Gordon Johncock (born 5 August 1937,
Hastings, MichiganHastings is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Barry County. The population was 7,095 at the 2000 census. The city borders Hastings Charter Township on the north, east, and south, though it is politically independent...
) is a former racing driver, best known as a two-time winner of the
Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, often shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500 or sometimes known simply as The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually over the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
and the 1976
USACThe 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...
Marlboro Championship Trail champion. Johncock was most often simply referred to as "Gordy."
Johncock's first USAC
Champ carChamp Car was the name for a class and specification of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
victory was scored at the
Milwaukee MileThe Milwaukee Mile is a 1.032 mile -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....
in August 1965. He won six further races before winning the Indy 500 in 1973.
At the
1973 Indianapolis 500The 57th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Wednesday, May 30, 1973. The race was held over three days due to rain and a major accident. After 133 laps , rain halted the race, and Gordon Johncock was declared the winner....
, Johncock was racing for the
STPSTP is a brand name and trade name for the automotive additives and performance division of the Clorox Corporation.Founded in 1953 in Saint Joseph, Missouri, the company’s name, STP, was derived from “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”...
/
Pat PatrickUeal Eugene "Pat" Patrick is the founder and owner of Patrick Racing, a team that raced in Champ Cars and the Indy Racing League. Pat was also one of the founding members of CART in 1978 and the Indy Lights series in 1986. In addition, he was founder of Patrick Petroleum in the 1960s.The Patrick...
team.
Gordon Johncock (born 5 August 1937,
Hastings, MichiganHastings is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Barry County. The population was 7,095 at the 2000 census. The city borders Hastings Charter Township on the north, east, and south, though it is politically independent...
) is a former racing driver, best known as a two-time winner of the
Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, often shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500 or sometimes known simply as The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually over the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
and the 1976
USACThe 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...
Marlboro Championship Trail champion. Johncock was most often simply referred to as "Gordy."
Early career
Johncock's first USAC
Champ carChamp Car was the name for a class and specification of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
victory was scored at the
Milwaukee MileThe Milwaukee Mile is a 1.032 mile -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....
in August 1965. He won six further races before winning the Indy 500 in 1973.
At the
1973 Indianapolis 500The 57th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Wednesday, May 30, 1973. The race was held over three days due to rain and a major accident. After 133 laps , rain halted the race, and Gordon Johncock was declared the winner....
, Johncock was racing for the
STPSTP is a brand name and trade name for the automotive additives and performance division of the Clorox Corporation.Founded in 1953 in Saint Joseph, Missouri, the company’s name, STP, was derived from “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”...
/
Pat PatrickUeal Eugene "Pat" Patrick is the founder and owner of Patrick Racing, a team that raced in Champ Cars and the Indy Racing League. Pat was also one of the founding members of CART in 1978 and the Indy Lights series in 1986. In addition, he was founder of Patrick Petroleum in the 1960s.The Patrick...
team. A major accident at the start involving
Salt WaltherDavid "Salt" Walther , is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He also drove NASCAR stock cars, unlimited hydroplane boats, and was a car owner in USAC....
, coupled with two days of rain, postponed the race until late Wednesday afternoon. When the race was held, Johncock's teammate
Swede SavageDavid Earl "Swede" Savage, Jr. was an American race car driver.-Early life:Born in San Bernardino, California, Savage began Soap Box Derby racing at the age of five. He moved up to racing quarter midget cars then at age twelve to Go-Kart racing. By his mid-teens he was racing motorcycles...
was severely injured in a fiery crash on lap 58. A moment later, Armando Teran, a pit crew member on the same STP/Patrick team, was struck by a fire truck going northbound in the pits, and was fatally injured at the scene. When the race resumed, Johncock who had led the most laps, was leading when rain fell again on the 133rd lap. Nearing 6 p.m. in the evening, the race was red flagged and declared over. After a short and muted victory lane celebration, Johncock went to visit Savage at the hospital. Afterward, the celebratory victory
banquetA banquet is a large public meal or feast, complete with main courses and desserts. It usually serves a purpose, such as a charitable gathering, a ceremony, or a celebration, often preceded or followed by speeches in honor of someone....
was canceled. About a month later, Savage died from his injuries.
In the
1975 Indianapolis 500The 1975 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 25, 1975.Wally Dallenbach Sr. had a twenty-second lead when he retired on lap 162 with a burned piston. Johnny Rutherford lost the inherited lead to Bobby Unser when he pitted. On lap 171 the yellow came out for rain and the two...
, he started the race on the front row but retired with ignition problems on the 11th lap. Johncock won the
USACThe 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...
Champcar title in 1976, snatching the title from
Johnny RutherfordJohn Sherman Rutherford, III is a retired U.S. automobile racer.The Texas-raised "Lonestar J.R." is one of nine drivers to win the prestigious Indianapolis 500 mile race at least three times: in 1974, 1976, and 1980. The others are Louis Meyer, Wilbur Shaw, Mauri Rose , A. J...
in the final race of the season at
Phoenix International RacewayPhoenix International Raceway, or just PIR, is a one mile tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It opened in 1964, as the new home of major open-wheel racing in the Phoenix area, replacing the track at the Arizona State Fairgrounds as an automobile racing venue.-History:Due to a change...
. In 1976 and 1978 he finished third at Indianapolis, and in 1977 he was leading
A. J. FoytAnthony Joseph Foyt, Jr., or as he is universally known as in motorsports circles, A. J. Foyt , is a retired American automobile racing driver. He raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes USAC Champ cars and midget cars. He raced stock cars in NASCAR and USAC. He won...
when the car's crankshaft broke with sixteen laps to go.
Johncock had the distinction of winning the first
CARTChamp Car was the name for a class and specification of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
sanctioned Champ Car race at
PhoenixPhoenix International Raceway, or just PIR, is a one mile tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It opened in 1964, as the new home of major open-wheel racing in the Phoenix area, replacing the track at the Arizona State Fairgrounds as an automobile racing venue.-History:Due to a change...
in March 1979, and he won one further race until May 1982.
Johncock took a second Indianapolis 500 victory in 1982, winning by 0.16 second over
Rick MearsRick Ravon Mears is a retired American race car driver. He is the third 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...
. Mears was rapidly closing on Johncock in the final laps. In Mears' final pit stop, Mears' team made a miscalculation and filled his car with more fuel than it needed to finish the race. As a consequence Mears had to catch up a significant distance on Johncock, and on the 197th and 198th laps came from 3 seconds back to within car lengths. On the final lap, Mears tried to pass Johncock for the win, with Johncock making a decisive defense of first place in Turn One. Mears would later joke about watching the tape over and over to see if 'this time I get around Gordy'.
Johncock took another three Champ car wins, including the 1982 Michigan 500 to complete two legs of what was then known as the Triple Crown before retiring from racing in 1985 (the three races on the USAC Marlboro Championship Trail were known as such from 1970 until 1989, when the Pocono 500 was discontinued). He returned for occasional appearances in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991 and retired for good after the
1992 Indianapolis 500The 76th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24, 1992. Cold temperatures and high winds turned the race into a crash-filled, marathon day. The tone for the race was set early when pole position winner Roberto Guerrero crashed on the pace lap...
.
Johncock competed in twenty-one
NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947-48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Sprint Cup Series events in his career. He earned three top-fives and four top-tens in his limited schedules. The best of those finishes were a pair of fourths in 1973 at
DaytonaDaytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home to the biggest and greatest race in all of NASCAR, "The Great American Race", the Daytona 500. Today the facility has a seating capacity of almost 168,000 spectators...
and 1966 at
RockinghamRockingham Speedway, formerly North Carolina Motor Speedway and later North Carolina Speedway is a racetrack located in Rockingham, North Carolina...
.
First retirement
Johncock abruptly retired from Indycar racing during the first week of practice for the 1985 Indianapolis 500, just before qualifications. He served on the
IMS Radio NetworkThe Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network , is an in-house radio syndication arrangement which broadcasts the Indianapolis 500, IRL, and Brickyard 400 to radio stations covering most of North America....
in 1985, but decided to return to racing in 1986. He planned to enter the
1986 Indianapolis 500The 70th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 31, 1986. After being rained out on May 25–26, the race was rescheduled for the following weekend...
, but his funding for a car fell through. He wound up sitting out the race. He attempted another return in 1987. During the first week of time trials,
Jim CrawfordJim Crawford may refer to:* Jim Crawford , Scottish auto racing driver* Jim Crawford , Irish footballer* James W...
suffered serious injuries to his feet. Johncock was hired to drive in replacement, and qualified for the race.
Second retirement
Johncock completed a sixth place finish in the
1991 Indy 500Results of the 1991 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 26, 1991.-Recap:Morning rains delayed the start by 55 minutes. Michael Andretti led Rick Mears by 15 seconds when a caution flag flies on lap 182. 'Luck' appears to be going Andretti's way as he is able to make it to the pits...
. His final race was the
1992 Indy 500The 76th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24, 1992. Cold temperatures and high winds turned the race into a crash-filled, marathon day. The tone for the race was set early when pole position winner Roberto Guerrero crashed on the pace lap...
, where he dropped out with engine failure. Since his retirement, Johncock has distanced himself from motorsports, and focuses on his timber business in Michigan. He participated in a 2004 interview on
ESPN ClassicESPN Classic is a sports channel that features reruns of famous sporting events, sports documentaries, and sports themed movies. Such programs includes biographies of famous sports figures or a rerun of a famous World Series or Super Bowl, often with added commentary on the event...
's "Big Ticket" review of the 1982 Indy 500. In the interview, he admitted that his interests in racing were now limited, and was no longer his daily focus. In discussing the tragic 1973 race, Johncock appeared to have made peace with the circumstances. While most discredit the race as being rain-shortened, and for its overall miserable memories, Johncock insisted that his car was undoubtedly the fastest on the track, led easily, and was not simply in front at the time of the red flag by chance.
Awards
- In 1999 he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to auto racing either as a driver, owner, developer or engineer...
.
- He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum in Novi, Michigan for American motorsports legends.-Museum:The museum hosts over forty motorports-related vehicles. The collection is constantly changing...
in 2002.
Indianapolis 500 results
| Year |
Car |
Start |
Qual |
Rank |
Finish |
Laps |
Led |
Retired |
| 1965 Results of the 1965 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 31, 1965.- Trivia :* It was the first time that the Indianapolis 500 was nationally televised on ABC Sports, this race was shown as part of ABC's Wide World of Sports, anchored by Charlie Brockman....
|
76 |
14 |
155.012 |
20 |
5 |
200 |
0 |
Running |
| 1966 Results of the 1966 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 30, 1966....
|
72 |
6 |
161.059 |
8 |
4 |
200 |
0 |
Running |
1967- Race Summary :This unexpected 2 day event began with gray skies but the race was underway as Parnelli Jones is in first place before half a lap, with Gurney second and A.J. Foyt in third. Parnelli leads all 18 laps before rain halts the race. The next day is sunny, and the race resumes with...
|
3 |
3 |
166.559 |
3 |
12 |
188 |
0 |
Spun T3 |
| 1968 - Time Trials :1968 was the second and eventually the final year the controversial turbine cars were running in the 1968 race classic. In qualifications, Graham Hill the 1966 champion in the #70 STP Turbine is first to qualify, and sets a new qualifying record! Later, his STP turbine teammate joe...
|
4 |
9 |
166.775 |
9 |
27 |
37 |
0 |
Rear End |
| 1969 Results of the 1969 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1969.-Jigger Sirois:On pole day, Saturday May 17, rain threatened to wash out the afternoon. At the time, the rules did not specifically provide for rain delay extensions during the pole round...
|
12 |
5 |
168.626 |
5 |
19 |
137 |
0 |
Piston |
| 1970 The 1970 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 1970.Following in the footsteps of his brother, Bobby, Al Unser dominates the 500, leading 190 laps, matching Jim Clark's total in 1965, and the most since 1953, when Bill Vukovich led all but five laps in the race.-Race...
|
5 |
17 |
167.015 |
13 |
28 |
45 |
0 |
Piston |
| 1971 The 1971 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 29 1971.Eldon Palmer, owner of a local automobile and truck dealership Palmer Dodge , beaten four Dodge dealers to be chosen to provide a pace car for the race when no automakers took up this duty as they had done in the past.In...
|
7 |
12 |
171.388 |
14 |
29 |
11 |
0 |
Crash T3 |
| 1972 The 1972 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 27, 1972.Gary Bettenhausen leads 138 laps until his engine blows on lap 176. Jerry Grant gets the lead but pits for new tires on lap 188 in team mate Bobby Unser’s pit. Bettenhausen’s Penske team mate Mark Donohue...
|
24 |
26 |
188.511 |
8 |
20 |
113 |
0 |
Exhaust Valve |
| 1973 The 57th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Wednesday, May 30, 1973. The race was held over three days due to rain and a major accident. After 133 laps , rain halted the race, and Gordon Johncock was declared the winner....
|
20 |
11 |
192.555 |
13 |
1 |
133 |
64 |
Running |
| 1974 The 1974 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 26, 1974.In the midst of an energy crisis, and as an infield of hippies storm the track, Johnny Rutherford comes from the 25th starting position, deepest in the field since 1933, to record his first victory...
|
20 |
4 |
186.287 |
5 |
4 |
198 |
0 |
Flagged |
| 1975 The 1975 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 25, 1975.Wally Dallenbach Sr. had a twenty-second lead when he retired on lap 162 with a burned piston. Johnny Rutherford lost the inherited lead to Bobby Unser when he pitted. On lap 171 the yellow came out for rain and the two...
|
20 |
2 |
191.653 |
2 |
31 |
11 |
8 |
Ignition |
| 1976 The 1976 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 30, 1976.Rain stopped the race on lap 102. Two hours later, the race was about to be restarted, but the rain fell again. Officials called the race at that point and Johnny Rutherford was declared the winner. Rutherford walked to...
|
20 |
2 |
188.531 |
3 |
3 |
102 |
18 |
Running |
| 1977 The 1977 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 29, 1977.Gordon Johncock led 129 laps and had a 16 second lead on A.J. Foyt one lap after final pit stops when his crankshaft broke. Foyt became the first driver to win four times. Tom Sneva broke the barrier in qualifying, and...
|
20 |
5 |
193.516 |
6 |
11 |
184 |
129 |
Crankshaft |
| 1978 The 1978 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 28, 1978.Al Unser had a large lead but bent his Lola's front wing in the pitlane on lap 180. Tom Sneva charged to catch the crippled Lola but came up 8 seconds short at the finish. Unser led 121 laps and holds on for a third win on a...
|
20 |
6 |
195.833 |
8 |
3 |
199 |
0 |
Flagged |
| 1979 The 1979 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 27, 1979.After a month of court hearings and controversy due to the start-up CART series, a field of 35 cars takes the green flag , with second-year driver Rick Mears winning...
|
3 |
5 |
189.753 |
5 |
6 |
197 |
0 |
Flagged |
| 1980 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...
|
20 |
17 |
186.075 |
15 |
4 |
200 |
11 |
Running |
| 1981 The 65th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24, 1981. A hectic month of May was interrupted several times by rain. Bobby Unser took the checkered flag as the winner, with Mario Andretti second. The following morning, USAC officials ruled that Unser had...
|
20 |
4 |
195.429 |
7 |
9 |
194 |
52 |
Engine |
| 1982 The 66th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 30, 1982. Gordon Johncock, who had previously won the rain-shortened 1973 race, was the winner...
|
20 |
5 |
201.884 |
5 |
1 |
200 |
57 |
Running |
| 1983 Results of the 1983 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 29, 1983.-Recap:Three-time runner up Tom Sneva is stuck behind the lapped car of Al Unser, Jr., who is helping protect the lead of his father Al Unser despite being shown the blue "move-over" flag...
|
20 |
10 |
199.748 |
13 |
14 |
163 |
0 |
Gearbox |
| 1984 Results of the 1984 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 27, 1984.-Recap:An exciting first half turns dull as defending champion Tom Sneva and Mario Andretti fall out late with mechanical trouble, leaving Rick Mears the winner by over two laps. Rookies Roberto Guerrero, Al Holbert,...
|
20 |
5 |
207.545 |
5 |
25 |
103 |
0 |
Crash T4 |
| 1987 The 71st Indianapolis 500 was held Sunday May 24, 1987 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During the month of May, an unusually high 25 crashes occurred during practice and qualifying. After dominating practice, qualifying, and most of the race, leader Mario Andretti slowed with mechanical...
|
2 |
18 |
207.990 |
12 |
22 |
76 |
0 |
Valve |
| 1989 The 1989 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 28, 1989. It was the 73rd running of the event.- Race events :The front row for the race was Rick Mears, Al Unser, Sr. and Emerson Fittipaldi. Mears, in a Pennzoil-sponsored Penske-Chevrolet, qualified for the pole with a speed of ....
|
91 |
23 |
215.072 |
19 |
31 |
19 |
0 |
Engine |
| 1991 Results of the 1991 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 26, 1991.-Recap:Morning rains delayed the start by 55 minutes. Michael Andretti led Rick Mears by 15 seconds when a caution flag flies on lap 182. 'Luck' appears to be going Andretti's way as he is able to make it to the pits...
|
92 |
33 |
213.812 |
33 |
6 |
188 |
0 |
Flagged |
1992The 76th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24, 1992. Cold temperatures and high winds turned the race into a crash-filled, marathon day. The tone for the race was set early when pole position winner Roberto Guerrero crashed on the pace lap...
|
92 |
31 |
219.287 |
32 |
29 |
60 |
0 |
Engine |
| Totals |
3158 |
339 |
|
|
| Starts |
24 |
| Poles |
0 |
| Front Row |
3 |
| Wins |
2 |
| Top 5 |
8 |
| Top 10 |
11 |
| Retired |
14 |
|
- Johncock ranks 3rd on the list of laps completed at Indianapolis.