30 Days in May

No. 8, Tom Sneva, 1977 Norton Spirit McLaren/Cosworth. Sneva was the first to officially lap the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at over 200 mph, with a speed of 200.401 on the first lap of his qualifying run, then broke his record on the next lap at 200.535 mph. The four-lap average of 198.884 mph fell a bit short of 200, but was more than enough for Sneva to secure the first of three poles at Indianapolis. Interestingly, each time Sneva won the pole, he set the track record. In 1977, Sneva was second to A.J. Foyt, who won his historic fourth 500. #ThisIsMay #Indy500

30 Days in May

No. 7, Johnny Rutherford, 1973 Gulf McLaren/Offy. Rutherford, after some lean years, joined McLaren for the 1973 season and rewarded their faith by becoming the closest to achieving the magic 200 mph lap in qualifying. The third lap of his run, 199.071 mph, was just 21/100ths of a second short. Dogged by mechanical trouble, Rutherford finished a disappointing ninth in the race. Better days were ahead for both Rutherford and McLaren, with two Indianapolis 500 wins in the next three years.  #ThisIsMay #Indy500

30 Days in May

No. 6, Roger McCluskey 1971 Sprite Kuzma/Ford. An underrated but respected veteran, McCluskey didn’t have a lot of luck at Indianapolis. His ninth-place finish in 1971 was his first top 10 in 11 tries. His sponsor, Sprite, was quite active in the 500 during this era. In addition to sponsoring cars, the soft drink also awarded a trophy and $6,000 to the pole winner. Together, this was known as the “Sprite and Six” award.  #ThisIsMay #Indy500

30 Days in May

No. 5, Gary Bettenhausen 1973 Sunoco DX McLaren/Offy. After dominating the 1972 race, Bettenhausen was the favorite to win the 1973 500. Instead, he had to settle for a numbers quirk: Bettenhausen started 5^th and finished 5^th in car no. 5.  #ThisIsMay #Indy500

30 Days in May - Bonus

Photo credit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

This year, I've added a few “bonus” writeups for some high-numbered cars.

No. 62, Wally Dallenbach, 1973 Olsonite Eagle/Offy. Then calling East Brunswick, N.J., home Dallenbach was about to enter a major career upswing, though not with Dan Gurney’s All American Racers. Dallenbach’s oddly numbered No. 62 joined AAR holdovers Bobby Unser and Jerry Grant for the 1973 500. In the race, Dallenbach is best remembered for helping rescue Salt Walther from his burning and battered car after his horrendous first-lap accident. Once the race finally got under way – two days later – Dallenbach made a nice charge from his 20^th starting position into the top 10 before a broken connecting rod bolt (a common malady that year) sidelined him after 48 laps, resulting in a 24^th-place finish. Dallenbach joined the STP/Patrick team later in 1973, winning the California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway. Save for a one-year sabbatical with Jerry O’Connell’s Sugaripe Prune team in 1978, Dallenbach remained with Patrick the rest of his career, retiring after the 1979 season. He returned to the cockpit in 1981 to qualify a Patrick car for Mario Andretti, who was unavailable due to Formula One commitments. Dallenbach then enjoyed a second career as a much-respected official in CART. Finally, I believe this is the last time No. 62 has been in the 500. #ThisIsMay #Indy500

30 Days in May

No. 4, Al Unser, 1973 Viceroy Parnelli/Offy. Big Al was going for his third 500 win in four years in the 1973 race. He led 18 laps before being sidelined by piston failure after 75 circuits, finishing 20th. #ThisIsMay #Indy500

30 Days in May

No. 3, Bobby Unser, 1981 Norton Spirit Penske/Cosworth. Unser started from the pole and was victorious in what would be his final Indianapolis 500, becoming the first driver to win in three different decades. #ThisIsMay #Indy500