1979 Indianapolis 500
The 63rd 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday May 27, 1979. Second-year driver Rick Mears took the lead for the final time with 18 laps to go, and won his first of four Indianapolis 500 races. It was also Mears' first of a record six Indy 500 pole positions. Brothers Al and Bobby Unser combined to lead 174 of the 200 laps, but Al dropped out around the midpoint, and Bobby slipped to 5th place at the finish nursing mechanical issues. It was also Roger Penske's second Indy 500 victory as a car owner.
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | USAC | ||||
| Season | 1979 USAC 1979 CART | ||||
| Date | May 27, 1979 | ||||
| Winner | Rick Mears | ||||
| Winning team | Penske Racing | ||||
| Average speed | 158.899 mph (255.723 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | Rick Mears | ||||
| Pole speed | 193.736 mph (311.788 km/h) | ||||
| Fastest qualifier | Rick Mears | ||||
| Rookie of the Year | Howdy Holmes | ||||
| Most laps led | Bobby Unser (89) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Purdue Band | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Peter Marshall | ||||
| Starting command | Mary F. Hulman | ||||
| Pace car | Ford Mustang | ||||
| Pace car driver | Jackie Stewart | ||||
| Starter | Pat Vidan | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 350,000 | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | ABC | ||||
| Announcers | Host/Lap-by-lap: Jim McKay Color Analyst: Jackie Stewart | ||||
| Nielsen ratings | 13.5 / 24 | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
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The race was sanctioned by USAC, and was part of the 1979 USAC National Championship. However, many of the participants entered the race only as a one-off, and instead broke off and took part in the inaugural 1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series. It was the beginning of the first open-wheel "split".
The month of May 1979 was filled with controversy on and off the track. A court injunction was issued after USAC initially denied entries by some teams that were part of the CART series. During time trials, several cars were disqualified due to illegal wastegate exhaust pipes. Qualifying closed with the traditional 33 cars in the field. However, the day before the race a special qualifying session was held to allow certain entries a last chance to qualify. Two additional cars were added to the field, for a total of 35 cars (the most since 1933).
The high tensions and technical squabbles during the month attracted considerable negative criticism from sports writers and media. The race itself, however, was competitive and entertaining, and completed without major incident or controversy.
Among those in attendance was former president Gerald Ford. Ford also served as the grand marshal of the 500 Festival Parade. The 1979 race is also notable in that it was the first to utilize the "pack-up" rule during caution periods, eliminating the virtual safety car rules ("Electro-PACER") used from 1972 to 1978. The pace car, which started the race, would now lead the field under the yellow flag.