1975 Indianapolis 500

59th Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	USAC
Season	1975 USAC Trail
Date	May 25, 1975
Winner	Bobby Unser (435 miles, rain)
Winning team	All American Racers
Average speed	149.213 mph (240.135 km/h)
Pole position	A. J. Foyt
Pole speed	193.976 mph (312.174 km/h)
Fastest qualifier	Foyt
Rookie of the Year	Bill Puterbaugh
Most laps led	Wally Dallenbach (96)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthem	Purdue Band
Back Home Again in Indiana	Jim Nabors
Starting Command	Tony Hulman
Pace car	Buick Century Custom V-8
Pace car driver	James Garner
Honorary starter	None
Attendance	300,000 (estimated)
TV in the United States
Network	ABC
Announcers	Keith Jackson and Jackie Stewart
Nielsen Ratings	14.9 / 30
Chronology
Previous	Next
1974	1976

The 59th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 25, 1975. A. J. Foyt started on the pole position and Bobby Unser won his second Indy 500.

On the 174th lap, a huge downpour pelted the Speedway, and officials immediately ended the race, just 26 laps short of the scheduled distance. Bobby Unser was leading the race at the red flag, and defending champion Johnny Rutherford was in second place. Pole-sitter A. J. Foyt came home third.

Tom Sneva survived a spectacular crash in turn two on lap 125. His car touched wheels with Eldon Rasmussen, and flipped into the catch fence near the Turn Two Suites. The engine on Sneva's car ripped off in a huge fire-flash, and the car came to rest upright with Sneva trapped in the cockpit. Sneva miraculously suffered only minor injuries, and walked away from the wreck with assistance from the safety crews.

On the morning of the race, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was ceremoniously designated to the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, the Hulman family celebrated thirty years of ownership of the facility.

Race schedule

Time trials

For the second year in a row, turbocharger "boost" levels were set at 80 inHG maximum. Once again, top speeds would be in the low to mid 190 mph range, and would not challenge the track record.

On Thursday May 8, Gordon Johncock showed himself as a favorite for the pole, completing a practice lap at 195.228 mph. Johncock consistently led the speed charts on four of the practice days. A. J. Foyt was close behind, topping the speed chart twice.

Pole Day - Saturday May 10

Pole day dawned sunny and mild. Rookie Al Loquasto was the first driver out to qualify. Mike Mosley (187.833 mph) led the speeds early on, and was the fastest car through the first hour. At 12:15 p.m., Tom Sneva (190.094 mph) moved into the top spot.

About an hour later, Bobby Unser took to the track, and at 191.073 mph, bumped Sneva off the pole spot. Unser's speed did not last long, as Gordon Johncock, the next car out, then took over the provisional pole at 191.652 mph. Johncock was the last car to complete a run during the early segment. The track remained mostly quiet over the next three hours, as drivers waited for cooler conditions.

Shortly after 4 p.m., A. J. Foyt blistered the track, with his first lap coming in at 195.313 mph. His four-lap average of 193.975 mph secured the pole position.

The final qualifying attempt of the afternoon was put in by Bill Puterbaugh. After six years of failure, Puterbaugh finally qualified for his first Indy 500. He pumped his fist as he returned to the pits, putting in the 15th-fastest speed of the day.

The day closed with the field filled to 22 cars.

Second Day - Sunday May 11

After blowing his engine the day before, Wally Dallenbach returned to the track and qualified. His speed of 190.646 mph was the 4th-fastest overall, but as a second day qualifier, he would be forced to line up 21st.

A total of six cars qualified, and at the close of the first weekend of time trials, the field was filled to 28 cars.

Third Day - Saturday May 17

With five spots open in the field, qualifying opened with Mike Hiss the first car to make an attempt. The field was quickly filled to 33 cars, and Lee Kunzman was the first car on the bubble.

Mario Andretti returned from Monaco, and put his car solidly in the field with a speed of 186.480 mph, easily the fastest driver of the day, bumping Kunzman in the process. At 12:18 p.m., Al Loquasto was now on the bubble.

Billy Scott made two attempts to bump his way in, but blew his engine on the first attempt, and waved off the second. No other cars made an attempt the rest of the day.

Bump Day - Sunday May 18

On the final day of time trials, Al Loquasto still clung the bubble spot. Eldon Rasmussen was the first car out to make an attempt. His first lap was over 183 mph, but the next two dropped off and the team waved off the run. Three hours later Jim Hurtubise blew an engine after one slow lap, and Loquasto was still on the bubble after over 24 hours.

With about an hour left in the day, Loquasto survived two more attempts. At 5:18 p.m., just under 42 minutes left in the day, Eldon Rasmussen made his second attempt. His speed of 181.910 mph bumped Loquasto and the field would be set.

Loquasto, the first driver to complete a qualifying attempt on pole day, was the last driver to be bumped on bump day.

Race summary

Start

The Speedway was placed on the National Register of Historic Places

First half

Mario Andretti crashed out on lap 49. He spun out on the backstretch, and slammed into the inside wall near the entrance to turn three.

Second half

On lap 125, Tom Sneva approached the lapped car of Eldon Rasmussen in turn 1. As the two cars went side-by-side in turn two, they touched wheels and Sneva's car flipped up into a huge wreck. Sneva did a barrel-roll over the front nose of Rasmussen's car, becoming completely airborne upside-down at once point. The car rolled upright, and hit the outside wall and catch fence with the back end. The engine, gearbox, and rear of the car were ripped from the chassis, leaving a huge fire flash as the fuel and oil ignited in front of the Turn Two Suites. The cockpit section continued down the track, flipping at least twice, and came to rest on the track, right side up, then spun for several yards, coming to rest facing backwards. The engine and other parts scattered in different directions, and littered the track with debris.

Sneva was conscious when the car came to rest, and immediately started unbuckling his seat belts trying to get out. The back of the car was still on fire, and he unknowingly lifted his visor, which singed his face with burns. He then put his hand down in a pool of methanol, which burned his fingers.^[1] His legs were trapped in the cockpit, and he was not able to get out of the car on his own. Rescue worked immediately arrived at the scene, and put out the remaining fires. A moment later, he was pulled from the wreck, and with assistance, walked to the ambulance.

Sneva did not suffer any serious bodily injuries, but was listed in serious condition with burns to his face and hands. After a couple days, Sneva's condition was quickly upgraded, and after a month, was back racing.

After leading 96 laps, Wally Dallenbach dropped out with a blown piston on lap 162. That handed the lead to Johnny Rutherford, with Bobby Unser now in second.

Bobby Unser took the lead on lap 165. The skies were threatening, and rain was expected to move into the vicinity of the Speedway.

Finish

On lap 170, Gary Bettenhausen's right rear hub exploded and he lost the wheel down the mainstretch. Riding on three wheels, he managed to keep the car mostly off the wall, and was able to park the car down in the infield in turn 1. The caution came out for the debris, and leader Bobby Unser ducked into the pits for a quick stop. Second place Johnny Rutherford also made a pit stop.

Under the yellow, the skies became increasingly dark, and the rain that had been threatening finally was about to arrive.

Bobby Unser suddenly ducked into the pits for a second "splash-and-go" pit stop, topping off the tank. He came out to the track alongside third place A. J. Foyt, who at that point managed to un-lap himself. One lap later, the skies opened up, and it began to pour rain. It was lap 174 and Bobby Unser was leading, with Johnny Rutherford about a half lap behind in second. The track became flooded and the many of the cars began hydroplaning and spinning out of control. The visibility dropped to near zero, as the heavy rain and the "rooster tails" made it difficult for the drivers to see. Fans began scurrying for cover.

Starter Pat Vidan immediately took out the red and checkered flag, and USAC officials immediately halted the race. The leaders had to precariously coast around to the finish line. Despite several wrecked cars blocking the track, Unser, Rutherford, and Foyt all managed to make it to the finish line cleanly. The race was officially called with Unser completing 174 laps (435 miles), just 26 laps short of the scheduled distance. Defending champion Johnny Rutherford followed with a second place, and pole-sitter Foyt finished third, still looking for the elusive fourth Indy win.

Race results

Finish	Start	No	Name	Qual	Rank	Laps	Led	Status
1	3	48	Bobby Unser	191.073	3	174	11	Running
2	7	2	Johnny Rutherford	185.998	9	174	5	Running
3	1	14	A.J. Foyt	193.976	1	174	53	Running
4	18	11	Pancho Carter	183.449	22	169	0	Flagged
5	22	15	Roger McCluskey	183.964	17	167	0	Flagged
6	8	6	Bill Vukovich II	185.845	10	166	0	Flagged
7	15	83	Bill Puterbaugh	183.833	18	165	0	Flagged
8	24	97	George Snider	182.918	23	165	0	Flagged
9	21	40	Wally Dallenbach, Sr.	190.648	4	162	96	Piston
10	23	33	Bob Harkey	183.786	19	162	0	Flagged
11	29	98	Steve Krisiloff	182.408	28	162	0	Flagged
12	26	19	Sheldon Kinser	182.389	29	161	0	Flagged
13	20	30	Jerry Karl	182.537	27	161	0	Flagged
14	10	78	Jimmy Caruthers	185.615	12	161	0	Flagged
15	19	45	Gary Bettenhausen	182.611	26	158	0	Crash FS
16	11	4	Al Unser	185.452	13	157	0	Rod
17	25	36	Sammy Sessions	182.751	25	155	0	Engine
18	33	17	Tom Bigelow	181.864	32	151	0	Magneto
19	12	93	Johnny Parsons	184.521	14	140	0	Transmission
20	14	73	Jerry Grant	184.266	16	137	0	Piston
21	30	44	Dick Simon	181.891	31	133	0	Flagged
22	4	68	Tom Sneva	190.094	5	125	0	Crash T2
23	17	24	Bentley Warren	183.589	21	120	0	Flagged
24	32	58	Eldon Rasmussen	181.910	30	119	0	Valve
25	13	16	Bobby Allison	184.398	15	112	1	Gearbox
26	5	12	Mike Mosley	187.833	6	94	0	Engine
27	16	89	John Martin	183.655	20	61	0	Radiator
28	27	21	Mario Andretti	186.480	8	49	0	Crash BS
29	31	94	Mike Hiss	181.754	33	39	0	Crash T3
30	28	63	Larry McCoy	182.760	24	24	0	Piston
31	2	20	Gordon Johncock	191.653	2	11	8	Ignition
32	6	7	Lloyd Ruby	186.984	7	7	0	Piston
33	9	77	Salt Walther	185.701	11	2	0	Ignition

Failed to Qualify

• Al Loquasto (#38, #86) - Bumped
• Lee Kunzman (#52, #55) - Bumped
• Jim Hurtubise (#52, #56) - Wave off
• Tom Bigelow (#17) - Wave off
• Graham McRae (#75) - Wave off
• Billy Scott (#76) - Wave off
• Jan Opperman (#28, #46) - Incomplete run
• Larry Cannon (#59) - Wrecked in practice
• Chuck Gurney (#23) - Wrecked in practice
• Jigger Sirois (#52) - Wrecked in practice
• Jerry Sneva (#37, #38) - Wrecked in practice
• George Follmer (#28, #52) - Blew engine in practice
• John Hubbard (#53)
• Dan Murphy (#25)
• Rick Muther (#46, #52)
• Bob Nagel
• Bill Simpson (#52, #98)

Notes

• Race stopped on lap 174 due to rain (begun on lap 171).
• This was the final race for Mary Catherine "Mom" Unser (mother of Jerry, Bobby, and Al), a fixture in the garage area who was famous for her spicy chili. She died December 17, 1975.

See also

• 1975 USAC Championship Car season

Notes

References

Works cited

• 1975 Indianapolis 500 Press Information - Official Track Report
• Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats - Official Site