1972 USAC Championship Car season

1972 USAC Championship Car season
USAC National Championship Trail
Season
Races	10
Start date	March 18
End date	November 4
Awards
National champion	Joe Leonard
Indianapolis 500 winner	Mark Donohue
Chronology
Previous season	Next season
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.

Schedule and results

All races running on Oval/Speedway.

Rnd	Date	Race Name	Length	Track	Location	Pole Position	Winning Driver
1	March 18	Jimmy Bryan 150	150 mi (240 km)	Phoenix International Raceway	Avondale, Arizona	Bobby Unser	Bobby Unser
2	April 23	Trentonian 200	201 mi (323 km)	Trenton International Speedway	Trenton, New Jersey	Bobby Unser	Gary Bettenhausen
3	May 27	International 500 Mile Sweepstakes	500 mi (800 km)	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana	Bobby Unser	Mark Donohue
4	June 4	Rex Mays Classic	150 mi (240 km)	Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway	West Allis, Wisconsin	Bobby Unser	Bobby Unser
5	July 16	Michigan 200	200 mi (320 km)	Michigan International Speedway	Brooklyn, Michigan	Bobby Unser	Joe Leonard
6	July 29	Schaefer 500	500 mi (800 km)	Pocono International Raceway	Long Pond, Pennsylvania	Bobby Unser	Joe Leonard
7	August 13	Tony Bettenhausen 200	200 mi (320 km)	Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway	West Allis, Wisconsin	Mario Andretti	Joe Leonard
8	September 3	California 500	500 mi (800 km)	Ontario Motor Speedway	Ontario, California	Jerry Grant	Roger McCluskey
9	September 24	Trenton 300	300 mi (480 km)	Trenton International Speedway	Trenton, New Jersey	Bobby Unser	Bobby Unser
10	November 4	Best Western 150	150 mi (240 km)	Phoenix International Raceway	Avondale, Arizona	Mark Donohue	Bobby Unser

Final points standings

Pos Driver PHX1 TRE1 INDY MIL1 MIC POC MIL2 ONT TRE2 PHX2 Pts 1 Joe Leonard 5 4 3 5 1 1 1 15 3 DNQ 3460 2 Bill Vukovich, Jr. 20 18 28 4 11 4 2 3 4 15 2200 3 Roger McCluskey 7 2 24 7 8 11 19 1 8 6 1970 4 Al Unser 6 20 2 19 15 3 15 31 23 4 1800 5 Mark Donohue 17 19 1 2 2 16 1720 6 Mike Hiss 10 7 7 13 26 6 2 14 DNQ 1665 7 Johnny Rutherford 13 DNQ 27 21 16 2 3 10 6 5 1620 8 Bobby Unser 1 17 30 1 14 20 Wth 24 1 1 1500 9 Sam Sessions 4 4 15 4 1440 10 Mike Mosley 3 13 26 DNQ 5 5 2 1250 11 Mario Andretti 2 22 8 8 12 7 11 27 28 3 1135 12 Gary Bettenhausen 4 1 14 3 24 19 DNQ 790 13 Wally Dallenbach 9 6 15 DNQ 2 14 DNQ 21 7 24 720 14 Salt Walther 11 33 DNQ 8 6 27 690 15 Lee Kunzman 22 17 18 5 9 4 26 12 23 670 16 George Snider 16 DNQ 11 23 6 21 18 8 10 10 517 17 Sam Posey 5 5 19 500 18 Lloyd Ruby 21 6 22 26 DNQ 17 18 7 490 19 Mel Kenyon 23 10 18 15 3 13 16 28 11 9 460 20 Art Pollard 14 DNQ 7 9 11 450 21 Jimmy Caruthers 9 12 22 10 12 415 22 Gordon Johncock 3 20 9 22 22 13 20 360 23 Rick Muther DNQ 24 20 12 5 15 22 250 24 Jim Malloy 15 5 DNQ 200 25 Swede Savage 19 16 32 6 17 23 9 20 19 19 200 26 Dick Simon 18 14 13 9 7 16 12 DNP 16 14 200 27 Bill Simpson 24 DNQ 13 24 24 9 17 200 28 Johnny Parsons, Jr. 6 22 17 DNS 160 29 Cale Yarborough 10 DNQ 150 30 John Mahler 8 22 11 27 25 18 130 31 Jerry Grant 12 20 33 21 8 125 32 Tom Bigelow DNQ 21 DNQ 7 DNP 13 120 33 Steve Krisiloff 12 21 18 32 14 11 15 18 120 34 John Hubbard 8 100 35 Al Loquasto 9 DNQ DNQ DNQ 80 36 A. J. Foyt 8 25 Wth 30 22 21 75 37 Bentley Warren DNQ DNQ 14 18 10 26 20 60 38 Lee Brayton DNQ 10 DNQ 17 DNQ 60 39 Jim McElreath DNQ DNQ 10 DNQ DNS 45 40 George Eaton 11 DNQ 30 41 Jim Hurtubise 12 21 23 DNQ 23 DNQ 15 42 Greg Weld 33 DNQ 12 6 - John Martin 16 17 17 20 32 13 0 - Dee Jones 13 0 - Carl Williams 29 16 30 14 0 - Joe Tetz 15 23 0 - Larry McCoy DNQ 19 21 24 0 - Denny Zimmerman 19 25 25 0 - Peter Revson 31 31 23 0 - Gig Stephens 23 0 - Merle Bettenhausen DNQ 25 0 - Arnie Knepper DNQ 25 0 - Jerry Karl DNQ 28 29 0 - Bob Harkey DNQ 29 0 - George Follmer DNS 0 - Larry Dickson DNQ DNQ 0 - David Hobbs DNP DNQ 0 - Eldon Rasmussen DNQ DNP 0 - Bill Puterbaugh DNQ 0 - Jigger Sirois DNQ 0 - Bud Tingelstad DNQ 0 - Bruce Walkup DNQ 0 - Parnelli Jones DNP 0 - Don Brown DNP 0 - Dennis Ott DNP 0 - Tom Sneva DNP 0 - Ned Spath DNP 0 Pos Driver PHX1 TRE1 INDY MIL1 MIC POC MIL2 ONT TRE2 PHX2 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 Rookie of the Year Rookie

Note: Peter Revson not eligible for points.

References

• http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf (p. 228-229)

See also

• 1972 Indianapolis 500