1967 Indianapolis 500

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51st Indianapolis 500
Indy500winningcar1967.JPG
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body USAC
Season 1967 USAC season
Date May 30–31, 1967
Winner A. J. Foyt
Average speed 151.207 mph (243 km/h)
Pole position Mario Andretti
Pole speed 168.982 mph (272 km/h)
Fastest qualifier Mario Andretti
Rookie of the Year Denny Hulme
Most laps led Parnelli Jones (171)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthem Purdue band
"Back Home Again in Indiana" Russell J. Wunderlich
Starting Command Tony Hulman
Pace car Chevrolet Camaro
Pace car driver Mauri Rose
Honorary starter none
Attendance 250,000
TV in the United States
Network ABC's Wide World of Sports
Announcers Jim McKay, Rodger Ward, Chris Economaki
Chronology
Previous Next
1966 1968

The 51st International 500 Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana over two days, Tuesday May 30 and Wednesday May 31, 1967. The race was dominated by Parnelli Jones in the radically new, four-wheel drive STP-Paxton Turbocar gas turbine entered by prolific car owner Andy Granatelli. With three laps to go, however, Jones coasted to a stop when a $6 transmission bearing failed. A. J. Foyt assumed the lead, and weaved his way through a pileup on the final lap, to win his third Indy 500 victory.

Foyt's victory was the first Indy 500 win for Goodyear tires since 1919. After leaving the sport in 1922, Goodyear returned to the sport 1964, and in 1967, snapped Firestone's record of 43 consecutive Indy 500 wins.

The race was scheduled for Tuesday May 30. The race started on time at 11:00 a.m. EST, but after only 18 laps, rain began to fall. The race was red-flagged, and the resumption was held at 10:00 a.m. the following day. Though temperatures on Wednesday were cool, skies were sunny, and the race was run to completion.

Race schedule

The annual 500 Victory Banquet was scheduled for Wednesday May 31. After the race was postponed for rain, the banquet was still held as scheduled, which was just hours after the checkered flag fell.

Race schedule — April/May, 1967
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
23
 		 24
 		 25
 		 26
 		 27
 		 28
 		 29
Practice
30
Practice		 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
Pole Day
14
Time Trials		 15
Practice		 16
Practice		 17
Practice		 18
Practice		 19
Practice		 20
Time Trials
21
Bump Day		 22
 		 23
 		 24
 		 25
 		 26
Carb Day		 27
 
28
 		 29
 		 30
Indy 500		 31
Indy 500
 
 
 
Color Notes
Green Practice
Dark Blue Time trials
Silver Race day
Red Rained out
Blank No track activity

Time trials

Pole day – Saturday May 13

Going into time trials, Mario Andretti was the favorite for the pole position. On the final day of practice, he turned the fastest practice lap in Indy history at over 168 mph. Among the others that were expected to challenge for the front row were Roger McCluskey, A. J. Foyt, and Gordon Johncock. Parnelli Jones, driving the new Granatelli STP-Paxton Turbocar gas turbine was in the top ten of practice speeds, but never on top, and some in the garage area were accusing the team of sandbagging.

The first car out to qualify was Ronnie Duman. At about 2:30 p.m., Joe Leonard took over the provisional pole position with a run of 166.098 mph, a new track record. About an hour and a half later, Dan Gurney took over the pole with another record run of 167.224 mph. Gurney's time on top was short-lived, however, as Mario Andretti was the next car to make an attempt. Andretti set new 1-lap and 4-lap track records to win the pole position for the second year in a row. His third lap (169.779 mph) stood as the single lap record, and his four-lap average wound up at 168.982 mph.

At the end of the day, the field was filled to 25 cars. Later in the day, Gordon Johncock (166.559 mph) squeezed himself on to the front row, qualifying third. A. J. Foyt suffered mechanical trouble on his first attempt, and pulled off the course. Later on, he returned to the track to qualify in fourth starting position. Parnelli Jones in the Granatelli Turbine qualified 6th. As was noted by many other teams at the time, Jones qualified with a race day set-up, while the piston-powered entries practiced and qualified with "qualifying setups," including light fuel loads, lightened transmission components, higher-revving gear ratios, a percentage of "pop," or nitromethane in the fuel, and so on. The STP crew had Jones qualify with a straight race-day setup, including the use of standard fuel (aircraft-grade kerosene, in this case).

Pos No. Name Speed
(mph)		 Notes
1 1 Mario Andretti 168.982  
2 74 Dan Gurney 167.224  
3 3 Gordon Johncock 166.559  
4 14 A. J. Foyt 166.289  
5 4 Joe Leonard 166.098  
6 40 Parnelli Jones 166.075  
7 25 Lloyd Ruby 165.229  
8 6 Bobby Unser 164.752  
9 5 Al Unser 164.594  
10 26 George Snider 164.256  
11 2 Jim McElreath 164.241  
12 39 Bobby Grim 164.084  
13 16 Art Pollard (R) 163.897  
14 15 Mel Kenyon 163.778  
15 53 Wally Dallenbach Sr. (R) 163.540  
16 31 Jim Clark 163.213  
17 98 Ronnie Duman 162.903  
18 19 Arnie Knepper 162.900  
19 45 Johnny Rutherford 162.859  
20 21 Cale Yarborough 162.830  
21 23 Larry Dickson 162.543  
— 78 Jerry Grant 162.352 Bumped by #81
— 43 Jackie Stewart 162.221 Bumped by #56
— 57 Bob Harkey 162.140 Bumped by #84
— 29 Bob Hurt (R) 161.261 Bumped by #23
— 27 Lucien Bianchi — Waved off
— 12 Roger McCluskey — Pulled off
— 14 A. J. Foyt — Pulled off
— 42 Richie Ginther (R) — Pulled off
— 82 Bob Christie — Pulled off
— 84 Bob Wente — Crash
— 41 Carl Williams — Waved off

Second day – Sunday May 14

The second day of time trials was rained out.

Pos No. Name Speed
(mph)		 Notes
— — — — Rained out

Third day – Saturday May 20

The field filled to 33 cars after 23 attempts were made. Six cars were bumped including Jackie Stewart. Roger McCluskey, who was not able to qualify on pole day, was the fastest car of the afternoon (165.563 mph).

Pos No. Name Speed
(mph)		 Notes
22 12 Roger McCluskey 165.563  
23 41 Carl Williams 163.696  
24 69 Denis Hulme 163.376  
25 10 Bud Tingelstad 163.228 Bumped #90
26 67 LeeRoy Yarbrough (R) 163.066 Bumped #23
27 8 Chuck Hulse 162.925  
28 46 Bob Veith 162.580  
— 27 Lucien Bianchi 162.484 Bumped by #42
— 56 Jim Hurtubise 162.411 Bumped #43; Bumped by #32
— 87 Jochen Rindt (R) 162.389 Bumped by #24
— 90 Pedro Rodriguez (R) 162.352 Bumped by #10
— 23 Ronnie Bucknum (R) 162.243 Bumped #29; Bumped by #67
— 84 Gary Congdon 161.783 Bumped #57; Bumped by #48
— 42 Richie Ginther (R) — Waved off
— 23 Ronnie Bucknum (R) — Waved off
— 56 Jim Hurtubise — Waved off
— 60 Mickey Shaw (R) — Waved off
— 71 Bobby Johns — Waved off
— 84 Gary Congdon — Waved off
— 47 Norm Brown (R) — Waved off
— 10 Bud Tingelstad — Pulled off
— 20 Masten Gregory — Waved off
— 24 Jackie Stewart — Waved off

Bump day – Sunday May 21

Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart successfully bumped their way into the field. Jim Hurtubise tried to qualify using a front-engined car, but he was too slow.

Pos No. Name Speed
(mph)		 Notes
29 24 Jackie Stewart 164.099 Bumped #87
30 42 Jerry Grant 163.808 Bumped #27
31 81 Graham Hill 163.317 Bumped #78
32 48 Jochen Rindt (R) 163.051 Bumped #84
33 32 Al Miller II 162.602 Bumped #56
— 11 Jim Hurtubise 161.936 Too Slow
— 17 Bobby Johns — Waved off
— 85 Bill Cheesbourg — Waved off

Race summary

Start (Tuesday)

The race started on Tuesday May 30 under threatening skies. At the start, polesitter Mario Andretti briefly took the lead into turn one. However, Jones swept to the outside from 6th starting position, and passed four cars in turn one. Exiting turn two, he dove below Andretti and took the lead down the backstretch. Jones ran the first lap at a record 154 mph, and started pulling out to a sizable lead.

On lap 3, Lee Roy Yarbrough spun in turn four, briefly bringing out the yellow. His car was not damaged, and he continued. After only a few laps, Mario Andretti pulled into the pits with mechanical troubles. The crew went to work on the car. On lap 18, rain began to fall, and the yellow light came on with Jones leading. On the 19th lap, the red flag came out and the race was halted at approximately 11:16 am. The rain continued most of the afternoon, and at about 4:15 p.m., officials postponed the conclusion until the next day. Scoring reverted to the completion of the 18th lap, and all cars were eligible for the resumption except Lloyd Ruby, who had already wheeled his car back to the garage with broken valves.

Restart (Wednesday)

Wednesday May 31 dawned cool but sunny and the race was resumed at 10:00 a.m. local time. George Snider fell ill overnight with a cold, and Lloyd Ruby, who had dropped out the day earlier, took over his car in relief for Wednesday. Two unscored warm-up laps were run behind the pace car, and the field of now 32 cars took the green flag to restart single-file. Jones continued where he left off and led on what was now the 19th lap.

First half

On lap 52, Lee Roy Yarbrough suffered his second spin in turn four in two days. This time he tangled with the leader Parnelli Jones. Jones went low to lap Yarbrough, but was pinched down on the apron and the two cars touched wheels. Both cars went spinning into the grass, but they were not damaged and both drivers drove away unscathed. Dan Gurney briefly took the lead after the incident, but gave it up after only two laps when he pitted.

The first half shaped up with Jones dominating in the Turbine, chased by Dan Gurney, A. J. Foyt, and Al Unser, Sr., among others. On the leader's 65th lap, Mario Andretti lost a wheel in the exit of turn one. He came a stop in turn two and was out of the race with only 59 laps completed.

On his first pit stop on lap 80, Parnelli Jones escaped possible disaster as he began to pull away before the fuel hose was disengaged. The hose jerked and caused a spill, but Jones pulled away without damage and without a fire breaking out. A. J. Foyt slipped by to take the lead. Four laps later Foyt handed the lead back to Jones when he himself pitted.

Several cars were involved in a quick succession of crashes around the midway point. Art Pollard spun in turn three, but continued. Moments later, Carl Williams spun in front of Bob Veith as they diced through traffic in turn three. Veith's car suffered major damage to the nose, but both drivers were able to continue. Under the same yellow light, Wally Dallenbach wrecked into the inside wall of the mainstretch. Moments later, Cale Yarborough spun out in the northchute. Approaching the scene, Lloyd Ruby (in George Snider's car) spun out with Lee Roy Yarbrough, and both cars went sliding to the infield grass in turn four. Ruby's car hit the inside fence and was out. Lee Roy Yarbrough, after his third spin of the race, was also out. Cale Yarborough, however, got back in his car and continued. About three laps later, Johnny Rutherford wrecked on his own in turn two.

Second half

Parnelli Jones continued to dominate the race, but gave up the lead to A. J. Foyt for laps 131-149. Dan Gurney, a contender in the first half, dropped out on lap 160.

Arnie Knepper (engine), Jackie Stewart (engine), Cale Yarborough and Mel Kenyon (crash), all drop out of the race. Jochen Rindt, who experienced a difficult month and a difficult race, dropped out with a broken valve. Rindt, apparently not impressed with the Speedway, said he was not interested in coming back, but he did return one additional time in 1968.

With about 7 laps left for the leaders, Gordon Johncock spun out, briefly bringing out the yellow. At this point, Parnelli Jones seemingly has the race wrapped up, holding nearly a full lap lead over second place A. J. Foyt. Third place Al Unser is more than two laps down. Shockingly, with only four laps to go, a $6 transmission bearing failed,[1] and the Turbine quietly coasted to a stop near the entrance to pit lane. The STP Granatelli team is in disbelief as they run to the car's aid.

A. J. Foyt drives by into first place with only four laps to go, but the drama is not yet over. On the final lap, Foyt is driving through turn four when a four car-crash breaks out at north end of the main straightaway. Foyt instinctively backed off, and with savvy driving, weaved his way through the wreckage. He avoids the spinning cars and debris, and takes the checkered flag for his third win at Indianapolis. Foyt's winning speed of 151.207 mph (243.344 km/h) is a new record. Al Unser is running second when the red and checkered flags are displayed.

Box score

Finish Start No Name Qual Rank Laps Status
1 4 14 United States A.J. Foyt (W) 166.289 4 200 Running
2 9 5 United States Al Unser 164.594 10 198 Flagged
3 5 4 United States Joe Leonard 166.098 5 197 Flagged
4 24 69 New Zealand Denis Hulme (R) 163.376 20 197 Flagged
5 11 2 United States Jim McElreath 164.241 12 197 Flagged
6 6 40 United States Parnelli Jones (W) 166.075 6 196 Bearing
7 27 8 United States Chuck Hulse 162.925 26 195 Crash FS
8 13 16 United States Art Pollard (R) 163.897 15 195 Flagged
9 8 6 United States Bobby Unser 164.752 9 193 Flagged
10 23 41 United States Carl Williams 163.696 18 189 Crash FS
11 28 46 United States Bob Veith 162.580 32 189 Flagged
12 3 3 United States Gordon Johncock 166.559 3 188 Spun T3
13 12 39 United States Bobby Grim 164.084 14 187 Crash FS
14 25 10 United States Bud Tingelstad 163.228 22 182 Spun FS
15 21 22 United States Larry Dickson 162.543 33 180 Spun FS
16 14 15 United States Mel Kenyon 163.778 17 177 Crash T3
17 20 21 United States Cale Yarborough 162.830 30 176 Crash T3
18 29 24 United Kingdom Jackie Stewart 164.099 13 168 Engine
19 22 12 United States Roger McCluskey 165.563 7 165 Engine
20 30 42 United States Jerry Grant 163.808 16 162 Piston
21 2 74 United States Dan Gurney 167.224 2 160 Piston
22 18 19 United States Arnie Knepper 162.900 28 158 Engine
23 17 98 United States Ronnie Duman 162.903 27 154 Fuel trouble
24 32 48 Austria Jochen Rindt (R) 163.051 25 108 Valve
25 19 45 United States Johnny Rutherford 162.859 29 103 Crash T2
26 10 26 United States George Snider (Tues.)
Relieved by Lloyd Ruby (Wed.)		 164.256 11 99 Crash NC
27 26 67 United States LeeRoy Yarbrough (R) 163.066 24 87 Crash NC
28 33 32 United States Al Miller II 162.602 31 74 Oil Cooler
29 15 53 United States Wally Dallenbach Sr. (R) 163.540 19 73 Crash FS
30 1 1 United States Mario Andretti 168.982 1 58 Lost wheel
31 16 31 United Kingdom Jim Clark (W) 163.213 23 35 Piston
32 31 81 United Kingdom Graham Hill (W) 163.317 21 23 Piston
33 7 25 United States Lloyd Ruby 165.229 8 3 Valves

Alternates

Failed to qualify

Race statistics

Tire participation chart
Supplier No. of starters
Goodyear 12* 
Firestone 21
* – Denotes race winner

Broadcasting

Radio

The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Sid Collins served as chief announcer for the 16th year. It was Collins' 20th year overall with the crew. Len Sutton served as "driver expert" for the second year. At the conclusion of the race, Lou Palmer reported from victory lane.

The entire on-air crew remained consistent from 1966. The broadcast reached over 900 affiliates including Armed Forces Network, the CBC, and shortwave to Vietnam. The broadcast had an estimated 100 million listeners worldwide. The original broadcast on Tuesday May 30 came on air at 10:30 a.m. local time and was scheduled for four and a half hours, including a 30-minute pre-race segment. When the race was red flagged for rain, the network signed off at 11:45 a.m., and returned for brief weather updates at 12:15 p.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 3:15 p.m., 3:45 p.m., and 4:15 p.m., at which time the race was officially postponed. During the rain delay on Tuesday, guests to the booth included J. C. Agajanian, Rory Calhoun, as well as Lorne Greene and Michael Landon, both from the TV series Bonanza. Greene and Landon had been grand marshals for the 500 Festival Parade.

On Wednesday May 31, the broadcast came on air at 9:45 a.m. local time, leading up to the 10:00 a.m. resumption. All of the announcers and reporters from Tuesday returned to their assignments for Wednesday. Booth guests on Wednesday included Pete DePaolo, Jim Murray, Tom Harmon, and 500 Festival queen Janice Cruze Bretz. During the post-race, Sid Collins was presented with a Resolution passed by the California State Legislature from State Senator George Deukmejian and Lt. Governor Bob Finch honoring Collins' twentieth year serving on the network.

For 1967, the flagship station changed from WIBC to WTHI in Terre Haute.

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 Marlowe (north)
Luke Walton (center)
Lou Palmer (south)

Television

The race was carried in the United States on ABC's Wide World of Sports. The broadcast aired on Saturday June 10. Jim McKay anchored the telecast for the first time, with analysts Rodger Ward and pit work from Chris Economaki. The opening featured a brief recap of time trials, followed by edited race coverage.

The broadcast has re-aired on ESPN Classic starting in May 2011.

The race was shown live on MCA closed-circuit television in various theaters across the United States. Charlie Brockman served as anchor.

ABC Television
Booth Announcers Pit/garage reporters

Announcer: Jim McKay
Color: Rodger Ward

 Chris Economaki

Topics

Tire participation chart
Supplier No. of starters
Goodyear 16*
Firestone 17 
* - Denotes race winner

Gallery

  • STP Turbine.jpg

    Gas turbine-'STP Oil Treatment Special'

Notes

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Works cited


1966 Indianapolis 500
Graham Hill		 1967 Indianapolis 500
A.J. Foyt		 1968 Indianapolis 500
Bobby Unser
Preceded by
150.686 mph
(1965 Indianapolis 500)
 Record for the fastest average speed
151.207 mph		 Succeeded by
152.882 mph
(1968 Indianapolis 500)
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