23 Days in August: No. 12, Peter Revson, 1972 Gulf McLaren/Offy

 

If you joined us for 30 Days in May earlier this year, you’ll see some familiar faces from that countdown. We’ve also added some new entries for 23 Days in August. So let’s celebrate some notable drivers and cars from the glorious past of the Indianapolis 500!

 

Photo credit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway photo

In 1972, Peter Revson once again was fast in qualifying,
but gearbox failure eliminated him after just 23 laps.

23 Days in August: No. 12, Peter Revson, 1972 Gulf McLaren/Offy. When I think about the early years of Team McLaren at Indianapolis, Peter Revson is the driver I think of most. True, Johnny Rutherford brought McLaren two Indianapolis 500 victories and two pole positions, but Revson was quite important during those formative years as well.

In 1971, for example, he surprised everyone by ousting Mark Donohue for the pole, then finished second to Al Unser. Revson was back on the front row in 1972, starting second to Bobby Unser. Gearbox failure sidelined Revson after just 23 laps and he wound up 31^st.