1970 Indianapolis 500

54th Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning bodyUSAC
Season1970 USAC Trail
DateMay 30, 1970
WinnerAl Unser, Sr.
Winning teamVel's Parnelli Jones Racing
Average speed155.749 mph (250.654 km/h)
Pole positionAl Unser, Sr.
Pole speed170.221 mph (273.944 km/h)
Fastest qualifierAl Unser, Sr.
Rookie of the YearDonnie Allison
Most laps ledAl Unser, Sr. (190)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthemAl Hirt
"Back Home Again in Indiana"Saverio Saridis
Starting commandTony Hulman
Pace carOldsmobile 442
Pace car driverRodger Ward
StarterPat Vidan[1]
Estimated attendance250,000[2]
TV in the United States
NetworkABC's Wide World of Sports
AnnouncersJim McKay, Rodger Ward
Chronology
Previous Next
1969 1971

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.

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.Open access icon
  3. ^ "Al Unser joins brother Bobby on list of Indy 500 winners". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. May 31, 1970. p. 1B.
  4. ^ a b Taylor, Jim (May 31, 1970). "Pole-sitter Unser easy Indy winner". Toledo Blade. p. D1.
  5. ^ Jones, Robert F. (June 8, 1970). "Brother Al's turn in the 500". Sports Illustrated. p. 30.
  6. ^ "Rain delays 500; Malloy snaps bar". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. May 30, 1970. p. 8.