Bill Alsup

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Indy driver Bill Alsup (right) at the 2012 Indianapolis 500 Legends Day

Bill Alsup (July 15, 1938 in Honolulu – August 9, 2016) was an American race car driver. He was the first Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) Rookie of the Year in 1979 and competed in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, finishing 11th. He made 57 CART & USAC Champ Car starts in his career. His best race finish of third came 3 times and he was the 1981 CART Championship runner-up, putting in a winless but consistent season for Penske Racing, his only effort with a top-level team. He returned to his own team the next year and struggled until leaving Champ Car following the 1984 Sanair Super Speedway race.

CART career[]

Alsup made his CART debut at the Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150 at Phoenix International Raceway driving the #41 WASP Racing Mclaren-Offenhauser for WASP Racing starting twenty fourth (last) and finishing eleventh. He attempted to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, first driving the #67 WASP Racing McLaren-Offenhauser, but the car was not fast enough to make a qualifying run. He then attempted the #19 Eagle 74-Offenhauser for but the engine failed. The final car he attempted to qualify was the #68 CAM 2 Motor Oil Penske PC7-Cosworth DFX for Team Penske. He qualified for the race but USAC officials ruled that the car used the engine from Penske teammate Bobby Unser's car and Alsup was disqualified. [1] He drove the remainder of the CART season for WASP Racing. He had a best finish of ninth in the second heat of the Trenton Indy at Trenton Speedway, the Kent Oil 150 at Watkins Glen International, the first heat of the Norton Twin 125s and the Gould Grand Prix, the latter two at Michigan International Speedway, and finished the season fifteenth in points to win the first CART Rookie of the Year Award.

In 1980 Alsup purchased the inventory of WASP Racing and started his own team called Alsup Racing, Alsup driving the #41 Polaroid Time Zero Penske PC7-Cosworth DFX. He started the season by finishing sixth in the season opening Dastun Twin 200 at Ontario Motor Speedway. He failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, rebounded to finish third at the Red Roof Inns 150 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and finished the season seventh in points, earning him the CART Most Improved Driver Award.

In 1981 he drove for Team Penske in a Norton-Spirit sponsored car alongside teammates Bobby Unser and Rick Mears. Driving for Penske in the #7 A.B. Dick Penske PC9B-Cosworth DFX and for himself in the #41 Polaroid Time Zero Penske PC7-Cosworth DFX he had a best finish of third at the Norton Michigan 500 at Michigan International Speedway where he led for three laps. He also finished third at the Los Angeles Times 500 at Riverside International Raceway and at the AB Dick Tony Bettenhausen 200 at Wisconsin State Fairgrounds Park Speedway. He ended the season with a career best second in points in the CART standings but it wasn't enough to keep his ride with TEAM Penske, and he was released from the team at the end of the season.

In 1982 he was back to driving for himself using the #2 A.B. Dick Penske PC9B-Cosworth DFX and had a best finish of fourth at the Stroh's 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He dropped to eleventh in points for the season.

In 1983 he began working with Argo Racing Cars driving the #11 Alsup Racing/Indy Car Annual Argo JM-15-Cosworth DFX. He failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 and soon started driving a March 83C-Cosworth DFX. He scored no points that year.

In 1984 he switched between a March 83C-Cosworth DFX and an Argo JM-15-Cosworth DFX. He failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 and started his last race at the Molson Indy Montreal at Sanair Super Speedway. He once again failed to score points.

Death[]

Alsup died in a crane accident near Silverton, Colorado where he was a long-term resident on August 9, 2016.[2]

Racing record[]

SCCA National Championship Runoffs[]

Year Track Car Engine Class Finish Start Status
1973 Road Atlanta Caldwell Ford Formula Ford 15 19 Running

Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results[]

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos Points
1977 Bill Alsup TRE
7 		MIL
14 		MOS
7 		PIR
2 		5th 280
1978 William Alsup, Jr. PIR1
21 		TRE1
2 		MOS
1 		MIL1
23 		TEX
2 		MIL2
10 		OMS1
1 		OMS2
2 		TRE2
4 		PIR2
12 		1st 1046

Formula Super Vee[]

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points
1978 Bill Alsup Argo JM2 VW Brabham CLT
1 		RAL
1 		MDO
Ret 		CMT
1 		WG1
1 		BRN
3 		ROA
4 		WG2
3 		1st 114
Source:[3][4][5]


SCCA/CART Indy Car Series[]

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Rank Points
1979 McLaren Offenhauser PHX
11 		ATL
16 		ATL
15 		INDY
DNQ 		TRT
12 		TRT
9 		MIC
9 		MIC
13 		WGL
9 		TRT
10 		ONT
22 		MIC
9 		ATL
10 		PHX
11 		15th 400
Cosworth INDY
DNQ
Team Penske Penske INDY
DNQ
1980 ONT
7 		INDY
DNQ 		MIL
9 		POC
4 		MDO
3 		MIC
10 		WGL
8 		MIL
Ret 		ONT
Ret 		MIC
10 		MXS
Ret 		PHX
Ret 		7th 1,214
1981 PHX
5 		MIL
 MIC
4 		WTG
3 		2nd 175
Team Penske ATL
8 		ATL
8 		MIC
4 		RIR
3 		MIL
11 		MXC
5 		PHX
17
1982 PHX
11 		ATL
5 		MIL
16 		CLE
12 		MIC
13 		MIL
9 		POC
13 		RIV
8 		ROA
16 		MIC
6 		PHX
8 		11th 70
1983 March
Argo 		ATL
DNS 		INDY
DNQ 		MIL
21 		CLE
20 		MIC
16 		ROA
 POC
20 		RIV
 MDO
19 		MIC
22 		CPL
 LAG
27 		PHX
14 		38th 0
1984 LBH
DNQ 		PHX
DNQ 		INDY
DNQ 		MIL
 POR
 MEA
 CLE
DNQ 		MIC
16 		ROA
 POC
24 		MDO
 SAN
14 		MIC
 PHX LAG CPL 40th 0

References[]

  1. ^ "Indy Chaos; Penske Driver Caught Cheating". Spokesman Review. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  2. ^ "Bill Alsup dies in backcountry crane accident". Silverton Standard. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  3. ^ "1978 ARGO JM-2 Formula Super Vee Chassis 20". formulasupervee.com. Formula Super Vee. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  4. ^ "1978 SCCA U. S. Formula Super Vee Championship Bill Alsup - Champion". champcarstats.com. Champ Car Stats. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Formula Super Vee". autosport.com. Autosport. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.

External links[]

Sporting positions
Preceded by US Formula Super Vee
Champion
1978 		Succeeded by
Preceded by USAC Mini-Indy Series
Champion
1978 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
None
 CART Rookie of the Year
1979 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""