30 Days in May Bonus: No. 93, Johnny Parsons, 1975 Ayr-Way WNAP “Buzzard”

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

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Johnny Parsons started 12th in the 1975 Indianapolis 500 and was running fifth
when the transmission failed after 140 laps. He finished 19th. 

Cars entered in the Indianapolis 500 certainly have had interesting, colorful names. One of my favorites was the Ayr-Way WNAP “Buzzard” from 1975. This name may not make sense today – especially if you’re not from Indianapolis – but it was definitely a product of the times.

Ayr-Way was spun off L.S. Ayres, one of the top fashion stores in Indianapolis. Ayr-Way was a department store similar to Target – in fact, many of the Indianapolis locations became Target stores after Ayr-Way folded in the late 1970s. (Squint hard enough and maybe you can see the old Ayr-Way flower where the Target bull’s eye is now at some stores.)

We often went to the Ayr-Way on Lafayette Road because it had just about everything – even a garden center. WNAP was a hard-rock station teeming with many interesting personalities; the buzzard was the station mascot. It was at 93.1 on the FM dial, so that’s why the car was No. 93. 

Because I was only 7 years old, I didn’t listen to WNAP. My parents were strictly WIBC (1070 AM), which was fine because WIBC covered qualifications and had updates from the track that I would listen to when I got home from school while allegedly doing my homework.

This was very much an Indianapolis-centric team. In addition to the two local sponsors, driver Johnny Parsons lived in central Indiana for many years. He’s the son of 1950 winner Johnnie Parsons (note the different spellings). Johnny was from California but moved to Indiana to jump-start his racing career.

The chief mechanic (remember those?) was Bill Finley, who basically built race cars out of his garage in Eagledale, a subdivision within earshot of the track. (My first house was in Eagledale: 3031 Fuller Drive. Carl Wilde School 79 represent!)

The team also had a second entry: car No. 94, driven by Mike Hiss.

Race day wasn’t the greatest for either driver. Hiss spun out on Lap 39 and finished 29th. Parsons ran as high as fifth before transmission woes sidelined him after 140 laps. He finished 19th.

Ayr-Way heavily promoted its involvement in the 500 with buttons,  glasses, posters, large ads in the Indianapolis papers (there were two of them back then) and even a timing and scoring chart with Parsons’ likeness.

Today, WNAP’s old FM spot is occupied by WIBC.

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30 Days in May: No. 15, Peter Revson, 1973 Gulf McLaren/Offy

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

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Peter Revson started 10th and finished 31st in the 1973 Indianapolis 500.

A front-row starter the previous two 500s, Peter Revson was the first qualifier for the 1973 race. He wound up starting 10^th and finished 31^st after crashing coming out of Turn 4 after only three laps. That year, I remember my mom taking me to a drug store in the Speedway Shopping Center to meet Revson, who was promoting Rev-Up vitamins, and get an autographed picture, which I still have. 

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It was great to see the Gulf McLaren again a few years ago at Carb Day.

#Indy500 @IMS @IMSMuseum @IndyCar @ArrowMcLarenSP

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I made this tribute a few years ago.

30 Days in May: No. 14, Roger McCluskey, 1972 American Marine Underwriters Antares/Offy

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

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The Antares was one of several brand-new cars for the 1972 Indianapolis 500.

As chronicled in some of our other entries, 1972 was a year of dramatic change at Indianapolis. This change included how cars were built. Antares Engineering, Inc., based in Troy, Michigan (a city where I used to work), jumped into Indy car construction with cars for both the Lindsey Hopkins and Patrick-Michner teams, according to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 1972 Press/TV/Radio Fact Book.

A supposed advantage of the Antares was that it was purported to be completely designed by computers and telemetry, which was a radically new concept. A key distinguishing feature was the boat-shaped front end to help aerodynamics.

Unfortunately, the Antares performed better in the lab than on the track. Roger McCluskey, a capable veteran, qualified 20^th and finished 24^th, exiting with valve trouble after 92 laps. Trivia time: This was the last time someone other than A.J. Foyt, or a Foyt driver, used the No. 14 at Indianapolis. 

The Hopkins team abandoned the Antares after Indianapolis in favor of a McLaren, which McCluskey drove to victory in that year’s California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway. McCluskey used a McLaren quite successfully in 1973 as well, winning the USAC national championship. 

The Antares continued to pop up as the alleged chassis in Indianapolis 500 entries for the rest of the decade. In 1979, Eldon Rasmussen heavily reworked an Antares, then called a Manta, and qualified for the race – a tremendous testament to his talent as a builder/fabricator and skill as a driver.

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The Antares had an unusual approach to the front wings and suspension.

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Indianapolis 500 Front Rows of the 1970s: 1975

In addition to the 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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In 1975, for the first time, the front row was made up of former winners of the
Indianapolis 500. A.J. Foyt was on the pole for the second straight year in his
Gilmore Racing Coyote/Foyt. Starting second was Gordon Johncock in the
Sinmast Wildcat/DGS. Bobby Unser was on the outside in the Jorgensen
Eagle/Offy. Three former winners in three different car/engine combinations. 

1975 front row: A.J. Foyt (pole), Gordon Johncock, Bobby Unser

How it started: 5 Indianapolis 500 victories (3 by Foyt, 1 by Johncock, 1 by Unser)

How it ended: 9 Indianapolis 500 victories (4 by Foyt – 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977; 2 by Johncock – 1973, 1982; 3 by Unser – 1968, 1975, 1981)

About the 1975 race: For the first time ever, former winners made up the front row. Gordon Johncock and A.J. Foyt vied for fast time throughout the first week of practice, leading to a much-anticipated Pole Day. Johncock held the top spot until Foyt made a late run to secure what was then a record-tying fourth pole. 

Johncock’s teammate Wally Dallenbach, also driving a fluorescent red Sinmast Wildcat/DGS (an Offy modified under the direction of George Bignotti), was quick in practice as well, but had mechanical problems on the first day of time trials and was a second-day qualifier. 

As Dallenbach had done the year before, Johncock jumped to the lead at the drop of the green flag from his second starting position, then , also like Dallenbach the year before, fell out early. 

Dallenbach took the lead on Lap 59 and looked to be in good shape for the win before dropping out after 162 laps due to a burned piston, handing the lead to Johnny Rutherford. Rutherford soon pitted, putting Bobby Unser and his Jorgensen Eagle/Offy in front.

And that’s where he finished as a massive rainstorm hit after 174 laps, leaving Rutherford second and A.J. Foyt third in his Coyote/Foyt. 

#Indy500 #ThisIsMay @IMS @IndyCar @IMSMuseum @AJFoytRacing 

30 Days in May: No. 13, Greg Ray, 2004 Access Motorsports G Force/Honda

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

Dan Helrigel/Penske Entertainment/IMS

Greg Ray started and finished 27th in the 2004 Indianapolis 500.
He started first or second from 1998-2001.

Fast and brave, Greg Ray was one of the stars of the early days of the Indy Racing League. He started on the front row for the Indianapolis 500 four straight times (1998-2001), including topping Juan Pablo Montoya for the pole in 2000. Ray also won the IRL title in 1999, driving for John Menard. 

In terms of speed, Ray was sort of the Danny Ongais of the IRL. And like Ongais, Ray unfortunately crashed a lot – he was eliminated due to an accident in four of his eight career Indianapolis starts from 1997-2004. In Ray’s final Indy appearance in 2004, he started and finished 27^th, going out after 98 laps because of a wreck.

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30 Days in May Bonus: No. 73, David Hobbs, 1973 Carling Black Label Eagle/Offy

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

Penske Entertainment/Indianapolis Motor Speedway

David Hobbs moved up from 22nd to finish 11th in the 1973 Indianapolis 500.

As a 5-year-old in 1973, in addition to trying to memorize the car numbers, drivers, chassis and engine, I tried to memorize the hometowns of all the drivers in the Indianapolis 500. Some were more easily remembered than others. 

Take David Hobbs, for instance. He was from Upper Boddington, England. Tough to forget that one. Hobbs was one of the few international competitors during this era, with four starts spanning 1971-76. In 1973, he was still running when the race was red-flagged and finished 11^th. 

A versatile and successful driver, Hobbs competed in several disciplines, including Formula One, IndyCar, Can-Am, Trans-Am and even NASCAR Winston Cup. He also was an insightful and witty commentator on broadcasts.

Hobbs drove for four different teams in his four starts at Indianapolis. He drove for Penske in 1971, Roy Woods in 1973, McLaren in 1974 and Dayton-Walther in 1976.

#ThisIsMay #Indy500 @IMS @IMSMuseum @IndyCar @MrDavidHobbs

30 Days in May: No. 12, Bobby Allison, 1973 Sunoco DX McLaren/Offy

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

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Bobby Allison was part of a three-car effort with Roger Penske's team for the
1973 Indianapolis 500. The NASCAR star joined defending 500 winner
Mark Donohue and open-wheel standout Gary Bettenhausen.

It’s always great when a star driver from another discipline takes on the challenge of the Indianapolis 500. Unfortunately, mechanical problems sidelined Bobby Allison from the get-go and he finished 32^nd after just 1 lap in his debut in 1973. The NASCAR ace returned in 1975, but the results weren’t much better as Allison finished 25^th in that race. On the other hand, Bobby’s brother Donnie did quite well in his two Indianapolis 500 appearances. Donnie Allison finished fourth in 1970 and sixth in 1971, completing 399 out of a possible 400 laps.

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Bobby Allison set a rookie qualifying record during time trials for the 1973
Indianapolis 500.

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