Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 25 May 1980

Notes on the cars:

1. Wildcat Mk 2 (Gary Bettenhausen): Wally Dallenbach had a Wildcat Mk 2 for the 1976 season but we cannot be certain when he drove the Mk 2 that season and when he may have used an older Mk 1. The Mk 3s were produced for 1977 but were only used at a handful of races and Dallenbach drove his 1976 Mk 2 at most races. At the end of 1977, the Dallenbach Mk 2 was sold to Sherman Armstrong's Armstrong Mould team and driven by Tom Bigelow through the 1978 season. It was loaned back to Patrick Racing for Steve Krisiloff to drive at Trenton in September after his usual Mk 2 had been wrecked at Ontario three weeks earlier and the alternative Mk 4 had been shipped to England for the two British races. Retained by Armstrong and driven by Gary Bettenhausen and Howdy Holmes in 1979 and by Bettenhausen in 1980. Used briefly by Rich Vogler as an Armstrong Mould entry in Indy 500 practice in 1981. Subsequent history unknown
2. McLaren M24 (Billy Engelhart): After Tom Sneva's #1 Jerry O'Connell Sugaripe Prune McLaren M24 was crashed at the 1979 Indy 500, the team acquired a new M24, believed to be chassis M24B-003. This car was first seen at Michigan in July 1979, but Sneva crashed it in practice, "causing extensive damage". Photographs indicate that Sneva raced the new car at Trenton in August, and at Ontario in September, but used his regular "Ol' Hound" at other races. Sold to ex-sprint car driver Billy Engelhart and Beaudoin Racing before (or maybe at) the Indy 500, and raced by him as the #29 Beaudoin Racing entry at five more races later in 1980. Returned for four more races in 1981, but did not qualify at Indy. Engelhart rebuilt the car himself for Indy in 1982, now entered as #59, but again did not qualify after his only engine exploded. In 2015, Engelhart commented that car was now owned by Don Devine.
3. Watson 78/80 (Billy Vukovich): New for Sheldon Kinser to drive as the Leader Card #24 Thermo King entry at the 1978 Indy 500, and at races later in the season. Kinser continued to race this car for the team in 1979, now with Genesee Beer sponsorship. The car was updated for 1980 with "ground-effect" sidepods. Kinser started the season in it before moving over to the 1979 Watson, and Billy Vukovich then qualified it for the Indy 500, finishing 12th. Kinser and Vukovich both raced it later in the season, as the team rotated all three of the 1977-1979 cars. It was entered as a backup car for Dick Simon in his #22 Vermont American livery at the 1981 Indy 500 and was raced by Simon at Pocono and Milwaukee later that season. It was then sold to Rolla Vollstedt for Max "Rusty" Schmidt to attempt to qualify at the 1982 Indy 500. Vollstedt recalled selling it to a female Formula Ford racer in Portland whose cheque bounced. This must be the Amber Furst (Brightwood, OR) who entered a Watson-Offy for the 1983 Indy 500 with husband Tim Furst as chief mechanic but was refused a chance to take her rookie test. After Vollstedt got the car back he sold it to "a local fellow" who put a Chevy in it. Subsequent history unknown.
4. Penske PC6 [005] (Dennis Firestone): One of Penske Racing's four PC6s at Indy in 1978, this car was only used in practice by Mike Hiss as #7T before he qualified Andretti's car. It was sold to Bobby Hillin's Longhorn Racing for 1980 (Hungness) and driven by Tom Bagley and was then Jack Rhoades' car for Dennis Firestone in 1980 and 1981. It was spotted in Portugal in early 2002 where it was still in Firestone colours and wearing a '5' chassis plate.
5. Lightning 79 (Hurley Haywood): For the 1979 season, Lindsey Hopkins' team had a new blue #15 Lightning fitted with a Drake V8 engine for Johnny Parsons to drive. This car had several detail differences from the earlier type of Lightnings, including a straighter nose and a fuel filler at shoulder height behind the driver. In the USAC races at the start of the 1979 season, Parsons finished second in this car at Ontario and qualified second at TWS. He started practice at the 1979 Indy 500 in the Drake V8 car but elected to swap cars with teammate Hurley Haywood so the new blue Drake V8 car became Haywood's #51 entry. Haywood went faster than Parsons in both cars and was looking likely to qualify well when engine failures ruined both qualifying attempts. George Snider later drove this car at Pocono as the #51. For the 1980 Indy 500, this car was fitted with a turbocharged 207ci (3.4 litre), cast-iron V6 Chevrolet engine built by Ryan Falconer and developing 670bhp on 58ins of boost. After some swapping of cars during practice, Haywood again ended up in this car and after qualifying in 25th position, retired from the race with turbocharger problems. The car was also used by Parsons at Pocono after he wrecked his 1980 Lightning in practice, and also at the two Michigan races. It was also at Indy in 1981 where it was driven in practice by Parsons and Gary Bettenhausen but Parsons was unable to qualify it. The car was not seen again. Current owner Chris Schunk (Wyoming, Ohio) bought it from someone who had acquired it from Hopkins' estate and by 2015 had restored it to 1979 livery with a Drake V8 engine.
6. McLaren-Karl [M16C/D-6] (Jerry Karl): New in 1974 for McLaren Cars as a M16C/D for David Hobbs to drive at the 1974 Indy 500 as the #73 Carling Black Label entry. Sold to George Walther by early July for Salt Walther to drive and used as his main #77 car at the Indy 500 in 1975, 1976 and 1977. Walther had other McLarens during this time and he is likely to have used those on short tracks. Sold with M16C/2 to Jerry Karl for 1978 and entered as his #88 Offy car at the 1978 Indy 500 with Frank Fiore as chief mechanic and a #89 RasCar/Atlanta as his backup. This was Karl's car at Pocono, Ontario and Trenton later in 1978, and again at five races in 1979. It was modified as a "McLaren-Karl" for 1980 and 1981 but was wrecked at Riverside in August 1981. Karl then used his backup M16C/2 in the last few races of the season. Both M16Cs were sold to Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) and stored for some years, before undergoing a complete restoration in 2015. Appeared at the Historic Indycar Exhibition in May 2016 in immaculate Carling livery. To Rob Dyson (Millbrook, NY) of Dyson Racing c2017.
7. Wildcat 'Mk 5' (Roger Rager): New for Wally Dallenbach at Phoenix in March 1979 as the Patrick Racing #40 entry, where Autosport described it as a chassis previously fitted with a Drake V8. Practiced by Gordon Johncock at the Indy 500 as Patrick Racing's #90 Foreman Industries entry, and then qualified by Spike Gehlhausen on the back row. It raced as #19 with backing from Sta-On Car Glaze, Guarantee Auto and WIRE. Johncock and Dallenbach used their Penske PC6s through the rest of 1979, but it is possible the Wildcat was used, unbilled, at one or more short track races. The "Wildcat-Cosworth" that Dallenbach raced at Phoenix in October was presumably this car. Sold to Roger Rager (Mound, MN) for 1980, and fitted with a 355 ci Chevrolet V8 engine, described as being from a school bus. Retained for 1981. Subsequent history unknown.
8. Phoenix 80 (Gordon Smiley): New to Patrick Racing Team for 1980. It arrived at Indy during May and took over as Tom Bagley's #40 entry from his Riley-designed Wildcat Mk IV. Bagley returned to the Wildcat after a breakage on the Phoenix so the Phoenix was reassigned to Gordon Smiley. Smiley drove it as the team's #70 Valvoline-Diamond Head entry, qualifying well but retiring with turbocharger problems. Bagley took over the Phoenix again at Milwaukee as the #40 Kent Oil entry, qualifying well in sixth but retiring. Bagley had three accidents in his other six outings in the Phoenix in 1980 but finished fourth at Milwaukee in August and sixth at Watkins Glen. Unknown after 1980 but possible consumed in the construction of the Wildcat Mk8s.
9. Lightning 77 (Johnny Parsons Jr): Designed by Roman Slobodynskyj to have the Offy engine laid on its side, angled just 12 degrees from the horizontal, the 'laydown' Offy was first seen in public at the 1977 California 500. The car required a completely new transmission, designed by Pete Weismmann, and this proved troublesome. Despite the car's speed, Roger McCluskey raced the conventional car at Ontario. New team driver Johnny Parsons drove the car at Ontario and Trenton in early 1978, retiring both times, and then ran it at 197.889 mph in practice at the Speedway before another transmission failure. Photographs show it was at Michigan in September but the car Parsons used to finish in seventh place is now believed to have been his conventional car. Then team focused on the Drake V8 in 1979, but at Indy in May Parsons took the laydown off Hurley Haywood during practice and qualified it ninth. He also qualified it third at Pocono and then - remarkably - finished fourth in it at Milwaukee. Parsons qualified it well again in 1980 but after another retirement, he focused on Hopkins' new ground-effect design. In 1986, the car was donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, and remained with the museum, unrestored, until it was offered for sale in April 2021.
10. Wildcat 'Mk 6' (Tom Bagley): New for Gordy Johncock in 1980 as Patrick Racing's #20 North American Van Lines entry. Raced by Johncock at Ontario in April, finishing third, but Johncock moved to the "Patrick PR001" until an accident, after which he tried the Wildcat briefly before turning to his old Penske PC6 for the race. The Wildcat became the #40 Kent Oils entry for teammate Tom Bagley in the Indy 500. Both Patrick Racing drivers settled on using the team's two Phoenix chassis in the following races, and the Wildcat became a backup car, but was raced by Bagley at Pocono in June, Michigan in July, Ontario in August and Michigan again in September. The car was retained as a show car in 1981, appearing mocked up in Essex livery outside Lotus's Ketteringham Hall with somebody wearing new Patrick driver Mario Andretti's helmet, and also appearing in red and blue STP and Bosch livery in an advert. In 1984, it was on display in Indianapolis wearing STP and 'Old Milwaukee' decals, the beer company having been Chip Ganassi's sponsor in the team in 1983 and 1984, so the car was still a current Patrick Racing show car. Subsequent history unknown.
11. Eagle 80 [8001] (Mike Mosley): Eagle's 1980 'BLAT' car appeared for Mike Mosley at the 1980 Iindy 500 fitted with a Chevrolet stock block engine. It only appeared two more times that season. After the 1980 season, the Eagle appears to have been upgraded to DFX spec and sold to the Wysard team. It is referred to as a Eagle 80 in On Track in 1981 and 1982 (e.g. 1981 issue 12 p13 Riverside report).
12. Wildcat Mk 1 (Larry Cannon): New for Gordy Johncock in 1975 as Patrick Racing's #20 Sinmast entry. Retained for 1976 and used by Johncock at short track events, winning at Trenton and twice finishing second at Milwaukee. Sold to Wildcat Racing Associates (Lynbrook, NY), a partnership of Frank Curtis, Gene Langsam and Walter Albert, with Curtis as chief mechanic and to be raced by Vern Schuppan as the #85 entry. The car was repossessed by lawyers at Pocono, and in August was sold to Danville barber Larry Cannon, who raced it for the rest of 1977 still entered as #85. Retained by Cannon for 1978, 1979 and 1980, qualifying for the Indy 500 in 1980. The car was again entered by Cannon in 1981 for guest drivers. Both Cannon's Wildcats were later bought by Maurice Kraines of Kraco and used as display cars at store openings and malls. Subsequent history unknown.
13. Phoenix 80 (Tom Sneva): The first Phoenix was built for Jerry O'Connell's Sugaripe Prune team with Jud Phillips as chief mechanic and Tom Sneva driving (Autosport 22 May 1980 p37). It was "totalled" in Sneva's accident on 14 May and Sneva drove an older McLaren in the race. The car was rebuilt later in the year (Hungness says the 1981 Indy 500 car had raced at the 1980 Indy 500) and won the last race of the season, appropriately at Phoenix. Sneva moved to Bignotti-Cotter for 1981 but "borrowed" the Sugaripe Prune Phoenix for the opening race of the season: Phoenix again. Kevin Cogan then took over the drive, taking fourth at Indy and second in the next race at Milwaukee but the car was sold in September to Tony Bettenhausen's team (On Track 1 Oct 1981 p7) leaving Cogan out of a drive. Bettenhausen raced the Phoenix at the last three races of 1981 and a single race in 1982. Subsequent history unknown.
14. Patrick PR1 (Gordon Johncock): After the ground-effect Wildcat Mk 4 flopped in testing in early 1980, Pat Patrick commissioned Gordon Kimble to lay out a new car in time for Indy. The car was a copy of the Chaparral, on which Kimble had worked as assistant to John Barnard, but was said to be commissioned against the wishes of Bignotti (Autosport 1 May 1980) who was looking at the Williams-copy Phoenix as well. The "Patrick PR1" (Autosport 15 May 1980 p3) was built in Indianapolis by Bignotti. Very early in testing at Indy, on 8 May, Johncock crashed the car, cracking an ankle bone and reducing the Patrick to scrap. The team continued with the Wildcat Mk IV, the Phoenix and an old Penske PC6.
15. Wildcat Mk 1 (John Martin): New for Wally Dallenbach in 1975 as Patrick Racing's #40 Sinmast entry. Retained for 1976 and used by Dallenbach in practice at the 1976 Indy 500 and raced by him at Trenton in August. Sold to Bobby Hillin's Longhorn Racing for 1977, and raced by George Snider as the #18 entry at most races that season, a 1974 Eagle being used at others. Retained by Longhorn for 1978, but neither Bubby Jones nor Billy Vukovich could get the car up to speed at the Indy 500 due to a handling problem. Jones raced it at Pocono in July, and then Canadian Cliff Hucul raced it at Ontario in September, but was eliminated in a collision with Steve Krisiloff. It appears that the Longhorn Wildcat was significantly remodelled during repairs, as it looked significantly different to a standard Wildcat Mk 1 when George Snider raced it at Phoenix in October. This remodelled car was owned and driven by Tom Frantz (Littleton, CO) in 1979, again wearing #18. It was sold to Ross Davis (Grand Junction, CO) for 1980, with backing from Jim Land and Jon Abrasom. He raced it at Ontario in March, but was refused a rookie test at Indy, and the drive was taken over by John Martin, who qualified but was bumped. Martin drove the car for the rest of the season. According to Bob Sawicki, "this car was destroyed when the trailer broke away from the truck and crash down a hill in 1980".
16. Penske PC7 [011] (Bill Alsup): This car was identified by a later Chuck Haines advert as Penske PC7 chassis 011, owned and raced by Bill Alsup in 1980, 1981 and early 1982 but raced in the 1981 Indy 500 by teammate Pete Halsmer. It passed to Jim Buick in 1983.
17. Penske PC6 (David "Salt" Walther): The Salt Walther Penske PC6 at Indy in 1979 is said (Hungness p34) to be brand new. However, Walther had driven a PC6 at two earlier races and the car is described in the starting line-up pictures as "1978 Penske PC6001", implying it is the original 1978 prototype.
18. Wildcat Mk 2 (Pete Halsmer): Another new Mk 2 was built for Gordon Johncock to use in 1978 and he used this car throughout the 1978 season, the Mk 3 and Mk 4 having been effectively abandoned. Sold to Herb & Rose Wysard for 1979 and became their #34 Wysard Motors entry for Vern Schuppan. Retained for 1980 and raced by Pete Halsmer and Schuppan up to Watkins Glen in August, after which it was sold to Larry Cannon to replace his Mk 1. Probably the car raced by Cannon in the last few races of 1980 and then entered for Dick Ferguson and Herm Johnson in early 1981. Both Cannon's Wildcats were later bought by Maurice Kraines of Kraco and used as display cars at store openings and malls. Subsequent history unknown.
19. Watson 79 (Sheldon Kinser): New for George Snider to drive as the Leader Card #40 Genesee Beer entry at the 1979 Indy 500, but its Drake V8 engine broke after half a lap and the car was withdrawn. It was not seen again that season but was rebuilt for the 1980 season with a Cosworth DFX engine. Sheldon Kinser qualified it for the 1980 Indy 500 but was bumped. He drove it in seven more races later in the season. Subsequent history unknown.
20. McLaren M16C/D [4] (Phil Caliva): The history of this car in 1973 and 1974 remains unproven, but believed to be new for Peter Revson as McLaren Cars' #15 entry at the 1973 Indy 500. Crashed by Revson and it is unclear when the car returned to the team. Almost certainly Johnny Rutherford's black rollhooped short track car in 1974. McLaren records show that M16C/4 was sold to Roger Penske in November 1974. Raced by Tom Sneva in 1975 as the #68 Norton Spirit entry after his original M16C was wrecked at the Indy 500. Used again by Sneva as his #68 car during 1976, and appears to have been the #68 driven by Mario Andretti in two late-season races. Sold to Bill Simpson with M16C/3 and became part of Teddy Yip's Theodore Racing team in 1977 as their #38 car, raced by Clay Regazzoni at the Indy 500 and by Rick Mears later in the season. Unknown in 1978 but reappeared in 1979 as Bill Alsup's #41 WASP Racing car. Raced by Phil Caliva for Alsup Racing in 1980 as the #47 and at Indy 1981 where it was "extensively damaged" on 12 May in an accident during practice. Not seen again.
21. Eagle 74 (Tony Bettenhausen II): New to Robert L. 'Bob' Fletcher's Cobre Firestone team and entered as the #21 car for Jimmy Caruthers in 1974. Firestone withdrew from racing in August 1974 and Fletcher, who ran the largest Firestone dealership in the US, had to use Goodyear tyres in 1975. He also lost chief mechanic Jim McGee to Penske. This car became the white #11 entry for Duane Carter in 1975. Bobby Unser and his mechanic Wayne Leary both moved from Eagle to the Fletcher team for 1976, and Unser won in this car at Phoenix in March. Unser then used the Leary-modified sister car at the enxt few races. He returned to this car in August, winning in it at Ontario in Septenber. This car was then kept as a spare to the team's new Lightnings in early 1977. Both Fletcher Eagles were sold to Carl Gehlhausen in July 1977 and this unmodified car was raced by his 23-year-old son Danny 'Spike' Gehlhausen as the #19 PV Corp car at five races towards the end of the 1977 season. He wrecked the car at the final race of the season, and it was then significantly modified with straight sides by designer-fabricator Jackie Howerton assisted by Gehlhausen's chassis chief John Barnes and chief mechanic Eddie Baue. It first appeared at the 1978 Indy 500, where Gehlhausen qualified, but crashed heavily in the race. The revised car was repaired in time for Pocono, and is presumably the car he wrecked again at Michigan in July. After he crashed heavily in his backup car at Michigan in September, Gehlhausen then bought Pat Santello's '74 Eagle to use in the two British races. The Howerton-modified car was repaired for 1979, but was now Gehlhausen's second car. He drive it at Atlanta in April, then it was driven by Al Loquasto as the team's #39 entry at the Indy 500 and at Michigan. After Gehlhausen bought Fletcher's Lightnings, the Howerton-modified Eagle was sold to Walter L. Medlin for Tony Bettenhausen II to drive in 1980 as his #32 Vita Fresh entry. It reappeared for Bubby Jones as Medlin's #58 entry at the 1981 Indy 500 but did not qualify. The car remained with Medlin and is part of a collection of unrestored cars photographed on occasions since.
22. McLaren M16E [001?] (Dana Carter): New in 1975 for McLaren Cars main driver Johnny Rutherford as the #2 Gatorade entry. Raced at Ontario and in the Indy 500, where he finished second, but the badly damaged when he "lost it" on the oopening lap of his qualifying run at Pocono. Rutherford then took over the less used M16E-2 that Lloyd Ruby had driven for the two Michigan races but used his older M16C/D elsewhere. At the end of the season, M16E-1 was sold to Bob Fletcher's team, but McLaren stipulated that it could not be driven by Fletcher's main driver, Bobby Unser, until the new McLaren M24s were ready. As the M24 was delayed, Fletcher sold the M16E to Russ Polak's Polak Racing for Larry Dickson to drive as the #80 entry. Raced by Dickson from Michigan in July 1976 to the end of 1977. Not seen in 1978. Then almost certainly the McLaren entered by Jack L. Rhoades as the #20 Scientific Drilling Controls car for John Martin at the 500 mile races in 1979 and for Dana Carter at Indy in 1980. Returned to Indy in 1981 as the #52 Rassey Engines car for Larry Rice. Then unknown until advertised in the late 1980s by Stephen A. Schwartz (Westport, CT), totally restored and in its original Gatorade livery. It was reacquired by McLaren and put on display in the Donington Museum for many years. It was at McLaren HQ in Woking in 2010.
23. McLaren M16A [4?] (Frank Weiss): Roger Penske 1971 for Mark Donohue (#66 Sunoco) at Pocono and Ontario, replacing M16/1 destroyed at the Indy 500. Also for Donohue in the early races of 1972 and probably the #8 backup entry at the Indy 500. It was then sold to George Walther and raced by Salt Walther later in 1972. The Walthers bought other McLarens over the winter and this was retained as an unused backup in 1973. Walther raced it at Trenton in April 1974 and may have used it at other short-track events in 1974 and 1975. For 1976, it was sold to James C Bidwell (Indianapolis, IN) and Robert Bidwell (Lauderhill, FL) and entered as the #36 Shurfine Foods for Jerry Karl after Indy in 1976 and for Jerry Sneva in 1977. To Frank Fiore (#88 Machinists Union) late season 1978 for Tom Gloy; and Ontario only 1979 for Ken Nichols. Then sold to Buddy Boys (Calgary, Alberta) and entered as the #68 at the Indy 1980 for fellow Canadian Frank Weiss to drive, but crashed heavily during practice. The Hungness Yearbook describes the impact as having been on the left front and the car as "extensively damaged", adding that the injured Weiss had to be released using a Hurst rescue tool, the so-called "jaws of life" which could have done significant damage to the monocoque.
24. Penske PC6 (Jan Sneva): The Salt Walther Penske PC6 at Indy in 1979 is said (Hungness p34) to be brand new. However, Walther had driven a PC6 at two earlier races and the car is described in the starting line-up pictures as "1978 Penske PC6001", implying it is the original 1978 prototype.
25. RasCar-Atlanta 74 (Bob Harkey): Completed by Gene White Racing after Atlanta Cars closed, and first seen as the team's #21 Bill Daniels GOP for Cale Yarborough at the 1972 Indy 500. Yarborough was then "asked to step down", and the car was converted from Ford to Offy power for team leader Lloyd Ruby to try in practice at Pocono. It was raced by Jimmy Caruthers as the #52 Wynn's Special at Ontario in September. Almost certainly the Atlanta-Offy sold to Larry McCoy Sr's Eastern Racing for his son Larry McCoy to drive in 1973, backed by James Bidwell's Shurfine Foods. Converted by Eldon Rasmussen to Ras-Car specification for 1974, and raced by McCoy and others up to 1977. To Frank Fiore for 1978, and his #87 Machinists Union entry for Jerry Karl, Phil Threshie and Al Loquasto that season. Then to Buddie Boys, a Calgary trucking magnate, and entered for Bob Harkey at the 1980 Indy 500, but he could not get enough speed out of it. The last that was heard of the car was just before the Milwaukee race, when the engine was said to have blown up during testing.
26. Kingfish 73 ['3'] (Roger Mears): Built in 1975 by Grant King as a new chassis but built up using parts from the original #24 car and raced by Bentley Warren at Pocono in 1975. King built a pair of new cars for 1976 and the 1973 cars were rarely used over the next three seasons. This car was raced by Bob Harkey at Pocono in 1976 as the team's #96 entry and as more photographs emerge it may be found to have been raced on other occasions. The 1976 cars were dropped after 1978, and the two old 1973 cars were fitted with Chevrolet V8 engines for 1979. This car was raced as the #97 JC Agajanian/Grant King entry in 1979 and 1980. It was then sold to Norm Hall for 1981 and continued running in CART as the #65 Luxury Racers car, qualifying for races sporadically. Its last known appearance was at Road America in July 1983. In 2014, Jacques Dresang reported that this car was in the offices of Giuffre Bros Cranes Inc, in Milwaukee, WI.
27. Lightning 77 (Herm A. Johnson): New to Alex Morales for 1977 and entered as the #78 Alex Foods car for Bobby Olivero. Presumably his #78 car for the rest of the season but it is possible that the sister #15 car was also used as the #78 at some points during 1977. Then the #78 Alex Foods car for Max Mosley in 1978 and presumed to be the same #78 car he uses all season but it is again quite likely that the sister car was used somewhere. This was then Pancho Carter's Offy-powered #10 Alex XLNT Foods car at the 1979 Indy 500 and as the sister car had been converted to Drake V8 power, this is presumably the Offy car he used through 1979. As the Drake car was converted to a Cosworth DFX and retained for 1980, this Offy car would be the car sold to John Menard's team and entered as the #28 for Herm Johnson in 1980, still with Offy power. For 1981, the Menard team, led by ex-Parnelli mechanic Dan Cota, extensively modified the car with new ground-effect sidepods and fitted a normally-aspirated Chevrolet stock block engine. The car went well at the Indy 500 but Herm Johnson was bumped. To Larry Walker (Indianapolis, IN) for 1982, and entered by his Timberwood Racers at the Indy 500 in 1982 and 1983 as the #88 Frito-Lay Racer, for Billy Scott in 1982 and Roger Rager in 1983, but did not qualify. Subsequent history unknown.
28. Eagle 72 [7204] (John Wood): 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.
29. Antares 72 (Rich Vogler): Sold to Lindsey Hopkins and entered at the 1972 Indy 500 as the #10 Gilmore Racing car for Wally Dallenbach. Dallenbach qualified Hopkins' 1970 Eagle for the race instead of the Antares but was forced into the Antares when the Eagle was bumped. The Offy engine blew during its qualifying run so it did not make the race. According to a history written by Kevin Triplett, this car and the Swede Savage car were returned to Antares Engineering and remained there until the two cars were bought by Ed Finley, Gary Miller and Keith Shuck in 1975. This ex-Dallenbach car was not used in 1976 but returned to the Indy 500 in 1977 when Ken Mahoney and Doug Beiderstedt had joined as part owners. Raced by Ed Finley in 1977 and 1978, then in 1979 by Frank Weiss and Eldon Rasmussen who managed to qualify it for the 1979 Indy 500. Reappeared a handful of times in 1980 and 1981 and then sat at the workshop of Ken Mahoney (Peru, IL) for some years. This car and all Mahoney's other Antares bits were acquired from him at some point by Jack Layton (Howell, Michigan), and he sold this ex-Dallenbach to Bob McConnell (Urbana, OH). By 2012, the car was fully restored in 1981 Roman Wheels #87 livery.
30. Lightning 80 [LHR-001] (Janet Guthrie): New for Janet Guthrie to drive as Lindsey Hopkins' #55 Texaco Star entry at the 1980 Indy 500 but she failed to qualify. There were plans for a second car for Johnny Parsons Jr but he was limited to a few laps during practice in Guthrie's car. Guthrie failed to qualify again at Milwaukee a week later, after which her Texaco sponsorship ended and the car was assigned to Parsons to drive at Pocono as Hopkins' #15 entry. He crashed in practice and the car was wrecked.
31. McLaren M24 [002] (Tom Frantz): New to Penske Racing for Mario Andretti to drive as the #9 CAM2 Motor Oil entry at eight races in 1977. Sold to George Walther's Dayton-Walther team for his son Salt Walther to drive in 1978. The ex-Andretti car was Salt's intended race car at the Indy 500, but he swapped to his ex-Tom Sneva car for qualifying and the race. Photographs indicate that Walther raced the ex-Andretti car at Pocono and Ontario in 1978. Walther acquired a new Penske PC6 for 1979, but one of the M24s was retained as a backup. The ex-Andretti car was sold to Tom Frantz (Littleton, CO) for 1980, but only appeared at the Indy 500, where he did not qualify, and was then sold to Don Mergard (Cincinnati, OH), whose crew chief Eddie Meinking fitted a Chevrolet stock block engine. Mergard entered it for Phil Threshie at the Indy 500 in 1981, and for Teddy Pilette in 1982, but both failed to qualify. Mergard advertised the car in February 1982 as being "ex-Andretti". The movements of the car are unknown after that date, but at some point it was restored to the livery Sneva's 1977 pole position car and put on display in the Historic Auto Attractions Museum in Roscoe, Illinois. However, it still had its M24-002 chassis plate, its USAC sticker from when Tom Frantz ran it in 1980, and the Chevrolet stock block engine from the Mergard era.
32. Lightning 77 (Lee Kunzman): Chassis "ROMLIN/7" was one of the 1977 Lightnings but its history before it was raced by Bobby Unser for the Teddy Yip/Dan Gurney AAR team in early 1978 is unresolved. It was used for the opening four races of 1978 before being replaced by the team's new Eagle. To Richard Hoffman (Milford, OH) for 1979 and raced by Joe Saldana as the #59 or #69 car during 1979 and 1980. These entry numbers were also used by the team's old 1972 Eagle and exactly how the two cars were used is still to be determined. The Lightning was run in practice at the 1981 Indy 500 with modified sidepods and nose but was crashed by Saldana. It was acquired by Dean Vetrock (Racine, WI) for 1982, but he failed to qualify for the Indy 500 and did not appear in the series again. Vetrock raced this car briefly in the CAT (ex-Can-Am) series in 1987. Four years later, the car was acquired from a Monterey area dealer by a client of Tom Tatalovich Racing Services (Golden Valley, AZ). Tatlovich restored the car to AAR livery, and it was sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona in January 1992. Tom recalls that the buyer was from Hilton Head. By 2002, the car was owned by Larry Wharton, who completed a restoration that year. In 2008, it was bought from Wharton by David S. Morrison (Long Beach, CA).
33. Penske PC7 [006] (Joe Saldana): This car was identified by a later Chuck Haines advert as Penske PC7 chassis 006, a Penske team car for Rick Mears in 1979 and then passing to Dick Hammond and driven by Joe Saldana in 1980 and Tom Bigelow in 1981. The advert is slightly puzzling as it appears to show the car today in #58 Genesee Beer livery; at the 1982 Indy 500 there appear to have been two Genesee Beer cars: a #56 DFX car and a #58 Chevy car? Is the story of 006 less clear cut than it appears?
34. March "741" [73A/3(B)] (Bill Puterbaugh): See full history: March 73A/3.
35. Spyder 79 [Eagle '72 7223] (Joe Saldana): New to Roy Woods Racing and entered for David Hobbs at the 1973 Indy 500 as the #73 Carling Black Label entry. For Hobbs at Pocono then John Mahler at Ontario that season. Woods then lost the Carling sponsorship but returned to Indy in 1974 with the Eagle as the #69 entry for Mahler who failed to qualify. Next seen in 1976 when owned by by Gus and Richard Hoffman (Milford, OH) of Hoffman Auto Racing and entered as the #69 American Financial Spl for Larry Cannon at various races that season. Returned to Indy in 1977, again as Hoffman's #69 entry, but crashed by Jerry Grant in practice and "extensive damaged". Reworked by the Hoffman team as their 1979 #79 'Spyder' Indy car and raced by Dick Ferguson, Joe Saldana and others. Crashed heavily by Bob Frey in practice at Pocono 1980 and effectively destroyed.
36. McLaren M24B [002?] (Tom Sneva): Johnny Rutherford's works McLaren at the 1979 Indy 500 (and presumably through the rest of 1979) is the car then driven by Tom Sneva at the 1980 "500". The car had been entered as the #81 O'Hanlon Lil Cheaper Special and practiced by Al Loquasto but the team had run out of engines. When Sneva wrote off O'Connell's Phoenix, the team hired the M24B (Daily Report 15 May 1980) rather than reclaim one of their own M24s. This is presumably the car run by O'Hanlon for the rest of 1980 and then as the #15 Tempero/O'Hanlon M24-Chev in 1981. O'Hanlon advertised an ex-Rutherford 1979 M24B in NSSN 28 Jul 1982 p38, when it was described as the last Indy car built by McLaren.
37. Lightning 77 (Al Loquasto): New to Lindsey Hopkins' team and entered in 1977 as the #11 First National Travelers Check car for driver Roger McCluskey. Hopkins had a second 1977 Lightning, the #10 car used by Lloyd Ruby at the Indy 500, and exactly how these two cars were used in 1977 is not known with certainty. This car was sold to Patrick Santello for 1978 and appeared at the Indy 500 as the #35 car for Larry Rice, but Rice used the team's old 1974 Eagle at other races that season, and the Lightning's only other outing in 1978 was when raced by Vern Schuppan at Texas World Speedway in August. Retained by Santello in 1979 as the #35 S&M Electric entry for Rice and Tim Richmond. Sold to Jack Lang's Pacific Coast Racing for 1980 and raced as the #86 entry by Al Loquasto at Pocono and Jeff Heywood at Ontario. Then unknown until acquired by World Speedway Champion Barry Briggs in 1988, still in "as raced" yellow #86 livery. Later restored to its 1978 #35 livery, and ran at Indy in May and June 2016. Advertised for sale in May 2018. On display at the Grant King Racers Working Race Shop Museum in May 2019.
38. Finley 80 ('PC6') (John Mahler): Built for John Mahler's team for 1980 as a copy of a Penske PC6, but arrived too late to practice at the 1980 Indy 500. Mahler raced it at five races later in the season, but did not finish any of them. He returned to the Indy 500 with the car in 1981, but again failed to qualify. Later that season, he raced the car three more times, but again failed to finish a race. It was driven by Michel Jourdain at the Copa Mexico 150 in October 1981. Mahler then retired from racing and entered the car for Jerry Sneva at the 1982 Indy 500. Ed Sneva designed new tunnel sidepods for the car and a rear end modelled on the latest Eagles, the resulting mishmash being described as a "PC7". When the Snevas left the team, Mahler returned to the cockpit just before qualifying, but crashed heavily on Thursday 20 May. The car was extensively damaged, and was not seen again.
39. McLaren M24B [002?] (Al Loquasto): Johnny Rutherford's works McLaren at the 1979 Indy 500 (and presumably through the rest of 1979) is the car then driven by Tom Sneva at the 1980 "500". The car had been entered as the #81 O'Hanlon Lil Cheaper Special and practiced by Al Loquasto but the team had run out of engines. When Sneva wrote off O'Connell's Phoenix, the team hired the M24B (Daily Report 15 May 1980) rather than reclaim one of their own M24s. This is presumably the car run by O'Hanlon for the rest of 1980 and then as the #15 Tempero/O'Hanlon M24-Chev in 1981. O'Hanlon advertised an ex-Rutherford 1979 M24B in NSSN 28 Jul 1982 p38, when it was described as the last Indy car built by McLaren.
40. Lightning 79 (Hurley Haywood): For the 1979 season, Lindsey Hopkins' team had a new blue #15 Lightning fitted with a Drake V8 engine for Johnny Parsons to drive. This car had several detail differences from the earlier type of Lightnings, including a straighter nose and a fuel filler at shoulder height behind the driver. In the USAC races at the start of the 1979 season, Parsons finished second in this car at Ontario and qualified second at TWS. He started practice at the 1979 Indy 500 in the Drake V8 car but elected to swap cars with teammate Hurley Haywood so the new blue Drake V8 car became Haywood's #51 entry. Haywood went faster than Parsons in both cars and was looking likely to qualify well when engine failures ruined both qualifying attempts. George Snider later drove this car at Pocono as the #51. For the 1980 Indy 500, this car was fitted with a turbocharged 207ci (3.4 litre), cast-iron V6 Chevrolet engine built by Ryan Falconer and developing 670bhp on 58ins of boost. After some swapping of cars during practice, Haywood again ended up in this car and after qualifying in 25th position, retired from the race with turbocharger problems. The car was also used by Parsons at Pocono after he wrecked his 1980 Lightning in practice, and also at the two Michigan races. It was also at Indy in 1981 where it was driven in practice by Parsons and Gary Bettenhausen but Parsons was unable to qualify it. The car was not seen again. Current owner Chris Schunk (Wyoming, Ohio) bought it from someone who had acquired it from Hopkins' estate and by 2015 had restored it to 1979 livery with a Drake V8 engine.
41. Eagle 73 [7303] (Ed Finley): New for Jerry Grant to race at the 1973 Indy 500 as AAR's #48 Olsonite Eagle. Grant was not entered at the Pocono 500 and the car was sold to Patrick Racing prior to that race. It was raced by Gordy Johncock for the rest of the season as his Indy-winning car was wrecked at Pocono. Raced by teammate Wally Dallenbach in the early races of 1974, then brought to the Indy 500 to replace a '74 car damaged by Johncock in practice. Raced by Johncock at Indy and at Milwaukee in June, and believed to have been his short track car for the rest of the year. Then to Lee Elkins and entered as the #83 McNamara Eagle for Bill Puterbaugh at Indy and at Pocono in 1975, qualifying for both. Retained for the 500-mile races 1976, when Puterbaugh qualified for the Indy 500 and Ontario, and also in 1977 when, now as the #16 entry, he again qualified for the Indy 500. Immediately after qualifying, the car was acquired by George Walther who wanted to put son Salt into it but after an uproar, Puterbaugh drove it in the race. Then from Walther to Bob Olmstead who fitted a Volker V12 engine for Indy 1978 but did not get the car on track. The car was stored until after Olmstead's death, and was sold to Bill Simpson in the early 1990s. It was restored as a show car for Simpson by Wayne Leary and put on display in North Carolina to represent the Eagle that Simpson had raced at Indy. Sold around 2013 to Jeff Urwin (New York, NY).
42. Penske PC5 [001?] (Larry Dickson): Said to have been present at the 1977 Indy 500, but locked in the team's transporter throughout. First raced by Tom Sneva as Penske Racing's #8 Norton Spirit entry at the Michigan 200 in July 1977. Later raced by Sneva at Texas World Speedway two weeks later, and in the California 500 at Ontario in early September. Sold to Russel Polak (Noblesville, IN) and entered for three-time USAC sprint car champion Larry Dickson to race in 1978 and 1979, with Chuck Looper as crew chief. Last seen when Dickson crashed it in practice at Milwaukee in August 1979. Entered for Indy in 1980, but the car did not arrive. This is presumably the car acquired by Joe Hunt and extensively rebuilt for Phil Krueger to race at the start of 1982. Crashed at Phoenix in March 1982 and very heavily damaged. Its suspension was used to build up new car using McLaren M24 tub, and the resulting car used the identity of the McLaren.
43. King 'PC7' (Roger Mears): Built by Grant King as a copy of the Penske PC7 for the 1980 Indy 500, but could not be prepared in time. Roger Mears qualified it for the 1981 Indy 500 but was bumped. Jim McElreath took over the drive for 1982, but did not make an attempt to qualify. The car did not appear again after this, and remained at Grant King's workshops.
44. Eagle 74 [7306] (Jim McElreath): Patrick Racing acquired a new 1973 Eagle after the 1973 Indy 500, probably either chassis 7305 or 7306. It was fitted with a Ford V8 engine and used in practice at Ontario by Graham McRae as the #60 entry, but failed to qualify. Raced by Dick Simon at two later races that season. It may have been Steve Krisiloff's intended #60 Patrick entry at Indy in 1974, identified by Hungness as an Eagle "of 1973 vintage", but the car Krisiloff actually qualified was an older 1972 car. The 1973 car finally reappeared when raced by Krisiloff at Pocono and a few races later in the 1974 season, by which time it had a turbo Offy engine. Sold by Patrick Racing's chief crew George Bignotti to Fred Carrillo (San Juan Capistrano, CA) and entered as the #73 Spirit of Orange County entry for Jerry Grant at Ontario at the start of 1975. Later in 1975, the car was fitted with a 209 ci AMC stock block V8 engine developed for Carrillo by Dick Jones, and was driven by Grant in late 1975 and early 1976, now with Dave Klym as chief mechanic. Carrillo then acquired a newer Eagle chassis for the AMC engine and the 1973 Eagle was rebuilt in 1977 to Offy specification and sold to Jim McElreath for son James to drive as the #26 McElreath Racing entry in 1977. Then for Jim McElreath in 1978. In 1979, McElreath acquired a second Eagle, apparently the ex-O'Connell 1974 car, which was numbered as the #23 with the older car continuing as #26. The older car continued in use until 1981. In 2017, it was reported that this was chassis 7306, and had remained at Jim McElreath's home in Texas from 1983 until his death in 2017. It was then owned by Angus Russell (Ormond Beach, FL).
45. Eagle 79 (Mike Mosley): At the 1979 Indy 500, AAR had two cars on hand for Mike Mosley to drive, both wearing #36. This backup car, distinguished by its chrome rollhoop instead of the black rollhoop of his regular car, does not appear to have been on track at the Speedway. It was next seen when it was Mosley's race car at Watkins Glen in August. Two weeks later, Mosley wrecked his regular car at Trenton, and he then used the Watkins Glen car, with its chrome rollhoop, for the remainder of the season. This was presumably the "1978" Eagle entered by AAR as a spare car at the 1980 Indy 500. Subsequent history unknown.
46. McLaren-Karl [M16C-2] (Jerry Karl): New for McLaren Cars at the start of 1973, and raced by Johnny Rutherford at the early short-track events. Possibly used by him at short track events later in the year. Also driven by Peter Revson as the #15 Gulf entry at Pocono and Ontario in 1973, taking pole position at both events. By early November, it had been acquired by George Walther, replacing the older M16 in which Salt Walther had been badly injured at the 1973 Indy 500, and was prepared by Dayton-Walther chief mechanic Tommie Smith from the team's new base in Dayton, Ohio. It was driven by Salt at the Indy 500 in 1974 as the #77 Dayton Walther Spl, but the Walthers then acquired M16C/6, retaining M16C/2 as his #33 spare car at the Indy 500 in 1975 and 1976. It was raced by Bob Harkey as the #33 Dayton-Walther entry at Indy and Pocono in 1975, and by David Hobbs at Indy in 1976. How it was used during the rest of the 1975 and 1976 season is unclear but it was quite possibly used as by Salt Walther a short-track car. Relegated to the team's third car for 1977 when Walther acquired M16C/5 from McLaren. Sold with M16C/6 to Jerry Karl/William R. Compton Sr for 1978. M16C/6 was converted to Chevrolet V8 power and entered by Tonco Trailer until 1981 and M16C/2 was kept as a backup until M16C/6 was wrecked at Riverside in 1981. M16C/2 was then used for the last three races of the 1981 season. Both M16Cs were sold to Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) but M16C/2 had moved to Ron Rickard (San Diego, CA) by 1986 when he drove it at the Palm Springs historics. Sold to Tony Roberts and Duncan Fox (Auckland, New Zealand) in 1997 and used in historics with an aluminium 355 ci Chevrolet V8 from 1998 to 2000. Sold to the Mathews Collection still with its Chevrolet engine. From Mathews to Aaron Lewis (Cessnock, NSW, Australia) in 2009.
47. McLaren M24 ["M24/6"] (TBA): Warner Hodgdon's National Engineering Co entered a McLaren M24 for Roger McCluskey to drive at the Ontario 200 and Indianapolis 500 in 1979, and later for Jerry Sneva at the California 500 later that season. It was described as being a 1977 car, but was also described as unraced. McLaren, Penske and Hodgdon mechanic Roger Flynn later said about this car, "I built this McLaren from a box of parts we purchased from Penske, from the modified nose, side pods, rear wing, intake plenum and turbo header system, and many, many other components". It was retained for 1980, and raced by Roger Mears in the Ontario 200 in April, and by Michael Chandler in the Ontario 500 in August. It was driven by Sneva and Chandler in practice at the 1981 Indy 500, but did not attempt to qualify. Its final known appearance was at Riverside in August 1981 where it was taken over by H & R Racing for Tony Bettenhausen II to drive after he wrecked his regular car, but he could not get it up to speed. Subsequent history unknown.
48. Finley Eagle ['72 7228?] (John Mahler): Keeping track of all the Finley Eagles is never easy. Finley had built a Penske PC6 copy for 1980 but a spare "Fleagle" appeared as the #91 on a few occasions. At the 1980 California 500, Autosport identified the Chip Mead #91 car as a "Fleagle-Offy" and this is presumably the same car that was entered as the #91 elsewhere in 1980. It is quite likely that this is the "Bear" Finley-Eagle from 1979 which may mean that it is the 1972 Eagle (chassis 7228) acquired by the team as long ago as 1975.

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.