30 Days in May Bonus: No. 8, Jan Opperman, 1976 Routh Meat Packing Eagle/Offy

Welcome to our monthlong countdown celebrating notable drivers and cars from the Indianapolis 500!

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Jan Opperman started 33rd and finished 16th in the 1976 Indianapolis 500.

Now and then during the 1970s, my dad was able to wrangle a pit or garage pass. In 1976, he was wandering about with his Polaroid camera (!) when Jan Opperman stopped him and asked if he could take his photo for his USAC license. He offered to pay my dad for his time and film. My dad said, no, that’s OK. How about signing an autograph for the kids instead? Jan happily obliged, dad took his photo, Opperman thanked him again, and my dad had an interesting story to tell around the dinner table that night.

The Routh Meat Packing entry originally was No. 75 and assigned to rookie Gary Allbritain. Allbritain, however, crashed twice earlier in the season. USAC officials decided he wasn’t quite ready for the Speedway, and denied him a rookie test.

Opperman, meanwhile, was entered in the No. 42 Don Mergard’s Spirit of Truth Eagle/Offy, which he qualified on the first weekend of qualifications. During this era, it was fairly common for drivers to switch teams (and vice versa) in an attempt to find the right combination to secure a spot in the 33-car field. After being bumped early on the final day of qualifications, Opperman jumped in the Routh car, which had been abandoned by Steve Krisiloff in favor of the No. 92 First National City Travelers Checks Eagle/Offy, which he qualified on the third day of time trials. (Jerry Karl also practiced in the No. 8 on the last day of qualifications.) Opperman warmed up the car at 5:39, didn’t take the green flag, and went back into the qualifying line. He got one more attempt at 5:59 and bumped Eldon Rasmussen.

Altogether, six cars were bumped in 1976, with the “Racing Hippie” providing literally last-minute drama.

The 1976 Indianapolis 500 was the shortest ever, halted by rain and declared official after a paltry 102 laps. Johnny Rutherford was the winner in the Hy-Gain/Goodyear McLaren/Offy. It was the last of the venerable Offenhauser’s 27 victories at Indianapolis.

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I have another sister, Rebecca, but she was still in the garage, so to speak, when
Jan Opperman signed this autograph in May of 1976.

Opperman moved up from dead last to place 16^th when the rains hit. Considering the many challenges for both driver and team, this was a well-earned result.

Sadly, this was Opperman’s final Indianapolis 500. He was badly hurt in the Hoosier Hundred later in 1976, recovered, but then suffered devastating injuries in 1981. He died on September 4, 1997, in the care of his parents. Famed Indianapolis DJs Bob and Tom held a few fund-raisers over the years to try to defray costs for Opperman’s care.

Jan Opperman was an American original, considered by many the first and maybe the best “outlaw” racer. He was a member of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 1990. To learn more about this legend, I can recommend “Odyssey: Jan Opperman’s Racing Diary.” Also available is “Dialed In: The Jan Opperman Story,” which I’m hoping to read in the near future.

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30 Days in May: No. 8, Tom Sneva, 1977 Norton Spirit McLaren/Cosworth

Welcome to our monthlong countdown celebrating notable drivers and cars from the Indianapolis 500!

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Tom Sneva was the first (and only) driver to officially exceed 200 mph in qualifying
for the 1977 Indianapolis 500.

In 1977, Tom Sneva was the first to officially lap the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at over 200 mph, with a speed of 200.401 mph on the first lap of his qualifying run, then broke his record on the next lap at 200.535 mph. The four-lap average of 198.884 mph fell a bit short of 200, but was more than enough for Sneva to secure the first of three poles at Indianapolis. Interestingly, each time Sneva sat on the pole (1977, 1978, 1984), he set the track record. In 1977, Sneva was second to A.J. Foyt, who won his historic fourth Indianapolis 500. 

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30 Days in May Bonus: No. 48, Mike Mosley, 1981 Pepsi Challenger Eagle/Chevrolet

Welcome to our monthlong countdown celebrating notable drivers and cars from the Indianapolis 500!

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Mike Mosley earned a front-row starting position for the 1981 Indianapolis 500
in the Pepsi Challenger Eagle/Chevrolet.

Sharp-looking, fast and loud, 1981 was the only appearance of the Pepsi Challenger at Indianapolis. Always an innovator, Dan Gurney was trying to bring stock-block engines to Indy racing as a lower-cost alternative to the Cosworth engines, which were used by (almost) everyone else. In terms of speed, this car proved his point as Mike Mosley put it in the middle of the front row. 

The sound of this screaming Eagle is almost impossible to describe. It had a distinctive roar – in some ways, perhaps, it was the Novi of its generation. In other words, if you heard it, you never forgot it. The distinctive shape and color of the Eagle made it look like a dart hurtling down the straightaway. 

Consistent with the lousy fortune Mosley endured at Indianapolis, he went out after 16 laps with a radiator issue, placing 33^rd. At Milwaukee a couple of weeks later, Mosley won, going from the back row to first in an incredible driving display. It was the last of his five wins in Indy cars and the last for Gurney in IndyCar competition as well. 

(Mosley was added as a promoter’s option to the back of the field along with Cliff Hucul. Mosley started 25^th, Hucul 26^th. Hucul dropped out before completing a lap, so it could be said that this was a worst-to-first drive for Mosley.)

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30 Days in May: No. 7, Gary Bettenhausen, 1972 Sunoco McLaren/Offy

Welcome to our monthlong countdown celebrating notable drivers and cars from the Indianapolis 500!

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Gary Bettenhausen started fourth and led 138 laps in the 1972 Indianapolis 500.

For the 1972 season, Roger Penske added Gary Bettenhausen so his team could benefit from his oval-racing expertise. Bettenhausen repaid the confidence by winning at Trenton and was leading the USAC Championship standings heading into the Month of May. Besides Bobby Unser, who boosted the pole speed by more than 17 mph, Bettenhausen was probably the other driver picked most to win the 500.

Unser led easily early, then went out after just 31 laps with ignition rotor failure. Bettenhausen took over from there and seemed poised for a sure victory until his ignition failed after 182 laps. 

Given his family’s legacy and the great admiration and respect fans and competitors alike had for Bettenhausen, this could’ve been one of the most popular victories in Indianapolis 500 history. Instead, Mark Donohue, another popular driver, collected the Borg-Warner for Penske, which was the first of 20 – and counting. 

This postcard was part of a set that folded out and included photos of several of the top drivers of the day, plus scenes from Gasoline Alley, the original museum and more. 

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Indianapolis 500 front rows of the 1970s: 1972

In addition to the usual Month of May countdown, we’re also looking back at the front rows of the 1970s, which included some of the most accomplished drivers in the history of the Indianapolis 500.

Faithful readers of this space know that this decade is part of my personal golden age at the Speedway. I’m grateful I got to witness much of it first-hand as a boy.

Here’s a statistical look at the front-row drivers of the 1970s:

Driver	Indianapolis 500 poles (career)	Indianapolis 500 wins (career)
Al Unser	1	4
Johnny Rutherford	3	3
A.J. Foyt	4	4
Peter Revson	1	0
Mark Donohue	0	1
Bobby Unser	2	3
Wally Dallenbach	0	0
Mike Hiss	0	0
Gordon Johncock	0	2
Tom Sneva	3	1
Danny Ongais	0	0
Rick Mears	6	4
Totals	20	22

For each year, we’ll have the front row, how many Indianapolis 500 wins were represented on the front row at the start of the race, the number of Indianapolis 500 wins in the drivers’ respective careers, and a brief recap of practice, qualifying and the race.

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The front row of the 1972 Indianapolis 500 had Bobby Unser on the pole in the Olsonite
Eagle,Peter Revson in the middle in the Gulf McLaren and Mark Donohue on the outside
in the Sunoco McLaren.

1972 front row: Bobby Unser (pole), Peter Revson, Mark Donohue

How it started: 1 Indianapolis 500 victory, courtesy of Bobby Unser in 1968.

How it ended: 4 Indianapolis 500 victories – three from Bobby Unser (covered in the 1971 entry) and Mark Donohue’s from the 1972 race.

About the 1972 race: The 1972 front row featured the same drivers and same teams as in 1971, just scrambled a bit. Bobby Unser smashed the qualifying record by 17 mph in the gleaming Olsonite Eagle/Offy – a feat unlikely to be duplicated unless IndyCars start running on rocket fuel. Like Mark Donohue the year before, Unser took off at the start and dominated until he was sidelined by a broken ignition rotor, which is a rather odd mechanical malfunction. He wound up 30^th, which was by far the worst result for a pole-sitter in the 1970s.

By then, Peter Revson, in the Gulf McLaren/Offy, was already out with a broken gearbox after 12 laps. Donohue’s Penske teammate, Gary Bettenhausen, led for 138 laps in his Sunoco McLaren/Offy before dropping out with what was officially termed ignition trouble. In an interview years later, Bettenhausen said he had a hole in the radiator that kept the engine from cooling down properly during yellow-light periods and that’s what led to his trouble. 

After Bettenhausen faded, Jerry Grant, who was Unser’s teammate at All American Racers, took his striking purple Mystery Eagle/Offy to the front before pitting on Lap 188 because of a deflating right front tire. Dan Gurney, for whatever reason, directed Grant into Unser’s vacant pit to deal with the situation. The crew then (unwittingly?) hooked up the fuel hose from Unser’s pit tank and sent Grant on his way.

Donohue, in Penske’s other Sunoco McLaren/Offy, led the last 13 laps to secure the win. Gurney protested the result. But instead of Grant being elevated to victory, officials disallowed his last 12 laps for the refueling shenanigans, dropping him from second to 12^th and costing about $72,000 in prize money.

With that, Donohue gave Roger Penske the first of his 20 (and counting) Indianapolis 500 victories.

 

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30 Days in May: No. 6, Bobby Unser, 1972 Olsonite Eagle/Offy

Welcome to our monthlong countdown celebrating notable drivers and cars from the Indianapolis 500!

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I got this postcard at the SupeRX drug store at Lafayette Square.

I think it’s fair to say that Bobby Unser did something in 1972 that will never happen again: He jumped the pole speed by more than 17 mph with a four-lap average of 195.940 mph, including one lap of 196.678 mph. The combination of aerodynamics (in the form of giant wings), better tires, basically unlimited engines and extremely brave drivers meant that everyone in the lineup for the 1972 Indianapolis 500 qualified faster than the 1971 pole speed, which was a comparatively paltry (but also record-breaking that year) 178.696 mph.

Unser ran away from everyone at the start, leading the first 30 laps. He was out after Lap 31, however, with a bad ignition rotor – something that almost never fails. His 30th-place finish was the worst for a pole-sitter in the 1970s.  

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30 Days in May Bonus: No. 55, Josele Garza, 1981 Psachie Garza Esso Penske/Cosworth

Welcome to our monthlong countdown celebrating notable drivers and cars from the Indianapolis 500!

Although probably forgotten by most race fans today, Josele Garza was something of a sensation at Indianapolis in 1981. A rookie with only one previous IndyCar start, Garza grabbed headlines with his easygoing and friendly style, colorful cars, and a smooth, fast qualifying effort that landed him on the outside of the second row. The Mexico City native headed a three-car team that also included fellow newcomer Geoff Brabham and veteran Steve Krisiloff. Each made the field easily, which was quite an accomplishment that year as there were 105 entries (!) and 12 (!!) bumps (plus another car that qualified too slow). Think about that for a moment and compare that with recent years when just getting to 34 entries has been a struggle.

 

Even though Garza’s license listed him as 22, he actually was only 19. On Race Day, he led 13 laps before crashing on Lap 138 due to a mechanical failure and finished 23^rd. Despite the low finish, his qualifying and race performances were enough to earn him Rookie of the Year. Incidentally, the highest-finishing rookie was Kevin Cogan in fourth, one spot ahead of Brabham. Krisiloff was eighth to round out an impressive debut for the team.

 

The 1981 Indianapolis 500 race was basically Garza’s high point at the Brickyard. He was in every 500 through 1987, with a best finish of 10^th in 1984, then disappeared almost as fast as he arrived. Garza sought a ride in Formula 1 and did some testing for various teams, but nothing concrete materialized. His best finish in a CART race came in the 1986 Michigan 500, when he finished second to Johnny Rutherford.

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Josele Garza was named Rookie of the Year for the 1981 Indianapolis 500.