1980 USAC Championship Car season
Encyclopedia
The 1980 USAC Championship Car season consisted of five races, beginning in Ontario
Ontario, California
Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 on April 13 and concluding in Lexington
Lexington, Ohio
Lexington is a village in Richland County in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Mansfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,822 at the 2010 census, an increase from 4,165 in 2000....

, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 on July 13. The USAC
United States Automobile Club
The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...

 National Champion and Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

 winner was Johnny Rutherford. The season was planned to be 12 races, each co-sanctioned with CART
Champ Car
Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

, however the USAC withdrew from the agreement after the fifth race.

Schedule and results

Rnd Date Race Name Length Track Location Type Pole Position Winning Driver
1 April 13  California Datsun Twin 200 200 mi (321.9 km) Ontario Motor Speedway
Ontario Motor Speedway
The Ontario Motor Speedway, located in Ontario, California, east of Los Angeles, was the first and only automobile racing facility built to accommodate major races sanctioned by all of the four dominant racing sanctioning bodies: IndyCar Series and USAC for open-wheel oval car races; NASCAR for a ...

Ontario
Ontario, California
Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

Oval Johnny Rutherford Johnny Rutherford
2 May 26  Indiana Indianapolis 500-Mile Race
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

500 mi (804.7 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....

Speedway
Speedway, Indiana
Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 12,881 at the 2000 census. Speedway is the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, from which the town derives its name, and is a complete enclave of Indianapolis....

, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

Oval Johnny Rutherford Johnny Rutherford
3 June 8  Wisconsin Gould Rex Mays Classic 150 mi (241.4 km) Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway
Milwaukee Mile
The Milwaukee Mile is a -long oval race track in West Allis, Wisconsin that seats about 40,000 spectators. It operated as a dirt track until 1953. The track was paved in 1954....

West Allis
West Allis, Wisconsin
West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 61,254 at the 2000 census. Its name derives from Edward P. Allis, who started the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company in the 19th century. The site of the town was...

, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

Oval Gordon Johncock
Gordon Johncock
Gordon Johncock is a former racing driver, best known as a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and the 1976 USAC Marlboro Championship Trail champion. Johncock was most often simply referred to as "Gordy."...

Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...

4 June 22  Pennsylvania True Value 500
Pocono 500 (Indycar)
The Pocono 500 was an American Open Wheel 500-mile race held at Pocono International Raceway from 1971-1989. It was sanctioned by USAC from 1971-1981, and by CART from 1982-1989. Following the 1989 event, the track was officially deemed too rough and unsuitable for Indycars, and was permanently...

500 mi (804.7 km) Pocono International Raceway
Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...

Long Pond
Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Long Pond is an unincorporated community in Monroe County in the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania, a part of the Appalachian Mountains. The zip code is 18334....

, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

Oval Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...

Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...

5 July 13  Ohio Red Roof Inns 150
Honda 200
The Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by Westfield Insurance is an Indy Racing League IndyCar Series race held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio....

150 mi (241.4 km) Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside of the village of Lexington...

Lexington
Lexington, Ohio
Lexington is a village in Richland County in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Mansfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,822 at the 2010 census, an increase from 4,165 in 2000....

, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

Road course Al Unser
Al Unser
Alfred "Al" Unser is a former American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser, Jr....

Johnny Rutherford

Leading National Championship standings

Pos Driver Team Wins Poles Points
1  United States Johnny Rutherford Pennzoil 3 2 2740
2  United States Tom Sneva
Tom Sneva
Tom Sneva is a former Indy Car driver who was named to the prestigious Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2005. Sneva is best remembered for winning the 1983 Indianapolis 500. Nicknamed "The Gas Man," Sneva was an outstanding qualifier, winning the pole position for the Indianapolis 500 three...

Sugaripe Prune 0 0 1970
3  United States Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...

Norton Spirit 2 1 1334
4  United States Gordon Johncock
Gordon Johncock
Gordon Johncock is a former racing driver, best known as a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and the 1976 USAC Marlboro Championship Trail champion. Johncock was most often simply referred to as "Gordy."...

North American Van Lines 0 1 1330
5  United States Pancho Carter
Pancho Carter
Duane "Pancho" Carter, Jr. is a retired American race car driver. He is most famous for his participation in CART races.-Background:...

Alex Foods 0 0 1078
6  United States Bill Alsup
Bill Alsup
Bill Alsup is a former race car driver. He was the first CART Rookie of the Year in 1979 and competed in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, finishing 11th. He made 57 CART & USAC Champ Car starts in his career...

Alsup Racing/Polaroid Time Zero 0 0 990
7  United States Rick Mears
Rick Mears
Rick Ravon Mears is a retired American race car driver. He is one of three men to have won the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race four times , and the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six...

Gould Charge 0 0 766
8  United States Gary Bettenhausen
Gary Bettenhausen
Gary Bettenhausen is a retired American auto racing driver. He was born in Blue Island, Illinois, raised in Tinley Park, Illinois, and currently resides in Monrovia, Indiana.-Racing family:...

Armstrong Moulding 0 0 726
9  Australia Vern Schuppan
Vern Schuppan
Vernon "Vern" Schuppan is a racing driver from Whyalla, South Australia. Schuppan drove in various categories, participating in Formula One, the Indianapolis 500 and most successfully in sports car racing.-Formula One:...

Wysard Motors 0 0 650
10  United States Sheldon Kinser
Sheldon Kinser
Sheldon Kinser , was an American race-car driver.Kinser, a Bloomington, Indiana native, died of cancer. He was a three-time USAC Sprint Car Series Champion . He also drove in the USAC and CART Championship Car series...

Genesee Beer 0 0 673
11  United States Danny Ongais
Danny Ongais
Danny Ongais is a former racecar driver from the United States.He is the only native Hawaiian to compete at the Indianapolis 500...

Interscope Racing 0 0 345
12  United States Howdy Holmes
Howdy Holmes
Howdy S. Holmes , is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He began racing in the early 1970s and was based in Stockbridge, Michigan, about northeast of Chelsea....

Armstrong Moulding 0 0 266

See also

  • 1980 Indianapolis 500
    1980 Indianapolis 500
    Results of the 1980 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 25, 1980.-Recap:After failing in its 1979 debut, Jim Hall's radically new Chaparral chassis is driven to easy victory by Johnny Rutherford. Tom Sneva becomes the first driver to place second after starting last. He also...

  • 1980 IndyCar season
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