1968 Indianapolis 500

52nd running of the Indianapolis 500 February 2025 52nd Indianapolis 500 Eagle Rislone Special front Honda Collection Hall.jpg USAC 1968 USAC season Leader Card Racers May 30, 1968 Bobby Unser Jud Phillips2011 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 152.882 mi/h km/h on 3:16:13.76 Joe Leonard 171.559 mi/h km/h on Joe Leonard Bill Vukovich II Bobby Unser (127) Purdue Band Richard O. Plothow Tony Hulman Ford Torino GT William Clay Ford Sr. Pat VidanFox Jack C. The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 Carl Hungness Publishing 4th 1994 22 en 0-915088-05-3 300,000Infielders Real Mudders https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11433400/ John H. Lyst The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com May 31, 1968 June 2, 2017 ABC's Wide World of Sports Jim McKay, Rodger Ward 1967 1969 The 52nd International 500 Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Thursday May 30, 1968. Bobby Unser won the first of his three Indy 500 victories (1968, 1975, 1981). This was the final Indianapolis 500 to feature a front-engined car in the starting field. Of the 33 cars, 32 were rear-engined machines (including three turbines). Jim Hurtubise's entry, which dropped out after only nine laps, was the last front-engine car to race in the 500. This was also the first 500 won by a turbocharged engine. For the second year in a row, one of Andy Granatelli's STP Turbine-powered machines was leading late in the race, but once again, it failed within sight of victory.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XZ1RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wGwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4975%2C5522933 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Associated Press Bobby Unser wins 500 as turbines fail May 31, 1968 17https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iyJYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QfcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1283%2C6021729 The Bulletin Bend, Oregon UPI Unser wins Indy 500 race May 31, 1968 8https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=k8ZOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mQEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7440%2C5208777 Toledo Blade Ohio Taylor Jim Unser, 'King Offy' got all the help they needed May 31, 1968 18https://www.si.com/vault/1968/06/10/610273/rude-setback-for-the-jet-age Sports Illustrated Ottum Bob Rude setback for the jet age June 10, 1968 34 On lap 174, Lloyd Ruby's engine misfired allowing Joe Leonard to take the lead in the Lotus 56 Turbine. Leonard, however, suffered a flameout on the lap 191 restart, and rolled to a silent and shocking halt. Unser, in the venerable piston-powered Offenhauser, inherited the lead and won the race despite gear linkage trouble. During the month, film crews were on hand to film various action shots and stock footage of the race proceedings to be used in the 1969 film Winning, starring Paul Newman. With 9.25 in cm 1 of precipitation in the Indianapolis area in May, the 1968 race featured the wettest month on record for the Indy 500.http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ind/print_localdata.php?loc=txtdat&data=MAYXTRM.TXT Monthly Temperature and Precipitation Extremes for Indianapolis (1871 to 2008) NOAA.gov 2008-06-01 2012-08-08 Rain hampered practice and qualifying, but did not affect race day. This was the most recent Indy 500 scheduled for Thursday; the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was implemented in 1971 and Memorial Day became a three-day weekend (Saturday–Monday) every year. A day previously avoided, Sunday became the scheduled race day beginning in 1974. Race schedule Time trials was scheduled for four days, but for the first time under the current schedule format, qualifying was carried over into a fifth day. Most of Bump Day (May 26) was rained out, and the track closed due to darkness with the field not yet filled to 33 cars. A special session was held Monday in order to complete the field. Race schedule — May 1968SunMonTueWedThuFriSat    1Practice 2Practice 3Practice 4Practice 5Practice 6Practice 7Practice 8Practice 9Practice10Practice11Practice12Practice13Practice14Practice15Practice16Practice17Practice18Pole Day19Time Trials20Practice21Practice22Practice23Practice24Practice25Time Trials26Bump Day27Time Trials28Carb DayParade29Meeting30Indy 50031Banquet  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 The 500 Festival Parade was held Tuesday night, May 28. Practice and time trials thumb|right|200px|Graham Hill's 1968 Lotus 56 Turbine The 1968 Indianapolis 500 was the second and ultimately the final year of participation by the controversial STP Granatelli Turbine machines. For 1968, the Pratt & Whitney turbine engine was installed in the Lotus 56 chassis, often known colloquially as the "Wedge Turbine," and sometimes affectionately as the "Doorstop." In a veiled effort to curtail the turbine's power output, USAC had imposed revised regulations regarding the maximum annulus inlet (reduced from 23.999 in2 to 15.999 in2). Another rule change dictated that cars were required to conduct three mandatory pit stops, up from two that were required from 1965 to 1967. Mike Spence was fatally injured after a crash in turn one on May 7. A tire broke off his Lotus "Wedge" Turbine and struck him in the head. He died of his injuries a few hours after the accident after being taken to the hospital. Spence's death came one month after Jim Clark's fatal accident at Hockenheim. Clark was scheduled to drive one of the Lotus Wedge Turbines at Indy, and had tested one of the machines just prior to his death. Pole Day Time trials – Saturday May 18 Graham Hill, the 1966 winner, in the #70 STP Turbine, was first to qualify and set a new qualifying record. Later, his STP Lotus 56 teammate Joe Leonard in #60 won the pole position with a four-lap average speed of 171.559 mph 1 on. Despite the expected dominance of the Turbines, Bobby Unser put his turbocharged Offenhauser on the outside of the front row at a noteworthy 169.507 mph. Second Day time trials – Sunday May 19 Rain kept cars off the track most of the day. Only two cars were able to make an attempt, and only one was run to completion. At 5:45 p.m., the track was finally opened for qualifications, and Jochen Rindt was the lone qualifier at 164.144 mph 1 on, while Denny Hulme waved off as the 6 o'clock gun went off. At the conclusion of the first weekend of time trials, the field was filled to 16 cars. Third Day time trials – Saturday May 25 Sixteen cars made a total of 24 attempts, and filled the field to 26 cars. High winds kept some cars off the track, and speeds were down from the previous weekend.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EjwgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7mUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6366%2C6392255 Sarasota Herald-Tribune Florida Associated Press Nine more qualify; final eight today May 26, 1968 1B Many cars waved off, and Mel Kenyon, at 165.191 mph 1 on, was the fastest of the day. After qualifying, Ronnie Bucknum's car was disqualified for being 20 lb 0 in underweight. Fourth day time trials – Sunday May 26 With the field filled to 25 cars (eight spots open), rain kept the cars off the track until late in the day. The final scheduled day of time trials ("Bump Day") was almost a complete wash out. The traditional 6 o'clock closing time came and went, and the track was still wet. Track crews continued to work, and the track opened for practice at 6:55 p.m. After the mandatory 30-minute practice session, the track opened for time trials at 7:31 p.m. With overcast skies and darkness looming, three cars made attempts. Bill Puterbaugh and Bill Cheesbourg completed runs, while Bobby Johns spun on his second warm up lap. At that time, officials deemed the conditions unsafe due to darkness, and postponed the remainder of qualifying until Monday morning.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=j8ZOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mQEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7405%2C4194255 Toledo Blade Ohio Associated Press Indy drivers given another chance May 27, 1968 35 Time trials – Monday May 27 For the first time since 1952, time trials were pushed into a fifth day. Officials ruled that all 25 cars that were in the starting field at 6 p.m. Sunday (May 26) were "locked in" and could not be bumped. In addition, all cars that were in line to qualify Sunday evening at 7:54 p.m. were eligible to make one qualifying attempt on Monday. Only cars that qualified after 6 p.m. on Sunday evening were subject to bumping (including Puterbaugh and Cheesbourg). Ronnie Bucknum was reinstated to the field when it was determined that during his inspection, the scale used to weight the car was defective.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qG4eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=g8kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2684%2C6313632 Daytona Beach Morning Journal Florida Associated Press Wrecks mar Indy time trials May 28, 1968 8 With Bucknum's car back in the field, only seven spots were now available. Though rain hampered the day, the qualifying was successfully completed on Monday. A frantic session saw two crashes (Bob Hurt and Rick Muther). Eighteen cars took to the track to fill the seven open spots. Both Puterbaugh and Cheesebourg were bumped, and Mike Mosley was the fastest of the day. Jim Hurtubise qualified his front-engined Mallard for 30th starting position. It would be the final front-engined car to qualify for the Indy 500. Qualification Chronology Att#Car#DriverLapsQualSpeedRankStartCommentSaturday May 18, 1968 1 70 Graham Hill 4 171.208 2 2 2 25 Lloyd Ruby 4 167.613 5 5 3 8 Roger McCluskey 4 166.976 7 7 4 15 Mel Kenyon 2 — — — Waved off 5 54 Wally Dallenbach 3 — — — Waved off 6 3 Bobby Unser 4 169.507 3 3 7 4 Gordon Johncock 3 — — — Waved off 8 1 A. J. Foyt 4 166.821 8 8 9 48 Dan Gurney 4 166.512 10 10 10 27 Jim Malloy 4 165.032 15 14 11 60 Joe Leonard 4 171.559 1 1 12 4 Gordon Johncock 4 166.775 9 9 13 82 Jim McElreath 4 165.512 13 13 14 24 Al Unser 4 167.069 6 6 15 2 Mario Andretti 4 167.691 4 4 16 54 Wally Dallenbach 4 165.548 12 12 17 56 Jim Hurtubise 1 — — — Accident 18 78 Jerry Grant 4 164.782 16 15 19 20 Art Pollard 4 166.297 11 11Sunday May 19, 1968 20 35 Jochen Rindt 4 164.144 20 16 21 42 Denis Hulme 3 — — — Waved offSaturday May 25, 1968 22 21 Arnie Knepper 1 — — — Accident 23 15 Mel Kenyon 3 — — — Waved off 24 62 Bruce Walkup 3 — — — 25 11 Gary Bettenhausen 4 163.562 22 22 26 18 Johnny Rutherford 4 163.830 21 21 27 45 Ronnie Bucknum 4 164.211 18 19 Disqualified 5/25; Reinstated 5/27; Bumps #88 28 88 Bob Harkey 3 — — — Waved off 29 36 Larry Dickson 3 — — — Waved off 30 59 Ronnie Duman 4 162.338 27 26 31 98 Billy Vukovich II 4 163.510 23 23 32 26 Bobby Johns 3 — — — Waved off 33 14 Bob Hurt 3 — — — Waved off 34 16 Bob Veith 4 163.495 24 24 35 10 Bud Tingelstad 1 — — — Pulled off 36 90 Mike Mosley 2 — — — Waved off 37 6 Bobby Grim 4 162.866 25 25 38 84 Carl Williams 2 — — — Waved off 39 26 Bobby Johns 3 — — — Waved off 40 10 Bud Tingelstad 4 164.444 17 18 41 21 Arnie Knepper 3 — — — Waved off 42 42 Denis Hulme 4 164.189 19 20 43 15 Mel Kenyon 4 165.191 14 17 44 84 Carl Williams 3 — — — Waved off 45 36 Larry Dickson 3 — — — Waved offSunday May 26, 1968 46 77 Bill Puterbaugh 4 157.301 — — Bumped by #84 47 22 Bill Cheesbourg 4 157.274 — — Bumped by #21 Bobby Johns 157.274 — — Spun on second warm up lap Monday May 27, 1968 48 88 Bob Harkey 4 159.915 — — Bumped by #45 reinstatement 49 90 Mike Mosley 4 162.449 26 27 50 41 George Follmer 4 158.877 — — Bumped by #62 51 28 Rick Muther 2 — — — Accident 52 94 Sam Sessions 4 162.118 31 31 53 31 Sonny Ates 4 158.221 — — Bumped by #29 54 36 Larry Dickson 4 159.652 — — Bumped by #56 55 21 Arnie Knepper 4 161.900 32 32 Bumps #22 56 84 Carl Williams 4 162.232 29 29 Bumps #77 57 29 George Snider 4 162.264 28 28 Bumps #31 58 62 Bruce Walkup 4 160.514 — — Bumps #41; Bumped by #64 59 56 Jim Hurtubise 4 162.191 30 30 Bumps #36 60 32 Al Miller II 4 157.109 — — Too slow 61 71 Bob Harkey 4 156.257 — — Too slow 62 64 Larry Dickson 4 161.124 33 33 Bumps #88 63 76 Jerry Titus 4 154.540 — — Too slow Starting grid RowInsideMiddleOutside 160 USA Joe Leonard70 GBR Graham Hill gold W silver3 USA Bobby Unser 22 USA Mario Andretti25 USA Lloyd Ruby24 USA Al Unser 38 USA Roger McCluskey1 USA A. J. Foyt gold W silver4 USA Gordon Johncock 448 USA Dan Gurney20 USA Art Pollard54 USA Wally Dallenbach Sr. 582 USA Jim McElreath27 USA Jim Malloy orange R silver78 USA Jerry Grant 635 AUT Jochen Rindt15 USA Mel Kenyon10 USA Bud Tingelstad 745 USA Ronnie Bucknum orange R silver42 NZL Denny Hulme18 USA Johnny Rutherford 811 USA Gary Bettenhausen orange R silver98 USA Bill Vukovich II orange R silver16 USA Bob Veith 96 USA Bobby Grim59 USA Ronnie Duman90 USA Mike Mosley orange R silver 1084 USA Carl Williams29 USA George Snider56 USA Jim Hurtubise 1194 USA Sammy Sessions orange R silver21 USA Arnie Knepper64 USA Larry Dickson orange R Indianapolis 500 rookie solid 1px darkgray gold W Indianapolis 500 winner solid 1px darkgray Alternates First alternate: Bruce Walkup orange R silver (#59, #62)The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004 Failed to qualify Otto Becker (#46) - Entry Declined Sonny Ates orange R silver (#19, #31) Rollie Beale orange R silver (#32, #88) Chuck Booth (#34) – Entered, did not drive Bill Cheesbourg (#22, #75, #81) Jim Clark – Withdrawn after his death on April 7 George Follmer orange R silver (#28, #41, #42) Masten Gregory (#28, #95) Bob Harkey (#71, #77, #88) Chuck Hulse (#90) – Wrecked practice, retired Bob Hurt orange R silver (#11, #14, #36, #72, #81, #90) Bobby Johns (#17, #25) Dee Jones orange R silver (#34, #46) Ralph Ligouri orange R silver (#71, #77, #88) Bruce McLaren orange R silver (#66, #69) Al Miller (#9, #32) Rick Muther orange R silver (#22, #28) Danny Ongais orange R silver (#63) – Entry declined, lack of experience Henry Pens orange R silver (#17) – Entry declined, lack of experience Bill Puterbaugh orange R silver (#63, #71, #77) Les Scott orange R silver (#50) – Failed refresher test Mike Spence orange R silver (#30, #60) – Fatal accident Chuck Stevenson (#90) – Wrecked, retired Jackie Stewart (#20) Jerry Titus orange R silver (#50, #71, #75, #76) Greg Weld orange R silver (#17, #19, #30) Dempsey Wilson (#51, #63, #81) LeeRoy Yarbrough (#59, #62)1968 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes http://www.champcarstats.com/races/196805.htm ChampCarStats.com 27 June 2015 Race Day First half At the drop of the green flag, Joe Leonard in the #60 STP Turbine took the lead, with Bobby Unser in second and Roger McCluskey up to third at the end of lap one. A fast pace was set over the first 100 miles, with no yellow caution lights. Bobby Unser took the lead for the first time on lap 8, and led most of the first half. After only nine laps, Jim Hurtubise in the front-engined PepsiCo Frito-lay special had burned a piston, and was out, finishing 30th, the final front-engined "roadster" to race at lap at the 500. Also in the pits was Mario Andretti, who dropped out with a bad piston. Moments later, he hopped into the car of his teammate Larry Dickson, but that was also short-lived. That car also suffered a broken piston after 24 laps. On lap 41, the caution flag flew for the first time. Al Unser Sr. made a routine pit stop, but a fire broke out in the turbocharger. He was able to return to the race, but after only one lap, he lost a wheel and hit the wall in turn one. Arnie Knepper and Gary Bettenhausen were also involved. After 200 mi km, defending champion A. J. Foyt was out with a blown engine. Second half On lap 110, Graham Hill lost a wheel and smashed into the turn two wall, which brought out the second caution. It was the first of the three Granatelli Turbines to drop out of the race. On the restart, Bobby Unser took the lead, blowing by Joe Leonard, showing the traditional piston-powered engines were still a match for the powerful turbines. On lap 127, Mel Kenyon and rookie Billy Vukovich II tangled in turn four. Both were able to re-enter the race, but Johnny Rutherford, while trying to slow down, was rear-ended by Jim McElreath. Mike Mosley also spun into the turn four grass trying to avoid the accident. Rutherford was out, but McElreath limped back to the pits where his crew repaired the nosecone. When Bobby Unser made his last pit stop on lap 166, his gearshift linkage was broken, and the car was stuck in high gear. As he slowly left his pit, struggling to accelerate back to racing speed, both Leonard and Ruby passed him. Leonard now led in the Turbine. Ruby was up to second, but moments later on lap 178, Ruby was back in the pits with a faulty ignition coil. His crew was able to replace the coil, but the six-minute pit stop dropped him out of contention for the win. With 19 laps to go, Joe Leonard led, with Bobby Unser back up to second. Carl Williams crashed on the backstretch, triggering a fire which brought out the yellow light. Under the caution, Leonard led, with Bobby Unser second, and Dan Gurney in third. For a brief moment, a controversy started brewing as Art Pollard (teammate to Joe Leonard), who was a couple laps down, was not keeping up with the caution pace. As a result, Bobby Unser was stuck behind him, and losing track position to Leonard. Finish After the cleanup, the green flag was given to the field at the start of lap 192. At that instant, both leader Joe Leonard and his teammate Art Pollard hesitated and instantly slowed with identical snapped fuel pump drive shafts. The turbine engines again failed in sight of the finish, stunning the racing fraternity. Bobby Unser swept by into the lead with Dan Gurney inheriting second place. With a nearly full-lap lead, Unser cruised over the final nine laps to win his first Indianapolis 500. Cars using Goodyear tires swept the top four positions, and Goodyear won their second 500 in row. Officials allowed the top five cars to finish the full 500 miles, then flagged the rest of the field off the track. This would be the final 500 in which finishers were named to the prestigious Champion Spark Plug 100 mph Club. Unlike the 1967 race, the Turbine did not run away from the field in 1968. Bobby Unser led the most laps in the Offenhauser, but Joe Leonard spent most of the day on Unser's tail, in the top three. Graham Hill ran in the top five, but complained that he lacked speed down the long straights, and was running 4th when he wrecked. Art Pollard, in the third Turbine, spent most of the day in the top ten before the car quit, but was never really a factor for the win. Box score FinishStartNoNameChassisEngineTireQualLapsStatus133USA Bobby UnserEagleOffenhauserGoodyear169.507200 152.882 mph21048USA Dan GurneyEagleFord-WeslakeGoodyear166.512200 +53.8031715USA Mel KenyonGerhardtOffenhauserGoodyear165.191200 +4:48.6242042NZL Denis HulmeEagleFordGoodyear164.189200 +4:55.415525USA Lloyd RubyMongooseOffenhauserFirestone167.613200 +5:45.0662659USA Ronnie DumanBrabhamOffenhauserGoodyear162.338200Running72398USA Bill Vukovich II orange R silverShrikeOffenhauserFirestone163.510198Flagged82790USA Mike Mosley orange R silverWatsonOffenhauserGoodyear162.499197Flagged93194USA Sammy Sessions orange R silverFinleyOffenhauserGoodyear162.118197Flagged10256USA Bobby GrimMongooseOffenhauserFirestone162.866196Flagged112416USA Bob VeithGerhardtOffenhauserGoodyear163.495196Flagged12160USA Joe LeonardLotusPratt & WhitneyFirestone171.599191Fuel Shaft131120USA Art PollardLotusPratt & WhitneyFirestone166.297188Fuel Shaft141382USA Jim McElreathCoyoteFordGoodyear165.327179Stalled152884USA Carl WilliamsCoyoteFordGoodyear162.323163Crash BS161810USA Bud TingelstadGerhardtFordGoodyear164.444158Oil Pressure171254USA Wally Dallenbach Sr.FinleyOffenhauserGoodyear165.548148Engine182118USA Johnny RutherfordEagleFordGoodyear163.830125Crash T419270GBR Graham Hill gold W silverLotusPratt & WhitneyFirestone171.208110Crash T22081USA A. J. Foyt gold W silverCoyoteFordGoodyear166.82186Rear End211945USA Ronnie Bucknum orange R silverEagleFordGoodyear164.21176Fuel Leak221427USA Jim Malloy orange R silverVollstedtFordFirestone165.03264Rear End231578USA Jerry GrantEagleFordGoodyear164.78250Oil Leak242211USA Gary Bettenhausen orange R silverGerhardtOffenhauserFirestone163.56243Accident T1253221USA Arnie KnepperVollstedtFordFirestone161.90042Accident T126624USA Al UnserLolaFordFirestone167.06940Crash T12794USA Gordon JohncockGerhardtOffenhauserGoodyear166.77537Rear End283364USA Larry Dickson(Mario Andretti Laps 14–24)BrawnerFordFirestone161.12424Piston2978USA Roger McCluskeyEagleOffenhauserGoodyear166.97616Oil Filter303056USA Jim HurtubiseMallardOffenhauserFirestone162.1919Piston312929USA George SniderMongooseFordFirestone162.2649Oil Leak321635AUT Jochen RindtBrabhamRepco-BrabhamGoodyear164.1445Piston3342USA Mario AndrettiBrawnerFordFirestone167.6912Piston Note: Relief drivers in parenthesesChampCarStats.com https://www.champcarstats.com/races/196805.htm International 500 Mile Sweepstakes – May 30, 1968 gold W silver Former Indianapolis 500 winner orange R silver Indianapolis 500 Rookie Race statistics Lap Leaders Laps Leader1–7 Joe Leonard8–56 Bobby Unser57–89 Lloyd Ruby90–112 Bobby Unser113–119 Joe Leonard120–165 Bobby Unser166–174 Lloyd Ruby175–191 Joe Leonard192–200 Bobby Unser Total laps led Driver LapsBobby Unser 127Lloyd Ruby 42Joe Leonard 31 Yellow Lights: 5 for 47 minutes Laps* Reason41–51 Al Unser crash in turn 1 (12 minutes)110–119 Graham Hill crash in turn 2 (10 minutes)127–138 Vukovich brushed wall in turn 3 (12 minutes)Rutherford/Mosely spun in turn 4158 Debris on frontstretch (1 minute)183–191 Carl Williams crash in turn 2 (12 minutes)* – Approximate lap counts Tire participation chartHere's Your 500-Mile Race Scorecard https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news-1968-indy-500-scor/153558423/ Indianapolis News 1 Newspapers.com May 30, 1968 August 18, 2024Race Score Card https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-1968-indy-500-scor/153269723/ The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com May 30, 1968 August 18, 2024SupplierNo. of startersGoodyear 19*Firestone 14 * – Denotes race winner Race notes This was the fourth consecutive race victory for Bobby Unser in the 1968 season, he would go on the claim the National Championship. This would be the final Indy 500 documented by the popular Floyd Clymer 500 Mile Race yearbooks. 6th-place finisher Ronnie Duman would be killed ten days later at Milwaukee. Mike Spence was the third person with the surname of Spence (none of whom were related) to lose his life at the Speedway. Broadcasting Radio The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Sid Collins served as chief announcer. Len Sutton served as "driver expert" for the third year. At the conclusion of the race, Lou Palmer reported from victory lane. Pre-race coverage was 30 minutes. The entire on-air crew remained consistent from 1966 & 1967. The broadcast was carried by over 900 affiliates including 761https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wywdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DpcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6883,3374161&dq=indianapolis+closed+circuit+500&hl=en Facts And Figures On Indianapolis 500 Daily News 1968-05-29 2012-08-08 in the United States, Armed Forces Network, the CBC, and reached New Zealand and Australia for the first time. The broadcast had an estimated 100 million listeners worldwide. Collins greeted numerous guests in the booth during the race. Among those who stopped by were Chuck Stevenson, Sam Hanks, J. C. Agajanian, former (and future) radio analyst Fred Agabashian, Duke Nalon, Pete DePaolo, Henry Banks, Tom Binford, Johnnie Parsons, and Johnny Boyd. Indiana Senator Vance Hartke visited the booth, escorting a delegation that included Secretary of Transportation Alan Boyd, FCC chairman Rosel H. Hyde, Utah Senator Frank Moss, and Jack Kauffmann (The Washington Star). Senator Birch Bayh also visited the booth, accompanied by his teenage son, future governor and future senator Evan Bayh, who was attending his first race. On the air, Evan correctly predicted Bobby Unser would win the race. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network Booth AnnouncersTurn ReportersPit/garage reportersChief Announcer: Sid Collins Driver expert: Len Sutton Statistician: John DeCamp Historian: Donald DavidsonTurn 1: Mike Ahern Turn 2: Howdy Bell Backstretch: Doug Zink Turn 3: Ron Carrell Turn 4: Jim SheltonChuck Marlowe (north)Luke Walton (center)Lou Palmer (south) Television The race was carried in the United States on ABC's Wide World of Sports. The broadcast was supposed to air on Saturday, June 8 but was postponed a week to Saturday June 15 due to the funeral that day of Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Jim McKay anchored the broadcast with Rodger Ward as analyst, and Chris Economaki as a pit reporter.. The race was shown live on MCA closed-circuit television in approximately 175 theaters across the United States.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1pclAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8PQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6762,2495581&dq=indianapolis+closed+circuit+500&hl=en Indianapolis 500 1968-05-14 2012-08-08https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tdtOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lE4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4049,2071504&q=indianapolis+closed+circuit+500&hl=en Computers to Help Report Indianapolis 500 Race Computer World 1968-06-05 2012-08-08 Charlie Brockman served as anchor. Gallery Notes References Works cited Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats - Official Site 1968 Indianapolis 500 at RacingReference.info 1968 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network 1967 A. J. Foyt 1968 Bobby Unser 1969 Mario Andretti 152.882 151.207 mph(1967 Indianapolis 500) 156.867 mph(1969 Indianapolis 500) Category:Indianapolis 500 races Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500