1973 Indianapolis 500, Part 14 (The Finish)

No copyright infringement is intended with this, or any video I upload. The purpose of uploading this video is for the viewing pleasure for those that watch it.

This is part 14 of the 1973 Indianapolis 500, and the final part. On the 131st lap,it began to rain yet again at Indy, which brought out the caution flag again, and just two laps later, with Gordon Johncock's car clearly hydroplaning, flagman Pat Vidan, in his usual flamboyant style, dropped the red flag for the fourth time, stopping the race with just ten cars running. If ever there was a case of a sporting event coming to a merciful end, this would be it. Dave Diles handled the victory lane interview, and it was interesting that none of those interviewed in victory lane knew that Armando Teran, one of their crew members, had actually died as a result of that pit road accident.

Credits go to ABC Sports and ESPN Classic, which re-broadcast the race on Auguat 12, 2011, as well as SPEED for the closing host segment of the 1973 episode of "Indy 500: The Classics", with Mike King and IMS Historian Donald Davidson, which I also added in.

The final results of the 1973 Indianapolis 500 were as follows:

1. 20-Gordon Johncock
2. 2-Billy Vukovich II
3. 3-Roger McCluskey
4. 19-Mel Kenyon
5. 5-Gary Bettenhausen
6. 24-Steve Krisiloff
7. 16-Lee Kunzman
8. 89-John Martin
9. 7-Johnny Rutherford
10. 98-Mike Mosley
11. 73-David Hobbs
12. 84-George Snider [with A.J. Foyt driving]
13. 8-Bobby Unser
14. 44-Dick Simon
15. 66-Mark Donohue
16. 60-Graham McRae [R]
17. 6-Mike Hiss
18. 1-Joe Leonard
19. 48-Jerry Grant
20. 4-Al Unser
21. 21-Jimmy Caruthers
22. 40-Swede Savage
23. 35-Jim McElreath
24. 62-Wally Dallenbach
25. 14-A.J. Foyt
26. 30-Jerry Karl [R]
27. 18-Lloyd Ruby
28. 9-Sam Sessions
29. 28-Bob Harkey
30. 11-Mario Andretti
31. 15-Peter Revson
32. 12-Bobby Allison [R]
33. 77-Salt Walther

Time of Race: 2 hrs, 5 min, 26.59 sec
Avg. Speed: 159.036 MPH
Margin of Victory: Under caution
Leaders: 4
Lead Changes: 4
Lap Leaders: B. Unser 1-39, Johncock 40-42, Savage 43-54, Al Unser 55-72, Johncock 73-133.
Laps Led: Johncock 64, B. Unser 39, Al Unser 18, Savage 12.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• 1973
• Indianapolis
• 500
• finish
• rain
• merciful
• ending

[brdtrk]

I noticed ABC didn't list Salt Walther on the "out of race" board. I think he was out for a while....

[cjs3872]

@brdtrk

That's because he never made it to the final start, due to the crash when they first tried to start the race. As a result, only 32 cars actually took the green flag when the race was actually run. They were only listing those that started the race on the final day. That's why Walther was never mentioned on ABC's "Out of the Race" board.

[ohytr12]

I'm so suprised this race was rebrodcasted as bad as it was.

[cjs3872]

@ohytr12

I'm just as surprised as you are that it was rebroadcast, especially since it wasn't rebroadcast with the other old Indy races. But I think it is important that it was rebroadcast because of all that did happen, which is why I think it's one of the most important races in history. Frankly, I didn't think the broadcast of the 1973 race even existed before it was rebroadcast by ESPN Classic in August.

[thevmanvj]

When you have 75 gallons of fuel, divided evenly in the two primary impact zones of the car..YOU HAVE A BOMB!

[cjs3872]

@thevmanvj

You're obviously referring to Swede Savage's crash, but he was expected to survive his injuries. In fact, he never lost consciousness during his crash, as he was trying to get out of his car, but it was an infusion of blood contaminated with Hepatitis B that killed him, not the burns he suffered. In fact, he had suffered severe head injuries in a crash at Ontario several years earlier that was closer to proving fatal than the burns he suffered at Indy in '73 were expected to be.

[xSoccerxCorex]

@dsriggs the only idiot is you for that stupid comment.

[cjs3872]

@thevmanvj

Actually, the tone for the horrbile month of May in 1973 was set on May 6 at Talladega, when the worst crash in NASCAR history at the time occurred, when 19 cars were knocked out in a single crash, and a couple of those involved also ran in the Indianapolis 500 that year, Bobby Allison and Gordon Johncock. Dick Simon was also in that race, but was not involvled in that crash. Also, road racing star Peter Gregg was involved in a bad crash early in the World 600.

[thevmanvj]

The whole month of May was just terrible. Art Pollard lost his life in a horrific accident on May 12...then came the start of the race with "Salt" Walther in that fiery crash broke both legs,several ribs, severely injured his hand, and was badly burned, but survived. STP Crew Member Armando Teran struck by a Safety Truck was pronounced DOA at the hospital. David "Swede" Savage held on for 33 days, before he finally succumbed to his injuries. Just a horrible month at Indy.

[cjs3872]

@dsriggs

Did you watch the entire video, because if you did, while you're correct Dave Diles did mention it was a good day for Granatelli, because his car won the race, which it did, but Granatelli even said it was bittersweet, because of the "problems" they had. But nowhere is it mentioned that anyone in the pit area knew the crew member [Armando Teran] had, in fact died. In fact, Jim McKay even mentioned that it's possible that nobody in the pit area knew that Teran had, in fact, died.