During the coming months, Sports Car Digest will be running a series of photo retrospectives drawn from the film archive of Bob Harmeyer. This first installment looks at the 1977 Indianapolis 500.
1977 Indianapolis 500 – Profile and Photo Gallery
By Bob Harmeyer
The Indianapolis 500 has long been one of the most important events on the world racing calendar and, for several reasons, the 1977 race ranks among the most significant of all.
Most importantly, AJ Foyt claimed a historic fourth “500” triumph. But prior to the race, during qualifying, two entirely different storylines grabbed the national spotlight: Tom Sneva became the first driver to officially crack the 200 mph barrier at the Speedway and, on “Bump Day,” Janet Guthrie nursed an ailing Offenhauser through four laps of qualifying to become the first woman to make the field for the Indianapolis 500.
Entering that year’s race, AJ Foyt was tied with five other drivers at the top of the Speedway’s victory list with three wins apiece. Two of those – Johnny Rutherford and Bobby Unser – were Foyt’s contemporaries, and were entered in the ’77 event with formidable teams. Any of the trio could become the first driver to reach four “500” victories.
Mechanical problems eliminated both Rutherford and Unser before half distance, and Foyt had his own problem to overcome en route to the finish. Early in the race he had run out of fuel on the backstretch, coasted into the pits, and spent the rest of the race fighting his way back to the front.
Gordon Johncock dominated much of the race in one of Pat Patrick’s Wildcats, leading a total of 129 laps. But Johncock was suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion in the blistering heat, and Foyt was closing quickly as the laps wound down. Both drivers had made their final pit stops and Foyt had narrowed the gap to less than 10 seconds when, on lap 184, Johncock’s engine expired. Foyt assumed the lead as Johncock coasted to a stop in the grass inside the first turn.
Foyt led Tom Sneva to the checkered flag by almost half a minute, waving to the crowd as he approached the flag to clinch a spot in Indianapolis history as the first four-time winner. Foyt’s career spanned the era when Indy Car racing transitioned from the nose-heavy, front-engine roadsters to lower, lighter rear-engine machines, and he was the only driver to win the “500” in both front and rear-engine cars. His victories in 1961 and 1964 were at the wheel of roadsters, while the 1967 and 1977 triumphs were in rear-engine cars designed in his own race shop.
Driving for Roger Penske, Sneva had made the headlines two weeks earlier when, in front of almost 200,000 fans during Pole Day qualifying, he became the first driver to officially lap the Speedway at more than 200 mph. The track had been repaved in the summer of 1976 and several drivers had exceeded the 200 mph mark in testing. But testing speeds weren’t considered official, so the record belongs to Sneva.
Janet Guthrie earned her own place in Indy 500 history by being the fastest qualifier on “Bump Day,” the fourth and final day of qualifications during that era. Given the current state of IndyCar racing, that may not seem significant. But there were a total of 77 qualifying attempts that year, and Guthrie out-qualified drivers like Dick Simon, Formula 1 veteran Clay Regazzoni, and a young rookie named Rick Mears who made two attempts but failed to qualify.
Together, the achievements of Foyt, Sneva and Guthrie made the 1977 Indianapolis 500 one of the most notable in Speedway history.
Finally, in a footnote to the ’77 race, one future superstar made his rookie appearance at the Speedway. Rick Mears made two qualifying attempts in an older Eagle/Offenhauser, but the car didn’t have the speed to make the show. Mears returned the next year driving for Roger Penske and, over the course of 15 years with Penske Racing, would join AJ Foyt on the list of four-time winners of the Indy 500.
Celebration of the 1977 Indianapolis 500 – Photo Gallery
AJ Foyt raised his right arm in triumph as he cruised past the main grandstand to take the checkered flag and become the first four-time winner of the Indy 500. Foyt held a lead of almost 30 seconds over Tom Sneva, the only other driver to finish on the lead lap. AJ Foyt’s crew pushes his Coyote 75/Foyt TC to victory lane after he became the first four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 on May 29, 1977. Tom Sneva, driving a McLaren M24/Cosworth TC entered by Roger Penske, was the first driver to turn an official lap above 200 mph when he qualified on the pole position in 1977. Sneva was above 200 mph on his first two qualifying laps, but the third and fourth laps were slower and left him with a four lap average of 198.884 mph. Typical for the Speedway during that era, a massive crowd turned out for pole qualifying in 1977 when Tom Sneva became the first driver to officially crack the 200 mph barrier. Bobby Unser is interviewed after qualifying his Lightning 77/Offenhauser TC second fastest for the “500” in 1977. Despite his front-row starting position, Unser led just two laps before dropping out of the race after 94 laps. High attrition during the ’77 event allowed Unser to finish 18th, in spite of completing less than half the race. Janet Guthrie drew a great deal of attention during practice for the 1977 event, and even more after she became the first woman to qualify for the Indy 500. Driving Rolla Vollstedt’s Lightning 76 1/Offenhauser TC, Guthrie posted the fastest speed on the final day of qualifying. Tyler Alexander oversaw the preparation of Johnny Rutherford’s McLaren M24 1/Cosworth TC for the 1977 Indy 500. Wally Dallenbach (seated, upper right) waits to drive his Wildcat II 2/DGS during a practice session at the Speedway.
A chassis is rolled back into one of the old Indy garages for an engine installation. Formula 1 veteran Clay Regazzoni was making his first trip to Indianapolis in 1977 and fellow F1 driver Mario Andretti spent time helping Regazzoni adapt to the unique characteristics of oval racing. Andretti and Regazzoni both were running the full F1 schedule, juggling trans-Atlantic flights to fit their “500” rides around the Monaco GP which was run on the second weekend of Indy qualifying. Teddy Yip, owner of the Formula 1 and Indy 500 cars driven by Clay Regazzoni. Clay Regazzoni crashed his McLaren M16C trying to qualify on the first weekend at Indy, forcing him to run on the second weekend if he was going to make the race. Saturday morning of that next weekend saw Regazzoni in Monaco for F1 qualifying but, when foul weather washed out his chances to make the Grand Prix, car owner Teddy Yip hustled him onto a plane back to Indy where he qualified for the “500” on the final day. Unfortunately, an oil leak sidelined the team just 25 laps into the race. Roger McCluskey was nearing the end of his driving career in 1977, but managed to complete 191 laps and finish 8th that year. Al Unser speaks with a crew member during practice in 1977. Unser qualified and finished third in the Vel Miletich Parnelli VPJ6B. Rick Mears, making his rookie appearance at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, drives his Eagle 7225/Offenhauser TC on a warmup lap during practice for the 1977 “500.” Mears failed to qualify for the ’77 race, but returned the next year with Roger Penske and went on to win four races in the next 15 years. Al Unser walks through the pit lane before practice in 1977.
The previous year’s winner Johnny Rutherford was an early media favorite in 1977, but could only manage a 17th qualifying spot and was the race’s first retirement after just 12 laps. Wally Dallenbach ran the 1977 “500” in one of Pat Patrick’s Wildcats, finishing 4th. Dan Gurney (upper right, center) entered this Eagle 7700/Offenhauser TC for Pancho Carter. After an 8th place qualifying effort, the Offy expired on lap 166, leaving Carter with a 15th place finish. Mario Andretti was able to fit an Indy 500 effort into his Formula 1 program in 1977, qualifying 6th for the “500” on the first qualifying weekend and finishing fifth in the Monaco GP the following Sunday. But the final weekend of May was another Indy disappointment for Mario when he dropped out of the “500” on lap 47, leaving him with a 26th place finish. Danny Ongais drove Ted Field’s Parnelli VPJ6B in the 1977 “500,” but engine trouble dropped him from the race on lap 90. Gordon Johncock walks through the pit lane before practice in 1977. Al Unser sits in his Vel Miletich Parnelli VPJ6B during a practice day in 1977. Dan Gurney monitors practice from a Turn 4 observers’ stand at the Speedway.
Following the Oldsmobile pace car driven by actor James Garner, the field begins to pull away from the starting grid for the 1977 event. Following the front row of Tom Sneva, Bobby Unser and Al Unser, the field falls into formation for the final pace lap before the start of the “500.” From the outside of the front row, Al Unser accelerates into the lead as the field takes the green flag and heads toward Turn 1 on the opening lap of the race. Janet Guthrie’s crew works to resolve an engine problem in her Lightning 76 1/Offenhauser TC. After a series of extended stops, the car was retired with just 27 laps completed. AJ Foyt ran out of fuel early in the 1977 race and had to coast into the pit lane, forcing him to chase Gordon Johncock for most of the race. Wally Dallenbach drove a Pat Patrick Wildcat II to fourth place in the 1977 Indy 500. Gordon Johncock leads Tom Sneva, AJ Foyt, Bobby Unser and the rest of the field into Indy’s Turn 1 early in the race in 1977. AJ Foyt became the first four-time winner of the Indy 500 in 1977, driving his Coyote 75/Foyt TC to a victory of nearly 30 seconds over Tom Sneva.
Tom Sneva makes a pit stop in Roger Penske’s McLaren M24/Cosworth TC en route to a 2nd place finish in the 1977 Indianapolis 500. USAC regulations at the time allowed the overhead gantry assembly that carried air hoses to the right side of the car for the air jack and wheel guns. Al Unser (left) and Mario Andretti pit together during an early segment of the 1977 Indy 500. Gordon Johncock stops for fuel and tires in the late stages of the race. AJ Foyt makes an early-race stop for fuel in 1977. While the crew has fresh tires available, a close look reveals the rubber on the near side of the car was not changed on this stop. Tom Sneva drove Roger Penske’s McLaren M24/Cosworth TC to a 2nd place finish in the 1977 Indy 500. Gordon Johncock makes an early pit stop in the Wildcat II 3/DGS entered by Pat Patrick. Johncock led almost two-thirds of the race, but dropped out with engine failure on lap 184 and finished in 11th place. With a Goodyear blimp overhead, Johnny Parsons drives his Wildcat II 1/DGS to a 5th place finish, seven laps behind Foyt’s winning pace. Jerry Sneva finished 10th in his McLaren M16A 1/Offenhauser TC and was the Rookie of the Year in 1977.
