1963 USAC Championship Car season

1963 USAC Championship Car season
1963 USAC Championship Car season
USAC National Championship Trail
Season
Races	12
Start date	April 21
End date	November 17
Awards
National champion	A. J. Foyt
Indianapolis 500 winner	Parnelli Jones
	← 1962 1964 →

Last updated March 24, 2024

The 1963 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 12 races, beginning in Trenton, New Jersey on April 21 and concluding in Phoenix, Arizona on November 17. There was also one non-championship event at Pikes Peak, Colorado. The USAC National Champion was A. J. Foyt, and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Parnelli Jones. Jim Clark's win at Milwaukee in August marked the first win for a rear-engined car in Champ Car competition.^[1]

Schedule and results

Rnd	Date	Race Name	Track	Location	Type	Pole Position	Winning Driver
1	April 21	Trenton 100	Trenton International Speedway	Trenton, New Jersey	Paved	Lloyd Ruby	A. J. Foyt
2	May 30	International 500 Mile Sweepstakes	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana	Paved	Parnelli Jones	Parnelli Jones
3	June 9	Rex Mays Classic	Milwaukee Mile	West Allis, Wisconsin	Paved	Johnny Boyd	Rodger Ward
4	June 23	Langhorne 100	Langhorne Speedway	Langhorne, Pennsylvania	Dirt	Jim Hurtubise	A. J. Foyt
NC	July 4	Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb	Pikes Peak Highway	Pikes Peak, Colorado	Hill	Bobby Unser ^A	Bobby Unser
5	July 28	Trenton 150	Trenton International Speedway	Trenton, New Jersey	Paved	A. J. Foyt	A. J. Foyt
6	August 17	Tony Bettenhausen Memorial	Illinois State Fairgrounds	Springfield, Illinois	Dirt	A. J. Foyt	Rodger Ward
7	August 18	Tony Bettenhausen 200	Milwaukee Mile	West Allis, Wisconsin	Paved	Jim Clark	Jim Clark
8	September 2	Ted Horn Memorial	DuQuoin State Fairgrounds	Du Quoin, Illinois	Dirt	Rodger Ward	A. J. Foyt
9	September 14	Hoosier Hundred	Indiana State Fairgrounds	Indianapolis, Indiana	Dirt	Rodger Ward	Rodger Ward
10	September 22	Trenton 200	Trenton International Speedway	Trenton, New Jersey	Paved	Jim Clark	A. J. Foyt
11	October 27	Golden State 100	California State Fairgrounds	Sacramento, California	Dirt	Rodger Ward	Rodger Ward
12	November 17	Bobby Ball Memorial	Arizona State Fairgrounds	Phoenix, Arizona	Dirt	Johnny Rutherford	Rodger Ward

Paved/Dirt Oval

Road Course/Hill Climb

Non-championship race

^A No pole is awarded for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, in this schedule on the pole is the driver who started first. No lap led was awarded for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, however, a lap was awarded to the drivers that completed the climb.

Final points standings

Pos	Driver	TRE1	INDY	MIL1	LAN	TRE2	SPR	MIL2	DQSF	ISF	TRE3	SAC	PHX	Pts
1	A. J. Foyt	1	3	4	1	1	2	2	1	3	1	2	8	2950
2	Rodger Ward	18	4	1		3	1	4	2	1	26	1	1	2210
3	Jim McElreath	4	6	5	2	8	6	11	7	5	4	3	3	1655
4	Parnelli Jones	2	1	DNQ	4	22	8	23	6	18	22	12	4	1540
5	Don Branson	17	5	17	DNS	12	3	10	5	2	5	6	7	1352
6	Jim Clark RY		2					1			21			1200
7	Chuck Hulse	22	8	3	12	6	DNQ	5	3	15	19	16	2	1020
8	Roger McCluskey	8	15	18	10	7	4	6	11	6	18	5	5	750
9	Jim Hurtubise	3	22	19	3	4	17	8	8	10	24	11		660
10	Johnny Rutherford	10	29	20	7	16	5	7	10	4	6	17	11	640
11	Troy Ruttman	5	12	DNQ		5		14			3			580
12	Dan Gurney		7					3			16			580
13	Bud Tingelstad		28	15		9	11	18	12		2	13	6	490
14	Bobby Grim		25	11		2		9		11		8	10	440
15	Bobby Marshman	6	16	7	5	19	15	22	4	DNQ	20	18	18	323
16	Lloyd Ruby	19	19	12		24	9	26	17	8	8	4	16	320
17	Johnny White R						7	19	9	7	7	9	15	320
18	Ronnie Duman	9	DNQ	10	6	10	16			9				235
19	Al Miller		9	22	DNQ	DNQ		25		DNQ				200
20	Len Sutton	7	DNQ	6		21	12	12	13	DNQ		DNQ		170
21	Eddie Sachs	15	17	2		DNQ		24			23			160
22	Dempsey Wilson		11	DNQ		DNQ					10			160
23	Dick Rathmann		10	DNQ										150
24	Bob Harkey R		DNQ	DNQ	9	17	13		DNQ	14	9	15	DNQ	120
25	Bobby Unser		33				18					7	9	100
26	Bob Mathouser	11	DNQ	DNQ	11	11		15	DNQ		15	DNQ	14	70
27	Colby Scroggin	13	DNQ	8	DNQ					17			17	50
28	Ralph Liguori		DNQ	16	8	15	14	DNQ	18	16	DNQ			50
29	Jack Conely		DNQ	9				17						40
30	Ed Kostenuk		DNQ	DNQ				21			11			40
31	Arnie Knepper R				13	DNQ	10		14					30
32	Chuck Booth											10	DNQ	30
33	Eddie Johnson		20								12			20
34	Sonny Helms R									13			12	10
35	Curtis Turner R	12	DNQ											10
36	Jerry Daniels R									12				10
-	Bob Veith		26	13				13						0
-	Jerry Weld R							DNQ	16	DNQ	14	DNQ	13	0
-	Chuck Rodee		DNQ					20		DNQ	13			0
-	Bruce Jacobi		DNQ		DNQ	13			DNQ	DNQ	DNQ			0
-	Bob Christie		13	DNQ										0
-	Johnny Boyd		32	14										0
-	Billy Cantrell R									DNQ		14	DNQ	0
-	Mel Kenyon R					14							DNQ	0
-	Jiggs Peters	14												0
-	Ebb Rose		14											0
-	Mickey Shaw R	20				18	DNQ	DNQ	15	DNQ	25			0
-	Bob Wente R		DNQ			DNQ		16			17			0
-	Allen Crowe	16	27											0
-	Paul Goldsmith		18											0
-	Art Malone		31	DNQ		20								0
-	Al Farmer	21	Wth			23	DNQ		DNQ					0
-	Pat Flaherty			21		DNQ					DNQ			0
-	Chuck Stevenson		21	DNQ										0
-	Duane Carter		23											0
-	Jim Rathmann		24											0
-	Elmer George		30									DNQ		0
-	Jimmy Davies		DNQ	DNQ						DNQ		DNQ	DNQ	0
-	Ed Hoyle	DNQ		DNQ		DNQ					DNQ			0
-	Bob McLean						DNQ	DNQ	DNQ					0
-	Bobby Hogle								DNQ	DNQ		DNQ		0
-	Gig Stephens	DNQ	DNQ											0
-	Masten Gregory		DNQ	DNQ										0
-	Paul Russo		DNQ	DNQ										0
-	Bill Cheesbourg		DNQ								DNQ			0
-	George Morris					DNQ					DNQ			0
-	Tommy Copp									DNQ		DNQ		0
-	Ray Crawford		DNQ											0
-	Jimmy Daywalt		DNQ											0
-	Chuck Engle		DNQ											0
-	Don Freeland		DNQ											0
-	Cliff Griffith		DNQ											0
-	Norm Hall		DNQ											0
-	Gene Hartley		DNQ											0
-	Graham Hill		DNQ											0
-	Junior Johnson		DNQ											0
-	Bill Krause		DNQ											0
-	Keith Rachwitz		DNQ											0
-	Pedro Rodríguez		DNQ											0
-	Joe Sostilio		DNQ											0
-	Jack Turner		DNQ											0
-	Red Amick										DNQ			0
-	Howard Osborn											DNQ		0
-	Wally Talbot											DNQ		0
-	Curly Boyd												DNQ	0
-	Dee Jones												DNQ	0
Pos	Driver	TRE1	INDY	MIL1	LAN	TRE2	SPR	MIL2	DQSF	ISF	TRE3	SAC	PHX	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 (Ret)
Red	Did not qualify (DNQ)
Brown	Withdrawn (Wth)
Black	Disqualified (DSQ)
White	Did not start (DNS)
Blank	Did not participate (DNP)
Blank	Not competing

In-line notation
Bold	Pole position
Italics	Ran fastest race lap
*	Led most race laps
RY Rookie of the Year
R Rookie

Notes

Åberg, Andreas. "USAC National Championship 1963". Driver Database. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
"1963 USAC National Championship Trail". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine (p. 268-269)

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References

↑ Case, Dean. "Eagle-eye Feature: August 18, 1963 - The Day the Dinosaurs Died". All American Racers. Archived from the original on December 31, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2011.

v t e American Championship car racing (Indy car) seasons
AAA	1905 1906–1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955
USAC	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95
CART	1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
CCWS	2004 2005 2006 2007 ~~2008~~
IRL	1996 1996–97 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
INDYCAR	2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Years marked in italics are not official championship years or upcoming seasons.

v t e USAC Championship Cars (1956-1970)
Seasons	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970
Indianapolis 500s	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970
National Champions	Mario Andretti (three times) Tony Bettenhausen Jimmy Bryan (twice) A. J. Foyt (five times) Al Unser Bobby Unser Rodger Ward (twice)
Tracks	Arizona State Fair Atlanta Brainerd California State Fair Continental Divide Darlington Daytona Dover DuQuoin State Fair Hanford Illinois State Fair Indianapolis Indianapolis Raceway Park Indiana State Fair Lakewood Langhorne Michigan Michigan State Fair Milwaukee Missouri State Fair Mont-Tremblant Mosport Nazareth New York State Fair Ontario Phoenix Pikes Peak Riverside Stardust Sears Point Seattle Trenton