1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series

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.

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 →

Controversy

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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"

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For more information, see 1979 Indianapolis 500 § Controversies

Confirmed entries

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

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

Season Summary

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Schedule

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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

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Race 1: Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Rd Race Pole Position Winning driver Winning team Race Time Report
1 Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150   Bobby Unser   Gordon Johncock Patrick Racing 1:15:23 Report
2 Gould Twin Dixie 125   Johnny Rutherford   Johnny Rutherford Team McLaren 0:47:28 Report
3 Set by field finish in race 1   Johnny Rutherford Team McLaren 0:45:40
4 Indianapolis 500   Rick Mears   Rick Mears Team Penske 3:08:27 Report
5 Trenton Twin Indy   Gordon Johncock   Bobby Unser Team Penske 0:46:30 Report
6 Set by field finish in race 1   Bobby Unser Team Penske 0:40:46
7 Norton Twin 125   Bobby Unser   Gordon Johncock Patrick Racing 0:44:13 Report
8 Set by field finish in race 1   Bobby Unser Team Penske 0:48:40 Report
9 Kent Oil 150   Al Unser   Bobby Unser Team Penske 1:14:42 Report
10 Ditzler 150   Bobby Unser   Rick Mears Team Penske 1:09:20 Report
11 California 500   Rick Mears   Bobby Unser Team Penske 3:24:22 Report
12 Gould Grand Prix   Bobby Unser   Bobby Unser Team Penske 0:51:22 Report
13 Rich's Atlanta Classic   Bobby Unser   Rick Mears Team Penske 0:50:09 Report
14 Miller High Life 150   Bobby Unser   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

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Pos Driver PHX1
 
ATL
1&2

 
INDY
 
TRT
1&2

 
MIC
1&2

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

 
INDY
 
TRT
1&2

 
MIC
1&2

 
WGL
 
TRT3
 
ONT
 
MIC3
 
ATL3
 
PHX2
 
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

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

References

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  • 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

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Footnotes

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  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

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  1. ^ Miller, Robin (January 7, 1979). "CART Announces New 8-Race Schedule". The Indianapolis Star. p. 28. Retrieved July 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. 
  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.