California 500

Ontario Motor Speedway, 5 Sep 1971

Notes on the cars:

1. Colt 71 [115] (Joe Leonard): Joe Leonard's 1971 Colt was also ready for the Indy 500, where he retired after the turbocharger failed. Leonard also drove this car at Pocono in July; at Milwaukee in August, where it failed during his qualifying run; at Ontario in September, which he won; and at at Trenton and Phoenix in October. The car was used once more in 1972 specification at Phoenix in March 1972 and was then retired. It remained in storage until 2000, when it was restored by Phil Reilly. Remained in the Vel's Parnelli Collection until the collection was sold to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in May 2012.
2. Scorpion 70 (Art Pollard): The Scorpion that was Art Pollard's intended #8 car at the 1971 Indy 500 was then Jimmy Caruthers' car at the 1972 Indy 500 (although Hungness 1972 allocates Pollard's start to it). It seems likely that this would then be Pollard's #8 car after the 1971 Indy 500 at least up to the crash at Michigan. It is also presumed to be Caruthers #11 car after the 1972 Indy 500 up to his major accident at the Pocono 500. Caruthers crashed into the outside wall at turn 3, and was taken to hospital with burns and contusions. The team did not appear again. The Pocono wreck was later repaired and was owned by Doug Winslow (Westlake, Ohio) in June 2015.
3. Gerhardt 70 (Gary Bettenhausen): New for Gary Bettenhausen for the 1970 Indy 500 as the Gerhardt team's #16 Thermo-King entry, where he qualified 20th and retired early. He used this car at Milwaukee eight days later, but then used one of his 1969 cars for much of the summer before racing his Indy 500 car again at Ontario in September, Trenton in October and Phoenix in November. He raced it again at Rafaela in February but then used the heavily modified sister car at Phoenix and Trenton. This car was modified along the same lines for Bettenhausen to use at the 1971 500. It was then modified again, this time along McLaren M16 lines, for Bettenhausen to race at Pocono in July, Michigan in August, Ontario in September, and Phoenix in October. It was then Jim Malloy's #16 entry at the start of the 1972 season, then the #46 car at the 1972 Indy 500 that was changed to run as #16 for Jerry Karl after Malloy's crash in the team's new Eagle. Johnny Rutherford then took over the car at Milwaukee in June but consumed in a "fiery and spectacular crash".
4. Mongoose 71 (Lloyd Ruby): New for Lloyd Ruby in 1971 as the Gene White team's #12 car but "abandoned by Ruby after that year's Indy 500", presumably as it was the only year for some time that he had not led the race. Sold to Pat O'Reilly and entered as the #51 Minnesota Serendipity car in 1973 for Dee Jones, John Hubbard and Jigger Sirois. Returned in 1974 as the #53 for John Cannon but failed to qualify for the Indy 500. Raced later in 1974 by Jan Opperman and by Mel Cornett and appeared in 1975 for John Hubbard and Cornett again. Wrecked at Milwaukee in June 1975 and, according to Milwaukee Mile Historian Steve Zautke, was "wiped out".
5. Kingfish 71 (Steve Krisiloff): Built new by Grant King for 1971 but to the same basic design as the 1970 Kingfish. First appeared at the 1971 Indy 500 as the #45 Spirit of Indianapolis entry for Larry Dickson, who qualified. The team was then taken over by Andy Granatelli and the 1971 car became the #20 entry for Granatelli's regular driver Steve Krisiloff for the rest of the season. This may have been Krisiloff's #15 entry at Trenton in April 1972, and was then brought out of retirement for Greg Weld to drive as the #35 at Pocono, after one of the team's 1972 cars had been destroyed. The car then remained at King's workshop until his death in a road accident in December 1999. Shortly after this, the car was sold to Bruce Weatherston (Chicago, IL). It remains in his collection, still in unrestored original condition.
6. Eagle 69 [701] (Jim Malloy): New for Dan Gurney to race at the 1969 Indianapolis 500 as the #48 Olsonite entry, fitted with a 318 ci Gurney Weslake Ford stock block V8. Finished 2nd at Indy and presumably the car in which Gurney finished 2nd at Continental Divide, 1st at Indianapolis Raceway Park, 1st and 2nd at Brainerd and 1st at Sears Point at the start of the 1970 season. It was also presumably the Eagle, still with Gurney Weslake Ford engine, that Swede Save raced at Continental Divide and Indianapolis Raceway Park later in 1970. At the end of the year the car was sold to Shelby-Dowd, a new team set up by Carroll Shelby and Al Dowd, based in the old Shelby headquarters in Venice, CA, and with Carroll Smith as crew chief. Drag racing champion Danny Ongais was the intended driver but he stepped down after crashing the car during practice at Phoenix in March. Jerry Grant took over the drive and qualified the car at Indy, only to be bumped from the field. It was raced by Jim Malloy at two races later in 1971, and advertised by Al Dowd in December. Apparently not used again as the name of sponsor Norris Industries was still visible on the unrestored car in Walter Goodwin's workshop in 2014.
7. McLaren M16A [2] (Peter Revson): McLaren Cars at the 1971 Indy 500 for Peter Revson (#86) and qualified on pole at the Indy 500, finishing second. Probably the #86 car used by Gordon Johncock at Trenton 1972 and the #86 entry that did not arrive at the Indy 500. Then sold to Lindsey Hopkins for Roger McCluskey for the rest of 1972 as the #14 American Marine entry, winning at Ontario. Retained for 1973 as the #3 Hopkins Buick entry and used by McCluskey at Indy and Pocono, before settlig on his newer M16B thereafter. The older M16 was then unused and had been stripped down to a bare monocoque by the time it was sold to John Martin in mid-1975. He used the tub to rebuild the M16B that he had crashed at Milwaukee in June 1975, and the resulting car used the chassis plate and identity of the M16B.
8. Eagle 67 [214] (Jim McElreath): New to Walt Michner's Michner Petroleum team and described as a new 1968 Eagle for the 1968 Indy 500, but photographs show that it was a 1966/67-type Eagle. Assigned to Mike Mosley, then Rick Muther, then Ronnie Duran, and finally to Bill Cheesbourg, who qualified it but was bumped. Norm Brown then took over the drive but was badly injured at Milwaukee in the accident that took the life of Ronnie Duman and destroyed the Michner Lola T80. Michner then recruited Johnny Rutherford and he drove this car, and a 1966 sister car, in 1969, 1970 and 1971, by which time the team had become Patrick Racing. This 1967 car, nicknamed "Old Shep", appears to have been the road racing car in 1969, and was then the car qualified by Tony Adamowicz for the 1970 Indy 500, but bumped, while Rutherford raced the sister car, known as "Geraldine". In July 1971, the 1967 car was the first of the pair to be fitted with McLaren M16-style wings instead of the wedge bodywork used on "Geraldine" at the 1971 Indy 500. Sold to Bentley Warren for 1972 as his #36 Bay State Racing entry. Retained for 1973 and 1974, after which the car remained in his garage. In the early 2000s, Warren sold the car to a consortium "Eagle Partners", who rebuilt the car to the 1971 wedge-sided configuration used on the sister car, "Geraldine". In 2006, the restored car appeared at the Amelia Island Concours, and in 2007 it was sold at auction by Kruse (Auburn, IN) to Chuck Haines. In 2008, Haines sold it to Jim Vieira, and it appeared at an Indianapolis historic event in 2009. By early 2011, it was at John Mueller of Entrepreneur’s Motor Sports (Fresno, CA), to be restored to Richie Ginther's 1967 #42 livery. In this form, it was sold in 2013 to Rob Dyson (Millbrook, NY). See full history: the Michner Eagle.
9. McLaren M15A [1] (John Mahler): The prototype M15 was the #79 backup car at Indy in 1970 and was the car Hulme was using when a petrol leak led to a fire in which he was badly burnt. As M15/2 and M15/3 were sold to Gordy Johncock, this must be the car used by Revson in the Ontario 500 and then sold to John Mahler for 1971. Mahler raced it through the 1971 and 1972 seasons before it was retired. Mahler later sold the car to collector Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) and it was sold by him to the UK in the mid/late 1980s. This may be the car that was later owned by John Foulston (Dunsfold, Surrey), boss of high-flying IBM computer leasing company Atlantic Computers, who bought Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Snetterton from Eagle Star in May 1986. Foulston was killed testing a M15 at Silverstone on 29 September 1987.
10. Hayhoe 68 (Billy Vukovich): One of two cars built by Hayhoe Racing Enterprises, this is the car entered as the #59 Cleaver Brooks Spl in 1968. Presumed for now to be the same car used as the #59 on the team's other appearances, but it is possible that the sister car (the #62 at the Indy 500) was used at some events that season. To 3-K Racing Enterprises for 1969 and entered as the #59 Krohne Grain Transport at the Indy 500, but again it is possible that the sister car (the #39 at the Indy 500) was substituted at later short track events. To Jerry O'Connell for 1970 and both cars were entered as Sugaripe Prune Spls at four races that year. Retained for 1971 when Jud Phillips joined as O'Connell's new chief mechanic and run for most of the year with this car now as the #32 Sugaripe Prune entry for Billy Vukovich. Unknown after 1971 but if this was the only survivor, it would be the car raced by Dave Bowling (San Jose, CA) in Northern Auto Racing Club (NARC) Sprint Car Racing in Northern California in 1975. It would also be the basis of his "ecology car", raced in 1977, and probably his rear-engined car in 1974. In 2008 the car was for sale with Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO), restored to its 1971 #32 livery. By 2015, it had been sold to Jim Griggs (Panama City, FL).
11. Colt-Lola (George Eaton): In 1971, Canadian department store heir George Eaton acquired a "Colt" from the VPJ team and it was run for him by the Fejer Brothers in the last few races of the USAC season. It was variously described as the car driven by Joe Leonard in the 1971 Indy 500 and the car used by Al Unser to win the 1970 Indy 500. It was probably neither, and its most likely identity is the 1970 Colt driven by Leonard in the 1970 Indy 500. Eaton returned for 1972, when the car was described as a "1971 Jones", but failed his rookie test and announced his retirement from motor racing two weeks later. The car then passed to Jim Hurtubise, whose crew chief George Morris made some modifications to the chassis, including square sidepods and a chisel nose. The car was described as a 1969 Lola in press reports prior to the Indy 500, where Hurtubise was too slow to qualify. He did race it at Pocono in July, when it was wearing Miller High Life livery. At this point, the old car was finally put to one side. Mike Lashmett kept track of this car, and reports that it remained with Hurtubise until his death in 1989, after which it was bought from the estate by dealer/collector Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO). It remained in Haines' collection for many years until being sold to a Swiss owner.
12. Eagle 70/71 (Swede Savage): At the Tony Bettenhausen 200 at Milwaukee in August 1971, Bobby Unser drove an updated 1970 Eagle for the AAR team, in place of his usual 1971 car. This car had a new single fuel filler on the side, the same style as the twin fuel fillers used on the 1971 Eagle. The car had the same McLaren-style rear wing and front wings used on Unser's 1971 Eagle at Michigan. The mirrors on the car were the same as Unser's early season car, hinting that it was the same car, updated. However, a press report in 1972 suggested that Savage's late-season car was the car Jim Malloy had raced at the 1971 Indy 500, which would make it AAR's other 1970 Eagle. Its identity is not yet resolved. Unser took pole at Milwaukee and won in this revised car, and it was then assigned to Swede Savage for his return to the AAR team at the California 500 at Ontario. Savage used this car in three races, but did not finish any of them. This car was then sold to Mary & Tom Page, and entered by their Page Racing for Mike Hiss through the 1972 season. It became the #60 entry at the Indy 500 when STP bought a share in the car. In early 1973, Bob Criss was killed while testing the Page Racing Eagle prior to Phoenix. Reports suggest that the car was comprehensively destroyed in the accident.
13. Kingfish 70 (Larry Dickson): Built by Grant King for 1970 and raced by Art Pollard in the early races of the season as his #10 Pollard Car Wash entry. Pollard and King separated after Milwaukee in June, and the car was next seen at Ontario where it was the #41 Grant King entry for Greg Weld. Weld then crashed it in practice at Trenton in October. It returned in 1971, still as the #41 entry, and was driven by Roger McCluskey at Rafaela. George Follmer put it in the race at Indianapolis and it then became the #40 STP entry for Larry Dickson and others later that season, including George Snider. As far as can be determined, this car was Snider's #35 car at the opening race of the 1972 season, and then used by Steve Krisiloff as the #15 at two short track raced later that season. It was then Krisiloff's #24 entry at the opening race of the 1973 season before finally being retired.
14. Mongoose 71 (Cale Yarborough): New for Cale Yarborough to race in 1971 as the Gene White team's #21 car. After 1971, this car remained unused and was dismantled but still in exactly the same livery when in the collection of Bob McConnell (Urbana, OH) in 2010. Sold in August 2013 to Brad Edwards (Plainfield, IN) who started a full restoration with a view to having the car on track by May 2016.
15. Colt 71 [101] (Al Unser): The new 1971 Colt destined for Al Unser was first tested at Indianapolis in March 1971 and returned to the Speedway for its first race in May. Unser only qualified fifth, significantly slower than the leading Offy turbo cars, but in race trim could run with the leaders and took over the lead when Mark Donohue's McLaren M16 retired. He held on to win from Peter Revson in another McLaren. Unser won again at Milwaukee a week later but the Colt was then converted to Offy power for the rest of the season. The car proved unreliable in this form and Unser did not win another race. The car was converted to 1972 form but only raced once in that specification and was then retired. It was soon converted back to its 1971 Indy 500 winning form with Ford engine and used as a show car by Parnelli. Remained in the Vel's Parnelli Collection until the collection was sold to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in May 2012.
16. Coyote 71 (AJ Foyt): New for AJ Foyt at the 1971 Indy 500, where he finished third. Presumably the car he used for the rest of the season, but it is possible he used the sister car or older cars at short track events. NSSN reported that he used this car when he won at Phoenix in October 1971, his first USAC race win in over two years, when the car had "undergone major chassis changes, including the moving of the radiators to the rear of the chassis, ala McLaren". The car was sold to the MVS team for 1972 and raced by Jim Hurtubise at the Indy 500. MVS also bought an older 1969/70 Coyote for the short ovals. This car was then raced by George Snider as MVS's #29 entry on the longer tracks later in 1972. Although Sessions was reported to be driving the team's 1972 Eagle at all his races in 1973, photographs and race video show him driving the Coyote at least twice. It was bought from MVS in 1975 less engine by the Dewco Construction team of Jack Owens (Indianapolis, IN), and fitted with a stock block Chevrolet. It ran in this form for two years, but only started one race. Then unknown until the early 1980s when it was entered by Robert W. Gaby's B&G Racing for Steve Ball (Osslar, IN) at the 1981 Indy 500. Ball's entry was withdrawn after the team's owner ran into financial issues, but Ball was invited to start the Pocono race a month later as USAC were short of entries. The car was later sold to Chuck Haines, who later sold it to a new owner who took it to Walt Goodwin to be restored.
17. Hayhoe 68 (Bud Tingelstad): One of two cars built by Hayhoe Racing Enterprises, this is the #62 Cleaver Brooks car in which Bruce Walkup was bumped at the Indy 500 in 1968. This car may have been used as the #59 entry at some point during 1968 but its next definite appearance was at the 1969 Indy 500 when it was the #39 backup car for new owner 3-K Racing Enterprises but did not appear on track. In 1970, the cars had moved to Jerry O'Connell's Sugaripe Prune team and both were raced at selected events that season. Both cars were run again in 1971 and this car was the #58 Sugaripe Prune entry for Bud Tingelstad at the three 500-mile races. Crashed heavily at the Ontario 500 and reportedly destroyed.
18. McLaren M16A [4] (Mark Donohue): Roger Penske 1971 for Mark Donohue (#66 Sunoco) at Pocono and Ontario, replacing M16/1 destroyed at the Indy 500. Also for Donohue in the early races of 1972 and probably the #8 backup entry at the Indy 500. It was then sold to George Walther and raced by Salt Walther later in 1972. The Walthers bought other McLarens over the winter and this was retained as an unused backup in 1973. Walther raced it at Trenton in April 1974 and may have used it at other short-track events in 1974 and 1975. For 1976, it was sold to James C Bidwell (Indianapolis, IN) and Robert Bidwell (Lauderhill, FL) and entered as the #36 Shurfine Foods for Jerry Karl after Indy in 1976 and for Jerry Sneva in 1977. To Frank Fiore (#88 Machinists Union) late season 1978 for Tom Gloy; and Ontario only 1979 for Ken Nichols. Then sold to Buddy Boys (Calgary, Alberta) and entered as the #68 at the Indy 1980 for fellow Canadian Frank Weiss to drive, but crashed heavily during practice. The Hungness Yearbook describes the impact as having been on the left front and the car as "extensively damaged", adding that the injured Weiss had to be released using a Hurst rescue tool, the so-called "jaws of life" which could have done significant damage to the monocoque.
19. Gerhardt 70 (Jimmy Caruthers): As well as his #16 primary car, Gary Bettenhausen also had a second brand new car entered as the Gerhardt team's #78 Thermo-King entry at the 1970 Indy 500. This car was driven in practice by Larry Dickson, whose qualifying run had to be aborted, and Tony Adamowicz, who brushed the wall just before the start of final qualifying. As far as can be determined (so far), this car was not used again in 1970 as Bettenhausen had his primary 1970 car and also one of the 1969 cars to use. It is presumably the modified car that he drove at Phoenix and Trenton in early 1971, and was then his #46 backup car at the 1971 Indy 500, which was qualified by Jimmy McElreath but bumped. Later on in the season it was Bettenhausen's regular short-track car, being used at both Milwaukee races. It was then used by Jimmy Caruthers as the team's #46 entry at Ontario, by Bettenhausen as the #16 at Trenton in October, and by Caruthers as the #46 again at Phoenix. After Johnny Rutherford destroyed the sister car at Milwaukee in June 1972, this is likely to be the car he raced at Michigan in July and Milwaukee in August. Subsequent history unknown, but possibly the car that Bruce Crower used for his Dodge Hemi project in 1973, although it remains more likely that Crower had a 1969 car.
20. McLaren M15A [3] (Denny Zimmerman): Chris Amon's planned car for the 1970 Indy 500 was taken over by Carl Williams when Amon withdrew. It was sold to Gordy Johncock after the 500 and became his main car after M15/2 was wrecked at Michigan. Sold to Rolla Vollstedt for 1971 and raced for him by Johncock and Denny Zimmerman in 1971 and 1972. This car was later acquired by Tom Black (Portland, OR) and sold by him to the UK. Believed to be the car acquired from collector Nick Mason by McLaren International, restored and put on display in the Donington Collection.
21. Eagle 71 [7101] (Bobby Unser): New for Bobby Unser to drive at the 1971 Indy 500 as AAR's #2 Olsonite entry. As the sister car was wrecked by Lee Roy Yarbrough at the Speedway, this is likely to be the 1971 Eagle raced by Unser at Pocono, Michigan, Ontario, Trenton and Phoenix. For 1972, the car was sold to a consortium led by James C Rogers that entered it as "The Minnesota Invader" for Larry Dickson (Marietta, Ohio) to drive, with sprint car builder Paul Leffler (St Paul, Indiana) as chief mechanic. It did not qualify after Leffler claimed that the money needed for a new engine did not turn up from "the Minnesota people" and the car was not seen again that season. Leffler and Dickson focused instead on their successful USAC Sprint campaigns. In April 1973, Rogers and his associates sued Leffler who they claimed had retained the Eagle. The car then found its way into the ownership of Greg Hodges (San Francisco, CA). Photographs of the car in 1974 or 1975, show it in virtually identical configuration to when Dickson drove it at Indianapolis. This is presumably rhe 'Eagle' that Hodges raced at Mosport Park in 1976, but photographs of that car remain elusive. Subsequent history unknown but at some point acquired by Gary Schroeder (Burbank, CA) and restored by Phil Reilly & Co. to its original Unser #2 livery. It won Best in Class at the Amelia Island Concours in 2004 and was part of the Victory Lane Historic Champ/Indy Car Showcase at California Speedway in January 2005. By 2010 the car was on display in the NHRA Motorsports Museum. In March 2012, the car was on display in the Riverside International Automotive Museum. By March 2017, it had moved again, and was on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
22. Peat-Lola 71 (Dick Simon): Built by Wally Peat for Dick Simon (Salt Lake City, UT) and first appeared at the Ontario race in September 1971 as the #10 TraveLodge Sleeper Special. Raced by Simon through 1972 until he acquired a new Eagle near the end of the season. The Peat-Lola was then sold to Tom Frantz (Littleton, CO) who entered it for the 1973 Indy 500 for Bruce Jacobi to drive, but was turned away. After using the car in supermodified racing, Frantz returned to Indy racing with the car in 1975 as the #96 Spirit of Idaho entry, using a Chevrolet engine. He may then have driven it briefly in 1976, but photographs found so far indicate that his #72 Custom Motor Home entry was an Eagle-Foyt. The next few years of the Peat-Lola's life are unknown, but by June 1980 it had been modified by Keith McArthur, to use in supermodified racing at Bonneville Raceway Park's ⅓-mile oval, "chopping" the chassis and modifying the aerodynamics. In July 1980, after McArthur had tested it a few times, it was acquired by Kent Knowley, Marc Sullivan and Wes Brunner Sr for Brunner's son, Wes Brunner Jr to race, and he quickly came to dominate local Salt Lake Valley Racing Association events. Brunner crashed the car heavily in early July 1981, but it was rebuilt by Knowley and Sullivan, and raced again in August. Brunner continued to race the car in 1982. After Brunner died in early 1984, the car was raced for Knowley and Sullivan by Jeff Nish, who set a new track record of 15.074s at BRP in May 1984. Its subsequent history is unknown, but some years later the car was acquired by Duncan Fox. At that time, it carried the name of Beehive Bail Bonds, owned by Gary Walton in Salt Lake City, suggesting it had remained in the Salt Lake area to the end of its racing career. Fox removed the engine and gearbox, and sold on the rest of the car.
23. Kuzma-Kenyon 71 (Wally Dallenbach): New for the 1970 Indianapolis 500, and fitted with a turbo Offy engine for Wally Dallenbach to use as Lindsey Hopkins' #22 Sprite entry. After the car blew three engines due to what was believed to be an oil plumbing issue, Dallenbach swapped to an older Eagle for qualifying and the race. The #22 car was used by Dallenbach at Trenton in October 1970, and was then his regular car in 1971, finishing second at Trenton in April, and finishing fourth twice. He crashed the car heavily in practice at Pocono in July, but it was repaired, now in orange paintwork, in time for Milwaukee in August. He then crashed the car again during practice at Phoenix in October 1971, and this time it was "badly damaged". Not seen again.
24. Coyote 70? ['70-1'?] (Donnie Allison): New for AJ Foyt at the 1970 Indy 500 as the #7 Sheraton-Thompson entry. Also raced by Foyt at Milwaukee in June, but he used an older 1969 car on short tracks later in the season. Believed to have been Foyt's car at Ontario and Phoenix later in the season. It was then retained for short tracks in 1971, so was probably Foyt's car again at Phoenix in early 1971. It was also his car at Michigan in July, probably at the June Milwaukee, and possibly at other tracks. It may have been Donnie Allison's car at Ontario in September. In 1972, the car was sold to Lee Brayton, to replace the 1969 car that he had wrecked in Indy 500 practice. Raced by Brayton later in 1972, at one race in early 1973, and even at two races in early 1975. It was eventually acquired from Brayton by a sponsor, Harry Oppenhuizen, and was sold by Oppenhuizen to Bill Wiswedel (Holland, MI) in 1988. Owned by Wiswedel and then his son, also named Bill, ever since.
25. Kenyon-Coyote (Mel Kenyon): The history of this 1970 Coyote chassis is unknown before July 1971. After Mel Kenyon's Kuzma was wrecked during the 1971 Indy 500, Mel and Don Kenyon acquired this chassis and it was raced by Wally Dallenbach, Roger McCluskey and Mel Kenyon later in 1971. It was progressively modified over the next three years by Don Kenyon and Eldon Rasmussen, and by 1974 Donald Davidson suggested that it should be called a Coyote - Kuzma - Kenyon - Eagle - Rasmussen. Raced at the Indy 500 by Mel Kenyon in 1972, and by Bob Harkey in 1973 and 1974, and also raced by Kenyon at a few short track races in 1973. It returned to the Speedway in 1976, but Kenyon crashed during practice. Last seen at Ontario later in 1976. History then unknown until 2013, when it was in Bob Boyce's collection (Michigan City, Indiana), still exactly as it had appeared at Ontario.
26. Brabham BT32 ['1'] (Johnny Rutherford): New for Jack Brabham at the 1970 Indy 500 as Motor Racing Developments's #32 Gilmore Brabham entry. Brabham qualified 26th and finished 13th. Driven by Lee Roy Yarbrough at the California 500 in September, where it was sponsored by Norris Industries and tended by mechanic Roy Billington. It was sold to the Michner Industries/Patrick Petroleum team part way through 1971, replacing the 1966 Eagle that driver Johnny Rutherford had used earlier in the season. Driven again by Rutherford in early 1972, and then by Swede Savage later in 1972 after Rutherford moved to the Gerhardt team. It was not seen again after the end of 1972. At some point it was acquired by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, and according to Aaron Lewis, it was in the basement for many years awaiting its turn to be restored.
27. McLaren M16A [3] (Gordon Johncock): McLaren Cars at the 1971 Indy 500 for Denny Hulme (#85). Raced by Gordon Johncock at Pocono 500 1971. Believed to have been sold to George Walther for his son David "Salt" Walther after the 1972 season and, as far as can be determined, this is the car that Walther was racing when he had his huge accident at the 1973 Indy 500. The wrecked car was kept by Walther, reputedly in his living room, but was sold to the Henry Ford Museum in 2012 to be part of an exhibit on racing safety.
28. Kuzma-Kenyon 71 (Roger McCluskey): New for the 1970 Indianapolis 500, and fitted with a turbo Ford engine for Wally Dallenbach to use briefly in practice as Lindsey Hopkins' #6 Sprite entry. Chief mechanic Jack Beckley then left the team, and Don Kenyon took over his role. The #6 Kuzma was then presumably the car driven by Mel Kenyon at Michigan in July, and at Ontario in September. The #6 car then became Roger McCluskey's regular Kuzma-Ford during 1971, finishing third at Michigan in July, and second at Phoenix in October. McCluskey drove it at a few short track races in 1972, and it was also his unused spare car at the 1972 Indy 500.
29. Gerhardt 69 (Bruce Walkup): New wedge Gerhardt for Myron Caves team for 1969. Although announced in February 1969, the Caves Buick wedge was not expected to race until the Indy 500 and the team's older car was used by Jigger Sirois in the early-1969 races. The car actually missed the Indy 500 as it was still being put together in chief mechanic Bob Higman's garage in Romney, Indiana, and it first raced by Jim McElreath as the #14 Quaker State Spl at Trenton in July 1969. It was then the #74 Gerhardt driven by McElreath, Arnie Knepper and Sam Sessions in 1970. McElreath could not qualify the car at the 500 that year, where photographs show a very exaggerated wedge shape. Caves had heart surgery in June 1970 and his team disappeared until Ontario 1971 where the car was entered as the #37 Caves Buick with Bruce Walkup in the seat. Lee Kunzman qualified this car for the 1972 Indy 500, and it was raced later in the season by McElreath, Johnny Parsons Jr and Greg Weld. The Caves Buick team was wound up at the end of 1972. In 1978, Jim Jorgensen (Sanger, CA) started racing a 1969 Gerhardt as a Supermodified that bore a very strong resemblance to the Caves Buick car. It had been fitted with a 350 ci Chevrolet V8 and a rollcage, and was raced by Jorgensen as #61 in open competition races at Madera Speedway. After he finished racing it, it was reported to be in a barn in the Sanger area in the mid-1980s. Its history is then unknown until acquired by Toney Edwards (Greenwood, Indiana) in the Fresno area around 2020.
30. Gerhardt 68/69 (Greg Weld): A late-1968-style Gerhardt that first appeared as part of the Federal Automotive team at the 1969 Indy 500 as the #31 Federal Engineering entry for Bobby Johns. Johns did not qualify and Bud Tingelstad took over the #31 for the rest of 1969. This car returned to Indy in 1970 as Federal's #31 Stearns Transi-Tread entry with Paul Brooks as chief crew for driver Jim Malloy who qualified. The 1969 car is presumed to be the #31 car from then until the team disappears at the end of 1971. Subsequent history unknown until Hurricane Charley in August 2004 damaged a building in Florida, revealing the little-known car collection of real estate developer Walter Medlin. The #31 Gerhardt, in apparently original condition, was visible in pictures of the damaged building. In April 2007, the car was pictured on an open transporter on Interstate 65 heading north of Nashville, TN. With it were the 1979 Cicada and an unidentified #99 car. Rumoured to be in a private museum in Indianapolis (and the I-65 through Nashville is exactly on the route from Florida to Indianapolis).
31. Eagle 66 [201] (Carl Williams): The first 1966 Eagle, chassis 201, was fitted with a 255ci Ford V8 and was Dan Gurney's #31 AAR entry at the 1966 Indy 500. Then fitted with the 303 ci Gurney Weslake Ford V8 stock block engine, and raced by Jochen Rindt as the #48 AAR entry at the 1967 Indy 500. Used by Gurney to win at Riverside in November 1967, and at Las Vegas in March 1968. Sold to Lothar Motschenbacher (Beverly Hills, CA) later in the year, fitted with a Chevrolet V8 and repainted red with Leader Card Racers signwriting. Motschenbacher intended to take part in the Rverside race in December, but did not take part. Then sold to Jerry Hansen (Long Lake, MN) for the Brainerd, Seattle and Riverside Indy road races in 1969. Then to the Tassi Vatis team, and was the team's #95 entry for Sam Posey at the 1970 Indy 500 but failed to qualify. It was the #95 entry again at the 1971 500, this time raced by Bentley Warren. Warren and later Carl Williams raced it in other events later in 1971 and Williams qualified it for the 500 in 1972. According to a later auction catalogue, it was sold to Bob Johnson and then to Jim Mann in 1978 before passing via Bob and Don Tarwaki to collector Bob Sutherland. It was restored for Sutherland by Jim Robbins then sold to Joe MacPherson (Tustin, CA). After MacPherson's death, it was sold at auction in 2008 to Riverside International Automotive Museum's Doug Magnon. The car was on display in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in May 2015, replacing the Museum's own 1966 car which had been on display earlier in the month.
32. Eagle 68 [402] (George Snider): Sold new to the Leader Card team and prepared by Jud Phillips and Tom 'Red' Herrmann for Bobby Unser to race in 1968 as the #3 Rislone entry. He won the Indy 500, but just two weeks later "wiped out" his 500 winner in an accident on only the third lap at Mosport Park. Unser used his two 1967 Eagles after that, and also in early 1969 until his new Lola T152 was ready. After the Lola was badly damaged at Milwaukee in June, Unser appeared in a 1968 Eagle at Continental Divide in July and at other road course events later in the season. At Riverside on 5 December 1969 his car was described as "the actual Indy winner". This car was transferred to the AJ Watson half of the Leader Card operation and was raced by Mike Mosley at the Indy 500 and at Ontario in 1970 as the #9 G. C. Murphy entry. For 1971, Watson acquired a second '68 Eagle, but Mosley wrecked this at the Indy 500. George Snider drove the original ex-Unser car at the Indy 500, and also drove it for the team later in the season, while Mosley was recovering from his accident. Photographs show that this was the car used by Mosley in the first two races of 1972, but the team had also bought the ex-Dan Gurney '68 Eagle from the Jim Robbins team, and it was that car that Mosley raced in the Indy 500. After his crash in the Indy 500, Mosley was again out of racing for some months, and Rick Muther drove the team's original ex-Unser car in four races in the summer of 1972. Mosley returned again in time for the Ontario 500, at which he raced his repaired Indy 500 mount. Photographs show that the ex-Robbins car was used at Ontario in 1972, and at Ontario in 1973, so it is assumed here that it was also used in the intervening races. The last race for the ex-Unser car was therefore at Milwaukee in August 1972. In January 1973, it was sold to the Indianapolis Speedway Museum, and by May 1973, it was on display as Bobby Unser's 1968 Indy 500 winning car. It has remained on display ever since, and still carries the 402 chassis plate.
33. McNamara T501 ['4'] (Mario Andretti): The STP team produced a heavily revised McNamara for Mario Andretti to drive at the California 500 at Ontario. The car was said in press reports to be the longest Indy car in history at 184 inches, "33 inches longer than the car from which it was rebuilt". Andretti qualified eighth. It was this Ontario car that Andretti revved noisily on the White House lawn when President Nixon invited a number of auto racing luminaries to Washington on 21 September. Photographs show that he also raced this car at Trenton in early October and at Phoenix three weeks later. It was not seen at a race track again but appears to have become an STP show car. In 1977, McNamara loaned a number of their show cars to different institutions, and this car was loaned to the Briggs Cunningham Automotive Museum (Costa Mesa, CA). That museum closed in 1987 and most of the collection was acquired by the Miles Collier Collection in Florida. However, what happened to the McNamara during this time is unknown. It was on display at an Andretti-Hannah Auto Wash in Allentown, PA in 1994, and was then photographed in the Don Garlits Drag Museum in October 2005, when it had a board saying it was on loan from, or had been donated by, STP.
34. McNamara T500 (John Cannon): In mid-August 1971, STP tested a "new, specially designed McNamara chassis" at the IMS fitted with a 318ci Plymouth V8 engine, the same powerplant the team had used in 1969. Photographs show that it was a 1970 McNamara 500. Jim Malloy was slated to drive the car in the Tony Bettenhausen 200 at Milwaukee on 15 August as the #60 STP entry but the oil tank split when the engine was fired up and it did not get on track. Three weeks later at Ontario's California 500, the driver of the #60 was John Cannon, a road racing specialist who was yet to qualify for an oval Indy race. Soon after arriving for practice, the Canadian lost control of the car in Turn 1 and spun into the wall. Team director Vincent J. Granatelli determined that the car was too badly damaged to be repaired.
35. Eagle 67 [212] (Bill Simpson): The #74 AAR entry for Dan Gurney at the 1967 Indy 500, fitted with a Ford V8 and with support from Wagner Lockheed. Sold after the race to AJ Foyt and photographs show that it was the car raced by Joe Leonard at Mosport Park in July 1967, still in works livery. The history of the car over the next three years remains unknown but according to the Hungness Yearbook, it reappeared at the 1970 Indy 500 still as part of the Foyt team but now equipped with a turbo Ford and entered as the #83 Greer car for Donnie Allison, who finished fourth. Then sold to Bill Simpson (Los Angeles, CA), fitted with a 203 ci Chevrolet turbo engine built by Bruce Crower, and raced by Simpson at two late-1970 races. Fitted with an Offy turbo for Simpson in 1971 and 1972. Sold to Marv Carman (Union City, Michigan) and turned into a supermodified, but at some point the car was very badly damaged in a workshop fire. The remains of the car were acquired by Richard Bible and they were stored until 2008, when bought by Indycar collector Bill Wiswedel (Holland, Michigan). In 2012, Wiswedel sold the fire-damaged tub and its surviving components to Justin Gurney, son of Dan Gurney and then CEO of AAR. He sent the tub to John Mueller and Jerry Wise of Entrepreneur's Motor Sports (Fresno, CA), who built a completely new car to take its place, there being no part of the damaged tub that was usable. Joe Boghosian built a quad-cam Ford engine for it. The new car was unveiled on Dan Gurney's 84th birthday in April 2015, when Autoweek quoted Mueller saying that "every piece on that car is new except uprights, the hubs and the transmission".
36. Lola T153 2WD [SL153/6] (John Martin): New to Roger Penske, and raced by Mark Donohue at the 1970 Indy 500 as the #66 Sunoco entry, finishing second, and at Ontario in September, where Donohue was an early retirement. Raced by Donohue at Phoenix and Trenton in early 1971 and then qualified by David Hobbs for the Indy 500, but crashed in the race. The "demolished" car was bought from Penske by Leonard Faas, who wanted the Ford engine to fit in a Lola T150 he had bought from The Vel's Parnelli team. The T153 was repaired and entered in the Ontario 500-mile race by Agajanian-Faas as #97 for John Martin to drive, but he was bumped from the grid after initially qualifying. Faas then entered the Lola as #112 at Phoenix in October, where Martin was too slow to qualify. It remained with Faas until sold to Chuck Haines in 1985. To John Darlington in June 2003, and restored. It ran in a demo at the Indy 500 in 2004, and at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later that year.
37. Colt-Lola T150 [SL150/2] (Sammy Sessions): New to Al Retzloff for his Retzloff Racing Team, prepared by George Bignotti and entered at the 1968 Indianapolis 500 as the #5 Retzloff Chemical car. The car was in two-wheel drive specification for this race, with lead driver Al Unser also having SL150/1 available in 4WD specification as the team's #24 entry. Unser damaged SL150/2 in practice, and raced SL150/1, leaving teammate Carl Williams out of a drive. The car was returned to England for repairs, and was returned in time for the twin races at Indianapolis Raceway Park, both of which Unser won, with the car now in 4WD specification. He also raced it in the twin races at Mont-Tremblant two weeks later, but crashed in the second race and severely damaged the rear suspension. Unser raced it several more times that season. The team was transferred to Parnelli Jones and Vel Miletich's Vel's Parnelli Jones Ford team (Torrance, CA) for 1969, including both Unser and Bignotti, and this car was Bud Tingelstad's #15 drive at the 1969 Indy 500. It was then raced by Jim Malloy and Unser later that season, but its exact usage in 1969 is still to be resolved. In 1970, it was retained by the team, modified along the lines of Bignotti's new Colts, and was raced by Unser on road courses, winning at Indianapolis Raceway Park in July. For 1971, it was sold to Agajanian Faas Racers, and raced as the team's #98 entry by Sammy Sessions. When Agajanian and partner Leonard Faas separated, Faas kept the car and it became his #11 King O'Lawn Special later that season. In 1978, it was sold to Milt Jenson, and in 2000 he sold it to Michael & Danna Huntley-Lashmett. They sold it to Harvey Cluxton in 2002, and it was then sold to a Nevada car museum which closed in 2007. It was then sold to Bill "Speedy" Smith for his Speedway Motors Museum in Lincoln, NE.
38. Vollstedt 67 ['B'] (George Follmer): New for 1967 and run by Vollstedt Enterprises as the #21 Bryant Heating & Cooling Spl in 1967 and 1968 with a 255 ci Ford quad cam engine. Driven by Jim Clark as the #21 Sperex entry at Riverside in November 1967. Acquired a turbo engine in late 1968 and continued to run as the #21 Bryant Heating & Cooling Spl in 1969 and then as Vollstedt Enterprises' #21 car in 1970 and 1971. Raced by Gordon Johncock as the #7 on some occasions in 1971, and last seen with the team at Phoenix in November 1971 when it was raced by Wally Dallenbach. Sold to Art Sugai (Ontario, OR) and entered at Phoenix in November 1972 as the #17 East Side Special for Kenny Hamilton, but he slid into guard rail during practice and the car was heavily damaged. The remains went to local car builders Tom Fox and Ron Yurich in 1976 who intended to use it to build a Super Modified but it remained with them, still unrepaired, until 2007 when purchased from Yurich's son John by Michael McKinney (Kennewick WA) together with friends Ron Hjaltalin and Marc Prentice. The car was restored over the next few years and was run at Indianapolis in May 2011.
39. Lola T152 2WD [SL150/3?] (John Martin): New to Roger Penske, in December 1968 according to Lola records, although it has been claimed that Penske's car was a rebuild of a car that raced some time in 1968. The car would be driven by Mark Donohue, who was also driving Penske's Lola T70 in sports car racing, and both Lolas used Chevrolet engines. The T150 did not run at the Indy 500, where Donohue used a brand new T152 instead, and was a non-starter at IRP in July. Donohue was seventh and fourth in two races at Brainerd in September, but retired at Seattle and Riverside. The car was fitted with a turbo Ford for testing at the start of 1970, but used a Chevrolet engine when raced at Sears Point and IRP. Sold to Dick Simon for 1971, and raced with a turbo Ford engine as the #10 TraveLodge Sleeper entry. Also used at Milwaukee in August 1972, when Simon focused on his new 1972 Peat-Lola, and possibly at other short track events. The car reappeared in 1976 when Greg Hodges (Indianapolis, IN) attempted to qualify it for several short-track Indycar races, without success. The car then had a Chevrolet engine, and still had the bulbous sidetanks seen when Simon had raced it in 1971. Subsequent history unknown, but some time around 1982 the car was in the collection of Dieter Holterbosch (Cove Neck, NY), a well-known collector of cars who died in July 2016 age 95. It was for sale from the collection at the time for $12,000.
40. Watson 64 (John Cannon): Built new by AJ Watson for Rodger Ward to race in 1964 for the Leader Card team as the #2 Kaiser Aluminum entry. Fitted with a Ford V8. Finished second at Indy that year and had two other second places later in the season. Taken by Leader Card to Indy again in 1965 as the #15 backup and used in practice by Jud Larson but wrecked and did not start. Brought back out later in the 1965 season for Bob Mathouser, and again for the same driver once at the start of 1966. Sold to Norm Hall over the 1966/67 close season who linked up with Barney Navarro to use the 199 ci 6-cylinder AMC Rambler turbo engine that Navarro had been developing. Appeared from 1967 to 1972 but, as a general rule, failed to qualify or failed to start. It appeared at Rafaela 1971 - only its fourth actual race start - driven by Dave Strickland and in practice at Indy that year by Les Scott. Jigger Sirois made another unsuccessful attempt to qualify the #50 Navarro-Rambler at the 1972 Indy 500. It was later acquired from Navarro by Rodger Ward and restored to its 1964 specification in the late 1980s. Subsequent history unknown until part of a display of Indycars at Monterey in August 2007 when it was owned by Tom Malloy and said to be "s/n 001" and then at Fontana in March 2008 alongside the Branson sister car.
41. Vollstedt 67 ['B'] (Denny Zimmerman): New for 1967 and run by Vollstedt Enterprises as the #21 Bryant Heating & Cooling Spl in 1967 and 1968 with a 255 ci Ford quad cam engine. Driven by Jim Clark as the #21 Sperex entry at Riverside in November 1967. Acquired a turbo engine in late 1968 and continued to run as the #21 Bryant Heating & Cooling Spl in 1969 and then as Vollstedt Enterprises' #21 car in 1970 and 1971. Raced by Gordon Johncock as the #7 on some occasions in 1971, and last seen with the team at Phoenix in November 1971 when it was raced by Wally Dallenbach. Sold to Art Sugai (Ontario, OR) and entered at Phoenix in November 1972 as the #17 East Side Special for Kenny Hamilton, but he slid into guard rail during practice and the car was heavily damaged. The remains went to local car builders Tom Fox and Ron Yurich in 1976 who intended to use it to build a Super Modified but it remained with them, still unrepaired, until 2007 when purchased from Yurich's son John by Michael McKinney (Kennewick WA) together with friends Ron Hjaltalin and Marc Prentice. The car was restored over the next few years and was run at Indianapolis in May 2011.
42. Eisert 69 (Ronnie Bucknum): New to Marvin Webster's Webster Racing and fitted with Webster's 319 ci stock block Ford V8 engine for Jim Malloy to drive in the California 200 at Hanford Motor Speedway in April 1969. It was later raced by Jerry Grant at Continental Divide, Indianapolis Raceway Park, Seattle and Riverside later that year. He also drove it at Phoenix in November but was too slow to qualify. Kevin Bartlett drove it at Sears Point in April 1970, then failed to qualify at the Indy 500, and later drove it at Continental Divide in June. Rob Grable raced it at IRP in July, after which it was not seen for over a year until Lothar Motschenbacher raced it at Seattle in August 1971, when it was still black with a red stripe, as it had been since new. Ronnie Bucknum tried it briefly in practice at Ontario, and then Johnny Parsons Jr crashed it while trying to qualify at Phoenix. Its last known appearance was when Don Brown drove it at Ontario in 1972, but again no attempt was made to qualify. It was then stored by Webster until 1987, when he sold it to Tom Armstrong (Bellevue, WA) who restored it and used it in US historic racing. It was offered for sale from 'the Tom Armstrong Collection' by Bonhams in August 2012.
43. McLaren M16A [3] (Denis Hulme): McLaren Cars at the 1971 Indy 500 for Denny Hulme (#85). Raced by Gordon Johncock at Pocono 500 1971. Believed to have been sold to George Walther for his son David "Salt" Walther after the 1972 season and, as far as can be determined, this is the car that Walther was racing when he had his huge accident at the 1973 Indy 500. The wrecked car was kept by Walther, reputedly in his living room, but was sold to the Henry Ford Museum in 2012 to be part of an exhibit on racing safety.
44. Lola T152 2WD [SL150/3?] (Dick Simon): New to Roger Penske, in December 1968 according to Lola records, although it has been claimed that Penske's car was a rebuild of a car that raced some time in 1968. The car would be driven by Mark Donohue, who was also driving Penske's Lola T70 in sports car racing, and both Lolas used Chevrolet engines. The T150 did not run at the Indy 500, where Donohue used a brand new T152 instead, and was a non-starter at IRP in July. Donohue was seventh and fourth in two races at Brainerd in September, but retired at Seattle and Riverside. The car was fitted with a turbo Ford for testing at the start of 1970, but used a Chevrolet engine when raced at Sears Point and IRP. Sold to Dick Simon for 1971, and raced with a turbo Ford engine as the #10 TraveLodge Sleeper entry. Also used at Milwaukee in August 1972, when Simon focused on his new 1972 Peat-Lola, and possibly at other short track events. The car reappeared in 1976 when Greg Hodges (Indianapolis, IN) attempted to qualify it for several short-track Indycar races, without success. The car then had a Chevrolet engine, and still had the bulbous sidetanks seen when Simon had raced it in 1971. Subsequent history unknown, but some time around 1982 the car was in the collection of Dieter Holterbosch (Cove Neck, NY), a well-known collector of cars who died in July 2016 age 95. It was for sale from the collection at the time for $12,000.
45. Lola T153 2WD [SL153/6] (TBA): New to Roger Penske, and raced by Mark Donohue at the 1970 Indy 500 as the #66 Sunoco entry, finishing second, and at Ontario in September, where Donohue was an early retirement. Raced by Donohue at Phoenix and Trenton in early 1971 and then qualified by David Hobbs for the Indy 500, but crashed in the race. The "demolished" car was bought from Penske by Leonard Faas, who wanted the Ford engine to fit in a Lola T150 he had bought from The Vel's Parnelli team. The T153 was repaired and entered in the Ontario 500-mile race by Agajanian-Faas as #97 for John Martin to drive, but he was bumped from the grid after initially qualifying. Faas then entered the Lola as #112 at Phoenix in October, where Martin was too slow to qualify. It remained with Faas until sold to Chuck Haines in 1985. To John Darlington in June 2003, and restored. It ran in a demo at the Indy 500 in 2004, and at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later that year.
46. Vollstedt 66 [8] (Denny Zimmerman): Built for 1966 and raced by Billy Foster as the #27 Jim Robbins entry. Retained for 1967 and intended to be raced by Lucien Bianchi in 1967 but borrowed by Mario Andretti for the opening race of the 1967 season, only to crash it in practice. Bianchi was later bumped at the Indy 500. Raced by Jim Malloy for the rest of 1967 and for occasional races in 1968 and 1969. To Frank J Fiore's Fiore Racing Enterprises for 1970 and raced as the #43 by Bob DeJong and then in 1971 by Denny Zimmerman. Later entered by Fiore as the #43 again for Al Loquasto in 1972, Jerry Karl and Bob Harkey in 1973, and Karl Busson in 1974. Later sold by Fiore and the car passed through several collectors until purchased by the Fiore family in 2001. Fiore died in 2007 but his son Frank Fiore Jr (Dallastown, PA) continued with the car's long-term restoration. The car appeared in public for the first time in 45 years at the Vintage Celebration at Pocono Raceway in August 2017.
47. Vollstedt 67 ['A'] (TBA): New for 1967 and run by Vollstedt Enterprises as the #17 Bryant Heating & Cooling Spl in 1967 and 1968 with a 255 ci Ford quad cam engine. Appeared at Indy in 1969, now with a turbo Ford but still as the #17 Bryant Heating & Cooling Spl. Dick Simon raced this car for the Vollstedt team at a few races late 1969 as the All Seasons Sports car and then acquired the car, which became his #44 entry in 1970 and then his #44 TraveLodge Sleeper backup in 1971. Retained as part of Simon's stable until the end of 1975 when it was sold to Art Sugai (Ontario, OR) and became his #90 Eastside Café entry for Frank Weiss in 1976. Sold in 1978 to Tom Black (Portland, OR) and Bob Ames and restored by them as the #21 ex-Jim Clark car after being incorrectly identified as that car by Rolla Vollstedt. Then to Don Mack and Hank Albers in 1979 and sold a year later via Eoin Young to Peter Briggs and put on display in his York Motor Museum in Western Australia. Offered for sale by Bonhams at Quail Lodge in August 2009 at which point it was correctly identified as the #17 car. Sold to Greg Smith in 2010.
48. Watson 64 (Les Scott): Built new by AJ Watson for Rodger Ward to race in 1964 for the Leader Card team as the #2 Kaiser Aluminum entry. Fitted with a Ford V8. Finished second at Indy that year and had two other second places later in the season. Taken by Leader Card to Indy again in 1965 as the #15 backup and used in practice by Jud Larson but wrecked and did not start. Brought back out later in the 1965 season for Bob Mathouser, and again for the same driver once at the start of 1966. Sold to Norm Hall over the 1966/67 close season who linked up with Barney Navarro to use the 199 ci 6-cylinder AMC Rambler turbo engine that Navarro had been developing. Appeared from 1967 to 1972 but, as a general rule, failed to qualify or failed to start. It appeared at Rafaela 1971 - only its fourth actual race start - driven by Dave Strickland and in practice at Indy that year by Les Scott. Jigger Sirois made another unsuccessful attempt to qualify the #50 Navarro-Rambler at the 1972 Indy 500. It was later acquired from Navarro by Rodger Ward and restored to its 1964 specification in the late 1980s. Subsequent history unknown until part of a display of Indycars at Monterey in August 2007 when it was owned by Tom Malloy and said to be "s/n 001" and then at Fontana in March 2008 alongside the Branson sister car.
49. Scorpion 70 ['1'] (Jimmy Caruthers): Clint Brawner's original Scorpion was driven by Roger McCluskey at Indy in 1970 and was the #64 backup car for Art Pollard at the 1971 Indy 500 (Hungness 1971). In between these races, it is hard to speculate to its history as Brawner had a second Scorpion for Pollard to drive alongside McCluskey at the 1970 California 500 and then Pollard wrecked a Scorpion at Phoenix at the start of 1971. Jimmy Caruthers had driven the #64 car in practice for the 1971 Indy 500 and it is presumed that this is the same car he ran as the #64 second car at Milwaukee and Pocono.
50. Gerhardt 65 (Jigger Sirois): Ernest L. Ruiz (Modesto, CA) bought a new Gerhardt for 1965 and ran it as the #65 Travelon Trailer car. It was fitted with a 252 ci Offenhauser engine and Ernie Ruiz continued to run it in this form until 1971, although it may well have acquired a turbocharger by the end of this period. Dennis Johansen recalls the car being very heavily damaged at Phoenix in March 1970 when Johnny Anderson triggered a six-car accident while trying to avoid a spinning Nick Dioguardi. However, the car seen in pictures on track at the Speedway in the 1971 Hungness Yearbook appears to be a pre-66 car, so it must have survived. Unknown after Indianapolis May 1971 until June 2015, when a car restored in the #65 Travelon Trailer livery was on display at Brands Hatch's American SpeedFest III. This car then run by Robin Ward at the Goodwood Festival of Speed a month later.
51. Eisert 69 (Lothar Motschenbacher): New to Marvin Webster's Webster Racing and fitted with Webster's 319 ci stock block Ford V8 engine for Jim Malloy to drive in the California 200 at Hanford Motor Speedway in April 1969. It was later raced by Jerry Grant at Continental Divide, Indianapolis Raceway Park, Seattle and Riverside later that year. He also drove it at Phoenix in November but was too slow to qualify. Kevin Bartlett drove it at Sears Point in April 1970, then failed to qualify at the Indy 500, and later drove it at Continental Divide in June. Rob Grable raced it at IRP in July, after which it was not seen for over a year until Lothar Motschenbacher raced it at Seattle in August 1971, when it was still black with a red stripe, as it had been since new. Ronnie Bucknum tried it briefly in practice at Ontario, and then Johnny Parsons Jr crashed it while trying to qualify at Phoenix. Its last known appearance was when Don Brown drove it at Ontario in 1972, but again no attempt was made to qualify. It was then stored by Webster until 1987, when he sold it to Tom Armstrong (Bellevue, WA) who restored it and used it in US historic racing. It was offered for sale from 'the Tom Armstrong Collection' by Bonhams in August 2012.
52. Morris Marauder (71) (David "Salt" Walther): According to Bob Sawicki who talked with Jeff Walther at the Walther Auction, the Walthers bought a car from George Morris for the 1970 season, and then had two more built for the 1971 season. The main 1971 car was the #77 entry at the 1971 Indy 500 and it is assumed that this car was used for the rest of 1971 and in early 1972. This car, still unrestored and carrying USAC tag "#C-71 177", was sold at auction at Auburn in June 2012 to Doug Winslow (Cleveland, OH). Sold in July 2015 to Mark Klingerman (Bourbon, IN) and Gary Berkey (Warsaw, IN). Restored and appeared at the Historic Indycar Exhibition in May 2016 and in May 2017.
53. Eagle 68 [403] (Jerry Grant): Jerry Grant drove for Tom Friedkin (Houston, TX) at Indy from 1967 to 1969, getting new Eagles in 1967 and 1968. Having driven for Marvin Webster for much of 1969, Grant returned to the 1968 ex-Friedkin Eagle for 1970, when he qualified it at Indy in Nelson Iron Works colours, with John Gorman and Gary Duff (both from Seattle) as his mechanics. Grant set up his own team for 1971, Jerry Grant Racing Enterprises, with the 1968 Eagle and again employing Gorman and Duff. He entered the car for the 1971 Indy 500 as the #78 Farrell's Ice Cream car, but it was driven by Sam Posey after Grant was employed by Shelby-Dowd to race a newer Eagle. Posey qualified but was later bumped. It was used by Jerry Grant a few times later in 1971, including at the USAC Road Racing event at Seattle. It then joined Marv Webster's stable and was still with him in 1973, awaiting a rebuild. Subsequent history unknown, but according to Chris Wilke, scion of the Leader Cards family, this was chassis 403 and has now been restored as Bobby Unser's Indy 500 winner and is the car on display in the Unser Racing Museum (Albuquerque, NM). The car still carries its original '403' chassis plate. This may be the yellow 1968 Indy Eagle that Joe Baird (Shelbyville, Indiana) acquired from Bob LaWarre in Florida as part of a package of cars in the 1990s. Baird sold the Eagle to Al Unser.
54. Watson 68? (TBA): A new Watson built with a turbocharged Offy engine for 1968 and entered as the #90 Leader Card Racers car for Mike Mosley. The team also had their older 1967 Ford-engined car during 1968 and this also ran as the #90 on road courses. The 1968 car was also driven by Mario Andretti at Langhorne in July 1968 after the Italian's car blew a rod during his practice run. Retained into 1969 but Mosley also had a new 1969 Watson during practice for the Indy 500, eventually racing the newer car. Bob Veith was given the chance to qualify the 1968 car but crashed. The 1968 car was then entered as #91 later in the season for George Snider and once for Johnny Rutherford. It was Mosley's car at Riverside in November. After 1969, the two monocoque Watsons were rarely seen, the '68 car only appearing for Mosley at Milwaukee in August 1970, for Snider at Trenton in October, and finally for Bill Puterbaugh at Pocono in 1971. History then unknown until it was found in very dilapidated condition in an old barn in Manteca, California by Toney Edwards (Greenwood, Indiana) some time around 2018.
55. Finley 69 (Bentley Warren): The Finley-Offy TC used by Bentley Warren, Carl Williams, Bob Harkey and Johnny Parsons in 1971 and 1972 is a puzzle. Bill Finley had run Huffakers for Tassi Vatis in 1966, 1967 and 1968 before producing a pair of 'Valvoline Wedge' cars in 1969. These cars were described as new (Autoweek 31 May 1969 p23) but the tube frame construction and 'hydroelastic' suspension paralleled the 64 Huffakers. In 1970, a single 'Finley' had been entered for Warren with a 1966 Eagle appearing as a second car at Indy for Sam Posey. This Eagle continues as a Vatis entry in 1971, suggesting the single 'Finley' is still descended from the 1969 cars. More research is required.
56. Gerhardt 68 (Bob Harkey): A new 1968 Gerhardt built for Mel Kenyon after his City of Lebanon 1967 Gerhardt was wrecked at Milwaukee in June 1968. This car had the same overall shape as the early-season 1968 cars but had outboard front suspension. Entered as the #15 in 1968, becoming #9 Krohne Grain Transport Spl at the 1969 Indy 500 where Kenyon finished in a fine fourth place. Driven by Sonny Ates as the #59 at Trenton later that year and by Kenyon at both Milwaukee races. This car then became Joseph B. Hunt's #99 'Joe Hunt Magneto Spl' from the start of 1970. Denny Zimmerman failed to qualify it for the 1970 Indy 500 but Bob Harkey put it in the 1971 Indy 500. It was then replaced by an ex-Bettenhausen 1968 Gerhardt, but may have continued in use as a short track car. Hunt died in June 1985, and about a year later both Gerhardts were sold by his widow Mary to Jack Thompson (Doylestown, PA).
57. Eagle 68 [401] (John Mahler): Sold new to Lindsey Hopkins for Roger McCluskey to drive in 1968 as the #8 G. C. Murphy entry. McCluskey also drove Hopkins' older 1967 Eagle during the season and the '68 car was mainly used for road courses. McCluskey moved to AJ Foyt's team for 1969 and the activities of the Eagle for most of that season are unknown. It was raced by Wally Dallenbach as Hopkins' #22 Sprite entry at the Riverside 300 in December 1969, but was not retained as part of the Hopkins stable after that. John Mahler (Bettendorf, IA) acquired the car, and it was his #100 Eagle-Chev in 1970 and early 1971 before he acquired a McLaren M15A. He retained the Eagle as a backup for 1972, racing it at Trenton in April, and it was taken by Mahler to the 1972 Indy 500 as a backup. It was later the #34 rear-engined car used by Mahler in a Sprint Car race at Winchester Speedway (Indiana) in July 1973, and was raced by Gary Bettenhausen at Winchester in October 1973. Its next owner was Tom Brewer (Roanoke, IN) during whose ownership it is said to have raced at Winchester and Salem (Indiana). Later from Brewer to Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) some time before 1998, but it is possible the car went via Robert Ames (Tigard, OR). Restored for Chuck by Walter Goodwin and appeared at the 1998 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Sources

Note that the identification of individual cars in these results is based on the material presented elsewhere in this site and may in some cases contradict the organisers' published results.

The foundation for this research is the work done by the late Phil Harms collating the results of all AAA, USAC and CART races, including the period covered here. His data was refined by Michael Ferner who added more information before making it available to OldRacingCars.com. Since the start of the USAC project on OldRacingCars.com in 2004, a wealth of further information has been gleaned from the Carl Hungness and Donald Davidson Yearbooks, Formula and On Track magazines, USAC News, National Speed Sport News and other published sources. Gerry Measures has also provided much information from his files as have others on TNF and Trackforum. Since 2009, the work of Simmo Iskül and others identifying cars from period photographs has has moved this research forward significantly.

All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome. Please email Allen (allen@oldracingcars.com) if you can help in any way with our research.