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Majeske collection Josele Garza had an exciting debut in 1981. |
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 all month with his easygoing and friendly style, colorful car, 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 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 cars 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 23rd. 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 10th 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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