In addition to the usual Month of May countdown, we’re also recounting the front rows of the 1970s, which included some of the most accomplished drivers in the history of the Indianapolis 500.
500. He was joined by second-year driver Danny Ongais (middle) and Rick Mears,
making his first start in the 500.
1978 front
row: Tom Sneva (pole), Danny Ongais, Rick Mears
How it started: 0 Indianapolis 500 victories (the only front row in the 1970s without a win when the green flag dropped)
How it ended: 5 Indianapolis 500 victories (Tom Sneva 1983; Rick Mears 1979, 1984, 1988, 1991)
About the 1978 race: As he did in 1977, Tom Sneva let others grab the headlines in practice, then again was the only driver to set a “New Track Record” with a lap of 203.620 mph leading to a four-lap average of 202.156 mph in the Norton Spirit Penske/Cosworth. Two new faces joined Sneva on the front row: second-year charger Danny Ongais and rookie Rick Mears.
Roger Penske brought in Mears to sub for Mario Andretti when Andretti had other commitments and also as a third entry at other events – like the 500. He wound up 23rd after going out with an engine problem after 103 laps in his CAM2 Penske/Cosworth. Despite the poor finish, Mears’ front-row efforts helped him earn Rookie of the Year honors with Larry Rice, who was 11th.
Ongais was definitely on the gas, leading a total of 71 laps before the engine blew in his Interscope Racing Parnelli/Cosworth. Al Unser, something of an afterthought in pre-race prognostications, turned in a quietly dominating performance in his First National City Travelers Checks Lola/Cosworth by leading for 121 laps, including all but 1 of the last 90, to finish ahead of Sneva.
and early 1990s.
#Indy500 #ThisIsMay @Team_Penske @IMS @IndyCar @IMSMuseum
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