1981 Pocono 500

Did You Know?

• The starting lineup was set by random draw after rain washed out qualifying on Saturday.
• Jim McElreath, at 53 years old, became the oldest man to start a 500-mile race.
• Vern Schuppan drew the fifth starting spot despite making no practice laps.

Background

Pocono Raceway was in deep financial trouble after CART boycotted the 1979 Pocono 500, and the track sued CART for $6.3 million that August. To cover its debts, Pocono was leased to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for all of 1980, which handled race promotions. Later that year, owner Joseph Mattioli put the track up for sale in The Wall Street Journal, drawing three offers, including one that would have shut it down. After the 1980 Pocono 500, the Championship Racing League, a short-lived USAC-CART compromise, fell apart.

Indianapolis then said it wouldn't let USAC run the 1981 Indianapolis 500 under the CRL, and USAC pulled out. Starting in November 1980, Pocono talked with CART about holding the 500 under CART rules on June 28, 1981. The proposed deal would have had CART, Roger Penske, and Pat Patrick lease the track for at least three years, with an option for two more, and Pocono would drop its lawsuit. But in late February, First Pennsylvania Bank, a big creditor, blocked the deal, arguing that any lease longer than a year could hurt a potential sale.

CART CEO John Frasco said the bank's inflexibility came as a shock, adding that CART desperately wanted to run a major eastern race at Pocono. CART then scheduled an Atlanta event for the same June 28 weekend. In early March, Pocono announced the 500 would run on June 21 under USAC sanctioning, moved up a week to lure CART teams.

CART Boycott

On June 7, 1981, CART’s board voted to ban its members from racing in the Pocono 500, scheduled for June 21. The board argued that competing at Pocono would leave teams too little time to prepare for CART’s own race at Atlanta Motor Speedway the following week. Any driver who defied the ban faced a 60-day suspension. CART’s communications director, Michael Knight, insisted the move was not against Pocono but in favor of CART, saying that running both races would hurt the quality of the Atlanta event.

Critics noted that CART itself had back-to-back races scheduled at Milwaukee and Michigan in July. Two days later, USAC President Dick King wrote to CART President John Frasco, accusing CART of a clear and blatant group boycott that violated antitrust laws. In response, the Dan Gurney-owned team, originally entered with Mike Mosley and Indianapolis 500 rookie of the year Josele Garza, withdrew. Garza’s team substituted Geoff Brabham, who had already planned to skip Atlanta.

Despite the threat, several CART-licensed drivers entered Pocono: Tom Sneva, Dick Simon, Roger Rager, Jim McElreath, Tom Bigelow, and Brabham. Sneva, who won the 1977 Pocono 500, argued the boycott damaged Indy car racing and that Pocono needed support to survive, warning that CART might win the battle but lose the war. Track owner Joseph Mattioli told Newsday he believed CART was trying to shut down Pocono to gain leverage over Indianapolis. He claimed CART had hurt the track for three years, that Pocono would lose half a million dollars that year, and that 12 of 38 entries dropped out after the suspension threat.

Race

Tom Sneva started third and grabbed the lead as the race began. The first yellow flag flew on lap five when Jan Sneva’s engine blew, leaving him stranded on the track. After the restart, A.J. Foyt moved ahead on lap 14, holding the top spot for just two laps before Sneva reclaimed it and kept it until a caution pit stop on lap 25. Over the first 200 miles, Sneva and Foyt traded the lead repeatedly; Sneva led 56 laps total but dropped out on lap 80 due to a gearbox failure.

As the race hit its midpoint, Geoff Brabham and Tom Bigelow joined Foyt in the lead swaps, with Brabham taking over from Foyt on lap 112. On lap 115, Roger Rager spun and brushed the wall in turn two, bringing out another caution. When the field restarted, Brabham led, but Foyt jumped him on the frontstretch by anticipating the green. Two laps later, rain started, and the caution returned.

The race was stopped after 305 miles and 122 laps, giving Foyt his fourth Pocono 500 victory, his 67th Indy car win, and the last of his career. Mark Alderson finished 11th, 18 laps down, as the highest-placing dirt car. The crowd was estimated at 25,000.