51st Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	USAC
Season	1967 USAC season
Date	May 30–31, 1967
Winner	A. J. Foyt
Average speed	151.207 mph (243 km/h)
Pole position	Mario Andretti
Pole speed	168.982 mph (272 km/h)
Fastest qualifier	Mario Andretti
Rookie of the Year	Denny Hulme
Most laps led	Parnelli Jones (171)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthem	Purdue band
"Back Home Again in Indiana"	Russell J. Wunderlich
Starting command	Tony Hulman
Pace car	Chevrolet Camaro
Pace car driver	Mauri Rose
Starter	Pat Vidan[1]
Estimated attendance	250,000 (Wed.)[2] 175,000 (Thu.)[3]
TV in the United States
Network	ABC'sWide World of Sports
Announcers	Jim McKay,Rodger Ward,Chris Economaki
Chronology
Previous Next 1966 1968

The51st International 500 Mile Sweepstakes was held at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway inSpeedway, Indiana, over two days, Tuesday, May 30, and Wednesday, May 31, 1967. The race was dominated byParnelli Jones in the radically new, four-wheel driveSTP-Paxton Turbocargas turbine entered by prolific car ownerAndy Granatelli. With three laps to go, however, Jones coasted to a stop when a$6 transmission bearing failed.A. J. Foyt assumed the lead, and weaved his way through a pileup on the final lap, to win his third Indy 500 victory.

Foyt's victory was the first Indy 500 win forGoodyear tires since1919. After leaving the sport in 1922, Goodyear returned to the sport in 1964, and in 1967, snapped Firestone's record of 43 consecutive Indy 500 wins.

The race was scheduled for Tuesday, May 30. The race started on time at 11:00 a.m. EST, but after only 18 laps, rain began to fall. The race was red-flagged, and the resumption was held at 10:00 a.m. the following day. Though temperatures on Wednesday were cool, skies were sunny, and the race was run to completion.

The annual 500 Victory Banquet was scheduled for Wednesday May 31. After the race was postponed for rain, the banquet was still held as scheduled, which was just hours after the checkered flag fell.

Going into time trials,Mario Andretti was the favorite for the pole position. On the final day of practice, he turned the fastest practice lap in Indy history at over 168 mph. Among the others that were expected to challenge for the front row wereRoger McCluskey, A. J. Foyt, andGordon Johncock.Parnelli Jones, driving the newGranatelliSTP-Paxton Turbocargas turbine was in the top ten of practice speeds, but never on top, and some in the garage area were accusing the team ofsandbagging.

The first car out to qualify wasRonnie Duman. At about 2:30 p.m.,Joe Leonard took over the provisional pole position with a run of 166.098 mph, a new track record. About an hour and a half later,Dan Gurney took over the pole with another record run of 167.224 mph. Gurney's time on top was short-lived, however, asMario Andretti was the next car to make an attempt. Andretti set new 1-lap and 4-lap track records to win thepole position for the second year in a row. His third lap (169.779 mph) stood as the single lap record, and his four-lap average wound up at 168.982 mph.

At the end of the day, the field was filled to 25 cars. Later in the day,Gordon Johncock (166.559 mph) squeezed himself on to the front row, qualifying third. A. J. Foyt suffered mechanical trouble on his first attempt, and pulled off the course. Later on, he returned to the track to qualify in fourth starting position.Parnelli Jones in theGranatelliTurbine qualified 6th. As was noted by many other teams at the time, Jones qualified with arace day set-up, while the piston-powered entries practiced and qualified with "qualifying setups," including light fuel loads, lightened transmission components, higher-revving gear ratios, a percentage of "pop," or nitromethane in the fuel, and so on. The STP crew had Jones qualify with a straight race-day setup, including the use of standard fuel (aircraft-grade kerosene, in this case).

The second day of time trials was rained out.

The field filled to 33 cars after 23 attempts were made. Six cars were bumped includingJackie Stewart.Roger McCluskey, who was not able to qualify on pole day, was the fastest car of the afternoon (165.563 mph).

Graham Hill andJackie Stewart successfully bumped their way into the field.Jim Hurtubise tried to qualify using a front-engined car, but he was too slow.

Row	Inside		Middle		Outside
1	1	Mario Andretti	74	Dan Gurney	3	Gordon Johncock
2	14	A. J. Foyt W	4	Joe Leonard	40	Parnelli Jones W
3	25	Lloyd Ruby	6	Bobby Unser	5	Al Unser
4	26	George Snider	2	Jim McElreath	39	Bobby Grim
5	16	Art Pollard R	15	Mel Kenyon	53	Wally Dallenbach Sr. R
6	31	Jim Clark W	98	Ronnie Duman	19	Arnie Knepper
7	45	Johnny Rutherford	21	Cale Yarborough	22	Larry Dickson
8	12	Roger McCluskey	41	Carl Williams	69	Denny Hulme R
9	10	Bud Tingelstad	67	Lee Roy Yarbrough R	8	Chuck Hulse
10	46	Bob Veith	24	Jackie Stewart	42	Jerry Grant
11	81	Graham Hill W	48	Jochen Rindt R	32	Al Miller

• First alternate:Lucien Bianchi R  (#27)^[4]

The race started on Tuesday May 30 under threatening skies. At the start, polesitterMario Andretti briefly took the lead into turn one. However, Jones swept to the outside from 6th starting position, and passed four cars in turn one. Exiting turn two, he dove below Andretti and took the lead down the backstretch.Jones ran the first lap at a record 154 mph, and started pulling out to a sizable lead.

On lap 3,LeeRoy Yarbrough spun in turn four, briefly bringing out the yellow. His car was not damaged, and he continued. After only a few laps,Mario Andretti pulled into the pits with mechanical troubles. The crew went to work on the car. On lap 18, rain began to fall, and the yellow light came on with Jones leading. On the 19th lap, the red flag came out and the race was halted at approximately 11:16 am. The rain continued most of the afternoon, and at about 4:15 p.m., officials postponed the conclusion until the next day. Scoring reverted to the completion of the 18th lap, and all cars were eligible for the resumption exceptLloyd Ruby, who had already wheeled his car back to the garage with broken valves.

Wednesday May 31 dawned cool but sunny and the race was resumed at 10:00 a.m. local time.George Snider fell ill overnight with a cold, andLloyd Ruby, who had dropped out the day earlier, took over his car in relief for Wednesday. Two unscored warm-up laps were run behind the pace car, and the field of now 32 cars took the green flag to restart single-file. Jones continued where he left off and led on what was now the 19th lap.

On lap 52,LeeRoy Yarbrough suffered his second spin in turn four in two days. This time he tangled with the leaderParnelli Jones. Jones went low to lap Yarbrough, but was pinched down on the apron and the two cars touched wheels. Both cars went spinning into the grass, but they were not damaged and both drivers drove away unscathed.Dan Gurney briefly took the lead after the incident, but gave it up after only two laps when he pitted.

The first half shaped up with Jones dominating in the Turbine, chased byDan Gurney,A. J. Foyt, andAl Unser Sr., among others. On the leader's 65th lap,Mario Andretti lost a wheel in the exit of turn one. He came a stop in turn two and was out of the race with only 59 laps completed.

On his first pit stop on lap 80,Parnelli Jones escaped possible disaster as he began to pull away before the fuel hose was disengaged. The hose jerked and caused a spill, but Jones pulled away without damage and without a fire breaking out. A. J. Foyt slipped by to take the lead. Four laps later Foyt handed the lead back to Jones when he himself pitted.

Several cars were involved in a quick succession of crashes around the midway point.Art Pollard spun in turn three, but continued. Moments later,Carl Williams spun in front ofBob Veith as they diced through traffic in turn three. Veith's car suffered major damage to the nose, but both drivers were able to continue. Under the same yellow light,Wally Dallenbach wrecked into the inside wall of the mainstretch. Moments later,Cale Yarborough spun out in the north chute. Approaching the scene,Lloyd Ruby (inGeorge Snider's car) spun out withLeeRoy Yarbrough, and both cars went sliding to the infield grass in turn four. Ruby's car hit the inside fence and was out. LeeRoy Yarbrough, after his third spin of the race, was also out. Cale Yarborough, however, got back in his car and continued. About three laps later,Johnny Rutherford wrecked on his own in turn two.

Parnelli Jones continued to dominate the race, but gave up the lead toA. J. Foyt for laps 131–149. Dan Gurney, a contender in the first half, dropped out on lap 160.

Arnie Knepper (engine),Jackie Stewart (engine),Cale Yarborough andMel Kenyon (crash), all dropped out of the race.Jochen Rindt, who experienced a difficult month and a difficult race, dropped out with a broken valve. Rindt, apparently not impressed with the Speedway, said he was not interested in coming back, but he did return one additional time in 1968.

With about 7 laps left for the leaders,Gordon Johncock spun out, briefly bringing out the yellow. At this point, Parnelli Jones seemingly had the race wrapped up, holding nearly a full lap lead over second place A. J. Foyt. Third placeAl Unser was more than two laps down. Shockingly, with only four laps to go, a $6 transmission bearing failed,^[6] and the Turbine quietly coasted to a stop near the entrance to pit lane. TheSTP Granatelli team was in disbelief as they ran to the car's aid.

A. J. Foyt drove by into first place with only four laps to go, but the drama was not yet over. On the final lap, Foyt was driving through turn four when a four-car crash broke out at the north end of the main straightaway. Foyt had a premonition of trouble (he later suggested that he had subconsciously noticed the crowd looking down the straightaway instead of at him) and backed off, and with savvy driving, weaved his way through the wreckage. He avoided the spinning cars and debris and took the checkered flag for his third win at Indianapolis. Foyt's winning speed of 151.207 mph (243.344 km/h) was a new record. The red and checkered flags immediately halted the race. Al Unser finished in second place for the first of three times in his career.

Finish	Start	No	Name	Chassis	Engine	Tires	Qual	Laps	Status
1	4	14	A. J. Foyt W	Coyote	Ford	G	166.289	200	Running
2	9	5	Al Unser	Lola	Ford	F	164.594	198	Flagged
3	5	4	Joe Leonard	Coyote	Ford	G	166.098	197	Flagged
4	24	69	Denis Hulme R	Eagle	Ford	G	163.376	197	Flagged
5	11	2	Jim McElreath	Moore	Ford	F	164.241	197	Flagged
6	6	40	Parnelli Jones W	Granatelli	Pratt & Whitney	F	166.075	196	Bearing
7	27	8	Chuck Hulse	Lola	Offenhauser	G	162.925	195	Crash FS
8	13	16	Art Pollard R	Gerhardt	Offenhauser	F	163.897	195	Flagged
9	8	6	Bobby Unser	Eagle	Ford	G	164.752	193	Flagged
10	23	41	Carl Williams	BRP	Ford	F	163.696	189	Crash FS
11	28	46	Bob Veith	Gerhardt	Offenhauser	G	162.580	189	Flagged
12	3	3	Gordon Johncock	Gerhardt	Ford	G	166.559	188	Spun T3
13	12	39	Bobby Grim	Gerhardt	Offenhauser	G	164.084	187	Crash FS
14	25	10	Bud Tingelstad	Gerhardt	Ford	F	163.228	182	Spun FS
15	21	22	Larry Dickson	Lotus	Ford	G	162.543	180	Spun FS
16	14	15	Mel Kenyon	Gerhardt	Offenhauser	G	163.778	177	Crash T3
17	20	21	Cale Yarborough	Vollstedt	Ford	F	162.830	176	Crash T3
18	29	24	Jackie Stewart	Lola	Ford	F	164.099	168	Engine
19	22	12	Roger McCluskey	Eagle	Ford	G	165.563	165	Engine
20	30	42	Jerry Grant	Eagle	Ford	G	163.808	162	Piston
21	2	74	Dan Gurney	Eagle	Ford	G	167.224	160	Piston
22	18	19	Arnie Knepper	Cecil	Ford	F	162.900	158	Engine
23	17	98	Ronnie Duman	Shrike	Offenhauser	F	162.903	154	Fuel trouble
24	32	48	Jochen Rindt R	Eagle	Ford-Weslake	G	163.051	108	Valve
25	19	45	Johnny Rutherford	Eagle	Ford	G	162.859	103	Crash T2
26	10	26	George Snider (Laps 1–16) Lloyd Ruby (Laps 17–99)	Mongoose	Ford	F	164.256	99	Crash NC
27	26	67	LeeRoy Yarbrough R	Vollstedt	Ford	F	163.066	87	Crash NC
28	33	32	Al Miller	Gerhardt	Ford	F	162.602	74	Oil Cooler
29	15	53	Wally Dallenbach Sr. R	Huffaker	Offenhauser	G	163.540	73	Crash FS
30	1	1	Mario Andretti	Brawner	Ford	F	168.982	58	Lost wheel
31	16	31	Jim Clark W	Lotus	Ford	F	163.213	35	Piston
32	31	81	Graham Hill W	Lotus	Ford	F	163.317	23	Piston
33	7	25	Lloyd Ruby	Mongoose	Offenhauser	F	165.229	3	Valves

Note:George Snider completed laps 1–16 on Tuesday, but fell ill and was relieved byLloyd Ruby on Wednesday for laps 17–99^[7]

 W  Former Indianapolis 500 winner

 R  Indianapolis 500 Rookie

The race was carried live on theIMS Radio Network.Sid Collins served as chief announcer for the 16th year. It was Collins' 20th year overall with the crew.Len Sutton served as "driver expert" for the second year. At the conclusion of the race,Lou Palmer reported from victory lane.

The entire on-air crew remained consistent from 1966. The broadcast reached over 900affiliates includingArmed Forces Network, theCBC, andshortwave toVietnam. The broadcast had an estimated 100 million listeners worldwide. The original broadcast on Tuesday May 30 came on air at 10:30 a.m. local time and was scheduled for four and a half hours, including a 30-minute pre-race segment. When the race was red flagged for rain, the network signed off at 11:45 a.m., and returned for brief weather updates at 12:15 p.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 3:15 p.m., 3:45 p.m., and 4:15 p.m., at which time the race was officially postponed. During the rain delay on Tuesday, guests to the booth includedJ. C. Agajanian,Rory Calhoun, as well asLorne Greene andMichael Landon, both from the TV seriesBonanza. Greene and Landon had beengrand marshals for the500 Festival Parade.

On Wednesday May 31, the broadcast came on air at 9:45 a.m. local time, leading up to the 10:00 a.m. resumption. All of the announcers and reporters from Tuesday returned to their assignments for Wednesday. Booth guests on Wednesday includedPete DePaolo,Jim Murray,Tom Harmon, and 500 Festival queen Janice Cruze Bretz. During the post-race, Sid Collins was presented with aResolution passed by theCalifornia State Legislature fromState SenatorGeorge Deukmejian andLt. GovernorBob Finch honoring Collins' twentieth year serving on the network. After dropping out of the race with mechanical problems on lap 108,Jochen Rindt was interviewed by pit reporter Luke Walton. When asked what he thought of the "500", Rindt famously replied "not much". Walton followed up, asked if he planning to return. He flatly said "no".^[10]

For 1967, the flagship station changed fromWIBC toWTHI inTerre Haute.

The race wascarried in the United States onABC'sWide World of Sports. The broadcast aired on Saturday June 10.Jim McKay anchored the telecast for the first time, with analystsRodger Ward and pit work fromChris Economaki. The opening featured a brief recap of time trials, followed by edited race coverage.

The broadcast has re-aired onESPN Classic starting in May 2011.

The race was shownlive onMCAclosed-circuit television in approximately 150-175 theaters and venues across the United States.Charlie Brockman served as anchor. The feed was transmitted internationally to Europe utilizing the"Early Bird" satellite, and to Japan using the"Lani Bird" satellite.^[11] Due to the rain delay, coverage was not available to international viewers on Wednesday. Viewers at U.S. venues were able to watch the second day of coverage withrain checks.^[12]

• This race featured six former or eventualFormula One World Champions:Graham Hill,Jim Clark,Denis Hulme,Jochen Rindt,Jackie Stewart,Mario Andretti
• TheNASCARWorld 600 was held on Sunday May 28, and the Indy 500 was scheduled for Tuesday May 30. NASCAR driverLeeRoy Yarbrough skips Charlotte and races at Indy. He finishes 27th.Cale Yarborough becomes the first driver to compete in both races in the same year. He finished 41st at Charlotte and 17th at Indy.

NOTE: The revolutionary #40 STP Turbine in the photo taken in the Speedway Museum is actually a replica built from the blueprints (as is the replica ofParnelli Jones'1963 #98 Indy 500-winning car): The actual #40 is in theSmithsonian'sNational Museum of American History.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to1967 Indianapolis 500.

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  Gas turbine-'STP Oil Treatment Special'

• Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats - Official Site
• 1967 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast,Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network

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• 1967 in motorsport
• 1967 in sports in Indiana
• 1967 in American motorsport
• May 1967 sports events in the United States

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