1974 Indianapolis 500
58th running of the Indianapolis 500 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 58th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 26, 1974. Johnny Rutherford, in his eleventh attempt, won the race from the 25th starting position, the farthest back since Louis Meyer in 1936.[3][4] It was the first of his three Indy victories, and started a three-year stretch where he finished 1st-2nd-1st.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Indianapolis 500 | |||||
Sanctioning body | USAC | ||||
Season | 1974 USAC Trail | ||||
Date | May 26, 1974 | ||||
Winner | Johnny Rutherford | ||||
Winning team | McLaren | ||||
Average speed | 158.589 mph (255.224 km/h) | ||||
Pole position | A. J. Foyt | ||||
Pole speed | 191.632 mph (308.402 km/h) | ||||
Fastest qualifier | A. J. Foyt | ||||
Rookie of the Year | Pancho Carter | ||||
Most laps led | Johnny Rutherford (122) | ||||
Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
National anthem | Purdue Band | ||||
"Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Nabors | ||||
Starting command | Tony Hulman | ||||
Pace car | Hurst/Olds Cutlass | ||||
Pace car driver | Jim Rathmann | ||||
Starter | Pat Vidan[1] | ||||
Estimated attendance | 275,000[2] | ||||
TV in the United States | |||||
Network | ABC | ||||
Announcers | Jim McKay and Sam Posey | ||||
Nielsen ratings | 16.4 / 31 | ||||
Chronology | |||||
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The race was run relatively clean, with no major crashes or injuries, a sharp contrast from the tragic 1973 event. In order to increase safety, significant improvements were made to the track and cars.[4] Wings were reduced in size, fuel tank capacity was reduced, and pop-off valves were added to the turbocharger plenums in order to reduce horsepower and curtail speeds.
For the first time in Indy history, the race was scheduled for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. This ended the "never on a Sunday" policy previously held from 1911 to 1973. At the time, it was also the earliest calendar date (May 26) that the race had ever been held. With the implementation of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1971, the holiday was now observed on the last Monday of May (25–31), creating a three-day weekend (Saturday–Monday) every year.
On race day, A. J. Foyt broke the all-time record for most career starts at Indianapolis. The 1974 race was his 17th Indy 500 start (all consecutive), breaking the record of 16 previously held by Cliff Bergere and Chet Miller.[5] Foyt would go on to start a total of 35 consecutive races (1958–1992), and as of 2023, still holds the record for most starts.