OldRacingCars.com

Rex Mays Classic

Milwaukee Mile, 10 Jun 1973

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Bobby Unser Eagle 73 [7304?] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#8 Olsonite [AAR] (see note 1)
150 1h 18m 58.610s
2 Roger McCluskey McLaren M16A [2] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#3 Hopkins Buick [Lindsey Hopkins]
(see note 2)
150 Finished
3 Gary Bettenhausen McLaren M16C [3] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#5 Sunoco DX [Roger Penske] (see note 3)
150 Finished
4 Wally Dallenbach Eagle 72 [7219] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#40 STP Oil Treatment [Patrick Racing]
(see note 4)
149 Flagged
5 Johnny Rutherford McLaren M16C [5] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#7 Gulf [McLaren Cars] (see note 5)
148 Flagged
6 Lee Kunzman Eagle 72 [7215] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#16 Ayr-Way Lloyds [Lindsey Hopkins/Duane Glasgow]
(see note 6)
146 Flagged
7 Joe Leonard Parnelli VPJ-2 - Offy 159 ci turbo
#1 Samsonite [Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing]
145 Flagged
8 Mario Andretti Parnelli VPJ-2 [102?] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#11 Viceroy [Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing]
145 Flagged
9 Al Unser Parnelli VPJ-2 [101?] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#4 Viceroy [Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing]
144 Flagged
10 Mike Hiss Eagle 72 [7209] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#6 Thermo King Air Cond [Don Gerhardt]
(see note 7)
144 Flagged
11 Jim McElreath Eagle 72 [7226] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#34 Norris Industries [Champ Carr Ent.]
(see note 8)
143 Flagged
12 Jimmy Caruthers Eagle 72 - Offy 159 ci turbo
#21 Cobre Firestone [Robert L. 'Bob' Fletcher]
(see note 9)
141 Flagged
13 John Martin McLaren M16B [3] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#89 Unsponsored [John Martin] (see note 10)
132 Flagged
14 Tom Bigelow Kingfish 72 ['2'] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#58 Midwest Mfg Dura-Pot [Carl Gehlhausen/Jim Masson]
(see note 11)
126 Flagged
15 Lee Brayton Coyote 72 ['72-1'] - Foyt-Ford 159 ci quad cam turbo V8
#61 Eisenhour-Brayton (see note 12)
121 Fuel leak
16 Steve Krisiloff Kingfish 73 ['2'] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#24 The Bean Machine [Grant King Racers]
(see note 13)
118 Lost oil pressure
17 Dick Simon Eagle 72 [7212] - Foyt-Ford 159 ci quad cam turbo V8
#44 Travelodge [Dick Simon] (see note 14)
101 Turbocharger
18 Gordon Johncock Eagle 72 [7217] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#20 STP Double Oil Filter [Patrick Racing]
(see note 15)
83 Magneto
19 John Hubbard Mongoose 71 - Ford 159 ci quad cam turbo V8
#51 Minnesota Serendipity [Pat O'Reilly]
(see note 16)
54 Oil leak
20 Crockey Peterson Kingfish 70 or 71 - Offy 159 ci turbo
#38 Dr. Pepper [Crockey Peterson]
(see note 17)
13 Overheated
21 Lloyd Ruby Eagle 72 [7224] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#18 Commander Motor Homes [Mike Slater]
(see note 18)
12 Fuel injector
22 Billy Vukovich Eagle 72 [7204?] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#2 Sugaripe Prune [Jerry O'Connell/Jud Phillips]
(see note 19)
11 Broken water hose
23 Jerry Karl Vollstedt 66 [8] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#43 Fiore Racing [Frank J. Fiore]
(see note 20)
11 Engine
24 Mike Mosley Eagle 72 [7221] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#98 Lodestar [Agajanian/Leader Card]
(see note 21)
3 Cracked manifold
Qualifying
1 Bobby Unser Eagle 73 [7304?] - Offy 159 ci turbo
2 Roger McCluskey McLaren M16A [2] - Offy 159 ci turbo
3 Gary Bettenhausen McLaren M16C [3] - Offy 159 ci turbo
4 Gordon Johncock Eagle 72 [7217] - Offy 159 ci turbo
4 Wally Dallenbach Eagle 72 [7219] - Offy 159 ci turbo
6 Lee Kunzman Eagle 72 [7215] - Offy 159 ci turbo
7 Steve Krisiloff Kingfish 73 ['2'] - Offy 159 ci turbo
8 Johnny Rutherford McLaren M16C [5] - Offy 159 ci turbo
9 Billy Vukovich Eagle 72 [7204?] - Offy 159 ci turbo
10 Mike Hiss Eagle 72 [7209] - Offy 159 ci turbo
11 Mario Andretti Parnelli VPJ-2 [102?] - Offy 159 ci turbo
12 Al Unser Parnelli VPJ-2 [101?] - Offy 159 ci turbo
13 Jim McElreath Eagle 72 [7226] - Offy 159 ci turbo
14 Dick Simon Eagle 72 [7212] - Foyt-Ford 159 ci quad cam turbo V8
15 Joe Leonard Parnelli VPJ-2 - Offy 159 ci turbo
16 Mike Mosley Eagle 72 [7221] - Offy 159 ci turbo
17 Jimmy Caruthers Eagle 72 - Offy 159 ci turbo
18 John Martin McLaren M16B [3] - Offy 159 ci turbo
19 Tom Bigelow Kingfish 72 ['2'] - Offy 159 ci turbo
20 Lee Brayton Coyote 72 ['72-1'] - Foyt-Ford 159 ci quad cam turbo V8
21 Crockey Peterson Kingfish 70 or 71 - Offy 159 ci turbo
22 Jerry Karl Vollstedt 66 [8] - Offy 159 ci turbo
23 John Hubbard Mongoose 71 - Ford 159 ci quad cam turbo V8
24 Lloyd Ruby Eagle 72 [7224] - Offy 159 ci turbo

Notes on the cars:

  1. Eagle 73 [7304?] (Bobby Unser): New for Bobby Unser at the 1973 Indy 500, as AAR's #8 Olsonite entry. Unser qualified second but retired at mid-distance. He then drove the same car at Milwaukee in June, winning from pole position. The car Jerry Grant had raced at the Indy 500 was sold to Patrick Racing, leaving Unser with 7302 and the new 7304. Exactly how these cars were used in 1973 is still being resolved but, for now, it is assumed that 7302 was the car he heavily damaged at Milwaukee in August, leaving him with just chassis 7304 to the end of the season. In the final race, at Phoenix in November, Unser destroyed his car in a massive accident. Autosport reported that this car was repaired and sold to the VPJ team, but photogarphs show that VPJ had new 1974 cars from the start of the season, so it seems likely that 7304 ended its life at Phoenix.
  2. McLaren M16A [2] (Roger McCluskey): 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.
  3. McLaren M16C [3] (Gary Bettenhausen): To Roger Penske for Gary Bettenhausen to drive during the 1973 season as the #5 Sunoco DX car, and used by him at all races that season. Entered for Mike Hiss as the #68 Norton Spirit entry at Indianapolis and Michigan in 1974. Then the #16 CAM2 Motor Oil entry for Bobby Allison at four long-track races in 1975. Then raced by Mario Andretti for Penske as the #6 in 1976 at the Indy 500 and Pocono. Sold to Bill Simpson later in 1976 (still as #6) together with M16C/4. It then became part of Teddy Yip's Theodore Racing team in 1977 as their #39 but was crashed very heavily by Clay Regazzoni in Indy practice. The wrecked car was cubed by Yip.
  4. Eagle 72 [7219] (Wally Dallenbach): New to Patrick Racing for 1973 and identified as their #60 STP entry at the 1973 Indy 500 for Graham McRae. Then became Wally Dallenbach's #40 car after the Indy 500, winning at Milwaukee and Ontario. Sold to Richard Beith (Danville, CA) for 1974 and entered as the #18 American Kids Racer car for Steve Krisiloff and Bill Simpson. Returned in 1975 for George Follmer, now as the #28, but only at Ontario and Indy. Leased from Beith by Warner Hodgdon (San Bernardino, CA) for 1976 and raced by Billy Scott at the Indy 500 before returning to Beith for three more seasons, appearing mainly at the 500-mile races at Ontario and Indianapolis. Retained by Beith until sold to Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) in October 2005. Haines advertised it in early 2006 still in Beith's American Kids livery. Bought from Haines by Aaron Lewis (Cessnock, NSW, Australia) in September 2008 and restored for him by Walter Goodwin between 2008 and 2011 to McRae's 1973 livery. Ran at the vintage demonstration at the Indy 500 in 2011 and 2012 and then on display at the Riverside International Automotive Museum. Sold at the RM Auctions sale at Monterey in August 2014 to Milton Verret (Austin, TX), but bought back by Lewis in 2018. Sold to Carlos de Quesada (Tampa, FL) at Indy in May 2019.
  5. McLaren M16C [5] (Johnny Rutherford): New for McLaren Cars to be driven by Johnny Rutherford as the #7 Gulf entry in 1973. He used this car at the Indy 500 but may have used M16C/2 (or even M16C/4) at other races that season. Raced again by Rutherford in 1974 as the #3 car, winning the Indy 500, but he used another M16C at short track events that year. This car then became Rutherford's short-track car in 1975 and 1976. Sold to George Walther to be Salt Walther #33 backup car at Indy in 1977 but how it was used that season is unknown. Entered by Walther at the 1978 Indy 500 as the #34 for Graham McRae but he was bumped. Sold by Walther to Rick Carroll (Jensen Beach, FL) and restored. Sold by Carroll's estate in 1990 via Sotherby's Palm Springs Auction for $495,000 to Patrick S. Ryan (Montgomery, AL). Loaned by Ryan to the IMS Museum but also attended various concours events while owned by Ryan. Repainted by Paintergeek Paintworks (Indianapolis, IN) in May 2013. Sold by Ryan through RM Auctions at Monterey in August 2013 for $3,250,000 to web entrepreneur Bill Oesterle (Indianapolis, IN).
  6. Eagle 72 [7215] (Lee Kunzman): Acquired by the Lindsey Hopkins team at some point late in 1972. It is not yet clear where Lee Kunzman first raced this car for Hopkins, as his #10 car in 1972 was a 1970 Eagle, and only photographs will show exactly where each car was used. The 1972 Eagle was Hopkins' #16 Ayr-Way Lloyds entry for Kunzman, and then became the #16 US Air Force entry for Bentley Warren later that season. It became the #42 Hopkins Buick entry for Jerry Karl to race in 1974. It was wrecked by Karl at the Indy 500, and team crew Duane Glasgow rebuilt it using the 7211 tub to run at Pocono and Michigan with Bentley Warren driving again. Warren had a tyre blow at Michigan in July, hit the wall and wrecked the 7211 tub. Duane then repaired the 7215 tub and had the car ready for Michigan in September with Mel Kenyon driving, but he hit the second turn wall heavily. Neither tub was repaired for racing again and both were later sold by Glasgow to Fred Fuhr (Hastings, MI) who sold them in 1981 to Bill Wiswedel (Holland, MI). Bill sold 7215 to restorer Walt Goodwin in the early 1990s who sold it to his customer Jim Jaeger for whom he then restored it to 1973 Indy 500 form. Run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 1999. Jaeger retained the car in 2010.
  7. Eagle 72 [7209] (Mike Hiss): New to Don Gerhardt to replace chassis 7206 destroyed in Jim Malloy's fatal accident at the 1972 Indy 500. Raced by Johnny Rutherford as the #18 Thermo King Special entry for the latter half of 1972. Retained for 1973 when Mike Hiss took over as team driver but Gerhardt had also acquired chassis 7216, and 7209 was used mainly on short tracks that year. Jim McElreath took over the Gerhardt drive in 1974 and used both 7209 and 7216 at the 1974 Indy 500, racing 7209. Gary Bettenhausen rejoined Gerhardt for 1975 and raced 7209 at the Indy 500 and at Pocono, with 7216 now being used on short tracks. For 1976, Bettenhausen used 7216 at the Indy 500, and 7209 was allocated to Eddie Miller but he destroyed the car in a heavy accident during practice. The remains sat at a body shop in Fresno, CA for a long time, before they were acquired by John Mueller for parts to aid in his restoration of 7228. He scrapped what he did not need, but part of the footbox together with the chassis plate were sent to Jacques Dresang as a souvenir.
  8. Eagle 72 [7226] (Jim McElreath): According to AAR records, this car was originally sold to Doug Champlin & Fred Carrillo of Champ Carr, Inc. This is believed to be the team's #34 car for Sam Posey but he was bumped. The team then tried to disguise the #34 car as the team's backup #31 entry to allow Posey another try at qualifying, but the deception was spotted by IMS technical supervisor Frank DelRoy and both the #34 and #31 entries were disqualified. Photographs indicate this car was then used as a short track car for Jim McElreath in 1973. Carrillo retained the car during 1974, but it was not seen. In early 1975, it was repainted as Carrillo's "Spirit of Orange Country" entry, but finance could not be found, and it was sold to Alex Morales, who entered it as the #78 Alex Foods car for Jimmy Caruthers. Assumed to be the #78 car for the rest of 1975 and then the #78 Alex Foods second team car for Bobby Olivero in 1976. The team acquired a pair of new Lightnings for 1977 and the Eagle was not seen again. Unknown after November 1976. Nothing more is known until it was sold by Barry Green via Walter Goodwin to Kenneth Hodge (Ocala, FL) in 2004 to be fitted with a complete spare drive train that Ken had acquired from Smokey Yunick's 1973 Chevrolet turbo engine project.
  9. Eagle 72 (Jimmy Caruthers): One of two 1972 Eagles bought by Robert L. 'Bob' Fletcher and chief crew Clint Brawner for Fletcher's new Cobre Firestone team in 1973. This car arrived in time for the race at Texas World Speedway at the start of April so is likely to be chassis 7214. Entered at TWS as the #21 entry for Jimmy Caruthers, and it is assumed that this was the same #21 entered for him at Trenton and at the Indy 500. After Art Pollard's accident in the sister car, this was Fletcher's only remaining 1972 car and it was driven by Caruthers for the rest of 1973, then by Duane "Pancho" Carter at the Indy 500 in 1974. It is likely to be the car raced by Carter later in the season but he might have been allocated one of the team's 1974 Eagles. The car was renumbered #55 for 1975 and entered for Lee Kunzman at Ontario, where he finished third in his heat and fourth in the final. Entered also at the Indy 500 but Kunzman did not qualify. The car was not needed again but remained with the team as a show car. It was photographed in Frosty Acres livery, which cannot be earlier than 1979. Subsequent history unknown.
  10. McLaren M16B [3] (John Martin): McLaren Cars 1972 for Gordy Johncock (#24) and 'wrecked' at Ontario. Repaired and sold to John Martin 1973 (#89) and 1974 and 1975. Wrecked at Milwaukee June 1975 and tub "thrown in dumpster". Rebuilt using a M16A monocoque bought from Lindsey Hopkins, first appearing in this form at Pocono three weeks later, and raced by Martin to the end of 1975. This M16B/A was acquired by Danny Jones and Roy Dickinson in 1976 and rebuilt for the 1977 Indy 500. They were then joined by Bill Freeman Racing, appearing on the 1977 Indy 500 entry list as #30 Caesars Palace entry. Bob Harkey failed to qualify the car at Indy and it was raced by Johnny Parsons Jr later in the 1977 season. To Fred Ruth for 1978 and qualified for the Indy 500 by Jerry Sneva in 1978 as the #30 Smock Material entry. Ruth was joined and at some point as co-owner by Marv Schmidt. Returned again in 1979, entered by Thunder Racing and with Molly Mate sponsorship. It was next seen in 1981 when John Martin qualified at the Indy 500 but was bumped. Cliff Hucul ran it later that year as the #57. Then unknown until 1991 when it was owned by Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) and still in Hucul livery.
  11. Kingfish 72 ['2'] (Tom Bigelow): The second new 1972 Grant King car appeared for the first time at the Indy 500 as the #15 car for Steve Krisiloff. As the other 1972 car was destroyed in Merle Bettenhausen's accident at the 1972 Michigan 200, it would be reasonable to assume this is the 1972 Kingfish acquired by Carl Gehlhausen's Mid-West Manufacturing Dura-pot team. A Racing Pictorial photograph shows that it first appeared as the team's #58 entry at Phoenix in November 1972, but driver Larry Dickson did not start. It was raced as the #58 by Dickson at the start of 1973, and was driven by Johnny Parsons Jr, Arnie Knepper, Tom Bigelow and Tom Sneva later that season. The Gehlhausen team only made a couple of appearances with the Kingfish in 1974, but made a more concerted effort in 1975, with the Kingfish now as the #38 entry, raced initially by Jerry Karl, and then by Al Loquasto, Jerry Sneva and Mike Hiss (who crashed it) in practice for the Indy 500. Spike Gehlhausen, Carl's son, was then given his first chance in the car after the 500 and kept the drive to the end of the season. The Gehlhausens then acquired a McLaren M16 as the #19 Spirit of Indiana entry, and the Kingfish acted as backup until an Eagle was acquired in mid-1977. Subsequent history unknown but at some point the car was repainted with Sta-On Glaze livery, Gehlhausen's 1979 sponsor. By 2008, it was part of a collection of unrestored Indy cars owned by Walter Medlin.
  12. Coyote 72 ['72-1'] (Lee Brayton): Built new for AJ Foyt for the 1972 Indy 500, where he qualified in 17th position on day 2, with the fifth fastest time, but retired early. Foyt was injured at DuQuoin the day after the 500 and did not return until Ontario in September, by which time he was reported to have built a new car. However, later history would suggest this was the same car, but with some updates. He led at Ontario, but retired at all three of the remaining races of the season. The car was sold to Lee Brayton for 1973 as the #61 Diamond Reo entry, with John Gleason as his chief mechanic. Brayton raced the car at TWS and Trenton early in the season, but he was unable to qualify for the Indy 500. After damaging the Coyote at Ontario later in the season, Brayton bought the ex-Gordy Johncock 1972 Eagle from Patrick Racing. The Coyote was rebuilt and retained by Brayton as a backup for 1974, still as the #61, and was qualified for the Indy 500 by Rick Muther. After Brayton damaged his Eagle in practice at the Indy 500, he raced the Coyote one more time at Pocono. The car is reported to have gone to Patrick Racing as a show car and presumably was the Sinmast Special Coyote loaned to an Indianapolis bank in May 1975. However, Brayton had acquired sponsorship from Sinmast, who later sponsored Patrick, so maybe it was actually owned by Sinmast. The car's history is then unknown until it was found in "a Chevrolet dealership in Carmel, a northern Indianapolis suburb, in 1984" by Thomas W. Acker (Largo, FL). Acker displayed the car at a car show in Florida in 1990 still in #20 blue-and-white Patrick livery. It was acquired from Acker by Vonnie Sue Martin for her husband Ron Martin (Bluff City, TN) in 2005 and restored to its 1974 configuration by Walter Goodwin. Martin displayed it at the IMS in 2008 and 2011, after which he sold it to Charles Ungurean (Columbus, OH). Ungurean sold it to Bruce Revennaugh (Marble Falls, TX) in 2014. Displayed by Revennaugh at the Indianapolis Historic Indycar Exhibition in May 2017.
  13. Kingfish 73 ['2'] (Steve Krisiloff): Built by Grant King for the 1973 season and appeared at the Indy 500 that year as the #75 entry for Greg Weld. Weld did not qualify but this car remained red and is therefore the car raced by Steve Krisiloff as the #24 entry on short tracks in 1973. In 1974, this second Kingfish was numbered #26 but only raced twice with that identity, at the Indy 500 with Bentley Warren and at Pocono in the hands of Bob Harkey. It also raced at some other tracks as the #24 but can be distinguished by its unmodified roll hoop. In 1975, the car was raced again at the Indy 500 by Sheldon Kinser, now as the #19 entry. King joined forces with JC Agajanian for 1976 and both 1973 Kingfish were used in the early races, this one as the #98 car for John Martin and later as the #96 for Bob Harkey. The cars reappeared in 1979, fitted with Chevrolet V8 engines and this car took sixth place at Milwaukee driven by Gary Bettenhausen. Its long race career was finally terminated by an accident in practice at Watkins Glen when driven by Tony Bettenhausen II. The car was advertised by racecars.com in 2009. In 2010, it was reported to be in southern California.
  14. Eagle 72 [7212] (Dick Simon): To Dick Simon, fitted with a Foyt-Ford V8 turbo engine and first raced as his #44 Travelodge entry at Phoenix in November 1972, where he was second fastest in Friday practice. Raced by Simon through 1973 and 1974 as the #44, retaining its Travelodge sponsorship until mid-1974. Returned in 1975 with Bruce Cogle Ford backing and in 1976 with Lan Hairpieces and later Robyn CB sponsorship when it was driven by Roger Rager. Not at Indy in 1977 but later in the year it was acquired by Nick Krantz and entered for Phil Threshie, still as the #44 but now with Mr. Golden Sunflower sponsorship. Crashed by Threshie in practice for the 1977 California 500 at Ontario and not seen again.
  15. Eagle 72 [7217] (Gordon Johncock): New to Patrick Racing and raced by Gordy Johncock in 1973 as the #25 Patrick Racing entry early in 1973 and then became the #20 STP Double Oil Filter Special at the Indy 500 when Patrick Racing picked up STP sponsorship. Johncock won the Indy 500 in this car but it was wrecked at Pocono in July when a wheel came off and then damaged again at Milwaukee in August in an incident with Johnny Rutherford while Johncock was leading the race. The Eagle was repaired, sold to Lee Brayton and John Eisenhour, and raced by Brayton at Michigan in September 1973 as the #61 Eisenhour-Brayton car, replacing the team's 1972 Coyote. Retained for 1974 when it was Brayton's #28 car, also driven by Mike Hiss at Ontario. Wrecked by Brayton at Indianapolis during practice on 7 May when Tom Bigelow spun in front of him, and extensively damaged, the Daily Reports noting that the Eagle was "apparently a complete loss". Brayton had to return to the old Coyote for Pocono and it is not clear whether he raced the Coyote again at Michigan later in the year or whether the Eagle had been repaired. Retained by Lee Brayton and undergoing restoration at Walter Goodwin's workshop in May 2010. In June 2010, it appears that this car was placed in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, replacing the mueum's replica of Johncock's 1973 Indy 500 winner. Sold to Bruce McCaw around 2012.
  16. Mongoose 71 (John Hubbard): 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".
  17. Kingfish 70 or 71 (Crockey Peterson): In 1972, Jack Adams' 'Two Jacks' Indy car team had a #38 entry at the Indy 500 for driver Rick Muther. The car was described as being a new car, a "'72 Brabham copy" built by chief mechanic Howard Millican, but later reports say that it was built by Grant King. Whether it had previously been used by the King team is unclear, but photographs of the incomplete car in Millican's workshop in February 1972 suggests not. The car never ran properly, and Muther made no attempt to qualify. The car was later sold to Crockey Peterson (Flat River, MO), and made its first appearance at Phoenix in late 1972, sponsored by Sidney Salomon Jr and his successful St Louis Blues ice hockey franchise, but failed to start. Peterson was a Pepsi-Cola/Dr Pepper bottler and distributor, and acquired backing from the Doctor Pepper Company for 1973, racing his "1972 Brabham" at Trenton in early 1973 as the #38 Dr Pepper entry. Mechanics for this effort were John Mueller and Ron Finley. He entered for the 1973 Indy 500 but was not allowed to take his rookie test, and his final race appearance was at Milwaukee a week later. Peterson retained the car, and in later years it was on display at his restaurant in Branson, MO. After some time in storage, it emerged again in 2015, still in exactly the livery it last appeared on track in 1973. The car was due to be cosmetically restored and displayed in Mark Pieloch's American Muscle Car Museum, being built in Melbourne, FL in 2016.
  18. Eagle 72 [7224] (Lloyd Ruby): Bought by Firestone for Lloyd Ruby and his chief crew Mike Devin to run as part of Gene White Racing in 1973, but Firestone withdrew support from White before the end of 1972. Ruby and Devin were passed initially to Bruce Crower and then to Vel's Parnelli Racing before they were put together with Mike Slater, President of Commander Motor Homes, in time for the 1973 Indy 500. Ruby raced 7224 as the #18 Commander Motor Homes entry in 1973, but wrecked the car at Ontario in September. Devin acquired a new monocoque numbered 7228 and built that up as the team's race car. The 7224 monocoque was repaired and sold with the complete 7228 car to Anastassios "Tassi" Vatis, a Greek shipping tycoon and veteran Indy car owner. The complete 7228 was run by Vatis's faithful chief mechanic Bill Finley for Johnny Parsons Jr in 1975, but for 1976 the team had a "new" car built on an "unused" chassis. As this car carries the 7224 plate today, it must be the rebuilt Ontario chassis. It was raced by Parsons as the #93 Ayr-Way/Vatis entry in 1976, then for 1977, it was heavily modified by Finley, with narrower sidepods, presumably using the 1976-spec 20-gallon fuel tanks, and main radiators repositioned to the rear of the tub. It was again the #93 Vatis entry at the 1977 Indy 500, where Steve Krisiloff crashed on his qualifying run. As far as can be determined, it was Bill Vukovich's #93 Vatis entry in 1978, when he was unable to find enough speed to qualify. John Mahler (Bettendorf, Iowa) then bought the Vatis team and it is believed that 7224 was the #92T car that Mahler raced at the 1979 Indy 500 after his intended #92 race car was bumped. Sold to motorcycle speed record holder Don Vesco (San Diego, CA) and raced at Willow Springs in 1981. Then to Ron Blondel (Ontario, CA), but the car was in pieces during his ownership. To Floyd Sable (Anaheim, CA) in 2003, and restored between 2004 and 2009 to Mahler's 1979 specification. Run at the Indy 500 parades in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Sold to Mick Anderson (New Richmond, Wisconsin) in July 2014.
  19. Eagle 72 [7204?] (Billy Vukovich): One of two 1972 Eagles bought new by Jerry O'Connell's Sugaripe Prune team and raced by Billy Vukovich as the #3 entry in 1972, with Jud Phillips as chief mechanic. As the later history of 7207 is known from an invoice, and as the cars have distinct differences that can be seen in photographs, 7204 can be safely identified as Vukovich's 1972 Indy 500 car, after which it swapped roles with 7207 and became his short track car. It remained his short track car in 1973, and is then believed to have raced just twice in 1974. Sold to Donald Mergard and very probably the car raced by Bob Harkey as Mergard Racing's #42 entry at Michigan late that season. Retained by Mergard for another six seasons, racing as the #42 with numerous drivers and sponsors. In 1981, this car appears to have become Tom Frantz' #71 entry for Bob Frey. Subsequent history unknown.
  20. Vollstedt 66 [8] (Jerry Karl): 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.
  21. Eagle 72 [7221] (Mike Mosley): New to Leader Card Racers in time for the TWS race at the start of 1973. Raced by Mike Mosley as the #98 Leader Card entry. Then taken to the Indy 500 as a backup, renumbered #97, and qualified by Rick Muther. It was then Mosley's short track car, and raced by Muther at Pocono and by Johnny Parsons Jr at Ontario and at the late-season races. Presumably for Parsons again at Ontario in March 1974. Then Mosley's short track car when he wasn't using his new 1974 Eagle. Signs of repairs to the left side of this car allow it to be identified from 1975 onwards. It was raced by George Snider as the #97 at Ontario at the start of 1975, then by Steve Krisiloff in the Indy 500 as the #98 and later in the season as the #98 and then the #10. For 1976, the car was sold to Patrick Santello and was his #65 City of Syracuse or S&M Electric entry that season for Larry Dickson and Lee Kunzman. Then to Gus and Richard Hoffman (Milford, OH) of Hoffman Racing for 1977 and entered for Jerry Grant and later Joe Saldana as the #69. Driven again by Saldana in 1978 and 1979. Also appeared once for Bob Frey in 1980. Reappeared briefly in 1982 when it was entered by George T. Smith's GTS Racing as the #86 Empress Traveler for Al Loquasto. Sold by Smith to Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) who sold it to Bob Colllings (Boston, MA) in April 1985. Retained by Collings and now forms part of the auto collection in The Collings Foundation (Stow, MA).

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.