 | |||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | USAC | ||||
| Season | 1970 USAC Trail | ||||
| Date | May 30, 1970 | ||||
| Winner | Al Unser, Sr. | ||||
| Winning team | Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing | ||||
| Average speed | 155.749 mph (250.654 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | Al Unser, Sr. | ||||
| Pole speed | 170.221 mph (273.944 km/h) | ||||
| Fastest qualifier | Al Unser, Sr. | ||||
| Rookie of the Year | Donnie Allison | ||||
| Most laps led | Al Unser, Sr. (190) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Al Hirt | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Saverio Saridis | ||||
| Starting command | Tony Hulman | ||||
| Pace car | Oldsmobile 442 | ||||
| Pace car driver | Rodger Ward | ||||
| Starter | Pat Vidan[1] | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 250,000[2] | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | ABC's Wide World of Sports | ||||
| Announcers | Jim McKay, Rodger Ward | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The 54th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Saturday, May 30, 1970.[3][4][5]
Al Unser, Sr. dominated the race, winning the pole position and leading 190 laps en route to victory. He joined his brother Bobby as the first duo of brothers to win the Indianapolis 500;[4] it was the first of his four victories at Indianapolis. Car owner Parnelli Jones, who won the race as a driver in 1963, became the second individual (after Pete DePaolo) to win separately as both a driver and as an owner.
Unser turned 31 a day earlier and took home $271,697 out of a record $1,000,002 purse. For the first time in Indy history, the total prize fund topped a million dollars.
Rain on race morning delayed the start by about thirty minutes. On the pace lap, Jim Malloy smacked the outside wall in turn four, which delayed the start further.[6]
All 33 cars in the field were turbocharged for the first time. This was the final 500 in which the winner celebrated in the old Victory Lane at the south end of the pits; it was relocated nearer the finish line for 1971.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Keating, Thomas R. (May 31, 1970). "Tony's Luck Held Again, But Few Doubted It Would". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Al Unser joins brother Bobby on list of Indy 500 winners". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. May 31, 1970. p. 1B.
- ^ a b Taylor, Jim (May 31, 1970). "Pole-sitter Unser easy Indy winner". Toledo Blade. p. D1.
- ^ Jones, Robert F. (June 8, 1970). "Brother Al's turn in the 500". Sports Illustrated. p. 30.
- ^ "Rain delays 500; Malloy snaps bar". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. May 30, 1970. p. 8.
