Johnny Rutherford
| John Sherman Rutherford III | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||||
| Born |
March 12, 1938 Coffeyville, Kansas, U.S. |
||||||
| Awards |
1974, 1976, and 1980 Indianapolis 500 champion |
||||||
| Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 35 races run over 12 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 33rd (1981) | ||||||
| First race | 1963 Daytona Qualifier #2 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 1988 Checker 500 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| First win | 1963 Daytona Qualifier #2 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last win | 1963 Daytona Qualifier #2 (Daytona) | ||||||
|
|||||||
1974, 1976, and 1980 Indianapolis 500 champion
1980 PPG Indycar World Series champion
1986 Michigan 500 champion
1974 USAC Pocono 500 champion
1993 Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Inductee
1995 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductee
John Sherman Rutherford III (born March 12, 1938), better known as Johnny Rutherford, and also known as "Lone Star JR" is a former U.S. automobile racer known for being one of ten drivers to win the prestigious Indianapolis 500 mile race at least three times. Rutherford won that race in 1974, 1976, and 1980.
Rutherford began racing in 1959 and he also dabbled in , making 35 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts from 1963 to 1988. Rutherford won in his first start, at Daytona International Speedway driving for Smokey Yunick. This made him one of the youngest drivers ever to win in NASCAR history, in a full points-paying NASCAR race.
In 1959, Rutherford started driving modified stock cars in Dallas. He joined the International Motor Contest Association sprint car circuit in 1961 leading it for most of 1962. Rutherford later joined the United States Auto Club (USAC) starting in the Hoosier Hundred and later winning his first championship.
...
Wikipedia