1978 Pocono 500

United States 1978 Pocono 500
Race details
8th round of the 1978 USAC Championship Car season
DateJune 25, 1978
Official name1978 Schaefer 500
LocationLong Pond, Pennsylvania
CoursePermanent racing facility
2.5 mi / 4.023 km
Distance200 laps
500 mi / 804.672 km
WeatherTemperatures up to 80 °F (27 °C); wind speeds up to 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)[1]
Pole position
DriverDanny Ongais (Ted Field)
Podium
FirstAl Unser (Chaparral Cars)
SecondJohnny Rutherford (McLaren)
ThirdTom Sneva (Team Penske)

The 1978 Pocono 500, the 8th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, June 25, 1978. Branded as the 1978 Schaefer 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Al Unser who one month earlier had won the Indianapolis 500. Two months later, Unser won the California 500 to become the only driver to win all three of IndyCar's Triple Crown of 500 mile races in the same year.[2]

  1. ^ "1978 Pocono 500 weather information". Wunderground. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  2. ^ "Al Unser Wins at Ontario". Detroit Free Press. (Michigan). Associated Press. September 4, 1978. p. 27.