23 Days in August: No. 4, Johnny Rutherford, 1980 Pennzoil Chaparral/Cosworth

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!

 

No one could touch Johnny Rutherford and his Pennzoil Chaparral in

1980. Rutherford actually qualified his backup car, noted by the "T"

after the number.

23 Days in August: No. 4, Johnny Rutherford, 1980 Pennzoil Chaparral/Cosworth. Each year, someone is tabbed as the favorite for that year’s Indianapolis 500. In 1980, Johnny Rutherford was the overwhelming choice to win. 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 looked to have 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.