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1973 USAC Championship Car season

Sports season

Sports season

The 1973 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 16 races, beginning in College Station, Texas on April 7 and concluding in Avondale, Arizona on November 3. The first race of the season, in Avondale, Arizona on March 17, was postponed by rain and eventually cancelled due to infrastructure damage caused by the rain and scheduling conflicts. Bob Criss was killed in a private test at Phoenix before he could enter another event. He was 35 years old. The USAC National Champion was Roger McCluskey and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Gordon Johncock.

In this tragic season, two drivers were killed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Art Pollard died in an accident while practicing for the Indy 500 while Swede Savage, who crashed during the race, died by complications one month later. Another driver, Salt Walther, suffered serious burns surviving a crash at the start of the race. In response to those accidents, USAC revised the rules in time for the Pocono 500. The rear wing width was cut back from 64 inches to 55, fuel tank capacity was drastically reduced (from 75 gallons to 40) and the allowable fuel to be consumed in a 500-mile race was reduced from 375 gallons to 340.

Entrants

(partial list)

TeamChassisEngineDriversRounds
United States A.J. Foyt EnterprisesCoyoteFoytUS A.J. Foyt1-4, 6-8, 11-15
United States All American RacersEagleOffenhauserUS Wally Dallenbach4
EagleOffenhauserUS Bobby Unser1-8, 11-16
United States Bob FletcherEagleOffenhauserUS Lee Kunzman10-12, 14-16
United States Commander Racing TeamEagleOffenhauserUS Lloyd Ruby1, 4-8, 10-16
United States Andy GranatelliEagleOffenhauserUS Wally Dallenbach1-2, 5-9, 11-12, 14-16
United States GerhardtEagleOffenhauserUS Mike Hiss1-9, 11-15
United States Jerry O"Connell RacingEagleOffenhauserUS Bill Vukovich II1-9, 11-16
United States Leader Card RacingEagleOffenhauserUS Mike Mosley1-8, 10-16
United States Lindsey Hopkins RacingMcLarenOffenhauserUS Roger McCluskey1-9, 11-12, 14-16
EagleOffenhauserUS Lee Kunzman1-7
United Kingdom McLarenMcLarenOffenhauserUS Johnny Rutherford1-2, 4-8, 10-16
United States Patrick RacingEagleOffenhauserUS Gordon Johncock1-9, 11-12, 14-16
United States Team PenskeMcLarenOffenhauserUS Gary Bettenhausen1-8, 10-16
United States Vel's Parnelli Jones RacingParnelliOffenhauserUS Mario Andretti1-8, 10-16
ParnelliOffenhauserUS Al Unser1-8, 10-12, 14-16
ParnelliOffenhauserUS Joe Leonard1-9, 11-16

Schedule and results

All races running on Oval/Speedway.

RndDateRace nameTrackLocationPole positionWinning driver-12345678910111213141516
March 17 & 31Phoenix 150Phoenix International RacewayAvondale, ArizonaRace postponed twice; eventually cancelled
April 7Texas 200Texas World SpeedwayCollege Station, TexasUSA Bobby UnserUSA Al Unser
April 15Trentonian 300 Heat #1Trenton International SpeedwayTrenton, New JerseyUSA Gordon JohncockUSA A. J. Foyt
Trentonian 300 Heat #2USA A. J. FoytUSA Mario Andretti
May 28, 29 & 30[International 500 Mile Sweepstakes](1973-indianapolis-500)Indianapolis Motor SpeedwaySpeedway, IndianaUSA Johnny RutherfordUSA Gordon Johncock
June 10Rex Mays ClassicWisconsin State Fair Park SpeedwayWest Allis, WisconsinUSA Bobby UnserUSA Bobby Unser
July 1[Schaefer 500](1973-schaefer-500)Pocono International RacewayLong Pond, PennsylvaniaUSA Peter RevsonUSA A. J. Foyt
July 15Michigan 200Michigan International SpeedwayBrooklyn, MichiganUSA Bobby UnserUSA Roger McCluskey
August 12Tony Bettenhausen 200Wisconsin State Fair Park SpeedwayWest Allis, WisconsinUSA Wally Dallenbach Sr.USA Wally Dallenbach Sr.
August 26California 500 Qualification Heat 1Ontario Motor SpeedwayOntario, CaliforniaUSA Gordon JohncockUSA Wally Dallenbach Sr.
California 500 Qualification Heat 2USA Johnny RutherfordUSA Johnny Rutherford
September 2[California 500](1973-california-500)USA Peter RevsonUSA Wally Dallenbach Sr.
September 16Michigan Twin 125s #1Michigan International SpeedwayBrooklyn, MichiganUSA Gordon JohncockUSA Bill Vukovich II
Michigan Twin 125s #2USA Gary BettenhausenUSA Johnny Rutherford
September 23Trenton 200Trenton International SpeedwayTrenton, New JerseyUSA Gordon JohncockUSA Gordon Johncock
October 6Texas 200Texas World SpeedwayCollege Station, TexasUSA Mario AndrettiUSA Gary Bettenhausen
November 3Arizona 150Phoenix International RacewayAvondale, ArizonaUSA Gordon JohncockUSA Gordon Johncock

: Postponed due to infrastructure damage, and again on March 28 due to continued flooding. Eventually cancelled due to scheduling conflicts. : Scheduled for 500 miles, stopped early due to rain. See 1973 Indy 500

Final points standings

Note: Sam Posey, Peter Revson, Mark Donohue, David Hobbs, Jerry Grant, John Cannon, Graham McRae and Bobby Allison are not eligible for points. The Rookie of the Year was not awarded, because every rookie was not eligible for points.

PosDriverTWSTRE[INDY](1973-indianapolis-500)MILPOCMISMILONTMISTRETWSPHXPts200150500150500200200Q-H1Q-H25001252002001501370522620325954244052400623457224082093916101015801112601211081310801410501510181694017870188451965020440214082239023375243302516026133271202873295030403130322933253420-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0PosDriverTWS1
200TRE1
150TRE2
150[INDY](1973-indianapolis-500)
500MIL1
150POC
500MIS1
200MIL2
200ONT
Q-H1ONT
Q-H2ONT
500MIS2
125MIS3
125TRE3
200TWS2
200PHX
150Pts
USA Roger McCluskey7863221624413184
USA Wally Dallenbach Sr.DNQDNQ244296**1**1123362
USA Johnny Rutherford415**9**55218**1**313142Wth
USA Bill Vukovich II1532222243312241156203
USA Mario Andretti25413087519122527**17**7
USA Mike Mosley398102441025318142320
USA Gordon Johncock23**2**2111814917**5**32**16****1**7**1**
USA Gary Bettenhausen2617532724202192**8**2416
USA Lloyd RubyDNQ272134DNQ828648411
USA A. J. Foyt111**11**25113251013142010
USA Lee Kunzman8119762012313201035
USA Bobby Unser**20**191513**1**10**20**DNQ7101621518
USA Al Unser1732093322264921251619
USA Mike Hiss22141317106255327932111
USA Joe Leonard5135187823792112791915
USA Mel Kenyon1212104188916DNQ9
USA John Martin813287135
USA Steve KrisiloffDNS186162218216127611821
USA Jim McElreath2311114620516
USA Dick Simon610714171217221122DNS23218
USA Jimmy Caruthers21162112161984158922DNS9
USA Johnny ParsonsDNQ30141392511515522
USA Bentley Warren2116DNQDNQ1678DNQ122210
USA Swede Savage135422
USA Tom BigelowDNQ143215711
USA Lee Brayton101712DNQ15DNQ1510161217
USA Sam Sessions9DNQ28131123DNQ
USA John HubbardDNQ19DNQ101412
USA John MahlerWth826
USA Jerry Karl2623261118DNQ
USA Tom Sneva26DNQDNQDNQ211410171914
USA George Snider12251412
USA Larry CannonDNQDNQ16111714
USA Jigger SiroisDNQWth12DNS13DNQ
USA Sam PoseyDNQ9116
CAN John Cannon1030
GBR David Hobbs113113DNQ
USA Bob Harkey2915DNQ13
CAN Eldon RasmussenDNQDNQ13
USA Larry McCoy142014DNQDNQDNQ2615222624
USA Bill SimpsonDNQ14DNQ26
USA Mark Donohue1517DNQ29
USA Al LoquastoDNQDNQDNQ1624DNQ1918
USA Salt Walther162233
NZL Graham McRae16DNQ
USA Dee Jones172419Wth
USA Rick Muther18DNQ19DNQDNQ25
USA Crockey Peterson231820
USA Jerry Grant1933
USA Art Pollard19DNQWth
USA Joe TetzDNQ20
USA Peter Revson31**21****23**
USA Jim HurtubiseDNQ23DNQ
USA Larry Dickson24Wth
USA Bobby Allison32
USA Gig StephensDNS
USA Billy ShumanDNQ
USA Arnie KnepperDNQ
USA Bill PuterbaughDNQ
USA Greg WeldDNQ
USA Dan MurphyDNQ
USA Benny RappDNQ
ColorResult
GoldWinner
Silver2nd place
Bronze3rd place
Green4th & 5th place
Light Blue6th-10th place
Dark BlueFinished
(Outside Top 10)
PurpleDid not finish
(Ret)
RedDid not qualify
(DNQ)
BrownWithdrawn
(Wth)
BlackDisqualified
(DSQ)
WhiteDid not start
(DNS)
BlankDid not
participate
(DNP)
Not competing

|- |

Rookie

|} |}

References

  • http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf (p. 225-227)
  • http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/CrissBob.htm
  • https://www.champcarstats.com/year/1973.htm Retrieved August 9, 2025
  • https://www.oldracingcars.com/indy/1973/ Retrieved August 9, 2025
Info: Wikipedia Source

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