Welcome to our monthlong countdown celebrating notable drivers and cars from the history of the Indianapolis 500!
and finished 14th.
30 Days in
May: No. 7, Gary Bettenhausen, 1972 Sunoco McLaren/Offy. 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. In addition to Bobby Unser, who boosted the pole speed by more than 17
mph, Bettenhausen was probably the other driver favored to win the 500.
Unser led easily, 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 Bettenhausen’s great admiration and respect among fans and competitors alike, 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 18 – and counting.
This particular post card was included in a set that folded out and included photos of several of the top drivers of the day as well as scenes from Gasoline Alley, the old museum and more.
#Indy500 @IMS
@IMSMuseum @IndyCar @Team_Penske
No comments:
Post a Comment