The race took place just one month after the tumultuous 1979 month of May at Indianapolis. Nearly all CART-based teams skipped the event, with the exception of Danny Ongais. A field of only 25 cars took the green flag in front of 50,000 spectators, who braved chilly, 50-degree temperatures and 30 mph winds. An exciting first half saw Danny Ongais take the lead at the start from polesitter A. J. Foyt. Several contenders battled for the lead in the first half, but one by one they each fell by the wayside. On lap 58, Eldon Rasmussen lost a rear wing, and crashed head-on into the outside wall in turn one. He was knocked unconscious, and suffered a broken ankle, broken ribs, and a concussion. Roger McCluskey charged to the front, leading six laps, but dropped out on lap 102 after a separated radiator rubbed against the rear wheels, shredding a tire and sending him into a spin. Tom Bigelow's chances for victory ended when he ran out of fuel on lap 122, and later lost a radiator. Foyt, Ongais, and Larry Dickson emerged as the contenders in the second half. Ongais and Foyt pitted on laps 136–137, Foyt taking on fuel only, Ongais taking on both tires and fuel. The new tires proved advantageous, as Ongais subsequently pulled out to an 18-second lead over Foyt, with Dickson lurking in third. Ongais, however, blew his engine on lap 148, handing the lead back to Foyt. Dickson suffered fuel pickup problems on lap 161, forcing him to the pits and he lost a lap before returning to the track. Foyt cruised over the final 100 miles to victory, winning by two laps over Jim McElreath. Only seven cars were running at the finish. Dickson, while running second, coasted to the pits with three laps to go. He still managed a third-place finish. It was Foyt's 65th-career Indy car win, fourth win of the season, and third at Pocono.