| 1978 United States Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 15 of 16 in the 1978 Formula One season | |||
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | October 1, 1978 | ||
| Official name | XXI Toyota United States Grand Prix | ||
| Location |
Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course Watkins Glen, New York | ||
| Course | Permanent road course | ||
| Course length | 5.435 km (3.377 miles) | ||
| Distance | 59 laps, 320.67 km (199.24 miles) | ||
| Weather | Cloudy, dry | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Lotus-Ford | ||
| Time | 1:38.114 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Jean-Pierre Jarier | Lotus-Ford | |
| Time | 1:39.557 on lap 55 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Ferrari | ||
| Second | Williams-Ford | ||
| Third | Wolf-Ford | ||
|
Lap leaders | |||
The 1978 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 1, 1978, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.[1] This event was also referred to as the United States Grand Prix East in order to distinguish it from the United States Grand Prix West held on April 2, 1978, in Long Beach, California.
At the preceding Italian Grand Prix, Mario Andretti had secured the driver's championship. At Watkins Glen, Andretti put his Lotus 79 on the pole before a record crowd of over 150,000 fans, but Ferrari's Carlos Reutemann completed a sweep of the two United States races in 1978 by finishing 19 seconds ahead of Australian Alan Jones. Andretti developed brake problems early on and would retire with a blown engine.