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1980 Indianapolis 500

64th Indianapolis 500
Chaparral 2K.jpg
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body USAC
Season 1980 USAC season
1980 CART season
Date May 25, 1980
Winner Johnny Rutherford
Winning team Jim Hall Racing
Average speed 142.862 mph (229.914 km/h)
Pole position Johnny Rutherford
Pole speed 192.256 mph (309.406 km/h)
Fastest qualifier Johnny Rutherford
Rookie of the Year Tim Richmond
Most laps led Johnny Rutherford (118)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthem Purdue band
"Back Home Again in Indiana" Dr. Richard Smith
Starting Command Mary F. Hulman
Pace car Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Pace car driver Johnnie Parsons
Attendance 300,000 (estimated)
TV in the United States
Network ABC
Announcers Jim McKay and Jackie Stewart
Nielsen Ratings 13.8 / 27
Chronology
Previous Next
1979 1981

The 64th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 25, 1980. Johnny Rutherford won the pole position, led 118 laps, and won the race by a commanding 29.92 second margin. After failing to finish the race the year before (with Al Unser behind the wheel), Jim Hall's radical new Chaparral 2K ground effects chassis was a heavy favorite entering the month, and drove a flawless race. Rutherford, the winner in 1974 and 1976, became the sixth driver to win the Indy 500 three times.

Tom Sneva broke an Indy 500 record by becoming the first driver to start last (33rd) and lead the race. Sneva led two times for 16 laps, and finished the race in second position. Sneva likewise became the first driver in Indy history to start last and finish second (a feat tied by Scott Goodyear in 1992). It was Sneva's third runner-up finish in four years, matching Bill Holland's achievement exactly 30 years earlier in 1947, 1948 and 1950. Sneva's efforts were often branded afterwards with a "bridesmaid" reference, until he would finally go on to win the race in 1983.

The starting lineup featured 10 rookies, a sharp contrast from 1979, which had only one.


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