|
1977 Schaefer 500
The 1977 Pocono 500, the 7th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, June 26, 1977. Branded as the 1977 Schaefer 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was Tom Sneva's first victory in a 500-mile race and the first 1-2 finish for Team Penske in Indy car racing. A.J. Foyt versus Citicorp The Pocono 500 was the culmination of a year-long feud Foyt had with Citicorp, sponsor of the season-long USAC Championship with their First National City Travelers Checks division. Beginning in 1976, First National City Travelers Checks, a division of Citicorp, was the title sponsor of USAC's Indy car championship. At the end of the year, the Citicorp Cup was awarded to the series champion along with a $20,000 bonus. In total, they gave roughly $300,000 in annual support for USAC. During the race at Phoenix on March 27, 1977, Johnny Rutherford (driving a car sponsored by First National City Travelers Checks) hit Gordon Johncock, which ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pocono 500 (IndyCar)
The Pocono 500 was an IndyCar Series race held at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, located in the Pocono Mountains. The first Indy car race at Pocono was held in 1971. It was the first major event held at the track, shortly after its completion. The race was sanctioned by USAC from 1971 to 1981, and then by CART from 1982 to 1989, and was known as the Pocono 500. The race was removed from the CART calendar following the 1989 running, due to poor track conditions, as well as poor revenue for the promoter. After a 23-year hiatus, the event was revived by the IndyCar Series in 2013. Following management changes at the facility, and after comprehensive safety improvements were completed at the track, the race was scheduled for Independence Day weekend. For 2013, the race was scheduled for 400 miles, and was part of the IndyCar Triple Crown. For 2014, the race returned to its traditional 500-mile distance, and was scheduled in mid-to-late August. A. J. Foyt is the most suc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Saldana
Joe Saldana (born November 14, 1944) is an American former open-wheel racing driver. Racing career He moved to Lincoln, Nebraska at an early age where he grew up and started his auto racing career. Joe's uncle, Orville Hoffman, along with Buck Fallstead, had modified stock cars and Joe was bit by the racing bug before he was old enough to drive. In 1961 he bought his first car for $500 and he made his debut at Capital Beach Speedway in Lincoln. By 1964 "Lil' Joe" was winning features in his own creations and by 1967 he was ready to dominate. During the winter Joe and master car builder Don Brown constructed the Mechanical Rabbit roadsterstyle sprint car. After a few weeks early in the season sorting out the new car, which was one of three built and raced by Brown, Saldana and Greg Weld, Joe and his Rabbit went on a tear. He won many features, while finishing second in the Knoxville points to Bill Utz. He set a one-lap record at Knoxville, Iowa, during qualifying at the Knoxville ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
All American Racers
All American Racers is an American-licensed auto racing team and constructor based in Santa Ana, California. Founded by Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby in 1964, All American Racers initially participated in American sports car and Champ Car races as well as international Formula One events with cars named Eagle. The Formula One team, based in the United Kingdom and using British-built Weslake engines was named Anglo American Racers. Under team manager Bill Dunne they set up shop in Rye, East Sussex. The team were adjacent to Harry Weslake's engine development plant and half a mile from Elva cars. They participated in 25 Grands Prix, entering a total of 34 cars. The first Eagles were created after AAR entered a Goodyear-backed Lotus 38 in the 1965 Indianapolis 500 and Gurney hired former Lotus designer Len Terry to develop their own car for 1966. The resulting Ford-powered Eagle T2G was codeveloped with the Eagle T1G for Formula 1. After exiting Formula One in 1968 and co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lee Kunzman
Lee Kunzman (November 29, 1944 – February 27, 2025) was an American driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1969, 1972–1973 and 1975-1980 seasons, with 48 combined career starts, including the 1971-1973, 1977, and 1979 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 21 times, with his best finish in 2nd position in 1979 at Atlanta. Early in his career, he was the 1967 IMCA sprint car Rookie of the Year. Severe injuries from two accidents limited his driving in the early 1970s. In June 1970, Kunzman suffered an accident driving a sprint car at I-70 Speedway that left him with 3rd degree burns over 40% of his body, including severe burns to his nose, eyelids and lips, as well as a broken neck and right arm. Kunzman took 11 months to recover, returning to racing in April 1971, but suffered permanent scaring from the burns. Kunzman suffered a second major crash in December 1973 driving an IndyCar at Ontario Motor Speedway for a tire test. The accid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known as a Formula One chassis List of Formula One constructors, constructor, the second-oldest active team and the second-most successful Formula One team after Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari, having won races, 12 Formula One Drivers' Championship, Drivers' Championships, and nine Formula One constructors' championship, Constructors' Championships. McLaren also has a history in American open wheel racing as both an entrant and a chassis constructor, and has won the Can-Am, Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) sports car racing championship. McLaren is one of only three constructors, and the only team, to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport#Teams and manufacturers, Triple Crown of Motorsport (wins at the Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ford-Cosworth Indy V8 Engine
The Ford-Cosworth Indy V8 engine is a series of mechanically similar, turbocharged, 2.65-liter V-8 engines, designed and developed by Ford in partnership with Cosworth for use in American open-wheel racing. It was produced for over 30 years and was used in the United States Auto Club (USAC) Championship Car series, CART, and Champ Car World Series between 1976 and 2007. The DFX engine was the Indy car version of the highly successful 3-liter Ford-Cosworth DFV Formula One engine developed by former Lotus engineer Keith Duckworth and Colin Chapman backing from Ford for the Lotus 49 to campaign the 1967 season. This engine had 155 wins between 1967 and 1985 in F1. The DFX variant was initially developed for Indy car use by Parnelli Jones in 1976, with Cosworth soon taking over. This engine won the Indianapolis 500 ten consecutive years from 1978 to 1987, as well as winning all USAC and CART championships between 1977 and 1987. It powered 81 consecutive Indy car victories from 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
McLaren M24
The McLaren M24 was a race car designed and built by McLaren between 1977 and 1979 for Indy car racing. M24 was also the last-ever McLaren IndyCar car to date before McLaren decided to withdraw from Championship Auto Racing Teams, CART IndyCar World Series after 1979 USAC Championship Car season, 1979 USAC Championship Car and 1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series, SCCA/CART Indy Car Series seasons respectively due to concentrating on Formula One programme. References External links {{McLaren Indianapolis 500 American Championship racing cars ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Mosley
Mike Mosley (December 13, 1946 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – March 3, 1984 in Aguanga, California) was an American race car driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in 17 consecutive seasons from 1967 through 1983, with 166 combined career starts, including every Indianapolis 500 in that span except 1967 and 1982. He finished in the top ten 80 times and had 5 career victories. Career Mosley was known for a "charger" driving style and for his smooth driving technique. Many of his peers felt Mosley never had the opportunity to showcase his talent due to second-rate equipment. Longtime motorsports writer Robin Miller quoted Gary Bettenhausen, a close friend and contemporary of Mosley, as saying: "If Mike had been driving a McLaren (Indianapolis car) in the early 1970s, we would all have been racing for second place." Mosley was known for having a perceived "jinx" at Indianapolis. He qualified near the front several times, including second in 1981 and 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rick Mears
Richard Ravon Mears (born December 3, 1951) is an American former race car driver. He is one of four men to win the Indianapolis 500 four times (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991) and is the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six (1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991). Mears is also a three-time Indycar series/World Series champion (1979, 1981 and 1982). Biography Early life Mears was born in Wichita, Kansas and raised in Bakersfield, California. He began his racing career in off-road racing. In 1976, he was recommended by a representative of Bill Simpson's helmet company, and Simpson gave him a ride at the USAC Champ Car's California 500 on an old Eagle-Offenhauser, finishing 8th. Simpson then sold the car to Art Sugai, on condition that Mears would continue driving it. In mid 1977 he switched to Theodore Racing. His speed attracted the attention of Roger Penske. Although at the time Penske Racing had the services of Mario Andretti and Tom Sneva, Andretti was al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Bignotti
George Adolph Bignotti (January 12, 1916 – September 27, 2013) was an American motor racing mechanic and team owner who was active in American open-wheel car racing from the 1950s through the 1980s. Bignotti was one of the most successful chief mechanics in the history of IndyCar Racing, as cars prepared by him won 85 races, including seven victories in the Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian .... Additionally, Bignotti-prepared cars were used to win nine List of USAC Championship Car seasons, USAC Championship Car seasons. Bignotti also found success as a team owner, co-owning entries in the early 1960s with Bob Bowes and in the 1980s with Dan Cotter and earning multiple race victories, including two Indianapolis 500s. Life and career Bignotti was bor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Hulman
Anton "Tony" Hulman Jr. (February 11, 1901 – October 27, 1977) was an American businessman from Terre Haute, Indiana, who bought the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945 and brought racing back to the famous race course after a four-year hiatus following World War II. Early life and entry into the family business Hulman was born in 1901 in Terre Haute. He was educated at St. Benedict's School at Terre Haute, Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and Worcester Academy in Massachusetts. Hulman participated in the high hurdles and the pole vault at Worcester. He served with the American Red Cross Ambulance Corps during World War I at the age of 17. Upon graduation from Yale's Sheffield Scientific School in 1924, Hulman returned to Terre Haute to work for Hulman & Company, the family business run by his father Anton Hulman, Sr. However, Anton, Sr. told his managers, "Don't give Tony a place in the business. Let him work for it." Despite this, Tony rose far and fast. By 1926, he wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, and and formerly the home of the United States Grand Prix and the Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix. It is located west of Downtown Indianapolis. Constructed in 1909, it is the second purpose-built, banked turn, banked oval track racing, oval racing circuit after Brooklands and the first to be called a 'speedway'. It was the brainchild of Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, who envisioned a proving ground for the budding automobile industry. It is the third-oldest permanent automobile race track in the world, behind Brooklands and the Milwaukee Mile. With a permanent seating capacity of 257,325, it is the List of sports venues by capacity, highest-capacity sports venue in the world. The track is a rectangular oval with dimensions that have remained essentia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
