1971 Indianapolis 500

55th Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	USAC
Season	1971 USAC Trail
Date	May 29, 1971
Winner	Al Unser, Sr.
Winning team	Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing
Average speed	157.735 mph (253.850 km/h)
Pole position	Peter Revson
Pole speed	178.696 mph (287.583 km/h)
Fastest qualifier	Peter Revson
Rookie of the Year	Denny Zimmerman
Most laps led	Al Unser, Sr. (103)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthem	Purdue Band
Back Home Again in Indiana	Peter DePaolo
Starting Command	Tony Hulman
Pace car	Dodge Challenger
Pace car driver	Eldon Palmer
Attendance	300,000 (estimated)
TV in the United States
Network	ABC
Announcers	Jim McKay, Jackie Stewart
Chronology
Previous Next 1970 1972

The 55th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 29, 1971. Al Unser, Sr. won for the second consecutive year, dominating most of the race. The race was marred by a crash involving the pace car at the start. Eldon Palmer, a local Indianapolis-area Dodge dealer, lost control of the Dodge Challenger pace car at the south end of the pit area, and it crashed into a photographers' stand, injuring 29 people, two seriously.

Peter Revson started on the pole with a speed of over 178 miles per hour, more than a mile per hour faster than any other qualifier, with defending champ Al Unser in the middle of the second row. Mark Donohue, who qualified in the middle of the front row, took the lead at the start of the race and led the first 50 laps. A mechanical issue ended his day after just 66 laps, and Unser assumed the lead. He and Joe Leonard swapped the lead several times during the middle portion of the race, but Unser led for the final 83 laps, giving him a win for the second year in a row.

Unser (born on May 29, 1939) became the first and only driver to date to win the race on his birthday. It was his second of an eventual four Indy victories. Unser also became the first winner to celebrate in the new victory lane. The new winner's area, now featuring black and white checkered ramps, was moved from the south end of the pits to the "horseshoe" area immediately below the Master Control Tower, near the start/finish line.

The 1971 Indy 500 was part of the newly re-organized USAC Marlboro Championship Trail, in which dirt tracks were separated from the ovals and road courses. From then on, the circuit would consist solely of paved tracks (both ovals and road courses), giving the national championship a decidedly new look for the 1970s and beyond. In addition, with 500-mile races at Ontario and Pocono now on the schedule, Indy car racing formed its first "triple crown."

Race schedule

Race schedule — May, 1971 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat             1 Practice 2 Practice 3 Practice 4 Practice 5 Practice 6 Practice 7 Practice 8 Practice 9 Practice 10 Practice 11 Practice 12 Practice 13 Practice 14 Practice 15 Pole Day 16 Time Trials 17 Practice 18 Practice 19 Practice 20 Practice 21 Practice 22 Time Trials 23 Bump Day 24   25   26 Carb Day 27   28   29 Indy 500 30   31 Memorial Day

Color Notes Green Practice Dark Blue Time trials Silver Race day Red Rained out* Blank No track activity * Includes days where track activity was significantly limited due to rain

Time trials

For the first time, USAC firmed up the rules regarding pole day qualifying. As had been done in previous years, a blind draw would be held to determined the order of qualifying on pole day. However, starting in 1971, all drivers/cars in the original qualifying draw order would be allowed the opportunity to make at least one attempt in the pole round regardless if rain halted the session and pushed it off to another day. Previously, if rain interrupted the qualifying line on pole day, any cars left in the original qualifying order at the time the track closed (due to rain or at the 6 o'clock gun) were simply out of luck, and had to qualify on the next round.

Pole Day - Saturday May 15

McLaren M16 cars dominated qualifying during a record-shattering afternoon. The chassis took 1st, 2nd, and 4th starting positions, with Peter Revson the surprise pole position winner.[1] Revson's four-lap track record of 178.696 mph put the pole position far out of reach for the rest of the field. Penske Racing driver Mark Donohue (177.087 mph) qualified for the middle of the front row, while Bobby Unser in an Eagle chassis, squeezed between the McLaren cars by qualifying third.

Second Day - Sunday May 16

Three drivers completed runs, with Bud Tingelstad (170.156 mph) the fastest of the afternoon. Mike Mosley returned after two crashes the previous day, and qualified solidly over 169 mph.[2]

Third Day - Saturday May 22

A busy day saw the field filled to 33 cars car. The day concluded with Steve Krisiloff bumping out rookie Sam Posey.[3] [4]

Bump Day - Sunday May 23

Strong winds kept speeds down, and only three drivers successfully bumped their way into the field. The windy conditions led to six crashes, and hopefuls waited until the final 45 minutes before they took to the track. The session started out with Mel Kenyon bumping out Carl Williams. Bob Harkey bumped Dick Simon, and Art Pollard got back into the field by bumping Jim McElreath.[5]

Jim Hurtubise once again tried to qualify his front-engined roadster, but on his second lap, hit the outside wall at the head of the mainstretch. His first two laps would not have been fast enough to bump his way in. The day ended as Dick Simon (waved off) and Jerry Grant (waved off) made unsuccessful attempts.

After qualifying, car owner Dick Simon announced he was going to take over the machine qualified by John Mahler. By rule, the car must move to the rear of the grid (33rd) on race day.

Pace car crash

For 1971, none of the Big Three auto manufacturers chose to supply pace cars for the Indianapolis 500, as the muscle car market had dried up and marketing efforts were shifted elsewhere. Four local Indianapolis-area Dodge dealers, spearheaded by Eldon Palmer, stepped up to supply the fleet of pace cars. The vehicle chosen was the Dodge Challenger 383-4V. Palmer was chosen to drive the pace car at the start of the race.

In preparation for the race, Palmer set up an orange flag (sometimes reported as a traffic cone) in the pit lane to provide himself with a braking reference point. During the parade and pace lap, Tony Hulman, ABC broadcaster Chris Schenkel, and John Glenn served as passengers in the car. Palmer practiced the run the day before the race.

As the field came down the mainstretch for the start, Palmer pulled into the pits and accelerated down the pit lane. However, his reference flag (or cone) had been removed and he missed his planned braking spot. Moving upwards of perhaps 125 mph, Palmer realized he was going too fast, and rather than perilously veering back on to the racing surface, he stood on the brakes (the car was equipped with drum brakes) and lost control. The car swerved and skidded to the end of the pit lane, and crashed into a photographers' stand. The stand collapsed, injuring 29 people, however, no people were killed. Dr. Vicente Alvarez, a freelance photographer from Argentina, was one of two on the stand who were seriously injured. Alvarez survived, and died in the late 1990s. Tony Hulman suffered a sprained ankle, and a shaken Schenkle sat out the remainder of the ABC broadcast.

Palmer maintained possession of the car, and eventually it was repaired and restored. In 2006, it was sold to a collector.

Race results

Finish	Start	No	Name	Qual	Rank	Laps	Led	Status
1	5	1	Al Unser	174.621	5	200	103	Running
2	1	86	Peter Revson	178.695	1	200	0	Running
3	6	9	A.J. Foyt	174.317	6	200	0	Running
4	10	42	Jim Malloy	171.838	11	200	0	Running
5	11	32	Bill Vukovich II	171.674	12	200	0	Running
6	20	84	Donnie Allison	171.903	10	199	0	Flagged
7	17	58	Bud Tingelstad	170.156	24	198	0	Flagged
8	28	43	Denny Zimmerman	169.755	27	189	0	Flagged
9	22	6	Roger McCluskey	171.241	15	188	0	Flagged
10	13	16	Gary Bettenhausen	171.233	16	178	0	Flagged
11	7	12	Lloyd Ruby	173.821	7	174	3	Gears
12	3	2	Bobby Unser	175.816	3	164	21	Crash T4
13	19	4	Mike Mosley	169.579	29	159	0	Crash T4
14	33	44	Dick Simon	170.165	23	151	0	Flagged
15	29	41	George Follmer	169.205	32	147	0	Piston
16	14	21	Cale Yarborough	170.770	19	140	0	Cam Cover
17	4	85	Denis Hulme	174.910	4	137	0	Valve
18	24	18	Johnny Rutherford	171.152	18	128	0	Flagged
19	8	15	Joe Leonard	172.761	8	123	21	Turbocharger
20	16	68	David Hobbs	169.571	30	107	0	Crash FS
21	18	38	Rick Muther	169.972	25	85	0	Crash FS
22	32	99	Bob Harkey	169.197	33	77	0	Gears
23	15	95	Bentley Warren	169.627	28	76	0	Gears
24	23	22	Wally Dallenbach, Sr.	171.159	17	69	0	Valve
25	2	66	Mark Donohue	177.087	2	66	52	Gears
26	31	64	Art Pollard	169.499	31	45	0	Valve
27	25	98	Sammy Sessions	170.357	20	43	0	Valve
28	26	45	Larry Dickson	170.285	21	33	0	Engine
29	12	7	Gordon Johncock	171.388	14	11	0	Crash T3
30	9	5	Mario Andretti	172.612	9	11	0	Crash T3
31	27	20	Steve Krisiloff	169.835	26	10	0	Oil Leak
32	30	23	Mel Kenyon	170.205	22	10	0	Crash T3
33	21	80	George Snider	171.600	13	6	0	Stalled

Alternates

• First alternate: Jim McElreath

Tire participation chart
Supplier	No. of starters
Goodyear	15
Firestone	18*
* - Denotes race winner

Qualifying chronology

Att #	Time	Car #	Driver	Laps	Qual Time	Qual Speed	Rank	Start	Comment
Saturday, May 15, 1971
1		4	MIKE MOSLEY	0	—	—	—	—	ACCIDENT
2		9	A. J. FOYT	4	3:26.52	174.317	6	6
3		66	MARK DONOHUE	4	3:23.29	177.087	2	2
4		32	BILLY VUKOVICH II	4	3:29.70	171.674	12	11
5		10	DICK SIMON	4	3:33.14	168.903	—	—	BUMPED BY #99
6		14	JIM MCELREATH	3	—	—	—	—	WAVED OFF
7		16	GARY BETTENHAUSEN	4	3:30.24	171.233	16	13
8		68	DAVID HOBBS	4	3:32.30	169.571	30	16
9		1	AL UNSER	4	3:26.16	174.622	5	5
10		7	GORDON JOHNCOCK	4	3:30.05	171.388	14	12
11		42	JIM MALLOY	4	3:29.50	171.838	11	10
12		86	PETER REVSON	4	3:21.46	178.696	1	1
13		77	CARL WILLIAMS	1	—	—	—	—	WAVED OFF
14		8	ART POLLARD	3	—	—	—	—	WAVED OFF
15		18	JOHNNY RUTHERFORD	0	—	—	—	—	BLOWN ENGINE
16		15	JOE LEONARD	4	3:28.38	172.761	8	8
17		2	BOBBY UNSER	4	3:24.76	175.816	3	3
18		83	DONNIE ALLISON	1	—	—	—	—	WAVED OFF
19		28	BILL SIMPSON	4	3:33.94	168.271	—	—	BUMPED BY #45
20		12	LLOYD RUBY	4	3:27.11	173.821	7	7
21		5	MARIO ANDRETTI	4	3:28.56	172.612	9	9
22		85	DENIS HULME	0	—	—	—	—	PULLED OFF
23		45	LARRY DICKSON	3	—	—	—	—	ACCIDENT
24		14	JIM MCELREATH	3	—	—	—	—	WAVED OFF
25		83	DONNIE ALLISON	4	3:34.12	168.130	—	—	WITHDRAWN 5/22
26		85	DENIS HULME	4	3:25.82	174.910	4	4
27		92	JERRY GRANT	4	3:33.66	168.492	—	—	BUMPED BY #78
28		21	CALE YARBOROUGH	4	3:30.81	170.770	19	14
29		14	JIM MCELREATH	4	3:34.52	167.817	—	—	BUMPED BY #6; REINSTATED BY #83; BUMPED BY #84
30		38	RICK MUTHER	3	—	—	—	—	BLOWN ENGINE
31		77	CARL WILLIAMS	4	3:33.29	168.784	—	—	BUMPED BY #23
32		8	ART POLLARD	4	3:33.82	168.366	—	—	BUMPED BY #46
33		95	BENTLEY WARREN	4	3:32.23	169.627	28	15
Sunday May 16, 1971
34		4	MIKE MOSLEY	0	3:32.29	169.579	29	19
35		38	RICK MUTHER	0	3:31.80	169.972	25	18
36		58	BUD TINGELSTAD	0	3:31.57	170.156	24	17
Saturday May 22, 1971
37		80	GEORGE SNIDER	4	3:29.79	171.600	13	21
38		43	DENNY ZIMMERMAN	4	3:32.07	169.755	27	28
39		44	JOHN MAHLER	3	—	—	—	—
40		98	SAM SESSIONS	4	3:31.32	170.358	20	25
41		22	WALLY DALLENBACH	4	3:30.33	171.160	17	23
42		94	BRUCE WALKUP	2	—	—	—	—	WAVED OFF
43		45	LARRY DICKSON	3	—	—	—	—	WAVED OFF
44		41	GEORGE FOLLMER	4	3:32.76	169.205	32	29
45		44	JOHN MAHLER	4	3:31.56	170.164	23	33	REPLACED BY DICK SIMON
46		18	JOHNNY RUTHERFORD	4	3:30.34	171.151	18	24
47		6	ROGER MCCLUSKEY	2	—	—	—	—	OUT OF FUEL
48		6	ROGER MCCLUSKEY	4	3:30.23	171.241	15	22	BUMPS #14
49		20	STEVE KRISILOFF	0	—	—	—	—	PULLED OFF
50		84	DONNIE ALLISON	4	3:29.42	171.903	10	20	BUMPS #14
51		45	LARRY DICKSON	4	3:31.41	170.285	21	26	BUMPS #28
52		46	JIM MCELREATH	4	3:32.81	169.165	—	—	BUMPS #8; BUMPED BY #64
53		94	BRUCE WALKUP	1	—	—	—	—	PULLED OFF
54		78	SAM POSEY	4	3:33.30	168.776	—	—	BUMPS #92; BUMPED BY #20
55		20	STEVE KRISILOFF	4	3:31.97	169.835	26	27	BUMPS #78
Sunday May 23, 1971
56		23	MEL KENYON	4	3:31.51	170.205	22	30	BUMPS #77
57		99	BOB HARKEY	4	3:32.77	169.197	33	32	BUMPS #10
58		17	JERRY GRANT	1	—	—	—	—	WAVED OFF
59		64	ART POLLARD	4	3:32.39	169.500	31	31	BUMPS #46
60		56	JIM HURTUBISE	2	—	—	—	—	ACCIDENT
61		33	DICK SIMON	1	—	—	—	—	WAVED OFF
62		17	JERRY GRANT	1	—	—	—	—	WAVED OFF

Broadcasting

Radio

The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Sid Collins served as chief announcer and Len Sutton served as "driver expert." At the conclusion of the race, Lou Palmer reported from victory lane.

The entire on-air crew remained mostly consistent from 1966-1970. Bob Forbes was assigned as "wireless" microphone, covering the garages and roving reports.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
Booth Announcers	Turn Reporters	Pit/garage reporters
Chief Announcer: Sid Collins Driver expert: Len Sutton Statistician: John DeCamp Historian: Donald Davidson	Turn 1: Mike Ahern Turn 2: Howdy Bell Backstretch: Doug Zink Turn 3: Ron Carrell Turn 4: Jim Shelton	Chuck Marloe (north) Luke Walton (center) Lou Palmer (south) Bob Forbes (wireless)

Television

For the first time, the race was carried in the United States on ABC Sports on a same-day tape delay basis. The race was held in the afternoon, and the broadcast aired in prime time later in the day.

The broadcast totaled two and a half hours, and came on-air at 8:30 p.m. (eastern). Among the notable appearances, was David Letterman, who served as a roving turn reporter. Letterman interviewed Mario Andretti after he dropped out of the race.

Chris Schenkel began what would be a decade-long tenure as host, while Jim McKay anchor the broadcast as play-by-play announcer.

The broadcast has re-aired numerous times on ESPN Classic since February 2002.

ABC Television
Booth Announcers	Pit/garage reporters
Host: Chris Schenkel Announcer: Jim McKay Color: Jackie Stewart	Chris Economaki Bill Flemming Keith Jackson David Letterman (turns)

See also

• 1971 USAC Championship Car season

Notes

Works cited

• 1971 Indianapolis 500 Press Information - Daily Trackside Summary
• Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats - Official Site
• 1971 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network

1970 Indianapolis 500 Al Unser

1971 Indianapolis 500 Al Unser

1972 Indianapolis 500 Mark Donohue