1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series

Template:American Championship Car season The 1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series was the inaugural Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) American open wheel racing championship series. The season consisted of 14 races. Rick Mears was the national champion, and the rookie of the year was Bill Alsup. The 1979 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Rick Mears won the Indy 500, his first of four victories in the event.

Controversy

The 1979 season was filled with controversy on and off the track. During the offseason, several Indy car owners broke off from USAC, and formed Championship Auto Racing Teams, a new sanctioning body to govern the sport of open wheel Indy car racing. USAC continued to sanction their Gold Crown Championship, resulting in two parallel national championships for 1979. The controversy over the first "split" in Indy car racing came to its first climax at the 1979 Indianapolis 500, when USAC rejected entries by certain CART owners. The owners won a court injunction to be allowed to race, and later, another controversy erupted, this time involving illegal wastegate exhaust pipes.

The 1979 CART season was held through an arrangement such that it fell under the sanctioning umbrella of SCCA. This one-year, temporary arrangement was such that it would be formally recognized by ACCUS.

With three wins, two poles, and 14 top tens (no finish worse than 7th), Rick Mears ran away with the inaugural CART championship title. Mears took a large points lead after winning the Indy 500, and never relinquished the top spot through the remainder of the season. Bobby Unser won six races, and finished second in points.

USAC/CART "Split"

For more information, see 1979 Indianapolis 500 § Controversies

Confirmed entries

The following teams and drivers competed for the 1979 CART World Series.

Team/Car Owner	Chassis	Engine	No	Drivers	Races
Template:Flagicon Alex Morales Co.	Lightning Mk1/77	Offenhauser	10	Template:Flagicon Pancho Carter	All
			15	Template:Flagicon Bob Harkey	11Template:Refn
Template:Flagicon All American Racers	Eagle 78 MkII	Cosworth	36	Template:Flagicon Mike Mosley	All
Template:Flagicon Beith Racing	Eagle 72	Offenhauser	28	Template:Flagicon Billy Scott	4, 11
Template:Flagicon Cannon Racing Team	Wildcat Mk. I	DGS	95	Template:Flagicon Larry Cannon	4, 7–8, 10–14
Template:Flagicon Chaparral Racing	Chaparral 2K Lola T500Template:Refn	Cosworth	2	Template:Flagicon Al Unser	All
Template:Flagicon Conqueste Racing	Parnelli VPJ6CT	Cosworth	21Template:Refn	Template:Flagicon Lee Kunzman	1–8, 11
Template:Flagicon Fletcher Racing	Lightning Mk1/77	Cosworth	7	Template:Flagicon Steve Krisiloff	1–10
			55	Template:Flagicon Spike Gehlhausen	11–14
Template:Flagicon Frantz Auto Body	Wildcat Mk. I	DGS	18Template:Refn	Template:Flagicon Tom Frantz	1–4, 7-12
				Template:Flagicon Bill Henderson	5–6
Template:Flagicon Gehlhausen-Reath Racing	Eagle 74 Wildcat Mk. ITemplate:Refn	Offenhauser Cosworth	19Template:Refn	Template:Flagicon Spike Gehlhausen	1–10
				Template:Flagicon Bob Harkey	4
				Template:Flagicon Bill Alsup	4
				Template:Flagicon Phil Caliva	11
			39	Template:Flagicon Al Loquasto	4, 7–8
Template:Flagicon Hoffman Auto Racing	Lightning Mk1/77	Offenhauser	59	Template:Flagicon George Snider	4
				Template:Flagicon Joe Saldana	7–8, 11
	Eagle Lightning Mk1/77Template:Refn		69		1–6, 9–10, 12
				Template:Flagicon Tim Richmond	7–8
				Template:Flagicon Al Loquasto	11
	Spyder Eagle		79	Template:Flagicon Dick Ferguson	7–8
				Template:Flagicon Cliff Hucul	11Template:Refn
				Template:Flagicon Joe Saldana	13–14
Template:Flagicon Intercomp Racing	Eagle 72	Offenhauser	92	Template:Flagicon John Mahler	1–9
Template:Flagicon Interscope Racing	Parnelli VPJ6CT Parnelli VPJ6BTemplate:Refn	Cosworth	25	Template:Flagicon Danny Ongais	All
Template:Flagicon Jerry O'Connell Racing	McLaren M24	Cosworth	1	Template:Flagicon Tom Sneva	All
	McLaren M24B		32	Template:Flagicon Johnny Parsons	11Template:Refn
Template:Flagicon Longhorn Racing	Penske PC-6/78	Cosworth	11	Template:Flagicon Tom Bagley	All
			71	Template:Flagicon Steve Krisiloff	11
Template:Flagicon Mergard RacingTemplate:Refn	Eagle 72	Offenhauser	42	Template:Flagicon Herm Johnson	13–14
Template:Flagicon Patrick Racing	Penske PC-6/78 Wildcat Mk. VTemplate:Refn	Cosworth	20Template:Refn	Template:Flagicon Gordon Johncock	All
			40Template:Refn	Template:Flagicon Wally Dallenbach	All
			60	Template:Flagicon Roger Mears	11Template:Refn
				Template:Flagicon Steve Krisiloff	12
Template:Flagicon Penske Racing	Penske PC-7/79 Penske PC-6/78Template:Refn	Cosworth	9	Template:Flagicon Rick Mears	All
			12	Template:Flagicon Bobby Unser	All
			68	Template:Flagicon Bill Alsup	4Template:Refn
			99	Template:Flagicon Mario Andretti	11–12
Template:Flagicon Sanett Racing	Penske PC-6/78	Cosworth	23	Template:Flagicon Dick Ferguson	11, 14
	Lola T500		86Template:Refn	Template:Flagicon Dennis Firestone	11Template:Refn
Template:Flagicon S&M Electric	Lightning Mk1/77	Offenhauser	35Template:Refn	Template:Flagicon Larry Rice	1–6
				Template:Flagicon Tim Richmond	9–11, 14
Template:Flagicon Team McLaren	McLaren M24B McLaren M24Template:Refn	Cosworth	4	Template:Flagicon Johnny Rutherford	All
Template:Flagicon Walmotor	Penske PC-6/78 McLaren M24Template:Refn	Cosworth	77	Template:Flagicon Salt Walther	1–4, 7–8, 11–12
Template:Flagicon WASP Racing	McLaren M16C/D	Offenhauser	41	Template:Flagicon Bill Alsup	AllTemplate:Refn
Template:Flagicon Whittington Bros. Racing	McLaren M24	Cosworth	94Template:Refn	Template:Flagicon Don Whittington	11Template:Refn
	Parnelli VPJ6CT		98	Template:Flagicon Bill Whittington	11Template:Refn
Template:Flagicon Wysard Motor Co.	Wildcat Mk. II	DGS	34	Template:Flagicon Vern Schuppan	1–4, 7–12, 14
USAC-registered teams
Template:Flagicon Agajanian-King Racers	Kingfish 73	Chevrolet	97	Template:Flagicon Phil Threshie	4
			98	Template:Flagicon Gary Bettenhausen	4
Template:Flagicon AMI Racing	Lola T500B	Cosworth	44	Template:Flagicon Tom Bigelow	4
			45	Template:Flagicon Janet Guthrie	4
	Wildcat Mk. II	DGS	46	Template:Flagicon Howdy Holmes	4
Template:Flagicon B/M Enterprises	Antares 72	Offenhauser	50	Template:Flagicon Frank Weiss	4, 13
				Template:Flagicon Eldon Rasmussen	4
Template:Flagicon Beaudoin Racing	Wildcat Mk. II	DGS	83	Template:Flagicon Billy Engelhart	4
Template:Flagicon Bruce Crower	Eagle 74	Chevrolet	57	Template:Flagicon Jerry Sneva	4Template:Refn
Template:Flagicon Gibson Racing	Eagle 74	DGS	75	Template:Flagicon Todd Gibson	4
Template:Flagicon Gilmore Racing	Parnelli VPJ6CT	Cosworth	14	Template:Flagicon A. J. Foyt	4
Template:Flagicon Hodgdon Racing	Spirit 78	AMC	73	Template:Flagicon Neil Bonnett	4
				Template:Flagicon Jerry Sneva	4
	McLaren M24	Cosworth	72		11Template:Refn
				Template:Flagicon Roger McCluskey	4
Template:Flagicon Hucul Racing	McLaren M16E	Offenhauser	29	Template:Flagicon Cliff Hucul	4
Template:Flagicon Jim Hurtubise	Mallard 71	Offenhauser	56	Template:Flagicon Jim Hurtubise	4
Template:Flagicon Leader Card	Watson 77	Offenhauser	22	Template:Flagicon Bill Vukovich II	4
	Watson 78		24	Template:Flagicon Sheldon Kinser	4
	Watson 79		40	Template:Flagicon George Snider	4Template:Refn
Template:Flagicon Lindsey Hopkins	Lightning X-15	Offenhauser	15	Template:Flagicon Johnny Parsons	4
	Lightning Mk1/79		51	Template:Flagicon Hurley Haywood	4
Template:Flagicon McElreath Racing	Penske PC-6/78	Cosworth	23	Template:Flagicon Jim McElreath	4
Template:Flagicon Medlin Racing	Cicada Mk.IV	Offenhauser	35	Template:Flagicon Bill Puterbaugh	4
Template:Flagicon Polak Racing	Penske PC-5/77	Cosworth	80	Template:Flagicon Larry Dickson	4
Template:Flagicon Rager Racing	Eagle 68	Chevrolet	66	Template:Flagicon Roger Rager	4
Template:Flagicon Rasmussen Racing	Rascar 72	Foyt	58	Template:Flagicon Eldon Rasmussen	4Template:Refn
Template:Flagicon Raymond Reimer	March 73A	Chevrolet	93	Template:Flagicon Larry McCoy	4
Template:Flagicon Rhoades Competition	McLaren M16E	Offenhauser	20Template:Refn	Template:Flagicon John Martin	4, 11
Template:Flagicon Thunder Racing	McLaren M16C/D	Offenhauser	30	Template:Flagicon Dana Carter	4
Template:Flagicon Vollstedt Racing	Vollstedt 77	Offenhauser	17	Template:Flagicon Dick Simon	4
Template:Flagicon Wayne Woodward	Eagle 74	Offenhauser	81	Template:Flagicon Dick FergusonTemplate:Refn	4
Template:Flagicon William R. Compton	McLaren M16C/D	Offenhauser	38	Template:Flagicon Jerry Karl	4

Season summary

Schedule

Rd	Date	Name	Circuit	Location
1	March 11	Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150	O  Phoenix International Raceway	Avondale, Arizona
2	April 22	Gould Twin Dixie 125	O  Atlanta Motor Speedway	Hampton, Georgia
3
4	May 27	Indianapolis 500	O  Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Indianapolis, Indiana
5	June 10	Trenton Twin Indy	O  Trenton Speedway	Trenton, New Jersey
6
7	July 15	Norton Twin 125	O  Michigan International Speedway	Brooklyn, Michigan
8
	July 29	Cancelled	R  Mosport International Raceway	Bowmanville, Ontario
9	August 5	Kent Oil 150	R  Watkins Glen International	Watkins Glen, New York
10	August 19	Ditzler 150	O  Trenton Speedway	Trenton, New Jersey
	August 26	Cancelled	O  North Carolina Motor Speedway	Rockingham, North Carolina
11	September 2	California 500	O  Ontario Motor Speedway	Ontario, California
12	September 15	Gould Grand Prix	O  Michigan International Speedway	Brooklyn, Michigan
13	September 30	Rich's Atlanta Classic	O  Atlanta Motor Speedway	Hampton, Georgia
14	October 20	Miller High Life 150	O  Phoenix International Raceway	Avondale, Arizona

The California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway was originally scheduled as a USAC race for September 2, but was switched mid-season to a CART series race. Additional races at Mosport and Rockingham were ultimately cancelled.

 O  Oval/Speedway  R  Dedicated road course

Race summaries

Race 1: Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150

Bobby Unser won the first pole in the new series history and dominated the race leading the most laps (86). However Unser had tire issues forcing an extra stop and history would show Gordon Johncock as the series first ever winner with Rick Mears second, and Johnny Rutherford in third.

Races 2 and 3: Gould Twin Dixie 125's

Johnny Rutherford would win the pole race 1. Race 1 would see Rutherford and Gordon Johncock dominate with Johncock leading the most laps (32) but would see Rutherford winning after a late race duel with Lee Kumzman who would hold on for second. Tom Sneva would take third while Johncock would take fourth.

Race 2 would see Rutherford again lead the field to the green flag (Race 2 lineup set by Race 1 finishing order). This time Rutherford would lead the most laps (61) and win. Rick Mears took second. Placing third was Al Unser Sr after he ran out of fuel on the final lap.

Also during this race weekend the CART teams that planned on entering the Indianapolis 500 were informed in a telegram from USAC that their board of directors voted unanimously to reject the entries of six key CART teams of Penske, Patrick, McLaren, Fletcher, Chaparral, and Gurney as they stated these six teams (19 cars) were alleged to be "harmful to racing" and "not in good standing with USAC."

Race 4: Indianapolis 500

After the rejected six filed an emergency injunction to be allowed to qualify and compete in the race, the injunction was granted. Race Day came around following the qualifying controversy and Rick Mears won his first of six Indy 500 poles. Both Bobby and Al Unser combined to lead 174 laps. But on lap 103 Al Unsers Day came to an end with a failed transmission. Bobby Unser was then in firm control until lap 181 when he slowed with gearbox troubles. Rick Mears would lead the remainder of the race for his first of four Indy 500 wins. A J. Foyt would finish second after losing his engine on the final lap. Mike Mosely would finish third, Danny Ongais would take fourth, Bobby Unser nursed his car to a fifth place finish with an ailing gearbox.

Races 5 and 6: Trenton Twin Indy

Race 1 would see Gordon Johncock take pole. He would lead the first 44 laps (most laps led) then lose the lead on the next lap as he had to pit, then he would spin 2 laps later losing more spots. That opened the door for Bobby Unser to win with brother Al Unser Sr taking second, and Johncock would recover for third.

Starting order for race 2 was set by race 1 finishing order so Bobby Unser started first and would finish first after leading the most laps (62). Wally Dallenbach would finish second, Johnny Rutherford finished third.

Races 7 and 8: Norton Twin 125s

In the first race, Bobby Unser won the pole, followed by Al Unser, Gordon Johncock, Wally Dallenbach, and Rick Mears. Johncock jumped out to lead the first three laps, but Bobby Unser fought back and led until the first caution flew on lap 11 for Spike Gehlhausen's stalled car. Lee Kunzman stayed out under the caution and took the lead, while Bobby Unser's engine blew on lap 21. Al Unser would pick up the lead after the caution flew for Danny Ongais spinning, but he miscalculated fuel mileage and ran out of fuel with 17 laps to go. This allowed Gordon Johncock to take the lead and win. Mike Mosley finished second, Johnny Rutherford third, Rick Mears fourth and Wally Dallenbach fifth. 11 laps into the race, Tom Sneva encountered a fire in his pits, but no one was hurt.

Before the second race, Bobby Unser's crew installed a new engine. Mike Mosley led the first lap, but he had fuel pump problems the next lap and dropped out. Throughout the next 25 laps, Johnny Rutherford and Rick Mears would trade the lead, before Unser charged to the front on lap 28 and never looked back, winning the race. Rick Mears finished second on track, but he was penalized for passing cars under the yellow, dropping him to fifth. Tom Sneva moved to second, Al Unser to third, and Gordon Johncock to fourth. Two cautions flew, the first for John Mahler's stalled car on lap 23 and the second for a crash involving Danny Ongais on lap 40.

Following the second of the two races, Rick Mears was leading the points with a 460 point lead over Gordon Johncock. Bobby Unser was third, 470 points back, Johnny Rutherford fourth, 925 points back, and Mike Mosley rounded out the top 5, 960 points back.

Race 9: Kent Oil 150

Al Unser won the pole, with Bobby Unser, Danny Ongais, Rick Mears and Gordon Johncock making up the rest of the top five. In the race, Al and Bobby Unser dominated, the two brothers being the only ones to lead laps throughout the day. Bobby Unser took the lead for good after Al had transmission problems on lap 48, and led the rest of the race to win over Rick Mears. Gordon Johncock finished third, Danny Ongais fourth, and Al Unser fell to fifth.

With his win, Bobby Unser rose to second in points, 410 points behind Rick Mears. Gordon Johncock fell to third, 490 points back, Johnny Rutherford was in fourth, 1157 points back after dropping out with a blown engine, and Mike Mosley remained in fifth, falling to 1185 points behind after dropping out with a broken gearbox.

Race 10: Ditzler 150

Bobby Unser won the pole, with Gordon Johncock, Tom Sneva, Danny Ongais, and Rick Mears making up the rest of the top five.

The race was postponed over a week due to rain. When the race did run, except for one lap led by Bill Alsup, Unser, Sneva, and Mears were the only ones to lead the race. Bobby Unser led the first 20 laps, before giving the lead to Mears. Tom Sneva then led at lap 57, followed by Unser regaining the lead on lap 69. Unser made a pit stop with 14 laps to go, giving the lead back to Sneva. Rick Mears gambled on pit strategy, and passed Tom Sneva with just 3 laps to go to win the final ever IndyCar race at Trenton. Bobby Unser also passed him, taking advantage of Sneva's fading tires to finish second. Sneva fell to third, Wally Dallenbach finished fourth after running as high as second before an extended pit stop, and Johnny Rutherford finished fifth. Two cautions slowed the race, both for crashes. One was by Gordon Johncock on lap 5, and the other by Mike Mosley on lap 36.

Rick Mears extended his point lead to 470 points over Bobby Unser. Gordon Johncock remained in third, 782 points back, Johnny Rutherford stayed in fourth, 1307 points back, and Al Unser rose to fifth in points, 1450 points behind.

Race 11: California 500

Rick Mears qualified on the pole, followed by Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti, in a one-off appearance for Penske, and Tom Sneva.

In the race, Al Unser led most of the first half of the race, but lost three laps due to a broken front-spoiler bracket. For the remainder of the race, Bobby Unser and Rick Mears traded the lead, While leading on lap 164, Rick Mears killed the engine on his pit stop, causing him to lose 12 seconds to Bobby Unser. This allowed Unser to lead most of the remaining laps, and won over Rick Mears. Mario Andretti claimed third despite running out of gas at the end, Johnny Rutherford finished fourth, and Al Unser ended up in fifth.

His win allowed Unser to close up to 270 points behind Mears, with Johnny Rutherford rising to third in points, Gordon Johncock falling to fourth, and Al Unser remaining in fifth. Apart from Unser, all other drivers were mathematically eliminated from the championship.

Race 12: Gould Grand Prix

Bobby Unser claimed the pole, his fourth of the season, with Rick Mears starting second, Gordon Johncock starting third, Johnny Rutherford starting fourth, and Al Unser rounding out the top five.

In the race, Gordon Johncock dominated the early stages of the race, before his engine blew while leading on the 36th lap. This allowed Bobby Unser to take the lead, and hold it the rest of the way to win over Tom Sneva. Rick Mears was third despite running out of gas on the final lap, Johnny Rutherford finished fourth, and Tom Bagley was fifth. The win was the fifth straight for Team Penske.

Bobby Unser was now just 180 points behind Mears in the fight, followed by Rutherford, Johncock, and Al Unser.

Race 13: Rich's Atlanta Classic

Bobby Unser claimed his fifth pole of the year, followed by Rick Mears, Al Unser, Danny Ongais, and Johnny Rutherford.

In the race, Unser dominated the first half of the race, but while leading on lap 55 suffered a blown tire handing the lead to Johnny Rutherford. But with 25 laps remaining in the race, Rutherford's engine blew, which allowed Rick Mears to cruise to an easy victory. Gordon Johncock placed second, despite running out of gas on the final lap, Bobby Unser wound up third, Wally Dallenbach finished fourth, and Al Unser, who had tire problems of his own, finished fifth. The win was Penske's sixth straight.

The win gave Rick Mears a near-insurmountable 270 point lead in the points, which meant that he would win the championship as long as he finished 11th or better in the final round.

Race 14: Miller High Life 150

For the last race of the year, Bobby Unser won another pole, his sixth of the year. Al Unser started second, Wally Dallenbach in third, Rick Mears in fourth, and Tom Sneva in fifth.

In the race, Al Unser jumped out to the lead on the first lap. He would eventually dominate the race, leading 138 of the 150 laps and only giving up the lead for a pair of pit stops. There were two late-race cautions, one when Wally Dallenbach spun with 9 laps to go, and one when Pancho Carter lost a wheel, which led to a two-lap shootout but Unser pulled away en route to his first and only win of the year, snapping a six-race Penske streak. Bobby Unser claimed second, Rick Mears third, Gordon Johncock fourth, and Tom Sneva fifth.

Mears's third was enough for him to claim the inaugural CART championship, winning by 240 points over Bobby Unser. Gordon Johncock finished third in points, with Johnny Rutherford in fourth and Al Unser in fifth.

Race results

Rd	Race	Pole Position	Winning driver	Winning team	Race Time	Report
1	Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150	Template:Flagicon Bobby Unser	Template:Flagicon Gordon Johncock	Patrick Racing	1:15:23	Report
2	Gould Twin Dixie 125	Template:Flagicon Johnny Rutherford	Template:Flagicon Johnny Rutherford	Team McLaren	0:47:28	Report
3		Set by field finish in race 1	Template:Flagicon Johnny Rutherford	Team McLaren	0:45:40
4	Indianapolis 500	Template:Flagicon Rick Mears	Template:Flagicon Rick Mears	Team Penske	3:08:27	Report
5	Trenton Twin Indy	Template:Flagicon Gordon Johncock	Template:Flagicon Bobby Unser	Team Penske	0:46:30	Report
6		Set by field finish in race 1	Template:Flagicon Bobby Unser	Team Penske	0:40:46
7	Norton Twin 125	Template:Flagicon Bobby Unser	Template:Flagicon Gordon Johncock	Patrick Racing	0:44:13	Report
8		Set by field finish in race 1	Template:Flagicon Bobby Unser	Team Penske	0:48:40	Report
9	Kent Oil 150	Template:Flagicon Al Unser	Template:Flagicon Bobby Unser	Team Penske	1:14:42	Report
10	Ditzler 150	Template:Flagicon Bobby Unser	Template:Flagicon Rick Mears	Team Penske	1:09:20	Report
11	California 500	Template:Flagicon Rick Mears	Template:Flagicon Bobby Unser	Team Penske	3:24:22	Report
12	Gould Grand Prix	Template:Flagicon Bobby Unser	Template:Flagicon Bobby Unser	Team Penske	0:51:22	Report
13	Rich's Atlanta Classic	Template:Flagicon Bobby Unser	Template:Flagicon Rick Mears	Team Penske	0:50:09	Report
14	Miller High Life 150	Template:Flagicon Bobby Unser	Template:Flagicon Al Unser	Chaparral Cars	1:13:03	Report

• CART was sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)
• Indianapolis was USAC-sanctioned but counted towards the CART championship.

Final driver standings

Pos Driver PHX1 Template:Flagicon ATL 1&2 Template:Flagicon INDY Template:Flagicon TRE 1&2 Template:Flagicon MIS 1&2 Template:Flagicon WGL Template:Flagicon TRE3 Template:Flagicon ONT Template:Flagicon MIS3 Template:Flagicon ATL3 Template:Flagicon PHX2 Template:Flagicon Pts 1 Template:Flagicon Rick Mears 2 5 2 1 5 7 4 5 2 1 2 3 1 3 4,060 2 Template:Flagicon Bobby Unser 5 7 4 5 1 1 19 1 1 2 1 1 3 2 3,820 3 Template:Flagicon Gordon Johncock 1 4 9 6 3 5 1 4 3 16 15 13 2 4 2,211 4 Template:Flagicon Johnny Rutherford 3 1 1 18 15 3 3 11 15 5 4 4 11 6 2,163 5 Template:Flagicon Al Unser 4 6 3 22 2 12 13 3 5 6 5 10 5 1 2,085 6 Template:Flagicon Danny Ongais 15 14 6 4 7 6 18 12 4 13 6 DNS 15 17 1,473 7 Template:Flagicon Tom Sneva 17 3 5 15 6 15 21 2 10 3 17 2 8 5 1,360 8 Template:Flagicon Tom Bagley 8 8 7 9 8 4 6 6 6 7 32 5 Wth 9 1,208 9 Template:Flagicon Wally Dallenbach 7 11 8 27 4 2 5 10 14 4 24 6 4 12 1,149 10 Template:Flagicon Mike Mosley 6 17 17 3 13 DNS 2 20 12 14 34 DNS 14 10 1,126 11 Template:Flagicon Mario Andretti 3 Wth 700 12 Template:Flagicon Lee Kunzman 9 2 18 30 14 DNS 14 17 9 490 13 Template:Flagicon Pancho Carter 20 9 11 20 10 8 7 14 16 DNS 28 8 13 7 452 14 Template:Flagicon Vern Schuppan 21 12 12 21 16 DNS 7 DNS 7 16 14 449 15 Template:Flagicon Bill Alsup  RY  11 16 15 DNQ 12 9 9 13 9 10 22 9 10 11 400 16 Template:Flagicon Joe Saldana 13 13 13 16 17 16 10 8 13 8 30 17 6 18 368 17 Template:Flagicon Spike Gehlhausen 18 18 16 10 18 13 22 21 17 11 25 11 16 8 343 18 Template:Flagicon Salt Walther 12 10 10 12 8 7 20 12 314 19 Template:Flagicon Steve Krisiloff 16 15 DNS 11 9 14 17 18 18 DNS 23 6 279 20 Template:Flagicon Tom Frantz 14 Wth DNQ 11 16 11 9 11 14 236 21 Template:Flagicon Jerry Sneva 31 10 155 22 Template:Flagicon Tim Richmond  R  23 DNS 8 12 26 15 112 23 Template:Flagicon Larry Rice 10 DNQ 14 19 16 10 105 24 Template:Flagicon Herm Johnson 7 13 98 25 Template:Flagicon John Mahler 19 Wth 25 11 11 12 15 Wth 74 26 Template:Flagicon Al Loquasto DNQ 20 9 21 70 27 Template:Flagicon Larry Cannon DNQ Wth 15 14 15 12 16 56 28 Template:Flagicon Dick Ferguson DNQ 15 19 16 Wth 35 29 Template:Flagicon Billy Scott DNQ 19 20 30 Template:Flagicon Phil Caliva  R  27 10 - Template:Flagicon A. J. Foyt 2 - - Template:Flagicon Howdy Holmes  R  7 - - Template:Flagicon Bill Vukovich II 8 - - Template:Flagicon Don Whittington  R  8 - - Template:Flagicon Frank Weiss Wth 9 - - Template:Flagicon Bill Whittington  R  12 - - Template:Flagicon Roger Mears 13 - - Template:Flagicon Roger McCluskey 13 - - Template:Flagicon Tom Bigelow 14 - - Template:Flagicon Phil Threshie 17 - - Template:Flagicon John Martin DNQ 18 - - Template:Flagicon Eldon Rasmussen 23 - - Template:Flagicon Larry Dickson 24 - - Template:Flagicon Dick Simon 26 - - Template:Flagicon Sheldon Kinser 28 - - Template:Flagicon Cliff Hucul 29 35 - - Template:Flagicon Bob Harkey Wth 29 - - Template:Flagicon Dennis Firestone  R  31 - - Template:Flagicon Johnny Parsons 32 33 - - Template:Flagicon George Snider 33 - - Template:Flagicon Janet Guthrie 34 - - Template:Flagicon Jim McElreath 35 - - Template:Flagicon Bill Puterbaugh DNQ - - Template:Flagicon Billy Engelhart DNQ - - Template:Flagicon Dana Carter DNQ - - Template:Flagicon Gary Bettenhausen DNQ - - Template:Flagicon Hurley Haywood DNQ - - Template:Flagicon Jerry Karl DNQ - - Template:Flagicon Jim Hurtubise DNQ - - Template:Flagicon Larry McCoy DNQ - - Template:Flagicon Roger Rager DNQ - - Template:Flagicon Todd Gibson DNQ - - Template:Flagicon Neil Bonnett Wth - - Template:Flagicon Bill Henderson Wth - Pos Driver PHX1 Template:Flagicon ATL 1&2 Template:Flagicon INDY Template:Flagicon TRT 1&2 Template:Flagicon MIS 1&2 Template:Flagicon WGL Template:Flagicon TRT3 Template:Flagicon ONT Template:Flagicon MIS3 Template:Flagicon ATL3 Template:Flagicon PHX2 Template:Flagicon 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 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

• 1979 Indianapolis 500
• 1979 USAC Championship Car season