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The 1971 Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 29, 1971. ABC television broadcast the race for the first time in same-day tape delay.

Peter Revson started on the pole with a speed of over 178 miles per hour, more than a mile per hour faster than any other qualifier, with defending champ Al Unser in the middle of the second row. However, Mark Donohue, who qualified in the middle of the front row, took the lead at the start of the race and led the first 50 laps. A mechanical issue ended his day after just 66 laps, and Unser took the lead. He and Joe Leonard swapped the lead several times during the middle portion of the race, but Unser led for the final 83 laps, giving him a win for the second year in a row.

Race schedule[]

Race schedule — May, 1971
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

 

 

 

 

 

 
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
Pole Day
16
Time Trials
17
Practice
18
Practice
19
Practice
20
Practice
21
Practice
22
Time Trials
23
Bump Day
24
 
25
 
26
Carb Day
27
 
28
 
29
Indy 500
30
 
31
Memorial Day

 

 

 

 

 
Color Notes
Green Practice
Dark Blue Time trials
Silver Race day
Red Rained out*
Blank No track activity

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

Pace Car Crash[]

Eldon Palmer, owner of a local automobile and truck dealership Palmer Dodge (now Palmer Auto Group), was chosen to provide a pace car for the race when no automakers took up this duty as they had done in the past. In preparation for the race, he set up a traffic cone to provide himself with a reference for where to begin slowing the car. However, when he returned to the pits following the pace laps, someone had moved the cone without his knowledge. When Palmer realized that it was gone, he attempted to stop quickly, but lost control of the car, which skidded into a temporary grandstand packed mainly with photographers. No one was killed, but 22 were injured, some seriously. In the car with Palmer were Speedway owner Tony Hulman, longtime ABC television sportscaster Chris Schenkel, and astronaut John Glenn, but they were unhurt.

Race results[]

Finish Start No Name Qual Rank Laps Led Status
1 5 1 25px USA Al Unser 174.621 5 200 103 Running
2 1 86 25px USA Peter Revson 178.695 1 200 0 Running
3 6 9 25px USA A.J. Foyt 174.317 6 200 0 Running
4 10 42 25px USA Jim Malloy 171.838 11 200 0 Running
5 11 32 25px USA Bill Vukovich II 171.674 12 200 0 Running
6 20 84 25px USA Donnie Allison 171.903 10 199 0 Flagged
7 17 58 25px USA Bud Tingelstad 170.156 24 198 0 Flagged
8 28 43 25px USA Denny Zimmerman 169.755 27 189 0 Flagged
9 22 6 25px USA Roger McCluskey 171.241 15 188 0 Flagged
10 13 16 25px USA Gary Bettenhausen 171.233 16 178 0 Flagged
11 7 12 25px USA Lloyd Ruby 173.821 7 174 3 Gears
12 3 2 25px USA Bobby Unser 175.816 3 164 21 Crash T4
13 19 4 25px USA Mike Mosley 169.579 29 159 0 Crash T4
14 33 44 25px USA Dick Simon 170.165 23 151 0 Flagged
15 29 41 25px USA George Follmer 169.205 32 147 0 Piston
16 14 21 25px USA Cale Yarborough 170.770 19 140 0 Cam Cover
17 4 85 25px New Zealand Denny Hulme 174.910 4 137 0 Valve
18 24 18 25px USA Johnny Rutherford 171.152 18 128 0 Flagged
19 8 15 25px USA Joe Leonard 172.761 8 123 21 Turbocharger
20 16 68 25px Great Britain David Hobbs 169.571 30 107 0 Crash FS
21 18 38 25px USA Rick Muther 169.972 25 85 0 Crash FS
22 32 99 25px USA Bob Harkey 169.197 33 77 0 Gears
23 15 95 25px USA Bentley Warren 169.627 28 76 0 Gears
24 23 22 25px USA Wally Dallenbach, Sr. 171.159 17 69 0 Valve
25 2 66 25px USA Mark Donohue 177.087 2 66 52 Gears
26 31 64 25px USA Art Pollard 169.499 31 45 0 Valve
27 25 98 25px USA Sammy Sessions 170.357 20 43 0 Valve
28 26 45 25px USA Larry Dickson 170.285 21 33 0 Engine
29 12 7 25px USA Gordon Johncock 171.388 14 11 0 Crash T3
30 9 5 25px USA Mario Andretti 172.612 9 11 0 Crash T3
31 27 20 25px USA Steve Krisiloff 169.835 26 10 0 Oil Leak
32 30 23 25px USA Mel Kenyon 170.205 22 10 0 Crash T3
33 21 80 25px USA George Snider 171.600 13 6 0 Stalled

Qualifying Chronology[]

Att # Date Time Qual
Day
Car # Driver
Name
Laps Qual
Time
Qual
Speed
Rank Start Comment
1 05-15 1 1 4 MIKE MOSLEY 0 ACCIDENT
2 05-15 2 1 9 A. J. FOYT 4 3:26.5200 174.317 6 6  
3 05-15 3 1 66 MARK DONOHUE 4 3:23.2900 177.087 2 2  
4 05-15 4 1 32 BILLY VUKOVICH II 4 3:29.7000 171.674 12 11  
5 05-15 5 1 10 DICK SIMON 4 3:33.1400 168.903 BUMPED BY #99
6 05-15 6 1 14 JIM MCELREATH 3 WAVED OFF
7 05-15 7 1 16 GARY BETTENHAUSEN 4 3:30.2400 171.233 16 13  
8 05-15 8 1 68 DAVID HOBBS 4 3:32.3000 169.571 30 16  
9 05-15 9 1 1 AL UNSER 4 3:26.1600 174.622 5 5  
10 05-15 10 1 7 GORDON JOHNCOCK 4 3:30.0500 171.388 14 12  
11 05-15 11 1 42 JIM MALLOY 4 3:29.5000 171.838 11 10  
12 05-15 12 1 86 PETER REVSON 4 3:21.4600 178.696 1 1  
13 05-15 13 1 77 CARL WILLIAMS 1 WAVED OFF
14 05-15 14 1 8 ART POLLARD 3 WAVED OFF
15 05-15 15 1 18 JOHNNY RUTHERFORD 0 BLOWN ENGINE
16 05-15 16 1 15 JOE LEONARD 4 3:28.3800 172.761 8 8  
17 05-15 17 1 2 BOBBY UNSER 4 3:24.7600 175.816 3 3  
18 05-15 18 1 83 DONNIE ALLISON 1 WAVED OFF
19 05-15 19 1 28 BILL SIMPSON 4 3:33.9400 168.271 BUMPED BY #45
20 05-15 20 1 12 LLOYD RUBY 4 3:27.1100 173.821 7 7  
21 05-15 21 1 5 MARIO ANDRETTI 4 3:28.5600 172.612 9 9  
22 05-15 22 1 85 DENIS HULME 0 PULLED OFF
23 05-15 23 1 45 LARRY DICKSON 3 ACCIDENT
24 05-15 24 1 14 JIM MCELREATH 3 WAVED OFF
25 05-15 25 1 83 DONNIE ALLISON 4 3:34.1200 168.130 WITHDRAWN 5/22
26 05-15 26 1 85 DENIS HULME 4 3:25.8200 174.910 4 4  
27 05-15 27 1 92 JERRY GRANT 4 3:33.6600 168.492 BUMPED BY #78
28 05-15 28 1 21 CALE YARBOROUGH 4 3:30.8100 170.770 19 14  
29 05-15 29 1 14 JIM MCELREATH 4 3:34.5200 167.817 BUMPED BY #6; REINSTATED BY #83; BUMPED BY #84
30 05-15 30 1 38 RICK MUTHER 3 BLOWN ENGINE
31 05-15 31 1 77 CARL WILLIAMS 4 3:33.2900 168.784 BUMPED BY #23
32 05-15 32 1 8 ART POLLARD 4 3:33.8200 168.366 BUMPED BY #46
33 05-15 33 1 95 BENTLEY WARREN 4 3:32.2300 169.627 28 15  
34 05-16 34 2 4 MIKE MOSLEY 0 3:32.2900 169.579 29 19  
35 05-16 35 2 38 RICK MUTHER 0 3:31.8000 169.972 25 18  
36 05-16 36 2 58 BUD TINGELSTAD 0 3:31.5700 170.156 24 17  
37 05-22 37 3 80 GEORGE SNIDER 4 3:29.7900 171.600 13 21  
38 05-22 38 3 43 DENNY ZIMMERMAN 4 3:32.0700 169.755 27 28  
39 05-22 39 3 44 JOHN MAHLER 3  
40 05-22 40 3 98 SAM SESSIONS 4 3:31.3200 170.358 20 25  
41 05-22 41 3 22 WALLY DALLENBACH 4 3:30.3300 171.160 17 23  
42 05-22 42 3 94 BRUCE WALKUP 2 WAVED OFF
43 05-22 43 3 45 LARRY DICKSON 3 WAVED OFF
44 05-22 44 3 41 GEORGE FOLLMER 4 3:32.7600 169.205 32 29  
45 05-22 45 3 44 JOHN MAHLER 4 3:31.5600 170.164 23 33 REPLACED BY DICK SIMON
46 05-22 46 3 18 JOHNNY RUTHERFORD 4 3:30.3400 171.151 18 24  
47 05-22 47 3 6 ROGER MCCLUSKEY 2 OUT OF FUEL
48 05-22 48 3 6 ROGER MCCLUSKEY 4 3:30.2300 171.241 15 22 BUMPS #14
49 05-22 49 3 20 STEVE KRISILOFF 0 PULLED OFF
50 05-22 50 3 84 DONNIE ALLISON 4 3:29.4200 171.903 10 20 BUMPS #14
51 05-22 51 3 45 LARRY DICKSON 4 3:31.4100 170.285 21 26 BUMPS #28
52 05-22 52 3 46 JIM MCELREATH 4 3:32.8100 169.165 BUMPS #8; BUMPED BY #64
53 05-22 53 3 94 BRUCE WALKUP 1 PULLED OFF
54 05-22 54 3 78 SAM POSEY 4 3:33.3000 168.776 BUMPS #92; BUMPED BY #20
55 05-22 55 3 20 STEVE KRISILOFF 4 3:31.9700 169.835 26 27 BUMPS #78
56 05-23 56 4 23 MEL KENYON 4 3:31.5100 170.205 22 30 BUMPS #77
57 05-23 57 4 99 BOB HARKEY 4 3:32.7700 169.197 33 32 BUMPS #10
58 05-23 58 4 17 JERRY GRANT 1 WAVED OFF
59 05-23 59 4 64 ART POLLARD 4 3:32.3900 169.500 31 31 BUMPS #46
60 05-23 60 4 56 JIM HURTUBISE 2 ACCIDENT
61 05-23 61 4 33 DICK SIMON 1 WAVED OFF
62 05-23 62 4 17 JERRY GRANT 1 WAVED OFF

See also[]

1970 Indianapolis 500
Al Unser
1971 Indianapolis 500
Al Unser
1972 Indianapolis 500
Mark Donohue


Indianapolis 500 seasons

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