30 Days in May: No. 7, Gary Bettenhausen, 1972 Sunoco McLaren/Offy

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

Gary Bettenhausen became the third driver to make Tom Carnegie exclaim, "It's a new
track record!" during qualifying in 1972. His one- and four-lap marks were later
topped by Bobby Unser.

30 Days in May: No. 7, Gary Bettenhausen, 1972 Sunoco McLaren/Offy. Roger Penske added Gary Bettenhausen for the 1972 season 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. He was probably the other favorite to win after Bobby Unser, who boosted the pole speed by more than 17 mph.

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 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 postcard 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.

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30 Days in May: No. 6, Roger McCluskey, 1971 Sprite Kuzma/Ford

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

This postcard is a little worse for wear after about 50 years. I taped this on a wall
in my room one May. You can see the results. Oops.

30 Days in May: No. 6, Roger McCluskey, 1971 Sprite Kuzma/Ford. An underrated but respected veteran, Roger 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.

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30 Days in May: No. 5, Lloyd Ruby, 1972 Wynn’s Atlanta/Foyt

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

Photo credit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Lloyd Ruby was one of the most popular drivers ever at the Speedway, usually ranked
high on "should have won" lists. He finished sixth in 1972.

30 Days in May: No. 5, Lloyd Ruby, 1972 Wynn’s Atlanta/Foyt. The Atlanta car was so named because it was built there in a facility adjoining Gene White Racing. The men behind the effort included two former Team McLaren employees, and the McLaren influence is apparent. Early on, they were dubbed “Scarlett O’Hara McLarens.”

A total of three Atlantas were built for 1972 – two going to the Gene White team for Lloyd Ruby and Cale Yarborough, with the other intended for A.J. Foyt.

Ruby practiced in both the Atlanta and a Lola, which eventually was qualified by Sam Sessions.

The 1972 race ended up being one of the better results for Hard-Luck Lloyd as he finished sixth, two spots behind Sessions in the aforementioned Lola. Yarborough was 10^th to cap a very successful day for the Gene White team.

The Atlantas soldiered on for a few more seasons. Jim McElreath practiced in the Foyt Atlanta in 1973, and it was qualified by George Snider for the 1974 Indianapolis 500. This Atlanta was distinguished by its flat, nose that was similar to the 1972 Lola.

According to oldracingcars.com, the Foyt Atlanta eventually morphed into the Boyd-Robeson entry that several drivers tried unsuccessfully to qualify for the 1977 500.

Eldon Rasmussen bought at least one Atlanta for the 1973 season and reworked it into his Ras-Car, which he continuously updated and campaigned for several years.

Larry McCoy also drove a Ras-Car/Atlanta at the Speedway. He and Rasmussen made their Indy debuts in the 1975 500.

The Atlanta was one of 12 marques in the 1972 Indianapolis 500, which seems rather mind-boggling today. Perhaps even more unbelievable is that eight of those chassis were brand-new.

So congratulations to Mike Underwood, Eamon Fullalove and Graeme Bartils for bringing us the Atlanta during a time when innovation ruled the Speedway.

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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! 

 

Johnny Rutherford actually qualified his backup car (see the "T" after the number 4)
on the pole for the 1980 Indianapolis 500. He led 118 laps in a dominating win.

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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30 Days in May: No. 3, Bobby Unser, 1981 Norton Spirit Penske/Cosworth

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

Photo credit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Bobby Unser started on the pole for the 1981 Indianapolis 500.

30 Days in May: No. 3, Bobby Unser, 1981 Norton Spirit Penske/Cosworth. In 1981, Bobby 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. Another bit of trivia: Bobby Unser finished last in his first Indianapolis 500 and finished first in his last Indianapolis 500. #Indy500 @IMS @IMSMuseum @IndyCar @TeamPenske

30 Days in May: No. 2, Billy Vukovich, 1973 Sugaripe Prune Eagle-Offy

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

Billy Vukovich finished an impressive second in the 1973 Indianapolis 500. 

30 Days in May: No. 2, Billy Vukovich, 1973 Sugaripe Prune Eagle-Offy. In 1973, Billy Vukovich was second behind Gordon Johncock, the highest finish for the son of a former winner to that point. Sugaripe Prune entries were mainstays at the Speedway throughout the 1970s, with Mike Mosley, Wally Dallenbach and Tom Sneva all driving for the team after Vukovich departed following the 1974 season. 

Photo credit: Majeske collection

Billy Vukovich passes the then-new suites in Turn 2.

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30 Days In May: No. 1 Joe Leonard, 1973 Samsonite Parnelli/Offy

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

 

Joe Leonard was a two-time USAC national champion as well as a
three-time national motorcycle champion.

30 Days In May: No. 1 Joe Leonard, 1973 Samsonite Parnelli/Offy. For 1973, Joe Leonard had a brand-new Parnelli chassis designed by Maurice Philippe as well as the same sponsor (Samsonite) and number (1, for winning the 1972 national championship) he had the previous year. For whatever reason, unlike in 1972, Leonard had a tough time getting up to a comfortable speed in qualifying. He waved off twice, then accepted a somewhat precarious 189.954 mph average on his third strike on the second day of time trials.

A.J. Foyt found himself in a similar predicament as his four-lap average of 188.927 was the 29^th fastest of the 30 cars qualified after the first weekend. (Leonard was 28^th.)

Fortunately, each had a backup car and started working up to speed during the next week of practice, Foyt in the No. 84 Gilmore Racing Coyote (which was handed over to George Snider at literally the last minute) and Leonard in the No. 41 Samsonite Parnelli.

Photo credit: Majeske collection

Joe Leonard drives down the pits during qualifications in 1973. You
can tell it's a qualifying day because Pat Vidan has his flags ready.
This was the last year that  Vidan flagged trackside. He was
up on a platform for 1974.

As it turned out, enough cars qualified a bit slower to give Leonard and Foyt a little breathing room.

On Race Day, Leonard was able to dodge the melee created by Salt Walther’s horrendous crash on the first lap. When the race finally resumed two days later after persistent rain, Leonard overcame a spin but was sidelined by a bad hub after 91 laps and finished 18^th.

Sadly, the 1973 500 was Leonard’s last race at Indianapolis. He suffered devastating foot and ankle injuries during the 1974 California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway and never raced again. His injury also signaled the end of the Vel’s Parnelli Jones “Super Team” with Al Unser and Mario Andretti. Expected to dominate USAC racing starting in 1972, Leonard’s national championship that year was one of the few major highlights.

Jan Opperman replaced Leonard at Indianapolis and Pocono in 1974, but essentially the operation became a two-driver team that started to dwindle even further. Unser and Andretti were together for 1975’s three 500-mile races, but then it was down to just Unser for 1976 with sponsorship from American Racing Wheels. For 1976, Andretti joined Roger Penske’s team, running some USAC races while he pursued a World Championship in Formula One.

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