1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series

American motorsport season February 2025 1979 CART SCCA/CART Indy Car Series CART logo (1979-1991).svg 200px 1979 IndyCar season 14 March 11 October 20 United States Rick Mears United States Penske PC-6United States Penske PC-7 United Kingdom Cosworth DFX United States Bill Alsup United States United States United States Rick Mears 1978 (USAC) 1980 The 1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series was the inaugural Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) American open wheel racing championship series. The season consisted of 14 races. Rick Mears was the national champion, and the rookie of the year was Bill Alsup. The 1979 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Rick Mears won the Indy 500, his first of four victories in the event. Controversy The 1979 season was filled with controversy on and off the track. During the offseason, several Indy car owners broke off from USAC, and formed Championship Auto Racing Teams, a new sanctioning body to govern the sport of open wheel Indy car racing. USAC continued to sanction their Gold Crown Championship, resulting in two parallel national championships for 1979. The controversy over the first "split" in Indy car racing came to its first climax at the 1979 Indianapolis 500, when USAC rejected entries by certain CART owners. The owners won a court injunction to be allowed to race, and later, another controversy erupted, this time involving illegal wastegate exhaust pipes. The 1979 CART season was held through an arrangement such that it fell under the sanctioning umbrella of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). This one-year, temporary arrangement was such that it would be formally recognized by ACCUS. With three wins, two poles, and 14 top tens (no finish worse than 7th), Rick Mears ran away with the inaugural CART championship title. Mears took a large points lead after winning the Indy 500, and never relinquished the top spot through the remainder of the season. Bobby Unser won six races, and finished second in points. USAC/CART "Split" For more information, see 1979 Indianapolis 500 § Controversies Confirmed entries The following teams and drivers competed for the 1979 CART World Series. Team/Car OwnerChassisEngineNoDriversRaces USA Alex Morales Co. Lightning Mk1/77 Offenhauser 10 USA Pancho Carter All 15 USA Bob Harkey 11USAC N Ineligible to score points: driver affiliated to USAC. USA All American Racers Eagle 78 MkII Cosworth 36 USA Mike MosleyAll USA Beith RacingEagle 72 Offenhauser28USA Billy Scott4, 11 USA Cannon Racing Team Wildcat Mk. I DGS 95 USA Larry Cannon 4, 7–8, 10–14 USA Chaparral Racing Chaparral 2KLola T500Unser N Used at the Phoenix spring race, the Atlanta Twin 125 and the Trenton 150. Cosworth 2 USA Al Unser AllUSA Conqueste RacingParnelli VPJ6CTCosworth 21Kunzman N Raced as #89 at the Indianapolis 500USA Lee Kunzman 1–8, 11 USA Fletcher Racing Lightning Mk1/77 Cosworth 7 USA Steve Krisiloff 1–10 55 USA Spike Gehlhausen 11–14USA Frantz Auto BodyWildcat Mk. IDGS 18Frantz N Raced as #16 at the Indianapolis 500USA Tom Frantz 1–4, 7-12USA Bill Henderson5–6 USA Gehlhausen-Reath Racing Eagle 74Wildcat Mk. IPatrickBackup N Car loaned by Patrick Racing at the Indy 500 for Gehlhausen. OffenhauserCosworth 19Gehlhausen N Gehlhausen was bumped from the Indy 500 field and loaned the #90 car from Patrick Racing, which he qualified. Later, the #19 was allowed to requalify in a special session, but it also failed to qualify with other drivers. For race day, the #90 was renumbered as #19. USA Spike Gehlhausen 1–10 USA Bob Harkey4USA Bill Alsup4USA Phil Caliva11 39USA Al Loquasto 4, 7–8 USA Hoffman Auto Racing Lightning Mk1/77Offenhauser 59USA George Snider 4 USA Joe Saldana7–8, 11EagleLightning Mk1/77Saldana N Used at the Trenton Twin and the Michigan Grand Prix.691–6, 9–10, 12USA Tim Richmond7–8USA Al Loquasto11Spyder Eagle 79USA Dick Ferguson 7–8CAN Cliff Hucul11USAC NUSA Joe Saldana13–14 USA Intercomp Racing Eagle 72 Offenhauser 92 USA John Mahler 1–9 USA Interscope Racing Parnelli VPJ6CTParnelli VPJ6BOngais N Used at Watkins Glen and the Trenton 150. Cosworth 25 USA Danny OngaisAll USA Jerry O'Connell Racing McLaren M24 Cosworth 1 USA Tom SnevaAllMcLaren M24B 32 USA Johnny Parsons 11USAC N USA Longhorn Racing Penske PC-6/78 Cosworth 11 USA Tom Bagley 1–12, 14 71 USA Steve Krisiloff 11USA Mergard RacingMergard N Switched USAC allegiance for CART membership during the year. Eagle 72 Offenhauser 42USA Herm Johnson13–14USA Patrick RacingPenske PC-6/78Wildcat Mk. VWildcat N Used by Dallenbach at the Phoenix spring race, the Atlanta Twin and Watkins Glen.Cosworth 20Johncock N Raced as #3 at the Indianapolis 500.USA Gordon Johncock All 40Dallenbach N Raced as #6 at the Indianapolis 500.USA Wally Dallenbach All 60USA Roger Mears 11USAC NUSA Steve Krisiloff 12 USA Penske Racing Penske PC-7/79Penske PC-6/78Mears N Used by Mears at the Indy 500, the Trenton Twin and Watkins Glen. Cosworth 9 USA Rick MearsAll 12 USA Bobby UnserAll 68 USA Bill Alsup 4Alsup switched to Gehlhausen-Reath at the special qualifying session for bumped cars at the Indy 500, after his Penske ride was disqualified for a technical infringement. Penske N 99 USA Mario Andretti 11–12USA Sanett RacingPenske PC-6/78Cosworth 23USA Dick Ferguson11, 14Lola T500 86Firestone N Car fielded in conjunction with Chaparral Racing.AUS Dennis Firestone11USAC N USA S&M Electric Lightning Mk1/77 Offenhauser 35Rice N Raced as #31 at the Indianapolis 500. USA Larry Rice 1–6USA Tim Richmond 9–11, 14 USA Team McLaren McLaren M24BMcLaren M24McLaren N Used at Watkins Glen. Cosworth 4 USA Johnny RutherfordAll USA Walmotor Penske PC-6/78McLaren M24Walmotor N Used at the Phoenix spring race and the Trenton Twin. Cosworth 77 USA Salt Walther 1–4, 7–8, 11–12USA WASP RacingMcLaren M16C/DOffenhauser 41USA Bill AlsupAllAlsup switched to a Penske Racing back-up car for Bump Day at the Indy 500. Wasp NUSA Whittington Bros. RacingMcLaren M24Cosworth 94Whittington N Car fielded in conjunction with Team McLaren.USA Don Whittington11WhittingtonBros N Ineligible to score points: team not affiliated with CART.Parnelli VPJ6CT 98USA Bill Whittington11WhittingtonBros N USA Wysard Motor Co. Wildcat Mk. II DGS 34 AUS Vern Schuppan 1–4, 7–12, 14 USAC-registered teams USA Agajanian-King RacersKingfish 73Chevrolet 97 USA Phil Threshie 4 98USA Gary Bettenhausen 4 USA AMI RacingLola T500BCosworth 44 USA Tom Bigelow445USA Janet Guthrie4Wildcat Mk. IIDGS46USA Howdy Holmes4CAN B/M EnterprisesAntares 72Offenhauser50CAN Frank Weiss4, 13CAN Eldon Rasmussen4 USA Beaudoin Racing Wildcat Mk. II DGS83USA Billy Engelhart4 USA Bruce CrowerEagle 74Chevrolet57USA Jerry Sneva4Sneva N Jerry Sneva switched to Hodgdon Racing for the second weekend of Indy 500 time trials.USA Gibson RacingEagle 74DGS75USA Todd Gibson4 USA Gilmore Racing Parnelli VPJ6CTCosworth 14USA A. J. Foyt4USA Hodgdon RacingSpirit 78AMC73USA Neil Bonnett4USA Jerry Sneva4McLaren M24Cosworth7211SnevaEligible N Eligible to score points after Hodgdon Racing switched allegiances to CART.USA Roger McCluskey4CAN Hucul RacingMcLaren M16EOffenhauser29CAN Cliff Hucul4USA Jim HurtubiseMallard 71Offenhauser56USA Jim Hurtubise4USA Leader Card Racing Watson 77Offenhauser 22USA Bill Vukovich II 4 Watson 78 24USA Sheldon Kinser 4 Watson 79 40USA George Snider 4Snider N Snider switched to Hoffman Auto Racing for a special qualifying session for bumped cars at the Indy 500, after the #40 was withdrawn due to a blown engine.USA Lindsey HopkinsLightning X-15Offenhauser15USA Johnny Parsons4Lightning Mk1/7951USA Hurley Haywood4USA McElreath RacingPenske PC-6/78Cosworth23USA Jim McElreath4USA Medlin RacingCicada Mk.IVOffenhauser35USA Bill Puterbaugh4 USA Polak Racing Penske PC-5/77 Cosworth 80USA Larry Dickson4 USA Rager Racing Eagle 68 Chevrolet 66USA Roger Rager4 CAN Rasmussen Racing Rascar 72 Foyt 58CAN Eldon Rasmussen4Rasmussen500 N Rasmussen switched to B/M Enterprises after a crash during Indy 500 practice.USA Raymond ReimerMarch 73AChevrolet93USA Larry McCoy4USA Rhoades CompetitionMcLaren M16EOffenhauser20Martin N Raced as #30 at the California 500.USA John Martin4, 11USA Thunder RacingMcLaren M16C/DOffenhauser 30USA Dana Carter4USA Vollstedt Racing Vollstedt 77Offenhauser 17USA Dick Simon4USA Wayne WoodwardEagle 74Offenhauser81USA Dick FergusonOpperman N Jan Opperman took some laps for his refresher test at the Indy 500.4USA William R. ComptonMcLaren M16C/DOffenhauser38USA Jerry Karl4 Schedule Icon Legend white O silver Oval/Speedway lightblue R silver Road course C Cancelled race +RdDateNameCircuitLocation1March 11Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150white O silver Phoenix International RacewayAvondale, Arizona2April 22Gould Twin Dixie 125white O silver Atlanta Motor SpeedwayHampton, Georgia34May 27Indianapolis 500white O silver Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayIndianapolis, Indiana5June 10Trenton Twin Indywhite O silver Trenton SpeedwayTrenton, New Jersey67July 15Norton Twin 125white O silver Michigan International SpeedwayBrooklyn, Michigan8 C July 29 Cancelled lightblue R silver Mosport International Raceway Bowmanville, Ontario9August 5Kent Oil 150lightblue R silver Watkins Glen InternationalWatkins Glen, New York10August 19Ditzler 150white O silver Trenton SpeedwayTrenton, New Jersey C August 26 Cancelledwhite O silver North Carolina Motor Speedway Rockingham, North Carolina11September 2*California 500white O silver Ontario Motor SpeedwayOntario, California12September 15Gould Grand Prixwhite O silver Michigan International SpeedwayBrooklyn, Michigan13September 30Rich's Atlanta Classicwhite O silver Atlanta Motor SpeedwayHampton, Georgia14October 20Miller High Life 150white O silver Phoenix International RacewayAvondale, Arizona * The California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway was originally scheduled as a USAC race for September 2, but was switched mid-season to a CART series race. Additional races at Mosport and Rockingham were ultimately cancelled.CART Announces New 8-Race Schedule https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33494558/ Robin Miller Robin Miller (journalist) The Indianapolis Star 28 Newspapers.com January 7, 1979 July 3, 2019 Results Rd Race Pole position Winning driver Winning teamRace Time Report 1 Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150 USA Bobby Unser USA Gordon Johncock Patrick Racing1:15:23 Report 2 Gould Twin Dixie 125 USA Johnny Rutherford USA Johnny Rutherford Team McLaren0:47:28Report 3 Set by field finish in race 1 USA Johnny Rutherford Team McLaren0:45:40 4 Indianapolis 500 USA Rick Mears USA Rick Mears Team Penske3:08:27 Report 5 Trenton Twin Indy USA Gordon Johncock USA Bobby Unser Team Penske0:46:30 Report 6 Set by field finish in race 1 USA Bobby Unser Team Penske0:40:46 7 Norton Twin 125 USA Bobby Unser USA Gordon JohncockPatrick Racing0:44:13Report 8 Set by field finish in race 1 USA Bobby Unser Team Penske0:48:40Report 9 Kent Oil 150 USA Al Unser USA Bobby Unser Team Penske1:14:42 Report 10 Ditzler 150 USA Bobby Unser USA Rick Mears Team Penske1:09:20 Report 11 California 500 USA Rick Mears USA Bobby Unser Team Penske3:24:22 Report 12 Gould Grand Prix USA Bobby Unser USA Bobby Unser Team Penske0:51:22 Report 13 Rich's Atlanta Classic USA Bobby Unser USA Rick Mears Team Penske0:50:09 Report 14 Miller High Life 150 USA Bobby Unser USA Al Unser Chaparral Cars1:13:03 Report CART was sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Indianapolis was USAC-sanctioned but counted towards the CART championship. Race summaries Race 1: Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150 1979 Arizona Republic / Jimmy Bryan 150 Bobby Unser won the first pole in the new series history and dominated the race leading the most laps (86). However Unser had tire issues forcing an extra stop and history would show Gordon Johncock as the series first ever winner with Rick Mears second, and Johnny Rutherford in third. Races 2 and 3: Gould Twin Dixie 125's 1979 Gould Twin Dixie 125 Johnny Rutherford would win the pole race 1. Race 1 would see Rutherford and Gordon Johncock dominate with Johncock leading the most laps (32) but would see Rutherford winning after a late race duel with Lee Kumzman who would hold on for second. Tom Sneva would take third while Johncock would take fourth. Race 2 would see Rutherford again lead the field to the green flag (Race 2 lineup set by Race 1 finishing order). This time Rutherford would lead the most laps (61) and win. Rick Mears took second. Placing third was Al Unser Sr after he ran out of fuel on the final lap. Also during this race weekend the CART teams that planned on entering the Indianapolis 500 were informed in a telegram from USAC that their board of directors voted unanimously to reject the entries of six key CART teams of Penske, Patrick, McLaren, Fletcher, Chaparral, and Gurney as they stated these six teams (19 cars) were alleged to be "harmful to racing" and "not in good standing with USAC." Race 4: Indianapolis 500 1979 Indianapolis 500 After the rejected six filed an emergency injunction to be allowed to qualify and compete in the race, the injunction was granted. Race Day came around following the qualifying controversy and Rick Mears won his first of six Indy 500 poles. Both Bobby and Al Unser combined to lead 174 laps. But on lap 103 Al Unsers Day came to an end with a failed transmission. Bobby Unser was then in firm control until lap 181 when he slowed with gearbox troubles. Rick Mears would lead the remainder of the race for his first of four Indy 500 wins. A J. Foyt would finish second after losing his engine on the final lap. Mike Mosely would finish third, Danny Ongais would take fourth, Bobby Unser nursed his car to a fifth place finish with an ailing gearbox. Races 5 and 6: Trenton Twin Indy 1979 Trenton Twin Indy Race 1 would see Gordon Johncock take pole. He would lead the first 44 laps (most laps led) then lose the lead on the next lap as he had to pit, then he would spin 2 laps later losing more spots. That opened the door for Bobby Unser to win with brother Al Unser Sr taking second, and Johncock would recover for third. Starting order for race 2 was set by race 1 finishing order so Bobby Unser started first and would finish first after leading the most laps (62). Wally Dallenbach would finish second, Johnny Rutherford finished third. Races 7 and 8: Norton Twin 125s In the first race, Bobby Unser won the pole, followed by Al Unser, Gordon Johncock, Wally Dallenbach, and Rick Mears. Johncock jumped out to lead the first three laps, but Bobby Unser fought back and led until the first caution flew on lap 11 for Spike Gehlhausen's stalled car. Lee Kunzman stayed out under the caution and took the lead, while Bobby Unser's engine blew on lap 21.https://newspaperarchive.com/colorado-springs-gazette-telegraph-jul-16-1979-p-17/ Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph Archives, Jul 16, 1979, p. 17 1979-07-16 NewspaperArchive.com 2018-10-01 en Al Unser would pick up the lead after the caution flew for Danny Ongais spinning, but he miscalculated fuel mileage and ran out of fuel with 17 laps to go. This allowed Gordon Johncock to take the lead and win. Mike Mosley finished second, Johnny Rutherford third, Rick Mears fourth and Wally Dallenbach fifth. 11 laps into the race, Tom Sneva encountered a fire in his pits, but no one was hurt. Before the second race, Bobby Unser's crew installed a new engine.https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/111615020/ The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee on July 16, 1979 · Page 39 Newspapers.com 2018-10-01 en Mike Mosley led the first lap, but he had fuel pump problems the next lap and dropped out. Throughout the next 25 laps, Johnny Rutherford and Rick Mears would trade the lead, before Unser charged to the front on lap 28 and never looked back, winning the race. Rick Mears finished second on track, but he was penalized for passing cars under the yellow, dropping him to fifth.https://newspaperarchive.com/fort-walton-beach-playground-daily-news-jul-16-1979-p-10/ Fort Walton Beach Playground Daily News Archives, Jul 16, 1979, p. 10 1979-07-16 NewspaperArchive.com 2018-10-01 en Tom Sneva moved to second, Al Unser to third, and Gordon Johncock to fourth. Two cautions flew, the first for John Mahler's stalled car on lap 23 and the second for a crash involving Danny Ongais on lap 40. Following the second of the two races, Rick Mears was leading the points with a 460 point lead over Gordon Johncock. Bobby Unser was third, 470 points back, Johnny Rutherford fourth, 925 points back, and Mike Mosley rounded out the top 5, 960 points back. Race 9: Kent Oil 150 Al Unser won the pole, with Bobby Unser, Danny Ongais, Rick Mears and Gordon Johncock making up the rest of the top five. In the race, Al and Bobby Unser dominated, the two brothers being the only ones to lead laps throughout the day. Bobby Unser took the lead for good after Al had transmission problems on lap 48,https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/181056609/ Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi on August 6, 1979 · Page 56 Newspapers.com 2018-10-01 en and led the rest of the race to win over Rick Mears. Gordon Johncock finished third, Danny Ongais fourth, and Al Unser fell to fifth. With his win, Bobby Unser rose to second in points, 410 points behind Rick Mears. Gordon Johncock fell to third, 490 points back, Johnny Rutherford was in fourth, 1157 points back after dropping out with a blown engine, and Mike Mosley remained in fifth, falling to 1185 points behind after dropping out with a broken gearbox. Race 10: Ditzler 150 Bobby Unser won the pole, with Gordon Johncock, Tom Sneva, Danny Ongais, and Rick Mears making up the rest of the top five. The race was postponed over a week due to rain. When the race did run, except for one lap led by Bill Alsup, Unser, Sneva, and Mears were the only ones to lead the race. Bobby Unser led the first 20 laps, before giving the lead to Mears. Tom Sneva then led at lap 57, followed by Unser regaining the lead on lap 69. Unser made a pit stop with 14 laps to go, giving the lead back to Sneva.https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/107219551/ The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana on August 20, 1979 · Page 23 Newspapers.com 2018-10-03 en Rick Mears gambled on pit strategy,https://www.nytimes.com/1979/08/20/archives/mears-triumphs-in-ditzler-150.html Mears Triumphs In Kitzler 150 2018-10-03 en and passed Tom Sneva with just 3 laps to go to win the final ever IndyCar race at Trenton. Bobby Unser also passed him, taking advantage of Sneva's fading tires to finish second. Sneva fell to third, Wally Dallenbach finished fourth after running as high as second before an extended pit stop, and Johnny Rutherford finished fifth. Two cautions slowed the race, both for crashes. One was by Gordon Johncock on lap 5, and the other by Mike Mosley on lap 36. Rick Mears extended his point lead to 470 points over Bobby Unser. Gordon Johncock remained in third, 782 points back, Johnny Rutherford stayed in fourth, 1307 points back, and Al Unser rose to fifth in points, 1450 points behind. Race 11: California 500 1979 California 500 Rick Mears qualified on the pole, followed by Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti, in a one-off appearance for Penske, and Tom Sneva. In the race, Al Unser led most of the first half of the race, but lost three laps due to a broken front-spoiler bracket.https://www.nytimes.com/1979/09/03/archives/bobby-unser-wins-in-california-huntington-wins.html Bobby Unser Wins in California 2018-10-03 en For the remainder of the race, Bobby Unser and Rick Mears traded the lead, While leading on lap 164, Rick Mears killed the engine on his pit stop, causing him to lose 12 seconds to Bobby Unser. This allowed Unser to lead most of the remaining laps, and won over Rick Mears. Mario Andretti claimed third despite running out of gas at the end, Johnny Rutherford finished fourth, and Al Unser ended up in fifth. His win allowed Unser to close up to 270 points behind Mears, with Johnny Rutherford rising to third in points, Gordon Johncock falling to fourth, and Al Unser remaining in fifth. Apart from Unser, all other drivers were mathematically eliminated from the championship. Race 12: Gould Grand Prix Bobby Unser claimed the pole, his fourth of the season, with Rick Mears starting second, Gordon Johncock starting third, Johnny Rutherford starting fourth, and Al Unser rounding out the top five. In the race, Gordon Johncock dominated the early stages of the race, before his engine blew while leading on the 36th lap.https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/110921804/ The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky on September 16, 1979 · Page 57 Newspapers.com 2018-10-03 en This allowed Bobby Unser to take the lead, and hold it the rest of the way to win over Tom Sneva. Rick Mears was third despite running out of gas on the final lap, Johnny Rutherford finished fourth, and Tom Bagley was fifth. The win was the fifth straight for Team Penske. Bobby Unser was now just 180 points behind Mears in the fight, followed by Rutherford, Johncock, and Al Unser. Race 13: Rich's Atlanta Classic Bobby Unser claimed his fifth pole of the year, followed by Rick Mears, Al Unser, Danny Ongais, and Johnny Rutherford. In the race, Unser dominated the first half of the race, but while leading on lap 55 suffered a blown tirehttps://www.newspapers.com/newspage/206088518/ Lansing State Journal from Lansing, Michigan on October 1, 1979 · Page 24 Newspapers.com 2018-10-04 en handing the lead to Johnny Rutherford. But with 25 laps remaining in the race, Rutherford's engine blew, which allowed Rick Mears to cruise to an easy victory. Gordon Johncock placed second, despite running out of gas on the final lap, Bobby Unser wound up third, Wally Dallenbach finished fourth, and Al Unser, who had tire problems of his own, finished fifth. The win was Penske's sixth straight. The win gave Rick Mears a near-insurmountable 270 point lead in the points, which meant that he would win the championship as long as he finished 11th or better in the final round. Race 14: Miller High Life 150 For the last race of the year, Bobby Unser won another pole, his sixth of the year. Al Unser started second, Wally Dallenbach in third, Rick Mears in fourth, and Tom Sneva in fifth. In the race, Al Unser jumped out to the lead on the first lap. He would eventually dominate the race, leading 138 of the 150 laps and only giving up the lead for a pair of pit stops.https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/137021054/ Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York on October 21, 1979 · Page 87 Newspapers.com 2018-10-04 en There were two late-race cautions, one when Wally Dallenbach spun with 9 laps to go, and one when Pancho Carter lost a wheel, which led to a two-lap shootouthttps://www.newspapers.com/newspage/119956113/ Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona on October 21, 1979 · Page 4 Newspapers.com 2018-10-04 en but Unser pulled away en route to his first and only win of the year, snapping a six-race Penske streak. Bobby Unser claimed second, Rick Mears third, Gordon Johncock fourth, and Tom Sneva fifth. Mears's third was enough for him to claim the inaugural CART championship, winning by 240 points over Bobby Unser. Gordon Johncock finished third in points, with Johnny Rutherford in fourth and Al Unser in fifth. Points standings Final driver standings List of American Championship car racing point scoring systems Pos DriverPHX1 USAATL1&2 USAINDY USATRE1&2 USAMIS1&2 USAWGL USATRE3 USAONT USAMIS3 USAATL3 USAPHX2 USAPts1 USA Rick Mears 2 5 2 1 5 7 4 5 2 1 2 3 1 3 4,060 2 USA Bobby Unser 5 7 4 5 1 1 19 1 1 2 1 1 3 2 3,820 3 USA Gordon Johncock 1 4 9 6 3 5 1 4 3 16 15 13 2 4 2,211 4 USA Johnny Rutherford 3 1 1 18 15 3 3 11 15 5 4 4 11 6 2,163 5 USA Al Unser 4 6 3 22 2 12 13 3 5 6 5 10 5 1 2,085 6 USA Danny Ongais 15 14 6 4 7 6 18 12 4 13 6 DNS 15 17 1,473 7 USA Tom Sneva 17 3 5 15 6 15 21 2 10 3 17 2 8 5 1,360 8 USA Tom Bagley 8 8 7 9 8 4 6 6 6 7 32 5 9 1,208 9 USA Wally Dallenbach 7 11 8 27 4 2 5 10 14 4 24 6 4 12 1,149 10 USA Mike Mosley 6 17 17 3 13 DNS 2 20 12 14 34 DNS 14 10 1,126 11 USA Mario Andretti 3 Wth 700 12 USA Lee Kunzman 9 2 18 30 14 DNS 14 17 9 490 13 USA Pancho Carter 20 9 11 20 10 8 7 14 16 DNS 28 8 13 7 452 14 AUS Vern Schuppan 21 12 12 21 16 DNS 7 DNS 7 16 14 449 15 USA Bill Alsup yellow RY silver 11 16 15 DNQ 12 9 9 13 9 10 22 9 10 11 400 16 USA Joe Saldana 13 13 13 16 17 16 10 8 13 8 30 17 6 18 368 17 USA Spike Gehlhausen 18 18 16 10 18 13 22 21 17 11 25 11 16 8 343 18 USA Salt Walther 12 10 10 12 8 7 20 12 314 19 USA Steve Krisiloff 16 15 DNS 11 9 14 17 18 18 DNS 23 6 279 20 USA Tom Frantz 14 Wth DNQ 11 16 11 9 11 14 236 21 USA Jerry Sneva 31 10 155 22 USA Tim Richmond orange R silver 23 DNS 8 12 26 15 112 23 USA Larry Rice 10 DNQ 14 19 16 10 105 24 USA Herm Johnson 7 13 98 25 USA John Mahler 19 Wth 25 11 11 12 15 Wth 74 26 USA Al Loquasto DNQ 20 9 21 70 27 USA Larry Cannon DNQ Wth 15 14 15 12 16 56 28 USA Dick Ferguson DNQ 15 19 16 Wth 35 29 USA Billy Scott DNQ 19 20 30 USA Phil Caliva orange R silver 27 10 - USA A. J. Foyt 2 - - USA Howdy Holmes orange R silver 7 - - USA Bill Vukovich II 8 - - USA Don Whittington orange R silver 8 - - CAN Frank Weiss Wth 9 - - USA Bill Whittington orange R silver 12 - - USA Roger Mears 13 - - USA Roger McCluskey 13 - - USA Tom Bigelow 14 - - USA Phil Threshie 17 - - USA John Martin DNQ 18 - - CAN Eldon Rasmussen 23 - - USA Larry Dickson 24 - - USA Dick Simon 26 - - USA Sheldon Kinser 28 - - CAN Cliff Hucul 29 35 - - USA Bob Harkey Wth 29 - - AUS Dennis Firestone orange R silver 31 - - USA Johnny Parsons 32 33 - - USA George Snider 33 - - USA Janet Guthrie 34 - - USA Jim McElreath 35 - - USA Bill Puterbaugh DNQ - - USA Billy Engelhart DNQ - - USA Dana Carter DNQ - - USA Gary Bettenhausen DNQ - - USA Hurley Haywood DNQ - - USA Jerry Karl DNQ - - USA Jim Hurtubise DNQ - - USA Larry McCoy DNQ - - USA Roger Rager DNQ - - USA Todd Gibson DNQ - - USA Neil Bonnett Wth - - USA Bill Henderson Wth - Pos DriverPHX1 USAATL1&2 USAINDY USATRT1&2 USAMIS1&2 USAWGL USATRT3 USAONT USAMIS3 USAATL3 USAPHX2 USA Pts Color Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green 4th & 5th place Light Blue 6th-10th place Dark Blue Finished(Outside Top 10) Purple Did not finish Red Did not qualify(DNQ) Brown Withdrawn(Wth) Black Disqualified(DSQ) White Did not start(DNS) Blank Did notparticipate(DNP) Not competing In-line notationBoldPole positionItalicsRan fastest race lap*Led most race lapsyellow RY silver Rookie of the Yearorange R silver Rookie Driver breakdown Pos Driver Team/Car Owner Starts Wins Podiums Top 5s Top 10s Poles Points 1 USA Mears USA Team Penske 14 3 9 13 14 2 4,060 2 USA B. Unser USA Team Penske 14 6 9 12 13 7 3,820 3 USA Johncock USA Patrick Racing 14 2 5 9 11 2 2,211 4 USA Rutherford USA Team McLaren 14 2 5 8 9 2 2,163 5 USA A. Unser USA Chaparral Cars 14 1 4 8 10 1 2,085 6 USA Ongais USA Interscope Racing 13 0 0 2 6 0 1,473 7 USA T. Sneva USA Jerry O'Connell Racing 14 0 2 6 8 0 1,360 8 USA Bagley USA Longhorn Racing 13 0 0 2 12 0 1,208 9 USA Wally Dallenbach USA Patrick Racing 14 0 1 5 8 0 1,149 10 USA Mosley USA All American Racers 12 0 2 2 3 0 1,126 11 USA Andretti USA Team Penske 1 0 1 1 1 0 700 12 USA Kunzman USA Conqueste Racing Team 8 0 1 1 3 0 490 13 USA Carter USA Morales Motorsports 13 0 0 0 6 0 452 14 AUS Schuppan USA Wysard Racing 8 0 0 0 2 0 449 15 USA Alsup orange R silver USA WASP Racing/Team Penske/Gehlhausen Racing 13 0 0 0 6 0 400 16 USA Saldana USA Hoffman Racing 13 0 0 0 4 0 368 17 USA Gehlhausen USA Gehlhausen Racing/Bob Fletcher Racing 14 0 0 0 2 0 343 18 USA Walther USA Walmotor 8 0 0 0 4 0 314 19 USA Krisiloff USA Bob Fletcher Racing/Patrick Racing/Longhorn Racing 10 0 0 0 2 0 279 20 USA Frantz USA Frantz Racing 7 0 0 0 1 0 236 21 USA J. Sneva USA Hodgdon Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 155 22 USA Richmond USA Mach 1 Racing/S&M Electric 5 0 0 0 1 0 112 23 USA Rice USA S&M Electric 5 0 0 0 2 0 105 24 USA Johnson USA Mergard Racing 2 0 0 0 1 0 98 25 USA Mahler USA Intercomp 6 0 0 0 0 0 74 26 USA Loquasto USA Gehlhausen Racing 3 0 0 0 1 0 70 27 USA Cannon USA Canon Racing 4 0 0 0 0 0 56 28 USA Ferguson USA Hoffman Racing 3 0 0 0 0 0 35 29 USA Scott USA Wheel Center 1 0 0 0 0 0 20 30 USA Caliva USA Gehlhausen Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 See also 1979 Indianapolis 500 1979 USAC Championship Car season References http://www.driverdb.com/standings/5-1979/ SCCA/CART Indy Car Series 1979 Åberg, Andreas Driver Database 2009-05-19 http://www.champcarstats.com/year/1979.htm 1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series Champ Car Stats 2009-05-19 http://www.indy500.com/stats/view/boxscore/year/1979/ Official Box Score: 63rd Indianapolis 500-Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2009-05-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20080514015119/http://www.indy500.com/stats/view/boxscore/year/1979 14 May 2008 http://www.champcar.ws/Results/Standings.asp?Year=1979 Standings after Phoenix Champ Car World Series 2009-05-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20090901174714/http://www.champcar.ws/Results/Standings.asp?Year=1979 1 September 2009 Footnotes N References SCCA CART Category:1979 controversies in the United States Category:Champ Car seasons