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1972 USAC Championship Car season

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1972 USAC Championship Car season
USAC National Championship Trail
Season
Races10
Start dateMarch 18
End dateNovember 4
Awards
National championUnited States Joe Leonard
Indianapolis 500 winnerUnited States Mark Donohue
← 1971
1973 →

The 1972 USAC Championship Car season consisted of ten races, beginning in Avondale, Arizona on March 18 and concluding at the same location on November 4. The USAC National Champion was Joe Leonard and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Mark Donohue. Jim Malloy was killed at Indianapolis in practice; he was 40 years old.

After sponsoring the USAC Championship Trail in 1970–1971, Marlboro dropped out of the sport for 1972. After only two seasons as title sponsor, the company became angered when rival Viceroy was signed on to sponsor Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing, at the time dubbed the "super team" of the series. Without any exclusivity clause, managers at Marlboro deemed the situation "impractical and untenable,"[1] and abruptly quit. Marlboro would not return to Indy car racing until 1986.

Schedule and results

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All races running on Oval/Speedway.

Rnd Date Race Name Track Location Pole Position Winning Driver
1 March 18 Jimmy Bryan 150 Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona United States Bobby Unser United States Bobby Unser
2 April 23 Trentonian 200 Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey United States Bobby Unser United States Gary Bettenhausen
3 May 27 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana United States Bobby Unser United States Mark Donohue
4 June 4 Rex Mays Classic Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin United States Bobby Unser United States Bobby Unser
5 July 16 Michigan 200 Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan United States Bobby Unser United States Joe Leonard
6 July 29A Schaefer 500 Pocono International Raceway Long Pond, Pennsylvania United States Bobby Unser United States Joe Leonard
7 August 13 Tony Bettenhausen 200 Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin United States Mario Andretti United States Joe Leonard
8 September 3 California 500 Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario, California United States Jerry Grant United States Roger McCluskey
9 September 24 Trenton 300 Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey United States Bobby Unser United States Bobby Unser
10 November 4 Best Western 150 Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona United States Mark Donohue United States Bobby Unser
^A Originally scheduled for July 2, postponed because of rain.

In the fall of 1971, a tentative schedule held the possibility of returning road courses to the championship schedule. Races at Colorado, Brainerd, Bridgehampton, Road Atlanta, Mosport, as well as a return to Rafaela, Argentina, and a new "Florida 500" at the proposed "Florida International Raceway", were all part of an early press release.[2] However, all road courses were ultimately left off, the Argentina race was discontinued, and the Florida race course was never built.

Final points standings

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Note: Peter Revson is not eligible for points.

Pos Driver PHX
TRE
INDY
MIL
MIC
POC
MIL
ONT
TRE
PHX
Pts
1 United States Joe Leonard 5 4 3 5 1 1 1 15 3 DNQ 3460
2 United States Bill Vukovich II 20 18 28 4 11 4 2 3 4 15 2200
3 United States Roger McCluskey 7 2 24 7 8 11 19 1 8 6 1970
4 United States Al Unser 6 20 2 19 15 3 15 31 23 4 1800
5 United States Mark Donohue 17 19 1 2 2 16 1720
6 United States Mike Hiss  RY  10 7 7 13 26 6 2 14 DNQ 1665
7 United States Johnny Rutherford 13 Wth 27 21 16 2 3 10 6 5 1620
8 United States Bobby Unser 1 17 30 1 14 20 Wth 24 1 1 1500
9 United States Sam Sessions 4 4 15 4 1440
10 United States Mike Mosley 3 13 26 DNQ 5 5 2 1250
11 United States Mario Andretti 2 22 8 8 12 7 11 27 28 3 1135
12 United States Gary Bettenhausen 4 1 14 3 24 19 DNQ 790
13 United States Wally Dallenbach Sr. 9 6 15 DNQ 2 14 DNQ 21 7 24 720
14 United States Salt Walther 11 33 DNQ 8 6 27 690
15 United States Lee Kunzman 22 17 18 5 9 4 26 12 23 670
16 United States George Snider 16 DNQ 11 23 6 21 18 8 10 10 517
17 United States Sam Posey 5 5 19 500
18 United States Lloyd Ruby 21 6 22 26 DNQ 17 18 7 490
19 United States Mel Kenyon 23 10 18 15 3 13 16 28 11 9 460
20 United States Art Pollard 14 Wth 7 9 11 450
21 United States Jimmy Caruthers 9 12 22 10 12 415
22 United States Gordon Johncock 3 20 9 22 22 13 20 360
23 United States Rick Muther DNQ 24 20 12 5 15 22 250
24 United States Jim Malloy 15 5 Wth 200
25 United States Swede Savage 19 16 32 6 17 23 9 20 19 19 200
26 United States Dick Simon 18 14 13 9 7 16 12 16 14 200
27 United States Bill Simpson 24 DNQ 13 24 24 9 17 200
28 United States Johnny Parsons 6 22 17 DNS 160
29 United States Cale Yarborough 10 DNQ 150
30 United States John Mahler 8 22 11 27 25 18 130
31 United States Jerry Grant 12 20 33 21 8 125
32 United States Tom Bigelow Wth 21 DNQ 7 13 120
33 United States Steve Krisiloff 12 21 18 32 14 11 15 18 120
34 United States John Hubbard  R  8 100
35 United States Al Loquasto 9 DNQ DNQ DNQ 80
36 United States A. J. Foyt 8 25 30 22 21 75
37 United States Bentley Warren DNQ DNQ 14 18 10 26 20 60
38 United States Lee Brayton  R  DNQ 10 DNQ 17 DNQ 60
39 United States Jim McElreath DNQ DNQ 10 DNQ DNS 45
40 Canada George Eaton 11 30
41 United States Jim Hurtubise 12 21 23 DNQ 23 DNQ 15
42 United States Greg Weld 33 DNQ 12 6
- United States John Martin 16 17 17 20 32 13 0
- United States Dee Jones 13 0
- United States Carl Williams 29 16 30 14 0
- United States Joe Tetz  R  15 23 0
- United States Larry McCoy  R  DNQ 19 21 24 0
- United States Denny Zimmerman 19 25 25 0
- United States Peter Revson 31 31 23 0
- United States Gig Stephens 23 0
- United States Merle Bettenhausen DNQ 25 0
- United States Arnie Knepper DNQ 25 0
- United States Jerry Karl DNQ 28 29 0
- United States Bob Harkey DNQ 29 0
- United States George Follmer DNS 0
- United States Larry Dickson DNQ DNQ 0
- United Kingdom David Hobbs DNQ 0
- Canada Eldon Rasmussen DNQ 0
- United States Bruce Walkup DNQ 0
- United States Jigger Sirois DNQ 0
- United States Bill Puterbaugh Wth 0
- United States Bud Tingelstad Wth 0
Pos Driver PHX
TRE
INDY
MIL
MIC
POC
MIL
ONT
TRE
PHX
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
(Ret)
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

References

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  1. ^ "Marlboro Bowing Out As Auto Racing Angel". The Indianapolis Star. December 17, 1971. p. 54. Retrieved January 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  2. ^ "USAC Lines Up 17-Event Slate". The Indianapolis Star. September 15, 1971. p. 37. Retrieved January 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon

See also

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