30 Days in May: No. 4, Johnny Rutherford, 1980 Pennzoil Chaparral/Cosworth

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

Majeske Collection

Due to the many caution periods (13 for 65 laps), Johnny Rutherford's winning speed
for the 1980 Indianapolis 500 was only 142.862 mph.

30 Days in May: 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.

 

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