Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 30 May 1966

Notes on the cars:

1. Lola T90 [SL90/3] (Graham Hill): New to John Mecom's team, fitted with a Ford engine and driven to victory by Graham Hill as Mecom's #24 American Red Ball entry at the 1966 Indy 500. After the Indy 500, it was raced by Larry Dickson at Milwaukee in June and then by Al Unser for most of the rest of the season. Hill drove the car again at Fuji in October. On 15 April 1967 it was bought from Mecom by A.L. Castle (Orange, CA) of Interstate Racer Team for Chuck Hulse to drive at the 1967 Indy 500. On 14 May, the team ran into financial problems and the car was bought by Lindsey Hopkins, with the veteran Hulse still expected to drive. It was wrecked in Hulse's accident on the last lap of the race. For some years the ex-Stewart sister car was thought to be this car, but it is now clear that SL90/3 was scrapped after the accident.
2. Lotus 38 [4] (Jim Clark): Built 1965 (fifth chassis built) from spares with symmetrical suspension and using some parts from the original 38/2. Used by Jim Clark at St Ursanne and Ollon-Villars 1965. For Jim Clark at the 1966 Indy 500 (#19 qualified 2nd, finished second). Sold to AJ Foyt and wrecked in practice at Milwaukee a week later when the suspension on the straight and the car hit the wall and burst into flames. Returned to Lotus in England and rebuilt; returned to Foyt August 1966 but no further results known in 1966. Likely to have been the #84 Lotus 38 used by Foyt in the opening races of 1967 at Phoenix and Trenton. Then used by Gary Congdon at the Indy 500 when he was bumped. With the other Foyt 38s wrecked, this last survivor was the car Foyt raced at Langhorne in July. Several years later, a ‘Coyote’ was raced in F5000 by Crockey Peterson, but photographs show that it was a Lotus 38, and it has been identified as 38/4. Later sold to Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) and then to collector James L. Jaeger (Cincinnati, OH). Run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 1997, 1998 and 2000. On display in the Speedway Museum March 2009. Ran again at Goodwood 2011.
3. Gerhardt 66 (Gordon Johncock): New to Sid Weinberger to be the #72 Weinberger Homes Gerhardt-Ford that Gordon Johncock drives all season, and then the #49 Weinberger Homes Gerhardt-Ford that Norm Brown used in practice at the 1967 Indy 500 before the team's second Eagle was ready. Brown then crashed a #49 Weinberger Homes Gerhardt-Ford at Milwaukee a week later, and again on the opening lap of the IRP race in July. When the team used a Gerhardt later in the season, photographs show that it was a 1967 car. John Fugate worked for the Weinberger team from 1967 to 1970, when he was asked to disband the team and sell the cars. His recollection is that there were then two Gerhardts, one ex-Johncock and the other ex-Sam Sessions, so this car must have been the Johncock car. Both were sold to father and son racers in the US northwest who intended to use them in Supermodified racing. Fugate later heard that one of them was killed in a racing accident and does not believe either Gerhardt was raced. Subsequent history unknown.
4. Gerhardt 65 (Mel Kenyon): Fred Gerhardt's #94 "house" car at the 1965 Indy 500 was driven by George Snider but re-emerged later in the season for Micky Rupp. In August 1965, it was sold (Wallen p320) to Weinberger Homes for Gordon Johncock to replace the team's wrecked roadster. The car had #78 crudely painted on it and won first time out at Milwaukee on 22 August. It is presumably then the #94 car that Johncock drives twice more that season and then in the opening two races of the 1966 season. The #94 with Offy 252 is then seen as a Fred Gerhardt entry at the 1966 Indy 500 with Mel Kenyon at the wheel, the car having presumably returned to Gerhardt in return for a new car for Johncock. Crew member Dennis Johansen confirms that it was the same #94 Gerhardt-Offy that was then raced by Kenyon and Milwaukee in June and by midget racer Tommy Copp, another Fresnan, at Atlanta three weeks later. Copp hit the wall on lap 1 and the car burst into flames. Copp was very badly burnt on his face and hands and Johansen recalls that the car was "trashed". Parts of this car may have survived and been used in the construction of later cars.
5. Lola T90 [SL90/2] (Jackie Stewart): New to John Mecom's team, fitted with a Ford engine and driven by Jackie Stewart as Mecom's #43 Bowes Seal Fast entry at the 1966 Indy 500. After the Indy 500, it was raced by George Snider at Milwaukee in August and by Stewart again at Fuji in October, where he won. Raced by Al Unser at Phoenix and Trenton in early 1967 in American Red Ball livery. Mecom bought two (or three) new Lola T92s for the 1967 Indy 500, and his team did not use a T90 thereafter. The history of SL90/2 is then unknown until approximately 1973, when it was bought from Red LeGrand (Sylmar, Los Angeles, CA) by Phil Henny (Van Nuys, CA). LeGrand told Henny that it had been a Formula A project, but Henny was then visited by Bif Caruso, mechanic on the Chuck Hulse car, who convinced Henny he had the ex-Hill car. Restored by Henny in Hill's livery, and it then passed via Ron Cameron and Leo Gephardt to Dave Uihlein, who sold it to Pat Ryan in 1995. Ryan spoke to Caruso in 1995, who again stated that it was the ex-Hill car that he had retained after Hulse's accident. After further reseach, aided by Walter Goodwin, Ryan correctly concluded that his car was actually the ex-Stewart car, and had it restored by Goodwin in 2017 in Stewart's #43 livery. It was auctioned in this condition in August 2021, and bought by Gary Runyon.
6. Huffaker 64 (Eddie Johnson): The second Kjell Qvale Huffaker at the 1964 Indy 500 for Pedro Rodriguez as the #48 MG Liquid Suspension Spl. Rodriguez crashed the car on 9 May, damaging it severely and putting himself in hospital. The car was repaired and returned to competition as Qvale's #48 Bardahl entry for Jerry Grant #48 Bardahl car at the 1965 Indy 500. He qualified in mid-grid but was an early retirement. This car was then one of two sold to Tassi Vatis but was not raced again in 1965, Vatis driver Arnie Knepper using the sister car that season. It was next seen at the 1966 Indy 500 where it was entered as Vatis team's backup #54 Valvoline entry, which journeyman Eddie Johnson qualified on the back row and took to seventh place as others retired. With lead driver Gary Congdon having wrecked his car at the Speedway, he drove this ex-Grant/Johnson car at Milwaukee, Langhorne and Atlanta while his regular car was repaired. It was then driven by Wally Dallenbach as a second Vatis at Fuji and Phoenix at the end of the 1966 season. Congdon moved to Mickey Thompson's team for 1967, so Dallenbach took over the Valvoline-sponsored Vatis Huffakers. He again drove the team's preferred primary car, and this ex-Grant/Johnson car was entered for veteran Chuck Stevenson to drive at the 1967 Indy 500, but he made no attempt to qualify. As Dallenbach damaged the primary Huffaker during the Indy 500, he drove the ex-Grant/Johnson car for the rest of the 1967 season. For the 1968 season, both cars were signficantly rebuilt and Dallenbach returned again to the team's preferred primary car, leaving this ex-Grant/Johnson car to be entered for Stevenson again at the 1968 Indy 500. After an accident quite early in the month, the veteran decided to retire from racing, and Sammy Sessions was recruited as his replacement. He qualified on the back row but kept going to finish ninth. This car was not seen again until the last few races of the season when Dallenbach raced it at Michigan and Hanford, and then Rick Muther drove it in the final race, at Riverside in December. In 1969, Vatis's chief mechanic Bill Finley again described the team's Indy 500 entries as "new Finley-built Valvoline Specials". Exactly how those 1969 cars relate to the 1964-1968 cars is still to be determined.
7. Huffaker 66 (Bobby Unser): New to Gordon Van Liew's Vita-Fresh Orange Juice team as the #11 entry for Bobby Unser in 1966. Fitted with a 168ci Offy s/c and finished 8th in the Indy 500. Driven later in the season by Larry Dickson, Sammy Sessions and Ronnie Duman.
8. Eagle 66 [202] (Joe Leonard): The #6 AAR entry for Joe Leonard at the 1966 Indy 500 with Yamaha backing and fitted with a 255ci Ford V8. AAR focused on F1 after the Indy 500, so Leonard and the Yamaha-Eagle transferred to AJ Foyt's team for the rest of the 1966 season. The car then passed to Friedkin Racing Enterprises (Costa Mesa, CA), owned by 31-year-old airline boss Tom Friedkin (Rancho Santa Fe, CA), to be its #87 entry in the 1967 Indy 500 for Jochen Rindt, but he was bumped. Photographs show that this was the #42 car raced by Jerry Grant on oval tracks later in the 1967 season. Then entered by Chevrolet dealer Alan Green (Seattle, WA), a regular partner of Friedkin, as the #18 City of Seattle car for Johnny Rutherford to race at the 1968 Indy 500 and at Milwaukee in June, with Jerry Eisert (Newport Beach, CA) now as chief mechanic. Then the Friedkin & Green #69 entry for Jerry Grant to race in two early 1969 events with a Chevrolet engine. Friedkin-Green then entered three cars for the Indy 500, this 1966 Eagle entered as #78 with an experimental turbocharged Chevrolet engine, a new wedge-shaped #96 car built by Eisert, and the 1968 Eagle entered at #69 as a spare. Seattle International Raceway general manager Bill Doner was team manager and Eisert was chief mechanic. Grant focused his efforts on the #78 turbo Eagle during practice but no representative speeds were produced so he skipped to the Vollstedt team and the Friedkin-Green team was wound up after the 500. What happened to the 1966 Eagle remains unclear. Grant joined the team of Marvin Webster (Mill Valley, CA), with Eisert again as chief mechanic, and photographs show that he drove the #76 Webster Eisert-Ford for the rest of the season. Grant continued into 1970 with his own operation, using his rebuilt 1968 Eagle, now sponsored by Nelson Ironworks, indicating that he had inherited at least one Eagle from the Friedkin-Green stable. John Gorman and Gary Duff (of Seattle) were his mechanics. The history of the 1966 Eagle is not known after the 1969 Indy 500.
9. Eagle 66 [203] (Jerry Grant): A customer car sold to John W. Klug (Newport Beach, CA) of Pacesetter Homes, fitted with a 255ci Ford V8 and entered at the 1966 Indy 500 as the #88 Bardahl-Pacesetter Homes Special for Jerry Grant to drive, with Roy Campbell as chief mechanic. Klug's USAC entry form identifies the car as chassis 203. Grant was dropped by AAR's team of Can-Am Lola T70s at the beginning of October 1966, and set up Friedkin Enterprises Racing Division with financial backing from his old friend Tom Friedkin (San Diego, CA), and with ex-AAR mechanics Larry Stellings and Larry Webb. The new operation had two Eagles, Grant's #88 Indy 500 car chassis 203 which Friedkin acquired from Klug and the former Yamaha #6 car of Joe Leonard, and acquired a new Lola T70 which Grant drove at Riverside in October, entered by Alan Green Chevrolet. Grant drove the #88 Eagle at Phoenix in November as a Bardahl entry and this is presumably the #78 Friedkin Enterprises entry for Grant at the 1967 Indy 500 and at road course events later in the season. It was entered by Friedkin Enterprises as the #76 for Jerry Titus at the 1968 Indy 500. No sign has been found of it racing again in 1968, but photographs show that this was the car used in the Universal Pictures film 'Winning', starring Paul Newman and filmed during the summer of 1968, where it appeared as the #42 car of Robert Wagner's character Luther Lou Erding. It was then sold to Jackson oilman Walt Michner for his Michner Petroleum team, and used by driver Johnny Rutherford as a backup to his 1967 Eagle. The 1966 car was fitted with an Offy turbo for 1969 and entered as the #36 Patrick Petroleum car for Rutherford throughout the season. Retained by Michner for Rutherford during the 1970 and 1971 seasons still in partnership with Michner's 1967 Eagle as the #18 entry. The 1966 car was nicknamed "Geraldine" during this time and the 1967 car "Old Shep". Then to Marvin Webster (who had previously owned 'the AAR/Leonard car') and on the entry list at Ontario in 1972 for Don Brown. Next seen in practice at the 1973 Indy 500, entered by Webster as the #76, and later at Ontario in September 1973 where John Cannon raced it. Advertised by Webster in December 1973 with a 1968 Eagle. Unknown until owned by Anthony Seibert (Boulder, CO) in May 1983. Reappeared when sold by Joseph D Lhotka, Trustee, Shawn S Trust (Westminster, CO) to Centennial Import Motor Co (Boulder, CO) in April 1987, and then sold almost immediately to Chuck Haines (Manchester, MO). Retained by Haines until 2005, when sold to Aaron Lewis (Cessnock, NSW, Australia) and restored to Rutherford #36 livery. Run at the Phillip Island Classic 2011 by Lewis, and displayed car at Indianapolis in 2017 and 2018. Sold to Bobby Rahal (Chicago, IL) in October 2018.
10. Eagle 66 (Lloyd Ruby): The #14 AAR entry for Lloyd Ruby at the 1966 Indy 500 with Bardahl backing and fitted with a 255ci Ford V8. Ruby preferred to drive AAR's Lotus 38 for most other races in 1967, and the only other races for the Bardahl Eagle in 1966 were for Jim McElreath at Fuji that October and for Ruby at Phoenix in November. Sold to Weinberger Homes, fitted with a turbo Offy engine and used as the team's #47 entry for Norm Brown at the 1967 Indy 500 but crashed in practice. Raced by Johnny Rutherford on other occasions and thought to be the team's Offy car alongside their original Ford-engined Eagle and their Gerhardt, raced by Rutherford in 1967 and Ronnie Bucknum in 1968. Weinberger bought a new Eagle for 1968, relegating this car further down the order. It appears that this car was used in the Universal Pictures film 'Winning', filmed during the summer of 1968, where it appeared as the #3 car of Paul Newman's character Frank Capua. Photographs indicate that it rejoined the Weinberger team in October, and was the car Ronnie Bucknum used when he won the Michigan Inaugural 250. It remained in the Weinberger stable, and was seen a few times in 1969 and 1970, lastly as Weinberger Homes' unused #49 entry for Charlie Glotzbach at the Indy 500 in 1970. It was then sold to Ludwig Heimrath (Scarborough, Ontario, Canada), and fitted with a Chevrolet V8 engine for Formula 5000 in 1972. He retained it until 1975, when he sold to Don Ludewig (Clarkston, MI), and it remained with Don until it was sold to Peter Dyson (Winnetka, IL) in 2014.
11. Lotus 38 [7] (Al Unser): Built 1966 by Abbey Panels for Team Lotus. For Al Unser at the 1966 Indy 500 (#18 qualified 23rd, crashed in race). Rebuilt on new chassis and retained for 1967. For Jim Clark at the 1967 Indy 500 (#31 qualified 16th, retired). This car, with 38/8, was part of a lawsuit in early 1968 after Chapman sold them to one party after Lotus's American Midwest dealer Jim Spencer had already taken a cheque for them from somebody else. Spencer's client won the case and the two 38s ended up with a doctor in Indianapolis who sold 38/7 to Middleton M. Caruthers (St. Louis, MO). Caruthers entered it for Wib Spalding (Granite City, IL) at Hanford 14 Apr 1969 (DNS, clutch), Langhorne 16 Jun 1969 (DNQ) and Continental Divide 7 Jul 1969 (retired, clutch). Eggers, who was part of the team, heard that was sold to Bill Lough (Winfield, MO). According to Doug Nye, this car passed from Lough to Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) then via dealer Steve Forristall (Houston, TX) to a Japanese collector. Believed retained 2002.
12. Eagle 66 (Roger McCluskey): A customer car sold to Lindsey Hopkins and entered for the 1966 Indy 500 for Roger McCluskey to drive as the #8 G. C. Murphy car. Also raced by McCluskey for the rest of 1966 then McCluskey's backup #72 entry in 1967. Hopkins bought a new 1967 Eagle for McCluskey in 1967 and he used the newer car at the Indy 500, but used the 1966 car at Milwaukee in June, at Mosport Park in July, and at Riverside in November. The 1966 car was also raced Hanford and Phoenix early in 1968 but it was badly damaged at the latter race, and was not seen again until Phoenix in November and Riverside two weeks later, where AJ Foyt relieved McCluskey for part of the race. Wally Dallenbach took over as Hopkins' driver in 1969 and Hopkins' stable of four Eagles was reorganised. The 1966 car was raced by Dallenbach at Phoenix and Hanford at the start of 1969, was his backup at the Indy 500, and was then fitted with a Chevrolet engine for road races at Continental Divide and Indianapolis Raceway Park. After Dallenbach's usual primary car was heavily damaged at Dover Downs, the 1966 car, now nicknamed "Old Clyde", was his usual car in late 1969 and early 1970. He continued with "Old Clyde" during the 1970 season after the team's new Kuzma chassis proved too slow, and was last seen at Phoenix in November 1970. It was then retired but may have remained in Dallenbach's part of the Hopkins operation when Duane Glasgow (Hasting, MI) became his chief mechanic for the 1971 season. Glasgow remained with Hopkins until he retired from the sport in 1974, and he sold the 1966 Eagle and the two newer 1972 Eagles he'd been running to Fred Fuhr (Hastings, MI). Fuhr sold the 1966 car in 1979 to Bob Ames (Portland, OR), who sold it in about 1986 to Wally Dallenbach. Paul Dallenbach drove the car to Indianapolis in 1987 to be restored by Wayne Leary, and an article on the restoration in Open Wheel (December 1989 p66) referred to it as the 1966 McCluskey car. It later spent many years on display in the lobby of Unser Karting (Denver, CO). In late 2018 or early 2019, it was reported that the car had been sold to Chris MacAllister (Indianapolis, IN).
13. Shrike 66 ['1'] (Parnelli Jones): CP&A (16 Apr 1966 p2) details the Parnelli Jones/Agajanian Shrike project mentioning that the first car is nearly complete and will be driven by Parnelli whereas the second car will be driven by Dick Atkins. The cars were built in a part of the Halibrand factory and names Shrikes "in tribute to Ted Halibrand, now out of the car building wars".
14. Lola T90 [SL90/1] (Rodger Ward): New to John Mecom's team, fitted with a supercharged Offy engine and driven by Rodger Ward in early 1966 as the #24 American Red Ball, and then as Mecom's #26 Bryant entry at the 1966 Indy 500. After the Indy 500, SL90/1 was raced by Al Unser at Milwaukee in June with a Ford engine. It was then sold to Joe Lucey for Art Knepper to race at Atlanta three weeks later but was crashed heavily in practice and said to be "beyond salvage". It was repaired in time to be raced by Al Unser at Fuji in October, and then by Peter Revson at Phoenix in November. Revson then raced it for new owner George Walther in early 1967 as his #33 Dayton Disk Brake entry, still with its supercharged Offy engine. Rick Muther took over the entry in July and August 1967, and then Sonny Ates drove it at Trenton in September, only to wreck it in practice. The heavily dented tub was in the George Walther Estate auction in 2002. It was acquired by John Darlington (Carmel, Indiana) and he had it restored to Ward's blue-and-white #26 Bryant livery, after which it appeared regularly at historic events in the US and at Goodwood in the UK.
15. Gerhardt 66 (Carl Williams): New to George Walther of Dayton Steel Foundry, fitted with a 255 ci Ford and entered as the #77 Gerhardt for Carl Williams until it was wrecked in his qualifying crash at Milwaukee in August 1966 and replaced with a new car. The damaged monocoque from Williams' accident was later sold at the George Walther Jr Estate Auction in Walton, OH, in October 2002. In 2010 the car was reported to be in the US being restored.
16. Gerhardt 66 (Jim Hurtubise): A new car built by Fred Gerhardt for Jim Hurtubise to drive as the #56 Gerhardt with supercharged Offy at Indy and thereafter during 1966. Last seen at Phoenix in November 1966. Unknown after November 1966. Bought by Don Lyons (Dowagiac, MI) about 1992 and restored to Hurtubise's orange-and-black 1966 livery. Appeared in a parade of old cars at the 2004 Indy 500. Sold at the Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auctions in August 2009. Unknown since 2009.
17. Hawk I (65) (Mario Andretti): The first Hawk appeared at the 1965 Indianapolis 500 as the #12 Dean Van Lines entry for Mario Andretti. Andretti used this car for seven other races in 1965, and also used it with great success in 1966, taking pole position nine times and winning seven times from ten race starts. The car was rebuilt for the 1967 season along the lines of the new 1967 Hawk but was damaged in practice at Phoenix. It was then Andretti's #64 backup car at the Indy 500, and then became the regular road racing car, being used by Andretti at Mosport Park in July, Mont-Tremblant in August, where it won both races, Hanford in October, Riverside in November, and finally Las Vegas in March 1968. It was entered at Indy again in 1968, this time as the #57, but did not appear on track. When the second 1968 Hawk was complete, the 1965 car was redundant, and its final appearance in Andretti's hands was at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb at the end of June. It was then sold to aircraft dealer Jack Adams, and it was raced as the #38 by Jim McElreath at four races from August onwards. It was entered by Adams for McElreath at the 1969 Indy 500 and although he qualified it, he retired early due to an engine fire. McElreath then left the Adams team and his replacements focused on the team's 1967 Lola, and the Hawk was not seen again until Indy the following May, when it was one of the team's three entries and had been rebuilt with wedge-shaped bodywork. Rick Muther qualified the car and went on to a most impressive eighth place. The Adams team by now was focused on a turbine car, but the Hawk was raced at Michigan and Ontario later in 1970. It returned yet again to the Indy 500 in 1971 and as the team's turbine car was again unable to get up to speed, Muther climbed into the ancient Hawk, now wearing inelegant bodywork crafted by chief mechanic Howard Millican, and qualified for its fifth Indy 500 in its seventh season of racing. Muther crashed out on this occasion. The car was still in Millican's workshop in February 1972 and it was sold for 1973 to Fred Graves (Hastings, NY) to be used as a Supermodified at Oswego and Lancaster Speedways in northern New York State in 1973, still wearing the 1971 Millican bodywork. Graves crashed while leading at Lancaster on 25 July 1973 and the car was very badly damaged in the ensuing fire. The history of the car is then unknown for 16 years until 1990, when Steve Forristall (Houston, TX) was reported to own its remains. Nearly 25 years later it was acquired by Ray Evernham in 2014 in a very dilapidated condition and with many of its original components long gone. Evernham was aware that a replica that had been built by Tom Brawner, nephew of the late Clint Brawner, which he had created using the template from the long-abandoned Brabham BT12 frame and had completed using all the redundant parts found in his uncle's workshop. Evernham bought this replica and took both the heavily modified ex-Supermodified car and the replica to the Hawk's original mechanic Jim McGee and Steve Panarites of Steve's Auto Fab (Jamestown, IN) for restoration. They carefully restored the original 1965 frame and built up the car using the original parts taken from the replica. It reappeared in early 2016 at the Amelia Island Concours where it took first in class, was driven at the Speedway by Andretti in May 2017, and was at the 2017 Pinehurst Concours and the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours. Sold by Evernham at the Mecum Auction in May 2022 to Ray Skillman (Greenwood, IN).
18. Lotus 38 [2] (George Snider): Built 1965 (third chassis built) for Team Lotus. Crashed by Roger McCluskey while testing at Trenton April 1965 and rebuilt on new tub (fourth chassis built) in time for Indy 500. For Bobby Johns at the 1965 Indy 500 (#83 qualified 22nd, finished 7th). Purchased by Ford and used as a show car standing in as 'Indy winner' show car. Sold at some point to AJ Foyt and believed to be the car that was modified by Eddie Kuzma and entered at the 1966 Indy 500 as the Lotus-Kuzma. For George Snider at the 1966 Indy 500 (#82 qualified 3rd, crashed in race). Parts of this car and of Foyt's car damaged in the same race used to built a new car for 1967. This is believed to be the #82 car destroyed in Bob Christie's accident during Indy qualifying in 1967.
19. Watson 66 (Chuck Hulse): Built new by AJ Watson and intended for Johnny Rutherford in 1966 as part of the Leader Card team as the #12 entry. Rutherford broke both arms in a sprint car accident prior to the Indy 500 and Chuck Hulse took over the new car. Driven by Hulse later in the season but a new car was built for Hulse to drive at Phoenix in November, and the old #12 car was not seen again. Subsequent history unknown.
20. Gerhardt 66 (Bud Tingelstad): New to Dan Levine of Federal Engineering (Detroit, MI) and entered as the #22 Federal Engineering car for Bud Tingelstad during 1966, using supercharged Offy engines. The car was badly damaged in the last race of the season when Tingelstad spun the Gerhardt and was fit by Ralph Liguori's car. Photographs show that the two cars used by the Federal Engineering team in 1967 were new 1967 cars, so this 1966 car does not appear to have been used by the team again. At some point it was sold to St Louis owners but not raced again. Eventually to collector Bob McConnell (Urbana, OH), and from him to Jack Layton (Howell, MI) who intended to restore it but found a roadster project instead. Sold to Gerald Whitney (Fenton, MI) in November 1986.
21. BRP 65 [BRP-5-65] (Johnny Boyd): The #14 BRP was entered by George R. Bryant for Johnny Boyd to drive at the 1965 Indy 500. He qualified but retired with gearbox problems. The car next raced at the 1966 Indy 500, when Boyd again qualified but crashed out early in the race. The #14 car was entered for Bob Harkey at two races later in 1966 but failed to start either. It was then entered for Chris Amon at the 1967 Indy 500 and he topped 160 mph unofficially in practice but crashed on 10 May and the car was "damaged extensively". Howard Gilbert stripped the car and saved only the bulkheads and suspension parts. Carroll Horton acquired these parts, together with the remains of the #41 car which had been damaged later in 1967, and remained there until 1984, when they were bought by Thomas W. Acker (Largo, FL). In 2008, the remains of the #41 tub were being analysed to make a pattern to rebuild it.
22. Gerhardt 66 (Don Branson): The Leader Card Racers team of Bob Wilke and Jud Phillips acquired two new 1966 Ford-engined Gerhardts and ran them for Don Branson with numbers #4 and #91. Assuming there was no number swapping, the #4 was Don Branson's first choice car during 1966 and was then taken over by Bobby Unser, who crashed it in practice at Trenton in September. It was retained as a backup for 1967 when it was raced by Unser in the two opening races, was his #86 backup car at the Indy 500, and his mount at Langhorne in June and in July. Then sold to Gordy Johncock, fitted with a turbo Offy, raced at Phoenix in November 1967, and used to win at Hanford in early 1968. Sold after the 1968 Indy 500 to Boyce Holt, and entered as the #44 Gerhardt-Chev towards the end of the 1968 season. It returned for a few races in 1969 as the #71 Boyce Holt Muffler entry, but was crashed by Bruce Walkup at Milwaukee August 1969, and then sold to Lloyd W. Gifford (Ft Wayne, IN) who rebuilt it with a 302ci Ford stock block engine and ran it in 1970, 1971 and 1972. By 1990, a car wearing #71 was with collector Bob McConnell (Urbana, OH) but said to be a 1968 car. Not mentioned in recent descriptions of McConnell's collection.
23. Vollstedt 66 [8] (Billy Foster): 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.
24. Huffaker 64 (Gary Congdon): Originally built in 1964 intended for AJ Foyt but only used by Foyt in testing. Taken over by Bob Veith as the #54 for the race. Identified by Clymer as the #53 car used by Walt Hansgen in the 1965 "500". Then sold to Tassi Vatis and run as the #18 Konstant Hot Spl for Arnie Knepper through the rest of 1965. Then entered for Gary Congdon in 1966, becoming the Valvoline Special from the Indy 500 onwards. Wally Dallenbach took over the drive for 1967 and drove this car in the first three races, but an accident at the Indy 500 meant he had to drive the sister car for the rest of that season. His primary car was rebuilt in time for the 1968 season, and he drove it for the majority of that season, again as the #54 Valvoline Spl. In 1969, Vatis's chief mechanic Bill Finley again described the team's Indy 500 entries as "new Finley-built Valvoline Specials". Exactly how those 1969 cars relate to the 1964-1968 cars is still to be determined.
25. Lotus 38 [6] (AJ Foyt): Built 1966 by Abbey Panels for AJ Foyt. For Foyt at the 1966 Indy 500. It was originally his #45 backup car during qualifying but after his #2 Coyote was wrecked, he brought out the Lotus 38 qualified 18th. The Lotus was repainted and renumbered #2 for the race but was involved in the start-line accident and wrecked. It is believed that the car was written off and its surviving components consumed in the Coyotes being built.
26. Eagle 66 [201] (Dan Gurney): 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.
27. Vollstedt 65 [7] (Cale Yarborough): New for 1965 as Vollstedt Enterprises' #16 Bryant Heating & Cooling entry at the Indy 500 for Len Sutton. Raced by Sutton at Indy, Milwaukee and Lanhorne, and then by Billy Foster for the rest of the season. To Jim Robbins for 1966 as the #66 entry for Foster, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti and Chris Amon. To Hayhoe Racing Enterprises for 1967 and became their #62 Cleaver-Brooks Special, driven by Don Meacham, who did not qualify at the 500, and then by Bruce Walkup. Converted to a turbo Offy engine during this time. Retained by Hayhoe for the start of 1968, then unseen until sold to Bob Gregg in mid-1969 and fitted with a Chevy engine, appearing at west coast Indy races driven by Gregg and Dick Simon. Bought back by Vollstedt who reconditioned the car for Supermodified racing. Sold to Larry Kramer who entered it for Tom Sneva, who was hugely successful with it in the lower divisions. Photographs also show that this was Fred Corbett's "Eagle" at the 1971 USAC Road Racing event at Seattle in 1971. History then unknown until bought again by Volstedt, sold to Bruce Russell (Vancouver, WA) and then restored by Volstedt for Russell with a four-cam Ford. By 2003, the car was owned by Don Shervey (Portland, OR). Sold by Shervey to Gord Alberg (Saanich, British Columbia, Canada) in 2015.
28. Cecil 66 (Arnie Knepper): Built by Dick Cecil in late 1965 and first tested during Firestone tyre tests at Indy in December 1965. The car was initially used with an Offy engine but changed to a Ford V8 during practice at the 1966 Indy 500, its first competitive appearance. It was entered by DVS at the 1966 Indy 500 as the #37 Sam Liosi Special for Arnie Knepper to drive. He qualified 26th but was eliminated in the startline accident. He appeared five more times with the car that season, failling to start for two of them, retiring from the IRP race, and then taking a remarkable third place at Fuji, aided by the high rate of attrition. Raced by Knepper again in early 1967. He finished eighth at Phoenix and again qualified for the Indy 500, but retired with a blown engine. Ronnie Duman drove the car later in the season. Neither Sonny Ates nor Greg Weld could get it up to speed for the 1968 Indy 500. Knepper then took over the drive again for the rest of 1968. The car was then retired. Subsequent history unknown, but at some point it was acquired from Charlie Roden (Camdenton, Missouri) by Chuck Haines (St Louis, Missouri). The car was complete but dismantled and showed signs of having been fitted with a roll cage, suggesting a later career in supermodified racing.
29. Lotus 29 [2] (Al Miller): New for Dan Gurney at the 1963 Indianapolis 500, entered as #91, but crashed during practice. Repaired by Lotus in England and sold to Lindsey Hopkins who entered it as the #51 Pure Oil Firebird car for Bobby Marshman during 1964. Crashed by Marshman at Milwaukee in June and replaced with the sister car, 29/3. After Marshman wrecked 29/3, both damaged cars were sold to Jerry Alderman who had 29/2 rebuilt by his chief mechanic Carroll Horton as a runner. It was raced at Indy in 1965 by Al Miller as the #74 car and finished fourth. Raced again during the 1965 season and returned to Indy one last time in 1966 where Miller crashed it. Alderman then withdrew from racing, and the Lotus was taken over by Horton, together with Ford's entire stock of Lotus 29 components. It was rebuilt by Horton as a show car for team sponsors the Stewart-Warner Corporation, then reportedly to "Nelson Carr" for "libre racing". To Jim Toensing (Newport Beach, CA) 1976, who sold it to a UK consortium led by Tom Candlish (Burnham, Bucks) in 1991. Fully restored in England, and first raced in historic events in 1995. Acquired by Richard Drewett some time in the next few years, and appeared several times at the Goodwood Revival. Some time between 2003 and 2006, Drewett sold his Lotus 70 to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum (Birmingham, AL), and his Lotus 29 is thought to have gone at the same time. It was fully restored for the museum by Classic Team Lotus to Gurney's #91 colours. Driven by John Surtees in a Gurney parade at the 2012 Goodwood Revival.
30. Lola T80 (Larry Dickson): New to Sheraton-Thompson, the team owned by Shirley Murphy and William Ansted, with George Bignotti as chief crew and AJ Foyt as lead driver. Murphy and Ansted ran auto parts maker Thompson Industries, which was owned by hotel chain Sheraton. Sheraton-Thompson also had a Lotus 34 for Foyt and he preferred that car, so the Lola was raced at Indy 1965 by Al Unser as the #45 entry. It was not seen again that season. Tentatively identified as the car entered by Michner Petroleum in 1966 as their #34 entry for Larry Dickson, Used occasionally during 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Michner until the car was destroyed in the accident at Milwaukee in 1968 that claimed the life of Ronnie Duman. Norm Brown was driving the Michner Lola and was hit by Duman's car. Brown was trapped in the burning car for some time and was badly burnt. The Lola was destroyed.
31. Coyote 66 ['66-1'] (AJ Foyt): Built for AJ Foyt for 1966 by Eddie Kuzma and Lujie Lesovsky as "a new sturdier copy of a Lotus" (Hot Road Magazine). Crashed in practice by Foyt at the 1966 Indy 500. Raced by Foyt later in the season as the #2 and then by Joe Leonard at three races in 1967, including the Indy 500, as the #4. Raced by Foyt in early 1968 after his 1967 car had been wrecked in testing. For Jim McElreath at the 1968 Indy 500 and then used by Foyt to win at Continental Divide in July 1968. For Roger McCluskey in early 1969 but wrecked at Hanford and not repaired until 1970, when it was sold to Mel Kenyon and prepared by Don Kenyon as part of the Lindsey Hopkins team. Raced by Mel Kenyon (relieved by McCluskey) in the 1970 Indy 500 but wrecked. The damaged tub passed through a number of hands and by 2016 was with Bob Boyce. Boyce bought the 1968 car from Chuck Haines to use as a template for the repairs to the 1966 car. Both cars were then sold to John Darlington (Indianapolis, IN) in 2016, and by the end of that year they were with Walter Goodwin for restoration. In May 2017, the fully restored car was displayed at the IMS Museum as part of an AJ Foyt exhibit. It later appeared at Pebble Beach in 2018 and at the Pocono Historic event in August 2019.
32. Halibrand Shrike 64 (Art Malone): The 'house' Halibrand Shrike, raced once by Foyt at the end of 1964 and then sold to Wally Weir for the 1965 Indy 500. Last seen at the 1966 Indy 500.
33. Halibrand Shrike (William "Red" Riegel): Joseph J. Barzda (New Brunswick, NJ) entered a Halibrand for William "Red" Riegel (Leesport, PA) to drive at the first few races of 1966 as the #87 California Speed & Shop entry. Joe Barzda described it as having been "built last year". It appeared throughout the 1966, 1967 and 1968 seasons, nearly always as #87 and still with its original Offy engine. Unknown after 1968.
34. Watson 65 (Chuck Rodee): Built new by AJ Watson for Rodger Ward to race in 1965 for the Leader Card team as the #2 Moog St. Louis entry. Fitted with a Ford V8. Taken over by Johnny Rutherford when Ward left to join the new Mecom-Bignotti team in July 1965. Taken to the 1966 Indianapolis 500 for Chuck Rodee as the #92 entry but wrecked in practice and Rodee was killed. It has been reported that Bob Wilke had Watson remove the engine and running gear and then scrap the chassis.
35. Gerhardt 66 (Lee Roy Yarbrough): New to American astronauts Gordon Cooper and Virgil Grissom, who had former 500 winner Jim Rathmann acting as chief crew, and fitted with a supercharged Offy. Entered at the Indy 500 as the Pure Firebird 76, the car was crashed in practice by both Lee Roy Yarbrough and Greg Weld and did not make the race. Art Pollard took over the drive after the Indy 500, but the Rathman team borrowed a different Gerhardt to him to use at Milwaukee a week later, presumably because this car was being repaired. It is thought that the team's regular car raced for the first time at Langhorne on 12 June. It was entered by G. C. R. Inc as the #76 again at Indy in 1967 and driven in practice by Rick Muther but did not attempt to qualify. Unknown after May 1967.
36. Gerhardt 66 (Greg Weld): New to American astronauts Gordon Cooper and Virgil Grissom, who had former 500 winner Jim Rathmann acting as chief crew, and fitted with a supercharged Offy. Entered at the Indy 500 as the Pure Firebird 76, the car was crashed in practice by both Lee Roy Yarbrough and Greg Weld and did not make the race. Art Pollard took over the drive after the Indy 500, but the Rathman team borrowed a different Gerhardt to him to use at Milwaukee a week later, presumably because this car was being repaired. It is thought that the team's regular car raced for the first time at Langhorne on 12 June. It was entered by G. C. R. Inc as the #76 again at Indy in 1967 and driven in practice by Rick Muther but did not attempt to qualify. Unknown after May 1967.
37. Shrike 66 ['2'] (Dick Atkins): CP&A (16 Apr 1966 p2) details the Parnelli Jones/Agajanian Shrike project mentioning that the first car is nearly complete and will be driven by Parnelli whereas the second car will be driven by Dick Atkins. The cars were built in a part of the Halibrand factory and names Shrikes "in tribute to Ted Halibrand, now out of the car building wars".
38. Huffaker 66 (Chuck Stevenson): New to Gordon Van Liew's Vita-Fresh Orange Juice team as the #11 entry for Bobby Unser in 1966. Fitted with a 168ci Offy s/c and finished 8th in the Indy 500. Driven later in the season by Larry Dickson, Sammy Sessions and Ronnie Duman.
39. Vollstedt 66 [9] (Ronnie Duman): Built for 1966 as the #17 Jim Robbins car and used by several drivers at Indy that year but did not qualify. Became the #67 in 1967 and raced by Lee Roy Yarbrough at the Indy 500. Raced by Jim Malloy at a few races later in the season and then as a regular entry through 1968. For Lee Roy Yarbrough again at the 1969 Indy 500 as the #27 Jim Robbins entry but did not qualify. Returned to Vollstedt for 1970 and run as the #17 on a few occasions in 1970 and early 1971. Sold by Vollstedt to the Crombie Brothers for 1976, and raced by Ed Crombie (Williams Lake, British Columbia) at Trenton on 2 May. Crashed in practice at the Speedway later that month and not raced again. According to Michael McKinney's research, it was acquired from Crombie by Jerry Proper (Spokane, WA), modified significantly, and raced in CAMRA (Canadian American Modified Racing Association) supermodified races in the Pacific North West and Western Canada in the 1980s and 1990s.
40. Gerhardt 66 (Bob Hurt): New for Bob Hurt (Potomac, MD) and entered during 1966 by Robert J Ricucci (Washington, DC) as the #36 Viking Racing Offenhauser car. In 1967, Hurt returned in a Gerhardt but the #29 REV 500 car entered by Malcolm J Boyle. Entered again by Boyle's PMB Racers Inc of Chicago, IL, for Hurt in early 1968. Driven by Bobby Johns and Ronnie Duman during practice for the 1968 Indy 500, but crashed by Duman. Photographs show that this car then went to Arthur W. 'Buzz' Harvey's Bulldog Stables Inc (Hardwick, Mass), still as the #26, to run alongside the team's #36 Gerhardt-Chev on the USAC trail towards the end of 1968. Then believed to be the 1966 Gerhardt sold by Bulldog Stables to Louis A. Seymour (Marlboro, Mass), who fitted a Chevy engine and entered it as the #39 Seymour Enterprises car for Don Brown and others in 1970 and 1971. Retired by Seymour in late 1971 and sold to an unknown owner in 1988 who sold it to Phil Gumpert (Noblesville, IN) in 1996. Restored by Roger Beck and Brian Stewart of Indianapolis. Still with Gumpert in 2006 but in 2008 Charley & Vera Lawrence were exhibiting a "1968" Gerhardt with Chevy engine but in the #26 livery of Rick Muther's 1969 Indy 500 entry. Despite its livery, the car was the shape of a 1966 Gerhardt but with the outboard springs that did not appear on Gerhardts until 1968. Offered at Kruse's Auburn Spring Car Auction in May 2009, where it was described it as a 1968 car, but did not sell. Later bought from Lawrence by Toney Edwards (Greenwood, Indiana) some time before May 2013.
41. Brooks/Ward 65/66 (Sammy Sessions): Built in 1965 for Dan Levine's Federal Engineering by chief crew Paul Brooks and "metal man" Ronnie Ward. The resulting car appeared very similar to the 1964 Vollstedt and Watson designs. Bob Harkey had handling problems at the 1965 Indy 500 and couldn't qualify but it did race at Phoenix at the end of the season in Jud Larson's hands. It reappeared in 1966 as a second car to Federal Engneering's new Gerhardt but Sam Sessions couldn't qualify it for the 1966 Indy 500. It reappeared later in the year driven by Al Smith at three races, including a seventh place at Trenton in September. Nothing more is known of this car.
42. BRP 65 [BRP-4-65] (Bobby Johns): The #41 BRP was entered by George R. Bryant for Masten Gregory to drive at the 1965 Indy 500. He qualified but was out early, classified 23rd. The car returned to Indy for the 1966 500 when it was practiced by Bobby Johns but did not qualify. It was then raced on the USAC trail by Johnny Boyd as the #41 Prestone entry. Carl Williams took over the drive at Fuji in October and retained the seat for 1967. He qualified for Indy but and was running in third place when he crashed on the final lap, being classified tenth. He raced it through the rest of the 1967 season, with a best position of eighth at IRP, but the car was put out of action by a crash and fire at Milwaukee in August. Some components of the BRPs were used in the construction of Howard Gilbert's new Cheetah cars but everything that was left went to Carroll Horton who was also building new cars, the Marathons. The #41 tub is believed to have been sent to Fournier Enterprises (Troy, MI), and was still there many years later when it was acquired from Darrell Soppe by master Indycar restorer Walter Goodwin (Indianapolis, IN). Sold to Thomas W. Acker (Largo, FL) in 1987, joining the remains of the #14 car that Acker had already acquired.
43. Halibrand Shrike (Dempsey Wilson): Lysle Greenman (Northridge, CA) and Dempsey Wilson (Hawthorne, CA) entered a Halibrand at the 1966 Indy 500 for Wilson to drive. The car had a Chevrolet engine and was entered as #51, a number it retained through its career. Dempsey failed to qualify at Indy or at Milwaukee a week later. Greenman and Dempsey returned for 1967 but again failed to start any race that season. Dempsey finally started a race in it at Hanford in 1968, and managed to start at Phoenix in April as well, but failed to start any others. Wilson entered four races in 1969, utilising a turbocharged Chevy on occasion, but the car's final appearance came when Dempsey wrecked it in practice at Trenton in September. Subsequent history unknown.
44. Huffaker 66 (Masten Gregory): New in 1966 for Kjell H Qvale's MG Liquid Suspension team and entered at the 1966 Indy 500 as the #63 car with a Chevrolet stock block engine. Qvale did not continue with the cars. Subsequent history unresolved.
45. Gerhardt 65 (Bob Wente): 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.
46. Lola T80 (Ronnie Bucknum): New to Lindsey Hopkins and raced by Bud Tingelstad at Trenton in 1965 as the #5 American Red Ball car, finishing fourth. Raced again by Tingelstad at the 1965 Indy 500 and several other 1965 races, but damaged in an accident at Milwaukee in August. It was sold to George O. Reves (Santa Ana, CA), rebuilt by his chief mechanic Norm Holtkamp and fitted with a Chevrolet V8 engine. It was entered by Reves' Western Racing Associates as the #68 entry at Indy in 1966, where it was driven by Bruce Jacobi and Ronnie Bucknum but did not qualify. It was then raced by Jacobi at Milwaukee the week after Indy but then crashed by him in practice at Langhorne the next weekend and wrecked. Reves and his business partners had told Holtkamp to sell the car after it failed to qualify at Indy, so its destruction did not go down well with them. They sued Holtkamp in October for the massive sum of $46,000. Nothing more was heard of the suit, the team or the car.
47. Lola T80 (Bruce Jacobi): New to Lindsey Hopkins and raced by Bud Tingelstad at Trenton in 1965 as the #5 American Red Ball car, finishing fourth. Raced again by Tingelstad at the 1965 Indy 500 and several other 1965 races, but damaged in an accident at Milwaukee in August. It was sold to George O. Reves (Santa Ana, CA), rebuilt by his chief mechanic Norm Holtkamp and fitted with a Chevrolet V8 engine. It was entered by Reves' Western Racing Associates as the #68 entry at Indy in 1966, where it was driven by Bruce Jacobi and Ronnie Bucknum but did not qualify. It was then raced by Jacobi at Milwaukee the week after Indy but then crashed by him in practice at Langhorne the next weekend and wrecked. Reves and his business partners had told Holtkamp to sell the car after it failed to qualify at Indy, so its destruction did not go down well with them. They sued Holtkamp in October for the massive sum of $46,000. Nothing more was heard of the suit, the team or the car.
48. Gerhardt 66 (Masten Gregory): New to Lindsey Hopkins and entered as the #78 GC Murphy Spl at Indy 1966. It was then sold to Gordon Van Liew and entered as the #7 Vita Fresh Orange Juice Gerhardt-Offy for Larry Dickson at Milwaukee 29 Aug 1966 and at three other short track races that season. It would then presumably be the #22 Vita Fresh Gerhardt driven by Dickson at Phoenix in April 1967. Dickson crashed early in the race and suffered burns. Photographs show that Hopkins' 1966 #78 Gerhardt-Ford was Gordon Van Liew's #23 Vita-Fresh Orange Juice entry at the 1967 Indy 500, qualified by Ronnie Bucknum but later bumped. The bodywork had been altered to a 1967 shape, but the car is clearly of 1966 construction. Bucknum later drove this car at the road courses at Mosport Park, Indianapolis Raceway Park and Mont-Tremblant, where it was described in press reports as the "only Gerhardt in existence with the chassis set on centre", i.e with symmetric suspension. Last seen in 1967 when run by Arnie Knepper in practice at Riverside but crashed and badly damaged. Photographs show that this was the car acquired by Pete Salemi after Ronnie Duman's fatal accident at Milwaukee in June 1968. Roy Reed, who had been chief mechanic when the car was with Van Liew, moved with it to Salemi's operation. He fitted the car with a turbo Offy and ran it as Salemi's #81 Central Excavating entry for Jigger Sirois in three races in late 1968. Salemi's team did not return for 1969, and the subsequent history of this Gerhardt is unknown.
49. Gerhardt 66 (Bob Harkey): New to Myron Caves, originally from Madison, Wisconsin and by 1966 a long-established Buick dealer in Gerhardt's home town of Fresno, CA. Fitted with a supercharged Offy and run for Mike McGreevy as the #85 Caves Buick Co. entry at the start of the season and also at Indy but despite the efforts of three drivers, it did not qualify. Presumably the same #85 Caves Buick Gerhardt-Offy SC driven principally by Al Miller through to the end of 1966, and at Phoenix in April 1967, where it was wrecked. Caves had a new Gerhardt for the 1967 Indy 500, but this 1966 car may have been repaired and retained as a short track car in 1967, 1968 and even 1969. Next seen when sold to Jack Adams who had entered a car at Indy in 1969 with a Bryant chassis and Allison helicopter turbine engine. The Gerhardt was rebuilt by chief crew Howard Millican to take the turbine and was practiced at Indy in 1970 by Jigger Sirois but could not find the speed to qualify. Raced by Rick Muther later in 1970, finishing eighth at Trenton, and in 1971. The chassis was sold to Mark Stainbrook in 1971 and he later sold it to Gary Bettenhausen. Subsequent history unknown.
50. Gerhardt 66 (Mike McGreevy): New to Myron Caves, originally from Madison, Wisconsin and by 1966 a long-established Buick dealer in Gerhardt's home town of Fresno, CA. Fitted with a supercharged Offy and run for Mike McGreevy as the #85 Caves Buick Co. entry at the start of the season and also at Indy but despite the efforts of three drivers, it did not qualify. Presumably the same #85 Caves Buick Gerhardt-Offy SC driven principally by Al Miller through to the end of 1966, and at Phoenix in April 1967, where it was wrecked. Caves had a new Gerhardt for the 1967 Indy 500, but this 1966 car may have been repaired and retained as a short track car in 1967, 1968 and even 1969. Next seen when sold to Jack Adams who had entered a car at Indy in 1969 with a Bryant chassis and Allison helicopter turbine engine. The Gerhardt was rebuilt by chief crew Howard Millican to take the turbine and was practiced at Indy in 1970 by Jigger Sirois but could not find the speed to qualify. Raced by Rick Muther later in 1970, finishing eighth at Trenton, and in 1971. The chassis was sold to Mark Stainbrook in 1971 and he later sold it to Gary Bettenhausen. Subsequent history unknown.
51. Gerhardt 66 (Bob Wente): New to Myron Caves, originally from Madison, Wisconsin and by 1966 a long-established Buick dealer in Gerhardt's home town of Fresno, CA. Fitted with a supercharged Offy and run for Mike McGreevy as the #85 Caves Buick Co. entry at the start of the season and also at Indy but despite the efforts of three drivers, it did not qualify. Presumably the same #85 Caves Buick Gerhardt-Offy SC driven principally by Al Miller through to the end of 1966, and at Phoenix in April 1967, where it was wrecked. Caves had a new Gerhardt for the 1967 Indy 500, but this 1966 car may have been repaired and retained as a short track car in 1967, 1968 and even 1969. Next seen when sold to Jack Adams who had entered a car at Indy in 1969 with a Bryant chassis and Allison helicopter turbine engine. The Gerhardt was rebuilt by chief crew Howard Millican to take the turbine and was practiced at Indy in 1970 by Jigger Sirois but could not find the speed to qualify. Raced by Rick Muther later in 1970, finishing eighth at Trenton, and in 1971. The chassis was sold to Mark Stainbrook in 1971 and he later sold it to Gary Bettenhausen. Subsequent history unknown.
52. Vollstedt 66 [9] (Bob Mathouser): Built for 1966 as the #17 Jim Robbins car and used by several drivers at Indy that year but did not qualify. Became the #67 in 1967 and raced by Lee Roy Yarbrough at the Indy 500. Raced by Jim Malloy at a few races later in the season and then as a regular entry through 1968. For Lee Roy Yarbrough again at the 1969 Indy 500 as the #27 Jim Robbins entry but did not qualify. Returned to Vollstedt for 1970 and run as the #17 on a few occasions in 1970 and early 1971. Sold by Vollstedt to the Crombie Brothers for 1976, and raced by Ed Crombie (Williams Lake, British Columbia) at Trenton on 2 May. Crashed in practice at the Speedway later that month and not raced again. According to Michael McKinney's research, it was acquired from Crombie by Jerry Proper (Spokane, WA), modified significantly, and raced in CAMRA (Canadian American Modified Racing Association) supermodified races in the Pacific North West and Western Canada in the 1980s and 1990s.
53. Lotus 38 [6] (AJ Foyt): Built 1966 by Abbey Panels for AJ Foyt. For Foyt at the 1966 Indy 500. It was originally his #45 backup car during qualifying but after his #2 Coyote was wrecked, he brought out the Lotus 38 qualified 18th. The Lotus was repainted and renumbered #2 for the race but was involved in the start-line accident and wrecked. It is believed that the car was written off and its surviving components consumed in the Coyotes being built.
54. Lola T80 (Jud Larson): New to Sheraton-Thompson, the team owned by Shirley Murphy and William Ansted, with George Bignotti as chief crew and AJ Foyt as lead driver. Murphy and Ansted ran auto parts maker Thompson Industries, which was owned by hotel chain Sheraton. Sheraton-Thompson also had a Lotus 34 for Foyt and he preferred that car, so the Lola was raced at Indy 1965 by Al Unser as the #45 entry. It was not seen again that season. Tentatively identified as the car entered by Michner Petroleum in 1966 as their #34 entry for Larry Dickson, Used occasionally during 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Michner until the car was destroyed in the accident at Milwaukee in 1968 that claimed the life of Ronnie Duman. Norm Brown was driving the Michner Lola and was hit by Duman's car. Brown was trapped in the burning car for some time and was badly burnt. The Lola was destroyed.
55. Halibrand Shrike (Dave Paul): David Paul (Berrien Springs, Michigan) entered a Halibrand-Offy at the Indy 500 in 1966, at Milwaukee a week later, and at the Atlanta race later in June. It was entered as the #23 Valiant Home Special. He was unable to complete his rookie test at Indy and was too slow to qualify for the other two races. Subsequent history unknown.
56. Watson 65 (Ralph Liguori): Built new by AJ Watson for Don Branson to race in 1965 for the Leader Card team as the #4 Wynn's entry. Fitted with a Ford V8 with Jud Phillips as chief mechanic. "Written off while tyre testing at the Speedway" (Wallen p309) in late June or early July 1965 but evidently survived as sold to Walter J. Flynn and entered for Ralph Liguori as the #35 Enterprise Machine Spl in 1966 and 1967. Unknown in 1968 but returned in 1969 owned by John Gavin (Winona, Minnesota), Patrick O'Reilly (Lake Crystal, Minnesota) and Mike DeMulling (St Paul, Minnesota) and entered as the Minnesota Serendipity. Appeared with ever decreasing regularity over the next four seasons, and last seen for sure at Milwaukee in August 1972, after which O'Reilly bought a 1971 Mongoose. The Watson was used to test an engine built by Ted Blair (North Hampton, MA) in 1973 and then sold to Blair. Passed on to his sons until sold to Don Danville (Storrs Mansfield, CT) in late 1977 and stored by him until 1990. To Walter Turell (North Easton, MA) 1990, then Harry Woodward (Camilla, GA) 1991 and Thomas W. Acker (Dunnellon, FL). Cleaned up by Acker and stored until sold to William Davis (Ortonville, MI) in 2000. Fully restored by William & Sharon Davis up to 2010 and appeared at the 2011 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. Appeared at a parade at the Pocono 500 in July 2014.
57. Halibrand Shrike (Bob Harkey): Charles Oliver Prather (Arcadia CA), known as Ollie, entered a Halibrand Offy at the 1966 Indy 500 shis #48 entry. It was originally intended for Billy Wilkerson to drive, but USAC would not allow him to take a rookie test, so Bob Harkey took over the drive. He could not get it up to speed and not attempt was made to qualify. The car was taken back to California and was not seen in Indy racing again. It was later sold at a Mecum auction at Anaheim in 2014 still in its original 1966 paintwork. It was subsequently placed in the Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed.
58. Halibrand Shrike 65 (Gary Bettenhausen): A new 1965 Halibrand Shrike (Clymer 1965 p41) entered by David R McManus (Hanover, Michigan) for Lloyd Ruby at the 1965 Indy 500 as the DuPont Golden 7. The team was listed as American Eagle Racing Team. The car was entered as #7 and Dave Laycock was chief mechanic. McManus and DuPont were later said to have had a "disagreement", and Ruby moved to the AAR team. Jim Hurtubise took over the McManus Halibrand for the next five races, and then Dempsey Wilson drove it at Phoenix at the end of the season. Entered at the 1966 Indy 500 as the #61 McManus Bros entry, now with an Offy engine. It was practiced by Bob Tattersall and Gary Bettenhausen, but no attempt was made to qualify. Later in the season, Bettenhausen was too slow to qualify at Milwaukee in June, then crashed in practice at Atlanta and was again too slow to qualify at Milwaukee in August. The subsequent history of this car is unknown, but in July 1970 it was being used as a show car by Ashland Oil.
59. Halibrand Shrike 65 (Bob Tattersall): A new 1965 Halibrand Shrike (Clymer 1965 p41) entered by David R McManus (Hanover, Michigan) for Lloyd Ruby at the 1965 Indy 500 as the DuPont Golden 7. The team was listed as American Eagle Racing Team. The car was entered as #7 and Dave Laycock was chief mechanic. McManus and DuPont were later said to have had a "disagreement", and Ruby moved to the AAR team. Jim Hurtubise took over the McManus Halibrand for the next five races, and then Dempsey Wilson drove it at Phoenix at the end of the season. Entered at the 1966 Indy 500 as the #61 McManus Bros entry, now with an Offy engine. It was practiced by Bob Tattersall and Gary Bettenhausen, but no attempt was made to qualify. Later in the season, Bettenhausen was too slow to qualify at Milwaukee in June, then crashed in practice at Atlanta and was again too slow to qualify at Milwaukee in August. The subsequent history of this car is unknown, but in July 1970 it was being used as a show car by Ashland Oil.
60. Halibrand Shrike (Gig Stephens): Leonard 'Gig' Stephens (North Reading, Massachusetts) ran a Halibrand-Offy in practice at the 1966 Indy 500. It was owned by Karl Hall (Orleans, IN) and was his #71 Fairchild Hiller entry. No attempt was made to qualify that year. Stephens and Al Smith appeared at a number of races with the car later that season, but it only started one race, with Stephens at Milwaukee in June. Stephens and the car returned in 1967, when it was the #36 Atamian Ford entry. Ronnie Duman and Sammy Sessions also raced it that season. Gig Stephens then took over the ownership and it was the #102 Halibrand Engineering or Tuonic Engineering entry in 1968, then the #104 Atlas Air Cargo entry for Stephens and Bob Pratt in 1969. It was then fitted with a Ford stock block engine and appeared for four more seasons of USAC racing with sponsorship from Atamanian Ford. He had a very poor record with the car failed to start a single race in 1973. In May 1973, he advertised the car, complete with 351 ci Ford "Boss" engine and Hewland LG 500, suggesting it was "ideal for Super Modified Racing". After the car finally stopped racing, it joined the collection of E Howard Brandon and was displayed still in Stephens' livery in his "Car Collectors Hall of Fame", which opened in Nashville in June 1979. The museum closed in 1998 and its contents were auctioned by Kruse in December that year, including a "1966 Indy Race Car" which was presumably the ex-Stephens Halibrand. Subsequent history unknown.
61. Gerhardt 65 (Bob Harkey): Veteran car owner Pete Salemi (Cleveland, Ohio) bought a new Gerhardt for 1965 and ran it with backing from the G. C. Murphy store chain. With Andy Dunlop as chief crew, Salemi's car ran as #81 in 1965, and again in 1966 when it was entered by Salemi's Central Excavating. The Central Excavating team had a supercharged Offy for 1967, indicating they had a new car. Pictures of the team's car during the 1967 and 1968 seasons show a 1967 Gerhardt, so the older 1965 Gerhardt may have been sold off after the 1966 season, or perhaps after the 1967 season.
62. Gerhardt 65 (Mike McGreevy): 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.
63. Vollstedt 65 [7] (Ronnie Duman): New for 1965 as Vollstedt Enterprises' #16 Bryant Heating & Cooling entry at the Indy 500 for Len Sutton. Raced by Sutton at Indy, Milwaukee and Lanhorne, and then by Billy Foster for the rest of the season. To Jim Robbins for 1966 as the #66 entry for Foster, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti and Chris Amon. To Hayhoe Racing Enterprises for 1967 and became their #62 Cleaver-Brooks Special, driven by Don Meacham, who did not qualify at the 500, and then by Bruce Walkup. Converted to a turbo Offy engine during this time. Retained by Hayhoe for the start of 1968, then unseen until sold to Bob Gregg in mid-1969 and fitted with a Chevy engine, appearing at west coast Indy races driven by Gregg and Dick Simon. Bought back by Vollstedt who reconditioned the car for Supermodified racing. Sold to Larry Kramer who entered it for Tom Sneva, who was hugely successful with it in the lower divisions. Photographs also show that this was Fred Corbett's "Eagle" at the 1971 USAC Road Racing event at Seattle in 1971. History then unknown until bought again by Volstedt, sold to Bruce Russell (Vancouver, WA) and then restored by Volstedt for Russell with a four-cam Ford. By 2003, the car was owned by Don Shervey (Portland, OR). Sold by Shervey to Gord Alberg (Saanich, British Columbia, Canada) in 2015.
64. Watson 66 (Johnny Rutherford): Built new by AJ Watson and intended for Johnny Rutherford in 1966 as part of the Leader Card team as the #12 entry. Rutherford broke both arms in a sprint car accident prior to the Indy 500 and Chuck Hulse took over the new car. Driven by Hulse later in the season but a new car was built for Hulse to drive at Phoenix in November, and the old #12 car was not seen again. Subsequent history unknown.
65. Huffaker 66 (Chuck Stevenson): New to Gordon Van Liew's Vita-Fresh Orange Juice team as the #7 entry for Chuck Stevenson in 1966. Raced by Bobby Unser at Milwaukee and Langhorne in June. The car was then "lost in a highway accident" and Van Liew replaced it with a Gerhardt-Ford.
66. Huffaker 66 (Bobby Unser): New to Gordon Van Liew's Vita-Fresh Orange Juice team as the #7 entry for Chuck Stevenson in 1966. Raced by Bobby Unser at Milwaukee and Langhorne in June. The car was then "lost in a highway accident" and Van Liew replaced it with a Gerhardt-Ford.
67. Vollstedt 66 [9] (Billy Foster): Built for 1966 as the #17 Jim Robbins car and used by several drivers at Indy that year but did not qualify. Became the #67 in 1967 and raced by Lee Roy Yarbrough at the Indy 500. Raced by Jim Malloy at a few races later in the season and then as a regular entry through 1968. For Lee Roy Yarbrough again at the 1969 Indy 500 as the #27 Jim Robbins entry but did not qualify. Returned to Vollstedt for 1970 and run as the #17 on a few occasions in 1970 and early 1971. Sold by Vollstedt to the Crombie Brothers for 1976, and raced by Ed Crombie (Williams Lake, British Columbia) at Trenton on 2 May. Crashed in practice at the Speedway later that month and not raced again. According to Michael McKinney's research, it was acquired from Crombie by Jerry Proper (Spokane, WA), modified significantly, and raced in CAMRA (Canadian American Modified Racing Association) supermodified races in the Pacific North West and Western Canada in the 1980s and 1990s.
68. Huffaker 66 (Bob Veith): New in 1966 for Kjell H Qvale's MG Liquid Suspension team and entered at the 1966 Indy 500 as the #63 car with a Chevrolet stock block engine. Qvale did not continue with the cars. Subsequent history unresolved.
69. Lotus 38 [5] (Mario Andretti): Built 1966 by Abbey Panels for Dean Van Lines. For Mario Andretti at the 1966 Indy 500 (#64 practiced but not raced). To Gene White 1967: for Lloyd Ruby to drive at Langhorne 19 Jun 1967 (won) but Ruby used the Mongoose elsewhere in 1967. The Lotus was Ruby's backup car, usually numbered #95, but was raced here because Ruby's regular car was at Mosport for the rain-delayed race. This car then went to Paul Wells who, judging by the modification to the car, used it in minor F5000 events but no results have been found. It was bought by Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) who sold it on to the Houston, Texas partnership of Steve Forristall and John Mecom. Doug Nye reports that it then went to the same anonymous US owner that owns 38/3. In 2008, Chuck Haines reacquired 38/5 and started restoring it. Restored by Walter Goodwin between 2016 and 2017, and on display at the Historic Indycar Exhibition in May 2017, by which time it had been acquired by Robert G. Hunt.
70. Watson 66 (Chuck Hulse): Built new by AJ Watson for 1966 for the Leader Card team and entered as the #86 backup car at the Indy 500. Fitted with an Offenhauser engine and driven later in the season by Sammy Sessions and Bobby Unser, and finally by Hulse at Trenton in September. The two monocoque 1966 cars were rebuilt with new bodywork for early 1967. Only the newer car - the former #12 first seen at Phoenix in November 1966 - was used by new team driver Mike Mosley in the opening races of the season, and the former #86 car was not seen again.
71. Gerhardt 66 (Don Branson): One of two new 1966 Ford-engined Gerhardts acquired by Leader Card Racers for 1966 and retained as the #91 backup for Don Branson at the 1966 Indy 500. Raced by Bobby Unser at Phoenix in November after he had damaged the usual #4 car. Sold to Nick Fulbright, owner of the Four Flags Garage in Niles, Michigan, in March 1967 but he was unable to find a sponsor and sold the car to Walt Michner who entered it for Mickey Shaw at the 1967 Indy 500 as the #60. Raced later in the season by Mike Mosley and Rick Muther. May have been retained in the Michner stable and plausibly the #63 Gerhardt backup car entered for the 1969 Indy 500. Subsequent history unknown.
72. Eisert 65 (TBA): New for Skip Hudson to drive at the 1965 Indy 500 as J Frank Harrison's #96 Harrison Special. The new car got on track on 13 May, at which point the older 1964 car was renumbered from 96 to 93. Hudson was a successful sports car racer, but was unable to pass his rookie test when an engine blew, so Al Unser took over the drive but he made no attempt to qualify the car. Unser then drove the car through the 1965 USAC season, but only once finished inside the top 10. The 1965 car was retained for the opening races of the 1966 season, driven by Unser at Phoenix and by Billy Foster at Trenton. It then became the team's #93 entry, and was only seen again at Fuji, where Jerry Grant finished tenth. Greg Weld failed to qualify the car for the 1967 Indy 500, after which it was sold to Don Wilcox, who raced it at Pikes Peak and made an unsuccessfiul attempt to qualify at Indianapolis Raceway Park in July. The old car was ideal for the SCCA's new Formula A, so was sold to Stew McMillen (Libertyville, IL) who raced it in SCCA Nationals, winning twice, and in Pro races. At the end of 1968 he took it out to New Zealand, racing it at Baypark Raceway in December, before it was leased to Dennis Marwood for the 1969/70 season. It returned to the US later in 1970 and was acquired by Bill Tempero (Fort Collins, CO), who fitted it with wedge-style bodywork and raced it in Pro races and SCCA Nationals in 1971, then in Midwest Division Formula A in 1972. It was later converted for street use by brothers Wayne and Steve Huntley in Nebraska and was also used as a show car by Fred Bosselman in the late 1970s or early 1980s, probably at his Bosselman Truck Plaza in Grand Island, Nebraska. In the early 1990s it was acquired by Bill Wiswedel (Holland, MI) who has restored it to 1965 colours but still with the later, squarer bodywork.
73. Lotus 38 [3] (TBA): Built 1965 (second chassis built) for AAR. For Dan Gurney at the 1965 Indy 500 (#17 qualified 3rd, retired after 42 laps); for Roger McCluskey at Milwaukee, Langhorne and Trenton; for Gurney at two Milwaukee races; and for McCluskey at Trenton. Raced for AAR in 1966 by Joe Leonard at Phoenix, then an unused spare at the 500, and then driven by Lloyd Ruby, crewed by Dave Laycock, later in the season. Ruby and Laycock then joined Gene White's new team for 1967, and the Lotus was sold to Gordon van Liew and entered by Vita Fresh Orange Juice for Larry Dickson that year. Some modifications were performed by Eddie Kuzma. Also driven in three late-season races by George Snider, Arnie Knepper and Ronnie Bucknum. According to Doug Nye, this car was later sold to Ansted/Foyt then to Dick Smothers and on loan to the Briggs Cunningham Automotive Museum (then at 250 East Baker, Costa Mesa, CA). The museum closed at the end of 1986 and the whole collection was sold to Miles Collier, owner of the Collier Automotive Museum (Naples, FL) but the Lotus 38, as it was not owned by the collection, instead passed to Harrah's Auto Collection. This collection was founded by Bill Harrah, founder of Harrah's Casinos, but after Harrah died in 1978 the collection was acquired by the Holiday Corporation and some cars were sold off. The remaining 200 cars from the collection were donated to the National Automobile Museum (Reno, NV) which opened in 1989 and the Lotus, although reportedly still a separate property, moved with them. The car was still resident in the museum in April 2008 and the National Automobile Museum website in 2009 continued to list a "1965 Lotus-Ford 38 Indianapolis Race Car (Smothers Brothers)" in its collection.
74. Gerhardt 66 (TBA): The first of Gerhardt's 1966-spec cars was started late in 1965 and must be the #46 car in which Jim Hurtubise appeared at Phoenix (PIR) in November 1965, although 1966 Indy previews only say it was completed in time for testing at PIR in January. Fitted with the supercharged Offy and used by Parnelli Jones in testing in January when he broke the lap record at PIR. Raced by Hurtubise again at PIR in March 1966 and taken to Indy as a backup to his new car. After the Indy 500, it was used by Jim Rathmann's Astronauts as their #76 Pure Firebird entry for Art Pollard at Milwaukee in June, presumably on loan because the team's new 1966 Gerhardt had been damaged at the Speedway. Similarly, it was used by Herb Porter's Racing Associates as their #39 entry for Bobby Grim at Phoenix in November, in place of the team's aged Watson roadster. The car was used again as Gerhardt's #46 Thermo King entry for Mel Kenyon in the two opening races of the 1967 season. According to crew member Dennis Johansen the #46 car was entered at Indy in 1967 but was being used just as a Thermo King show car until the Friday before the last weekend of qualifying when Goodyear said that they were sponsoring two team cars but had only seen one run. The car was quickly put together overnight by Don Gerhardt, Mel Kenyon and Dennis and was fired up for the first time on Saturday morning, Bob Veith did ten laps and then took a qualifying attempt, making the race comfortably and finishing 11th. This is likely to be the "his 'old' No 46" crashed in a test at IMS on 29 Jun 1967.
75. Eagle 66 (Gordon Johncock): Sold new to W & W Enterprises, which was Sidney Weinberger, a wealthy sportsman and building contractor from Ulica, Michigan, and his partner Frank Wilseck. Fitted with a Ford quad cam engine and entered by Weinberger Homes for Gordy Johncock at the 1966 Indy 500 as the #5 car. Johncock preferred his 1966 #72 Gerhardt at Indy and elsewhere, and the #5 Eagle only raced at Fuji, where Bobby Unser took it to second place. After Johncock and chief crew Duane Glasgow left, the Eagle was entered by Weinberger at the 1967 500 for Johnny Rutherford to drive, now with Wally Meskowski as chief crew. Raced later in the year by Rutherford, still with its Ford V8, as the team also now had another 1966 Eagle with an Offy turbo. The car remained in the Weinberger stable for 1968, when Ronnie Bucknum drove for the team with Dick Oeffinger, formerly with Gordon Johncock, as chief mechanic. This car was the Ford-powered car raced by Bucknum in 1968, and was later identified as the #45 Weinberger entry for Charlie Glotzbach in 1970. In October 1974, Wilseck sold the car to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum as "car number 49" but as different W&W Eagles wore #49 at different times, this may have caused it to be misidentified. In May 1975 it was on loan by the Museum to an Indianapolis bank, restored in the livery of Lloyd Ruby's #14 AAR Bardahl Eagle but otherwise described correctly as having been driven by Rutherford at the 1967 Indy 500 and Bucknum in the 1968 Indy 500. It continued to be used as part of the museum's backup collection for many years.

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.