|| *Comments on the 1980 Indianapolis 500:* View the most recent comment <#25> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. RaceFanX posted: 08.20.2010 - 1:25 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Johnny Rutherford's third and final Indy 500 win. His ground effects Chaparral was untouchable and dominated the month of May. 2. Schroeder51 posted: 06.08.2011 - 3:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A very rare occurance at Indy-all three cars that started in the last row finished in the Top 10, and 2 finished in the top 3. 3. Pacer posted: 07.26.2011 - 12:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The pace car for this 500 was a Pontiac Turbo Trans-Am 4. cjs3872 posted: 08.15.2011 - 10:36 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Also, the finish of the race would actually prove to be a major factor in deciding the race in 1982. While Johnny Rutherford was driving to an easy victory and Tom Sneva finished a comfortable second, Gary Bettenhausen and Gordon Johncock were battling nose-to-tail for third place, with Johncock saving a NASCAR-type slingshot move for the finish. (Both Bettenhausen and Johncock had driven in the Daytona 500 previously, with Bettenhausen making his first two starts in that event befreo he even raced at Indy.) As they came off the last turn, Danny Ongais, who was one lap behind them in seventh place, hit the wall. As they raced to the finish, Johncock attempted that slingshot move, but it was too late, as Bettenhausen finished third, his best finish at Indy. (He also finished fifth in 1973 and '87.) but the experience that Johncock gained from that near photo-finish for third would prove invaluable in his battle with Rick Mears in 1982. Also, Pancho Carter, who finished sixth, was penalized one lap for passing the pace car during one of the many cautions in this race. It was a controversial decision because Carter thought the pace car driver was waving him by, so he passed, but that was not the case. Without the penalty Carter, not Tom Sneva, would have finished second in this race. Also, this was the last Indianapolis 500 for the Offenhauser engine, which won a staggering 27 times, including 18 consecutive from 1947-'64. It was also the last Indy 500 for Billy Vukovich, who contended many times, scoring finishes of second (1973), third (1974), fifth (1971), sixth (1975), seventh (1968), and eighth (1979), but he was never able to duplicate his father's winning achievements from the mid-50s, as Billy Vukovich was a conservative driver, unlike his father, the legendary Bill Vukovich, as well as his son, Billy Vukovich III. Billy Vukovich lost both his father (at Indy) and his son to racing accidents, and despite this, is, to my knowledge, still a fan of racing to this day. The 1980 race was also the first of two Indy races for future NASCAR star Tim Richmond. Richmond, who might have been a pole contender if not for a crash either on the day, or the day before pole day qualifying, actually turned in the fastest practice lap prior to time trials. It was also a historic race for two other rookies, as Bill and Don Whittington became the only brother duo ever to make their Indy debuts together. Ironically, Bill and Don Whittington did the same thing at Daytona earlier that year, as they made their first Daytona 500 starts the same year. That marked Bill's only appearance in that race, though Don also appeared in the 1981 Daytona 500. And speaking of rookies, 1980 marked the beginning of a three year period that saw nearly enough rookies qualify those three years to fill an entire Indy field. And that after only one rookie, Howdy Holmes, qualified for the race in 1979. And 1980 marked the last appearance at Indy as a competitor for Janet Guthrie. Guthrie's team decided to wave off a qualifying run that would easily have made the field, and never got to attempt another qualifying run, as qualifying in 1980 was shortened by thunderstorms on the the last day of time trials. Guthrie never returned to Indy, and it would be 12 years until another woman (Lyn St. James) would qualify for the race again. Also, wasn't it bit odd that Rick Mears, the greatest qualifier in Indy history, was outqualified by Spike Gehlhausen and Jerry Sneva that year? It may not have been a surprise that a Sneva outqualified Mears, but who would have ever believed that it would be Jerry, not more famous brother Tom, that would hold up the qualifying honor for the Snevas at Indy that year. 5. RaceFanX posted: 05.19.2013 - 10:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sneva's worst to almost first run came after he qualifed in the top-10 with a new Phoenix chassis then promptly destroyed it in a practice crash and had to start last because they were using a backup car. The three-year old McLaren still had some zip in it and Sneva lists his incredible 2nd-place drive here as one of his best. His performance remains the best at Indy for a last-place starter. 6. Schroeder51 posted: 10.04.2013 - 5:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A LOT more drivers than 7 failed to qualify for this race... Here's a more complete list of drivers who DNQed for the 1980 Indy 500... #41 Bill Alsup #80 Larry Dickson #47 Phil Caliva #32 Tony Bettenhausen, Jr. #57 Tom Frantz #51, #55 Janet Guthrie #67 Bob Harkey #43, #45 Howdy Holmes #56 Jim Hurtubise #34 Pete Halsmer #28 Herm Johnson #59 Lee Kunzman #24 Sheldon Kinser #81 Al Loquasto #91 John Mahler #37 John Martin #82 Rick Muther #50 Rich Vogler #75 Bill Puterbaugh #65 Bill Temporo #30 Phil Threshie #68 Frank Weiss #42 John Wood #76 Salt Walther #50, #77 Jan Sneva #69 Joe Saldana #78 Ron Shuman #89 Vern Schuppan #67 Buddie Boys (note: Entry was declined due to lack of experience) #19 Dana Carter (note: Wrecked during his rookie test) 7. Schroeder51 posted: 10.05.2013 - 2:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) And some more teams that DNQed for this race... #20, #70 Tom Bagley #3, #45 Tom Bigelow #16 A. J. Foyt #40 Gordon Johncock #97 Jim McElreath #78 Al Unser #55 Johnny Parsons #49 Johnny Rutherford #81 Tom Sneva 8. RaceFanX posted: 05.23.2014 - 11:19 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Roger Rager ran this race, and lead two laps, using an engine that he pulled out of a school bus in a junkyard. He wanted a well-seasoned durable block to build his racing engine with and it worked well, he out qualified a lot of the big guns. 9. Schroeder51 posted: 03.14.2015 - 4:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First Indy 500 starts for Tim Richmond, Don Whittington, Dennis Firestone, Gordon Smiley, and Bill Whittington. Only Indy 500 starts for Greg Leffler, Billy Engelhart, Hurley Haywood, Roger Rager, and Dick Ferguson. Last Indy 500 starts for Billy Vukovich, Jr., Jim McElreath, Tom Bagley, and Larry Cannon. 10. Schroeder51 posted: 03.15.2015 - 1:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Add to the DNQs: Tom Bigelow, #3 Armstrong Moulding (Did not qualify) A. J. Foyt, #16 Gilmore Racing (Did not qualify) Dana Carter, #19 Scientific Drilling Controls (Wrecked rookie orientation) Tom Bagley, #20 North American Van Lines (Did not qualify) Herm Johnson, #28 Cliff-Menard Racing (Did not qualify) Phil Threshie, #30 I. A. M. Special (Did not qualify) Gordon Johncock, #40 Kent Oil (Did not qualify) John Wood, #42 Mergard's 20th Century (Did not qualify) Howdy Holmes, #43 Armstrong Moulding (Did not qualify) Tom Bigelow, #45 Armstrong Moulding (Did not qualify) Howdy Holmes, #45 Armstrong Moulding (Did not qualify) Johnny Rutherford, #49 Pennzoil (Did not qualify) Jan Sneva, #50 B. M. F. Enterprises (Did not qualify) Rich Vogler, #50 B. M. F. Enterprises (Did not qualify) Janet Guthrie, #51 Texaco Star (Did not qualify) Janet Guthrie, #55 Texaco Star (Did not qualify) Johnny Parsons, #55 Texaco Star (Did not qualify) Jim Hurtubise, #56 Moran Electric (Did not qualify) Tom Frantz, #57 Frantz Auto Body (Did not qualify) Lee Kunzman, #59 George the T-Shirt Man Special (Did not qualify) Bill Temporo, #65 Wood Power Systems/Spirit of Colorado (Did not qualify) Buddie Boys, #67 The Canadian I (Entry declined, not enough experience) Bob Harkey, #67 The Canadian I (Did not qualify) Frank Weiss, #68 The Canadian II (Did not qualify) Joe Saldana, #69 Hoffman Racing (Did not qualify) Tom Bagley, #70 Valvoline-Diamond Head (Did not qualify) Bill Puterbaugh, #75 O'Hanlon (Did not qualify) Salt Walther, #76 Walmotor (DNS, too slow) Jan Sneva, #77 Bryan Ltd./Jose Joannides Special (Wrecked rookie orientation) Ron Shuman, #78 Stanton Racing Products (Did not qualify) Al Unser, #78 Stanton Racing Products (Did not qualify) Larry Dickson, #80 RP Racing Enterprises (Did not qualify) Al Loquasto, #81 O'Hanlon's L'il Cheaper (Did not qualify) Tom Sneva, #81 O'Hanlon's L'il Cheaper (Did not qualify) Rick Muther, #82 Pacific Coast Racing (Did not qualify) Vern Schuppan, #89 O'Connell/Thomas W. Barrett III (Did not qualify) John Mahler, #91 Intercomp Racing (Did not qualify) Jim McElreath, #97 Giuffre Brothers Cranes (Did not qualify) Roger Mears, #97 Giuffre Brothers Cranes (Did not qualify) 11. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 01.30.2016 - 10:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Qualifying results: 1. Johnny Rutherford-192.257 MPH 2. Mario Andretti-191.012 MPH 3. Bobby Unser-189.994 MPH 4. Spike Gehlhausen-188.344 MPH 5. Tim Richmond-188.334 MPH 6. Jerry Sneva-187.852 MPH 7. Rick Mears-187.491 MPH 8. Johnny Parsons-187.412 MPH 9. Gordon Smiley-186.848 MPH 10. Danny Ongais-186.606 MPH 11. Pancho Carter-186.480 MPH 12. Al Unser-186.442 MPH 13. Roger Rager-186.374 MPH 14. Jim McElreath-186.249 MPH 15. Gordon Johncock-186.075 MPH 16. A. J. Foyt-185.500 MPH 17. Tom Bagley-185.405 MPH 18. George Snider-185.386 MPH 19. Tom Sneva-185.290 MPH 20. Billy Engelhart-184.237 MPH 21. Don Whittington-183.927 MPH 22. Greg Leffler-183.749 MPH 23. Dennis Firestone-183.701 MPH 24. Hurley Haywood-183.561 MPH 25. Mike Mosley-183.449 MPH 26. Bill Whittington-183.262 MPH 27. Larry Cannon-183.253 MPH 28. Jerry Karl-183.011 MPH 29. Dick Ferguson-182.880 MPH 30. Dick Simon-182.787 MPH 31. Billy Vukovich, Jr.-182.741 MPH 32. Tom Bigelow-182.547 MPH 33. Gary Bettenhausen-182.463 MPH 12. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 05.21.2016 - 2:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Additional DNQs: Herm Johnson, #28 Cliff-Menard Racing Phil Threshie, #30 IAM Special John Wood, #42 Mergard's 20th Century Howdy Holmes, #43/#45 Armstrong Moulding Rich Vogler, #50 BMF Enterprises Janet Guthrie, #51/#55 Texaco Star Jim Hurtubise, #56 Moran Electric Tom Frantz, #57 Frantz Auto Body Lee Kunzman, #59 George The T-Shirt Man Bill Temporo, #65 Wood Power Systems Bob Harkey, #67 The Canadian I Frank Weiss, #68 The Canadian II Joe Saldana, #69 Hoffman Racing Bill Puterbaugh, #75 O'Hanlon Ron Shuman, #78 Stanton Racing Products Larry Dickson, #80 RP Racing Enterprises Al Loquasto, #81 O'Hanlon's L'il Cheaper Rick Muther, #82 Pacific Coast Racing Vern Schuppan, #89 O'Connell Roger Mears, #97 Giuffre Bros. All these cars were entered but failed to qualify. Roger Mears and Joe Saldana waved off their attempts, while Rick Muther spun out during his qualifying attempt. Harkey, Holmes, Johnson, Kunzman, Shuman, and Temporo didn't complete their attempts. Rich Vogler had mechanical troubles on Bump Day that kept him from making a qualifying attempt, and Phil Threshie was too slow to receive a qualifying sticker. Frank Weiss broke his knee and ankle in a practice accident and didn't make a qualifying attempt. Withdrew: Dana Carter, #19 Scientific Drilling Controls Buddie Boys, #67 The Canadian I Jan Sneva, #77 Bryan Ltd. Dana Carter and Jan Sneva both crashed during rookie orientation. Buddie Boys (Trevor's father) filed an entry, but was declined due to his lack of experience. 13. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 05.22.2016 - 3:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) To add to the above, this newspaper mentions Buddie Boys' entry. (You would have to be signed up for the site to read the full article, but the headline is "Calgarian (which Boys was) on the way to Indy 500") https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/43624920/ 14. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 05.22.2016 - 8:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, here is an article on racer.com from Robin Miller that mentions Boys' and Frank Weiss' entries: http://www.racer.com/indycar/item/101081-miller-tribute-to-a-never-say-die-racer This article about the 1984 race mentions Howdy Holmes' failed attempt at the 1980 500: http://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/05/08/Howdy-Holmes-always-seemed-one-break-away-from-breaking/2547452836800/ And this article mentions Schuppan's and Loquasto's entries: http://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/05/08/Howdy-Holmes-always-seemed-one-break-away-from-breaking/2547452836800/ 15. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 05.22.2016 - 10:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually this is the article that mentions Schuppan's and Loquasto's entry, my bad: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19800520&id=f9dOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RhMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4700,4671536&hl=en Schuppan didn't qualify due to engine problems in practice, but when Tom Sneva crashed the car he qualified he wound up driving Schuppan's car. 16. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 05.23.2016 - 2:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) One final article, this one mentions Rick Muther's entry (specifically his spin during his qualifying attempt), and also mentions Janet Guthrie and Howdy Holmes. Rain fell on the last day of qualifying and ended a bunch of drivers' chances to make the field: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19800519&id=xHshAAAAIBAJ&sjid=S4oFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5915,4222706&hl=en 17. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 05.25.2016 - 1:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Should also mention that the seven drivers already listed here on the DNQ list (Kinser, Bettenhausen, Halsmer, Martin, Alsup, Caliva, and Walther) were all drivers bumped out of the field during Bump Day qualifying. Martin and Alsup were the two fastest non-qualifiers and as thus were the first and second alternates. 18. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 03.22.2017 - 12:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) First alternate: John Martin Second alternate: Bill Alsup 19. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 05.24.2017 - 4:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The race was run Sunday, May 25 1980 not on Monday 20. Anonymous posted: 06.04.2019 - 9:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jim Hurtubise tries to qualify the front engined Offy for the last time. 21. SweetRich posted: 02.26.2020 - 1:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Commentators For The Race Were Jim McKay And Sir Jackie Stewart. The Pit Road Reporters Were Chris Economaki, Dave Diles And Sam Posey. 22. 23andJoe posted: 06.25.2020 - 3:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Complete list of DNQs: John Martin; Bill Alsup; Salt Walther; Pete Halsmer; Sheldon Kinser; Tony Bettenhausen, Jr.; Roger Mears; Joe Saldana; Rick Muther; Bob Harkey; Howdy Holmes; Bill Tempero; Ron Shuman; Herm Johnson; Lee Lunzman; John Mahler; Phil Caliva; Rich Vogler; Phil Threshie; Jan Sneva; Frank Weiss; Larry Dickson; Tom Frantz; Janet Guthrie; Jim Hurtubise; Al Loquastro; Bill Puterbaugh; Vern Schuppan; John Wood WD: Dana Carter, Buddie Boys (Car #s and team data are mentioned in above posts; of course this also goes for the CART side of results for this race on the site.) 23. Rich posted: 12.25.2020 - 6:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Chris Schenkel was the studio host. 24. RaceFanX posted: 12.29.2020 - 10:42 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Additional DNQ (here and the CART version): Jim Hurtubise- #56 Moran Electric As mentioned earlier Herk's penultimate Indy 500 attempt again came at the wheel of the front-engined Mallard, fittingly marking the final time anyone entered a roadster at the Indianapolis 500. No roadsters qualified at the race after 1968 but that didn't stop Hurtubise from trying for more than a decade after that. Must have been crazy being at the Brickyard in 1980 and seeing a old warhorse like the Mallard sharing the garage with cutting edge racer like Johnny Rutherford's winning ground effect "Yellow Submarine" Chaparral. 25. possum posted: 12.29.2020 - 7:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @24 - as I recall, it actually didn't look all that odd (altho I'm probably remembering it more compared to 70's era, pre-ground effects cars) - 4 big tires, body lower than the tops of the wheels, wings at both ends... I don't recall it looking any weirder than the Panoz LMP of a few years back. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: