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1977 USAC Championship Car season

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1977 USAC Championship Car season
USAC National Championship Trail
Season
Races14
Start dateMarch 6
End dateOctober 29
Awards
National championUnited States Tom Sneva
Indianapolis 500 winnerUnited States A. J. Foyt
← 1976
1978 →

The 1977 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 14 races, beginning in Ontario, California on March 6 and concluding in Avondale, Arizona on October 29. The USAC National Champion was Tom Sneva and the Indianapolis 500 winner was A. J. Foyt. The schedule included a road course for the first time since 1970.

Schedule and results

[edit]
Rnd Date Race Name Track Location Pole Position Winning Driver
1 March 6 Datsun Twin 200s  O  Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario, California United States Johnny Rutherford United States A. J. Foyt
2 March 27 Jimmy Bryan 150  O  Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona United States Johnny Rutherford United States Johnny Rutherford
3 April 2 Texas Grand Prix  O  Texas World Speedway College Station, Texas United States Johnny Rutherford United States Tom Sneva
4 April 30 Trenton 200  O  Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey United States Johnny Rutherford United States Wally Dallenbach Sr.
5 May 29 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes  O  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana United States Tom Sneva United States A. J. Foyt
6 June 12 Rex Mays Classic 150  O  Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin United States Bobby Unser United States Johnny Rutherford
7 June 26 Schaefer 500  O  Pocono International Raceway Long Pond, Pennsylvania United States A. J. Foyt United States Tom Sneva
8 July 3 Molson Diamond Indy  R  Mosport Park Bowmanville, Ontario United States Al Unser United States A. J. Foyt
9 July 17 Norton 200  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan United States Tom Sneva United States Danny Ongais
10 July 31 American Parts 200  O  Texas World Speedway College Station, Texas United States Danny Ongais United States Johnny Rutherford
11 August 21 Tony Bettenhausen 200  O  Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin United States Danny Ongais United States Johnny Rutherford
12 September 4 California 500  O  Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario, California United States Johnny Rutherford United States Al Unser
13 September 17 Michigan Grand Prix  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan United States Danny Ongais United States Gordon Johncock
- September 24 Machinists Union 150  O  Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Race postponed due to rain; eventually cancelled
14 October 29 Bobby Ball 150  O  Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona United States Bobby Unser United States Gordon Johncock
O Oval/Speedway
R Road Course
  • The Machinist Union 150, scheduled for September 24, was first postponed due to rain, and was eventually cancelled on October 3.[1][2]

Final points standings

[edit]
Pos Driver ONT1
PHX1
TXS1
TRE1
INDY
MIL1
POC
MOS
MIC1
TXS2
MIL2
ONT2
MIC2
TRE2
PHX2
Pts
1 United States Tom Sneva 14 16 1 10 2 2 1 3 4 5 18 3 10 C 17 3965
2 United States Al Unser 2 9 2 3 3 25 17 16 21 15 1 4 C 2 3030
3 United States Johnny Rutherford 25 1 4 8 33 1 5 9 3 1 1 24 2 C 22 2840
4 United States A. J. Foyt 1 2 14 1 15 1 Wth 19 2 C 2840
5 United States Gordon Johncock 5 12 9 2 11 12 3 18 2 2 10 11 1 C 1 2830
6 United States Wally Dallenbach Sr. 18 10 3 1 4 15 4 16 8 17 3 20 3 C 6 2635
7 United States Mario Andretti DNQ 16 26 2 4 20 C 4 1580
8 United States Pancho Carter 3 20 11 9 15 5 20 10 3 2 14 3 1420
9 United States Tom Bigelow 4 4 12 15 6 7 29 8 11 10 4 28 15 C 19 1370
10 United States Mike Mosley 16 6 5 3 19 4 8 Wth 16 18 C DNQ 1030
11 United States Roger McCluskey 22 3 17 5 8 19 26 11 20 DNQ 20 22 7 C 5 940
12 United States Danny Ongais  RY  7 5 13 20 17 23 15 1 13 21 8 17 C 12 935
13 United States Bobby Olivero 25 6 32 9 6 5 9 C 21 920
14 United States Gary Bettenhausen 10 11 11 16 20 7 2 17 8 17 C 14 850
15 United States Johnny Parsons DNQ DNP 5 DNQ 11 18 4 13 29 14 C 20 840
16 United States Larry Dickson 13 DNQ 18 DNQ 13 5 8 12 7 6 C 18 740
17 United States Lee Kunzman 7 DNP 6 DNQ 22 15 16 DNQ 700
18 United States Todd Gibson 11 13 6 6 DNQ 14 DNQ 4 15 DNQ DNQ 600
19 United States Rick Mears 24 DNQ 15 DNQ 30 6 7 5 26 8 C 555
20 United States Spike Gehlhausen 26 14 8 12 DNQ 9 DNQ 10 9 12 7 13 13 C 7 550
21 United States Jim McElreath 23 24 12 6 9 5 530
22 Australia Vern Schuppan 8 8 16 17 DNQ 21 19 6 475
23 United States Salt Walther 23 18 4 DNQ 18 12 6 DNP 25 DNQ C 13 450
24 United States Dick Simon 6 7 31 13 16 19 14 9 33 C 11 360
25 United States Steve Krisiloff 21 9 DNP 22 14 7 DNQ 19 27 320
26 United States James McElreath  R  DNQ 7 7 DNQ 31 DNQ DNQ 23 19 C 240
27 United States Bill Vukovich II 20 19 13 17 9 12 14 31 220
28 United States Joe Saldana  R  DNQ 11 10 Wth 18 11 DNQ 22 C 220
29 United States Jerry Grant Wth 13 5 DNQ DNQ 16 200
30 Canada Ed Crombie 10 7 DNQ 14 DNS 165
31 United States Jerry Sneva 10 DNP 18 DNQ DNQ 22 DNQ DNQ C 150
32 United States John Martin DNQ 10 150
33 United States Larry Cannon DNP DNQ 12 12 C 9 125
34 United States Bill Simpson 9 22 Wth 80
35 United States Bobby Unser 15 17 DNP Wth 18 16 19 21 15 17 30 8 75
36 United States Clark Templeman  R  8 75
37 United States Al Loquasto 19 21 DNP Wth 28 28 11 19 11 C 16 70
38 United States Gary Irvin  R  10 14 DNQ 60
39 United States Bill Puterbaugh 12 50
40 United States George Snider 24 33 DNQ 20 32 21 C 10 45
41 Canada Cliff Hucul  R  12 15 19 22 DNP DNQ 20
- United States Phil Threshie  R  13 16 DNQ 0
- Canada Eldon Rasmussen 13 21 0
- United States John Mahler 14 14 DNQ 0
- United States Tom Gloy  R  15 0
- United States Lloyd Ruby 17 27 DNP 0
- United States Bubby Jones 21 DNQ C DNQ 0
- United States Bob Harkey DNQ 22 DNQ 0
- United States Chuck Gurney 27 DNQ 0
- United States Sheldon Kinser 32 0
- Australia Alan Jones DNS 0
- United States Larry McCoy DNQ Wth 0
- United States Tommy Hunt DNS 0
- United States Ed Finley C DNQ 0
- United States Jerry Karl DNQ DNQ 0
- Sweden Bertil Roos DNQ C DNQ 0
- United States Jim Hurtubise DNQ 0
- United States Mel Kenyon DNQ 0
- Belgium Teddy Pilette DNQ 0
- United States Tom Frantz Wth 0
- United States Jack Owens C 0
Ineligible for USAC championship points
- United States Janet Guthrie DNQ 29 17 18 C 0
- Switzerland Clay Regazzoni  R  30 0
Pos Driver ONT1
PHX1
TXS1
TRE1
INDY
MIL1
POC
MOS
MIC1
TXS2
MIL2
ONT2
MIC2
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
 RY  Rookie of the Year
 R  Rookie

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Trenton Race Canceled". The New York Times. October 4, 1977. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  2. ^ "Trenton 200". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved August 2, 2019.