1970 Indianapolis 500

54th running of the Indianapolis 500 February 2025 54th Indianapolis 500 Indy500winningcar1970.JPG USAC 1970 USAC Trail Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing May 30, 1970 Al Unser, Sr. George Bignotti2011 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 155.749 mi/h km/h on 3:12:37.04 Al Unser, Sr. 170.221 mi/h km/h on Al Unser, Sr. Donnie Allison Al Unser, Sr. (190) Al Hirt Saverio Saridis Tony Hulman Oldsmobile 442 Rodger Ward Pat VidanFox Jack C. The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 Carl Hungness Publishing 4th 1994 22 en 0-915088-05-3 250,000Tony's Luck Held Again, But Few Doubted It Would https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11433742/ Thomas R. Keating The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com May 31, 1970 June 2, 2017 ABC's Wide World of Sports Jim McKay, Rodger Ward 1969 1971 The 54th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Saturday, May 30, 1970.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QdozAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SuEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2880%2C7982722 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon Associated Press Al Unser joins brother Bobby on list of Indy 500 winners May 31, 1970 1Bhttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QClPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yQEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7154%2C1511717 Toledo Blade Taylor Jim Pole-sitter Unser easy Indy winner May 31, 1970 D1https://www.si.com/vault/1970/06/08/611373/brother-als-turn-in-the-500 Sports Illustrated Jones Robert F. Brother Al's turn in the 500 June 8, 1970 30 Al Unser Sr. dominated the race, winning the pole position and leading 190 laps (of 200) en route to victory. He joined his brother Bobby as the first duo of brothers to win the Indianapolis 500; it was the first of his four victories at Indianapolis. Car owner Parnelli Jones, who won the race as a driver in 1963, became the second individual (after Pete DePaolo) to win separately as both a driver and as an owner. Unser turned 31 a day earlier and took home $271,697 out of a record $1,000,002 purse. For the first time in Indy history, the total prize fund topped a million dollars. Rain on race morning delayed the start by about thirty minutes. On the pace lap, Jim Malloy smacked the outside wall in turn four, which delayed the start further.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xABYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=E_cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4633%2C6489162 The Bulletin Bend, Oregon UPI Rain delays 500; Malloy snaps bar May 30, 1970 8 All 33 cars in the field were turbocharged for the first time. This was the final 500 in which the winner celebrated in the old Victory Lane at the south end of the pits; it was relocated nearer the finish line for 1971. Race schedule The race start time was scheduled for 12:00 noon local time, a slight departure from the traditional 11:00 am start time that was used during most of the 1960s. With the race scheduled for Saturday May 30, Speedway management announced that Sunday May 31 would be the designated rain date, the first time the race would be permitted to run on a Sunday. However, despite a brief rain delay on race morning, the full 500 miles was completed Saturday, and Sunday was not needed. This would be the last Indy 500 that was scheduled for the traditional fixed date of May 30. Through 1970, Memorial Day was a fixed date holiday observed on May 30 regardless of the day of the week. For 1970, the date of May 30 fell on a Saturday. From 1911 to 1970, the race was scheduled for May 30, regardless of the day of the week, unless May 30 fell on a Sunday. In those cases, the race would be scheduled for Monday May 31. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act would take effect in 1971, and for 1971 and 1972, the race would be scheduled for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. In 1973, it was scheduled for Monday (but rain delayed it until Wednesday). From 1974 onward, it was scheduled for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. From 1974 onward, the race would only be held on May 30 if that date fell on a Sunday. The annual Carburetion Days practice session, along with pit stop practice, on Wednesday May 27 was closed to the public.Pit Pass https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97107571/1970-indy-500-schedule/ The Indianapolis Star 31 Newspapers.com May 27, 1970 March 7, 2022 Race schedule — May, 1970SunMonTueWedThuFriSat      1Practice 2Practice 3Practice 4Practice 5Practice 6Practice 7Practice 8Practice 9Practice10Practice11Practice12Practice13Practice14Practice15Practice16Pole Day17Time Trials18Practice19Practice20Practice21Practice22Practice23Time Trials24Bump Day25 26 27Carb Day28Parade29Meeting30Indy 50031Rain date       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 Al Unser, Sr. set the fastest speed during practice, with a lap of 171.233 mph. Unser led the speed chart on five of the practice days, and was the only driver to crack the 170 mph barrier during the first two weeks. A. J. Foyt (169.173 mph) and Art Pollard (169.1 mph) were close behind. John Cannon wrecked on Sunday May 10, and was unable to qualify. On Monday May 11, defending race winner Mario Andretti spun and wrecked in turn four. His car hit the inside wall twice, and the car was heavily damaged. Andretti was not injured. On Tuesday May 12, Dennis Hulme's car caught fire in turn three. He bailed from the moving machine, suffering burns to his hands and feet. He withdrew due to the injuries. Pole Day – Saturday May 16 Al Unser, Sr. won the pole position over Johnny Rutherford by 0.01 seconds, a record closest margin for the pole position at the time. A. J. Foyt rounded out the "all over 170 mph" front row. Unser's pole speed of 170.221 mph (his fastest single lap was 170.358 mph) was not a record – which marked the first time since the 1940s that two consecutive years went by without track records set during time trials at Indy. Rain halted pole day qualifying at 3:42 p.m. with 17 cars in the field . A few cars (namely Lloyd Ruby, Gary Bettenhausen, and Peter Revson) were still waiting in line when the rains came. USAC officials closed the track for the day, and those cars were deemed ineligible for the pole round. In subsequent years, the rules would be changed to allow all cars in the original qualifying draw order at least one chance to make an attempt during the pole round, regardless if it extended into an additional calendar day due to rain. Rookie Tony Adamowicz suffered bad luck during his attempt. On his first qualifying lap, the yellow light was turned on by error. He slowed down, and his first lap was turned in at 160.829 mph. The green light came back on moments later, and he completed the run. Although he had two laps over 166 mph, his first lap pulled his average down to 164.820 mph, and made him the second-slowest car in the field for the day. Pos Position No. Car Number Name Speed(mph) Notes12Al Unser170.221 218Johnny Rutherford170.213 37A. J. Foyt170.004 411Roger McCluskey169.213 566Mark Donohue168.911 610Art Pollard168.595 73Bobby Unser168.508 81Mario Andretti168.209 931Jim Malloy167.973 1084George Snider167.660 1148Dan Gurney166.860 129Mike Mosley166.651 1327LeeRoy Yarbrough166.613 1497Bruce Walkup166.459 1538Rick Muther orange R silver165.654 —36Tony Adamowicz orange R silver164.820Bumped by #58—92Steve Krisiloff orange R silver162.448Bumped by #89—5Gordon Johncock—Flagged off—5Gordon Johncock—Waved off—95Sam Posey orange R silver—Blown engine—23Mel Kenyon—Pulled off—76Kevin Bartlett orange R silver—Waved off—94Bentley Warren orange R silver—Pulled off—93Greg Weld orange R silver—Crash—74Jim McElreath—Pulled off Second Day – Sunday May 17 Three drivers shut out from the pole round came back to qualify on the second day. Peter Revson (167.942 mph) was the 9th-fastest car in the field, but lined up 18th due to being a second day qualifier. Lloyd Ruby went out for his first attempt, but when he raised his hand to signify the intent to start his attempt, the officials did not see it, and inadvertently waved him off. After he persuaded the officials for a do-over, he had a lap of 169.428 mph, but burned a piston on the fourth and final lap.Revson Leads Pack; Ruby Engines 'Blow' https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20553161/ Ray Marquette The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com May 18, 1970 May 31, 2018 The incident drew the ire of the team, as they felt the officials cost them a chance to be the day's fastest qualifier (for having run the extra laps). Ruby went out again later in the day with a new engine, but waved off after one slow lap. Pos Position No. Car Number Name Speed(mph) Notes1673Peter Revson167.942 175Gordon Johncock167.015 1815Joe Leonard166.898 1975Carl Williams166.590 2016Gary Bettenhausen166.451 2120George Follmer166.052 2223Mel Kenyon165.906 2383Donnie Allison orange R silver165.662 2422Wally Dallenbach Sr.165.601 —74Jim McElreath163.592Bumped by #32—19Ronnie Bucknum—Waved off—12Lloyd Ruby—Blown engine—76Kevin Bartlett orange R silver—Waved off—12Lloyd Ruby—Pulled off—56Jim Hurtubise—  Third Day – Saturday May 23 After a disappointing first weekend, Lloyd Ruby rebounded to complete his qualifying attempt at 168.895 mph. A busy day saw 14 attempts, and the field was filled to 33 cars. Two drivers (Bentley Warren and Tony Adamowicz) were bumped. Pos Position No. Car Number Name Speed(mph) Notes 2525Lloyd Ruby168.895  2632Jack Brabham166.397Bumped #74 2719Ronnie Bucknum166.136  2893Greg Weld orange R silver166.121  2989Jerry Grant165.983Bumped #92 3058Bill Vukovich II165.753Bumped #36 3144Dick Simon orange R silver165.548Bumped #94 3267Sammy Sessions165.373  —77Kevin Bartlett orange R silver165.259Bumped by #14—94Bentley Warren orange R silver164.805Bumped by #44—56Jim Hurtubise—Incomplete —78Larry Dickson—Pulled off—50Arnie Knepper—Waved off —17John Cannon orange R silver—Waved off Bump Day – Sunday May 24 Jim McElreath put the fourth Foyt entry in the field, bumping Bartlett. No other cars, however, were able to show enough speed to make the field. Jigger Sirois, infamous for missing the 1969 race, fell far short in Jack Adam's Turbine car. Pos Position No. Car Number Name Speed(mph) Notes3314Jim McElreath166.821Bumped #77—53Arnie Knepper165.320Too slow—54Jigger Sirois164.692Too slow—99Denny Zimmerman158.912Too slow—8Larry Dickson158.479Too slow—21John Cannon—Waved off—95Sam Posey—Crash Starting grid RowInsideMiddleOutside 12 USA Al Unser18 USA Johnny Rutherford7 USA A. J. Foyt gold W silver 211 USA Roger McCluskey66 USA Mark Donohue10 USA Art Pollard 33 USA Bobby Unser gold W silver1 USA Mario Andretti gold W silver31 USA Jim Malloy 484 USA George Snider48 USA Dan Gurney9 USA Mike Mosley 527 USA LeeRoy Yarbrough97 USA Bruce Walkup38 USA Rick Muther orange R silver 673 USA Peter Revson5 USA Gordon Johncock15 USA Joe Leonard 775 USA Carl Williams16 USA Gary Bettenhausen20 USA George Follmer 823 USA Mel Kenyon83 USA Donnie Allison orange R silver22 USA Wally Dallenbach Sr. 925 USA Lloyd Ruby32 AUS Jack Brabham19 USA Ronnie Bucknum 1093 USA Greg Weld orange R silver89 USA Jerry Grant58 USA Bill Vukovich II 1144 USA Dick Simon orange R silver67 USA Sammy Sessions14 USA Jim McElreath orange R Indianapolis 500 rookie solid 1px darkgray gold W Indianapolis 500 winner solid 1px darkgray Alternates First alternate: Arnie Knepper (#50, #53, #96)The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004 Failed to qualify 22em Tony Adamowicz orange R silver (#36, #78) Chris Amon orange R silver (#21, #73, #75) Sonny Ates (#58, #59) Kevin Bartlett orange R silver (#76, #77) Tom Bigelow orange R silver (#34) John Cannon orange R silver (#17, #21) Larry Cannon orange R silver (#47) Larry Dickson (#8, #78) Darrell Dockery orange R silver (#62) Charlie Glotzbach (#45) Denny Hulme (#75) Jim Hurtubise (#56) Bruce Jacobi orange R silver (#71) Jerry Karl orange R silver (#52) Steve Krisiloff orange R silver (#92, #99) Lee Kunzman orange R silver (#77, #99) Al Loquasto orange R silver (#26, #35, #99) Bruce McLaren orange R silver (#5, #79) Butch Morley orange R silver (#63) Carlos Pairetti orange R silver (#8) Sam Posey orange R silver (#95) Bill Puterbaugh orange R silver (#90) Bill Simpson orange R silver (#28) Jigger Sirois orange R silver (#54, #72) Bud Tingelstad (#35) Bob Veith (#90) Bentley Warren orange R silver (#94) Denny Zimmerman orange R silver (#50, #98, #99)1970 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes http://www.champcarstats.com/races/197004.htm ChampCarStats.com 27 June 2015 Race recap Start Rain delayed the start of the race by about 25 minutes. On the final pace lap, the field was coming through turn four to take the green flag. Suddenly, Jim Malloy on the outside of the third row, suffered a rear suspension failure, and smacked the outside wall. His car veered across the track to the inside, but narrowly avoided contact with any other car. The field was halted on the mainstretch under the red flag to clean up the accident. During the delay, teams were permitted to top off their fuel tanks, after burning three laps of methanol. The field was restarted after the red flag, and 32 cars took the green flag. Johnny Rutherford swept across to take the lead into turn one. Down the backstretch, Al Unser Sr. tucked in behind, and took the lead going into turn three. Unser led the first lap. Lloyd Ruby, who started 25th, notably passed ten cars on the first lap. By the third lap, Ruby was in the top ten. First half The early laps focused on the mad charge of Lloyd Ruby, who was up to 5th place by about lap 28. The yellow flag came out when Art Pollard blew an engine. Under the caution, Mario Andretti was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop to repair loose bodywork. He rejoined the race, but lost many positions. As the race passed the 100-mile mark, Al Unser Sr. led, with Johnny Rutherford running second, and A. J. Foyt and Lloyd Ruby battling for third. Al Unser Sr. led the first 48 laps. He gave up the lead to A. J. Foyt during a pit stop on lap 49. One lap later, Foyt entered the pits, giving the lead to Lloyd Ruby. Suddenly Ruby was given the black flag for smoke due to broken drive gears. Ruby's dramatic race was over after completing only 54 laps. Meanwhile, Johnny Rutherford stalled exiting the pits, losing considerable track position. Unser re-took the lead on lap 54, and led until the halfway point. Mario Andretti once again had to make an unscheduled pit stop, this time to change the right rear tire. Through most of the race, he was experiencing handling issues with the right rear suspension. Second half Al Unser moved back to the front on lap 106, and he would not relinquish the lead. Johnny Rutherford, who was a factor in the first half, dropped out after 135 laps due to a broken header. Roger McCluskey, who had dropped out on lap 62 with suspension damage, relieved Mel Kenyon on lap 112. On lap 172, Roger McCluskey (driving for Kenyon), spun going into turn three, and crashed hard into the outside wall. Ronnie Bucknum was collected in the crash. Sammy Sessions locked up the brakes and nearly slid into the crashed cars. Sessions gained control, weaved his way through, and continued in the race. Spilled fuel started pouring from one of the crashed cars, and a small fire broke out. As the field approached the scene, several cars got into the fluid and spun. Wally Dallenbach and Jack Brabham spun but continued. Mario Andretti nearly spun out, but he made it through the scene unscathed. The fire was quickly extinguished, but what turned out to be the final yellow light of the race was on for over 14 minutes (lap 172 through lap 181) to clear the track. Finish With about 25 laps to go, Al Unser Sr. had lapped the entire field. Unser's crew gave him the "E-Z" sign on his chalkboard, and both Mark Donohue and A. J. Foyt got their lap back. With Unser leading comfortably, the focus became the battle for second between Mark Donohue and A. J. Foyt. With only a handful of laps left, Foyt suddenly slowed in turn one. He pulled to the apron, but stayed out on the track attempting to nurse the car to the finish line. Al Unser Sr. led a total of 190 laps en route to his first Indy victory. Unser won by 32.19 seconds over second place Mark Donohue. He finished over three minutes ahead of third place Dan Gurney in what would be Gurney's final 500 as a driver. A very slow A. J. Foyt fell to 10th in the final standings. Box score FinishStartNoNameChassisEngineTireQualLapsStatus112USA Al UnserColtFord V-8Firestone170.221200 155.749 mph2566USA Mark DonohueLolaFord V-8Goodyear168.911200 +32.1931148USA Dan GurneyEagleOffenhauserGoodyear166.860200 +3:12.2142383USA Donnie Allison orange R silverEagleFord V-8Goodyear165.662200 +3:44.8253314USA Jim McElreathCoyoteFord V-8Goodyear166.821200 +4:30.89681USA Mario Andretti gold W silverMcNamaraFord V-8Firestone168.209199Flagged72989USA Jerry GrantEagleOffenhauserGoodyear165.983198Flagged81538USA Rick Muther orange R silverBrawnerOffenhauserGoodyear165.654197Flagged91975USA Carl WilliamsMcLarenOffenhauserGoodyear166.590197Flagged1037USA A. J. Foyt gold W silverCoyoteFord V-8Goodyear170.004195Flagged1173USA Bobby Unser gold W silverEagleFord V-8Goodyear168.508192Flagged123267USA Sammy SessionsVollstedtFord V-8Goodyear165.373190Flagged132632AUS Jack BrabhamBrabhamOffenhauserGoodyear166.397175Piston143144USA Dick Simon orange R silverVollstedtFord V-8Firestone165.548168Flagged152719USA Ronnie BucknumMorrisFord V-8Goodyear166.136162Crash T3162223USA Mel Kenyon(Roger McCluskey Laps 112–160)CoyoteOffenhauserGoodyear165.906160Crash T3172422USA Wally Dallenbach Sr.EagleFord V-8Goodyear165.601143Coil18218USA Johnny RutherfordEagleOffenhauserGoodyear170.213135Header191327USA LeeRoy YarbroughVollstedtFord V-8Goodyear166.559107Turbo Gear201084USA George SniderCoyoteFord V-8Goodyear167.660105Suspension21129USA Mike MosleyEagleOffenhauserGoodyear166.65196Radiator221673USA Peter RevsonMcLarenOffenhauserGoodyear167.94287Magneto233058USA Bill Vukovich IIBrabhamOffenhauserFirestone165.75378Clutch241815USA Joe LeonardColtFord V-8Firestone166.89873Switch25411USA Roger McCluskeyScorpionFord V-8Goodyear169.21362Suspension262016USA Gary BettenhausenGerhardtOffenhauserGoodyear166.45155Valve272525USA Lloyd RubyMongooseOffenhauserFirestone168.89554Drive Gear28175USA Gordon JohncockGerhardtOffenhauserGoodyear167.01545Piston291497USA Bruce WalkupMongooseOffenhauserFirestone166.45944Timing Gear30610USA Art PollardKingfishOffenhauserFirestone168.59528Piston312120USA George FollmerBrawnerFord V-8Firestone166.05218Oil Gasket322893USA Greg Weld orange R silverGerhardtOffenhauserFirestone166.12112Piston33931USA Jim MalloyGerhardtOffenhauserFirestone167.8950Crash T4 Note: Relief drivers in parenthesesChampCarStats.com https://www.champcarstats.com/races/197004.htm International 500 Mile Sweepstakes – May 30, 1970 gold W silver Former Indianapolis 500 winner orange R silver Indianapolis 500 Rookie Race statistics Lap Leaders Laps Leader1–48 Al Unser Sr.49 A. J. Foyt50–51 Lloyd Ruby52 Mark Donohue53 Jack Brabham54–100 Al Unser Sr.101 A. J. Foyt102–105 Mark Donohue106–200 Al Unser Sr. Total laps led Driver LapsAl Unser Sr. 190Mark Donohue 5A. J. Foyt 2Lloyd Ruby 2Jack Brabham 1 Yellow Lights: 3 for 24 minutes, 45 seconds23+ Minutes Of Yellow Light Time https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news/15021616/ Indianapolis News 26 Newspapers.com June 1, 1970 August 20, 2024 Laps* Reason Pace lap Jim Malloy crash in turn 4 (3:15; red flag)28–30 Art Pollard blown engine (4:00)54–56 Lloyd Ruby engine fire (3:40)172–181 McCluskey, Bucknum crash in turn 3 (17:45)* – Approximate lap counts Tire participation chart500-Mile Race Scorecard https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news-1970-indy-500-scor/153035004/ Indianapolis News 19 Newspapers.com May 29, 1970 August 10, 2024Race scorecard https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-1970-indy-500-race/153034426/ The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com May 30, 1970 August 10, 2024SupplierNo. of startersGoodyear 22 Firestone 11** – Denotes race winner Broadcasting Radio The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Sid Collins served as chief announcer for the 23rd consecutive year. Len Sutton served as "driver expert" for the fifth year. At the conclusion of the race, Lou Palmer reported from victory lane. The entire on-air crew remained mostly consistent from 1966 to 1969. The broadcast came on-air at 11:30 am local time, with a thirty-minute pre-race show scheduled. However, the rain delay increased the pre-race coverage to almost an hour. After the death of Bill Dean, Jack Morrow assumed the role of producer. The broadcast was carried by over 1,000 affiliates in all fifty states, AFN, the CBC, and reached locations such as Vietnam and had four foreign language translations. The broadcast had an estimated 120 million listeners worldwide. Among the celebrity interviews Sid Collins conducted in the booth were Edie Adams, Dennis Hulme, Billy Shaw, Chris Economaki (ABC Sports), Larry Bisceglia, Sam Hanks, Pete DePaolo, Bill Holland, Senator Vance Hartke, Tony Hulman, Duke Nalon, Johnnie Parsons, and J. C. Agajanian. Astronaut Pete Conrad, who was a fellow passenger with Tony Hulman in the pace car for the second year in a row, was also interviewed during the pre-race coverage. 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 aired on Saturday June 6. Jim McKay anchored the broadcast with Rodger Ward and Chris Economaki as analysts. Ward drove the pace car at the start of the race. It was the last time the "500" was not seen on over-the-air television the day of the race. For the final time, the race was shown live on MCA closed-circuit television in numerous theaters across the United States. Charlie Brockman served as anchor. The "Wide World Of Sports" broadcast has re-aired on ESPN Classic starting in May 2011. ABC TelevisionBooth AnnouncersPit/garage reportersAnnouncer: Jim McKay Color: Rodger WardChris Economaki Notes See also 1970 USAC Championship Car season References 2 Works cited 1970 Indianapolis 500 Press Information – Daily Trackside Summary Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats – Official Site 1970 Indianapolis 500 at RacingReference.info 1970 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network Bibliography Higdon Hal Thirty Days in May: The Day-by-Day Drama of the 1970 Indy 500 29 May 2022 Octane Press 978-1642340679 1969 Mario Andretti 1970 Al Unser 1971 Al Unser Category:1970 USAC Championship Car season Category:Indianapolis 500 races Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 Category:1970 in American motorsport