Gordon Johncock talks about 1982 Finish

[dannixjo]

Gordon Johncock is my uncle, and boy can you tell he used to race Indy cars. xD

[ilmsff7]

One of the most exciting, stirring, and satisfying Indy 500s ever. Johncock has won the 1973 rain shortened, tragic race that "everyone wanted to forget." He had hard luck at Indy after that. Well, in 1982 he won an Indy 500 NO ONE will forget.

[hearts76100]

Proper racing!!!

[jamie24cfc]

It's a breath of fresh air hearing Johncock & Mears talking about the finish to a race like that compared to the tit for tat bickering by Mario Andretti & Bobby Unser about the 1981 race

[pnutbutrncrackers]

Great race (remember it so well), and involving two guys I really like. A classy #1 & #2.

BTW, personal opinion here: I think Johncock's car is only of the prettiest ever at Indy. Just an exquisite color scheme (& car style). Look at it roaring down the stretch at 0:16 -- a thing of beauty.

[jacopman]

Gordo.......another great supermodified driver......makes good at Indy....

[pajasa62]

What a great era for auto racing.

For some reason Johncock always reminds me of having the look and maybe the mentality of an early astronaut.

[sparky7718]

Rick is the greatest driver that ever lived..... 

[ikshields]

Boy, if you're gonna win,

do it to rid yourself of a bad memory,

or do it in spite of an ill-handling car,

or do it in a thrilling duel to the finish,

or do it against Immaculate Perfection... say, Rick Mears in the awesome #1 Penske PC10.

What the heck -- do it all those ways.

The Greatest Race Ever.

[dd1985]

If you look at 1:57, you can see the infamous Rainbow Man, "Rock n Rollen" Stewart, right behind the pit.

[investorfan]

Gordon Johncock is a legend.  A class racer.

[Dirlonger]

@BSNFab Sad to say but Johncock left the Speedway the night of his '82 win to be with his mother who was gravely ill. He told the Speedway folks he'd probably not be back the next night for the banquet... but he did return.

Recall that while AJ won his 4th 500 in 1977, Johncock had the race in the bag until his turbo-Offy broke the crank with a handful of laps left.

[3338MAN]

Racers by definition.

[sir945]

the speedway should do a tribute to jim mckay and abc for all the years at the 500

[jlonnon]

Gordy is the most unassuming hero....it would be an honor to meet him someday

[derkommissar1917]

It's not mentioned here, but Johncock has said several times that his first Indy win, in 1973, never meant much to him because there was a fatal accident in the race, and on top of that it was shortened by rain. Winning a full 500 in 1982 was the highlight of his career.

[BSNFabricating]

@derkommissar1917

I'm sure the '73 race meant something to him...it was Indy. But that year there was so much tragedy, and with the rain and all on top of it, it was hard to celebrate. I'm glad he was able to celebrate this 500...one of the greatest races ever run. ;)

[mixxmexx]

great guys -real heroes

[cbowman61]

the best

race i ever seen

[indigoblue555]

What happened between 0.39 and 0.42 ?

[doctorindy]

ABC had poor directing back then, and limited multiple angle capability. They actually showed a clip of Mears' ex-wife Dina cheering...and we almost missed the greatest pass of all time.

Since it was still the primetime era, the "special stories" still dominated the broadcast. They cared more out the wives than the action on the track.

The film footage at 0:55 surfaced later and showed what we had never saw. Gordy's great block.

[daddydawg]

2 of the cleanest Driver ever at Indy, thank you both for the great times.

[VampireYoshi]

As an whole event, not just the finish but all the things that happened in it, and its impact forever after on not just IndyCar/American open-wheel but also American and even international motorsports...I'd view the 1982 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race as the greatest auto race of all time.

[sir945]

i still think to this day that jim mckay gave the better race call for abc sports and jim rest in peace man

[racermac1988]

Everytime I watch this race on ESPN Classic, I get just as excited each time, even though I know how it ends...

"Mears makes a drive, JOHNCOCK WINS IT, BY LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF A SECOND!!!" -Paul Page-

[BlueFox284]

Everytime I see that, I keep hoping Rick gets by Gordy. . . lol

[sshepard94]

This was, I believe my second Indy 500 and it remains my favorite even though Rick, my favorite driver, didn't win. What a great contest between two class guys.

[markko17]

"Two class guys" , very well said. Compare these two with the spoiled brats racing today.