1979 Pocono 500

Did You Know?

• Title sponsorship for the race was picked up by Pickwick International, who named it the Music 500 presented by Musicland and Sam Goody.
• During race weekend, Friday concerts included Ronnie Milsap, Henry Paul Band, and Funky Communication Committee.
• Saturday events included concerts by Sister Sledge, Nantucket and Wet Willie, as well as a drivers meeting, hot air balloon demonstrations, and a custom van competition.

Controversy

The race was sanctioned by USAC and was part of the 1979 USAC National Championship, while many top teams competed in the inaugural 1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series. The Pocono 500 became a major aspect of the first open-wheel split. In late 1978, CART was formed by a collective of race teams to address problems they felt USAC ignored. Although some events switched to CART, the Triple Crown of 500-mile races—Indianapolis, Pocono, and Ontario—remained with USAC.

On April 19, the USAC board voted unanimously to reject entries for the 1979 Indianapolis 500 from six key teams: Penske, Patrick, McLaren, Fletcher, Chaparral, and Gurney. These teams, comprising 19 cars, were alleged to be harmful to racing and not in good standing with USAC. The owners received a telegram while participating in the CART race at Atlanta. On April 26, the rejected six filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, citing antitrust and restraint of trade.

On May 5, Judge James Ellsworth Noland issued an injunction allowing the teams to compete, but restrained them from disrupting the event. Rick Mears won the Indianapolis 500 for Team Penske. On June 1, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway declared the 1980 Indianapolis 500 would be invitation-only, with automatic invitations requiring teams to run at Pocono on June 24 and Ontario on September 2. CART declared a boycott of all remaining USAC-sanctioned races and suggested running a 500-kilometer race at Trenton Speedway on the same day as Pocono, honoring Pocono tickets.

On June 11, CART dropped those plans in a good faith move. Only one CART driver, Danny Ongais, ignored the boycott and entered the Pocono 500, as his sponsor Panasonic insisted on the New York area exposure and participation in Pocono's week of music concerts.

Time Trials

On Thursday, qualifying was set by a two-lap average time trial. Danny Ongais set the pace early at 182.315 mph, but A. J. Foyt later surpassed him for the pole at 182.334 mph. Johnny Parsons was third fastest at 179.104 mph, and Janet Guthrie qualified fourth at 179.051 mph, the best starting spot of her career. Twenty-three cars qualified on day one, with Jerry Karl slowest at 128.251 mph. On Friday, only two cars made attempts: Jerry Karl requalified at 172.463 mph after a mechanical problem, and Jerry Sneva qualified at 169.030 mph. Eldon Rasmussen, whose car did not arrive in time, was allowed to start without a qualifying speed.

Race

With 25 cars starting, it was the smallest field for a 500-mile Indy car race since 22 cars started the 1925 Indianapolis 500. During pace laps, dozens of spectators ran to the track edge in turn one, delaying the green flag by 30 minutes while they were returned to the infield. George Snider's car suffered a cracked engine block after the pace laps and could not restart. Danny Ongais took the lead at the start and led the first 12 laps.

The first caution came on lap 19 when Bob Harkey's AMC engine expired. Parsons fell out with a burned piston after 35 laps. Roger McCluskey led multiple laps for the first time since his 1973 championship season. Eldon Rasmussen crashed badly on lap 75 when his rear wing fell off at the end of the frontstretch, hitting the turn one wall nearly head-on; he suffered a concussion, broken right leg, and broken ribs, was hospitalized for three weeks, and never raced in an Indy car again.

The race became a three-car battle among Foyt, Ongais, and Larry Dickson, who led 19 laps around halfway. McCluskey fell out on lap 102 when the rear bulkhead separated, causing a left-rear tire blowout and a spin. Foyt retook the lead on lap 114 and led 23 laps before a pit stop where his crew added only fuel while Ongais changed tires, allowing Ongais to pass and build an 18-second lead. Ongais suffered an engine failure on lap 148 and finished 12th.

Foyt inherited a six-second lead over Dickson, who ran out of fuel on lap 161 and took 42 seconds to restart, giving Foyt a one-lap lead. The caution came out on lap 167 when two spectators ran across the track. Gary Bettenhausen blew an engine with 15 laps remaining, bringing out the seventh caution.

Aftermath

Danny Ongais received a $5,000 fine from CART for breaking their boycott. Eight days after the Pocono 500, Ontario Motor Speedway switched its September California 500 sanctioning from USAC to CART. On August 30, Pocono Raceway sued CART for $6.3 million in antitrust damages. The boycott halved the usual 125,000 spectators, costing the track $2 million, which was tripled under antitrust law to reach the $6.3 million figure.