Wikipedia

1967 Indianapolis 500

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.

51st Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning bodyUSAC
Season1967 USAC season
DateMay 30–31, 1967
WinnerA. J. Foyt
Average speed151.207 mph (243 km/h)
Pole positionMario Andretti
Pole speed168.982 mph (272 km/h)
Fastest qualifierMario Andretti
Rookie of the YearDenny Hulme
Most laps ledParnelli Jones (171)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthemPurdue band
"Back Home Again in Indiana"Russell J. Wunderlich
Starting commandTony Hulman
Pace carChevrolet Camaro
Pace car driverMauri Rose
StarterPat Vidan[1]
Estimated attendance250,000 (Wed.)[2]
175,000 (Thu.)[3]
TV in the United States
NetworkABC's Wide World of Sports
AnnouncersJim McKay, Rodger Ward, Chris Economaki
Chronology
Previous Next
1966 1968

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 in 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

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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
Parade 		29
Meeting 		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

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Pole day – Saturday May 13

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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

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The second day of time trials was rained out.

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

Third day – Saturday May 20

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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

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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 162.602 Bumped #56
— 11 Jim Hurtubise 161.936 Too Slow
— 17 Bobby Johns — Waved off
— 85 Bill Cheesbourg — Waved off

Starting grid

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Row Inside Middle Outside
1 1   Mario Andretti 74   Dan Gurney 3   Gordon Johncock
2 14   A. J. Foyt  W  4   Joe Leonard 40   Parnelli Jones  W 
3 25   Lloyd Ruby 6   Bobby Unser 5   Al Unser
4 26   George Snider 2   Jim McElreath 39   Bobby Grim
5 16   Art Pollard  R  15   Mel Kenyon 53   Wally Dallenbach Sr.  R 
6 31   Jim Clark  W  98   Ronnie Duman 19   Arnie Knepper
7 45   Johnny Rutherford 21   Cale Yarborough 22   Larry Dickson
8 12   Roger McCluskey 41   Carl Williams 69   Denny Hulme  R 
9 10   Bud Tingelstad 67   Lee Roy Yarbrough  R  8   Chuck Hulse
10 46   Bob Veith 24   Jackie Stewart 42   Jerry Grant
11 81   Graham Hill  W  48   Jochen Rindt  R  32   Al Miller
R Indianapolis 500 rookie
W Indianapolis 500 winner

Alternates

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Failed to qualify

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Race summary

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Start (Tuesday)

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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, LeeRoy 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)

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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

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On lap 52, LeeRoy 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 north chute. Approaching the scene, Lloyd Ruby (in George Snider's car) spun out with LeeRoy Yarbrough, and both cars went sliding to the infield grass in turn four. Ruby's car hit the inside fence and was out. LeeRoy 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

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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 dropped 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 had the race wrapped up, holding nearly a full lap lead over second place A. J. Foyt. Third place Al Unser was more than two laps down. Shockingly, with only four laps to go, a $6 transmission bearing failed,[6] and the Turbine quietly coasted to a stop near the entrance to pit lane. The STP Granatelli team was in disbelief as they ran to the car's aid.

A. J. Foyt drove by into first place with only four laps to go, but the drama was not yet over. On the final lap, Foyt was driving through turn four when a four-car crash broke out at the north end of the main straightaway. Foyt had a premonition of trouble (he later suggested that he had subconsciously noticed the crowd looking down the straightaway instead of at him) and backed off, and with savvy driving, weaved his way through the wreckage. He avoided the spinning cars and debris and took the checkered flag for his third win at Indianapolis. Foyt's winning speed of 151.207 mph (243.344 km/h) was a new record. The red and checkered flags immediately halted the race. Al Unser finished in second place for the first of three times in his career.

Box score

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

Note: George Snider completed laps 1–16 on Tuesday, but fell ill and was relieved by Lloyd Ruby on Wednesday for laps 17–99[7]

 W  Former Indianapolis 500 winner

 R  Indianapolis 500 Rookie

Race statistics

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Tire participation chart[8][9]
Supplier No. of starters
Goodyear 16* 
Firestone 17
* – Denotes race winner

Broadcasting

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Radio

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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. After dropping out of the race with mechanical problems on lap 108, Jochen Rindt was interviewed by pit reporter Luke Walton. When asked what he thought of the "500", Rindt famously replied "not much". Walton followed up, asked if he planning to return. He flatly said "no".[10]

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

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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 approximately 150-175 theaters and venues across the United States. Charlie Brockman served as anchor. The feed was transmitted internationally to Europe utilizing the "Early Bird" satellite, and to Japan using the "Lani Bird" satellite.[11] Due to the rain delay, coverage was not available to international viewers on Wednesday. Viewers at U.S. venues were able to watch the second day of coverage with rain checks.[12]

ABC Television
Booth Announcers Pit/garage reporters

Announcer: Jim McKay
Color: Rodger Ward

 Chris Economaki

Topics

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NOTE: The revolutionary #40 STP Turbine in the photo taken in the Speedway Museum is actually a replica built from the blueprints (as is the replica of Parnelli Jones' 1963 #98 Indy 500-winning car): The actual #40 is in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1967 Indianapolis 500.

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ Fox, Jack C. (1994). The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 (4th ed.). Carl Hungness Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 0-915088-05-3.
  2. ^ Overpeck, Dave (May 31, 1967). "Only Ruby's Car Dropped Out As Rain Forces 18th Lap Halt". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
  3. ^ Overpeck, Dave (June 1, 1967). "Broken Gearbox Stops Parnelli On 197th Lap". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
  4. ^ The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004
  5. ^ "1967 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes". ChampCarStats.com. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  6. ^ "More Indy Hearbreaks". Autoweek. 62 (11): 82. May 28, 2012. ISSN 0192-9674.
  7. ^ "International 500 Mile Sweepstakes – May 30, 1967". ChampCarStats.com.
  8. ^ "Race Score Card". The Indianapolis Star. May 30, 1967. p. 1. Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. 
  9. ^ Mannweiler, Lyle (May 29, 1967). "Grand Prix Stars Have Trouble Making 500". Indianapolis News. p. 18. Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. 
  10. ^ "Jake and Mike Talk About Dave MacDonald, Indy 500 Year Books and more!". Beyond the Bricks with Jake Query & Mike Thomsen. May 22, 2024. WFNI.
  11. ^ Inman, Julia (May 10, 1967). "MCA Will Use New Lani Bird To Bean '500' Race To Japan". The Indianapolis Star. p. 23. Retrieved March 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. 
  12. ^ Quinn, Michael J. (May 31, 1967). "Foreign TV Viewers To Miss Remainder Of '500' Race Today". The Indianapolis Star. p. 11. Retrieved March 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. 

Works cited

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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
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