| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Race 8 of 10 in the 1972 USAC Championship Car season | |
 | |
| Date | September 3, 1972 |
| Official name | 1972 California 500 |
| Location | Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California, United States |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.500 mi / 4.023 km |
| Distance | 200 laps 500.000 mi / 804.672 km |
| Pole position | |
| Driver |  Jerry Grant (Oscar Olson) |
| Time | 199.600 mph (321.225 km/h) |
| Podium | |
| First | Roger McCluskey (Lindsey Hopkins) |
| Second | Mike Hiss (Team Penske) |
| Third | Bill Vukovich II (Jerry O'Connell) |
The 1972 California 500, the third running of the event, was held at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, on Sunday, September 3, 1972. The event was race number 8 of 10 in the 1972 USAC Championship Car season. The race was won by Roger McCluskey, his first 500-mile Indy Car victory. In qualifying, Jerry Grant became the first IndyCar driver to ever break to 200 mile per hour barrier.