1969 Indianapolis 500

Last updated
53rd Indianapolis 500
Indy500winningcar1969.JPG
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body USAC
Season 1969 USAC season
DateMay 30, 1969
Winner Mario Andretti
Winning team Andy Granatelli
Average speed156.867 mph (252.453 km/h)
Pole position A. J. Foyt
Pole speed170.568 mph (274.503 km/h)
Fastest qualifier Foyt
Rookie of the Year Mark Donohue
Most laps led Mario Andretti (116)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthem Purdue Band
"Back Home Again in Indiana"Mack H. Shultz
Starting command Tony Hulman
Pace car Chevrolet Camaro SS
Pace car driver Jim Rathmann
StarterPat Vidan [1]
Estimated attendance275,000 [2]
TV in the United States
Network ABC's Wide World of Sports
Announcers Jim McKay, Rodger Ward
Chronology
PreviousNext
1968 1970

The 53rd International 500 Mile Sweepstakes was an auto race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Friday, May 30, 1969. It was the third round of the 1969 USAC Championship Car season. Polesitter A. J. Foyt led the race in the early stages, looking to become the first four-time winner of the 500. Near the halfway point, however, a lengthy pit stop to repair a broken manifold put him many laps down. [3] Despite a hard-charging run towards the end, he wound up managing only an eighth-place finish, 19 laps down. Lloyd Ruby, a driver with a hard-luck reputation at the Speedway, was leading the race just after the midpoint. During a pit stop, he pulled away with the fueling hose still attached, ripped a hole in the fuel tank, and was out of the race. The incident put Mario Andretti in the lead for rest of the way. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Contents

Mario Andretti led 116 laps total and won for car owner Andy Granatelli. With Andretti's finish time of 3:11:14.71, it was the fastest run Indianapolis 500 up to that date, breaking the previous record by nearly five minutes. [8] Andretti's victory capped off an up-and-down month of May. He entered the month as a favorite, but he crashed his primary car, a radical four-wheel-drive Lotus, during practice. Andretti suffered burns but was able to qualify a back-up car in the middle of the front row. Mario Andretti's 1969 Indy 500 win is the lone victory at the race for the storied Andretti racing family. As of 2024, no Andretti has won the Indianapolis 500 since. Likewise, it was a triumphant first victory for owner Granatelli, after a long presence at Indianapolis - and a long string of disappointments, first with Novis, and then with the Turbines.

While Foyt and Andretti qualified 1st-2nd, the most notable story from time trials was the plight of Leon Duray "Jigger" Sirois, whose pit crew inadvisedly waved off his qualifying run on pole day. It would go down in history as one of the most famous gaffes in Indy history.

After five drivers were killed at the Speedway in the decade of the 1960s, the month of May 1969 was relatively clean, with no major injuries. The only injuries for the month were during two practice crashes. Mario Andretti suffered burns to his face, and Sammy Sessions, who suffered a fractured knee cap. Al Unser actually suffered the most serious injury of the month, when he crashed his personal motorcycle in the infield. He suffered a broken leg the night before time trials was to begin, and had to sit out the race. Bud Tingelstad served as his replacement in the Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing entry.

The car in which Andretti won the 1969 Indy 500 is owned by the Smithsonian, while a replica made from the original blueprints sits on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

Rule changes

For 1969, not a single front-engined car managed to qualify for the race, and ultimately, one would never do so again. All 33 cars in the field were rear-engined piston-powered machines. After the famous near-miss failures of the controversial STP Granatelli Turbine machines in 1967 and 1968, USAC imposed additional restrictions that effectively rendered them uncompetitive. The annulus inlet was further reduced from 15.999 in2 to 11.999 in2, and the Granatelli team abandoned the project. USAC stopped short of an outright ban on turbine cars, and it was not last time one would be entered. However, a turbine car would never manage to qualify for the race again.

By 1969, USAC had slowly begun to relax the rules regarding wings. While bolt-on wings were still not allowed, similar devices such as airfoils and spoilers were permitted, as long as they were an integral part of the bodywork. [9] Several cars arrived at the track with a myriad of aerodynamic devices. [10]

Goodyear arrived at the track in 1969 with a new, low-profile, wider tire. [11]

Race schedule

The 1969 race was the most recent Indy 500 scheduled for a Friday; the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was implemented in 1971 and Memorial Day became a three-day holiday weekend (Saturday–Monday) annually. Only one other subsequent year (1973) would the race be scheduled for a weekday. In 1970–1972, the race was scheduled for a Saturday, and beginning in 1974, the race has been scheduled for a Sunday.

Race schedule – May, 1969
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat

 

 

 

 
1
Opening Day
2
Practice
3
Practice
4
Practice
5
Practice
6
Practice
7
Practice
8
Practice
9
Practice
10
Practice
11
Practice
12
Practice
13
Practice
14
Practice
15
Practice
16
Practice
17
Pole Day
18
Time Trials
19
Practice
20
Practice
21
Practice
22
Practice
23
Practice
24
Time Trials
25
Bump Day
26
 
27
 
28
Carb Day
Parade
29
Meeting
30
Indy 500
31
Banquet
ColorNotes
GreenPractice
Dark BlueTime trials
SilverRace day
RedRained out*
BlankNo track activity

*Includes days where track
activity was significantly
limited due to rain

Practice and time trials

The track opened on May 1 to light activity for the first few days. By Tuesday May 6, activity had picked up, and the top drivers were lapping in the 165 mph range. On Wednesday May 7, A. J. Foyt turned a lap of 169.237 mph, establishing himself as the top driver during the first week of practice.

During the second week of practice, Mario Andretti took over the speed chart. On Monday May 12, he ran a lap of 170.197 mph, then followed it up on Wednesday May 14 with a lap of 171.657 mph. Al Unser was close behind with a lap of 169.141 mph.

On Thursday May 15, A. J. Foyt joined the "170 mph" club with a lap of 170.875 mph. By the end of the week, three drivers were over 170. Roger McCluskey posed a 170.283 mph on Friday May 16, the day before time trials was scheduled to begin. Through two weeks, though, no drivers had topped Joe Leonard's track record of 171.959 mph set in 1968.

Saturday May 17 – Jigger Sirois

Pole day was scheduled for Saturday May 17 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, rain threatened to wash out the afternoon. At the time, the qualifying rules were a bit unclear and they did not necessarily provide extensions or provisions in case of a rain delay or a rain stoppage during the pole position round. Only cars that made an attempt before the rains came (and before the track was scheduled to close at 6 o'clock) might be eligible for the pole position. Rookie Leon Duray "Jigger" Sirois drew the #1 spot in the qualifying order.

At 4:12 p.m., the track was dry and finally opened for qualifying. Sirois took to the track for his first (of three allotted) qualifying attempt. He completed his first three laps at:

However, on his fourth and final lap, his pit crew - seemingly dissatisfied with the run thus far - displayed the yellow flag and waved off the run, and it was aborted. At the time, the rules did not allow cars to make another qualifying run after completing one, and his crew were worried that his speed would not be enough to qualify for the race. Arnie Knepper was the second car in line, and pulled away for his warm up laps. Rain began to fall again before Knepper even saw the green flag. The track closed for the day.

That evening, Al Unser Sr., who had won the season opener at Phoenix, took to the infield to pass the time during the rain delay. He climbed on his motorcycle, and started riding around. In a small jump over a ditch, he toppled and the kickstand came down and pierced his left leg. He suffered a compound fracture to his left tibia, and was taken to the hospital. [12] Unser was put in a cast, and was sidelined for a month and a half.

Sunday May 18

Rain washed out time trials for the second day in a row. It was the first time in modern history that the entire first weekend of time trials was lost due to rain. Pole day was rescheduled for Saturday May 24.

At 1:04 p.m., a few cars make it out on the track for practice, but that lasted for only 18 minutes. Heavy rain and a tornado watch in the area closed the track for the day.

It was quickly noticed by media and fans that had Jigger Sirois' crew not waved off his final lap on Saturday, he would have been the lone qualifier of the weekend and sat on the coveted provisional pole position for at least an entire week.

Saturday May 24

After 23 days of waiting, and two rainouts, the field was finally ready to begin time trials. On Wednesday May 21, pole favorite Mario Andretti suffered a serious crash in turn four during a practice run. He suffered burns to his face, but no other serious injuries. His four-wheel drive Lotus machine was destroyed, and Andretti would have to qualify a back-up car.

A. J. Foyt won the pole position with a speed of 170.568 mph. A total of 25 cars completed runs. After his practice crash, Mario Andretti qualified the Brawner-Hawk for the middle of row one. Due to his facial burns, Mario asked his twin brother Aldo to stand in for him during the traditional front row photo session.

The news of Foyt winning the pole was relayed to the astronauts on Apollo 10. [13]

Sunday May 25

The field was filled to 33 cars with two cars bumped. For the first time in modern history, the field lined up coincidentally by speed from top-to-bottom.

On the second weekend of time trials, Jigger Sirois waved off his second attempt, and also waved off his third and final attempt when his speed was not fast enough. As it ended up, Sirois's first attempt on May 17 would have been fast enough to qualify for the race and possibly, depending on interpretation of the rules, the pole position. Sirois never managed to qualify at Indy in subsequent years, and became a source of popular folklore.

Starting grid

(W) = Former Indianapolis 500 winner; (R) = Indianapolis 500 rookie

RowInsideMiddleOutside
16 Flag of the United States.svg A. J. Foyt  W 2 Flag of the United States.svg Mario Andretti 1 Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Unser  W 
266 Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue  R 12 Flag of the United States.svg Gordon Johncock 82 Flag of the United States.svg Roger McCluskey
338 Flag of the United States.svg Jim McElreath 67 Flag of the United States.svg LeeRoy Yarbrough 8 Flag of the United States.svg Gary Bettenhausen
448 Flag of the United States.svg Dan Gurney 44 Flag of the United States.svg Joe Leonard 40 Flag of the United States.svg Art Pollard
510 Flag of the United States.svg Jim Malloy 59 Flag of the United States.svg Sonny Ates  R 84 Flag of the United States.svg George Snider
645 Flag of the United States.svg Ronnie Bucknum 36 Flag of the United States.svg Johnny Rutherford 15 Flag of the United States.svg Bud Tingelstad
722 Flag of the United States.svg Wally Dallenbach Sr. 4 Flag of the United States.svg Lloyd Ruby 29 Flag of the United States.svg Arnie Knepper
890 Flag of the United States.svg Mike Mosley 11 Flag of the United States.svg Sammy Sessions 9 Flag of the United States.svg Mel Kenyon
942 Flag of New Zealand.svg Denny Hulme 98 Flag of the United States.svg Bill Vukovich II 62 Flag of the United States.svg George Follmer  R 
1016 Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Walkup  R 95 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jack Brabham 57 Flag of the United States.svg Carl Williams
1121 Flag of the United States.svg Larry Dickson 97 Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Johns 92 Flag of the United States.svg Peter Revson  R 

Alternates

Failed to qualify

Race recap

The Eagle driven to 6th place by Joe Leonard JoeLeonardEagle.jpg
The Eagle driven to 6th place by Joe Leonard

Start

On the grid, LeeRoy Yarbrough's car failed to start, and the field pulled away, leaving him behind. On the pace lap, Yarbrough was able to get his car cranked, and frantically charged to catch up to the pack. He jockeyed to find his rightful starting position in row three, but managed only to make it mid-pack as the field took the green flag. Going into turn one, Mario Andretti took the lead from the middle of the front row, with polesitter A. J. Foyt following in second. Bruce Walkup, meanwhile, was out on the first lap with a transmission failure.

First half

Andretti led the first five laps, then Foyt took the lead going into turn one. One of the weaknesses of the turbocharged Fords used by Andretti (and several other top drivers) was overheating. So Andretti eased slightly and Foyt took over. Foyt would lead for 66 laps in the first half. The early stages of the race saw heavy attrition and a series of unscheduled pit stops. Several cars were out before lap 30, including Art Pollard, Ronnie Bucknum, Johnny Rutherford, and Jim McElreath, who had a fire as the car went down into turn one. McElreath was able to stop the car in turn 1 and got out uninjured, bringing out the first of only two yellow light periods. Retiring to the pits early was Gordon Johncock and Bobby Unser, as well as Jack Brabham, whose Repco engine would eventually suffer ignition failure.

The second of two yellow light periods came out on lap 87 when Arnie Knepper broke a suspension piece, causing him to crash in turn 4. He hit the outside wall and came to rest near the entrance to the pit area. Wally Dallenbach spun under the yellow and dropped out with a bad clutch.

On lap 99, A. J. Foyt headed to the pits with a split manifold. He spent over twenty minutes in the pits as the team made repairs. However, he did return to the race. With the Foyt team scrambling to diagnose A.J.'s troubles, the team neglected to signal George Snider to the pits, and Snider ran out of fuel on the track. Snider was eventually pushed back to the pits and rejoined the race, but he lost a considerable number of laps. [16]

In the first half, Andy Granatelli's three-car effort was down to one as both Art Pollard and Carl Williams were out early. Mario Andretti was the only Granatelli car still running. After years of disappointment, including the frustrations of the turbines the past two years, Andretti was still in position to finally give Granatelli his first 500 victory.

Second half

After leading ten laps up to that point, Lloyd Ruby went into the pits on lap 105. As the team was refueling the car, Ruby started to pull away too soon, with the hose still attached. A large hole was ruptured in the side of the fuel tank, and all the fuel spilled out onto the pavement. Ruby was out of the race, leaving Mario Andretti alone in front.

On lap 150, Joe Leonard was black-flagged for leaking fluid. He made a long pit stop to replace a punctured radiator, returned to the race, and managed a 6th-place finish. A. J. Foyt, after returning from repairs, was now among the fastest cars on the track. His hard charging second half saw him finish in 8th place.

Mario Andretti dominated the second half, and won comfortably over second place Dan Gurney. But Andretti's race was not without incident. On one occasion, he nearly hit the wall in turn two. On his final pit stop, he knocked over chief mechanic Clint Brawner, and nearly stalled the engine as he was pushed away. His transmission fluid was low, the clutch was reportedly slipping, and despite an extra radiator added by Brawner behind the driver's seat after qualifying, engine temperature was running high. [17] Despite the complications, Andretti maintained over a full-lap lead late in the race and cruised to victory.

Car owner Andy Granatelli, who abandoned the turbine cars after the heartbreaks of 1967 and 1968, planted a famous kiss on Andretti's cheek in victory lane. There were no yellow lights during the second half, and the final 110 laps were run under green. Andretti ran the whole race without changing tires.

In victory lane, an emotional happy Mario stated:

"I wanted to win this race so bad that you can't believe it. I will be having to pinch myself for the rest of the night. I am happy for Andy and STP. This is my biggest win and it's awesome."

Box score

The top four racers were allowed to complete the entire 500 mile race distance. Eight additional cars were running as of the race finish, but were flagged off the track not having completed the entire distance. [8] Andretti's race completion time of 3:11:14.71 was the fastest ever as of 1969. [8]

FinishStartCar
No.
NameChassisEngineTiresQualifying
Speed
LapsTime/Retired
122 Flag of the United States.svg Mario Andretti Brawner Ford F 169.8512003:11:14.71
21048 Flag of the United States.svg Dan Gurney Eagle Ford-Weslake G 167.341200+2:13.03
331 Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Unser  W  Lola Offenhauser G 169.683200+3:26.74
4249 Flag of the United States.svg Mel Kenyon Gerhardt Offenhauser G 165.426200+5:53.61
53392 Flag of the United States.svg Peter Revson  R  Brabham Repco G 160.851197Flagged (-3 laps)
61144 Flag of the United States.svg Joe Leonard Eagle Ford G 167.240193Flagged (-7 laps)
7466 Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue  R  Lola Offenhauser G 168.903190Flagged (-10 laps)
816 Flag of the United States.svg A. J. Foyt  W  Coyote Ford G 170.568181Flagged (-19 laps)
93121 Flag of the United States.svg Larry Dickson Vollstedt Ford G 163.014180Flagged (-20 laps)
103297 Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Johns Shrike Offenhauser F 160.901171Flagged (-29 laps)
111310 Flag of the United States.svg Jim Malloy Vollstedt Offenhauser G 167.092165Flagged (-35 laps)
122311 Flag of the United States.svg Sammy Sessions Finley Offenhauser G 165.434163Flagged (-37 laps)
132290 Flag of the United States.svg Mike Mosley Eagle Offenhauser G 166.113162Piston
14682 Flag of the United States.svg Roger McCluskey Coyote Ford G 168.350157Split Header
151815 Flag of the United States.svg Bud Tingelstad Lola Offenhauser F 166.597155Engine
161584 Flag of the United States.svg George Snider Coyote Ford G 166.914152Flagged
171459 Flag of the United States.svg Sonny Ates  R  Brabham Offenhauser G 166.968146Magneto
182542 Flag of New Zealand.svg Denis Hulme Eagle Ford G 165.092145Clutch
19512 Flag of the United States.svg Gordon Johncock Gerhardt Offenhauser G 168.626137Piston
20204 Flag of the United States.svg Lloyd Ruby Mongoose Offenhauser F 166.428105Fuel Tank
211922 Flag of the United States.svg Wally Dallenbach Sr. Eagle Offenhauser G 166.49782Clutch
222129 Flag of the United States.svg Arnie Knepper Cecil Ford G 166.22082Crash T4
23867 Flag of the United States.svg LeeRoy Yarbrough Vollstedt Ford G 168.07565Split Header
242995 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jack Brabham Brabham Repco G 163.87558Ignition
253057 Flag of the United States.svg Carl Williams Gerhardt Offenhauser F 163.26550Clutch
2698 Flag of the United States.svg Gary Bettenhausen Gerhardt Offenhauser G 167.77735Piston
272762 Flag of the United States.svg George Follmer  R Gilbert Ford F 164.28626Engine
28738 Flag of the United States.svg Jim McElreath Brawner Offenhauser G 168.22424Engine Fire
291736 Flag of the United States.svg Johnny Rutherford Eagle Offenhauser G 166.62824Oil Tank
301645 Flag of the United States.svg Ronnie Bucknum Eagle Offenhauser G 166.63616Piston
311240 Flag of the United States.svg Art Pollard Lotus Offenhauser F 167.1237Drive Line
322698 Flag of the United States.svg Bill Vukovich II Mongoose Offenhauser F 164.8431Rod
332816 Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Walkup  R Gerhardt Offenhauser G 163.9420Transmission


 W  Former Indianapolis 500 winner

 R  Indianapolis 500 Rookie

Race statistics

Tire participation chart [18] [19]
SupplierNo. of starters
Goodyear 25 
Firestone 8*
*Denotes race winner

Broadcasting

Radio

The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Sid Collins served as chief announcer and Len Sutton served as "driver expert." At the conclusion of the race, Lou Palmer reported from victory lane. The broadcast came on-air with a 30-minute pre-race.

The broadcast was carried on over 950 affiliates, including AFN, shortwave to troops in Vietnam, and the CBC. Foreign language translations were made in French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. The broadcast was also carried in Mexico City on XEVIB. The broadcast reached an estimated 100 million listeners.

Among the many visitors to the booth were O. J. Simpson, Oscar Robertson, Earl McCullouch, Irv Fried (Langhorne), Wally Parks, Dale Drake, Sam Hanks, and Duke Nalon. For the second year in a row, Senator Birch Bayh visited the booth, along with his teenage son, future senator Evan Bayh. Later in the race, Senator Vance Hartke also visited, accompanied by Secretary of Transportation John A. Volpe.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
Booth AnnouncersTurn Reporters Pit/garage reporters

Chief Announcer: Sid Collins
Driver expert: Len Sutton
Statistician: John DeCamp
Historian: Donald Davidson

Turn 1: Mike Ahern
Turn 2: Howdy Bell
Backstretch: Doug Zink
Turn 3: Ron Carrell
Turn 4: Jim Shelton

Chuck Marlowe (north pits)
Luke Walton (center pits)
Lou Palmer (south pits)

Television

The race was carried in the United States on ABC's Wide World of Sports . The broadcast aired on Saturday, June 7. Jim McKay anchored the broadcast with Rodger Ward as analyst and Chris Economaki as pit reporter.

The telecast featured a summary of time trials as well as pre-race interviews. During the race, McKay and Economaki served as roving pit reporters, and their interviews were edited into the final production.

The broadcast has re-aired on ESPN Classic starting in May 2011.

For the fifth year, a live telecast of the race was shown in theaters on a closed-circuit basis; once more, Charlie Brockman called the action.

ABC Television
Booth Announcers Pit/garage reporters

Announcer: Jim McKay
Color: Rodger Ward

Chris Economaki

Notes

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The 73rd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1989. The race was won by two-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion Emerson Fittipaldi. Fittipaldi's victory made him the first Indianapolis 500 winner from Brazil, the first foreign-born winner of the race since Mario Andretti in 1969, and the first non-American winner since Graham Hill in 1966. Though Fittipaldi started on the front row and dominated much of the race, he found himself running second in the waning laps. Michael Andretti passed Fittipaldi for the lead on lap 154, then led until his engine blew. Al Unser Jr. moved up to second, but trailed Fittipaldi by a big margin. Gambling on fuel mileage, Unser caught up to Fittipaldi after a fortuitous caution period on lap 181, and subsequently took the lead on lap 196.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 Indianapolis 500</span> 72nd running of the Indianapolis 500

The 72nd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday May 29, 1988. Team Penske dominated the month, sweeping the top three starting positions with Rick Mears winning the pole position, Danny Sullivan at the center of the front row, and Al Unser, Sr. on the outside. Mears set a new track record, becoming the first driver to break the 220 mph barrier in time trials. On race day, the three Penske teammates proceeded to lead 192 of the 200 laps, with Rick Mears taking the checkered flag, his third-career Indy 500 victory. The race represented the milestone 50th victory in Championship car racing for owner Roger Penske and Penske Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 Indianapolis 500</span> 71st running of the Indianapolis 500

The 71st Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday May 24, 1987. After dominating practice, qualifying, and most of the race, leader Mario Andretti slowed with mechanical problems with only 23 laps to go. Five laps later, Al Unser Sr. assumed the lead, and won his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory. At age 47, just days short of his 48th birthday, Unser became the oldest winner of the Indy 500, a record that still stands as of 2024. During the month of May, an unusually high 25 crashes occurred during practice and qualifying, with one driver in particular, Jim Crawford, suffering serious leg injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Indianapolis 500</span> 69th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 69th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday, May 26, 1985. The race was sanctioned by USAC, and was included as part of the 1985 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. The Speedway also celebrated 40 years of ownership by the Hulman/George family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 Indianapolis 500</span> 68th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 68th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 27, 1984. Rick Mears, who previously won in 1979, won his second Indy 500 victories driving for Penske. Contenders Tom Sneva and Mario Andretti dropped out of the race in the second half, leaving Mears alone two laps ahead of the field, and he cruised to the victory. Three months after the race, however, Mears would suffer severe leg injuries in a practice crash at Sanair.

Leon Duray "Jigger" Sirois is an American former racing driver from the small town of Shelby in northern Indiana. He raced in a variety of racing genres, most notably midget, stock and Indy "Big" cars. Sirois is the son of former longtime veteran Indy 500 mechanic Earl "Frenchy" Sirois, who worked on the winning cars of Lee Wallard, Sam Hanks, and Jimmy Bryan during his 40 year career. Sirois is named after driver Leon Duray. The nickname "Jigger" is in reference to family friend, two-time Indy-winning riding mechanic Jigger Johnson, as well as a nickname given to him by his older sister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andretti curse</span> Superstition in sports

The Andretti Curse, sometimes referred to as Andretti Luck, is a sports-related curse in a string of bad luck the Andretti racing family has experienced in their efforts to win the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

References

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  2. Tarpey, Michael P. (May 31, 1969). "Many Saw None Of Race But They Were Orderly". The Indianapolis Star. p. 15. Retrieved June 2, 2017 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. 2001 Indianapolis Record Book - Indianapolis Star/News
  4. Taylor, Jim (May 31, 1969). "Andretti wins in Brawner's baby". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). p. 14.
  5. "Andretti wins Indianapolis 500 race". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. May 31, 1969. p. 8.
  6. "'Losers' roar to Indy 500 victory". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. May 31, 1969. p. 7.
  7. Chapin, Kim (June 9, 1969). "La Dolce Indy". Sports Illustrated. p. 24.
  8. 1 2 3 "Official Speedway Finish". The Indianapolis Star. June 1, 1969. p. 4-2. Retrieved 2017-07-22 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Racing Design Had European Accent". The Indianapolis News. May 29, 1969. p. 32. Retrieved January 22, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  10. Pruett, Marshall (December 30, 2019). "First wings at Indy, with Mario Andretti and Bobby Unser". Racer.com. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  11. "Goodyear Stars Work Again As Soon As '69 Race Ends". The Indianapolis Star. May 30, 1969. p. 40. Retrieved January 22, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  12. Unser's luck bad again at Indianapolis
  13. Corrected Transcript and Commentary, Apollo Flight Journal (March 18, 2019). "Apollo 10 - Day 8 part 32: Housekeeping, navigation and comms tests". 172:53:37 Duke. NASA.gov. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  14. The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 14, 2004
  15. "1969 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes". ChampCarStats.com. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  16. "No Board Shown Snider; Boss' Stop Proves Costly". The Indianapolis Star. May 31, 1969. p. 31. Retrieved August 8, 2018 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  17. "Indianapolis 500 Centenary Countdown: The One That Didn't Get Away". Racer.com. 2011-02-23. Archived from the original on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
  18. "Race Score Card". The Indianapolis Star . May 30, 1969. p. 1. Retrieved August 10, 2024 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  19. Mannweiler, Lyle (May 29, 1969). "Goodyear wins tire war 25-8". Indianapolis News . p. 18. Retrieved August 10, 2024 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg

Works cited

1968 Indianapolis 500
Bobby Unser
1969 Indianapolis 500
Mario Andretti
1970 Indianapolis 500
Al Unser
Preceded by
152.882 mph
(1968 Indianapolis 500)
Record for the fastest average speed
156.867 mph
Succeeded by