauser181.75439Crash T3302863USA Larry McCoy orange R silverRas-CarOffenhauser182.76024Piston31220USA Gordon Johncock gold W silverWildcat DGS191.65311Ignition3267USA Lloyd RubyMcLaren M16Offenhauser186.9847Piston33977USA Salt WaltherMcLaren M16Offenhauser185.7012Ignition Note: Relief drivers in parenthesesChampCarStats.com https://www.champcarstats.com/races/197506.htm International 500 Mile Sweepstakes – May 25, 1975 gold W silver Former Indianapolis 500 winner orange R silver Indianapolis 500 Rookie All cars utilized Goodyear tires. Race statistics Lap Leaders Laps Leader1–8 Gordon Johncock9–21 A. J. Foyt22–23 Johnny Rutherford24 Bobby Allison25–58 A. J. Foyt59–69 Wally Dallenbach70 A. J. Foyt71–94 Wally Dallenbach95–96 A. J. Foyt97–120 Wally Dallenbach121–123 A. J. Foyt124 Bobby Unser125–161 Wally Dallenbach162–164 Johnny Rutherford165–174 Bobby Unser Total laps led Driver LapsWally Dallenbach 96A. J. Foyt 53Bobby Unser 11Gordon Johncock 8Johnny Rutherford 5Bobby Allison 1 PACER Yellow Light PeriodsYellow Lights https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news/15126124/ Indianapolis News 18 Newspapers.com May 26, 1975 August 20, 20245 for 34 laps (47 minutes 58 seconds) Laps* Reason 45–49 Mike Hiss crash in turn 3 (5:47) 68–71 Mario Andretti crash on backstretch (4:26) 97–101 Al Unser & Jerry Karl out of fuel on backstretch (6:15) 127–141 Tom Sneva crash in turn 2 (25:20) 170–174 Gary Bettenhausen lost wheel on mainstretch (6:10) 174 Red Flag due to rain, end of race* – Approximate lap counts Notes Race was given the red and checkered flags (signifying the race would end early) on lap 174 due to rain (caution begun on lap 171). This was the final race for Mary Catherine "Mom" Unser (mother of Jerry, Bobby, and Al), a fixture in the garage area who was famous for her spicy chili. She died on December 18, 1975.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17620748/mom_unser/ Coronary Fatal To 'Mom' Unser The Indianapolis Star December 19, 1975 February 20, 2018 Jimmy Caruthers was diagnosed with cancer in late 1974,https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1873&dat=19741229&id=RXVhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=itEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1369,4795239 Cancer Halts Fast Life of Caruthers Daytona Beach News Journal The Indianapolis Star Robin Miller Robin Miller (journalist) 1974-12-20 2012-08-27 but after treatment went into remission, he was able to return to the cockpit for the 1975 race. He finished 14th, but eventually would succumb and died on October 26, five months after the race. Broadcasting Radio The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Sid Collins served as chief announcer. The broadcast crew was largely familiar from 1974. The broadcast was carried on 1,200 affiliates including shortwave transmissions via AFN to Europe, Asia, Thailand, and many other locales. It was heard by over 100 million listeners worldwide. Collins had no celebrity guests in the booth during the race. But during the pre-race coverage, Collins interviewed Senator Barry Goldwater as well as Pete DePaolo, who was celebrating fifty years since his victory in 1925. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio NetworkBooth AnnouncersTurn ReportersPit/garage reportersChief Announcer: Sid Collins Driver expert: Fred Agabashian Statistician: John DeCamp Historian: Donald DavidsonTurn 1: Ron Carrell Turn 2: Howdy Bell Backstretch: Jerry Baker Turn 3: Doug Zink Turn 4: Jim SheltonPaul Page (north pits/roving)Chuck Marlowe (north-center pits)Luke Walton (south-center pits)Lou Palmer (south pits)Bob Forbes (garages/hospital) Television The race was carried in the United States on ABC Sports on a same-day tape delay basis. Longtime Indy fixture Jim McKay sat out the broadcast as he was attending his Daughter's graduation and was replaced by announcer Keith Jackson.Keith Jackson In In Training fort ABC-TV's '500' Coverage https://www.newspapers.com/clip/16555991/1975_indy_500_tv_keith_jackson/ Julia Inman The Indianapolis Star 17 Newspapers.com May 21, 1975 January 15, 2018 McKay was sent on other assignments in the 1975 season,McKay Calls Terre Haute Special Spot https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18862548/abc_racing_1975_including_jim_mckay/ Bill Hill The Terre Haute Tribune 70 Newspapers.com April 27, 1975 April 2, 2018 including the 1975 Monaco Grand Prix.A sports potpourri https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18863295/ Idaho State Journal 41 Newspapers.com May 23, 1975 April 2, 2018 Jackie Stewart returned to serve as analyst after missing the 1974 race. Stewart covered both Monaco and Indianapolis. Sam Posey, who served as analyst in 1974, was moved to the pit area. The broadcast has re-aired on ESPN Classic since May 2011. ABC TelevisionBooth AnnouncersPit/garage reportersHost: Chris Schenkel Announcer: Keith Jackson Color: Jackie StewartChris EconomakiSam Posey Notes See also 1975 USAC Championship Car season References Works cited 1975 Indianapolis 500 Press Information – Official Track Report Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats – Official Site 1975 Indianapolis 500 at RacingReference.info 1975 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network 1974 Johnny Rutherford 1975 Bobby Unser 1976 Johnny Rutherford Indianapolis 500 Category:Indianapolis 500 races Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 Category:1975 in American motorsport