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| 1981–82 USAC Championship Car season | |
|---|---|
| USAC Gold Crown Championship | |
| Season | |
| Races | 6 |
| Start date | May 24, 1981 |
| End date | May 30, 1982 |
| Awards | |
| National champion |  George Snider |
| Indianapolis 500 winner | Bobby Unser (1981)Gordon Johncock (1982) |
The1981–82 USAC Championship Car season consisted of six races, beginning inSpeedway,Indiana, on May 24, 1981, and concluding at the same location on May 30, 1982. TheUSAC National Champion wasGeorge Snider. The season included twoIndianapolis 500 races. The 1981 winner wasBobby Unser, while the 1982 winner wasGordon Johncock. The schedule includeddirt courses for the first time since 1970.
By this time, the preeminentnational championship season was instead sanctioned byCART.
The United States Auto Club formed the Gold Crown Series in 1981 which was a combination of the Indianapolis 500 and other races including races on dirt tracks. It was set up so that season would extend over the course of two years with the final race of the season being the Indianapolis 500, with all races running onOval/Speedway courses.
| Rnd | Date | Race name | Length | Track | Location | Type | Pole position | Winning driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 24 | Indianapolis 500-Mile Race | 500 mi (800 km) | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway,Indiana | Paved | Bobby Unser | Bobby Unser |
| 2 | June 21 | Van Scoy Diamond Mines 500 | 305 mi (491 km)A | Pocono International Raceway | Long Pond,Pennsylvania | Paved | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt |
| 3 | August 15 | Tony Bettenhausen 100 | 100 mi (160 km) | Illinois State Fairgrounds | Springfield,Illinois | Dirt | Tom Bigelow | George Snider |
| 4 | August 30 | DuQuoin 100 | 100 mi (160 km) | DuQuoin State Fairgrounds | Du Quoin,Illinois | Dirt | Bill Engelhart | Rich Vogler |
| 5 | September 12 | Hoosier Hundred | 100 mi (160 km) | Indiana State Fairgrounds | Indianapolis,Indiana | Dirt | Larry Rice | Larry Rice |
| 6 | May 30 | Indianapolis 500-Mile Race | 500 mi (800 km) | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway,Indiana | Paved | Rick Mears | Gordon Johncock |
^A Scheduled for 500 miles, stopped early due to rain.
The season opened with the1981 Indianapolis 500 at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway andBobby Unser would win.Wally Dallenbach Sr. qualified the #40 car forMario Andretti. However, after the raceUSAC officials penalized Unser 1 position and the win went to Andretti. Even if Andretti failed to win he would still go into theVan Scoy Diamond Mines 500 atPocono International Raceway as the points leader as he was in possession of aUSAC Class 1 License. The Van Scoy Diamond Mines 500 was won byA. J. Foyt getting Foyt his 67th and finalUSAC Gold Crown win. The race was cut from 500 miles down to 305 miles due to rain. At theTony Bettenhausen 100 at theIllinois State Fairgrounds was won byGeorge Snider for his first and only win in USAC Gold Crown competition. At theDuQuoin State FairgroundsRich Vogler would win his first and only race in USAC Gold Crown competition. At theHoosier Hundred at theIndiana State FairgroundsLarry Rice would win his only USAC Gold Crown race. The1981 Indianapolis 500 results were changed toBobby Unser winning the race overMario Andretti, costing Andretti 200 points. The season ending1982 Indianapolis 500 at theIndianapolis 500 was marred by the death ofGordon Smiley during qualifying (he was 36 years old), and at the start 2nd place starterKevin Cogan would spin into A. J. Foyt's car and Mario Andretti's car, while further back in the fieldRoger Mears,Dale Whittington, andBobby Rahal would collide. However, Foyt and Rahal were able to continue.Gordon Johncock would beatRick Mears to the line to win his secondIndianapolis 500.George Snider would win the championship withGeoff Brabham 2nd,Tom Bigelow 3rd,A. J. Foyt 4th, andGordon Johncock 5th.
