1973 Indianapolis 500

The 57th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Wednesday, May 30, 1973. The race was held over three days due to rain and 2 major accidents. After 133 laps (332.5 miles), rain halted the race, and Gordon Johncock was declared the winner.

Miserable weather plagued the track throughout the month, and delayed the race for two and a half days. Accidents during the month and during the race took the lives of three competitors (two drivers and one crew member), and injured several spectators. Due to the tragic circumstances, weather problems, rain-shortened finish, and overall glum mood during the month, the 1973 race is widely considered the worst year for the running of the Indianapolis 500.

Practice and time trials
Just one year prior, USAC began allowing bolt-on wings. The increased downforce increased qualifying speeds nearly 30 miles per hour in just three years. The dramatic rise went from 170 mph in 1970, to flirting with the 200 mph barrier for 1973. Experts and officials agree that the safety features in the cars were not prepared for the speeds attained. In addition, engine development with the turbocharged version of the venerable four-cylinder Offenhauser had resulted in horsepower readings in high-boost qualifying trim in excess of 1,100 h.p. According to Mario Andretti, this was sufficient to induce rear wheelspin on the 1/8-mile "short chutes" between turns 1 and 2 and turns 3 and 4—an unnerving sensation for even the bravest, most skilled and experienced of drivers.

During practice on pole day, Art Pollard was killed in a crash in turn 2.

Johnny Rutherford won the pole position with a new 4-lap track record of 198.413 mph. His third lap of 199.071 mph was a one-lap track record, and was 0.21 seconds shy of breaking the elusive 200 mph barrier. Rutherford acknowledged later that the memory of Pollard's accident prevented him from making a truly concerted effort to break the 200 mph mark.

Monday May 28
In 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act took effect, moving Memorial Day from the fixed date of May 30 to the final Monday in May. For 1971-1972, the race was scheduled for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. The Speedway still maintained a policy of not holding the race on Sunday. For 1973, the race was scheduled for the Monday Memorial Day holiday itself.

On Monday, morning rain delayed the proceedings until 3 p.m. At the start, an 11-car accident stopped the race immediately. Salt Walther's car climbed into the catch fence, sending burning fuel into the grandstand, injuring 11 spectators. Walther's car also significantly damaged portions of the fence. As the front of Walther's car dug into the fence, the front of the car was torn off and Walther's legs were exposed as the car spun, upside down and on fire, down the front straight, coming to rest near the pit exit. Walther suffered severe burns and injuries to his hands. The race was red-flagged, and the start was negated. Safety crews attended to the crash scene, and the fence. Before the repairs were completed, rain began to fall once more, and the race was washed out for the day. Officials rescheduled the start for 9:00 a.m. Tuesday.

Tuesday May 29
On Tuesday May 29, rain fell in the morning, delaying the start until 10:15 a.m. All cars that were involved in the crash Monday were allowed to make repairs. Salt Walther, however, was seriously injured and withdrew.

The 32 remaining cars fired, and pulled away for the parade laps. On the second parade lap, rain began to fall, and the track was red-flagged. The cars were halted on the main stretch to wait out the shower. Rain continued to fall most of the day, and around 2:00 p.m., the race was postponed until Wednesday.

Fans began to leave the grounds, and after two days of revelry, the infield was overwhelmed with mud and garbage.

Wednesday May 30
On Wednesday, morning rains threatened to wash the race out once again. Most fans had left entirely, and the mood around the garage area was glum. At midday, the sun finally came out for a few hours, the track dried, and the race was finally started at 2:10 p.m. The grandstands were only partially-full as the field took the green flag.

On the 57th lap, Swede Savage made a pit stop. His car was filled with 70 gallons (500 lb.) of fuel and a new right rear tire. Two laps later, he lost control as he exited turn four. His car twitched back and forth, and then slid across to the inside of the track at nearly top speed. It hit the angled inside wall nearly head-on. The force of the impact, with the car carrying a full load of fuel, caused the car to explode in a plume of flame. The force of the fuel exploding was so great that some structural rivets were blown rearward out of the car. The engine and transaxle tumbled end-over-end to the pit lane entrance while Savage, still strapped in his seat, was thrown back across the circuit. Savage came to rest adjacent to the outer retaining wall, fully conscious and completely exposed while he lay in a pool of flaming methanol fuel. The other cars on the track quickly stopped in turn four and the red flag came out. The track was blocked with debris and fire.

The race was halted at 3:05 p.m., and track crew rushed to Savage's aid. Moments later, 22-year-old Armando Teran, a crew member of Graham McRae's team (Savage's Patrick Racing teammate) stepped out into the pit lane and began running toward Savage's wreck. As he did, a fire truck driving 50-60 mph northbound in the pits, heading for the crash scene, struck Teran and threw him at least 50 feet. Teran died within minutes from his injuries. Savage was taken to the hospital with serious injures, but was in stable condition. Over an hour after the accident, the race was resumed.

After witnessing the crash, George Snider decided to step out of the car, and turned it over to A. J. Foyt, his car owner, who had retired earlier. Attrition had already taken quite a toll on the field. As the race passed the 101-lap mark, it became official. Only 11 cars were still running, with most many laps behind. Track officials began assembling victory lane, as dark skies were looming, and the race was not expected to go the entire distance.

On the 129th lap a light rain began to fall, and the yellow light came out with Gordon Johncock, another of Savage's Patrick Racing/STP teammates, leading. Only ten cars were still on the track. After 133 laps, at about 5:30 p.m., the rain started to fall much harder, forcing the race to be stopped. A short time later, officials declared the race official, and the tragic race was over with Johncock the winner. The traditional victory banquet was canceled, and the victory celebration was muted. Johncock left the track soon after the race to visit Swede Savage at the hospital. Later in the evening, the lowly day was summed up as a tired Johncock and crew had a "victory dinner" which consisted of a hamburger at Burger King.

Aftermath
On July 2, Savage died in the hospital from complications arising from his injuries and treatment. Savage contracted Hepatitis B from a transfusion, causing liver failure.

Sweeping changes would come about in Indycar racing at Indianapolis the following year, all in the interest of safety. Fuel capacity was drastically reduced (from 75 gallons to 40), the large wings used in 1972-1973 were cut back in size, and pop-off valves were introduced to the turbochargers to reduce horsepower. The changes were designed to slow the cars down. At the track, several changes were made. The angled inside wall at the northwest corner of the track (which had also played a role in the Dave MacDonald/Eddie Sachs double-fatality in 1964) was removed, and the pit entrance was widened. Retaining walls and catch fences were improved around the track. In addition, the spectator areas were moved back away from the track, and many rows of "trackside" seats were removed. There was not another on-track fatality at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway until 1982.

Savage's death was the last race-day competitor fatality from a crash during an IMS race (not testing, practice, or qualifying) until the 2010 Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix for the USGPRU (600cc 4-stroke Moto2) motorcycles.