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Majeske collection Johnny Rutherford started on the pole on his way to winning the 1980 Indianapolis 500, leading 118 laps. |
Each year, someone is tabbed as the favorite for that year’s Indianapolis 500. In 1980, Johnny Rutherford was the overwhelming pick. A two-time 500 winner for McLaren, Rutherford found himself out of a job at the end of the 1979 season when the team discontinued its IndyCar operation to concentrate on Formula 1.
Meanwhile, Jim Hall’s outfit was looking for a driver after Al Unser departed. Unser had the 1979 Indianapolis 500 in the bag before a faulty transmission seal sidelined him after 104 laps.
With the bugs presumably worked out of the futuristic Chaparral, which introduced the ground-effects concept to IndyCar racing, Rutherford and Hall looked to be unbeatable at Indianapolis.
And they were. Rutherford was fastest in practice nearly every day, won the pole and led the most laps on his way to an easy victory to cap a dominating Month of May.
#ThisIsMay #Indy500 @IMS @IMSMuseum @IndyCar
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