1977 USAC Championship Car season

The 1977 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 14 races, beginning in Ontario, California on March 6 and concluding in Avondale, Arizona on October 29. The USAC National Champion was Tom Sneva and the Indianapolis 500 winner was A. J. Foyt. The schedule included a road course for the first time since 1970.

1977 USAC Championship Car season
USAC National Championship Trail
Season
Races14
Start dateMarch 6
End dateOctober 29
Awards
National champion Tom Sneva
Indianapolis 500 winner A. J. Foyt

Schedule and results
Rnd Date Race Name Track Location Pole Position Winning Driver
1 March 6 Datsun Twin 200s  O  Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario, California Johnny Rutherford A. J. Foyt
2 March 27 Jimmy Bryan 150  O  Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona Johnny Rutherford Johnny Rutherford
3 April 2 Texas Grand Prix  O  Texas World Speedway College Station, Texas Johnny Rutherford Tom Sneva
4 April 30 Trenton 200  O  Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Johnny Rutherford Wally Dallenbach Sr.
5 May 29 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes  O  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana Tom Sneva A. J. Foyt
6 June 12 Rex Mays Classic 150  O  Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin Bobby Unser Johnny Rutherford
7 June 26 Schaefer 500  O  Pocono International Raceway Long Pond, Pennsylvania A. J. Foyt Tom Sneva
8 July 3 Molson Diamond Indy  R  Mosport Park Bowmanville, Ontario Al Unser A. J. Foyt
9 July 17 Norton 200  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan Tom Sneva Danny Ongais
10 July 31 American Parts 200  O  Texas World Speedway College Station, Texas Danny Ongais Johnny Rutherford
11 August 21 Tony Bettenhausen 200  O  Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin Danny Ongais Johnny Rutherford
12 September 4 California 500  O  Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario, California Johnny Rutherford Al Unser
13 September 17 Michigan Grand Prix  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan Danny Ongais Gordon Johncock
- September 24 Machinists Union 150  O  Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Race postponed due to rain; eventually cancelled
14 October 29 Bobby Ball 150  O  Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona Bobby Unser Gordon Johncock
O Oval/Speedway
R Road Course/Street Circuit
  • The Machinist Union 150, scheduled for September 24, was first postponed due to rain, and was eventually cancelled on October 3.[1][2]

Final points standings

Note:

Pos Driver ONT1
 PHX1
 TXS1
 TRE
 INDY
 MIL1
 POC
 MOS
 MIC1
 TXS2
 MIL2
 ONT2
 MIC2
 PHX2
 Pts
1 Tom Sneva 14 16 1 10 2 2 1 3 4 5 18 3 10 17 3965
2 Al Unser 2 9 2 3 3 25 17 16 21 15 1 4 2 3030
3 Johnny Rutherford 25 1 4 8 33 1 5 9 3 1 1 24 2 22 2840
4 A. J. Foyt 1 2 14 1 Wth 15 1 DNQ 19 2 2840
5 Gordon Johncock 5 12 9 2 11 12 3 18 2 2 10 11 1 1 2830
6 Wally Dallenbach Sr. 18 10 3 1 4 15 4 16 8 17 3 20 3 6 2635
7 Mario Andretti DNQ 16 26 2 4 20 4 1580
8 Pancho Carter 3 20 11 9 15 5 20 10 3 2 14 3 1420
9 Tom Bigelow 4 4 12 15 6 7 29 8 11 10 4 28 15 19 1370
10 Mike Mosley 16 6 5 3 19 4 8 Wth 16 18 DNQ 1030
11 Roger McCluskey 22 3 17 5 8 19 26 11 20 DNQ 20 22 7 5 940
12 Danny Ongais  RY  7 5 13 20 17 23 15 1 13 21 8 17 12 935
13 Bobby Olivero 25 6 32 9 6 5 9 21 920
14 Gary Bettenhausen 10 11 11 16 20 7 2 17 8 17 14 850
15 Johnny Parsons DNQ DNP 5 DNQ 11 18 4 13 29 14 20 840
16 Larry Dickson 13 DNQ 18 DNQ 13 5 8 12 7 6 18 740
17 Lee Kunzman 7 DNP 6 DNQ 22 15 16 DNQ 700
18 Todd Gibson 11 13 6 6 DNQ 14 DNQ 4 15 DNQ DNQ 600
19 Rick Mears 24 DNQ 15 DNQ 30 6 7 5 26 8 555
20 Spike Gehlhausen 26 14 8 12 DNQ 9 DNQ 10 9 12 7 13 13 7 550
21 Jim McElreath 23 24 12 6 9 5 530
22 Vern Schuppan 8 8 16 17 DNQ 21 19 6 475
23 Salt Walther 23 18 4 DNQ 18 12 6 DNP 25 DNQ 13 450
24 Dick Simon 6 7 31 13 16 19 14 9 33 11 360
25 Steve Krisiloff 21 9 DNP 22 14 7 DNQ 19 27 320
26 James McElreath  R  DNQ 7 7 DNQ 31 DNQ DNQ 23 19 240
27 Bill Vukovich II 20 19 13 17 9 12 14 31 220
28 Joe Saldana  R  DNQ 11 10 Wth 18 11 DNQ 22 220
29 Jerry Grant DNQ 13 5 DNQ DNQ 16 200
30 Ed Crombie DNQ 10 7 DNQ 14 DNS 165
31 Jerry Sneva 10 DNP 18 DNQ DNQ 22 DNQ DNQ 150
32 John Martin DNQ 10 150
33 Larry Cannon DNP DNQ 12 12 9 125
34 Bill Simpson 9 22 DNQ 80
35 Bobby Unser 15 17 DNP Wth 18 16 19 21 15 17 30 8 75
36 Clark Templeman  R  8 75
37 Al Loquasto 19 21 DNP Wth 28 28 11 19 11 16 70
38 Gary Irvin  R  10 14 DNQ 60
39 Bill Puterbaugh 12 50
40 George Snider 24 33 DNQ 20 32 21 10 45
41 Cliff Hucul  R  12 15 19 22 DNP DNQ 20
- Phil Threshie  R  13 16 DNQ 0
- Eldon Rasmussen 13 21 0
- John Mahler 14 14 DNQ 0
- Tom Gloy  R  15 0
- Lloyd Ruby 17 27 DNP 0
- Bubby Jones 21 DNQ DNQ 0
- Bob Harkey DNQ 22 DNQ 0
- Chuck Gurney 27 DNQ 0
- Sheldon Kinser 32 0
- Alan Jones DNS 0
- Larry McCoy DNQ Wth 0
- Tommy Hunt DNS 0
- Ed Finley DNQ DNQ 0
- Jerry Karl DNQ DNQ 0
- Bertil Roos DNQ DNQ 0
- Duke Cook DNQ 0
- Woody Fisher DNQ 0
- Tom Frantz DNQ 0
- Jim Hurtubise DNQ 0
- Mel Kenyon DNQ 0
- Graham McRae DNQ 0
- Teddy Pilette DNQ 0
- Elliott Forbes-Robinson DNP 0
Ineligible for USAC championship points
- Janet Guthrie DNQ 29 17 18 0
- Clay Regazzoni  R  30 0
Pos Driver ONT1
 PHX1
 TXS1
 TRE
 INDY
 MIL1
 POC
 MOS
 MIC1
 TXS2
 MIL2
 ONT2
 MIC2
 PHX2
 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

See also

References
  1. "Trenton Race Canceled". The New York Times. October 4, 1977. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  2. "Trenton 200". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
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