1971 Indianapolis 500

55th running of the Indianapolis 500 February 2025 55th Indianapolis 500 Indy500winningcar1971.JPG USAC 1971 USAC Trail Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing May 29, 1971 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 157.735 mph on 3:10:11.56 Peter Revson 178.696 mph on Peter Revson Denny Zimmerman Al Unser, Sr. (103) Purdue Band Peter DePaolo Tony Hulman Dodge Challenger Eldon Palmer Pat VidanFox Jack C. The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 Carl Hungness Publishing 4th 1994 22 en 0-915088-05-3 261,000Defending Champion Garners Biggest Birthday Gift-$$$ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11433792/ Ray Marquette The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com May 30, 1971 June 2, 2017 ABC Jim McKay, Jackie Stewart 1970 1972 The 55th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was a motor race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Saturday, May 29, 1971. Al Unser Sr. won for the second consecutive year, dominating most of the race.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nLRVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=L-EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6309%2C6794902 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon Associated Press Unser triumphs again May 30, 1971 1Bhttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-egpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zQEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7120%2C3429510 Toledo Blade Woolford Dave Al Unser captures second 500 in a row May 30, 1971 B1 Unser became the fourth driver to win the Indy 500 in back-to-back years, and it was his second of a record-tying four Indy victories. The race was marred by a crash involving the pace car at the start. Eldon Palmer, a local Indianapolis-area Dodge dealer, lost control of the Dodge Challenger pace car at the south end of the pit area, and it crashed into a photographers' stand, injuring 29 people, two seriously.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zWVYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7PcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1852%2C2077895 The Bulletin Bend, Oregon UPI Pace car accident mars Indy race; Al Unser first May 29, 1971 1https://www.si.com/vault/1971/06/07/614276/johnny-lightning-drives-through-the-wreckage Sports Illustrated Jones Robert F. Johnny Lightning drives through the wreckage June 7, 1971 26 Peter Revson started on the pole with a record speed of 178.696 mph 1, more than a mile per hour faster than any other qualifier, with defending Indy 500 winner and USAC National Champion Al Unser in the middle of the second row. Mark Donohue, who qualified in the middle of the front row, took the lead at the start of the race and led the first 50 laps. A mechanical issue ended his day, however, on lap 66, at which time Unser assumed the lead. He and Joe Leonard swapped the lead several times during the middle portion of the race, but Unser led for the final 83 laps, giving him a win for the second year in a row. He was the first to successfully defend his title since Bill Vukovich won in 1953–1954. Unser became the first and only driver to-date to win the race on his birthday (32nd); which was also coincidentally the first time the race had ever been held on May 29, and he also became the first winner to celebrate in the new victory lane. The new winner's area, now featuring black and white checkered ramps, was moved from the south end of the pits to the "horseshoe" area immediately below the Master Control Tower, near the start/finish line. The 1971 Indy 500 was part of the newly re-organized USAC Marlboro Championship Trail, in which dirt tracks were separated from the paved ovals and road courses. From then on, the Gold Crown championship schedule would consist solely of paved tracks (both ovals and road courses), giving the national championship a decidedly new look for the 1970s and beyond. In addition, with 500-mile races at Ontario and Pocono now on the schedule, Indy car racing formed its first "triple crown." The city of Indianapolis celebrated its Sesquicentennial in 1971, and the occasion was reflected on the bronze and silver pit badges for the month of May.http://www.ni500cc.com/badges/badges7079.html National Indy 500 Collectors Club: Indianapolis 500 Pit Badges 1970-1979 2014-03-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205555/http://www.ni500cc.com/badges/badges7079.html 2016-03-03 dead During the week leading up to the race, Indianapolis was also the site of 1971 NATO International Conference of Cities.http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1971/sep-oct/wilcher.html NATO'S Third Dimension 2014-03-18 2014-03-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20140318052233/http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1971/sep-oct/wilcher.html dead Race schedule In the days leading up to the race, Speedway officials announced that female reporters would be allowed in the pit area and garage area for the first time. For this race, and again in 1972, the race was scheduled for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act had taken effect in 1971, and the Speedway moved the race off of its original 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. 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. In 1973, it was scheduled for Monday (but rain delayed it until Wednesday), and from 1974 onward, it was scheduled for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. For 1971, the traditional Carburetion Day practice, held on Wednesday May 26, was officially open to the public for the first time.Pit Pass https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97107768/1971-indy-500-cab-day/ The Indianapolis Star 26 Newspapers.com May 24, 1971 March 7, 2022 Race schedule — May, 1971SunMonTueWedThuFriSat       1Practice 2Practice 3Practice 4Practice 5Practice 6Practice 7Practice 8Practice 9Practice10Practice11Practice12Practice13Practice14Practice15Pole Day16Time Trials17Practice18Practice19Practice20Practice21Practice22Time Trials23Bump Day24 25 26Carb Day27 28Parade29Indy 50030 31Memorial Day      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 For the first time, USAC firmed up the rules regarding pole day qualifying. As had been done in previous years, a blind draw would be held to determine the order of qualifying on pole day. However, starting in 1971, all drivers/cars in the original qualifying draw order would be allowed the opportunity to make at least one attempt in the pole round regardless if rain halted the session and pushed it off to another day."The Talk of Gasoline Alley" 1070 WIBC, May 11, 2002 Previously, if rain interrupted the qualifying line on pole day, any cars left in the original qualifying order at the time the track closed because of weather or the track closing at 6:00 p.m. were deemed to qualify on the next round. During practice, McLaren arrived at the track with the new M16 chassis, drawing attention and some controversy due to presence of a large rear wing affixed to the engine cover. USAC rules through 1971 required that any aerodynamic devices were to be an integral part of the bodywork.The Talk of Gasoline Alley Donald Davidson (historian) 1070 WIBC-AM May 17, 2003 After inspection, officials ultimately approved the device, as McLaren argued it was part of the engine cover. The engine cover was not much more than a flat, plate-like shape that ran along the top of the engine, with the wing affixed to the rear.The Talk of Gasoline Alley Donald Davidson (historian) 1070 WIBC-AM May 10, 2007 As practice began, the McLaren entries quickly established themselves as favorites for the pole position. Pole Day - Saturday May 15 McLaren M16 cars dominated qualifying during a record-shattering afternoon. The chassis took 1st, 2nd, and 4th starting positions, but the results were not without some surprise. Mark Donohue in the Penske-owned McLaren had broken the 180 mph barrier during practice on Thursday, establishing himself as the favorite for the pole. Donohue lucked out with an early draw on Pole Day, going out third in line. He posted a four-lap average of 177.087 mph to sit on the provisional pole. It was a new track record, but a little disappointing compared to the 180 mph lap he had two days earlier. Later in the day, Peter Revson, driving a works McLaren, bumped Donohue from the pole with a four-lap average of 178.696 mph.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XR5jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_nMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=968,4568868&dq=indianapolis+time+trials&hl=en The Rochester Sentinel - Google News Archive Search This made the pole position far out of reach for the rest of the field. Donohue reportedly suffered handling problems with his car during his run, purportedly as a result of his crew refusing to dial it in as he requested. Donohue then confided with his friend Revson, who then clandestinely borrowed Donohue's chassis set-up advice to knock him off the pole.The Talk of Gasoline Alley Donald Davidson (historian)#The_Talk_of_Gasoline_Alley 1070 WIBC-AM May 25, 2001 Bobby Unser in an Eagle chassis, squeezed between the three McLaren cars by qualifying third. Second Day - Sunday May 16 Three drivers completed runs, with Bud Tingelstad (170.156 mph) the fastest of the afternoon. Mike Mosley returned after two crashes the previous day, and qualified solidly over 169 mph. Third Day - Saturday May 22 A busy day saw the field filled to 33 cars car. The day concluded with Steve Krisiloff bumping out rookie Sam Posey. Bump Day - Sunday May 23 Strong winds kept speeds down, and only three drivers successfully bumped their way into the field. The windy conditions led to six crashes, and hopefuls waited until the final 45 minutes before they took to the track. The session started out with Mel Kenyon bumping out Carl Williams. Bob Harkey bumped Dick Simon, and Art Pollard got back into the field by bumping Jim McElreath. Jim Hurtubise once again tried to qualify his front-engined roadster, but on his second lap, hit the outside wall at the head of the main stretch. His first two laps would not have been fast enough to bump his way in. The day ended as Dick Simon (waved off) and Jerry Grant (waved off) made unsuccessful attempts. After qualifying, car owner Dick Simon announced he was going to take over the machine qualified by John Mahler. By rule, the car must move to the rear of the grid (33rd) on race day. Starting grid RowInsideMiddleOutside 186 USA Peter Revson66 USA Mark Donohue2 USA Bobby Unser gold W silver 285 NZL Denny Hulme1 USA Al Unser gold W silver9 USA A. J. Foyt gold W silver 312 USA Lloyd Ruby15 USA Joe Leonard5 USA Mario Andretti gold W silver 442 USA Jim Malloy32 USA Bill Vukovich II 7 USA Gordon Johncock 516 USA Gary Bettenhausen21 USA Cale Yarborough95 USA Bentley Warren orange R silver 668 GBR David Hobbs orange R silver58 USA Bud Tingelstad38 USA Rick Muther 74 USA Mike Mosley84 USA Donnie Allison80 USA George Snider 86 USA Roger McCluskey22 USA Wally Dallenbach Sr.18 USA Johnny Rutherford 998 USA Sammy Sessions45 USA Larry Dickson20 USA Steve Krisiloff orange R silver 1043 USA Denny Zimmerman orange R silver41 USA George Follmer23 USA Mel Kenyon 1164 USA Art Pollard99 USA Bob Harkey44USA Dick Simon NavajoWhite silver John Mahler qualified 27th. A few days before the race, Dick Simon took over the machine, and the car was moved the rear of the field. orange R Indianapolis 500 rookie solid 1px darkgray gold W Indianapolis 500 winner solid 1px darkgray Alternates First alternate: Jim McElreath (#14, #46) Failed to Qualify 22em Tony Adamowicz orange R silver (#17) Ronnie Bucknum (#17, #97) Larry Cannon orange R silver (#47) Jimmy Caruthers orange R silver (#64) Jerry Grant (#17, #78, #92) Jim Hurtubise (#56) Bruce Jacobi orange R silver (#71) Bobby Johns (#97) Dee Jones orange R silver (#51) Jerry Karl orange R silver (#71) Arnie Knepper (#19, #29, #30, #65) Al Loquasto orange R silver (#26, #31) John Mahler orange R silver (#44) - Replaced by Dick Simon John Martin orange R silver (#69) Sam Posey orange R silver (#78) Bill Puterbaugh orange R silver (#30) Les Scott orange R silver (#50) Bill Simpson orange R silver (#28) Jigger Sirois orange R silver (#65) Dave Strickland orange R silver (#50) Bruce Walkup (#94, #97, #98) Salt Walther orange R silver (#77) - Failed rookie test Greg Weld (#31, #35) Carl Williams (#77) LeeRoy Yarbrough (#42, #48)1971 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes http://www.champcarstats.com/races/197105.htm ChampCarStats.com 27 June 2015 Pace car crash thumb|300px|right|The repaired 1971 Dodge Challenger pace car. For 1971, none of the Big Three auto manufacturers chose to supply a pace car for the Indianapolis 500, as the muscle car market had dried up and marketing efforts were shifted elsewhere. Four local Indianapolis-area Dodge dealers, spearheaded by Eldon Palmer, stepped up to supply the fleet of pace cars. The vehicle chosen was the Dodge Challenger 383-4V.http://www.allpar.com/squads/challenger-pace-car.html The 1971 Dodge Challenger Pace Car allpar.com Eugene Piurkowski 2012-05-10 Palmer was chosen to drive the pace car at the start of the race. In preparation for the race, Palmer or an aide supposedly set up an orange flag (sometimes reported as an orange traffic cone) in the pit lane to provide himself with a braking reference point. However, there has been some dispute regarding the existence of the marker at all.The Talk of Gasoline Alley Donald Davidson (historian) WFNI May 11, 2010 One account claimed it had not been there for several days.1971 Indy 500 - Pace Car crash - Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90378003/1971-indy-500-pace-car-crash/ The Indianapolis Star 3 Craig S. Ito Newspapers.com January 16, 1974 December 10, 2021 During the parade and pace lap, Tony Hulman, ABC broadcaster Chris Schenkel, and John Glenn served as passengers in the car. Palmer practiced the run the day before the race. As the field came down the main stretch for the start, Palmer pulled into the pits and accelerated down the pit lane. Palmer continued to accelerate, under the impression that he was required to cross the start/finish line in the pit area prior to, or at the same time, as the race cars doing so out on the track. His reference flag (or cone) had been removed and he missed his planned braking spot. Moving upwards of perhaps 125 mph kph, Palmer realized he was going too fast, and rather than perilously veering back on to the racing surface, he braked heavily and lost control. Palmer had refused to blame the car, stating afterwards that "the equipment was good, disc brakes. I just didn't have enough track to stop."https://www.nytimes.com/1971/05/30/archives/crash-at-start-20-injured-pacecar-crash-at-start-of-race-injures-20.html Crash at Start: 20 Injured Vecsey George 1971-05-30 2020-08-14 The New York Times However, testimony during a 1974 civil trial stated that the pace car was supposed to be ordered with power disc brakes, but was built and delivered to the track with only manual drum brakes.1971 Indy 500 Pace Car Crash - Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90379125/1971-indy-500-pace-car-crash/ The Indianapolis Star 24 Craig S. Ito Newspapers.com February 8, 1974 December 10, 2021 Furthermore, Palmer's attorney added that a security guard running out of the way effectively blocked the exit to the pits. The car swerved and skidded to the end of the pit lane, and crashed into a photographers' stand.http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/1971ChallengerPaceCarCrash.shtml The 1971 Challenger Pace Car Crash at the Indianapolis 500 The 1970 Hamtramck Registry 2012-05-10 The stand toppled and collapsed, injuring 29 people, but no one was killed. Dr. Vicente Alvarez, a freelance photographer from Argentina, was one of two on the stand who were seriously injured. Alvarez survived, and died in the late 1990s.http://alblixtracinghistory.typepad.com/al_blixt_auto_racing_hist/2009/03/i-remember-vicente.html Al Blixt Auto Racing History 2012-05-10 March 3, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120303181127/http://alblixtracinghistory.typepad.com/al_blixt_auto_racing_hist/2009/03/i-remember-vicente.html dead Tony Hulman suffered a sprained ankle, and a shaken Schenkel sat out the remainder of the ABC broadcast. Palmer maintained possession of the car, and eventually it was repaired and restored. Ultimately, Palmer himself was largely exonerated.Clipping from The Indianapolis Star - Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34259486/ The Indianapolis Star 61 Newspapers.com February 17, 1974 December 10, 2021 Indiana businessman Steven Cage purchased the vehicle in 2006, and it currently is displayed at his RPM Collection in Fishers, Indiana.http://www.theindychannel.com/sports/28049214/detail.html Collector Recounts Pace Car Crash 40 Years Later rtv6 2011-05-27 2012-05-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20110731163554/http://www.theindychannel.com/sports/28049214/detail.html 2011-07-31 dead Reactions of the accident were very critical afterwards, and for the next several years, the pace car drivers selected were either former Indy drivers or people with racing experience. Race details First half Despite the pace car crash near the exit of the pits, the green light came on, and the race continued underway. Mark Donohue grabbed the lead from the middle of the front row. On lap 12, Steve Krisiloff blew his engine, spilling oil in turn three. Mel Kenyon slid in the oil making contact with the turn three wall. Gordon Johncock and Mario Andretti continued to race each other through three yellow lights. When they arrived at turn three, track workers were on the scene beside the Kenyon machine. Having not heeded the yellow lights, both Johncock and Andretti slid in the oil with Johncock crashing into the Kenyon car, running over the top of it and destroying both cars. Kenyon, fortunately, had seen Johncock coming and dropped back down into the cockpit of his race car. Johncock's car left a tire mark on the top of Kenyon's helmet. The only injury received by Kenyon was a small cut on his shin from the dash board being pushed down onto his legs.Mel Kenyon All four cars were out of the race, and the yellow light was on for 19 minutes to clean up the accident. Donohue led the first 50 laps, then the lead traded hands during pit stops between Joe Leonard, Bobby Unser, as well as Al Unser. After leading a total of 52 laps, Mark Donohue dropped out on lap 66 with broken gears. He came to a stop in turn four, and parked the car in the infield, just north of the entrance to the pits. Lloyd Ruby led at the halfway point. Second half On lap 111, David Hobbs blew his engine on the main stretch. Rick Muther spun in the oil, his car veered to the inside wall, then bounced across the track, hitting Hobbs, and lifting up on two wheels. Hobbs' car was pushed head-on into the wall, but he was not seriously injured. Both cars slid down the main stretch, and came to a rest just beyond the start/finish line. The track was blocked except for a narrow portion on the inside where other cars were able to skirt by. The incident happened right in front of Al Unser, who was the leading the race at the moment. The yellow light came on for 12 minutes to clean up the crash. After a series of pit stops by the leaders under the yellow, the green eventually came back out with Al Unser leading. With less than 40 laps to go, Al Unser continued to lead, with Peter Revson second, Bobby Unser third, and A. J. Foyt fourth. On lap 167, Mike Mosley lost a wheel in turn 4. He smacked the outside wall in turn four hard, then bounced across the track and hit the inside wall. Leader Al Unser was ahead of the crash, and second place Peter Revson just slipped by. Third place Bobby Unser spun to avoid Mosley, and hit the outside wall. Mosley's car then crashed into the parked cars of Mark Donohue and Steve Krisiloff, that were sitting near the entrance to the pits. A fire broke out, at which time 8th runninghttps://www.newspapers.com/image/252065188 For the Unsers - Victory and Survival Barnet Bob May 30, 1971 The Star Press 2017-07-11 1C en Newspapers.com Gary Bettenhausen stopped his car, and ran to the scene to help. Fire crews quickly doused the flames, and Mosley suffered a broken leg. Bill Vukovich II also spun to avoid the crash, but he was able to continue. The yellow remained on for 22 minutes to clean up the crash. The green light came back on with less than 20 laps to go. Al Unser held a comfortable lead, and won his second 500 in a row. Despite four yellows for 53 minutes (about 48 laps), the average speed of 157.735 mph was a new record at the time. Bettenhausen, who finished 10th, was given a cheer at the finish for stopping to help Mosley and Unser on lap 164.https://www.newspapers.com/image/252065188 He Deserves a Cheer - And Crowd Gave It! UPI May 30, 1971 The Star Press 2017-07-11 C1 en Newspapers.com Box score FinishStartNoNameChassisEngineTiresQualLapsStatus151USA Al Unser gold W silverColtFord V-8Firestone174.621200 157.735 mph2186USA Peter RevsonMcLaren M16OffenhauserGoodyear178.695200 +22.91369USA A. J. Foyt gold W silverCoyoteFord V-8Goodyear174.317200 +2:01.8241042USA Jim MalloyEagleOffenhauserGoodyear171.838200 +3:53.1451132USA Bill Vukovich IIBrabhamOffenhauserFirestone171.674200 +3:54.1962084USA Donnie AllisonCoyoteFord V-8Goodyear171.903199Flagged (-1 lap)71758USA Bud TingelstadBrabhamOffenhauserFirestone170.156198Flagged (-2 laps)82843USA Denny Zimmerman orange R silverVollstedtOffenhauserFirestone169.755189Flagged (-11 laps)9226USA Roger McCluskeyKuzmaFord V-8Goodyear171.241188Flagged (-12 laps)101316USA Gary BettenhausenGerhardtOffenhauserGoodyear171.233178Flagged (-22 laps)11712USA Lloyd RubyMongooseFord V-8Firestone173.821174Gears1232USA Bobby Unser gold W silverEagleOffenhauserGoodyear175.816164Crash T413194USA Mike MosleyEagle WatsonFord V-8Firestone169.579159Crash T4143344USA Dick SimonVollstedtFord V-8Firestone170.165151Flagged (-23 laps)152941USA George FollmerKingfishOffenhauserFirestone169.205147Piston161421USA Cale YarboroughMongooseFord V-8Firestone170.770140Cam Cover17485NZL Denis HulmeMcLaren M16OffenhauserGoodyear174.910137Valve182418USA Johnny RutherfordEagleOffenhauserGoodyear171.152128Flagged (-46 laps)19815USA Joe LeonardColtFord V-8Firestone172.761123Turbocharger201668GBR David Hobbs orange R silverLolaFord V-8Goodyear169.571107Crash FS211838USA Rick MutherBrawnerOffenhauserFirestone169.97285Crash FS223299USA Bob HarkeyGerhardtOffenhauserFirestone169.19777Gears231595USA Bentley Warren orange R silverEagleOffenhauserFirestone169.62776Gears242322USA Wally Dallenbach Sr.KuzmaOffenhauserGoodyear171.15969Valve25266USA Mark DonohueMcLaren M16OffenhauserGoodyear177.08766Gears263164USA Art PollardScorpionFord V-8Goodyear169.49945Valve272598USA Sammy SessionsLolaFord V-8Firestone170.35743Valve282645USA Larry DicksonKingfishOffenhauserFirestone170.28533Engine29127USA Gordon JohncockMcLaren M15OffenhauserGoodyear171.38811Crash T33095USA Mario Andretti gold W silverMcNamaraFord V-8Firestone172.61211Crash T3312720USA Steve Krisiloff orange R silverMcNamaraFord V-8Firestone169.83510Oil Leak323023USA Mel KenyonKuzmaFord V-8Goodyear170.20510Crash T3332180USA George SniderEagleOffenhauserFirestone171.6006Stalled gold W silver Former Indianapolis 500 winner orange R silver Indianapolis 500 Rookie Race statistics Lap Leaders Laps Leader1–50 Mark Donohue51–52 Joe Leonard53–64 Bobby Unser65–66 Mark Donohue67–72 Al Unser Sr.73–82 Joe Leonard83–87 Al Unser Sr.88–94 Joe Leonard95–98 Al Unser Sr.99–101 Lloyd Ruby102–110 Bobby Unser111–115 Al Unser Sr.116–117 Joe Leonard118–200 Al Unser Sr. Total laps led Driver LapsAl Unser Sr. 103Mark Donohue 52Bobby Unser 21Joe Leonard 21Lloyd Ruby 3 Yellow Lights: 4 for 53 minutes (48 laps)Official '500' Finish https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star/15195133/ The Indianapolis Star 26 Newspapers.com May 31, 1971 August 20, 2024 Laps* Reason4–5 Dennis Hulme spun in turn 4 (< 1 minute)9–10 Rick Muther stalled in turn 4 (< 2 minutes)12–28 Steve Krisloff blew engine in turn 3Johncock, Andretti, Kenyon crashed (19 minutes)113–120 David Hobbs, Rick Muther crash on frontstretch (12 minutes)167–187 Mike Mosley, Bobby Unser crash in turn 4 (22 minutes)* - Approximate lap counts Tire participation chartHere's Your 500-Mile Race Scorecard https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news-1971-indy-500-scor/153042179/ Indianapolis News 7 Newspapers.com May 28, 1971 August 10, 2024Race Scorecard https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-1971-indy-500-scor/153042282/ The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com May 29, 1971 August 10, 2024SupplierNo. of startersGoodyear 15 Firestone 18** - Denotes race winner Qualifying chronology Att# Time Car# Driver Laps QualTime QualSpeed Rank Start CommentSaturday, May 15, 1971 1 4Mike Mosley0————accident 2 9A. J. Foyt43:26.52174.31766  3 66Mark Donohue43:23.29177.08722  4 32Billy Vukovich II43:29.70171.6741211  5 10Dick Simon43:33.14168.903——Bumped by #99 6 14Jim McElreath3————Waved off 7 16Gary Bettenhausen43:30.24171.2331613  8 68David Hobbs43:32.30169.5713016  9 1Al Unser43:26.16174.62255  10 7Gordon Johncock43:30.05171.3881412  11 42Jim Malloy43:29.50171.8381110  12 86Peter Revson43:21.46178.69611  13 77Carl Williams1————Waved off 14 8Art Pollard3————Waved off 15 18Johnny Rutherford0————Blown engine 16 15Joe Leonard43:28.38172.76188  17 2Bobby Unser43:24.76175.81633  18 83Donnie Allison1————Waved off 19 28Bill Simpson43:33.94168.271——Bumped by #45 20 12Lloyd Ruby43:27.11173.82177  21 5Mario Andretti43:28.56172.61299  22 85Denis Hulme0————Pulled off 23 45Larry Dickson3————Accident 24 14Jim McElreath3————Waved off 25 83Donnie Allison43:34.12168.130——Withdrawn 5/22 26 85Denis Hulme43:25.82174.91044  27 92Jerry Grant43:33.66168.492——Bumped by #78 28 21Cale Yarborough43:30.81170.7701914  29 14Jim McElreath43:34.52167.817——Bumped by #6; Reinstated by #83; Bumped by #84 30 38Rick Muther3————Blown engine 31 77Carl Williams43:33.29168.784——Bumped by #23 32 8Art Pollard43:33.82168.366——Bumped by #46 33 95Bentley Warren43:32.23169.6272815 Sunday May 16, 1971 34 4Mike Mosley03:32.29169.5792919  35 38Rick Muther03:31.80169.9722518  36 58Bud Tingelstad03:31.57170.1562417 Saturday May 22, 1971 37 80George Snider43:29.79171.6001321  38 43Denny Zimmerman43:32.07169.7552728  39 44John Mahler3————  40 98Sam Sessions43:31.32170.3582025  41 22Wally Dallenbach43:30.33171.1601723  42 94Bruce Walkup2————Waved off 43 45Larry Dickson3————Waved off 44 41George Follmer43:32.76169.2053229  45 44John Mahler43:31.56170.1642333Replaced by Dick Simon 46 18Johnny Rutherford43:30.34171.1511824  47 6Roger McCluskey2————Out of fuel 48 6Roger McCluskey43:30.23171.2411522Bumps #14 49 20Steve Krisiloff0————Pulled off 50 84Donnie Allison43:29.42171.9031020Bumps #14 51 45Larry Dickson43:31.41170.2852126Bumps #28 52 46Jim McElreath43:32.81169.165——Bumps #8; Bumped by #64 53 94Bruce Walkup1————Pulled off 54 78Sam Posey43:33.30168.776——Bumps #92; Bumped by #20 55 20Steve Krisiloff43:31.97169.8352627Bumps #78Sunday May 23, 1971 56 23Mel Kenyon43:31.51170.2052230Bumps #77 57 99Bob Harkey43:32.77169.1973332Bumps #10 58 17Jerry Grant1————Waved off 59 64Art Pollard43:32.39169.5003131Bumps #46 60 56Jim Hurtubise2————Accident 61 33Dick Simon1————Waved off 62 17Jerry Grant1————Waved off Broadcasting Radio The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. It was carried on over 1,200 affiliates, including shortwave transmission to Europe, Asia, and Vietnam. The broadcast reached an estimated 100 million listeners worldwide. Sid Collins served as chief announcer and Len Sutton served as "driver expert." At the conclusion of the race, Lou Palmer reported from victory lane. The entire on-air crew remained mostly consistent from 1966 to 1970. Bob Forbes joined the crew and was assigned a "wireless" microphone, covering the garages and roving reports. The pre-race coverage was 30 minutes long. In a departure from previous years, Sid Collins decided to eliminate booth interviews with celebrities during the race. The only exception was an interview with Hugh Downs, but that was during the post-race coverage. In addition, Luke Walton interviewed Evel Knievel in the pit area during the early stages of the race. Knievel was making his first visit to the 500, as a guest of the A. J. Foyt team. 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)Bob Forbes (wireless) orange R silver Television For the first time, the race was carried in the United States the same day the race was held, on ABC Sports on a same-day tape delay basis. The race was held in the afternoon, and the broadcast aired in prime time later in the day. The broadcast totaled two hours, and came on-air at 8:30 p.m. (eastern). Among the notable appearances, was David Letterman, at the time employed by then-ABC Indianapolis affiliate WLWI, who served as a roving turn reporter. Letterman interviewed Mario Andretti after he dropped out of the race.https://www.espn.com/racing/blog/racing/story/_/id/23597607/look-back-best-memories-abc-televising-indycar-race ESPN.com A look back at the best moments of the Indy 500 on ABC Ryan McGee May 25, 2018 Chris Schenkel began what would be a decade-long tenure as host, while Jim McKay anchored the broadcast as play-by-play announcer. But Schenkel's day as host was short. Riding in (and broadcasting from) the pace car at the start of the race, he was slightly injured when the pace car crashed after coming into the pits at the start of the race. The broadcast was re-aired numerous times on ESPN Classic from February 2002 until the network's shutdown at the end of 2021. ABC TelevisionBooth AnnouncersPit/garage reportersHost: Chris Schenkel Announcer: Jim McKay Color: Jackie StewartChris EconomakiBill FlemmingKeith JacksonDavid Letterman (turns) Notes See also 1971 USAC Championship Car season References 2 Works cited 1971 Indianapolis 500 Press Information - Daily Trackside Summary Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats - Official Site 1971 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network 1970 Al Unser 1971 Al Unser 1972 Mark Donohue 157.735 156.867 mph(1969 Indianapolis 500) 162.962 mph(1972 Indianapolis 500) Category:Indianapolis 500 races Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500