1961 USAC Championship Car season

The 1961 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 12 races, beginning in Trenton, New Jersey on April 9 and concluding in Phoenix, Arizona on November 19. There was also one non-championship event at Pikes Peak, Colorado. The USAC National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was A. J. Foyt. The season was marred by the deaths of 1951 and 1958 season champion Tony Bettenhausen at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Al Keller at Phoenix.

1961 USAC Championship Car season
USAC National Championship Trail
Season
Races12
Start dateApril 9
End dateNovember 19
Awards
National championUnited States A. J. Foyt
Indianapolis 500 winnerUnited States A. J. Foyt
← 1960
1962 →

Schedule and results

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Rnd Date Race Name Track Location Type Pole Position Winning Driver
1 April 9   Trenton 100 Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Paved   Tony Bettenhausen   Eddie Sachs
2 May 30   International 500 Mile Sweepstakes Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana Paved   Eddie Sachs   A. J. Foyt
3 June 4   Rex Mays Classic Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin Paved   Dick Rathmann   Rodger Ward
4 June 18   Langhorne 100 Langhorne Speedway Langhorne, Pennsylvania Dirt   Al Keller   A. J. Foyt
NC July 4   Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Pikes Peak Highway Pikes Peak, Colorado Hill   Bobby UnserA   Bobby Unser
5 August 20   Tony Bettenhausen 200 Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin Paved   Don Branson   Lloyd Ruby
6 August 21   Tony Bettenhausen Memorial Illinois State Fairgrounds Springfield, Illinois Dirt   Parnelli Jones   Jim Hurtubise
7 September 4   Ted Horn Memorial DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Du Quoin, Illinois Dirt   Jim Hurtubise   A. J. Foyt
8 September 9   Syracuse 100 New York State Fairgrounds Syracuse, New York Dirt   Rodger Ward   Rodger Ward
9 September 16   Hoosier Hundred Indiana State Fairgrounds Indianapolis, Indiana Dirt   A. J. Foyt   A. J. Foyt
10 September 24   Trenton 100 Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Paved   Eddie Sachs   Eddie Sachs
11 October 29   Golden State 100 California State Fairgrounds Sacramento, California Dirt   Shorty Templeman   Rodger Ward
12 November 19   Bobby Ball Memorial Arizona State Fairgrounds Phoenix, Arizona Dirt   Al Keller   Parnelli Jones
  Paved/Dirt Oval
  Road Course/Hill Climb
  Non-championship race
^A No pole is awarded for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, in this schedule on the pole is the driver who started first. No lap led was awarded for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, however, a lap was awarded to the drivers that completed the climb.

Final points standings

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Pos Driver TRE1
 
INDY
 
MIL1
 
LAN
 
MIL2
 
SPR
 
DQSF
 
SYR
 
ISF
 
TRE2
 
SAC
 
PHX
 
Pts
1   A. J. Foyt 5 1 22 1 3 2 1 18 1 14 12 15 2150
2   Eddie Sachs 1 2 Wth 3 5 DNS 3 DNQ DNQ 1 DNQ 6 1760
3   Rodger Ward 18 3 1 19 6 17 1 17 3 1 2 1680
4   Shorty Templeman 4 DNQ 10 5 2 2 5 16 16 12 1190
5   Al Keller 5 2 15 12 18 5 4 16 5 18 17 1000
6   Jim Hurtubise 2 22 5 8 7 1 18 3 18 2 14 DNS 939
7   Len Sutton DNQ 19 4 2 10 9 9 4 11 4 8 860
8   Bobby Marshman  RY  17 7 19 11 15 9 8 7 2 19 3 11 769
9   Parnelli Jones 15 12 2 23 11 12 5 12 9 2 1 750
10   Dick Rathmann 4 13 3 6 4 3 DNQ 10 20 750
11   Lloyd Ruby 8 21 1 16 16 11 DNQ 18 DNQ 670
12   Don Branson 16 33 6 14 24 15 6 17 8 4 7 3 530
13   Elmer George 8 8 4 DNQ 8 14 6 15 6 9 470
14   Chuck Stevenson 6 400
15   Roger McCluskey 6 27 17 5 DNQ 15 8 14 7 11 7 370
16   A. J. Shepherd 11 26 DNQ 6 4 7 15 DNQ 360
17   Chuck Hulse 12 DNQ 14 18 17 13 4 DNQ 6 6 DNQ 14 302
18   Jim McElreath  R  3 21 10 4 290
19   Al Farmer DNQ DNQ DNQ 16 7 13 16 DNQ DNQ 5 5 260
20   Jack Brabham  R  9 200
21   Johnny Boyd 21 7 8 DNQ 15 160
22   Norm Hall  R  10 DNQ DNQ DNQ 150
23   Troy Ruttman 3 20 16 140
24   Don Davis 29 DNQ 13 13 14 10 12 13 8 8 DNQ 140
25   Ronnie Duman  R  DNQ 15 DNS 11 DNQ DNQ 10 DNQ 13 9 DNQ 128
26   Bob Christie 17 20 9 10 110
27   Gene Hartley 11 100
28   Red Riegel  R  DNQ 7 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 13 18 60
29   Ralph Liguori DNQ DNQ 7 DNQ DNQ DNQ 60
30   Len Duncan 7 60
31   Jiggs Peters 9 12 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 50
32   Danny Jones DNQ 14 9 DNQ 40
33   Don Freeland DNQ 9 DNQ 40
34   Allen Crowe  R  16 17 13 DNQ 12 DNQ 10 40
35   Bruce Jacobi 14 DNQ DNQ 10 30
36   Wayne Weiler DNQ 15 10 30
37   Bob Cleberg 10 DNQ DNQ DNQ 30
38   Rex Easton DNQ DNQ 9 DNQ 22
39   Bud Tingelstad DNQ DNQ 14 DNQ 11 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 20
40   Eddie Johnson 18 11 DNQ DNQ 20
41   Bob Mathouser  R  DNQ 11 DNQ DNQ 20
42   Dempsey Wilson 16 12 20 DNQ DNQ DNQ 15 DNQ 10
43   Jack Turner 25 21 12 DNQ DNQ 10
-   Bill Cheesbourg 28 13 DNQ DNQ 0
-   Don Horvath  R  13 DNQ 0
-   Leroy Neumayer  R  DNQ 13 0
-   Paul Goldsmith 14 18 0
-   Keith Rachwitz  R  DNQ 16 0
-   Jack Rounds 20 DNQ 17 0
-   Bob Veith DNQ 25 17 0
-   Ray Wearne  R  DNQ 17 DNQ 0
-   Leon Clum  R  DNQ DNQ 18 DNQ DNQ 0
-   Tony Bettenhausen 19 DNQ 0
-   Tommy Copp  R  21 DNQ 0
-   Johnny Coy  R  22 DNQ 22 0
-   Ernie Koch DNQ DNQ 22 DNQ 0
-   Ebb Rose  R  23 26 0
-   Cliff Griffith 24 0
-   Jim Rathmann DNQ 30 DNQ DNQ 0
-   Jimmy Daywalt 31 0
-   Bobby Grim 32 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
-   Beau Clerke DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
-   Jim McWithey DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
-   Jim Hemmings DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
-   Harry Beck DNP DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
-   Tony Bonadies DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
-   Vern Harriman DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
-   Ray Crawford DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
-   Bill Randall DNQ DNQ 0
-   Bert Brooks DNQ DNQ 0
-   Jack Conely DNQ DNQ 0
-   Ed Kostenuk DNQ DNQ 0
-   Chuck Arnold DNQ DNQ 0
-   Al Pombo DNQ DNQ 0
-   Tony Romit DNQ 0
-   Duane Carter DNQ 0
-   Russ Congdon DNQ 0
-   Jack Ensley DNQ 0
-   Mike Magill DNQ 0
-   Chuck Rodee DNQ 0
-   Paul Russo DNQ 0
-   Bud Sterrett DNQ 0
-   Bob Wente DNQ 0
-   Chuck Weyant DNQ 0
-   Cliff Spalding DNQ 0
-   Ray Brown DNQ 0
-   Hal Rettberg DNQ 0
-   Bill Hyde DNQ 0
-   Russ Long DNQ 0
-   Jimmy Davies DNQ 0
Pos Driver TRE1
 
INDY
 
MIL1
 
LAN
 
MIL2
 
SPR
 
DQSF
 
SYR
 
ISF
 
TRE2
 
SAC
 
PHX
 
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

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  • Åberg, Andreas. "USAC National Championship 1961". Driver Database. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  • "1961 USAC National Championship Trail". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  • http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine (p. 272-273)

See also

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