# 1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series

The 1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series was the inaugural Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) American open wheel racing championship series. 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.

## Controversy

The 1979 season was filled with controversy on and off the track. During the offseason, several Indy car owners broke off from USAC, and formed Championship Auto Racing Teams, a new sanctioning body to govern the sport of open wheel Indy car racing. USAC continued to sanction their Gold Crown Championship, resulting in two parallel national championships for 1979. The controversy over the first "split" in Indy car racing came to its first climax at the 1979 Indianapolis 500, when USAC rejected entries by certain CART owners. The owners won a court injunction to be allowed to race, and later, another controversy erupted, this time involving illegal wastegate exhaust pipes.
The 1979 CART season was held through an arrangement such that it fell under the sanctioning umbrella of SCCA. This one-year, temporary arrangement was such that it would be formally recognized by ACCUS.
With three wins, two poles, and 14 top tens (no finish worse than 7th), Rick Mears ran away with the inaugural CART championship title. Mears took a large points lead after winning the Indy 500, and never relinquished the top spot through the remainder of the season. Bobby Unser won six races, and finished second in points.

## USAC/CART "Split"

For more information, see 1979 Indianapolis 500 § Controversies

## Confirmed entries

The following teams and drivers competed for the 1979 CART World Series.
| Team/Car Owner | Chassis | Engine | No | Drivers | Races |
| Alex Morales Co. | Lightning Mk1/77 | Offenhauser | 10 | Pancho Carter | All |
| Alex Morales Co. | Lightning Mk1/77 | Offenhauser | 15 | Bob Harkey | 11 |
| All American Racers | Eagle 78 MkII | Cosworth | 36 | Mike Mosley | All |
| Beith Racing | Eagle 72 | Offenhauser | 28 | Billy Scott | 4, 11 |
| Cannon Racing Team | Wildcat Mk. I | DGS | 95 | Larry Cannon | 4, 7–8, 10–14 |
| Chaparral Racing | Chaparral 2K Lola T500 | Cosworth | 2 | Al Unser | All |
| Conqueste Racing | Parnelli VPJ6CT | Cosworth | 21 | Lee Kunzman | 1–8, 11 |
| Fletcher Racing | Lightning Mk1/77 | Cosworth | 7 | Steve Krisiloff | 1–10 |
| Fletcher Racing | Lightning Mk1/77 | Cosworth | 55 | Spike Gehlhausen | 11–14 |
| Frantz Auto Body | Wildcat Mk. I | DGS | 18 | Tom Frantz | 1–4, 7-12 |
| Frantz Auto Body | Wildcat Mk. I | DGS | 18 | Bill Henderson | 5–6 |
| Gehlhausen-Reath Racing | Eagle 74 Wildcat Mk. I | Offenhauser Cosworth | 19 | Spike Gehlhausen | 1–10 |
| Gehlhausen-Reath Racing | Eagle 74 Wildcat Mk. I | Offenhauser Cosworth | 19 | Bob Harkey | 4 |
| Gehlhausen-Reath Racing | Eagle 74 Wildcat Mk. I | Offenhauser Cosworth | 19 | Bill Alsup | 4 |
| Gehlhausen-Reath Racing | Eagle 74 Wildcat Mk. I | Offenhauser Cosworth | 19 | Phil Caliva | 11 |
| Gehlhausen-Reath Racing | Eagle 74 Wildcat Mk. I | Offenhauser Cosworth | 39 | Al Loquasto | 4, 7–8 |
| Hoffman Auto Racing | Lightning Mk1/77 | Offenhauser | 59 | George Snider | 4 |
| Hoffman Auto Racing | Lightning Mk1/77 | Offenhauser | 59 | Joe Saldana | 7–8, 11 |
| Hoffman Auto Racing | Eagle Lightning Mk1/77 | Offenhauser | 69 | Joe Saldana | 1–6, 9–10, 12 |
| Hoffman Auto Racing | Eagle Lightning Mk1/77 | Offenhauser | 69 | Tim Richmond | 7–8 |
| Hoffman Auto Racing | Eagle Lightning Mk1/77 | Offenhauser | 69 | Al Loquasto | 11 |
| Hoffman Auto Racing | Spyder Eagle | Offenhauser | 79 | Dick Ferguson | 7–8 |
| Hoffman Auto Racing | Spyder Eagle | Offenhauser | 79 | Cliff Hucul | 11 |
| Hoffman Auto Racing | Spyder Eagle | Offenhauser | 79 | Joe Saldana | 13–14 |
| Intercomp Racing | Eagle 72 | Offenhauser | 92 | John Mahler | 1–9 |
| Interscope Racing | Parnelli VPJ6CT Parnelli VPJ6B | Cosworth | 25 | Danny Ongais | All |
| Jerry O'Connell Racing | McLaren M24 | Cosworth | 1 | Tom Sneva | All |
| Jerry O'Connell Racing | McLaren M24B | Cosworth | 32 | Johnny Parsons | 11 |
| Longhorn Racing | Penske PC-6/78 | Cosworth | 11 | Tom Bagley | All |
| Longhorn Racing | Penske PC-6/78 | Cosworth | 71 | Steve Krisiloff | 11 |
| Mergard Racing | Eagle 72 | Offenhauser | 42 | Herm Johnson | 13–14 |
| Patrick Racing | Penske PC-6/78 Wildcat Mk. V | Cosworth | 20 | Gordon Johncock | All |
| Patrick Racing | Penske PC-6/78 Wildcat Mk. V | Cosworth | 40 | Wally Dallenbach | All |
| Patrick Racing | Penske PC-6/78 Wildcat Mk. V | Cosworth | 60 | Roger Mears | 11 |
| Patrick Racing | Penske PC-6/78 Wildcat Mk. V | Cosworth | 60 | Steve Krisiloff | 12 |
| Penske Racing | Penske PC-7/79 Penske PC-6/78 | Cosworth | 9 | Rick Mears | All |
| Penske Racing | Penske PC-7/79 Penske PC-6/78 | Cosworth | 12 | Bobby Unser | All |
| Penske Racing | Penske PC-7/79 Penske PC-6/78 | Cosworth | 68 | Bill Alsup | 4 |
| Penske Racing | Penske PC-7/79 Penske PC-6/78 | Cosworth | 99 | Mario Andretti | 11–12 |
| Sanett Racing | Penske PC-6/78 | Cosworth | 23 | Dick Ferguson | 11, 14 |
| Sanett Racing | Lola T500 | Cosworth | 86 | Dennis Firestone | 11 |
| S&M Electric | Lightning Mk1/77 | Offenhauser | 35 | Larry Rice | 1–6 |
| S&M Electric | Lightning Mk1/77 | Offenhauser | 35 | Tim Richmond | 9–11, 14 |
| Team McLaren | McLaren M24B McLaren M24 | Cosworth | 4 | Johnny Rutherford | All |
| Walmotor | Penske PC-6/78 McLaren M24 | Cosworth | 77 | Salt Walther | 1–4, 7–8, 11–12 |
| WASP Racing | McLaren M16C/D | Offenhauser | 41 | Bill Alsup | All |
| Whittington Bros. Racing | McLaren M24 | Cosworth | 94 | Don Whittington | 11 |
| Whittington Bros. Racing | Parnelli VPJ6CT | Cosworth | 98 | Bill Whittington | 11 |
| Wysard Motor Co. | Wildcat Mk. II | DGS | 34 | Vern Schuppan | 1–4, 7–12, 14 |
| USAC-registered teams ||||||
| Agajanian-King Racers | Kingfish 73 | Chevrolet | 97 | Phil Threshie | 4 |
| Agajanian-King Racers | Kingfish 73 | Chevrolet | 98 | Gary Bettenhausen | 4 |
| AMI Racing | Lola T500B | Cosworth | 44 | Tom Bigelow | 4 |
| AMI Racing | Lola T500B | Cosworth | 45 | Janet Guthrie | 4 |
| AMI Racing | Wildcat Mk. II | DGS | 46 | Howdy Holmes | 4 |
| B/M Enterprises | Antares 72 | Offenhauser | 50 | Frank Weiss | 4, 13 |
| B/M Enterprises | Antares 72 | Offenhauser | 50 | Eldon Rasmussen | 4 |
| Beaudoin Racing | Wildcat Mk. II | DGS | 83 | Billy Engelhart | 4 |
| Bruce Crower | Eagle 74 | Chevrolet | 57 | Jerry Sneva | 4 |
| Gibson Racing | Eagle 74 | DGS | 75 | Todd Gibson | 4 |
| Gilmore Racing | Parnelli VPJ6CT | Cosworth | 14 | A. J. Foyt | 4 |
| Hodgdon Racing | Spirit 78 | AMC | 73 | Neil Bonnett | 4 |
| Hodgdon Racing | Spirit 78 | AMC | 73 | Jerry Sneva | 4 |
| Hodgdon Racing | McLaren M24 | Cosworth | 72 | Jerry Sneva | 11 |
| Hodgdon Racing | McLaren M24 | Cosworth | 72 | Roger McCluskey | 4 |
| Hucul Racing | McLaren M16E | Offenhauser | 29 | Cliff Hucul | 4 |
| Jim Hurtubise | Mallard 71 | Offenhauser | 56 | Jim Hurtubise | 4 |
| Leader Card | Watson 77 | Offenhauser | 22 | Bill Vukovich II | 4 |
| Leader Card | Watson 78 | Offenhauser | 24 | Sheldon Kinser | 4 |
| Leader Card | Watson 79 | Offenhauser | 40 | George Snider | 4 |
| Lindsey Hopkins | Lightning X-15 | Offenhauser | 15 | Johnny Parsons | 4 |
| Lindsey Hopkins | Lightning Mk1/79 | Offenhauser | 51 | Hurley Haywood | 4 |
| McElreath Racing | Penske PC-6/78 | Cosworth | 23 | Jim McElreath | 4 |
| Medlin Racing | Cicada Mk.IV | Offenhauser | 35 | Bill Puterbaugh | 4 |
| Polak Racing | Penske PC-5/77 | Cosworth | 80 | Larry Dickson | 4 |
| Rager Racing | Eagle 68 | Chevrolet | 66 | Roger Rager | 4 |
| Rasmussen Racing | Rascar 72 | Foyt | 58 | Eldon Rasmussen | 4 |
| Raymond Reimer | March 73A | Chevrolet | 93 | Larry McCoy | 4 |
| Rhoades Competition | McLaren M16E | Offenhauser | 20 | John Martin | 4, 11 |
| Thunder Racing | McLaren M16C/D | Offenhauser | 30 | Dana Carter | 4 |
| Vollstedt Racing | Vollstedt 77 | Offenhauser | 17 | Dick Simon | 4 |
| Wayne Woodward | Eagle 74 | Offenhauser | 81 | Dick Ferguson | 4 |
| William R. Compton | McLaren M16C/D | Offenhauser | 38 | Jerry Karl | 4 |

## Season Summary
### Schedule

| Rd | Date | Name | Circuit | Location |
| 1 | March 11 | Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150 | O Phoenix International Raceway | Avondale, Arizona |
| 2 | April 22 | Gould Twin Dixie 125 | O Atlanta Motor Speedway | Hampton, Georgia |
| 3 | April 22 | Gould Twin Dixie 125 | O Atlanta Motor Speedway | Hampton, Georgia |
| 4 | May 27 | Indianapolis 500 | O Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| 5 | June 10 | Trenton Twin Indy | O Trenton Speedway | Trenton, New Jersey |
| 6 | June 10 | Trenton Twin Indy | O Trenton Speedway | Trenton, New Jersey |
| 7 | July 15 | Norton Twin 125 | O Michigan International Speedway | Brooklyn, Michigan |
| 8 | July 15 | Norton Twin 125 | O Michigan International Speedway | Brooklyn, Michigan |
| | July 29 | Cancelled | R Mosport International Raceway | Bowmanville, Ontario |
| 9 | August 5 | Kent Oil 150 | R Watkins Glen International | Watkins Glen, New York |
| 10 | August 19 | Ditzler 150 | O Trenton Speedway | Trenton, New Jersey |
| | August 26 | Cancelled | O North Carolina Motor Speedway | Rockingham, North Carolina |
| 11 | September 2 | California 500 | O Ontario Motor Speedway | Ontario, California |
| 12 | September 15 | Gould Grand Prix | O Michigan International Speedway | Brooklyn, Michigan |
| 13 | September 30 | Rich's Atlanta Classic | O Atlanta Motor Speedway | Hampton, Georgia |
| 14 | October 20 | Miller High Life 150 | O Phoenix International Raceway | Avondale, Arizona |
The California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway was originally scheduled as a USAC race for September 2, but was switched mid-season to a CART series race. Additional races at Mosport and Rockingham were ultimately cancelled.
O Oval/Speedway R Dedicated road course

### Race summaries
#### Race 1: Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150

Bobby Unser won the first pole in the new series history and dominated the race leading the most laps (86). However Unser had tire issues forcing an extra stop and history would show Gordon Johncock as the series first ever winner with Rick Mears second, and Johnny Rutherford in third.

#### Races 2 and 3: Gould Twin Dixie 125's

Johnny Rutherford would win the pole race 1. Race 1 would see Rutherford and Gordon Johncock dominate with Johncock leading the most laps (32) but would see Rutherford winning after a late race duel with Lee Kumzman who would hold on for second. Tom Sneva would take third while Johncock would take fourth.
Race 2 would see Rutherford again lead the field to the green flag (Race 2 lineup set by Race 1 finishing order). This time Rutherford would lead the most laps (61) and win. Rick Mears took second. Placing third was Al Unser Sr after he ran out of fuel on the final lap.
Also during this race weekend the CART teams that planned on entering the Indianapolis 500 were informed in a telegram from USAC that their board of directors voted unanimously to reject the entries of six key CART teams of Penske, Patrick, McLaren, Fletcher, Chaparral, and Gurney as they stated these six teams (19 cars) were alleged to be "harmful to racing" and "not in good standing with USAC."

#### Race 4: Indianapolis 500

After the rejected six filed an emergency injunction to be allowed to qualify and compete in the race, the injunction was granted. Race Day came around following the qualifying controversy and Rick Mears won his first of six Indy 500 poles. Both Bobby and Al Unser combined to lead 174 laps. But on lap 103 Al Unsers Day came to an end with a failed transmission. Bobby Unser was then in firm control until lap 181 when he slowed with gearbox troubles. Rick Mears would lead the remainder of the race for his first of four Indy 500 wins. A J. Foyt would finish second after losing his engine on the final lap. Mike Mosely would finish third, Danny Ongais would take fourth, Bobby Unser nursed his car to a fifth place finish with an ailing gearbox.

#### Races 5 and 6: Trenton Twin Indy

Race 1 would see Gordon Johncock take pole. He would lead the first 44 laps (most laps led) then lose the lead on the next lap as he had to pit, then he would spin 2 laps later losing more spots. That opened the door for Bobby Unser to win with brother Al Unser Sr taking second, and Johncock would recover for third.
Starting order for race 2 was set by race 1 finishing order so Bobby Unser started first and would finish first after leading the most laps (62). Wally Dallenbach would finish second, Johnny Rutherford finished third.

#### Races 7 and 8: Norton Twin 125s

In the first race, Bobby Unser won the pole, followed by Al Unser, Gordon Johncock, Wally Dallenbach, and Rick Mears. Johncock jumped out to lead the first three laps, but Bobby Unser fought back and led until the first caution flew on lap 11 for Spike Gehlhausen's stalled car. Lee Kunzman stayed out under the caution and took the lead, while Bobby Unser's engine blew on lap 21. Al Unser would pick up the lead after the caution flew for Danny Ongais spinning, but he miscalculated fuel mileage and ran out of fuel with 17 laps to go. This allowed Gordon Johncock to take the lead and win. Mike Mosley finished second, Johnny Rutherford third, Rick Mears fourth and Wally Dallenbach fifth. 11 laps into the race, Tom Sneva encountered a fire in his pits, but no one was hurt.
Before the second race, Bobby Unser's crew installed a new engine. Mike Mosley led the first lap, but he had fuel pump problems the next lap and dropped out. Throughout the next 25 laps, Johnny Rutherford and Rick Mears would trade the lead, before Unser charged to the front on lap 28 and never looked back, winning the race. Rick Mears finished second on track, but he was penalized for passing cars under the yellow, dropping him to fifth. Tom Sneva moved to second, Al Unser to third, and Gordon Johncock to fourth. Two cautions flew, the first for John Mahler's stalled car on lap 23 and the second for a crash involving Danny Ongais on lap 40.
Following the second of the two races, Rick Mears was leading the points with a 460 point lead over Gordon Johncock. Bobby Unser was third, 470 points back, Johnny Rutherford fourth, 925 points back, and Mike Mosley rounded out the top 5, 960 points back.

#### Race 9: Kent Oil 150

Al Unser won the pole, with Bobby Unser, Danny Ongais, Rick Mears and Gordon Johncock making up the rest of the top five. In the race, Al and Bobby Unser dominated, the two brothers being the only ones to lead laps throughout the day. Bobby Unser took the lead for good after Al had transmission problems on lap 48, and led the rest of the race to win over Rick Mears. Gordon Johncock finished third, Danny Ongais fourth, and Al Unser fell to fifth.
With his win, Bobby Unser rose to second in points, 410 points behind Rick Mears. Gordon Johncock fell to third, 490 points back, Johnny Rutherford was in fourth, 1157 points back after dropping out with a blown engine, and Mike Mosley remained in fifth, falling to 1185 points behind after dropping out with a broken gearbox.

#### Race 10: Ditzler 150

Bobby Unser won the pole, with Gordon Johncock, Tom Sneva, Danny Ongais, and Rick Mears making up the rest of the top five.
The race was postponed over a week due to rain. When the race did run, except for one lap led by Bill Alsup, Unser, Sneva, and Mears were the only ones to lead the race. Bobby Unser led the first 20 laps, before giving the lead to Mears. Tom Sneva then led at lap 57, followed by Unser regaining the lead on lap 69. Unser made a pit stop with 14 laps to go, giving the lead back to Sneva. Rick Mears gambled on pit strategy, and passed Tom Sneva with just 3 laps to go to win the final ever IndyCar race at Trenton. Bobby Unser also passed him, taking advantage of Sneva's fading tires to finish second. Sneva fell to third, Wally Dallenbach finished fourth after running as high as second before an extended pit stop, and Johnny Rutherford finished fifth. Two cautions slowed the race, both for crashes. One was by Gordon Johncock on lap 5, and the other by Mike Mosley on lap 36.
Rick Mears extended his point lead to 470 points over Bobby Unser. Gordon Johncock remained in third, 782 points back, Johnny Rutherford stayed in fourth, 1307 points back, and Al Unser rose to fifth in points, 1450 points behind.

#### Race 11: California 500

Rick Mears qualified on the pole, followed by Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti, in a one-off appearance for Penske, and Tom Sneva.
In the race, Al Unser led most of the first half of the race, but lost three laps due to a broken front-spoiler bracket. For the remainder of the race, Bobby Unser and Rick Mears traded the lead, While leading on lap 164, Rick Mears killed the engine on his pit stop, causing him to lose 12 seconds to Bobby Unser. This allowed Unser to lead most of the remaining laps, and won over Rick Mears. Mario Andretti claimed third despite running out of gas at the end, Johnny Rutherford finished fourth, and Al Unser ended up in fifth.
His win allowed Unser to close up to 270 points behind Mears, with Johnny Rutherford rising to third in points, Gordon Johncock falling to fourth, and Al Unser remaining in fifth. Apart from Unser, all other drivers were mathematically eliminated from the championship.

#### Race 12: Gould Grand Prix

Bobby Unser claimed the pole, his fourth of the season, with Rick Mears starting second, Gordon Johncock starting third, Johnny Rutherford starting fourth, and Al Unser rounding out the top five.
In the race, Gordon Johncock dominated the early stages of the race, before his engine blew while leading on the 36th lap. This allowed Bobby Unser to take the lead, and hold it the rest of the way to win over Tom Sneva. Rick Mears was third despite running out of gas on the final lap, Johnny Rutherford finished fourth, and Tom Bagley was fifth. The win was the fifth straight for Team Penske.
Bobby Unser was now just 180 points behind Mears in the fight, followed by Rutherford, Johncock, and Al Unser.

#### Race 13: Rich's Atlanta Classic

Bobby Unser claimed his fifth pole of the year, followed by Rick Mears, Al Unser, Danny Ongais, and Johnny Rutherford.
In the race, Unser dominated the first half of the race, but while leading on lap 55 suffered a blown tire handing the lead to Johnny Rutherford. But with 25 laps remaining in the race, Rutherford's engine blew, which allowed Rick Mears to cruise to an easy victory. Gordon Johncock placed second, despite running out of gas on the final lap, Bobby Unser wound up third, Wally Dallenbach finished fourth, and Al Unser, who had tire problems of his own, finished fifth. The win was Penske's sixth straight.
The win gave Rick Mears a near-insurmountable 270 point lead in the points, which meant that he would win the championship as long as he finished 11th or better in the final round.

#### Race 14: Miller High Life 150

For the last race of the year, Bobby Unser won another pole, his sixth of the year. Al Unser started second, Wally Dallenbach in third, Rick Mears in fourth, and Tom Sneva in fifth.
In the race, Al Unser jumped out to the lead on the first lap. He would eventually dominate the race, leading 138 of the 150 laps and only giving up the lead for a pair of pit stops. There were two late-race cautions, one when Wally Dallenbach spun with 9 laps to go, and one when Pancho Carter lost a wheel, which led to a two-lap shootout but Unser pulled away en route to his first and only win of the year, snapping a six-race Penske streak. Bobby Unser claimed second, Rick Mears third, Gordon Johncock fourth, and Tom Sneva fifth.
Mears's third was enough for him to claim the inaugural CART championship, winning by 240 points over Bobby Unser. Gordon Johncock finished third in points, with Johnny Rutherford in fourth and Al Unser in fifth.

### Race results

| Rd | Race | Pole Position | Winning driver | Winning team | Race Time | Report |
| 1 | Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150 | Bobby Unser | Gordon Johncock | Patrick Racing | 1:15:23 | Report |
| 2 | Gould Twin Dixie 125 | Johnny Rutherford | Johnny Rutherford | Team McLaren | 0:47:28 | Report |
| 3 | Gould Twin Dixie 125 | Set by field finish in race 1 | Johnny Rutherford | Team McLaren | 0:45:40 | Report |
| 4 | Indianapolis 500 | Rick Mears | Rick Mears | Team Penske | 3:08:27 | Report |
| 5 | Trenton Twin Indy | Gordon Johncock | Bobby Unser | Team Penske | 0:46:30 | Report |
| 6 | Trenton Twin Indy | Set by field finish in race 1 | Bobby Unser | Team Penske | 0:40:46 | Report |
| 7 | Norton Twin 125 | Bobby Unser | Gordon Johncock | Patrick Racing | 0:44:13 | Report |
| 8 | Norton Twin 125 | Set by field finish in race 1 | Bobby Unser | Team Penske | 0:48:40 | Report |
| 9 | Kent Oil 150 | Al Unser | Bobby Unser | Team Penske | 1:14:42 | Report |
| 10 | Ditzler 150 | Bobby Unser | Rick Mears | Team Penske | 1:09:20 | Report |
| 11 | California 500 | Rick Mears | Bobby Unser | Team Penske | 3:24:22 | Report |
| 12 | Gould Grand Prix | Bobby Unser | Bobby Unser | Team Penske | 0:51:22 | Report |
| 13 | Rich's Atlanta Classic | Bobby Unser | Rick Mears | Team Penske | 0:50:09 | Report |
| 14 | Miller High Life 150 | Bobby Unser | Al Unser | Chaparral Cars | 1:13:03 | Report |
* CART was sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)
* Indianapolis was USAC-sanctioned but counted towards the CART championship.

### Final driver standings

| Pos | Driver | PHX1 | ATL 1&2 | ATL 1&2 | INDY | TRT 1&2 | TRT 1&2 | MIC 1&2 | MIC 1&2 | WGL | TRT3 | ONT | MIC3 | ATL3 | PHX2 | Pts |
| 1 | Rick Mears | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4,060 |
| 2 | Bobby Unser | 5 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3,820 |
| 3 | Gordon Johncock | 1 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 2,211 |
| 4 | Johnny Rutherford | 3 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 6 | 2,163 |
| 5 | Al Unser | 4 | 6 | 3 | 22 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 2,085 |
| 6 | Danny Ongais | 15 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 13 | 6 | DNS | 15 | 17 | 1,473 |
| 7 | Tom Sneva | 17 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 1,360 |
| 8 | Tom Bagley | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 32 | 5 | Wth | 9 | 1,208 |
| 9 | Wally Dallenbach | 7 | 11 | 8 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 1,149 |
| 10 | Mike Mosley | 6 | 17 | 17 | 3 | 13 | DNS | 2 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 34 | DNS | 14 | 10 | 1,126 |
| 11 | Mario Andretti | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Wth | | | 700 |
| 12 | Lee Kunzman | 9 | 2 | 18 | 30 | 14 | DNS | 14 | 17 | | | 9 | | | | 490 |
| 13 | Pancho Carter | 20 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 14 | 16 | DNS | 28 | 8 | 13 | 7 | 452 |
| 14 | Vern Schuppan | 21 | 12 | 12 | 21 | | | 16 | DNS | 7 | DNS | 7 | 16 | | 14 | 449 |
| 15 | Bill Alsup RY | 11 | 16 | 15 | DNQ | 12 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 22 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 400 |
| 16 | Joe Saldana | 13 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 30 | 17 | 6 | 18 | 368 |
| 17 | Spike Gehlhausen | 18 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 18 | 13 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 11 | 25 | 11 | 16 | 8 | 343 |
| 18 | Salt Walther | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | | | 8 | 7 | | | 20 | 12 | | | 314 |
| 19 | Steve Krisiloff | 16 | 15 | DNS | 11 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 18 | DNS | 23 | 6 | | | 279 |
| 20 | Tom Frantz | 14 | Wth | Wth | DNQ | | | 11 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 14 | | | 236 |
| 21 | Jerry Sneva | | | | 31 | | | | | | | 10 | | | | 155 |
| 22 | Tim Richmond R | | | | | | | 23 | DNS | 8 | 12 | 26 | | | 15 | 112 |
| 23 | Larry Rice | 10 | DNQ | 14 | 19 | 16 | 10 | | | | | | | | | 105 |
| 24 | Herm Johnson | | | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | 13 | 98 |
| 25 | John Mahler | 19 | Wth | Wth | 25 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 15 | Wth | | | | | | 74 |
| 26 | Al Loquasto | | | | DNQ | | | 20 | 9 | | | 21 | | | | 70 |
| 27 | Larry Cannon | | | | DNQ | | | Wth | Wth | | 15 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 56 |
| 28 | Dick Ferguson | | | | DNQ | | | 15 | 19 | | | 16 | | | Wth | 35 |
| 29 | Billy Scott | | | | DNQ | | | | | | | 19 | | | | 20 |
| 30 | Phil Caliva R | | | | | | | | | | | 27 | | | | 10 |
| - | A. J. Foyt | | | | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Howdy Holmes R | | | | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Bill Vukovich II | | | | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Don Whittington R | | | | | | | | | | | 8 | | | | - |
| - | Frank Weiss | | | | Wth | | | | | | | | | 9 | | - |
| - | Bill Whittington R | | | | | | | | | | | 12 | | | | - |
| - | Roger Mears | | | | | | | | | | | 13 | | | | - |
| - | Roger McCluskey | | | | 13 | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Tom Bigelow | | | | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Phil Threshie | | | | 17 | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | John Martin | | | | DNQ | | | | | | | 18 | | | | - |
| - | Eldon Rasmussen | | | | 23 | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Larry Dickson | | | | 24 | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Dick Simon | | | | 26 | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Sheldon Kinser | | | | 28 | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Cliff Hucul | | | | 29 | | | | | | | 35 | | | | - |
| - | Bob Harkey | | | | Wth | | | | | | | 29 | | | | - |
| - | Dennis Firestone R | | | | | | | | | | | 31 | | | | - |
| - | Johnny Parsons | | | | 32 | | | | | | | 33 | | | | - |
| - | George Snider | | | | 33 | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Janet Guthrie | | | | 34 | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Jim McElreath | | | | 35 | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Bill Puterbaugh | | | | DNQ | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Billy Engelhart | | | | DNQ | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Dana Carter | | | | DNQ | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Gary Bettenhausen | | | | DNQ | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Hurley Haywood | | | | DNQ | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Jerry Karl | | | | DNQ | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Jim Hurtubise | | | | DNQ | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Larry McCoy | | | | DNQ | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Roger Rager | | | | DNQ | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Todd Gibson | | | | DNQ | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Neil Bonnett | | | | Wth | | | | | | | | | | | - |
| - | Bill Henderson | | | | | Wth | Wth | | | | | | | | | - |
| Pos | Driver | PHX1 | ATL 1&2 | ATL 1&2 | INDY | TRT 1&2 | TRT 1&2 | MIC 1&2 | MIC 1&2 | WGL | TRT3 | ONT | MIC3 | ATL3 | PHX2 | 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 |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Brown | Withdrawn (Wth) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| Blank | Did not participate (DNP) |
| Blank | Not competing |
In-line notation :
| Bold | Pole position |
| Italics | Ran fastest race lap |
| * | Led most race laps |
| RY | Rookie of the Year |
| R | Rookie |