1961 USAC Championship Car season

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1961 USAC Championship Car season
USAC National Championship Trail
Season
Races 12
Start date April 9
End date November 19
Awards
National champion United States A. J. Foyt
Indianapolis 500 winner United States A. J. Foyt
Chronology
Previous season Next season
1960 1962

The 1961 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 12 races, beginning in Trenton, New Jersey on April 9 and concluding in Phoenix, Arizona on November 19. There was also one non-championship event at Pikes Peak, Colorado. The USAC National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was A. J. Foyt. The season was marred by the deaths of 1951 and 1958 season champion Tony Bettenhausen at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Al Keller at Phoenix.

Schedule and results

Rnd Date Race Name Track Location Type Pole Position Winning Driver
1 April 9 United States Trenton 100 Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Paved United States Tony Bettenhausen United States Eddie Sachs
2 May 30 United States International 500 Mile Sweepstakes Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana Paved United States Eddie Sachs United States A. J. Foyt
3 June 4 United States Rex Mays Classic Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin Paved United States Dick Rathmann United States Rodger Ward
4 June 18 United States Langhorne 100 Langhorne Speedway Langhorne, Pennsylvania Dirt United States Al Keller United States A. J. Foyt
NC July 4 United States Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Pikes Peak Highway Pikes Peak, Colorado Hill United States Bobby UnserA United States Bobby Unser
5 August 20 United States Tony Bettenhausen 200 Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin Paved United States Don Branson United States Lloyd Ruby
6 August 21 United States Tony Bettenhausen Memorial Illinois State Fairgrounds Springfield, Illinois Dirt United States Parnelli Jones United States Jim Hurtubise
7 September 4 United States Ted Horn Memorial DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Du Quoin, Illinois Dirt United States Jim Hurtubise United States A. J. Foyt
8 September 9 United States Syracuse 100 New York State Fairgrounds Syracuse, New York Dirt United States Rodger Ward United States Rodger Ward
9 September 16 United States Hoosier Hundred Indiana State Fairgrounds Indianapolis, Indiana Dirt United States A. J. Foyt United States A. J. Foyt
10 September 24 United States Trenton 100 Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Paved United States Eddie Sachs United States Eddie Sachs
11 October 29 United States Golden State 100 California State Fairgrounds Sacramento, California Dirt United States Rodger Ward United States Rodger Ward
12 November 19 United States Bobby Ball Memorial Arizona State Fairgrounds Phoenix, Arizona Dirt United States Al Keller United States Parnelli Jones
  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
United States
INDY
United States
MIL1
United States
LAN
United States
MIL2
United States
SPR
United States
DQSF
United States
SYR
United States
ISF
United States
TRE2
United States
SAC
United States
PHX
United States
Pts
1 United States A. J. Foyt 5 1 22 1 3 2 1 18 1 14 12 15 2150
2 United States Eddie Sachs 1 2 Wth 3 5 DNS 3 DNQ DNQ 1 DNQ 6 1760
3 United States Rodger Ward 18 3 1 19 6 17 1 17 3 1 2 1680
4 United States Shorty Templeman 4 DNQ 10 5 2 2 5 16 16 12 1190
5 United States Al Keller 5 2 15 12 18 5 4 16 5 18 17 1000
6 United States Jim Hurtubise 2 22 5 8 7 1 18 3 18 2 14 DNS 939
7 United States Len Sutton DNQ 19 4 2 10 9 9 4 11 4 8 860
8 United States Bobby Marshman 17 7 19 11 15 9 8 7 2 19 3 11 769
9 United States Parnelli Jones 15 12 2 23 11 12 5 12 9 2 1 750
10 United States Dick Rathmann 4 13 3 6 4 3 DNQ 10 20 750
11 United States Lloyd Ruby 8 21 1 16 16 11 DNQ 18 DNQ 670
12 United States Don Branson 16 33 6 14 24 15 6 17 8 4 7 3 530
13 United States Elmer George 8 8 4 DNQ 8 14 6 15 6 9 470
14 United States Chuck Stevenson 6 400
15 United States Roger McCluskey 6 27 17 5 DNQ 15 8 14 7 11 7 370
16 United States A. J. Shepherd 11 26 DNQ 6 4 7 15 DNQ 360
17 United States Chuck Hulse 12 DNQ 14 18 17 13 4 DNQ 6 6 DNQ 14 302
18 United States Jim McElreath 3 21 10 4 290
19 United States Al Farmer DNQ DNQ DNQ 16 7 13 16 DNQ DNQ 5 5 260
20 Australia Jack Brabham 9 200
21 United States Johnny Boyd 21 7 8 DNQ 15 160
22 United States Norm Hall 10 DNQ DNQ DNQ 150
23 United States Troy Ruttman 3 20 16 140
24 United States Don Davis 29 DNQ 13 13 14 10 12 13 8 8 DNQ 140
25 United States Ronnie Duman DNQ 15 DNS 11 DNQ DNQ 10 DNQ 13 9 DNQ 128
26 United States Bob Christie 17 20 9 10 110
27 United States Gene Hartley 11 100
28 United States Red Riegel DNQ 7 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 13 18 60
29 United States Ralph Liguori DNQ DNQ 7 DNQ DNQ DNQ 60
30 United States Len Duncan 7 60
31 United States Jiggs Peters 9 12 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 50
32 United States Danny Jones DNQ 14 9 DNQ 40
33 United States Don Freeland DNQ 9 DNQ 40
34 United States Allen Crowe 16 17 13 DNQ 12 DNQ 10 40
35 United States Bruce Jacobi 14 DNQ DNQ 10 30
36 United States Wayne Weiler DNQ 15 10 30
37 United States Bob Cleberg 10 DNQ DNQ DNQ 30
38 United States Rex Easton DNQ DNQ 9 DNQ 22
39 United States Bud Tingelstad DNQ DNQ 14 DNQ 11 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 20
40 United States Eddie Johnson 18 11 DNQ DNQ 20
41 United States Bob Mathouser DNQ 11 DNQ DNQ 20
42 United States Dempsey Wilson 16 12 20 DNQ DNQ DNQ 15 DNQ 10
43 United States Jack Turner 25 21 12 DNQ DNQ 10
- United States Bill Cheesbourg 28 13 DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Don Horvath 13 DNQ 0
- United States Leroy Neumayer DNQ 13 0
- United States Paul Goldsmith 14 18 0
- United States Keith Rachwitz DNQ 16 0
- United States Jack Rounds 20 DNQ 17 0
- United States Bob Veith DNQ 25 17 0
- United States Ray Wearne DNQ 17 DNQ 0
- United States Leon Clum DNQ DNQ 18 DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Tony Bettenhausen 19 DNQ 0
- United States Tommy Copp 21 DNQ 0
- United States Johnny Coy 22 DNQ 22 0
- United States Ernie Koch DNQ DNQ 22 DNQ 0
- United States Ebb Rose 23 26 0
- United States Cliff Griffith 24 0
- United States Jim Rathmann DNQ 30 DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Jimmy Daywalt 31 0
- United States Bobby Grim 32 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Beau Clerke DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Jim McWithey DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Jim Hemmings DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Harry Beck DNP DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Tony Bonadies DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Vern Harriman DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Ray Crawford DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Bill Randall DNQ DNQ 0
- Canada Bert Brooks DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Jack Conely DNQ DNQ 0
- Canada Ed Kostenuk DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Chuck Arnold DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Al Pombo DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Tony Romit DNQ 0
- United States Duane Carter DNQ 0
- United States Russ Congdon DNQ 0
- United States Jack Ensley DNQ 0
- United States Mike Magill DNQ 0
- United States Chuck Rodee DNQ 0
- United States Paul Russo DNQ 0
- United States Bud Sterrett DNQ 0
- United States Bob Wente DNQ 0
- United States Chuck Weyant DNQ 0
- United States Cliff Spalding DNQ 0
- United States Ray Brown DNQ 0
- United States Hal Rettberg DNQ 0
- United States Bill Hyde DNQ 0
- United States Russ Long DNQ 0
- United States Jimmy Davies DNQ 0
Pos Driver TRE1
United States
INDY
United States
MIL1
United States
LAN
United States
MIL2
United States
SPR
United States
DQSF
United States
SYR
United States
ISF
United States
TRE2
United States
SAC
United States
PHX
United States
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)
Not competing
In-line notation
Bold Pole position
Italics Ran fastest race lap
* Led most race laps
Rookie of the Year
Rookie

References

See also