Links for this race (some data may be unavailable): Race Results Qualifying Results Loop Data Stats Pit Stops Comments (24) Video Links (4) Crew Chiefs

1978 Indianapolis 500 Previous race results / Next race results                     Previous at this track / Next at this track     Post USAC Champ Car Series race number 5 of 18 Sunday, May 28, 1978 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, IN 200 laps on a 2.500 mile paved track (500.000 miles) Time of race: 3:05:55 Average speed: 161.363 mph Pole speed: 202.156 mph Cautions: 6 for 23 laps Margin of victory: n/a Attendance: n/a Lead changes: 10 Glossary    1978 USAC Champ Car Series results   /   1978 standings

Pos St # Driver Sponsor / Owner Chass./Eng. Laps Money Status Led Pts 1 5 2   Al Unser 1st National City Travelers Checks   (Chaparral Racing) Lola / Cosworth 200 284840 running 121 1000 2 1 1   Tom Sneva Norton Spirit   (Roger Penske) Penske / Cosworth 200 108598 running 3 800 3 6 20   Gordon Johncock North American Van Lines   (Pat Patrick) Wildcat / DGS 199 60141 running 0 700 4 13 40   Steve Krisiloff Foreman Industries   (Pat Patrick) Wildcat / DGS 198 38728 running 5 600 5 7 6   Wally Dallenbach Sugaripe Prune   (Jerry O'Connell) McLaren / Cosworth 195 34769 out of fuel 0 500 6 19 48   Bobby Unser ARCO Graphite   (Dan Gurney) Eagle / Cosworth 195 29000 running 0 400 7 20 14   A.J. Foyt Gilmore / Citicorp   (A.J. Foyt) Coyote / Foyt 191 30530 running 0 300 8 23 84   George Snider Gilmore / Citicorp   (A.J. Foyt) Coyote / Foyt 191 25891 running 0 250 9 15 51   Janet Guthrie Texaco Star   (Janet Guthrie) Wildcat / DGS 190 23253 running 0   10 8 16   Johnny Parsons 1st National City Travelers Checks   (Lindsey Hopkins) Lightning / Offy 186 25301 running 0 150 11 30 35   Larry Rice Bryant Heating / WIBC   (Patrick Santello) Lightning / Offy 186 24481 engine 0 100 12 33 7   Mario Andretti Gould Charge   (Roger Penske) Penske / Cosworth 185 23088 running 0 50 13 4 4   Johnny Rutherford 1st National City Travelers Checks   (Bruce McLaren) McLaren / Cosworth 180 31671 running 0 25 14 28 88   Jerry Karl Machinists Union   (Frank Fiore) McLaren / Offy 176 20227 running 0 25 15 24 69   Joe Saldana Mr. Wize-Buys Carpet   (Gus Hoffman) Eagle / Offy 173 20015 running 0 25 16 31 98   Gary Bettenhausen Oberdorfer   (Agajanian-King) Dragon / Offy 147 19480 piston 0 25 17 25 78   Mike Mosley Alex XLNT Foods   (Alex Morales) Lightning / Offy 146 19821 gear 0 20 18 2 25   Danny Ongais Interscope Racing   (Ted Field) Parnelli / Cosworth 145 32639 piston 71 20 19 10 17   Dick Simon La Machine   (Rolla Vollstedt) Vollstedt / Offy 138 17934 wheel bearing 0 20 20 26 26   Jim McElreath Circle City Coal   (Jim McElreath) Eagle / Offy 132 18657 engine 0 20 21 18 43   Tom Bigelow Armstrong Moulding   (Sherman Armstrong) Wildcat / DGS 107 17656 connecting rod 0 15 22 9 80   Larry Dickson Polak Construction / Sta-On Car Glaze   (Russ Polak) Penske / Cosworth 104 22132 oil pressure 0 15 23 3 71   Rick Mears CAM2 Motor Oil   (Roger Penske) Penske / Cosworth 103 21885 engine 0 15 24 21 8   Pancho Carter Budweiser   (Bob Fletcher) Lightning / Cosworth 92 19965 exhaust header 0 15 25 11 11   Roger McCluskey National Auto Engineering   (Warner Hodgdon) Eagle / AMC 82 18423 clutch 0 10 26 17 39   John Mahler Tibon   (Carl Gehlhausen) Eagle / Offy 58 15857 timing gear 0 10 27 14 22   Tom Bagley Kent Oil   (Ralph Wilke) Watson / Offy 25 15818 overheating 0 10 28 22 77   Salt Walther Dayton-Walther   (George Walther) McLaren / Cosworth 24 16106 transmission 0 10 29 16 19   Spike Gehlhausen Hubler Chevrolet / WIRE   (Carl Gehlhausen) Eagle / Offy 23 15521 crash 0 5 30 29 47   Phil Threshie Circle Chevy / Tutwiler   (Phil Threshie) Lightning / Offy 22 15264 oil pressure 0 5 31 32 30   Jerry Sneva Smock Materials   (Fred Ruth) McLaren / Offy 18 17683 rear end 0 5 32 12 24   Sheldon Kinser Thermo King   (Ralph Wilke) Watson / Offy 15 15379 overheating 0 5 33 27 29   Cliff Hucul Wendy's Hamburgers   (Cliff Hucul) McLaren / Offy 4 15101 oil line 0 5

Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes: Pos Name Nbr Sponsor Owner Car 34 Graham McRae 34 Daytona-Walther George Walther McLaren / Offy 35 Bob Harkey 42 Donald Mergard Eagle / Offy 36 Al Loquasto 86 Frostie Root Beer Al Loquasto, Sr. McLaren / Offy 37 Larry Cannon 85 Dayton-Walther Larry Cannon Wildcat / DGS Bubby Jones 18 Simon Shopping Centers Bobby Hillin Wildcat / DGS Billy Vukovich, Jr. 18 Longhorn Racing Bobby Hillin Wildcat / DGS Lloyd Ruby 21 Gene White Parnelli / Offy Bill Puterbaugh 27 Rolla Vollstedt Vollstedt / Offy John Martin 28 Wheel Center Richard Beith Eagle / Offy Jim Hurtubise 56 Jim Hurtubise Mallard / Offy Eldon Rasmussen 58 Rent-A-Racer Eldon Rasmussen Rascar / Foyt Ed Finley 62 Olmstead Ed Finley Eagle / Volker Larry Rice 65 Bryant / WIBC Patrick Santello Eagle / Offy Bobby Olivero 78 Alex XLNT Foods Alex Morales Lightning / Offy Lee Kunzman 90 Art Sugai Fox / Offy Gary Irvin 92 Tassi Vatis Eagle / Offy Roger Rager 95 Dairy Queen Agajanian-King Dragon / Offy DC Mike Hiss 7 Gould Charge Roger Penske Penske Cosworth Caution flag breakdown: Condition From Lap To Lap # Of Laps Reason Free Pass 1 1 1     2 4 3   #24 tow-in   5 8 4     9 11 3   #24 tow-in   12 25 14     26 31 6   #19 accident   32 47 16     48 51 4   debris   52 83 32     84 85 2   debris   86 113 28     114 118 5   #71,43 tow-in   119 200 82       Percent of race run under caution: 11.5%             Average green flag run: 25.3 laps Lap leader breakdown: Leader From Lap To Lap # Of Laps   Danny Ongais 1 11 11   Tom Sneva 12 12 1   Danny Ongais 13 25 13   Steve Krisiloff 26 30 5   Tom Sneva 31 31 1   Danny Ongais 32 75 44   Al Unser 76 107 32   Danny Ongais 108 110 3   Al Unser 111 179 69   Tom Sneva 180 180 1   Al Unser 181 200 20 Points Standings after this race: Rank Driver Points Diff 1   Tom Sneva 1725     2   Gordon Johncock 1688   -37   3   Al Unser 1325   -400   4   Steve Krisiloff 1150   -575   5   A.J. Foyt 1078   -647   6   Danny Ongais 1075   -650   7   Wally Dallenbach 868   -857   8   Bobby Unser 434   -1291   9   Bobby Olivero 360   -1365   9   Dick Simon 360   -1365   11   Jim McElreath 300   -1425   12   Mario Andretti 270   -1455   13   Tom Bigelow 263   -1462   14   George Snider 250   -1475   15   Sheldon Kinser 245   -1480   16   Larry Dickson 231   -1494   17   Johnny Parsons 206   -1519   18   Salt Walther 188   -1537   19   Larry Rice 180   -1545   20   Tom Bagley 173   -1552   21   Rick Mears 165   -1560