The 1973 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 16 races, beginning in College Station , Texas on April 7 and concluding in Avondale , Arizona on November 3. The first race of the season, in Avondale , Arizona on March 17, was postponed by rain and eventually cancelled due to infrastructure damage caused by the rain and scheduling conflicts. was killed in a private test at Phoenix before he could enter another event. He was 35 years old. The USAC National Champion was Roger McCluskey and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Gordon Johncock .
In this tragic season, two drivers were killed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway . Art Pollard died in an accident while practicing for the Indy 500 while Swede Savage , who crashed during the race, died by complications one month later. Another driver, Salt Walther , suffered serious burns surviving a crash at the start of the race.
In response to those accidents, USAC revised the rules in time for the Pocono 500. The rear wing width was cut back from 64 inches to 55, fuel tank capacity was drastically reduced (from 75 gallons to 40) and the allowable fuel to be consumed in a 500-mile race was reduced from 375 gallons to 340.
Schedule and results [ ]
All races running on Oval/Speedway.
Rnd
Date
Race Name
Track
Location
Pole Position
Winning Driver
-
March 17 & 31A
Phoenix 150
Phoenix International Raceway
Avondale , Arizona
Race postponed twice; eventually cancelled
1
April 7
Texas 200
Texas World Speedway
College Station , Texas
Bobby Unser
Al Unser
2
April 15
Trentonian 300 Heat #1
Trenton International Speedway
Trenton , New Jersey
Gordon Johncock
A. J. Foyt
3
Trentonian 300 Heat #2
A. J. Foyt
Mario Andretti
4
May 28, 29 & 30B
International 500 Mile Sweepstakes
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Speedway , Indiana
Johnny Rutherford
Gordon Johncock
5
June 10
Rex Mays Classic
Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway
West Allis , Wisconsin
Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
6
July 1
Schaefer 500
Pocono International Raceway
Long Pond , Pennsylvania
Peter Revson
A. J. Foyt
7
July 15
Michigan 200
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn , Michigan
Bobby Unser
Roger McCluskey
8
August 12
Tony Bettenhausen 200
Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway
West Allis , Wisconsin
Wally Dallenbach Sr.
Wally Dallenbach Sr.
9
August 26
California 500 Qualification Heat 1
Ontario Motor Speedway
Ontario , California
Gordon Johncock
Wally Dallenbach Sr.
10
California 500 Qualification Heat 2
Johnny Rutherford
Johnny Rutherford
11
September 2
California 500
Peter Revson
Wally Dallenbach Sr.
12
September 16
Michigan Twin 125s #1
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn , Michigan
Gordon Johncock
Bill Vukovich II
13
Michigan Twin 125s #2
Gary Bettenhausen
Johnny Rutherford
14
September 23
Trenton 200
Trenton International Speedway
Trenton , New Jersey
Gordon Johncock
Gordon Johncock
15
October 6
Texas 200
Texas World Speedway
College Station , Texas
Mario Andretti
Gary Bettenhausen
16
November 3
Arizona 150
Phoenix International Raceway
Avondale , Arizona
Gordon Johncock
Gordon Johncock
^A Postponed due to infrastructure damage, and again on March 28 due to continued flooding. Eventually cancelled due to scheduling conflicts.
^B Scheduled for 500 miles, stopped early due to rain. See 1973 Indy 500
Final points standings [ ]
Note: Sam Posey, Peter Revson, Mark Donohue, David Hobbs, Jerry Grant, John Cannon, Graham McRae and Bobby Allison are not eligible for points. The Rookie of the Year was not awarded, because every rookie was not eligible for points.
Further information: List of American Championship car racing point scoring systems
Pos
Driver
TXS
TRE
INDY
MIL
POC
MIC
MIL
ONT
MIC
TRE
TXS
PHX
Pts
200
150
500
150
500
200
200
Q-H1
Q-H2
500
125
200
200
150
1
Roger McCluskey
7
8
6
3
2
2
1
6
2
4
4
13
18
4
3705
2
Wally Dallenbach Sr.
DNQ
DNQ
24
4
29
6
1
1
1
23
3
6
2
2620
3
Johnny Rutherford
4
15
9
5
5
2
18
1
31
3
1
4
2
DNQ
2595
4
Bill Vukovich II
15
3
2
2
22
24
3
3
12
24
1
15
6
20
3
2440
5
Mario Andretti
25
4
1
30
8
7
5
19
12
2
5
2
7
17
7
2400
6
Mike Mosley
3
9
8
10
24
4
10
2
5
3
18
14
23
20
2345
7
Gordon Johncock
23
2
21
1
18
14
9
17
5
32
16
1
7
1
2240
8
Gary Bettenhausen
2
6
17
5
3
27
24
20
2
19
2
8
24
1
6
2093
9
Lloyd Ruby
DNQ
27
21
3
4
DNQ
8
28
6
4
8
4
11
1610
10
A. J. Foyt
11
1
11
25
Wth
1
13
25
10
13
14
20
10
DNS
1580
11
Lee Kunzman
8
11
9
7
6
20
12
3
13
20
10
3
5
1260
12
Bobby Unser
20
19
15
13
1
10
20
DNQ
7
10
16
2
15
18
1108
13
Al Unser
1
7
3
20
9
33
22
26
4
9
21
25
16
19
1080
14
Mike Hiss
22
14
13
17
10
6
25
5
3
27
9
3
21
11
1050
15
Joe Leonard
5
13
5
18
7
8
23
7
9
21
12
7
9
19
15
1018
16
Mel Kenyon
12
12
10
4
18
8
9
16
DNQ
9
940
17
John Martin
8
13
28
7
13
5
870
18
Steve Krisiloff
DNS
18
6
16
22
18
21
6
12
7
6
11
8
21
845
19
Jim McElreath
23
11
11
4
6
20
5
16
650
20
Dick Simon
6
10
7
14
17
12
17
22
11
22
DNS
23
21
8
440
21
Jimmy Caruthers
21
16
21
12
16
19
8
4
15
8
9
22
DNS
9
408
22
Johnny Parsons
DNQ
30
14
13
9
25
11
5
15
5
22
390
23
Bentley Warren
21
16
DNQ
DNQ
16
7
8
DNQ
12
22
10
375
24
Swede Savage
13
5
4
22
330
25
Tom Bigelow
DNQ
14
32
15
7
11
160
26
Lee Brayton
10
17
12
DNQ
15
DNQ
15
10
16
12
17
133
27
Sam Sessions
9
DNQ
28
13
11
23
DNQ
120
28
DNQ
19
DNQ
10
14
12
73
29
John Mahler
DNQ
8
26
50
30
Jerry Karl
26
23
26
11
18
DNQ
40
31
Tom Sneva R
26
DNQ
DNQ
DNQ
21
14
10
17
19
14
30
32
George Snider
12
25
14
12
29
33
Larry Cannon
DNQ
DNQ
16
11
17
14
25
34
Jigger Sirois
DNQ
Wth
12
DNS
13
DNQ
20
-
Sam Posey
DNQ
9
11
6
0
-
John Cannon
10
30
0
-
David Hobbs
11
31
13
DNQ
0
-
Bob Harkey
29
15
DNQ
13
0
-
Eldon Rasmussen
DNQ
DNQ
DNQ
13
0
-
Larry McCoy
14
20
14
DNQ
DNQ
DNQ
26
15
22
26
24
0
-
Bill Simpson
DNQ
14
DNQ
26
0
-
Mark Donohue
15
17
DNQ
29
0
-
Al Loquasto
DNQ
DNQ
DNQ
16
24
DNQ
19
18
0
-
Salt Walther
16
22
33
0
-
Graham McRae R
16
DNQ
0
-
17
24
19
DNQ
0
-
Rick Muther
18
Wth
19
DNQ
DNQ
25
0
-
23
18
DNQ
20
0
-
Jerry Grant
19
33
0
-
Art Pollard
19
DNQ
DNQ
0
-
DNQ
20
0
-
Peter Revson
31
21
23
0
-
Jim Hurtubise
DNQ
23
DNQ
0
-
Larry Dickson
24
DNQ
0
-
Bobby Allison R
32
0
-
DNS
0
-
DNQ
DNQ
0
-
Bruce Jacobi
DNQ
0
-
Arnie Knepper
DNQ
0
-
Bill Puterbaugh
DNQ
0
-
Greg Weld
DNQ
0
-
DNQ
0
-
DNQ
0
Pos
Driver
TXS1 200
TRE1 150
TRE2 150
INDY 500
MIL1 150
POC 500
MIC1 200
MIL2 200
ONT Q-H1
ONT Q-H2
ONT 500
MIC2 125
MIC3 125
TRE3 200
TXS2 200
PHX 150
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 (Ret)
Red
Did not qualify (DNQ)
Brown
Withdrawn (Wth)
Black
Disqualified (DSQ)
White
Did not start (DNS)
Blank
Did not participate (DNP)
Not competing
In-line notation
Bold
Pole position
Italics
Ran fastest race lap
*
Led most race laps
RY Rookie of the Year
R Rookie
References [ ]
See also [ ]
American Championship car racing (Indy car) seasons
AAA USAC CART CCWS IRL INDYCAR
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
Years marked in italics are not official championship years or upcoming seasons.
Seasons Indianapolis 500s National Champions Tracks