1980 CART PPG Indy Car World Series

1980 CART season
1980 CART season
PPG Indy Car World Series
	; ; Champion: Johnny Rutherford
Season
Races	12
Start date	April 13
End date	November 8
Awards
Drivers' champion	Johnny Rutherford
Constructors' Cup	Penske
Manufacturers' Cup	Cosworth
Nations' Cup	United States
Rookie of the Year	Dennis Firestone
Indianapolis 500 winner	Johnny Rutherford
	← 1979 1981 →

Last updated November 10, 2024

The 1980 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the second in the CART era of U.S. open-wheel racing. It consisted of twelve races, beginning in Ontario, California on April 13 and concluding in Avondale, Arizona on November 8. The PPG Indy Car World Series Drivers' Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Johnny Rutherford. Rookie of the Year was Dennis Firestone. The entire season, including the 64th Indianapolis 500, was to be co-sanctioned by both the USAC and CART under the banner of the Championship Racing League (CRL). However, USAC withdrew from the arrangement after five races.

Johnny Rutherford in Jim Hall's Chaparral 2K ground effects chassis dominated the season. Rutherford won five races, including a dominating performance at the 1980 Indianapolis 500. Rutherford finished in the top five in the first ten races, pulling out to a commanding and unmatchable points lead. Rutherford started the season out by finishing 1st or 2nd in the first six races, and ended with a total of eight finished of 1st or 2nd. Rutherford's season was not without incident, however. In the final race of the season at Phoenix, while battling Tom Sneva for the lead, Rutherford tangled with a lapped car, hit the wall, then flipped over. The car landed upside-down hard on its rollbar, but Rutherford was not seriously injured.

Drivers and constructors

The following teams and drivers competed for the 1980 CART World Series.

Team/Car Owner	Chassis	Engine	#	Drivers	Rounds
Team Penske	Penske	Cosworth	1	Rick Mears	All
			11	Bobby Unser	All
			12	Mario Andretti	2, 4, 10, 12
			61	Tom Gloy	5, 9-10
Leader Card Racing	Watson (2-4, 8-10, 12) Eagle (1)	Offenhauser	2	Bill Vukovich II	2-4, 9-10, 12
	Watson (2-4, 8-10, 12) Eagle (1)	Offenhauser	2	Sheldon Kinser	8
	Watson	Offenhauser (1, 7) Cosworth (All other races)	24	Sheldon Kinser	All except 8
	Watson	Offenhauser (1, 7) Cosworth (All other races)	24	Bill Vukovich II	8
AMI Racing	Lola (2, 4) Orbiter (3) McLaren (8)	Cosworth	7	Jerry Sneva	2-4, 8
	Orbiter (3-10) Lola (12)	Cosworth	43	Tom Bigelow	4, 8
				Howdy Holmes	3-7
				Jerry Sneva	9
				Danny Ongais	10
				Greg Leffler	12
	Lola	Cosworth	44	Greg Leffler	2, 4, 9-10
	Wildcat (All except 1, 11-12) Orbiter (12)	DGS (All except 1, 9, and 11-12) Offenhauser (11) Cosworth (12)	46	Gary Bettenhausen	All except 1 and 11
Chaparral Cars	Chaparral	Cosworth	4	Johnny Rutherford	All
Longhorn Racing	Longhorn	Cosworth	5	Al Unser	All
Jerry O'Connell Racing	McLaren	Cosworth	7	Tom Sneva	1
	McLaren (All except 1, 8, 10, 12) Phoenix (8, 10, 12)		9	Tom Sneva	2-12
	McLaren		89	Vern Schuppan	2
Vollstedt Enterprises	Vollstedt	Offenhauser	8	Dick Simon	All except 1, 10, 12
Vollstedt Enterprises	Vollstedt	Offenhauser	12	Dick Simon	12
Alex Morales Motorsports	Penske (All except 4) Lightning (4)	Cosworth	10	Pancho Carter	All
Gilmore Racing	Parnelli	Cosworth	14	A. J. Foyt	1-2, 4
Gilmore Racing	Parnelli	Cosworth	16	George Snider	2, 4
Tempero Racing	Eagle	Chevrolet	15	Bill Tempero	1
Tempero Racing	Eagle	Chevrolet	65	Bill Tempero	All except 1, 4
Lindsey Hopkins Racing	Lightning	Offenhauser (2) Chevrolet (10) Cosworth (9)	15	Johnny Parsons	2, 9-10
		Chevrolet	51	Johnny Parsons	4, 6
		Cosworth	55	Janet Guthrie	2-3
		Chevrolet	99	Hurley Haywood	2
McElreath Racing	Eagle	Offenhauser	16	Jim McElreath	11
McElreath Racing	Penske	Cosworth	23	Jim McElreath	2, 7-8
Rhoades Competition	Penske	Cosworth	18	Dennis Firestone	2, 4, 6, 9-12
	McLaren	Offenhauser	19	Dana Carter	2
	Eagle	Ram	X	Larry Rice	12
Patrick Racing	Wildcat (1-2, 6) Phoenix (All except 1-2, 6)	Cosworth	20	Gordon Johncock	All
	Penske (1) Wildcat (2, 4, 6, 9-10) Phoenix (3, 5, 7-8, 11-12)		40	Tom Bagley	All
	Penske		60	Gordon Smiley	1
	Phoenix		70	Gordon Smiley	2
Mach I Racing	Penske (2-6, 8) Eagle (9)	Cosworth (2-6, 8) Chevrolet (9)	21	Tim Richmond	2-6
Mach I Racing	Penske (2-6, 8) Eagle (9)	Cosworth (2-6, 8) Chevrolet (9)	21	Mike Mosley	8-9
Davis Racing	Wildcat	Offenhauser	22	Ross Davis	1
Sanett Racing	Penske	Cosworth	23	Dick Ferguson	1
Sanett Racing	Penske	Cosworth	26	Dick Ferguson	2
Interscope Racing	Parnelli	Cosworth	25	Danny Ongais	All except 1, 8, 10, and 12
Menard Racing	Lightning	Offenhauser	28	Herm Johnson	All except 5-7
Beaudoin Racing	McLaren	Cosworth	29	Billy Engelhart	2-4, 8-9, 12
Machinists Union Racing	IAM	Donovan (2-4, 6) DGS (8) Chevrolet (9, 12)	30	Phil Threshie	2-4, 6, 8
Machinists Union Racing	IAM	Donovan (2-4, 6) DGS (8) Chevrolet (9, 12)	30	Larry Dickson	9, 12
Medlin Racing	Eagle	Offenhauser	32	Tony Bettenhausen Jr.	2-4
Wysard Racing	Wildcat (1-2, 4-5, 7) McLaren (9, 12)	Offenhauser (1) DGS (2, 4-5, 7) Cosworth (9, 12)	34	Pete Halsmer	1-2, 12
Wysard Racing	Wildcat (1-2, 4-5, 7) McLaren (9, 12)	Offenhauser (1) DGS (2, 4-5, 7) Cosworth (9, 12)	34	Vern Schuppan	4-5, 7, 9
Bob Fletcher Racing	Penske	Cosworth	35	Spike Gehlhausen	2, 4, 6, 8-9
			35	Gordon Smiley	10-11
			55	Spike Gehlhausen	1
J J Enterprises	Wildcat	DGS	36	John Martin	5
J J Enterprises	Wildcat	DGS (2, 6, 8-9) Cosworth (4)	37	John Martin	2, 4, 6, 8-9
Pacific Coast Racing	Penske	Cosworth	38	Rick Muther	1
	Penske	Cosworth	82	Rick Muther	2-3, 5-7, 9
	Lightning	Offenhauser	86	Al Loquasto	2, 4
	Lightning	Offenhauser	86	Jeff Heywood	9
Karl Racing	McLaren (2, 4-6) Gerhardt (3) Karl (7-9, 11-12)	Chevrolet	38	Jerry Karl	All except 1, 10
Alsup Racing	Penske	Cosworth	41	Bill Alsup	All
Alsup Racing	McLaren	Offenhauser	47	Phil Caliva	1-2, 4-5, 9, 11
Mergard Racing	Eagle	Offenhauser	42	John Wood	1-2, 4-5, 8
All American Racers	Eagle	Cosworth (1) Chevrolet (2, 4)	48	Mike Mosley	1-2, 4
BFM Enterprises	Antares	Offenhauser	50	Jan Sneva	1
	Manta			Rich Vogler	2
				Dick Ferguson	3
				Milt Harper	4
Garza Racing	Penske	Cosworth	55	Josele Garza	12
Hurtubise Racing	Mallard	Offenhauser	56	Jim Hurtubise	2
Frantz Racing	McLaren	Cosworth	57	Tom Frantz	2
Hoffman Racing	Lightning	Offenhauser	59	Lee Kunzman	2
	Lightning	Offenhauser	59	Joe Saldana	4-6, 8, 10
	Penske	Cosworth	69	Joe Saldana	1-2
	Eagle	Offenhauser	69	Bob Frey	10
	Spyder	Offenhauser	79	Bob Frey	4
Rager Racing	Wildcat	Chevrolet	66	Roger Rager	All except 1, 3, 7, and 10
Rasmussen Racing	Rascar	Foyt	67	Bob Harkey	2
	Rascar	Foyt	67	Buddie Boys	4
	McLaren	Offenhauser	68	Frank Weiss	2
Vetrock Racing	Eagle	Offenhauser	71	Dean Vetrock	8
Hodgdon Racing	McLaren	Cosworth	72	Roger Mears	1
Hodgdon Racing	McLaren	Cosworth	72	Mike Chandler	9
Stanton Racing	Penske	Cosworth	75	Ron Shuman	1-2
O'Hanlon Racing	March	Chevrolet	75	Bruce Hill	3
	McLaren	Cosworth	75	Lee Kunzman	5
	McLaren	Cosworth	81	Cliff Hucul	3
				Lee Kunzman	4
				Jerry Sneva	10, 12
				Spike Gehlhausen	11
Walmotor	Penske	Cosworth		Salt Walther	2
Walmotor	Penske	Cosworth	77	Salt Walther	6
RP Racing	X	X	80	Larry Dickson	2
Woodward Racing	McLaren	Cosworth (9) Chevrolet (6)	81	Dick Ferguson	6, 9
Shade Tree Racing	Eagle	Offenhauser	85	Michel Jourdain Sr.	11-12
Pronosticos Deportivos	Penske	Cosworth	88	Daniel Muñiz	11
Intercomp	Finley (2) Eagle (9)	Offenhauser	91	John Mahler	2
	Finley (2) Eagle (9)		91	Chip Mead	9
	Eagle (3) Penske (5, 7-9, 11)		92	John Mahler	3, 5, 7-9, 11
Ovaciones	Penske	Cosworth	91	Juan Carlos Bolaños	11
Whittington Bros. Racing	Parnelli	Cosworth	94	Bill Whittington	2
Whittington Bros. Racing	Penske	Cosworth	96	Don Whittington	2, 4
Cannon Racing	Wildcat	DGS (1-2, 6-7, 9-12) Offenhauser (3-5, 8)	95	Larry Cannon	All except 1 and 11.
Grant King Racing	King	Chevrolet	86	Roger Mears	5
			97	Roger Mears	2, 7-8
				Billie Harvey	3
				Jim McElreath	4
				Jerry Miller	12
			98	Bob Harkey	4
			98	Tony Bettenhausen Jr.	5, 7

Notable team and driver changes

After racing only at Indy in 1979, Leader Card Racing moved from USAC to CART, with Sheldon Kinser as lead driver and Bill Vukovich II running a limited schedule.
AMI Racing also moved from USAC to CART, with Gary Bettenhausen as the driver.
Team McLaren shut down their IndyCar operations so they could concentrate on their Formula One program. Driver Johnny Rutherford moved to Chaparral Cars, replacing Al Unser.
With Al Unser out at Chaparral, he moved to Longhorn Racing, replacing Tom Bagley.
Vollstedt Enterprises, which only ran Indy the previous year, moved to a full schedule, driven by Dick Simon.
Rookie driver Bill Tempero debuted with owner-driver team Tempero Racing.
Wally Dallenbach Sr. retired from CART at the end of the 1979 season, becoming its competition director. His ride at Patrick Racing was filled by Tom Bagley.
John Menard Jr. formed the new Team Menard organization, with Herm Johnson as the driver.
Jerry Karl moved from USAC to CART, with his owner-driver team Karl Racing.
Alsup Racing expanded to a two-car team, with Bill Alsup joined in most races by Phil Caliva.
After running a full season in 1979, All American Racers and driver Mike Mosley only ran three races in 1980.
Hoffman Racing once again fielded a variety of drivers, with Lee Kunzman, Joe Saldana, and Bob Frey splitting the year.
Roger Rager moved his owner-driver team Rager Racing from USAC to CART.
After competing in most of the 1979 races, Salt Walther and team Walmotor only raced in two races.
Larry Cannon and his Cannon Racing team moved to a full-time schedule after running part-time in 1979.
Gehlhausen Racing, which fielded a full-time team in 1979, closed, with driver Spike Gehlhausen moving to Bob Fletcher Racing.

Notable equipment changes

Longhorn Racing switched from a Penske chassis to its own Longhorn.
Morales Motorsports switched from a Lightning chassis to a used Penske.
Patrick Racing switched from a Penske to Phoenix chassis.
Bob Fletcher Racing switched from a Lightning to Penske chassis.
Alsup Racing switched from a McLaren to Penske chassis and from an Offenhauser to Cosworth engine.

Season Summary

Schedule


Rd	Date	Name	Circuit	Location
-	March 2	Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150	O Phoenix International Raceway	Avondale, Arizona
1	April 13	Datsun Twin 200	O Ontario Motor Speedway	Ontario, California
2	May 25	Indianapolis 500	O Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Indianapolis, Indiana
3	June 8	Gould Rex Mays Classic	O Milwaukee Mile	West Allis, Wisconsin
4	June 22	True Value 500	O Pocono Raceway	Long Pond, Pennsylvania
5	July 13	Red Roof Inns 250	R Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	Lexington, Ohio
6	July 20	Norton Twin 200	O Michigan International Speedway	Brooklyn, Michigan
7	August 3	Kent Oil 150	R Watkins Glen International	Watkins Glen, New York
8	August 10	Tony Bettenhausen Classic	O Milwaukee Mile	West Allis, Wisconsin
9	August 31	California 500	O Ontario Motor Speedway	Ontario, California
10	September 20	Gould Grand Prix	O Michigan International Speedway	Brooklyn, Michigan
11	October 26	I Copa México 150	R Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez	Mexico City, Mexico
12	November 8	Miller High Life 150 In Memory of Bobby Ball	O Phoenix International Raceway	Avondale, Arizona

- The Phoenix race was scheduled for March 2, but cancelled due to flooding.
O Oval/Speedway R Dedicated road course

Race summaries

Race 1: Datsun Twin 200

For the opening race of the year, Johnny Rutherford qualified on the pole, with Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Rick Mears, and Tom Sneva making up the rest of the top five starters.

Johnny Rutherford led the first eight laps, before Bobby Unser caught and passed in lap traffic. ^[1] However, while leading on lap 14, he suffered a cracked radiator and dropped out. This moved Rutherford back in front, and he was mostly uncontested for the remainder of the race as most challengers had problems. Rick Mears dropped out due to electrical issues while running second. Pancho Carter moved up to second,^[1] but he dropped out with fuel pump problems, followed by Al Unser dropping out on lap 45 with a broken transmission. With most of his competition out, Rutherford cruised to an easy victory over Tom Sneva. Gordon Johncock finished third, Spike Gehlhausen fourth, and Tom Bagley fifth.

Race 2: Indianapolis 500

Race 3: Rex Mays Classic

Gordon Johncock qualified on the pole, with Johnny Rutherford starting second, Al Unser starting third, Rick Mears starting fourth, and Bobby Unser rounding out the top five starters.

In the race Rutherford jumped out to the lead on lap 7, and controlled most of the next 50 laps before Gordon Johncock took the lead on lap 55. 60 laps later, under the fourth caution of the day, Al Unser, who was running in second had an engine failure and dropped out.^[2] This moved his brother Bobby Unser into second, and on the restart he managed to catch and pass Johncock for the lead, holding on to win. Johnny Rutherford rose to second, Gordon Johncock ended up third, Pancho Carter finished fourth, and Rick Mears fifth.

With his second place, Rutherford now had a 400 point lead over second place Tom Sneva, with Gordon Johncock 550 points back in third, Gary Bettenhausen 925 points back in fourth, and Rick Mears 984 points behind in fifth.

Race 4: True Value 500

Bobby Unser won the pole, with A.J. Foyt starting second, Mario Andretti starting third, Mike Mosley starting in fourth, and Johnny Rutherford starting fifth.

In the race, A.J. Foyt took the lead on the first lap, and led most of the first half of the race, giving up the lead only for pit shuffling. The first caution came on lap 11, when Al Loquasto lost a wheel and Dennis Firestone wrecked in the same part of the track.^[3] The second caution came on lap 26, after Howdy Holmes lost control, Jim McElreath slowed and Roger Rager hit the rear of his car.^[3]

While leading on lap 82, Foyt encountered a bad valve, and dropped out. This gave the lead to Bobby Unser, who led most of the rest of the race. Johnny Rutherford led 1 lap due to pit stop shuffling,^[4] followed by 5 laps under caution after Pancho Carter spun,^[5] but when the green flag flew after a caution on lap 165, Unser pulled away. Rutherford's hopes of winning ended with 20 laps to go when his engine stalled in the pits, allowing Unser to win the race by a wide margin over Rutherford. Tom Sneva finished third, Bill Alsup fourth, and Vern Schuppan fifth. Most other stars were taken out due to attrition. Al Unser was never a factor and dropped out with handling problems on lap 35. Mike Mosley broke a piston while running in third on lap 46,^[3] Danny Ongais dropped out with clutch problems on lap 100, Mario Andretti was sidelined with a broken transmission on lap 105, and Rick Mears blew his engine on lap 163.

Johnny Rutherford extended his lead to 500 points over Tom Sneva, with Bobby Unser rising to third, 1114 points behind, Gordon Johncock, who didn't enter, falling to fourth, 1350 points back, and Pancho Carter rising to fifth, 1452 points behind.

Race 5: Red Roof Inns 250

Al Unser qualified on the pole, followed by brother Bobby Unser in second, Rick Mears in third, Johnny Rutherford in fourth, and Danny Ongais rounding out the top five starters.

The start of the race was problematic. Starter Duane Sweeney didn't give the green flag when the pace car pulled off as the back rows were strung out, but the field got going anyway, with Al Unser spinning off track in the first turn. Two laps later they got back in two-by-two order for the official start.^[6] Danny Ongais and Sheldon Kinser didn't make it to the green flag, with Ongais having ignition problems and Kinser a blown engine. On the first lap, Tim Richmond spun off course and was hit by John Wood.

Bobby Unser jumped out to the lead after his brother spun, and led the first 12 laps, But he encountered a valve problem while leading and dropped out. Rick Mears then took the lead, and throughout the next 20 laps dueled with Johnny Rutherford.^[6] After a poor pit stop by Rutherford, Mears had a 20 second lead, but due to heat exhaustion lost concentration and spun out while leading on lap 47. This gave the lead to Rutherford, with Mears's day ending on lap 54 after Rick Muther spun out and Mears hit him. This brought out the caution, allowing second place Gordon Johncock to close. But when the green flew, Rutherford pulled away and won, a rare road course win. Bill Alsup finished third, Roger Mears fourth, and Vern Schuppan fifth. Polesitter Al Unser lost a lap due to an unscheduled pit stop, and dropped out with suspension problems while running fifth.

Rutherford now had a 770 point lead over Tom Sneva, who had crashed out. Bobby Unser was third, 1406 points back, Gordon Johncock fourth, 1410 points back, and Pancho Carter fifth, 1662 points back.

Race Results

Rd	Race	Pole Position	Winning driver	Winning team	Race time	Report
1	Datsun Twin 200	Johnny Rutherford	Johnny Rutherford	Chaparral Cars	1:14:03	Report
2	Indianapolis 500	Johnny Rutherford	Johnny Rutherford	Chaparral Cars	3:29:59	Report
3	Gould Rex Mays Classic	Gordon Johncock	Bobby Unser	Team Penske	1:19:48	Report
4	True Value 500	Bobby Unser	Bobby Unser	Team Penske	3:18:04	Report
5	Red Roof Inns 150	Al Unser	Johnny Rutherford	Chaparral Cars	1:48:04	Report
6	Norton 200	Bobby Unser	Johnny Rutherford	Chaparral Cars	1:20:48	Report
7	Kent Oil 150	Al Unser	Bobby Unser	Team Penske	1:30:51	Report
8	Tony Bettenhausen 200	Johnny Rutherford	Johnny Rutherford	Chaparral Cars	1:54:13	Report
9	California 500	Bobby Unser	Bobby Unser	Team Penske	3:11:51	Report
10	Gould Grand Prix	Mario Andretti	Mario Andretti	Team Penske	0:53:44	Report
11	I Copa México 150	Bobby Unser	Rick Mears	Team Penske	1:16:43	Report
12	Miller High Life 150	Mario Andretti	Tom Sneva	Jerry O'Connell Racing	1:30:04	Report

CART and USAC united in 1980 under the banner of the Championship Racing League (CRL).The first five races of the season were run under CRL banner sanction by USAC. The union dissolved after the Mid-Ohio race. CART sanctioned the seven remaining races on the schedule and combined the results of those along with the CRL events for their championship.

Final driver standings

Pos	Driver	ONT	INDY	MIL	POC	MDO	MIC	WGL	MIL	ONT	MIC	MXS	PHX	Pts
1	Johnny Rutherford	1	1	2	2	1	1	5	1	2	4	10	13	4,723
2	Bobby Unser	23	19	1	1	15	2	1	3	1	2	2	DNS	3,714
3	Tom Sneva	2	2	6	3	11	6	4	16	26	6	4	1	2,930
4	Rick Mears	21	5	5	12	9	4	2	2	3	3	1	7	2,866
5	Pancho Carter	18	6	4	6	7	3	7	22	7	7	22	19	1,855
6	Gordon Johncock	3	4	3	DNS	2	5	21	23	23	24	19	24	1,572
7	Bill Alsup	7	DNQ	9	4	3	10	8	21	16	10	16	21	1,214
8	Al Unser	16	27	20	24	13	7	19	13	4	5	3	15	1,153
9	Gary Bettenhausen		3	12	33	20	9	11	Wth	31	19		3	1,057
10	Vern Schuppan		DNQ		5	5		18		10				806
11	Tom Bagley	5	28	23	29	DNS	8	6	4	15	8	18	16	794
12	Dennis Firestone RY		16		30		14			6	DNS	5	5	743
13	Sheldon Kinser	13	DNQ	11	7	24	16	20	17	12	14	7	4	697
14	Tom Gloy					6				5	9			680
15	Danny Ongais		7	24	18	23	21	3		19	11	24		601
16	Mario Andretti		20		17						1		2	580
17	Spike Gehlhausen	4	29		DNQ		12		5	33		25		473
18	Roger Rager		23		26	8	24		8	11		11	10	381
19	Rick Muther	24	DNQ	18		10	25	10		8				356
20	Bill Tempero R	17	DNQ	16		17	17	15	6	18	16	8	11	331
21	Dick Ferguson	8	31	DNQ			13			9				315
22	Howdy Holmes		DNQ	15	8	14	11	13						314
23	Larry Cannon		33	DNQ	9	DNQ	20		DNQ	24	22	9	18	299
24	Herm Johnson	14	DNQ	17	11				11	13	13	14	8	272
24	Roger Mears	9	DNQ			4		16	26					272
26	Tom Bigelow		8						14					260
27	Billy Engelhart		11	10	13				10	28			17	246
28	Jim McElreath		24		27			12	9			6		240
29	Jerry Karl		21	14	15	18	15	9	24	27		12	9	215
30	Tim Richmond		9	DNQ	DNQ	21	26							209
31	Dick Simon		22	13	21	DNS	18	17	7	37		23	25	185
32	Greg Leffler R		10		DNQ					20	15		20	184
33	Gordon Smiley R	6	25								20	DNQ		176
34	Lee Kunzman		DNQ		10	DNQ								150
35	Jerry Sneva		17	8	14				25	36	12		23	149
36	Pete Halsmer R	20	DNQ										6	128
37	Bill Vukovich II		12	21	28				19	34	25		12	96
38	Cliff Hucul			7										90
39	Phil Caliva	15	DNQ		16	12				21		21		70
40	Jan Sneva	10	DNQ											60
41	John Martin		DNQ		20	16	19		15	25				56
41	Mike Mosley	19	32		23				20	17				56
43	Joe Saldana	25	DNQ		22	DNQ	23		12		21			50
44	A. J. Foyt	DNS	14		19									45
45	Ron Shuman	11	DNQ											40
46	Johnny Parsons		26		DNQ		22			22	23			36
47	John Mahler		DNQ	DNQ		19		14	18	30		13		35
48	Don Whittington		13		DNQ									25
48	John Wood R	12	DNQ		DNQ	22			DNQ					25
48	Mike Chandler R									14				25
48	George Snider		15		DNQ									25
52	Hurley Haywood		18											20
53	Phil Threshie		DNQ	22	25		DNQ		DNQ					15
54	Larry Dickson		DNQ							35			22	10
55	Daniel Muñiz R											15		8
55	Jerry Miller												14	8
57	Billie Harvey			19										6
57	Bob Frey R		DNQ	DNQ	DNQ						17			6
57	Juan Carlos Bolaños R											17		6
57	Michel Jourdain Sr.											18	DNQ	6
57	Ross Davis	22	DNQ											6
57	Salt Walther		DNQ								18			6
63	Al Loquasto		DNQ		31									5
63	Bill Whittington		30											5
63	Chip Mead R									29				5
63	Tony Bettenhausen Jr.		DNQ	DNQ	32	DNQ		DNS						5
63	Jeff Heywood R									32				5
Pos	Driver	ONT	INDY	MIL	POC	MDO	MIC	WGL	MIL	ONT	MIC	MXS	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
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

Driver Breakdown

Pos	Driver	Team/Car Owner	Starts	Wins	Podiums	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles	Points
1	Rutherford	Chaparral Cars	12	5	8	10	10	3	4,723
2	B. Unser	Team Penske	11	4	8	8	8	3	3,714
3	T. Sneva	Jerry O'Connell Racing	12	1	4	6	9	0	2,930
4	Ri. Mears	Team Penske	12	1	5	8	9	0	2,866
5	Carter	Alex Morales Motorsports	12	0	1	2	8	0	1,855
6	Johncock	Patrick Racing	11	0	3	5	5	1	1,572
7	Alsup	Alsup Racing	11	0	1	2	7	0	1,214
8	A. Unser	Longhorn Racing	12	0	1	3	4	2	1,153
9	G. Bettenhausen	AMI Racing	9	0	2	2	3	0	1,149
10	Schuppan	Jerry O'Connell Racing Wysard Racing	4	0	0	2	3	0	806
11	Bagley	Patrick Racing	11	0	0	2	5	0	794
12	Firestone	Rhoades Competition	6	0	0	2	3	0	743
13	Kinser	Leader Card Racing	11	0	0	1	3	0	697
14	Gloy	Team Penske	3	0	0	1	3	0	680
15	Ongais	Interscope Racing AMI Racing	9	0	0	1	2	0	601
16	Andretti	Team Penske	4	1	2	2	2	3	580
17	Gehlhausen	Bob Fletcher Racing	6	0	0	2	2	0	473
18	Rager	Rager Racing	8	0	0	0	2	0	381
19	Muther	Pacific Coast Racing	6	0	0	0	2	0	356
20	Tempero	Tempero Racing	10	0	0	0	2	0	331
21	Ferguson	Sanett Racing	4	0	0	0	2	0	315
22	Holmes	AMI Racing	5	0	0	0	1	0	314
23	Cannon	Cannon Racing	7	0	0	0	2	0	299
24	Johnson	Menard Racing	8	0	0	0	1	0	272
24	Ro. Mears	Hodgdon Racing Agajanian-Grant King Racers	4	0	0	1	2	0	272
26	Bigelow	AMI Racing	2	0	0	0	1	0	260
27	Engelhart	Beaudoin Racing	6	0	0	0	2	0	246
28	McElreath	McElreath Racing	5	0	0	0	2	0	240
29	Karl	Karl Racing	10	0	0	0	1	0	215
30	Richmond	Mach I Racing	3	0	0	0	1	0	209
31	Simon	Vollstedt Enterprises	10	0	0	0	1	0	185
32	Leffler	AMI Racing	4	0	0	0	1	0	184
33	Smiley	Patrick Racing Bob Fletcher Racing	3	0	0	0	1	0	176
34	Kunzman	O'Hanlon Racing	1	0	0	0	1	0	150
35	Je. Sneva	AMI Racing O'Hanlon Racing	7	0	0	0	1	0	149
36	Halsmer	Wysard Racing	2	0	0	0	1	0	128
37	Vukovich	Leader Card Racing	7	0	0	0	0	0	96
38	Hucul	O'Hanlon Racing	1	0	0	0	1	0	90
39	Caliva	Alsup Racing	5	0	0	0	0	0	70
40	Ja. Sneva	BFM Enterprises Walmotor	1	0	0	0	1	0	60
41	Martin	JJ Enterprises	5	0	0	0	0	0	56
41	Mosley	All American Racers Mach I Racing	5	0	0	0	0	0	56
43	Saldana	Hoffman Racing	5	0	0	0	0	0	50
44	Foyt	Gilmore Racing	3	0	0	0	0	0	45
45	Shuman	Stanton Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	40
46	Parsons	Lindsey Hopkins Racing	4	0	0	0	0	0	36
47	Mahler	Intercomp	5	0	0	0	0	0	35
48	D. Whittington	Whittington Bros. Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	25
48	Wood	Mergard Racing	2	0	0	0	0	0	25
48	Chandler	Hodgdon Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	25
48	Snider	Gilmore Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	25
52	Haywood	Linsey Hopkins Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	20
53	Threshie	Machinists Union Racing	2	0	0	0	0	0	15
54	Dickson	Machinists Union	2	0	0	0	0	0	10
55	Muñiz	Pronosticos Deportivos	1	0	0	0	0	0	8
55	Miller	Agajanian-Grant King Racers	1	0	0	0	0	0	8
57	Harvey	Agajanian-Grant King Racers	1	0	0	0	0	0	6
57	Frey	Hoffman Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	6
57	Bolaños	Ovaciones	1	0	0	0	0	0	6
57	Jourdain Sr.	Shade Tree Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	6
57	Davis	Davis Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	6
57	Walther	Walmotor	1	0	0	0	0	0	6
63	Loquasto	Pacific Coast Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	5
63	B. Whittington	Whittington Bros. Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	5
63	Mead	Intercomp	1	0	0	0	0	0	5
63	T. Bettenhausen Jr.	Bettenhausen Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	5
63	Heywood	Pacific Coast Racing	1	0	0	0	0	0	5

Related Research Articles

Rick Ravon Mears is a retired American race car driver. He is one of four men to win the Indianapolis 500 four times and is the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six. Mears is also a three-time Indycar series/World Series champion.

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References

Åberg, Andreas. "PPG Indy Car World Series 1980". Driver Database. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
"1980 PPG Indy Car World Series". Champ Car Stats. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
"Official Box Score: 64th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2009-05-19.

1 2 "Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 14, 1980 · Page 62". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
↑ "The Morning News from Wilmington, Delaware on June 9, 1980 · Page 22". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
1 2 3 "Florida Today from Cocoa, Florida on June 23, 1980 · Page 4C". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
↑ "Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey on June 23, 1980 · Page 28". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
↑ "Citizens' Voice from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on June 23, 1980 · 37". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
1 2 "Clipping from The Indianapolis Star - Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-10.

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[:0-1] 1 2 "Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 14, 1980 · Page 62". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.

[2] "The Morning News from Wilmington, Delaware on June 9, 1980 · Page 22". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.

[:1-3] 1 2 3 "Florida Today from Cocoa, Florida on June 23, 1980 · Page 4C". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-10.

[4] "Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey on June 23, 1980 · Page 28". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-10.

[5] "Citizens' Voice from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on June 23, 1980 · 37". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-10.

[:2-6] 1 2 "Clipping from The Indianapolis Star - Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-10-10.

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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 2025
Years marked in italics are not official championship years or upcoming seasons.