Indy Journal - 1977

1977

The main attractions among the drivers at the Speedway this year were Tom Sneva, A.J. Foyt, and Janet Guthrie. Tom Sneva became the first driver in Speedway history to drive an official 200 mph lap. A.J. Foyt made Speedway history by becoming the first four-time winning of the big race. Janet Guthrie put her name into the record books by becoming the first woman to drive in the race.

On Friday morning, May 13, I left for the Speedway in my 1973 Chevrolet Malibu. I stopped at the Holiday Inn Motel in Crawfordsville, Indiana, and checked in. When that was taken care of, I drove on to the Speedway and visited the new museum and hall of fame. It was my first visit to the museum and a most interesting one.

When I finished seeing the museum, I walked over to the Tower Terrace seats and watched the activity on the race track. There were several thousand fans in attendance and enjoying themselves.

I ran into a friend of mine from the Post Office, Ron Atkins, who was there with his wife and two children, and sat with them until the 6:00 closing time.

Before leaving for Crawfordsville, I stopped at the MCL Cafeteria in the Speedway Shopping Center and had a good supper, and then walked through the shopping center and went in a couple of the store. It was about 9:00 when I returned to the motel. I did some reading, watched the 10:00 news, and then retired for the night.

My alarm clock went off at 5:00 Saturday morning. The motel restaurant had opened at 4:00 to accommodate early-leaving race fans, so I took advantage of the good opportunity. The breakfast was buffet style and was quite popular with the motel customers. For $2.45, a customer received scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hashed brown potatoes, milk, and orange juice. I was well pleased with the fast service and both the quantity and quality of the food.

The breakfast gave the day a good start for me and it was about 6:00 when I left for the Speedway. It was shortly before 7:00 when I arrived at Bud Kramer’s house, our Indy “home” for so many years. I talked with Bud for a couple minutes and then walked to the Speedway.

My first stop, after paying the $3.00 admissions charge and getting into the grounds, was the gift shop. I wanted something for Mark and John, but didn’t see anything that pleased me, so I went on to my seat.

Instead of sitting in the grandstand area, as I had always done for the time trials, I sat in the Tower Terrace section. The section I sat in was the first one north of the tower, and it was 7:30 when I sat down for the beginning of a long, warm day.

A.J. Foyt and Tom Sneva were the main attractions of the day. Foyt was the first qualifier and had a 193 mph average, which was not spectacular when considering that he had run as high as 200 mph in practice.

An hour or so later, it was announced that due to a malfunction on his car, Foyt was entitled to a second chance to qualify. A.J. decided to take the opportunity again, but this run was 194+, still a disappointment to him and everybody else.

When Tom Sneva went out to qualify, most people anticipated a good run, but they weren’t prepared for what happened. As track announcer Tom Carnegie announced the first lap at 200.401 mph, the fans went wild with joy. The 200 mph barrier had been broken. The second lap was even faster at 200.535 mph. His third and fourth laps were in the 197 range, and his four-lap average was 198.884, also a new record.

At 6:00, the Speedway closed for the day, and it had been a day to remember. I stopped at the MCL Cafeteria for supper and then drove back to the motel.

It was between 7:30 and 8:00 when I left the motel Sunday morning and started the trip home. I followed the route I used coming over and it was a few minutes after 9:00 when I arrived at the Colonial Kitchen for breakfast. That was my first and last stop until I arrive home at 12:00 sharp.

On Saturday morning, May 28, I packed my suitcase and gave the car a good cleaning with the vacuum cleaner. I took the 1975 Chevrolet Caprice Classic. Since Dixie, Mark, and John were in Missouri for the weekend, I checked everything in the house before I left, and at 12:30, I left to see my 23rd 500-mile race.

The traffic was rather heavy and it was 1:30 when I entered Decatur. It was a warm afternoon and there was a large crowd enjoying it. When I got out of the Decatur area, the traffic diminished somewhat, but there were many farmers working in their fields. It was 2:54 when I reached the Colonial Kitchen and stopped for a while.

For a refreshment, I had a cup of coffee and a heated roll. When I finished my snack, I used the restroom and at 3:15, I was on the road again. I went north on Routes 1&150 and it was 3:52 when I arrived at the Holiday Inn in Danville.

My room reservation had been made in January, so all I had to do was sign in and find out what room I had. The room was clean and cool, so I lay on the bed for a few minutes, did a little reading, and checked the TV set to see if it worked okay.

I had decided earlier to have an early supper, so after I cleaned up a little bit, I walked over to the motel’s Boston Room for my supper. There were only a few scattered customers present and the waitress gave me a menu when I was seated. I ordered fried liver and bacon with baked potato and corn. While I waited for the main course, I partook of some of the choices at the salad bar. I was just finishing my appetizer when the main course arrived. The chef was most generous in the portions of food he served me. Everything tasted fine. It was about 6:00 when I finished eating and left, and by now, there were quite a few more customers than when I arrived.

Before returning to my room for the evening, I drove to a fried chicken establishment a couple blocks from the motel and bought a box of chicken to eat while I was at the race. It was about 7:00 when I returned to my room.

I was reading “The Chicago Daily News” newspaper about 7:45 when the telephone rang. I answered and on the other end was Clyde Simpson. He and Judy had driven down from their home in Milford and were waiting to see me in the motel lobby. The three of us sat and talked for about an hour, and then drove to a little drive-in restaurant a couple miles north of the motel, where we had some light refreshments. It was 10:00 when they returned me to the motel and left for Milford. I enjoyed visiting with them, since it had been nine months since I last saw them.

When I returned to my room, I watched part of the 10:00 news on TV, finished reading the “Chicago Daily News”, set the alarm clock and retired for the night.

At 4:45, my alarm clock sounded, and race day, 1977, had started for me. I lay in bed for a couple minutes to try to awaken a little bit, and then I got up and got myself ready. Feeling ready to face the day now, I left my room about 5:15 and walked to the motel restaurant, which I hoped was open.

The restaurant was not only open, but doing a good business. Most of the customers were race fans and were fueling up for a long day, just as I was. It was a buffet breakfast for $2.25, and I had scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, orange juice, milk, and coffee. I had a couple helpings of everything and I was full when I left.

I returned to my room to check and see that I had everything I needed, and at 5:47, I left the motel parking lot for my ride to the race. Unlike last year when I drove through rain part of the way, the sky was clear all the way. The traffic was quite heavy, and almost every car and its passengers looked as if it had the same destination as I had. Just before I reached the I-465 interchange, the traffic became quite heavy and slowed considerably. It was bumper to bumper for several blocks, but the police kept it moving quite well.

For some time I had been thinking about parking farther from the Speedway than Kramer’s house. I thought that being farther away might reduce the cost, but in a few minutes I discovered I was wrong. I also thought I might avoid some of the heavy Crawfordsville Road traffic east of Lynnhurst Drive. There is a bank on the northwest corner of the intersection and it was here that I parked. The charge was the same as Kramer’s, $5.00, but I didn’t mind walking the extra blocks. It was 7:43 when I parked the car and turned off the power.

I checked to be sure I had all of my equipment and then started my walk to the Speedway. The scenery along the way looked the same as in other years, highlighted by cold drink containers, empty beer cars, people sleeping on the ground and in trunks along the road, and the long line of east-bound traffic waiting to get into the Speedway.

My watch read 8:05 when I walked through the turnstiles. A few steps further I stopped and bought four souvenir race programs, which had increased to $3.00 in price. I had also planned to stop at the first gift shop, but the line of customers was already formed outside the building, so I decided to try another one. There were several souvenir stands along the way before I reached the tunnel, but none of them offered anything I didn’t already have or which I thought cost too much.

When I arrived on the infield, I turned right and walked toward the garage area. There was a gift shop along the way, so I went inside to see what they had. The only items I bought were a tote bag and a coloring book of race cars. The book was for Mark and the tote bag was handy for carrying the race programs.

I walked around the infield for a few minutes, filled my thermos bottle with water, and then walked to the far north end of the Tower Terrace Section. It was 8:45 when I arrived at my customary seat of the past ten years, Section 43, Row J, Seat 5. It felt good to rest my feet for a few minutes and not to have my arms loaded with equipment. There was much activity both on the track and in the pit area. The pit area was busy with pit crews making final checks on their cars and hundreds of spectators walking through the area. On the track, several marching bands were doing their thing.

By 9:00, my feet felt okay again, so I took a walk along the pit area fence with the hope of seeing some famous persons and getting pictures of them. A few of the drivers had their racing uniforms on, some were still in street clothes, and some were somewhere other than the pit area.

I arrived back at my seat about 9:40, and at 9:45, the order was given over the PA system for the crews to push their cars onto the track and into their starting positions.

By now, my two companions for the race had arrived. They were Malcom McKean and his sister, Barbara, racing friends of mine from Central Baptist Church. They had purchased my two extra tickets a few months earlier and they were fine race companions.

Shortly after 10:00, the long procession of celebrities drove north through the pit area and onto the race track for their trip around the track so that all the fans could see them. At 10:34, USAC officials started their inspection lap of the track and returned a few minutes later and said it was ready for racing.

Immediately after that, the PA announcer, Tom Carnegie, asked the huge crowd to stand for the playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” by the Purdue University Band. The invocation was given by the famous minister, Oral Roberts, and then a few moments of silence were observed by the crowd as “Taps” was played in honor of all the drivers who have lost their lives in racing over the years.

The excitement and tension were reaching their climax now as record and television star Jim Nabors sang “Back Home Again in Indiana.” While Jim was singing, the thousands of balloons behind the Tower Terrace section were released and made a beautiful spectacle as they rose toward the sky.

A few seconds after Jim finished his singing, Tom Carnegie introduced Speedway president Tony Hulman to give his famous order. This year, however, because of Janet Guthrie being in the race, Tony changed his order somewhat and said “In company with the first lady ever to qualify at Indianapolis, Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!”

The air was immediately filled with that beautiful sound of racing engines as all thirty-three cars came to life. The fans responded with a huge roar of their own. About a minute later, the Oldsmobile Delta 88 pace car, driven by TV and movie star, James Garner, slowly started moving towards the first turn.

One by one, the cars were pushed away by the pit crews to form the eleven rows of three each. A new procedure was started this year. There were two, instead of one, parade laps, making a total of three pre-race laps. The idea is to give the oil and tires more time to warm up to racing temperature. I like the idea very much because I get an extra change to see the field in their starting positions, which is a beautiful sight to see. The thousands of other fans seemed to feel the same way as judged by their applause when the cars were on the front straightaway. At the end of the third lap, the official pace lap, Jim Garner drove through the pit area and the field stayed closely behind on the track. A couple seconds later, starter Pat Vidan waved the green flag and the 1977 500-mile race was on!

Al Unser, starting on the outside of the first row, took the lead into the first turn. He was followed by Sneva, Gordon Johncock, and Foyt. Al stayed in front for seventeen laps, when he was passed by Johncock. The first ten positions at the end of the first ten laps were held by Unser, Johnock, Foyt, Sneva, Mario Andretti, Bobby Unser, Pancho Carter, Johnny Rutherford, Danny Ongais, and Johnny Parsons.

A huge moan came from the crowd when Rutherford pitted on this 13th lap and was out of the race. His car wouldn’t stay in gear, and he decided to leave the race rather than destroy the engine.

Johnny was a disappointment to many fans during the time trials. His qualifying speed was 197.325, third fastest in the field, but he qualified on the second day, and therefore started 17th instead of 3rd. He made a qualification attempt on the first day and was running well, but his pit crew wasn’t happy and brought him in.

Sheldon Kinser was out after 14 laps with a burned piston and was given 32nd position. Ten laps later, Dick Simon retired with overheating problems and was followed to the garage area on the next lap by rookie Clay Regazzoni with a split fuel cell.

Meanwhile, back on the race track, Johncock took the lead on his 18th lap and kept it through the 21st lap. By now, the first series of pit stops was taking place and there were several lead changes. Foyt led laps 22-23, George Snider on 24-25, Bill Vukovich on lap 26, and then Foyt regained the lead on lap 27. The first five drivers after twenty laps were Johncock, Foyt, Al Unser, Sneva, and Bobby Unser.

The next driver out of the race was Al Loquasto, who completed only 28 laps when he was forced out with a faulty magneto. His pit area was directly in front of me and I was sorry I couldn’t see his pit crew at work anymore.

Janet Guthrie’s first race was a big disappointment. After having much trouble all month, she qualified with a fine average of 188.403 and started in 26th position. She competed 27 laps, by which time she had spent 105 minutes in her pit. Her pit crew made several changed to the car, but none of them helped. It was a sad audience which heard Tom Carnegie announce her exodus from the race.

The yellow flag came out for the first time on the leader’s 36th lap when sentimental favorite Lloyd Ruby crashed in the second turn. This was Lloyd’s 18th race and once again his sour luck raised its ugly head. He drove a Lindsay Hopkins car this year and started in 19th position with an average of 190.840 mph, which was the 11th fastest in the field. He was running in 15th place when he crashed and was credited with 34 laps. The cause of his crash is still not certain.

The caution light stayed on for 16 minutes and then full speed resumed. At thirty laps, the top five were Foyt, Johncock, Sneva, and Al and Bobby Unser. These positions were the same at forth and fifty laps also.

1969 winner Mario Andretti, who started in sixth position, made his exit from the race after 47 laps with a broken header. He had been running up front all day and was in ninth place when he was forced out. Mario’s departure was followed ten laps later by rookie Bobby Olivero, whose day ended because of a faulty valve.

On the 52nd lap, Johncock regained the lead from Foyt, as the two former winners continued to battle for the race lead. At sixty laps, the leaders were Johncock, Foyt, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, and Sneva. After seventy laps, Bobby and Al were first and third with Johncock, Foyt, and Sneva between them.

George Snider, driving in his 13th race, was finished after 65 laps with valve trouble, and then, after 71 laps, Jim McElreath was sidelined with waste gate problems.

The standings at both eighty and ninety laps were Johncock, Foyt, Bobby Unser, Sneva, and Al Unser. Johncock had a 3.6 second lead on Foyt , and AJ seemed headed for trouble when he pitted on his 92nd lap with an empty fuel tank. His efficient crew went to work and had him running again after only 20 seconds. While Johncock and Foyt were making their fourth pit stops, Sneva led laps 94-96 before he also pitted.

Meanwhile Cliff Hucul, Bubby Jones, and Danny Ongais, all rookies, had had mechanical problems serious enough to take them out of the race. They were soon joined by Mike Mosley, who left after 91 laps with a faulty timing gear.

The race was approaching the half way mark, but before it got there, popular Bobby Unser, two time winner and second-place starter this year, was forced out of the running with a broken oil line. At 100 laps, Johncock had a 28.7 second lead over Foyt. Positions 3-10 were occupied by Sneva, Unser, Wally Dallenbach, Bill Vukovich, Johnny Parsons, Pancho Carter, Roger McCluskey, and Lee Kunzman.

It was about now that Foyt began closing the gap between him and Johncock. At 120 laps, the distance had been reduced to 19.53 seconds, and then to 18 seconds when Foyt pitted on his 138th lap.

The standings at 110, 120, and 130 laps were still Johncock, Foyt, Sneva, Unser, and Dallenbach. After Bobby Unser made his exit, the next driver out of action was Foyt’s teammate, Bill Vukovich, after 110 laps, and then Gary Bettenhausen, driving for J.C. Agajanian was out after 138 laps with clutch trouble.

Meanwhile, Foyt continued to decrease Johncock’s lead. He made a pit stop on the 156th lap and lost time of course, but he expected to make it up a few laps later when Gordie pitted. On the 156th lap, Pancho Carter’s engine blew and this brought out the yellow flag. Foyt, but not Johncock, pitted and many people thought Gordie may have lost the race at this time. A few laps later, however, the yellow came out again when Johnny Parsons had to be towed to his pit, and this time the race leader made his pit stop. He left with a fifteen second lead.

A.J. was still decreasing the lead and the excitement among the fans increased as track announcer Tom Carnegie did his usual fine job of keeping them informed of the action. The first five positions at 140, 150, and 160 laps were still held by the same drivers, but the exact position sometimes changes because of the pit stops. In the meantime, John Mahler, Eldon Rasmussen, and Bill Puterbaugh joined those drivers on the sidelines with various mechanicals ills.

Foyt was now turning laps at 191 mph and was only eight seconds from the lead when Gordon made his final pit stop on his 180th lap. He had his fuel tanked filled and was on his way again. Three laps later, AJ made his final stop for fuel and two right tires, which took only fifteen seconds. The excitement was at a fever pitched now as the fans speculated among themselves what would happen. It should be a royal battle to the finish.

Just as the excitement was accelerating, Johncock came down the straightaway slowly with smoke pouring from his engine. The crowd gasped in disbelief as Gordie pulled over to the side and into the first turn infield, a most disappointed fellow. A broken valve spring was the culprit. Hot and almost exhausted, he got out of his car and stepped into the water to cool off.

With the crowd cheering and waving wildly, Foyt went back into the lead. Now the big question was “Can his car last seventeen more laps?” He had almost a forty second lead on new second place driver, Tom Sneva, and drove slightly slower to save his car.

As 190 laps went into the record books, the first five positions were held by Foy, Sneva, Unser, Dallenbach, and Johnny Parsons.

Foyt’s good luck continued as one by one the last few laps went by, and then, with starter Pat Vidan holding the checkered flag, he came out of the fourth turn on his last lap and sped towards the start-finish line as Pat waved the black and white flag. The crowd, estimated at more than 350,000, gave a tremendous ovation to the first four-time winner of the race. AJ took an extra insurance lap, and then slowly drove his last lap, waving all the time to his thousands of admirers all around the track. Although I didn’t want him to win, I too became engulfed in the euphoria of the moment and cheered and waved at him as he came through the pit area on his way to victory lane. The big smile on his face indicated that he was a most happy fellow.

Twenty-eight seconds after AJ finished the race, Tom Sneva competed his 200 laps for second place, and then the red flag was displayed because some overzealous race fans had gotten onto the race track. It was the end of one of the most memorable races in Speedway history.

A large part of the fans were leaving by now, but I stayed for several minutes and watched some of the drivers and pit crews father up their equipment and walk to their garages. When the pits were empty, I took one last look at the length of the straightway and started my walk to Gate 1.

I shopped in one of the gift shops for a few minutes and then walked through the tunnel and south to Gate 1. I was hungry and thirsty and wanted to stop at the White Castle restaurant, but the customers waiting in line weren’t moving very fast, so I decided to move on and stopped at the Standard Service Station and bought a bottle of Coca-Cola. It wasn’t just what I wanted, but it greatly relieved my dry throat and made me feel better. The automobile traffic was bumper to bumper and going nowhere as usual, but the pedestrian traffic was moving okay and it was a few minutes before 4:00 when I arrived at the bank parking lot. I opened the windows to cool the inside a little bit and to get some air circulating. The soft car seat felt good after sitting on a wooden seat during the race.

Traffic was moving fairly well on Lynnhurst Drive, so at 4:10, I left the parking lot and started my drive back to Danville. When I reached the intersection, the start police wouldn’t let me turn right, so I kept going south until I came to the first side street and then turned right. The traffic on this street moved real well and within a few minutes, I was back on Crawfordsville Road and then onto I-74. Within a few miles, the traffic diminished considerably and I had no trouble the rest of the way. I think this was the easiest time I ever had getting out of the post-race traffic congestion. When I arrived at the motel, I looked at the clock in my car and was pleasantly surprised when I saw it was 5:55.

The cool temperature and soft chairs in my room felt good as I watched TV and relaxed for a few minutes. Little by little a feeling of hunger was coming over me, so I walked to a grocery store a block from the motel and bought a quart of milk for supper. I had not eaten any of the fried chicken I had taken to the race, so that and the milk made a good, tasty supper for me. While I was eating supper, I also had pleasant entertainment in the form of a television musical variety program which co-starred Robert Goulet and Julie Andrews. It was a fine program with little advertising and was most pleasing to me.

When the musical show ended, I tuned in ABC-TV’s same-day telecast of the big race. It was a fine program, with good commentary by the announcers and excellent camera work. The cameras were located all around the Speedway and picked up several scenes I missed seeing, including fine coverage of Lloyd Ruby’s crash and Gordon Johncock leaving the race. There was also an interview with AJ Foyt at the end of the program.

After the race program, I took a refreshing bath and then retired for the night. It had been a real pleasant day.

When I awoke in the morning, I cleaned up somewhat, got everything packed and put into the car, checked out of the motel, and at 8:40 headed south for the Colonial Kitchen and breakfast. It was about 9:15 when I stopped for breakfast, which was eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, orange juice, and coffee. Most of the customers were farmers having their morning coffee, although there were a few late eaters like me having a full meal.

The full meal made me feel better and it was a few minutes before 10:00 when I left the restaurant and started the last part of my trip home. It was a quiet holiday morning, with little traffic on the highway, but several farmers working in their fields. When I arrived in Decatur about 11:30, there were a lot of people watching the boat races as I went by the lake. About an hour later, I arrived home to complete another safe and enjoyable trip to the big race.

EPILOGUE

On Monday night, May 30, a record purse of $1,116,870 was divided among the 33 drivers who participated in the race, with Foyt receiving $259,791 for first place and Sneva $109,946 for second place.

Foyt, of course, wrote his name into Speedway history by becoming the first four-time winner of the race. This was his 20th race and his first victory since 1967. He had now achieved his main goal in racing, and because of this many people expected him to announce his retirement in victory lane, but AJ says he had no intention of retiring now and will be back next year to try for number 5. His winning speed of 161.331 mph is about 1.6 mph slower than that of record-holder Mark Donohue’s 1972 average.

By starting first, setting one and four lap qualification records, driving the first official 200 mph lap in Speedway history, and finishing second in the race, Tom Sneva came within 29 seconds of having a perfect year.

Al Unser also had a fine year. He started and finished third and was never lower than fifth position.

Wally Dallenbach finished fourth for the second year in a row, and again drove the STP Oil Treatment car.

Johnny Parsons had his best finish in four starts by finishing fifth in another STP car.

Tom Bigelow also had his best finish in four starts by placing sixth in the Thermo-King machine.

Lee Kunzman made a fine comeback by placing seventh. This was his first Indy race since 1973, when he was seriously injured in a race later that year.

Roger McCluskey finished eighth in his 16th Speedway race. He was a teammate of Lloyd Ruby and drove for veteran owner Lindsay Hopkins.

Steve Kisoloff had the slowest qualifying speed this year, but completely 191 laps and was awarded ninth position.

Jerry Sneva, brother of Tom, finished in 10th place and was given the “Rookie of the Year” award for his good work.

Gordon Johncock finished eleventh but collected the fourth highest prize money because of his large lap prize winnings.

A happy feature for everybody this year was the fact that a full 500-mile race was completed this year. Rain had shortened the race three out of the last four years and it was certainly a pleasure to see a full race again. In fact, it was unusually warm and dry almost all month, with rainfall almost non-existent and race day temperatures in the low and mid-eighties.

The records established by Tom Sneva, Janet Guthrie, and AJ Foyt certainly made this year’s race a pleasant one to remember. There was also considerable sorrow at the Speedway this year caused by the loss of three of its most devoted and long standing figures.

On May 3, “The Voice of the 500” for 25 years, Sid Collins, took his life. Sid had been in poor physical and emotional health for several months. A few weeks earlier, he had gone to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where it was discovered he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a steady degeneration of the spinal cord. With this knowledge and knowing that he would be unable to broadcast the race, it apparently was too much for him to endure and resulted in his suicide. It was a great shock to racing fans everywhere. The new anchorman for the broadcast of the race will be Paul Page.

On July 31, the Speedway lost the man who, for 32 years, had been its Superintendent of Grounds, Clarence Cagle, by retirement. Under his guidance and direction since 1945, the Speedway had gone from weeds and shambles to one of the most outstanding structures in the world. He was in charge of all maintenance and construction work, and it was a job to which he devoted his life.

The biggest shock of the year occurred on October 27 when the entire racing world was stunned by the death of Speedway president Tony Hulman. I gasped in disbelief when I saw the article in the newspaper the following morning. He had entered an Indianapolis hospital about noon on October 27 and died on the operating table that night of an aneurysm of the aorta. Tony was a multi-millionaire, but also had put millions of dollars of improvements into the Speedway. It was his money that turned the Speedway from a ramshackle mess in 1945 into what it is today. To millions of fans around the world, he was associated with those four famous words, “GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES.”

Two weeks later, it was announced that Speedway vice-president Joe Cloutier was the new president. I hope Joe will be able to continue the operation of the Speedway in the future just as Tony did for 32 years, and that the race will continue to live up to its reputation as the greatest spectacle in racing.

Another year had come and gone, one to be remembered for a long time. Come next May, I plan to be there again to see “THE GREATEST SPECATACLE IN RACING.”

Pace Car – Oldsmobile Delta Royal
500 Festival Queen – Kathy Hegg

Indy Journal - 1976

1976

My return to the first day of time trials after a two-year absence, the comparatively slow speeds turned in by the drivers, the first laps ever run at the Speedway by a woman, my first appearance at a Goodyear Motor Sports Club open house, the third rain-shortened race in the last four years, and the shooting death of Speedway vice-president Elmer George were the memorable events of this year for me.

On Friday afternoon, May 14, I drove to Crawfordsville, Indiana, in my 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle, where I had a reservation at the Holiday Inn Motel. I registered at the motel and then went to my room and took a bath and shaved. Immediately after that, I drove to the Speedway to attend the GMSC open house.

It was 7:00 when I arrived at the Speedway Motel and parked my car. The open house was held at the Goodyear building just east of the motel. Speedway radio network announcer Sid Collins was the master of ceremonies and interviewed many drivers. The drivers were available to sign autographs and talk to club members, and this was a popular attraction.

There was an abundant supply of doughnuts and Coca-Cola to be served, and since I hadn’t had any supper, I took full advantage of this part of the evening.

Among the drivers present were Mike Hiss, Duane Carter, Larry Dickson, Lloyd Ruby, Bobby Unser, Wally Dallenbach, Dan Gurney, Gordon Johncock, A.J. Foyt, Jackie Stewart, Eldon Rasmussen, Tom Sneva, Sheldon Kinser, Janet Gutherie, Dick Simon, Jim Hurtubise, Parnelli Jones, John Martin, and Bill Puterbaugh.

It was a fine event and everybody there seemed to enjoy themselves. It lasted until about 10:00 and it was about 11:00 when I arrived back at my motel and retired for the night.

When I awoke about 5:30 on Saturday morning, I looked out the window and noticed that it had been raining for some time. I got myself ready for the day and left the motel about 6:15.

I drove through a steady rain for several minutes and then stopped for breakfast. The restaurant was about a mile south of the highway. My breakfast was pancakes and sausage, with coffee and orange juice and a side order of toast. The service and food were both good and there were other customers also, most of whom I guessed to be on their way to the Speedway.

As I drove to the Speedway, the rain fell in spurts and there were just a few drops coming down when I parked the car about two blocks from the Speedway.

It was 8:00 when I entered the Speedway grounds. There weren’t many people walking in the rain so I went to the gift shop and bought a sweater for Mark.

From here, I walked to where I wanted to sit and saw the race track was under water, so I turned around and walked to the new Hall of Fame to see if I could sell my two extra race tickets.

Selling the tickets was no problem. There was another man who entered the building with me and when I saw him looking at the seating chart, I asked him if he would like to buy my tickets. He looked at the price and location and then gave me the $50. We talked for a couple minutes and then he left and said he’d see me at our seats on race day morning. I was happy to have the tickets sold and know there would be somebody sitting with me.

By now, the rain had stopped falling, but it looked as if it could resume at any minute. I took the long walk back to the Paddock area and found a seat just a few feet north of the start-finish line. The grandstands were filling now and Speedway trucks were trying to dry the race track.

The usual 10:30-11:00 festivities were conducted, with thirty-three small race cars and several marching bands attired in bicentennial uniforms being the main attractions. The festivities helped to alleviate the boredom of the crowd caused by not being able to see any race cars tour the track.

There was no further rain and little by little, the track dried sufficiently to be used. Shortly before 2:00, a tremendous roar went up from the crowd as it was announced that the track was opened for practice. The applause increased in sound as the engines were started and the cars pushed away.

Between 2:30 and 3:00, the track was opened for qualifying and Larry Cannon was the first driver on the track and the first one to complete a qualification run for this year’s race. Seven other drivers made qualification runs. The eight, in order of speed, were Johnny Rutherford, Gordon Johncock, Tom Sneva, Al Unser, AJ Foyt, Duane Carter, Wally Dallenbach, and Canon.

Bobby Unser lost his oil and Mel Kenyon crashed on the backstretch. This not only killed their qualification attempts but closed the track for a long time.

At 6:00, a long, frustrating day ended and I waited for about thirty minutes before leaving to allow some of the traffic to leave. The traffic was still heavy so I decided to stop at the MCL Cafeteria for supper and thought maybe by the time I left, the traffic wouldn’t be so bad.

I had a good supper of breaded pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes, beets, corn, and bread. My only food since breakfast had been two hotdogs, so it really tasted good. I was only one of many race fans who ate there.

It was 8:00 when I left the cafeteria and the traffic was still bad. It took a long time to get to the highway, and while I was waiting, it started raining again. It rained steadily off and on for the rest of the evening.

I arrived at the motel shortly after 9:00, turned the TV set on, and rested on the bed for several minutes. I watched the 10:00 news and a special show which covered the day’s activities at the Speedway, and then retired for the night.

The alarm clock rang at 6:00 Sunday morning, so I got up and left for home about 6:30. I had taken a bath Saturday night, so I shaved and brushed my teeth and was ready to go. I took U.S. 231 south to the Route 36 junction and went west. I stopped for breakfast at the Colonial Kitchen and then drove on home, where I arrived at 11:25.

On Saturday morning, I put all of my travelling equipment in my suitcase and checked my list to be sure I had everything. The three of us had a good dinner, and after eating, I put my equipment in the trunk of our 1975 Chevrolet Caprice. Dixie took a picture of Mark and me together, and then at 1:28, I waved goodbye to them and started on my 22nd trip to the big race.

The traffic was quite heavy in Springfield and most of the way to and in Decatur. About a mile or so after I crossed Lake Decatur, I glanced to my right and saw Bob Allen, one of our neighbors, and his three boys and one of their friends in their station wagon. Dixie had told me that they were going to the race, but I hadn’t thought about meeting them on the highway going over there. I honked a couple times and waved at them, and when they saw who it was, they did likewise. They stayed immediately ahead of me all the way to Tuscola, although most of the time there was a considerable distance between us. I finally caught up with them shortly before we reached Tuscola, and then, as we were driving through the city, they stopped at a filling station, and I didn’t see any more of them.

It was 3:50 when I reached the Colonial Kitchen and stopped for a break. There were a few people having their mid-afternoon coffee, and I decided I would have the same thing, plus a heated sweet roll. I kept looking out the front window to see if Allens came by, but I didn’t see them. When I finished my second cup of coffee, I used the restroom, paid the bill, and at 4:18 left and drove to Danville. As is true with many small towns, the small towns on Route 1 were quite busy this Saturday afternoon. A few minutes before 5:00, I arrived in Danville, and after looking around for a few minutes, I found the motel.

The first thing I did was to go to the check-in counter and register. There were several people waiting to sign in and I was glad I had a reserved room. My room was on the third level and after putting my suitcase on the bed, I checked the TV set to see if it worked. I didn’t want to have an inoperative TV set as I did last year. There was no response when I turned the set on, so I went back to the check-in counter and told one of the employees what my problem was. She said there was a switch inside the room door that turned the TV and radio off and on. I went back and discovered what she was talking about and happily for me the TV worked fine.

With that problem solved, I decided to go to the Standard Service Station a block north of the motel and have the gas tank filled. With a full tank, I would be able to get to Indianapolis and back safely. It was about 6:30 now, and I decided it was time for supper. The only place I knew that served food was the motel restaurant. I thought it might be expensive, but I decided to have a good meal and spend some money.

Luckily, when I arrived, there were a few empty tables and I was seated and given a menu right away. There was a wide variety of choices to choose from, and I chose beef liver with bacon. While my meal was being cooked, I partook of the salad bar. As I was eating my salad, there was a steady flow of people both entering and leaving the restaurant and I was surprised at the informal atmosphere of the customers’ attire. There were business suits, long dresses, work clothes, slacks, and shorts all mixing with each other. There was also a wide range of ages, from young couples with small children to others well along in years. My meal consisted of two plate-length pieces of liver and a plate full of tasty, crisp bacon, and a big baked potato. It was a delicious meal and when I finished I knew I wouldn’t be hungry for some time. My bill was $4.63, and considering the excellent food and service I received, I think it was a bargain.

It was 9:00 when I returned to my room. I read three newspapers I had brought from home and, at 10:00, watched the news on the Channel 6 Indianapolis station. They had a 30-minute program about the race at 10:30, which I watched, and then shortly after 11:00, I retired for the day.

I had set the alarm clock for 5:00, but I awoke a few minutes before that. I don’t know whether it was my usual night before the 500 excitement or the weather that awakened me. When I opened my eyes, I saw lightning and heard thunder. I looked out the window and saw the wind blowing the rain against the window, and there appeared to be a river of water rushing down the street.

That was a bad way to start race day, but I knew it was six hours until the race started and it may not be raining at the Speedway. As the rain continued, I got myself cleaned up and checked to see that I had everything I needed for my day at the Speedway. When I left my room at 5:30, the rain had stopped, although the water was still standing in the streets. I had planned to eat breakfast at the same restaurant I did on the morning of the time trials, but then, just as I was ready to start the engine, a thought entered my mind. Maybe, just maybe, the motel restaurant was serving breakfast. I went back to check, and it was one of the smartest things I did all day. Not only was the restaurant open, but a buffet style breakfast was being served. I decided to join all of those people, most of who were going to the same place I was going to and who were taking advantage of the situation. The menu consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, coffee, orange juice, and tomato juice. For some reason, I had a hard time getting full. I ate several pieces of bacon, sausage, and toast, plus three helpings of eggs and three cups of coffee. The charge was only $2.75 per person, and I’m sure I ate more than that. At last, I got my fill, and after paying my most reasonable $2.75, at 6:03 I left for the Speedway.

The rain started falling again shortly after I left the motel, and I drove in a steady rain all the way until I was 10 miles or so from the Speedway, and then it stopped. I was happy to see it stop, but I knew from experience not to get my hopes up too much. Until now, traffic had moved right along, but when I reached the I-465 intersection, everything came to a stop. I was prepared for a long wait until I parked the car, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover the traffic moved quite well – only a couple feet at a time, but it was never completely stopped for long. At Lynnhurst Drive, state policemen directed all traffic northward, so then I took the first street to the right and drove until I came to Fischer St. and then turned right again.

I stopped at Bud Kramer’s house and asked him if he had a spot for me. He almost said no, but at the last second, he found a place in front of his front steps. It was one of the tightest spaces I ever squeezed a car into, and after much back and forth maneuvering, the car was parked. It took me several seconds to slither out of the car, but I made it. I paid Bud his $5.00, chatted with him for a few seconds, and then left for the Speedway. It was now 8:00.

The sights along Crawfordsville Road between Kramer’s and Georgetown Road were much the same as in past years, with beer cans, Styrofoam coolers, people sleeping in ditches, and people selling and buying tickets, all in abundant supply.

Because I had not been in the vicinity the night before to do so, I decided to take a quick trip through Risner’s Drug Store, at 16th and Main Streets. I wanted to buy something for Mark and Dixie, but I didn’t see anything that appealed to me. From the drug store, I walked to the Speedway entrance, and at 8:20, the ticket taker took my ticket as I entered the Speedway grounds. I walked only a few feet before I stopped and bought four Speedway souvenir race programs. With that important job done, I continued walking until I came to the tunnel entrance to the infield.

As I started down the tunnel, I caught my first view of the race track and the pit area and it really brought a smile to my face. Before I went to my seat, I walked around in hope of finding something of interest for a camera fan but didn’t have much luck. I wanted to be in my seat by 9:00, so I put everything back into my carrying bag and left.

The crowd was quite large now, and when I put my carrying bag down to get my ticket out of it, I had a hard time finding a place to do so. When I arrived at my seat, it felt good to sit down and get off my feet for a couple minutes. The multitude of activity also made me feel better, including the marching bands, the work in the pits, and all the other activity.

Shortly after 9:15, I took a walk behind the pit area to look at some of the cars, pit crews, drivers, and anybody else I could see that I might recognize. The pit crews were making their last minute checks and adjustments as the starting time was now less than two hours away. My sightseeing lasted for about 30 minutes, and I was on my way back to my seat when the announcement came over the PA system for the pit crews to push their cars to their starting positions on the race track. While this was being done, the first of the traditional pre-race songs, “On the Banks of the Wabash,” was played by the Purdue University Band.

With the zero-hour now less than an hour away, the many celebrities were driven around the track in official Buick cars for everybody to see. Among the celebrities present this year were Shirley Jones, Claude Akins, Clifton Davis, Jose Perez, Jo Anne Worley, Kent McChord, Ron Howard, Phyllis Diller, and Indiana University basketball stars Kent Benson and Wayne Radford. There was one celebrity who was driven around the track separate from the other celebrities. That was Bob Hope. He and Speedway owner Tony Hulman were driven around the track in their separate car and were given a warm reception by the huge crowd.

At 10:30, top USAC officials made their final inspection trip of the track and announced it was okay for racing. About 10:40, the national anthem was sung by “Up With People” with Tom Sullivan as the vocalist. It was an offbeat arrangement of the song, and it was rather coolly received by many of the spectators.

With everybody still standing, the innovation was given by Dr. Ray Montgomery, an Indianapolis minister, and then “Taps” was played in keeping with the true meaning of Memorial Day.

To regress a little bit, my two race companions had arrived at 10:00. I had begun to wonder if they had forgotten what day it was, but he said he and his wife had gotten a late start from their home in Michigan and then got caught in the heavy traffic around the Speedway. Although I have forgotten their names, they were strong race fans and made interesting companions.

After the playing of “Taps”, there was a pause of about a minute and then the last traditional song, “Back Home Again in Indiana” was played by the band and sung by Jim Nabors.

The huge crowd was abuzz with noise now as the last few seconds passed away before the famous command. Chief announcer Tom Carnegie introduced Speedway president Tony Hulman, and Tony slowly and distinctly gave his famous order, “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!”

The air was charged with electrifying excitement as the 33 engines came to life and the fans responded with cheering and applause. A few seconds later, a member of each pit crew raised an arm to indicate his driver and car were ready to go. Another minute or two went by and then the Buick Pace Car, driven by country music singer Marty Robbins, slowly started away. One by one, the cars were pushed away and started getting lined up for the start of the race. Mike Mosley’s car was the last one to start but was soon in its proper position.

All eyes were on the fourth turn and about two minutes later, a loud cheer came from the crowd as the pace car and the field appeared and came down the straightaway. It was a beautiful sight to see. The cars disappeared into the first turn but could be heard all the way around the track. Two to three minutes later, the pace car appeared and started through the pit area. The field stayed in good formation behind the pace car and then starter Pat Vidan waved the green flag and the race was on.

From his pole position, Johnny Rutherford took the lead, but kept it for only three laps when AJ Foyt took over. He held the lead through the 13th lap. In the meantime, there was action occurring in the pits. Spike Gehlhausen, a rookie who started 25th, had oil pressure problems at the start and was unable to finish the first lap. On his second lap, Dick Simon was finished for the day with a broken connecting rod and his car stopped on the backstretch.

About the same time, Bill Vukovich pulled into his pit, and after a wait of a minute or so took off his helmet and was done for the day. The trouble was diagnosed as a broken connecting rod. Bill’s good record of finishing in the top ten positions didn’t hold up this year.

On the tenth lap, the yellow light came on when Roger McCluskey spun in some oil in the southeast turn and crashed into the wall. Roger had a good car and one of the highest qualifying speeds, but his bad luck of so many years returned to plague him again.

While the yellow light was still on, David Hobbs, who started in 31st position as a teammate to Salt Walther, was finished after ten laps with a water leak.

With only ten of 200 laps completed, five cars were out of the race. The attrition rate was terrible, but little did anybody know that it was almost over for the day.

Meanwhile, back on the race track, there was much action. At the end of ten laps, the first ten were Foyt, Rutherford, Gordon Johncock, Tom Sneva, Wally Dallenbach, Duane Carter, Mario Andretti, Johnny Parsons, Gary Bettenhausen, and Mike Mosley.

Foyt and Rutherford both made pit stops during the yellow period for McCluskey’s accident. Duane Carter led laps 14-16 before being passed by Dallenbach, who lead only 2 laps before being overtaken by Johncock. Gordon remained in front until the 37th lap when he made a pit stop. This put Sneva in front but only for one lap because he pitted on his next lap and Rutherford regained the lead.

Further back in the field, Andretti, Lloyd Ruby, Tom Bigelow, and Jan Opperman had moved up several positions and were giving a good account of themselves. Rutherford remained in first until the 60th lap when he made his third pit stop and Foyt regained the lead. After 50 laps, or 125 miles, the first five positions were held by Rutherford, Foyt, Johncock, Carter, and Bobby Unser. On his 53rd lap, Gary Bettenhausen came into his pits and was done for the day with mechanical problems. His pit was in front of me and he and his pit crew were quite a dejected group when they discovered their problem.

By now, the fans were noticing the low attrition rate and it made the race quite interesting. At this stage in the race, Foyt’s pit crew began to notice his lead over Rutherford was getting smaller and smaller, but they didn’t know why. AJ pitted on his 81st lap and Rutherford took over again.

At the halfway mark, 100 laps, the standings were Rutherford, Foyt, Johncock, Dallenbach, Carter, Sneva, Al Unser, Andretti, Walther, and Bobby Unser.

Everything was going fine at this point, but it was only minutes away from coming to a most unhappy ending. I saw and felt it coming down, but didn’t want to believe it. That ol’ culprit of the Speedway – rain – was here again.

A huge moan arose from the crowd as the jackets, caps, rain scarves, and plastic covers were put into use. On the race track, the cars slowed down as the yellow flag came out, which was followed a couple laps later by the red flag, which stopped all activity on the track and brought the drivers into their pits.

I sat in stunned disbelief and disgust, as did the thousands of other spectators, as the rain continued. Pretty soon it intensified and everybody scampered to get under dry protection somewhere. I went into the first men’s restroom behind the Tower Terrace section, made use of the facilities, and then stayed for several minutes to escape the rain, as did many other men.

Eventually the rain diminished somewhat, although it was a long time before it stopped. By now, there were several trucks going around the track in an effort to dry it and get it ready for racing again. By 3:00, the track was dry enough to be used again and pit crew members were instructed to line their cars up in single file in the pit area for the restart of the race.

Most of the fans returned to their seats and were eagerly awaiting Tony Hulman’s order to have the engines restarted. The cars were lined up, the drivers were in their cars and ready to go, and the starters were inserted into the cars. The only thing left to be done was for Tony to issue the order.

Suddenly, the sky opened again and drenched the Speedway. Within the next couple minutes, the fans again rushed for shelter and the exits. A restart was out of the question now. It was all over for this year. This second rain was almost a downpour, and the mad rush for the exits made for a most unpleasant situation.

I checked to be sure I had all of my equipment and then started the long walk to Gate 1. The pouring rain made the walk seem longer than it really was. At times while walking behind the Paddock area, there was no way to avoid walking through several inches of water, plus being soaked from above by water falling off the grandstand roof.

When I passed through the gate, I walked across the street and stopped at the White Castle. I had eaten almost nothing since 6:00 so I ate a couple cheeseburgers and some French fries while I was getting out of the rain for a few minutes. The food didn’t fill my stomach, but I did feel somewhat better.

The rain had stopped for a few minutes, so I left for Kramers’ and hoped I arrived before it started again. Along the way, I encountered some race fans whose frustration and unhappiness about the weather was further aggravated by the failure of the traffic to move. Two carloads of such people across the street from Kramers’ almost tangled with each other, but calmed down before any punches were thrown.

Kramers’ yard had only two cars left on it when I arrive, so there was no problem about getting out. Bud was picking up trash left by some of his other customers, and when I arrived the two of us talked for quite a while about the weather, the people, the race, and several other matters. I think it was about the longest and friendliest conversation the two of us ever had with each other, because there was nothing or nobody to interrupt us. He finally excused himself to attend a birthday party for one of his grandchildren in the house and said I could sit on the front porch until I left.

Shortly after 5:00, it started raining again and I went to the car so that I wouldn’t get any wetter. I was hoping the traffic would taper off somewhat before I left, but it didn’t and at 5:30, I decided I had to leave and would have to hope for good luck.

It took a few minutes but finally somebody with a little compassion for me let me onto the highway. The traffic was so heavy that it took an hour and fifteen minutes to reach the I-74 junction. Next to the race being abbreviated by the rain, this was the most frustrating part of my trip. I encounter this same situation every year, and I have never been able to understand the necessity for this bottleneck. After what seemed like hours, about 6:45, I reached I-74, and finally started moving. I could tell by looking at some of the other people that I wasn’t alone in my thinking.

It rained intermittently all the way to Danville, but the traffic moved well and it was between 8:00 and 8:05 when I arrived at my room. I turned on the TV set, took off my wet shoes, and watched ABC-TV’s same-day coverage of the race. It was a two-hour program and a good one, considering that only half a race was run and it wasn’t until 3:17 that the race was officially finished.

At 10:00, when the program ended, I checked to see if the motel restaurant was open. It was closed for the night, so I returned to my room and, shortly before 11:00, retired for the night.

I woke up between 6:00 and 6:30 Monday morning and felt much better. I turned on the TV set and watched it for a few minutes, and then took a bath, shaved, combed my hair, and put on clean, dry clothes. With that important job done, I checked to see I hadn’t left anything, took my equipment to the car, and then returned my motel key to the front desk and made sure I was checked out.

Danville was now a quiet city with little automobile traffic and almost nobody walking the streets when I left it about 7:30 and drove south to Chrisman. I stopped at the Standard Station in Georgetown for gasoline, and then continued on and arrived at the Colonial Kitchen at 8:00.

There were about a couple dozen or so customers in the restaurant. Almost every time I stop here, there is a group of farmers having their morning or afternoon coffee, and this time was no exception. I ordered pancakes, sausage, toast, hash browns, and coffee. It was a good, inexpensive breakfast, and when I left about 8:45, I felt refreshed and ready for the drive home.

There was no doubt in my mind that this area of the state had received quite a bit of rain in the past several hours. There was water standing in many fields and the highway was wet in various degrees almost all the way to Decatur. In some places, it was completely wet and in other places only along the center line. A few miles east of Decatur, the rainy area seemed to end and from here on to Springfield it looked as if there hadn’t been any rain.

It was about 10:00 when I reached Decatur. The city traffic wasn’t as heavy as it was Saturday afternoon and in about fifteen minutes, I was out of the city and on the last forty or so miles of my trip. Traffic was about normal most of the way and it was 11:15 when I drove into my driveway. I carried my equipment into the house and started the job of unpacking and putting everything away. Another safe trip to and from the big race was complete.

EPILOGUE

The official finish was posted by USAC on Monday morning and listed Rutherford first, Foyt second, and Johncock third, all with 102 laps completed.

Wally Dallenbach had his best finish in his ten races when he finished fourth in the Sinmast Goodyear Wildcat. He was a teammate of Johncock and their mechanic was George Bignotti.

Pancho Carter had another fine year and finished fifth, having started in sixth position. In his three years at the Speedway, he had placed seventh, fourth, and fifth.

Tom Sneva had a fine year, starting third and finishing sixth. It was particularly pleasing after his spectacular crash of last year.

Al Unser finished seventh in his car with one of the new Cosworth engines in it, after starting in fourth position.

Mario Andretti made news at the Speedway this year when he had the fastest qualifying run. His average was 189.404 mph, but he started in 19th position because he didn’t qualify until the third day of time trials. He moved up fast during the race, but had two long pit stops which dropped him to eighth place at the finish.

Salt Walther was running at the finish for the first time in his five races. In three of those five years, he finished last, so it was good to see him do so well.

Last year’s winner, Bobby Unser, was tenth after starting 12th.

Special mention must be made of 11th place finisher, Lloyd Ruby. Lloyd, the perennial sentimental favorite and hard luck driver of the Speedway, was almost unheard of this year until the last day of qualifying, when he really made big news. He didn’t have a car until that day, but then made an outstanding qualifying run of 186.480 mph. It was the seventh fastest time in the field, but Lloyd started in 30th position because he qualified so late. If he had qualified on the first day, he would have started in third position on the first row, a row he had never started from. This was Lloyd’s 17th race and he is second only to Foyt in that category. Once the race started, he advanced quickly and had worked up to 11th place when the rain ended the race. It would only be conjecture, of course, to say where he would have finished if the race had gone to completion, but he certainly gave a good account of himself in this year’s race. His many thousands of fans, including me, are still hoping to see him in Victory Lane some year.

The purse for this year’s race was a record $1,037,775, of which Rutherford received $256,121, and Foyt $103,296. The purse was distributed at the Victory Dinner on Monday night. Also at the Victory Dinner, Vern Schuppan, one of four rookies in this year’s race, was named the Rookie of the Year. The other rookies were Billy Scott, Al Loquasto, and Spike Gehlhausen.

Qualifying speeds were lower this year than they were in 1975 or 1974. The fastest four-lap average was 189.404 mph, compared to 193.976 in 1975 and 191.632 in 1974. The overall qualification average for the entire field was 183.785, compared to last year’s 185.057. Several reasons were given for the decrease in speed, including limited amounts of fuel and engine restriction mandated by USAC.

One of the biggest stories of this year was the appearance of the first woman driver in the history of the Speedway. Her name was Janet Guthrie and every lap she ran and every word she spoke received much attention from the news media. As might be expected, she was not well received at first by some members of the racing fraternity. This negative opinion, however, changed considerably after she passed her rookie test with flying colors. Unfortunately, she was troubled all month long with a sour running car. Her Bryant Heating and Cooling Special, a teammate of Dick Simon’s car, encountered one mechanical problem after another, and when the qualifying deadline came, she was unable to qualify fast enough for the race. By this time, she had proven herself to be a race driver to almost everybody’s satisfaction, and her congenial personality won her many new fans.

It is hard to believe that this was the third rain-shortened race in the last four years. Before 1973, many fans had never seen a drop of rain at the Speedway, and now it seems to be becoming an almost yearly occurrence. Unlike last year’s sudden downpour, this year’s rain was gentler but lasted much longer. It is only speculation, of course, as to what would have transpired had the full 500 miles been run, particularly in regard to the Rutherford-Foyt battle.

This year’s activities came to an unpleasant ending with the shooting death of Speedway vice-president, Elmer George. George was the son-in-law of Speedway president, Tony Hulman, and was a former race driver, having driven in the 500 in 1957, 1962, and 1963. He and his wife were having marital problems and earlier in the month, she had filed for a divorce. He was killed at the Hulman farm in Terre Haute, apparently by a farm attendant. Both George and Tony Hulman were guests at the GMSC open house party on May 14. I had no idea George would be dead before the month was gone.

Another year of activity at the Speedway was done. Like all others, it would have its outstanding events by which it would be remembered. When the time comes for the 1977 race, I plan to be in attendance to see “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Pace Car – Buick Century
500 Festival Queen – Rebecca Tippy

Indy Journal - 1975

1975

The winning of the pole position for a record-tying fourth time by A.J. Foyt, the close fight for the lead during the race, and the heat and rain on race day were highlights of this year’s activity at the Speedway.

From a personal viewpoint, it was my first race since becoming a father and the first year I stayed at a motel while either going to or coming home from the race.

On Saturday morning, May 24, I packed all of my belongings into our 1975 Chevrolet Caprice and then ate dinner. After dinner, I made a last check to be sure I had everything on my list and at 12:20, I said goodbye to Dixie and my boy, Mark, and started on my 21st trip to the race.

The weather looked threatening when I left and I didn’t even get to Riverton before the first drops fell. It turned out to be a light short shower and when I reached Dawson, it had stopped.

The traffic moved slowly in both directions and it took 55-60 minutes to reach Decatur, which I think is the longest time it’s taken to get there on any of my trips. The slow traffic continued for a few miles east of Decatur and then it improved considerably. It was 2:45 when I stopped in front of the Colonia Kitchen in Chrisman.

I stretched my legs and arms for a few seconds and then went in and found a seat. The place was almost empty of people and there were no more than six customers at a time while I was there. I had a cup of coffee and a dish of vanilla ice cream, both of which tasted good. When I finished my coffee, I used the restroom and then, at 3:02, I started on the second part of my trip.

Ten minutes later, at 3:12, I crossed the state line and started the up-and-down, twisting ride to the Speedway. The Raccoon Lake State Recreation Area is an attractive area and the lake was replete with boaters taking advantage of the good weather.

I took Route 36 all the way to Lynnhurst Drive and stopped at the Standard filling station at the intersection of the two roads and filled the gasoline tank. Lynnhurst Drive is a four lane road now and a tremendous improvement from several years ago when it was only two lanes.

The traffic on Crawfordsville Road was quite heavy and moved slowly but I managed to get to Auburn St. and at 4:53 pm, I arrived at the Bray house. It had taken four hours and sixteen minutes of travelling time to make the trip.

Mrs. Bray was sitting in her front yard talking with two of her sons and some friends and race fans and seemed pleased to see me. I took my suitcase upstairs and then joined the people for some informal socializing. We talked for quite a while and then I went to the Speedway Museum.

The scene around the museum was the same as in past years. There was a long line of people waiting to tour the museum and there were also a few persons still trying to buy tickets for the race.

There didn’t appear to be any exhibits I hadn’t seen before so I went to the souvenir counter to see if there was anything I might want to buy. The souvenir programs for the race were being sold and I decided to buy mine now instead of at the race tomorrow. I gave the salesclerk a $10 bill for four programs and was thoroughly shocked when she said $8 and only gave me $2 in change. I could hardly believe that the price had doubled in just one year.

I went back to the house and left my programs and then drove to the MCL Cafeteria in the shopping center on Crawfordsville Road. The cafeteria was doing a steady business, but I had no trouble finding a seat, which made me happy. For my supper, I had breaded veal cutlet, mashed potatoes with gravy, baked beans, roll and butter, and Coca-Cola. The cost was a few cents over $2, which I felt was reasonable. The food was good and the atmosphere was pleasant.

It was between 8:00 and 8:30 when I left and I window shopped in some of the stores and then drove to the Dunkin Donuts shop and had a cup of coffee and a couple donuts for dessert.

When I returned to the house, it was almost dark and I decided to take a walk around the area and see what was happening. Because of the trouble of recent years, I decided not to walk on Georgetown Road and just walked a short distance east on 16th Street and then came back. I went into the drugstore at 16th and Main Streets with the hope of buying a little souvenir for Mark. Most of the race and Speedway merchandise was either too junky or too old for Mark, so I didn’t buy anything. I also tried the drugstore a block south on Main Street but I had the same luck.

It was about 10:00 when I returned to the house. Most of the people were sitting in the yard because it was cooler there than in the house, but I wanted to read the newspaper I had brought so I sat in the living room and did that. I had the house to myself, except for somebody coming in once in a while to use the bathroom or telephone.

I decided to take advantage of nobody being in the house and used the bathroom without feeling I had to hurry because somebody was waiting to use it after me. Earlier I had decided that I would shave now instead of in the morning, and I was glad I did.

It was a few minutes before 12:00 when my day came to an end. There was much noise coming from the wild activity on Crawfordsville Road and there was almost no wind to cool my hot, uncomfortable room, but after a couple minutes, I went to sleep and wasn’t awaked at all during the night.

I had brought my electric alarm clock from home and set it to ring at 6:00. When I woke up and looked to see what time it was, it was between 5:55 and 6:00. I immediately turned the alarm off and lay in bed for a couple minutes and listened to the noise coming from downstairs and outdoors.

When the couple minutes had passed, I got up, got dressed, made the bed, and combed my hair. Mrs. Bray was serving breakfast again this year so I went downstairs and joined some other people who were already eating. I sat at the dining room table and had it to myself until I was almost finished amd three young persons joined me. The meal was two eggs, two pieces of bacon, two pieces of toast, and either milk or coffee to drink. I chose the milk. The meal cost $2.50, tasted good, and was a fine way to start the day. When I finished, I washed my teeth, got all of my equipment put into my carrying bag, and left for the Speedway. It was about 7:00 now.

The restaurant across the street from the main entrance to the Speedway was doing a good business and I stopped to have my thermos bottle filled. Because of the heat, I wanted to get Pepsi-Cola instead of the usual coffee. The person who waited on me told me they sold soda by the cup only and they couldn’t sell it in a thermos bottle. This didn’t make sense to me, but I didn’t want to argue and there were people waiting in line behind me, so I ordered coffee even though I felt that I wouldn’t use much of it.

Before I went into the Speedway grounds, I took a few pictures with both of my cameras of the entrance area. It was about 7:30 when I went through the turnstiles. My reason for coming to the Speedway earlier than usual was to go to the gift shop and buy something for Mark. As it turned out, I was glad I didn’t get there any later then I did. There were several shoppers there when I arrived but before I left, a Speedway safety patrolman was needed. He would only allow as many persons to enter the building as there were leaving. If two persons left the building, then only two persons could enter. I didn’t see much of what I wanted, but I finally bought a white sweater with a picture of the Control Tower and the words “Indianapolis Motor Speedway” on it.

There were several souvenir stands set up on my way to the tunnel and I stopped at one of them and bought a little beanie. I wasn’t sure of Mark’s head size so I bought one that I thought looked about right. When I got home and put it on Mark’s head, it was just the right size, so for once I guessed something correctly.

There were several concession stands along the way to the Gate 7 tunnel, and because of the heat, I stopped at one of them and bought a Coca-Cola. This was the first time I could remember buying a cold drink before I arrived at my seat. The traffic was heavy but not to the extent that it was crushing.

As I started through the tunnel, I looked up and saw the Control Tower and the pit area and heard the public address announcer and the sound of some of the engines being tested. That brought a smile to my face and a tear to my eyes.

I didn’t go directly to my seat, but instead toured the infield area behind the Tower Terrace seats to see if there was anything or anybody that might appeal to me as a cameraman. I was there for a few minutes and then left to go to my seat.

As I was walking, I came upon the information booth of the Goodyear Motor Sports Club. There was a man tending the booth so I stopped and we talked for a couple minutes. I had joined the new club earlier in the year and this was the first race I attended as a club member.

It was about 9:00 when I entered the Tower Terrace area. The sight and sound of the cars and the crowd was pleasing and I decided to walk along the pit area and observe as much as I could. All of the cars were in their pit areas and were being attended to in one or more ways. Unlike most years, I didn’t see many drivers or celebrities that I recognized, although I felt sure there were as many as usual. I walked down to the entrance to Gasoline Alley and then walked back to my seat. It was 9:30 when I arrived at my yearly seat in Section 43, Row J, Seat 5.

I sat down in my seat, put my equipment under the seat, and then relaxed for a couple minutes and rested my feet and legs. Then I introduced myself to my two companions for this year’s race, Willy Moats and his wife.

Ted and Margaret had originally planned to use my two other tickets, but thirty minutes before I left home on Saturday, Ted called and said his father-in-law was getting remarried on Sunday, and therefore he and Margaret couldn’t go this year. He then told me that a friend of his at work, Willy Moats, and his wife would be happy to take their places. Ted and I were both disappointed that he couldn’t go, but I was glad he was able to find a last-minute substitute.

Willy and his wife were both real quiet, shy persons, who neither smoked nor drank, and these traits made them real pleasant race companions.

I watched the bands parade up and down the straightaway and the hectic activity in the pits as the 10:00 hour approached. At 9:45, the announcement came over the PA system for the pit crews to push their cars to their starting positions on the race track. This drew a cheer from the audience as they realized the zero-hour of 11:00 was getting close.

Between 10:00 and 10:30, the many celebrities were introduced over the PA system. Most of them were TV names that I didn’t recognize, but I knew the names of Bob Barker, Jackie Cooper, and Jimmy Dean.

The heat and humidity were quite high now and it made me thirsty for a cold drink. I asked my companions to watch my equipment for me and then I went to the nearest concession stand behind the Tower Terrace area and bought a large Pepsi-Cola. There were a lot of people still walking around and many of them also stopped for a cold drink. I drank it slowly and it felt real good.

It was about 10:15 when I returned to my seat and at 10:20, the chief steward announced that the pit crews could run their engines for ten minutes for a final check.

The testing period ended at 10:30 and then the chief steward and other USAC officials made the final inspection of the race track to see if it was ready for the race. Their trip ended with a cheer from the audience as they said it was ready for racing.

Now came the part of the pre-race ceremonies that always increases my heartbeat and sometimes makes me cry. Between 10:40 and 10:45, the Purdue University Band played the “Star-Spangled Banner” and then Dr. Ray Montgomery, an Indianapolis minister, gave the invocation. This was followed immediately by the playing of “Taps”, in keeping with the true meaning of Memorial Day. A couple minutes later, the band accompanied Jim Nabors as he sang the traditional final song, “Back Home Again in Indiana.” The excitement was increasing with each passing minute.

A few seconds later, a loud deep boom was heard from the infield area and in a couple seconds, hundreds of multi-colored balloons ascended over the Speedway in an awesome sight of beauty. While this was happening, Tom Carnegie, chief PA announcer, slowly and distinctly introduced Speedway president Tony Hulman, who a few minutes earlier had accepted a trophy on behalf of the Speedway upon its being listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Once again, Tony loudly, slowly, and distinctly gave his famous command “GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES.”

A mighty cheer came from the huge crowd as the 33 big cars roared into life. It was a wonderful sight to see and hear. A member of each pit crew raised one arm to indicate his car and driver were ready to go. The drivers continued racing their engines and about a minute later, the Buick pace car, driven by TV celebrity James Garner, slowly moved away toward the first turn, as the field began the first of two prerace laps.

The cars could be heard moving down the backstretch towards the north end of the track. A minute or so later, the field moved through the fourth turn and down the straightway. The crowd responded with applause and cheering as the official pace lap began. Everybody was standing and looking at the fourth turn. A couple minutes later, the pace car appeared and quickly drove through the pit area. Pole position driver, AJ Foyt, brought the field down slowly, and then about the time the front row reached the starting line, started Pat Vidan waved the green flag and the race was on.

Gordon Johncock, starting in second position, jumped into the lead and was the first driver to reach the starting line. He was several feet ahead of Foyt and third place started Bobby Unser. As they reached the first turn, it was Johncock, Foyt, and Unser.

Johncock maintained his lead for eight laps before Foyt caught him on the ninth lap. Three laps later, Gordon pulled into his pit and was finished for the day, a victim of ignition failure.

Before Gordon came into his pit, however, two other drivers were already in their pits. Salt Walther was finished after two laps with ignition failure and my perennial victor choice, Lloyd Ruby, had a short seven lap race. Salt has been in four races and finished last in three of them. Lloyd started in sixth position in one of the McLaren cars and seemed to be destined for a good day, but his traditional bad luck arrived early this year and there was a big moan from the crowd when he was finished after seven laps with a burned piston.

Foyt continued to lead through the 21st lap when he made his first pit stop, as did most of the other drivers. This gave the lead to Johnny Rutherford, who led only two laps before pulling into his pit.

At 20 laps, or 50 miles, the first five cars were those of Foyt, Rutherford, Unser, Wally Dallenbach, and Bill Vukovich.

Rookie Larry McCoy’s first race was a dismal one as he was forced to the sidelines after 25 laps with a burned piston.

The 1969 winner, Mario Andretti, was also having problems. He started 27th, and after making his first pit stop, his car stalled. He was pushed back to his pit, the car was restarted, and stalled again. On the third attempt, he kept the engine going and rejoined the field.

On his 42st lap, Mike Hiss spun his car and hit the wall in the third turn. This brought out the yellow light for the first time in the race.

At 40 laps, or 100 miles, the standings were Foyt, Rutherford, Unser, Dallenbach, and Al Unser.

Andretti’s problems didn’t end when he was able to keep his engine from stalling. On his 49th lap, he crashed into the wall and brought out the second caution flag of the race.

On his 59th lap, Wally Dallenbach moved to the front for the first time in his No. 40 Sinmast Wildcat Special. He proceeded to put on one of the finest individual performances in the race for several years. His car was running fine and little by little he was pulling away from the rest of the field. He led through the 69th lap, when he made a pit stop and yielded the lead to Foyt for one lap.

The green flag was displayed again on the leader’s 71st lap after almost five minutes of caution time because of Andretti’s crash.

After 80 laps, or 200 miles, the first five positions were held by Dallenbach, Foyt, Bobby Unser, Rutherford, and Tom Sneva.

Dallenbach continued to run strong and almost seemed to be in a race by himself, as the rest of the field tried in vain to catch him. At the halfway point, he was still in first position, with the remainder of the first ten made up of Rutherford, Foyt, Bobby Unser, Sneva, Johnny Parsons, George Snider, Sam Sessions, Bobby Allison, and Bill Puterbaugh.

Meanwhile, John Martin was forced to the sidelines on his 62nd lap with radiator trouble, and Mike Mosley, fifth place starter, left after 94 laps with engine failure.

Shortly past the 100 lap mark, there was a series of pit stops by the leaders which resulted in the lead constantly changing. At 300 miles, the first five positions were held by Dallenbach, Foyt, Bobby Unser, Rutherford, and Sneva.

On his 127th lap, Sneva made his exit from the race in a most spectacular, undesirable way. He was going through the second turn when he tangled with rookie Eldon Rasmussen. His car hit the outside wall and did a complete flip in the air. At the same time, the car seemed to explode and pieces of the car, including Sneva himself, were thrown in every direction. Luckily, the car landed right side up and miraculously Tom suffered only minor burns. The track emergency crew got him out of his burning car and he was able to walk to an ambulance. By a slight twist of fate, he could just as easily have been killed. For being such a terrible crash, it had a wonderful ending in that Sneva was not injured any more than he was.

Sneva’s crash naturally brought out the yellow flag and it remained out for 25 minutes. Many drivers took advantage of the caution period and made pit stops, including Dallenbach, who retained his lead while making his pit stop. When the green flag was displayed on the 141st lap, the leaders were Dallenbach, Unser, Rutherford, and Foyt.

Leaving the race were Bobby Allison on his 113th lap with a broken gearbox, Eldon Rasmussen on his 120th lap with a leaky O-ring, and Johnny Parsons on his 138th lap with a broken transmission shaft.

The next round of pit stops came at about the 160 lap mark. Dallenbach stopped at his pit and in doing so relinquished the lead to Rutherford who in turn also pitted and yielded the lead to Unser.

Then misfortune hit Dallenbach. Coming down the straightaway to complete his 161st lap, his car sputtered and sounded sick. The next time around, he came slowly through the pit area and was finished for the day with a brown piston. It was a big letdown for many of the fans, including me. I was beginning to hope he could win the race, not because I’m a Wally Dallenbach fan, but because he was the only one of the leaders who hadn’t won the race previously. Wally had the race to himself for several laps, but now his No. 40 Sinmast Wildcat was on the sidelines.

On the 164th lap, Bobby Unser became the leader, with Rutherford second and Foyt third.

As he was coming down the main straightaway on the leaders’ 170th lap, Gary Bettenhausen gave the fans in that area their biggest excitement of the day. Something broke on his car and caused him to crash into the outside wall almost directly in front of me. His right rear wheel came off and the tire tore into several pieces. I did not see his initial contact with the wall, but did see him hit the wall several more times as his car bounced wildly toward the first turn. It was a frightening sight to see but Gary did a masterful job of keeping the car under control and not getting in the way of any other drivers.

Gary’s wreck brought the yellow flag out and this brought about more pit stops. Unser and Rutherford came in to top off their fuel tanks in preparations for the drive to the finish line.

While the pit stops were being made and the debris from Bettenhausen’s crash was being cleaned up, that most unwelcome visitor – RAIN – arrived on the scene. I gasped and moaned in disbelief as I saw the first few drops, and then within just a few seconds, the clouds opened up and a gulley washer covered the Speedway. It had been cloudy for some time, but the rain was not predicted until late in the afternoon, well after the end of the race.

The storm came so fast that almost nobody could escape it. My two companions, the Moats, had left a few minutes earlier in anticipation of the rain so that they could get to shelter. I had no rain protection at all with me, so I could do nothing but sit or stand there and take it. I got under my seat, but that provided no protection because it seemed to be coming from every direction.

Meanwhile, on the race track, starter Pat Vidan waved the yellow flag, and then a few seconds later, did likewise with the red flag, thus ending all activity on the track. Several cars, including those of Steve Krisiloff, Bill Puterbough, Jimmy Caruthers, and Bentley Warren, got out of control because their tires lost all traction on the wet pavement. This caused several spins and minor crashes, but there were no injuries.

After a few minutes the intensity of the rain subsided and then quit. By now, the water on the track and in the pit area was several inches deep. Although I didn’t see it, Bobby Unser drove his No. 48 Jorgenson Eagle to Victory Lane at a very slow pace but still threw water to both sides in doing so.

Several minutes after the rain stopped, some of the pit crews returned and gathered up their equipment and took it back to their garages. The large amount of water made the job quite unpleasant.

When the pit area was almost empty, I gathered up all of my equipment and walked to the garage area. The pedestrian traffic was still quite heavy, but was gradually diminishing. In the garage area, all of the cars were being given their post-race inspection by USAC officials, and therefore it was still off limits to everybody without a pass.

While I was waiting to get into the garage area, I looked around and saw a postal colleague of mine, Rob Atkins, and his wife, walking to their car. I caught his attention and we stopped and talked for several minutes about what had happened so far. I knew he was at the race, but certainly hadn’t planned on seeing him.

It was after 4:00 when all the cars were inspected and the gates were thrown open to everybody. The only drivers I saw were Johnny Rutherford and Lloyd Ruby. They were teammates and were wearing everyday casual clothes by now, but I had no trouble recognizing them when I saw them. There wasn’t much to see in the garage area so I made a quick walk around the place and then headed for the exit.

I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast so I stopped at the White Castle restaurant across from the Speedway entrance and had two cheeseburgers, french fries, and a cup of coffee. The cheeseburgers were quite small and cost only $0.24 each, but they tasted delicious. My hunger wasn’t completely satiated, but I felt better and now it wouldn’t seem so long until supper.

Before I returned to the house, I went to see Bud and Helen Kramer. My knock on the door was answered by Mrs. Kramer and she seemed most happy to see me. Bud was asleep after being up all night parking cars, so Mrs. Kramer and I sat in the living room and had a friendly visit with each other. We talked for several minutes about the race, weather, and her customers, and she inquired about Bobby and dad.

It was about 6:00 when I arrived at Mrs. Bray’s house. She was sitting on her lawn sofa and two of her other roomers and I joined her and rested our feet for a few minutes. We visited for a few minutes and then the other roomers and I got our equipment put into our cars, paid our bills, and went our separate ways. It was 6:25 when I left the house.

Most of the race crowd was already out of the Speedway area, so I had no problem with the traffic. The traffic on Crawfordsville Road was almost back to normal. It certainly was a relief not to have to wait an hour just to get to I-74. When I passed through the last intersection with a stop light, I found an Indianapolis radio station that was playing enjoyable music and settled back for the ride to Danville.

The ride was not without interruption. The weather was still unsettled, with dark skies and lightning and thunder a common occurrence. Despite all these ominous signs, there was little rain and only two or three times was it necessary to use the wiper blades.

It was 7:45 when I reached Danville and a few minutes later, I arrived at the Holiday Inn. Two days before, on Friday morning, I had gone to the Holiday Inn South in Springfield and made a reservation for Sunday night. By doing that, I was assured of having a room when I arrived. I parked in the first parking lot of the motel and then went inside and registered. My room was on the second floor so I got my suitcase and went to my room.

I was eager to see the ABC same-day telecast of the race, which was shown from 7:30 to 9:30. I turned the TV set on only to find, much to my chagrin, that the set didn’t work. I thought about asking somebody at the reservation desk about the trouble, but remembered it was Sunday night and there probably wouldn’t be anybody to fix it, so instead, I got out a newspaper I had with me and sat in a soft chair, took off my shoes, and read the newspaper.

By 8:45, I was rather hungry so I went downstairs to the dining room. I was shown to a table by the hostess and given a menu. There were only eight other customers in the room. My table was only a few feet from the swimming pool, and as I looked out, I could see it was raining again, although only lightly. When I looked at the menu and saw the cheapest meal was $3.25, I was unpleasantly surprised.

I looked over all the choices and prices and selected spaghetti and meatballs. It had been a long time since I had eaten that and it sounded good, so I ordered it. When the waitress brought the food, it didn’t look like much for $3.50, but I had a surprise coming. Before the main meal, she fixed me a huge round bowl full of mixed salad. It was one of the biggest servings of salad I had ever seen or eaten.

When I finished the salad, the waitress brought a large, oblong-shaped dish of spaghetti and meat balls. It was a big serving and tasted delicious. If I hadn’t been as hungry as I was, I don’t think I could have eaten all of it. By the time I reached the end, I could hardly move off my chair. My previous unpleasant thought about the $3.50 charge had changed now as I realized I was getting all I could eat.

At the table next to me was a young couple who were on their way home from the race and were spending the night at the motel before moving on on Monday. We talked for several minutes and then they left because they were done eating.

It was about 9:45 when I paid my bill and left for my room. The light rain had stopped and now it was a real pleasant evening – not too hot, cool, or windy. The two cups of coffee and two glasses of water I had for supper didn’t relieve my feel of thirst, so I decided to buy some soda and see if that would help. I was out of luck, however, because all the machines at the motel were empty. There was nothing to do but return to my room and drink water.

As I started to open the door, I noticed a note on the door handle. It was a memorandum saying my wife had called me and just wanted me to know she had called. The message aroused my curiosity so I went to the service counter to inquire about it. I talked to the man who took the message. He said she had called about an hour ago and, since I wasn’t in my room, said to leave a note to the effect that she had called but that it wasn’t necessary for me to return the call.

I went back to my room and finished my reading and then took a leisurely, relaxing bath and then shaved so I wouldn’t have to in the morning. I felt clean but tired now and it was about 11:00, so I lay down on the soft, comfortable bed, pulled up the sheet and blanket, and thus ended a long and memorable day in my life.

It was about 6:00 when I started the new day. I had set my alarm clock for 6:00, but since I woke up before then, I shut it off so it wouldn’t scare me. The soft bed and cool room felt fine so I lay in bed for a few minutes before arising. When I got up, I washed my teeth, combed my hair, got dressed, packed my suitcase, checked to see I hadn’t left anything, and then went downstairs and turned in my key.

When I stopped outside, the air felt fresh and cool from the light rain of the previous evening, and I told myself it was going to be a pleasant drive to Chrisman. Because of the early hour and the day being a holiday, there was almost no traffic, which made for good driving. I met only a few cars on Route 1 and it was about 7:20 when I arrived at the Colonial Kitchen.

There were several persons there, but it wasn’t crowded. I decided to change my usual way and ordered from the menu instead of going through the line and serving myself. The menu didn’t offer a big selection, but most of the choices sounded good. I ordered ham, hashed brown potatoes, and toast to eat, and coffee and orange juice to drink. It had been a long time since I had eaten hashed brown potatoes and I was anxious to try them again. The waitress was pleasant, the service was good, and the food tasted fine, all of which made a pleasant meal. When I finished, I used the restroom, paid the bill, and then left for home. It was one minute after 8:00 when I drove out of the parking lot onto Route 36.

The flooding in the fields I saw on Saturday hadn’t subsided much, and about the only traffic I saw was an occasional farmer on a tractor or in a pickup truck. It was about 9:15 when I arrived at Decatur, which was the liveliest place I had seen yet along the way. There wasn’t much traffic the rest of the way. I had decided earlier to stop and see dad and Bobby and give them the details of my trip before I went to my house, so I turned south from North Grand Ave. and stopped at their house. When I saw the car missing, I thought they might be gone, but I decided to try anyway. I tried both the front and back doors, but couldn’t arouse anybody, so I went on home. It was between 10:30 and 11:00 when I arrived at my house. I brought in all of my equipment and put it away. Another trip to the big race was safely completed. Like all of my previous twenty trips, it was one that I would remember for a long time.

EPILOGUE

The official finish listed Unser, Rutherford, and Foyt as having completed 174 laps, or 435 miles. Nobody can say for sure who would have won the race if it had gone the full distance, but barring any mechanical trouble or other misfortune, it would have been a close race between the first three finishers.

Sophomore driver Duane Carter finished fourth. This is remarkable in that it wasn’t known until shortly before the start of the race if he would be in the race. He severely damaged his car in the carburetion tests a couple days before the race and his pit crew worked around the clock to have the car ready by 11:00 Sunday morning.

Veteran Roger McCluskey took fifth place honors. This was Roger’s 14th race and his second best finish. He was third in 1973.

Finishing sixth was Bill Vukovich. This was Bill’s eighth race and the fifth time he has finished in the first ten, which certainly is a fine record.

Seventh place was taken by Bill Puterbaugh. Bill had been trying for several years to qualify for the race, but this was his first year to do so. His fine performance earned him “Rookie of the Year” honors.

For the first time in his eleven races, George Snider finished in the first ten with an eight place finish. He was probably one of the happiest drivers after this year’s race. In his other races, he was victimized by mechanical trouble, but this year he finally avoided it.

Tough luck driver Wally Dallenbach led 96 laps, more than any other driver, but unfortunately for him, one of them wasn’t the 174th lap. He drove a great race and was a favorite with the fans, but he still hasn’t been around at the finish of any of his races at Indy.

The combination of Bob Harkey and Salt Walther drove to the tenth place finish. Salt’s own car broke down after two laps and he replaced Harkey, who was his teammate. It was a tough break for Bob, but things happen that way some times.

The weather, which played such an important role in the race, caused no trouble at all during the time trials. It seems strange, particularly after the mess of last year, that there could be four qualifying days without a drop of rain, but it happened this year. In fact, it was one of the driest and warmest Mays in Speedway history.

The close battle for the lead, the spectacular crash of Tom Sneva, and the premature finish are certainly big factors for which many people will remember this year’s race.

My overnight stay at the Holiday Inn in Danville was a memorable highlight of this year’s trip. It took the strain and fatigue out of making the complete trip home after the race, and it was close enough to home so that I didn’t have to worry about getting home in time to be at work at 3:00 on Monday. The television and radio sets didn’t work, but otherwise, the room was fine.

As I was driving home on Monday morning, I was thinking about the motel room and I could not remember packing the little electric alarm clock in the suitcase before I left. When I got home and unpacked there was no clock in the suitcase. As soon as I finished unpacking, I called the motel and told the desk clerk what had happened and asked her if they could mail it to me. She replied that they would be happy to send it. It arrived eight days later, on Tuesday of the following week.

Willy Moats and his wife were pleasant race companions. I was most thankful that they were quiet and non-drinking persons.

Another month of May has come and gone at the Speedway. Like all those other Mays that have come before it in past years, it was different from any of the others. Next year will be the 60th 500, and once again I plan to be there to see the Greatest Spectacle in Racing – the Indy 500.

Pace Care – Buick Century
500 Festival Queen – Kathryn Ball