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1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series

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1979 CART season
SCCA/CART Indy Car Series
1979 IndyCar season
Season
Races14
Start dateMarch 11
End dateOctober 20
Awards
Drivers' championUnited States Rick Mears
Constructors' CupUnited States Penske PC-6
United States Penske PC-7
Manufacturers' CupUnited Kingdom Cosworth DFX
Nations' CupUnited States United States
Rookie of the YearUnited States Bill Alsup
Indianapolis 500 winnerUnited States Rick Mears
← 1978 (USAC)
1980 →

The 1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series was the inaugural Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) American open wheel racing championship series. The season consisted of 14 races. Rick Mears was the national champion, and the rookie of the year was Bill Alsup. The 1979 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Rick Mears won the Indy 500, his first of four victories in the event.

Controversy

[edit]

The 1979 season was filled with controversy on and off the track. During the offseason, several Indy car owners broke off from USAC, and formed Championship Auto Racing Teams, a new sanctioning body to govern the sport of open wheel Indy car racing. USAC continued to sanction their Gold Crown Championship, resulting in two parallel national championships for 1979. The controversy over the first "split" in Indy car racing came to its first climax at the 1979 Indianapolis 500, when USAC rejected entries by certain CART owners. The owners won a court injunction to be allowed to race, and later, another controversy erupted, this time involving illegal wastegate exhaust pipes.

The 1979 CART season was held through an arrangement such that it fell under the sanctioning umbrella of SCCA. This one-year, temporary arrangement was such that it would be formally recognized by ACCUS.

With three wins, two poles, and 14 top tens (no finish worse than 7th), Rick Mears ran away with the inaugural CART championship title. Mears took a large points lead after winning the Indy 500, and never relinquished the top spot through the remainder of the season. Bobby Unser won six races, and finished second in points.

USAC/CART "Split"

[edit]

For more information, see 1979 Indianapolis 500 § Controversies

Confirmed entries

[edit]

The following teams and drivers competed for the 1979 CART World Series.

Team/Car Owner Chassis Engine No Drivers Races
United States Alex Morales Co. Lightning Mk1/77 Offenhauser 10 United States Pancho Carter All
15 United States Bob Harkey 11[N 1]
United States All American Racers Eagle 78 MkII Cosworth 36 United States Mike Mosley All
United States Beith Racing Eagle 72 Offenhauser 28 United States Billy Scott 4, 11
United States Cannon Racing Team Wildcat Mk. I DGS 95 United States Larry Cannon 4, 7–8, 10–14
United States Chaparral Racing Chaparral 2K
Lola T500[N 2]
Cosworth 2 United States Al Unser All
United States Conqueste Racing Parnelli VPJ6CT Cosworth 21[N 3] United States Lee Kunzman 1–8, 11
United States Fletcher Racing Lightning Mk1/77 Cosworth 7 United States Steve Krisiloff 1–10
55 United States Spike Gehlhausen 11–14
United States Frantz Auto Body Wildcat Mk. I DGS 18[N 4] United States Tom Frantz 1–4, 7-12
United States Bill Henderson 5–6
United States Gehlhausen-Reath Racing Eagle 74
Wildcat Mk. I[N 5]
Offenhauser
Cosworth
19[N 6] United States Spike Gehlhausen 1–10
United States Bob Harkey 4
United States Bill Alsup 4
United States Phil Caliva 11
39 United States Al Loquasto 4, 7–8
United States Hoffman Auto Racing Lightning Mk1/77 Offenhauser 59 United States George Snider 4
United States Joe Saldana 7–8, 11
Eagle
Lightning Mk1/77[N 7]
69 1–6, 9–10, 12
United States Tim Richmond 7–8
United States Al Loquasto 11
Spyder Eagle 79 United States Dick Ferguson 7–8
Canada Cliff Hucul 11[N 1]
United States Joe Saldana 13–14
United States Intercomp Racing Eagle 72 Offenhauser 92 United States John Mahler 1–9
United States Interscope Racing Parnelli VPJ6CT
Parnelli VPJ6B[N 8]
Cosworth 25 United States Danny Ongais All
United States Jerry O'Connell Racing McLaren M24 Cosworth 1 United States Tom Sneva All
McLaren M24B 32 United States Johnny Parsons 11[N 1]
United States Longhorn Racing Penske PC-6/78 Cosworth 11 United States Tom Bagley All
71 United States Steve Krisiloff 11
United States Mergard Racing[N 9] Eagle 72 Offenhauser 42 United States Herm Johnson 13–14
United States Patrick Racing Penske PC-6/78
Wildcat Mk. V[N 10]
Cosworth 20[N 11] United States Gordon Johncock All
40[N 12] United States Wally Dallenbach All
60 United States Roger Mears 11[N 1]
United States Steve Krisiloff 12
United States Penske Racing Penske PC-7/79
Penske PC-6/78[N 13]
Cosworth 9 United States Rick Mears All
12 United States Bobby Unser All
68 United States Bill Alsup 4[N 14]
99 United States Mario Andretti 11–12
United States Sanett Racing Penske PC-6/78 Cosworth 23 United States Dick Ferguson 11, 14
Lola T500 86[N 15] Australia Dennis Firestone 11[N 1]
United States S&M Electric Lightning Mk1/77 Offenhauser 35[N 16] United States Larry Rice 1–6
United States Tim Richmond 9–11, 14
United States Team McLaren McLaren M24B
McLaren M24[N 17]
Cosworth 4 United States Johnny Rutherford All
United States Walmotor Penske PC-6/78
McLaren M24[N 18]
Cosworth 77 United States Salt Walther 1–4, 7–8, 11–12
United States WASP Racing McLaren M16C/D Offenhauser 41 United States Bill Alsup All[N 19]
United States Whittington Bros. Racing McLaren M24 Cosworth 94[N 20] United States Don Whittington 11[N 21]
Parnelli VPJ6CT 98 United States Bill Whittington 11[N 21]
United States Wysard Motor Co. Wildcat Mk. II DGS 34 Australia Vern Schuppan 1–4, 7–12, 14
USAC-registered teams
United States Agajanian-King Racers Kingfish 73 Chevrolet 97 United States Phil Threshie 4
98 United States Gary Bettenhausen 4
United States AMI Racing Lola T500B Cosworth 44 United States Tom Bigelow 4
45 United States Janet Guthrie 4
Wildcat Mk. II DGS 46 United States Howdy Holmes 4
Canada B/M Enterprises Antares 72 Offenhauser 50 Canada Frank Weiss 4, 13
Canada Eldon Rasmussen 4
United States Beaudoin Racing Wildcat Mk. II DGS 83 United States Billy Engelhart 4
United States Bruce Crower Eagle 74 Chevrolet 57 United States Jerry Sneva 4[N 22]
United States Gibson Racing Eagle 74 DGS 75 United States Todd Gibson 4
United States Gilmore Racing Parnelli VPJ6CT Cosworth 14 United States A. J. Foyt 4
United States Hodgdon Racing Spirit 78 AMC 73 United States Neil Bonnett 4
United States Jerry Sneva 4
McLaren M24 Cosworth 72 11[N 23]
United States Roger McCluskey 4
Canada Hucul Racing McLaren M16E Offenhauser 29 Canada Cliff Hucul 4
United States Jim Hurtubise Mallard 71 Offenhauser 56 United States Jim Hurtubise 4
United States Leader Card Watson 77 Offenhauser 22 United States Bill Vukovich II 4
Watson 78 24 United States Sheldon Kinser 4
Watson 79 40 United States George Snider 4[N 24]
United States Lindsey Hopkins Lightning X-15 Offenhauser 15 United States Johnny Parsons 4
Lightning Mk1/79 51 United States Hurley Haywood 4
United States McElreath Racing Penske PC-6/78 Cosworth 23 United States Jim McElreath 4
United States Medlin Racing Cicada Mk.IV Offenhauser 35 United States Bill Puterbaugh 4
United States Polak Racing Penske PC-5/77 Cosworth 80 United States Larry Dickson 4
United States Rager Racing Eagle 68 Chevrolet 66 United States Roger Rager 4
Canada Rasmussen Racing Rascar 72 Foyt 58 Canada Eldon Rasmussen 4[N 25]
United States Raymond Reimer March 73A Chevrolet 93 United States Larry McCoy 4
United States Rhoades Competition McLaren M16E Offenhauser 20[N 26] United States John Martin 4, 11
United States Thunder Racing McLaren M16C/D Offenhauser 30 United States Dana Carter 4
United States Vollstedt Racing Vollstedt 77 Offenhauser 17 United States Dick Simon 4
United States Wayne Woodward Eagle 74 Offenhauser 81 United States Dick Ferguson[N 27] 4
United States William R. Compton McLaren M16C/D Offenhauser 38 United States Jerry Karl 4

Season Summary

[edit]

Schedule

[edit]
Rd Date Name Circuit Location
1 March 11 Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150  O  Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona
2 April 22 Gould Twin Dixie 125  O  Atlanta Motor Speedway Hampton, Georgia
3
4 May 27 Indianapolis 500  O  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis, Indiana
5 June 10 Trenton Twin Indy  O  Trenton Speedway Trenton, New Jersey
6
7 July 15 Norton Twin 125  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan
8
July 29 Cancelled  R  Mosport International Raceway Bowmanville, Ontario
9 August 5 Kent Oil 150  R  Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen, New York
10 August 19 Ditzler 150  O  Trenton Speedway Trenton, New Jersey
August 26 Cancelled  O  North Carolina Motor Speedway Rockingham, North Carolina
11 September 2 California 500  O  Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario, California
12 September 15 Gould Grand Prix  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan
13 September 30 Rich's Atlanta Classic  O  Atlanta Motor Speedway Hampton, Georgia
14 October 20 Miller High Life 150  O  Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona

The California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway was originally scheduled as a USAC race for September 2, but was switched mid-season to a CART series race. Additional races at Mosport and Rockingham were ultimately cancelled.[1]

 O  Oval/Speedway  R  Dedicated road course

Race summaries

[edit]

Race 1: Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150

[edit]

Bobby Unser won the first pole in the new series history and dominated the race leading the most laps (86). However Unser had tire issues forcing an extra stop and history would show Gordon Johncock as the series first ever winner with Rick Mears second, and Johnny Rutherford in third.

Races 2 and 3: Gould Twin Dixie 125's

[edit]

Johnny Rutherford would win the pole race 1. Race 1 would see Rutherford and Gordon Johncock dominate with Johncock leading the most laps (32) but would see Rutherford winning after a late race duel with Lee Kumzman who would hold on for second. Tom Sneva would take third while Johncock would take fourth.

Race 2 would see Rutherford again lead the field to the green flag (Race 2 lineup set by Race 1 finishing order). This time Rutherford would lead the most laps (61) and win. Rick Mears took second. Placing third was Al Unser Sr after he ran out of fuel on the final lap.

Also during this race weekend the CART teams that planned on entering the Indianapolis 500 were informed in a telegram from USAC that their board of directors voted unanimously to reject the entries of six key CART teams of Penske, Patrick, McLaren, Fletcher, Chaparral, and Gurney as they stated these six teams (19 cars) were alleged to be "harmful to racing" and "not in good standing with USAC."

Race 4: Indianapolis 500

[edit]

After the rejected six filed an emergency injunction to be allowed to qualify and compete in the race, the injunction was granted. Race Day came around following the qualifying controversy and Rick Mears won his first of six Indy 500 poles. Both Bobby and Al Unser combined to lead 174 laps. But on lap 103 Al Unsers Day came to an end with a failed transmission. Bobby Unser was then in firm control until lap 181 when he slowed with gearbox troubles. Rick Mears would lead the remainder of the race for his first of four Indy 500 wins. A J. Foyt would finish second after losing his engine on the final lap. Mike Mosely would finish third, Danny Ongais would take fourth, Bobby Unser nursed his car to a fifth place finish with an ailing gearbox.

Races 5 and 6: Trenton Twin Indy

[edit]

Race 1 would see Gordon Johncock take pole. He would lead the first 44 laps (most laps led) then lose the lead on the next lap as he had to pit, then he would spin 2 laps later losing more spots. That opened the door for Bobby Unser to win with brother Al Unser Sr taking second, and Johncock would recover for third.

Starting order for race 2 was set by race 1 finishing order so Bobby Unser started first and would finish first after leading the most laps (62). Wally Dallenbach would finish second, Johnny Rutherford finished third.

Races 7 and 8: Norton Twin 125s

[edit]

In the first race, Bobby Unser won the pole, followed by Al Unser, Gordon Johncock, Wally Dallenbach, and Rick Mears. Johncock jumped out to lead the first three laps, but Bobby Unser fought back and led until the first caution flew on lap 11 for Spike Gehlhausen's stalled car. Lee Kunzman stayed out under the caution and took the lead, while Bobby Unser's engine blew on lap 21. [2] Al Unser would pick up the lead after the caution flew for Danny Ongais spinning, but he miscalculated fuel mileage and ran out of fuel with 17 laps to go.[2] This allowed Gordon Johncock to take the lead and win. Mike Mosley finished second, Johnny Rutherford third, Rick Mears fourth and Wally Dallenbach fifth. 11 laps into the race, Tom Sneva encountered a fire in his pits, but no one was hurt.

Before the second race, Bobby Unser's crew installed a new engine. [3] Mike Mosley led the first lap, but he had fuel pump problems the next lap and dropped out. Throughout the next 25 laps, Johnny Rutherford and Rick Mears would trade the lead, before Unser charged to the front on lap 28 and never looked back, winning the race. Rick Mears finished second on track, but he was penalized for passing cars under the yellow, dropping him to fifth. [4] Tom Sneva moved to second, Al Unser to third, and Gordon Johncock to fourth. Two cautions flew, the first for John Mahler's stalled car on lap 23 and the second for a crash involving Danny Ongais on lap 40.

Following the second of the two races, Rick Mears was leading the points with a 460 point lead over Gordon Johncock. Bobby Unser was third, 470 points back, Johnny Rutherford fourth, 925 points back, and Mike Mosley rounded out the top 5, 960 points back.

Race 9: Kent Oil 150

[edit]

Al Unser won the pole, with Bobby Unser, Danny Ongais, Rick Mears and Gordon Johncock making up the rest of the top five. In the race, Al and Bobby Unser dominated, the two brothers being the only ones to lead laps throughout the day. Bobby Unser took the lead for good after Al had transmission problems on lap 48,[5] and led the rest of the race to win over Rick Mears. Gordon Johncock finished third, Danny Ongais fourth, and Al Unser fell to fifth.

With his win, Bobby Unser rose to second in points, 410 points behind Rick Mears. Gordon Johncock fell to third, 490 points back, Johnny Rutherford was in fourth, 1157 points back after dropping out with a blown engine, and Mike Mosley remained in fifth, falling to 1185 points behind after dropping out with a broken gearbox.

Race 10: Ditzler 150

[edit]

Bobby Unser won the pole, with Gordon Johncock, Tom Sneva, Danny Ongais, and Rick Mears making up the rest of the top five.

The race was postponed over a week due to rain. When the race did run, except for one lap led by Bill Alsup, Unser, Sneva, and Mears were the only ones to lead the race. Bobby Unser led the first 20 laps, before giving the lead to Mears. Tom Sneva then led at lap 57, followed by Unser regaining the lead on lap 69. Unser made a pit stop with 14 laps to go, giving the lead back to Sneva. [6] Rick Mears gambled on pit strategy, [7] and passed Tom Sneva with just 3 laps to go to win the final ever IndyCar race at Trenton. Bobby Unser also passed him, taking advantage of Sneva's fading tires to finish second. [6] Sneva fell to third, Wally Dallenbach finished fourth after running as high as second before an extended pit stop,[6] and Johnny Rutherford finished fifth. Two cautions slowed the race, both for crashes. One was by Gordon Johncock on lap 5, and the other by Mike Mosley on lap 36.

Rick Mears extended his point lead to 470 points over Bobby Unser. Gordon Johncock remained in third, 782 points back, Johnny Rutherford stayed in fourth, 1307 points back, and Al Unser rose to fifth in points, 1450 points behind.

Race 11: California 500

[edit]

Rick Mears qualified on the pole, followed by Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti, in a one-off appearance for Penske, and Tom Sneva.

In the race, Al Unser led most of the first half of the race, but lost three laps due to a broken front-spoiler bracket.[8] For the remainder of the race, Bobby Unser and Rick Mears traded the lead, While leading on lap 164, Rick Mears killed the engine on his pit stop, causing him to lose 12 seconds to Bobby Unser.[8] This allowed Unser to lead most of the remaining laps, and won over Rick Mears. Mario Andretti claimed third despite running out of gas at the end, Johnny Rutherford finished fourth, and Al Unser ended up in fifth.

His win allowed Unser to close up to 270 points behind Mears, with Johnny Rutherford rising to third in points, Gordon Johncock falling to fourth, and Al Unser remaining in fifth. Apart from Unser, all other drivers were mathematically eliminated from the championship.

Race 12: Gould Grand Prix

[edit]

Bobby Unser claimed the pole, his fourth of the season, with Rick Mears starting second, Gordon Johncock starting third, Johnny Rutherford starting fourth, and Al Unser rounding out the top five.

In the race, Gordon Johncock dominated the early stages of the race, before his engine blew while leading on the 36th lap. [9] This allowed Bobby Unser to take the lead, and hold it the rest of the way to win over Tom Sneva. Rick Mears was third despite running out of gas on the final lap, Johnny Rutherford finished fourth, and Tom Bagley was fifth. The win was the fifth straight for Team Penske.

Bobby Unser was now just 180 points behind Mears in the fight, followed by Rutherford, Johncock, and Al Unser.

Race 13: Rich's Atlanta Classic

[edit]

Bobby Unser claimed his fifth pole of the year, followed by Rick Mears, Al Unser, Danny Ongais, and Johnny Rutherford.

In the race, Unser dominated the first half of the race, but while leading on lap 55 suffered a blown tire[10] handing the lead to Johnny Rutherford. But with 25 laps remaining in the race, Rutherford's engine blew, which allowed Rick Mears to cruise to an easy victory. Gordon Johncock placed second, despite running out of gas on the final lap, Bobby Unser wound up third, Wally Dallenbach finished fourth, and Al Unser, who had tire problems of his own,[10] finished fifth. The win was Penske's sixth straight.

The win gave Rick Mears a near-insurmountable 270 point lead in the points, which meant that he would win the championship as long as he finished 11th or better in the final round.

Race 14: Miller High Life 150

[edit]

For the last race of the year, Bobby Unser won another pole, his sixth of the year. Al Unser started second, Wally Dallenbach in third, Rick Mears in fourth, and Tom Sneva in fifth.

In the race, Al Unser jumped out to the lead on the first lap. He would eventually dominate the race, leading 138 of the 150 laps and only giving up the lead for a pair of pit stops. [11] There were two late-race cautions, one when Wally Dallenbach spun with 9 laps to go, and one when Pancho Carter lost a wheel, which led to a two-lap shootout[12] but Unser pulled away en route to his first and only win of the year, snapping a six-race Penske streak. Bobby Unser claimed second, Rick Mears third, Gordon Johncock fourth, and Tom Sneva fifth.

Mears's third was enough for him to claim the inaugural CART championship, winning by 240 points over Bobby Unser. Gordon Johncock finished third in points, with Johnny Rutherford in fourth and Al Unser in fifth.

Race results

[edit]
Rd Race Pole Position Winning driver Winning team Race Time Report
1 Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150 United States Bobby Unser United States Gordon Johncock Patrick Racing 1:15:23 Report
2 Gould Twin Dixie 125 United States Johnny Rutherford United States Johnny Rutherford Team McLaren 0:47:28 Report
3 Set by field finish in race 1 United States Johnny Rutherford Team McLaren 0:45:40
4 Indianapolis 500 United States Rick Mears United States Rick Mears Team Penske 3:08:27 Report
5 Trenton Twin Indy United States Gordon Johncock United States Bobby Unser Team Penske 0:46:30 Report
6 Set by field finish in race 1 United States Bobby Unser Team Penske 0:40:46
7 Norton Twin 125 United States Bobby Unser United States Gordon Johncock Patrick Racing 0:44:13 Report
8 Set by field finish in race 1 United States Bobby Unser Team Penske 0:48:40 Report
9 Kent Oil 150 United States Al Unser United States Bobby Unser Team Penske 1:14:42 Report
10 Ditzler 150 United States Bobby Unser United States Rick Mears Team Penske 1:09:20 Report
11 California 500 United States Rick Mears United States Bobby Unser Team Penske 3:24:22 Report
12 Gould Grand Prix United States Bobby Unser United States Bobby Unser Team Penske 0:51:22 Report
13 Rich's Atlanta Classic United States Bobby Unser United States Rick Mears Team Penske 0:50:09 Report
14 Miller High Life 150 United States Bobby Unser United States Al Unser Chaparral Cars 1:13:03 Report
  • CART was sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)
  • Indianapolis was USAC-sanctioned but counted towards the CART championship.

Final driver standings

[edit]
Pos Driver PHX1
United States
ATL
1&2

United States
INDY
United States
TRT
1&2

United States
MIC
1&2

United States
WGL
United States
TRT3
United States
ONT
United States
MIC3
United States
ATL3
United States
PHX2
United States
Pts
1 United States Rick Mears 2 5 2 1 5 7 4 5 2 1 2 3 1 3 4,060
2 United States Bobby Unser 5 7 4 5 1 1 19 1 1 2 1 1 3 2 3,820
3 United States Gordon Johncock 1 4 9 6 3 5 1 4 3 16 15 13 2 4 2,211
4 United States Johnny Rutherford 3 1 1 18 15 3 3 11 15 5 4 4 11 6 2,163
5 United States Al Unser 4 6 3 22 2 12 13 3 5 6 5 10 5 1 2,085
6 United States Danny Ongais 15 14 6 4 7 6 18 12 4 13 6 DNS 15 17 1,473
7 United States Tom Sneva 17 3 5 15 6 15 21 2 10 3 17 2 8 5 1,360
8 United States Tom Bagley 8 8 7 9 8 4 6 6 6 7 32 5 Wth 9 1,208
9 United States Wally Dallenbach 7 11 8 27 4 2 5 10 14 4 24 6 4 12 1,149
10 United States Mike Mosley 6 17 17 3 13 DNS 2 20 12 14 34 DNS 14 10 1,126
11 United States Mario Andretti 3 Wth 700
12 United States Lee Kunzman 9 2 18 30 14 DNS 14 17 9 490
13 United States Pancho Carter 20 9 11 20 10 8 7 14 16 DNS 28 8 13 7 452
14 Australia Vern Schuppan 21 12 12 21 16 DNS 7 DNS 7 16 14 449
15 United States Bill Alsup  RY  11 16 15 DNQ 12 9 9 13 9 10 22 9 10 11 400
16 United States Joe Saldana 13 13 13 16 17 16 10 8 13 8 30 17 6 18 368
17 United States Spike Gehlhausen 18 18 16 10 18 13 22 21 17 11 25 11 16 8 343
18 United States Salt Walther 12 10 10 12 8 7 20 12 314
19 United States Steve Krisiloff 16 15 DNS 11 9 14 17 18 18 DNS 23 6 279
20 United States Tom Frantz 14 Wth DNQ 11 16 11 9 11 14 236
21 United States Jerry Sneva 31 10 155
22 United States Tim Richmond  R  23 DNS 8 12 26 15 112
23 United States Larry Rice 10 DNQ 14 19 16 10 105
24 United States Herm Johnson 7 13 98
25 United States John Mahler 19 Wth 25 11 11 12 15 Wth 74
26 United States Al Loquasto DNQ 20 9 21 70
27 United States Larry Cannon DNQ Wth 15 14 15 12 16 56
28 United States Dick Ferguson DNQ 15 19 16 Wth 35
29 United States Billy Scott DNQ 19 20
30 United States Phil Caliva  R  27 10
- United States A. J. Foyt 2 -
- United States Howdy Holmes  R  7 -
- United States Bill Vukovich II 8 -
- United States Don Whittington  R  8 -
- Canada Frank Weiss Wth 9 -
- United States Bill Whittington  R  12 -
- United States Roger Mears 13 -
- United States Roger McCluskey 13 -
- United States Tom Bigelow 14 -
- United States Phil Threshie 17 -
- United States John Martin DNQ 18 -
- Canada Eldon Rasmussen 23 -
- United States Larry Dickson 24 -
- United States Dick Simon 26 -
- United States Sheldon Kinser 28 -
- Canada Cliff Hucul 29 35 -
- United States Bob Harkey Wth 29 -
- Australia Dennis Firestone  R  31 -
- United States Johnny Parsons 32 33 -
- United States George Snider 33 -
- United States Janet Guthrie 34 -
- United States Jim McElreath 35 -
- United States Bill Puterbaugh DNQ -
- United States Billy Engelhart DNQ -
- United States Dana Carter DNQ -
- United States Gary Bettenhausen DNQ -
- United States Hurley Haywood DNQ -
- United States Jerry Karl DNQ -
- United States Jim Hurtubise DNQ -
- United States Larry McCoy DNQ -
- United States Roger Rager DNQ -
- United States Todd Gibson DNQ -
- United States Neil Bonnett Wth -
- United States Bill Henderson Wth -
Pos Driver PHX1
United States
ATL
1&2

United States
INDY
United States
TRT
1&2

United States
MIC
1&2

United States
WGL
United States
TRT3
United States
ONT
United States
MIC3
United States
ATL3
United States
PHX2
United States
Pts
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th & 5th place
Light Blue 6th-10th place
Dark Blue Finished
(Outside Top 10)
Purple Did not finish
Red Did not qualify
(DNQ)
Brown Withdrawn
(Wth)
Black Disqualified
(DSQ)
White Did not start
(DNS)
Blank Did not
participate
(DNP)
Not competing
In-line notation
Bold Pole position
Italics Ran fastest race lap
* Led most race laps
 RY  Rookie of the Year
 R  Rookie

Driver breakdown

[edit]
Pos Driver Team/Car Owner Starts Wins Podiums Top 5s Top 10s Poles Points
1 United States Mears United States Team Penske 14 3 9 13 14 2 4,060
2 United States B. Unser United States Team Penske 14 6 9 12 13 7 3,820
3 United States Johncock United States Patrick Racing 14 2 5 9 11 2 2,211
4 United States Rutherford United States Team McLaren 14 2 5 8 9 2 2,163
5 United States A. Unser United States Chaparral Cars 14 1 4 8 10 1 2,085
6 United States Ongais United States Interscope Racing 13 0 0 2 6 0 1,473
7 United States T. Sneva United States Jerry O'Connell Racing 14 0 2 6 8 0 1,360
8 United States Bagley United States Longhorn Racing 13 0 0 2 12 0 1,208
9 United States Wally Dallenbach United States Patrick Racing 14 0 1 5 8 0 1,149
10 United States Mosley United States All American Racers 12 0 2 2 3 0 1,126
11 United States Andretti United States Team Penske 1 0 1 1 1 0 700
12 United States Kunzman United States Conqueste Racing Team 8 0 1 1 3 0 490
13 United States Carter United States Morales Motorsports 13 0 0 0 6 0 452
14 Australia Schuppan United States Wysard Racing 8 0 0 0 2 0 449
15 United States Alsup  R  United States WASP Racing/Team Penske/Gehlhausen Racing 13 0 0 0 6 0 400
16 United States Saldana United States Hoffman Racing 13 0 0 0 4 0 368
17 United States Gehlhausen United States Gehlhausen Racing/Bob Fletcher Racing 14 0 0 0 2 0 343
18 United States Walther United States Walmotor 8 0 0 0 4 0 314
19 United States Krisiloff United States Bob Fletcher Racing/Patrick Racing/Longhorn Racing 10 0 0 0 2 0 279
20 United States Frantz United States Frantz Racing 7 0 0 0 1 0 236
21 United States J. Sneva United States Hodgdon Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 155
22 United States Richmond United States Mach 1 Racing/S&M Electric 5 0 0 0 1 0 112
23 United States Rice United States S&M Electric 5 0 0 0 2 0 105
24 United States Johnson United States Mergard Racing 2 0 0 0 1 0 98
25 United States Mahler United States Intercomp 6 0 0 0 0 0 74
26 United States Loquasto United States Gehlhausen Racing 3 0 0 0 1 0 70
27 United States Cannon United States Canon Racing 4 0 0 0 0 0 56
28 United States Ferguson United States Hoffman Racing 3 0 0 0 0 0 35
29 United States Scott United States Wheel Center 1 0 0 0 0 0 20
30 United States Caliva United States Gehlhausen Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 10

References

[edit]
  • Åberg, Andreas. "SCCA/CART Indy Car Series 1979". Driver Database. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  • "1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series". Champ Car Stats. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  • "Official Box Score: 63rd Indianapolis 500-Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  • "Standings after Phoenix". Champ Car World Series. Archived from the original on 1 September 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-19.

See also

[edit]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Ineligible to score points: driver affiliated to USAC.
  2. ^ Used at the Phoenix spring race, the Atlanta Twin 125 and the Trenton 150.
  3. ^ Raced as #89 at the Indianapolis 500
  4. ^ Raced as #16 at the Indianapolis 500
  5. ^ Car loaned by Patrick Racing at the Indy 500 for Gehlhausen.
  6. ^ Gehlhausen was bumped from the Indy 500 field and loaned the #90 car from Patrick Racing, which he qualified. Later, the #19 was allowed to requalify in a special session, but it also failed to qualify with other drivers. For race day, the #90 was renumbered as #19.
  7. ^ Used at the Trenton Twin and the Michigan Grand Prix.
  8. ^ Used at Watkins Glen and the Trenton 150.
  9. ^ Switched USAC allegiance for CART membership during the year.
  10. ^ Used by Dallenbach at the Phoenix spring race, the Atlanta Twin and Watkins Glen.
  11. ^ Raced as #3 at the Indianapolis 500.
  12. ^ Raced as #6 at the Indianapolis 500.
  13. ^ Used by Mears at the Indy 500, the Trenton Twin and Watkins Glen.
  14. ^ Alsup switched to Gehlhausen-Reath at the special qualifying session for bumped cars at the Indy 500, after his Penske ride was disqualified for a technical infringement.
  15. ^ Car fielded in conjunction with Chaparral Racing.
  16. ^ Raced as #31 at the Indianapolis 500.
  17. ^ Used at Watkins Glen.
  18. ^ Used at the Phoenix spring race and the Trenton Twin.
  19. ^ Alsup switched to a Penske Racing back-up car for Bump Day at the Indy 500.
  20. ^ Car fielded in conjunction with Team McLaren.
  21. ^ a b Ineligible to score points: team not affiliated with CART.
  22. ^ Jerry Sneva switched to Hodgdon Racing for the second weekend of Indy 500 time trials.
  23. ^ Eligible to score points after Hodgdon Racing switched allegiances to CART.
  24. ^ Snider switched to Hoffman Auto Racing for a special qualifying session for bumped cars at the Indy 500, after the #40 was withdrawn due to a blown engine.
  25. ^ Rasmussen switched to B/M Enterprises after a crash during Indy 500 practice.
  26. ^ Raced as #30 at the California 500.
  27. ^ Jan Opperman took some laps for his refresher test at the Indy 500.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Miller, Robin (January 7, 1979). "CART Announces New 8-Race Schedule". The Indianapolis Star. p. 28. Retrieved July 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  2. ^ a b "Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph Archives, Jul 16, 1979, p. 17". NewspaperArchive.com. 1979-07-16. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  3. ^ "The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee on July 16, 1979 · Page 39". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  4. ^ "Fort Walton Beach Playground Daily News Archives, Jul 16, 1979, p. 10". NewspaperArchive.com. 1979-07-16. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  5. ^ "Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi on August 6, 1979 · Page 56". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  6. ^ a b c "The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana on August 20, 1979 · Page 23". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  7. ^ "Mears Triumphs In Kitzler 150". Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  8. ^ a b "Bobby Unser Wins in California". Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  9. ^ "The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky on September 16, 1979 · Page 57". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  10. ^ a b "Lansing State Journal from Lansing, Michigan on October 1, 1979 · Page 24". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  11. ^ "Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York on October 21, 1979 · Page 87". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  12. ^ "Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona on October 21, 1979 · Page 4". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.