IndyCar / USAC : 1979-1980

1979 Gould Twin Dixie 125’s – Atlanta, GA  (42 min)

Live “ABC Wide World Of Sports” coverage of the CART Series Gould Twin Dixie 125’s from Atlanta, Georgia. This
was the second CART race ever held, and as die-hard IndyCar fans know, this was the year CART split off from
USAC, causing controversy, anger, and bitter feuds as each series attempted to run their own schedule. Roger
Penske, co-founder of the CART Series, gives a fiery interview before this race as CART was informed that many of
their teams would not be allowed to run in the 1979 Indy 500. This ABC-TV coverage shows highlights of the first
Gould 125 race, then covers the second race live. An exciting race, with VERY high speeds! The greats are all in this
one, including Danny Ongais, Tom Sneva, Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Rick Mears, and Johnny Rutherford.
Commentators are Jackie Stewart, Al Michaels, and the pits are covered by Chris Economaki.

1979 Indy 500 – Indianapolis, IN  (50 min)

Another exciting Indy 500, this is another “ABC Wide World Of Sports” telecast, with Jim McKay and Jackie Stewart on
commentary. This re-broadcast is from ESPN Classic Network during the 100th Anniversary of the Indy 500, and has
an ESPN watermark in the corner. Clear footage, and the coverage is live, but ESPN edited the race down to 50
minutes for their re-broadcast. There is a slight audio glitch (static) for about 5 minutes during this broadcast.
Rick Mears takes the win as A.J. Foyt coasts across the finish line to take 2nd.

1980 Miller High Life 150 – Phoenix, AZ  (15 min)

The last race of the CART season occurred at Phoenix International Raceway, and it was an eventful race to say the least!
Gordon Johncock tags a wall, then a few laps later, Tom Sneva and Al Unser are battling for the lead. As they approach
lapped traffic, they go 4-wide into another pair of cars. Al Unser gets the worst of it and crashes quite hard. Then a few
laps later, Johnny Rutherford and Tom Sneva are battling for the lead when Rutherford crashes into the outside wall, a
rear wheel comes off, jams under the axle, and vaults the car into the air, landing upside down with Rutherford trapped
inside the cockpit. Rutherford would be airlifted to a hospital (he was ok). Tom Sneva takes the win. These are live, edited
highlights of the race from NBC-TV Sportsworld. As a bonus, we have a 6-minute interview with Johnny Rutherford,
conducted shortly after his crash. Rutherford did not recall the crash, or even remember passing Sneva for the lead.
He shows us his dented and heavily scraped helmet, and we can see the bruises and cuts still on his face.
Johnny Rutherford was always a class act, and one of my favorite drivers.