The Triple Crown is a "championship" consisting of three 500 Mile Super Speedway races on the IndyCar calendar. Traditionally, the crown jewel races were events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway, and a third race at either Ontario Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, or Auto Club Speedway. In some years a driver would be recognized as a "Triple Crown Champion" if he/she scored the most points in the three races; Al Unser being the only driver to win all three 500 mile races during the 1978 IndyCar Season. Even though three super speedways and three 500 mile races have been featured in many seasons, only in 1971–1989 and 2013–2015 were "Triple Crowns" recognized.
The Triple Crown concept was first suggested by Pocono Raceway General Manager Bill Marvel in 1970. [1] Hoping to replicate the success of horse racing's Triple Crown, Pocono promoted their debut race in 1971 as joining an elite group of three 500 miles IndyCar races. Other "Crown Jewel" races included the Indianapolis 500 and the California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway which debuted in 1970. The driver that scored the most points in the three 500 mile races would be presented with a diamond-studded gold ring. [2] Joe Leonard won the first two Triple Crown championships in 1971 and 1972.
By 1974, several drivers criticized USAC over their lack of promotion for the Triple Crown. [3] Shortly after Secretariat won the similar prize in horse racing, it was lamented that auto racing's Triple Crown was not similarly embraced. After Marvel left his position at Pocono, promotion of the Crown was reduced and USAC neglected to even mention Roger McCluskey won the 1973 Crown in their media guide.
"The Triple Crown was one man's dream," Mario Andretti said in June 1974. [4] "Since Bill Marvel isn't connected here anymore, the whole thing died. It has some definite meaning, but it has to be talked about."
"It is a good publicity thing," Mark Donohue said, [5] "but it has to be promoted. Right now everybody is just trying to win the race at hand." In June 1974, Philadelphia Daily News writer Bill Fleischman wrote, [6] "A few years ago, Joe Leonard was honored at a dinner in Philadelphia as the first Triple Crown Winner. Leonard said he hoped his sport's Triple Crown would soon be as prestigious as horse racing's established salute. It hasn't happened. And it won't until auto racing cares enough to promote what could be an exciting attention getter."
Between 1975 and 1980, the prize was renamed the Olsonite Triple Crown and carried a $1,500 prize for the champion and an annual trophy. [7]
In 1978, Al Unser became the first and only driver to win all three Crown Jewel races in one season. Ontario Motor Speedway closed in 1980 and its spot in the Triple Crown was replaced with a new 500 Mile race at Michigan International Speedway. In 1982, Gordon Johncock won the first two legs of the Triple Crown and looked to become the second driver to sweep the crown jewels. While running second at Pocono with six laps remaining, Johncock broke a gearbox and dashed his hopes to win all three races.
In March 1983, Domino's Pizza became the title sponsor of the Domino's Pizza CART Triple Crown Award. [8] A $1 million prize was offered should any driver win all three Triple Crown races in one season. In addition, whichever driver scored the most points in the Triple Crown would win $10,000 and a trophy.
Domino's sponsorship of the award expired at the end of 1986 and the annual crowning of a champion based on points was discontinued. Pocono left the IndyCar schedule after 1989 and the Triple Crown promotion was dropped entirely. The last Michigan 500 was held in 2001 which made Indianapolis the last 500 mile race for several years.
In 2012, a 500 mile race at Auto Club Speedway was held as the season-ending race. In October 2012, it was announced that Pocono would return to the schedule in 2013. The Triple Crown promotion returned as well. "If you're gonna bring history back, the one thing that the fans wanted to see was the Triple Crown," IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said. [9] "Ever since I started three years ago, that was one of the big things they kept telling us."
Like the promotion in the 1980s, the Triple Crown revival carried cash bonuses, sponsored by Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka. If a driver could win all three races, they would earn a $1 million dollar bonus. $250,000 was offered if a driver could win 2 out of 3 races. It became known as the Fuzzy's Vodka Triple Crown.
In 2014, the Triple Crown races awarded double points in the IndyCar standings. [10] Following repeated schedule changes and decreased attendance, the California 500 left the IndyCar schedule after 2015 and the Triple Crown promotion was dropped once again.
When Pocono and Fontana were on the schedule together from 2013 to 2015, IndyCar did not officially announce a Triple Crown points champion.
The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500. Today, USAC serves as the sanctioning body for a number of racing series, including the Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Cars, National Midgets, Speed2 Midget Series, .25 Midget Series, Stadium Super Trucks, and Pirelli World Challenge. Seven-time USAC champion Levi Jones is USAC's Competition Director.
Pocono Raceway, also known as The Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. It is the site of three NASCAR national series races and an ARCA Menards Series event in July: a NASCAR Cup Series race with support events by the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. From 1971 to 1989, and from 2013 to 2019, the track also hosted an Indy Car race, currently sanctioned by the IndyCar Series. Additionally, from 1982 to 2021, it hosted two NASCAR Cup Series races, with the traditional first date being removed for 2022.
Theodore Racing was a Formula One constructor from Hong Kong founded by real estate magnate and millionaire Teddy Yip. They participated in 51 grands prix, entering a total of 64 cars.
Gordon Johncock is an American former racing driver. He won the Indianapolis 500 twice, and was the 1976 USAC Marlboro Championship Trail champion.
American open-wheel car racing, also known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2022, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar.
Duane C. Carter Jr., nicknamed "Pancho", is a retired American race car driver. He is most famous for his participation in CART Indy car races. He won the pole position for the 1985 Indianapolis 500, finished third in the 1982 race, and won the 1981 Michigan 500.
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Howdy Holmes is a former racing driver in the CART Championship Car series. He began racing in the early 1970s and was based in Stockbridge, Michigan, about 36 miles (58 km) southeast from downtown Lansing and 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Chelsea, Michigan where his family owned a milling company.
The 1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series was the inaugural season for the CART Indy car series. It was the first national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 14 races. Rick Mears was the national champion, and the rookie of the year was Bill Alsup. The 1979 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Rick Mears won the Indy 500, his first of four victories in the event.
The Pocono 500 was an IndyCar Series race held at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, located in the Pocono Mountains. The first Indy car race at Pocono was held in 1971. It was the first major event held at the track, shortly after its completion. The race was sanctioned by USAC from 1971 to 1981, and then by CART from 1982 to 1989, and was known as the Pocono 500. The race was removed from the CART calendar following the 1989 running, due to poor track conditions, as well as poor revenue for the promoter.
The 1982 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season, the fourth in the CART era of U.S. open-wheel racing, consisted of 11 races, beginning in Avondale, Arizona on March 28 and concluding at the same location on November 6. The PPG Indy Car World Series Drivers' Champion was Rick Mears. Rookie of the Year was Bobby Rahal.
The 1971 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 12 races, beginning in Rafaela, Argentina on February 28 and concluding in Avondale, Arizona on October 23. The USAC National Champion was Joe Leonard and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Al Unser. For 1971 it was decided that there should be three separate points championships, for paved ovals, dirt ovals, and road courses.
The 1978 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 18 races, beginning at Phoenix on March 18 and concluding at the same location on October 28. The USAC National Champion was Tom Sneva and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Al Unser. This was the last year before the first USAC/CART "Split". By winning the Indianapolis 500, Pocono 500, and California 500, Al Unser swept the Indy car "Triple Crown", the only driver in history to do so.
The 1979 USAC Championship Car season consisted of seven races, beginning in Ontario, California on March 25 and concluding in West Allis, Wisconsin on August 12. The USAC National Champion was A. J. Foyt and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Rick Mears. With the exception of the Indianapolis 500, most top drivers instead competed in races sanctioned by CART.
The 1981–82 USAC Championship Car season consisted of six races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana, on May 24, 1981, and concluding at the same location on May 30, 1982. The USAC National Champion was George Snider. The season included two Indianapolis 500 races. The 1981 winner was Bobby Unser, while the 1982 winner was Gordon Johncock. The schedule included dirt courses for the first time since 1970.
The 2013 Pocono IndyCar 400 fueled by Sunoco, the twentieth running of the event, was an IndyCar Series race held on July 7, 2013, at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The race was the eleventh in the 2013 IndyCar Series season. The event made a return to the IndyCar schedule after a 23-year hiatus. Marco Andretti of Andretti Autosport won the pole position, while Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon won the race.
The 2001 Pennsylvania 500 presented by Pep Boys was the 20th stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 29, 2001, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would pass eventual second-place driver, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win his 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish third.
The 1990 AC Spark Plug 500 was the 16th stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 18th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 22, 1990, before an audience of 90,000 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. Depending on fuel mileage, Junior Johnson & Associates driver Geoff Bodine would manage to coast his car for the final 43 laps of the race to take his ninth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Melling Racing driver Bill Elliott and Blue Max Racing driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1974 Pocono 500, the 4th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, June 30, 1974. Branded as the 1974 Schaefer 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Johnny Rutherford, who one month earlier won the 1974 Indianapolis 500.
The 1981 Pocono 500, the 11th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, June 21, 1981. Branded as the 1981 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race is notable as the final win for all-time IndyCar race winner, A. J. Foyt. It is also notable for its role in the confrontation between separate Indy car racing sanctioning bodies, USAC and CART, as well as the inclusion of front-engined dirt cars.
