1977 USAC Championship Car season

The 1977 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 14 races, beginning in Ontario, California on March 6 and concluding in Avondale, Arizona on October 29. The USAC National Champion was Tom Sneva and the Indianapolis 500 winner was A. J. Foyt. The schedule included a road course for the first time since 1970.

1977 USAC Championship Car season
USAC National Championship Trail
Season
Races14
Start dateMarch 6
End dateOctober 29
Awards
National championUnited States Tom Sneva
Indianapolis 500 winnerUnited States A. J. Foyt
← 1976
1978 →

Schedule and results

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Rnd Date Race Name Track Location Pole Position Winning Driver
1 March 6 Datsun Twin 200s  O  Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario, California   Johnny Rutherford   A. J. Foyt
2 March 27 Jimmy Bryan 150  O  Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona   Johnny Rutherford   Johnny Rutherford
3 April 2 Texas Grand Prix  O  Texas World Speedway College Station, Texas   Johnny Rutherford   Tom Sneva
4 April 30 Trenton 200  O  Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey   Johnny Rutherford   Wally Dallenbach Sr.
5 May 29 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes  O  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana   Tom Sneva   A. J. Foyt
6 June 12 Rex Mays Classic 150  O  Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin   Bobby Unser   Johnny Rutherford
7 June 26 Schaefer 500  O  Pocono International Raceway Long Pond, Pennsylvania   A. J. Foyt   Tom Sneva
8 July 3 Molson Diamond Indy  R  Mosport Park Bowmanville, Ontario   Al Unser   A. J. Foyt
9 July 17 Norton 200  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan   Tom Sneva   Danny Ongais
10 July 31 American Parts 200  O  Texas World Speedway College Station, Texas   Danny Ongais   Johnny Rutherford
11 August 21 Tony Bettenhausen 200  O  Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin   Danny Ongais   Johnny Rutherford
12 September 4 California 500  O  Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario, California   Johnny Rutherford   Al Unser
13 September 17 Michigan Grand Prix  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan   Danny Ongais   Gordon Johncock
- September 24 Machinists Union 150  O  Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Race postponed due to rain; eventually cancelled
14 October 29 Bobby Ball 150  O  Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona   Bobby Unser   Gordon Johncock
O Oval/Speedway
R Road Course
  • The Machinist Union 150, scheduled for September 24, was first postponed due to rain, and was eventually cancelled on October 3.[1][2]

Final points standings

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Pos Driver ONT1
PHX1
TXS1
TRE1
INDY
MIL1
POC
MOS
MIC1
TXS2
MIL2
ONT2
MIC2
TRE2
PHX2
Pts
1   Tom Sneva 14 16 1 10 2 2 1 3 4 5 18 3 10 C 17 3965
2   Al Unser 2 9 2 3 3 25 17 16 21 15 1 4 C 2 3030
3   Johnny Rutherford 25 1 4 8 33 1 5 9 3 1 1 24 2 C 22 2840
4   A. J. Foyt 1 2 14 1 15 1 Wth 19 2 C 2840
5   Gordon Johncock 5 12 9 2 11 12 3 18 2 2 10 11 1 C 1 2830
6   Wally Dallenbach Sr. 18 10 3 1 4 15 4 16 8 17 3 20 3 C 6 2635
7   Mario Andretti DNQ 16 26 2 4 20 C 4 1580
8   Pancho Carter 3 20 11 9 15 5 20 10 3 2 14 3 1420
9   Tom Bigelow 4 4 12 15 6 7 29 8 11 10 4 28 15 C 19 1370
10   Mike Mosley 16 6 5 3 19 4 8 Wth 16 18 C DNQ 1030
11   Roger McCluskey 22 3 17 5 8 19 26 11 20 DNQ 20 22 7 C 5 940
12   Danny Ongais  RY  7 5 13 20 17 23 15 1 13 21 8 17 C 12 935
13   Bobby Olivero 25 6 32 9 6 5 9 C 21 920
14   Gary Bettenhausen 10 11 11 16 20 7 2 17 8 17 C 14 850
15   Johnny Parsons DNQ DNP 5 DNQ 11 18 4 13 29 14 C 20 840
16   Larry Dickson 13 DNQ 18 DNQ 13 5 8 12 7 6 C 18 740
17   Lee Kunzman 7 DNP 6 DNQ 22 15 16 DNQ 700
18   Todd Gibson 11 13 6 6 DNQ 14 DNQ 4 15 DNQ DNQ 600
19   Rick Mears 24 DNQ 15 DNQ 30 6 7 5 26 8 C 555
20   Spike Gehlhausen 26 14 8 12 DNQ 9 DNQ 10 9 12 7 13 13 C 7 550
21   Jim McElreath 23 24 12 6 9 5 530
22   Vern Schuppan 8 8 16 17 DNQ 21 19 6 475
23   Salt Walther 23 18 4 DNQ 18 12 6 DNP 25 DNQ C 13 450
24   Dick Simon 6 7 31 13 16 19 14 9 33 C 11 360
25   Steve Krisiloff 21 9 DNP 22 14 7 DNQ 19 27 320
26   James McElreath  R  DNQ 7 7 DNQ 31 DNQ DNQ 23 19 C 240
27   Bill Vukovich II 20 19 13 17 9 12 14 31 220
28   Joe Saldana  R  DNQ 11 10 Wth 18 11 DNQ 22 C 220
29   Jerry Grant Wth 13 5 DNQ DNQ 16 200
30   Ed Crombie 10 7 DNQ 14 DNS 165
31   Jerry Sneva 10 DNP 18 DNQ DNQ 22 DNQ DNQ C 150
32   John Martin DNQ 10 150
33   Larry Cannon DNP DNQ 12 12 C 9 125
34   Bill Simpson 9 22 Wth 80
35   Bobby Unser 15 17 DNP Wth 18 16 19 21 15 17 30 8 75
36   Clark Templeman  R  8 75
37   Al Loquasto 19 21 DNP Wth 28 28 11 19 11 C 16 70
38   Gary Irvin  R  10 14 DNQ 60
39   Bill Puterbaugh 12 50
40   George Snider 24 33 DNQ 20 32 21 C 10 45
41   Cliff Hucul  R  12 15 19 22 DNP DNQ 20
-   Phil Threshie  R  13 16 DNQ 0
-   Eldon Rasmussen 13 21 0
-   John Mahler 14 14 DNQ 0
-   Tom Gloy  R  15 0
-   Lloyd Ruby 17 27 DNP 0
-   Bubby Jones 21 DNQ C DNQ 0
-   Bob Harkey DNQ 22 DNQ 0
-   Chuck Gurney 27 DNQ 0
-   Sheldon Kinser 32 0
-   Alan Jones DNS 0
-   Larry McCoy DNQ Wth 0
-   Tommy Hunt DNS 0
-   Ed Finley C DNQ 0
-   Jerry Karl DNQ DNQ 0
-   Bertil Roos DNQ C DNQ 0
-   Jim Hurtubise DNQ 0
-   Mel Kenyon DNQ 0
-   Teddy Pilette DNQ 0
-   Tom Frantz Wth 0
-   Jack Owens C 0
Ineligible for USAC championship points
-   Janet Guthrie DNQ 29 17 18 C 0
-   Clay Regazzoni  R  30 0
Pos Driver ONT1
PHX1
TXS1
TRE1
INDY
MIL1
POC
MOS
MIC1
TXS2
MIL2
ONT2
MIC2
TRE2
PHX2
Pts
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th & 5th place
Light Blue 6th-10th place
Dark Blue Finished
(Outside Top 10)
Purple Did not finish
(Ret)
Red Did not qualify
(DNQ)
Brown Withdrawn
(Wth)
Black Disqualified
(DSQ)
White Did not start
(DNS)
Blank Did not
participate
(DNP)
Not competing
In-line notation
Bold Pole position
Italics Ran fastest race lap
* Led most race laps
 RY  Rookie of the Year
 R  Rookie

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Trenton Race Canceled". The New York Times. October 4, 1977. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  2. ^ "Trenton 200". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved August 2, 2019.