1968 Indianapolis 500

52nd Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	USAC
Season	1968 USAC season
Date	May 30, 1968
Winner	Bobby Unser
Winning team	Leader Cards
Average speed	152.882 mph (246.040 km/h)
Pole position	Joe Leonard
Pole speed	171.559 mph (276.097 km/h)
Fastest qualifier	Joe Leonard
Rookie of the Year	Bill Vukovich II
Most laps led	Bobby Unser (127)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthem	Purdue Band
Back Home Again in Indiana	Purdue Band
Starting Command	Tony Hulman
Pace car	Ford Torino GT
Pace car driver	William Clay Ford, Sr.
Honorary starter	None
Attendance	250,000 (estimated)
TV in the United States
Network	ABC's Wide World of Sports
Announcers	Jim McKay, Rodger Ward
Nielsen Ratings
Chronology
Previous	Next
1967	1969

The 52nd International 500 Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday May 30, 1968.

On lap 174 Lloyd Ruby’s engine misfires allowing Joe Leonard’s STP Lotus 56 turbine into the lead. Leonard’s leading Lotus flames out on a lap 190 restart and rolls to a silent halt. Bobby Unser goes by to win. Jim Hurtubise's entry, which drops out after nine laps, is the last front-engine car to race in the 500.

This was the final Indianapolis 500 to feature a front-engined car in the starting field. Of the 33 cars, 32 were rear-engined machines (including three Turbines).

Race schedule

Practice and time trials

The 1968 Indianapolis 500 was the second and eventually the final year of participation by the controversial STP Granatelli Turbine machines. For 1968, the Pratt & Whitney turbine engine was installed in the Lotus 56 chassis, often known affectionately as the "Wedge Turbine." In a veiled effort to curtail the turbine's power output, USAC had imposed revised regulations regarding the maximum annulus inlet (reduced from 23.999 in² to 15.999 in²).

Mike Spence was fatally injured after a crash in turn one on May 7. A tire broke off his Lotus "Wedge" Turbine and struck him in the head. He died of his injuries a few hours after the accident after being taken to the hospital. Spence's death came one month after Jim Clark's at Hockenheim. Clark was scheduled to drive one of the Lotus Wedge Turbines at Indy.

Pole Day Time trials - Saturday May 18

Graham Hill the 1966 winner in the #70 STP Turbine is first to qualify, and sets a new qualifying record. Later, his STP Lotus 56 teammate Joe Leonard in #60 wins the pole position with a speed of 171.559 mph (276.097 km/h).

Second Day time trials - Sunday May 19

Rain kept cars off the track most of the day. Only two cars were able to make an attempt, and only one was run to completion. At 5:45 p.m., the track was finally opened for qualifications, and Jochen Rindt (164.144 mph) was the lone qualifier, while Denny Hulme waved off as the 6 o'clock gun went off.

At the conclusion of the first weekend of time trials, the field was filled to 16 cars.

Third Day time trials - Saturday May 25

Sixteen cars made a total of 24 attempts, and filled the field to 26 cars. High winds kept some cars off the track, and speeds were down from the previous weekend.^[1] Many cars waved off, and Mel Kenyon (165.191 mph) was the fastest car of the day.

After qualifying, Ronnie Bucknum's car was disqualified for being 20 pounds underweight.

Fourth day time trials - Sunday May 26

With the field filled to 25 cars (eight spots open), rain kept the cars off the track until late in the day. The final scheduled day of time trials ("Bump Day") was almost a complete wash out. The traditional 6 o'clock closing time came and went, and the track was still wet. Track crews continued to work, and the track opened for practice at 6:55 p.m. After the mandatory 30-minute practice session, the track opened for time trials at 7:31 p.m.

With overcast skies and darkness looming, three cars made attempts. Bill Puterbaugh and Bill Cheesbourg completed runs, while Bobby Johns spun on his second warm up lap. At that time, officials deemed the conditions unsafe due to darkness, and postponed the remainder of qualifying until Monday morning.^[2]

Time trials - Monday May 27

For the first time since 1952, time trials was pushed into a fifth day. Officials ruled that all 25 cars that were in the starting field at 6 p.m. Sunday May 26 were "locked in" and could not be bumped. In addition, all cars that were in line to qualify Sunday evening at 7:54 p.m. were eligible to make one qualifying attempt on Monday. Only cars that qualified after 6 p.m. on Sunday evening were subject to bumping (including Puterbaugh and Cheesbourg).

Ronnie Bucknum was reinstated to the field when it was determined that during his inspection, the scale used to weight the car was defective.^[3] With Bucknum's car back in the field, only seven spots were now available.

Though rain hampered the day, the qualifying was successfully completed on Monday. A frantic session saw two crashes (Bob Hurt and Rick Muther). Eighteen cars took to the track to fill the seven open spots. Both Puterbaugh and Cheesebourg were bumped, and Mike Mosley was the fastest of the day. Jim Hurtubise qualified his front-engined Mallard for 30th starting position. It would be the final front-engined car to qualify for the Indy 500.

Race Day

At the drop of the green flag, Joe Leonard in the #60 STP Turbine leaps in the lead, with Bobby Unser in second and Roger McCluskey up to third at the end of lap 1. After only nine laps, Jim Hurtubise in the PepsiCo Frito-lay special has burned a piston, and is out, finishing 30th. About this time, Bobby Unser is now hard after Leonard, and at the end of the main straightway he passes to take the lead. On lap 41, the caution flag flies for the first time when Al Unser loses a wheel and hits the first-turn wall, with Arnie Knepper and Gary Bettenhausen also involved. After 200 miles (320 km), A.J. Foyt is out with a blown engine and the defending champion's bid for his 4th Indy win is over for this year. After 110 laps, Graham Hill loses a wheel and smashes into the turn two wall, bringing out the second caution. On lap 127, Mel Kenyon and rookie Billy Vukovich tangle in turn four. Both are able to re-enter the race, but Johnny Rutherford, trying to slow down, is rear-ended by Jim McElreath. Mike Mosley also loses it in turn four trying to avoid the mess.

When Bobby Unser makes his last pit stop, his car is stuck in high gear. As he leaves his pit struggling to reach racing speed, both Leonard and Ruby pass him. With only 16 laps to go, Joe Leonard still has the #60 turbine in first place, but on the backstretch, Carl Williams hits the wall, bringing out the final caution. After cleanup, the green waves on the 191st lap. At that instant, both leader Joe Leonard in STP turbine #60 and teammate Art Pollard in STP turbine #20 lurch—and instantly slow with identical snapped fuel pump drive shafts. Unser sweeps by into the lead with Dan Gurney inheriting second place. With a nearly full-lap lead, Bobby Unser cruises the final 9 laps to win his first of eventually three Indianapolis 500 victories.

Box score

Finish	Start	No	Name	Qual	Rank	Laps	Led	Status
1	3	3	Bobby Unser	169.507	3	200	127	Running
2	10	48	Dan Gurney	166.512	10	200	0	Running
3	17	15	Mel Kenyon	165.191	14	200	0	Running
4	20	42	Denis Hulme	164.189	19	200	0	Running
5	5	25	Lloyd Ruby	167.613	5	200	42	Running
6	26	59	Ronnie Duman	162.338	27	200	0	Running
7	23	98	Bill Vukovich II	163.510	23	198	0	Flagged
8	27	90	Mike Mosley	162.499	26	197	0	Flagged
9	31	94	Sammy Sessions	162.118	31	197	0	Flagged
10	25	6	Bobby Grim	162.866	25	196	0	Flagged
11	24	16	Bob Veith	163.495	24	196	0	Flagged
12	1	60	Joe Leonard	171.599	1	191	31	Fuel Shaft
13	11	20	Art Pollard	166.297	11	188	0	Fuel Shaft
14	13	82	Jim McElreath	165.327	13	179	0	Stalled
15	28	84	Carl Williams	162.323	28	163	0	Crash BS
16	18	10	Bud Tingelstad	164.444	17	158	0	Oil Pressure
17	12	54	Wally Dallenbach, Sr.	165.548	12	148	0	Engine
18	21	18	Johnny Rutherford	163.830	21	125	0	Crash T4
19	2	70	Graham Hill	171.208	2	110	0	Crash T2
20	8	1	A.J. Foyt	166.821	8	86	0	Rear End
21	19	45	Ronnie Bucknum	164.211	18	76	0	Fuel Leak
22	14	27	Jim Malloy	165.032	15	64	0	Rear End
23	15	78	Jerry Grant	164.782	16	50	0	Oil Leak
24	22	11	Gary Bettenhausen	163.562	22	43	0	Accident T1
25	32	21	Arnie Knepper	161.900	32	42	0	Accident T1
26	6	24	Al Unser	167.069	6	40	0	Crash T1
27	9	4	Gordon Johncock	166.775	9	37	0	Rear End
28	33	64	Larry Dickson	161.124	33	24	0	Piston
29	7	8	Roger McCluskey	166.976	7	16	0	Oil Filter
30	30	56	Jim Hurtubise	162.191	30	9	0	Piston
31	29	29	George Snider	162.264	29	9	0	Oil Leak
32	16	35	Jochen Rindt	164.144	20	5	0	Piston
33	4	2	Mario Andretti	167.691	4	2	0	Piston

Qualification Chronology

Topics

• Jim Hurtubise became the last driver to qualify the race with a front engine roadster.
• Much of the film of the race was used in the movie Winning starring Paul Newman.
• Rain hampered most of the month. During qualifying, Bump Day (the final day of time trials) rain kept cars off the track until late in the evening. A handful of cars tooks runs into the night, but qualifying had to be halted due to darkness, with the field short of the traditional 33 cars. Time trials was pushed into a 5th day (Monday), and the field was finally filled to 33 cars.

Gallery

• 

  1968 winning car

• 

  Joe Leonard's 1968 Lotus 56 Turbine

• 

  Graham Hill's 1968 Lotus 56 Turbine

Notes

References

Works cited

• Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats - Official Site