The First Pocono 500 - July 3, 1971


The inaugural Schaefer 500 at Pocono was significant in many ways. It was the first time the USAC National Championship Trail had raced in the Northeast on such a large superspeedway (2.5 miles). Up until then, Champ/Indy car races had been held in this area at the more moderately sized Langhorne, Trenton, and Nazareth speedways. Secondly, by complimenting the recent inaugural California 500 (Sept 1970) as well as the Indy 500, it allowed USAC to promote a "Triple Crown" of 500 mile races.

Other significant items: This would be the first of Team Penskes 100+ Champ/Indy car wins. (Win #100 would come 29 years later at nearby Nazareth) 1971 was also the first year of the Gold/Silver crown split: the paved-speedway and dirt champ cars were broken out into separate series. The winning McClaren M16 was innovative in it's use of wings, and was influencing many other car builders to also add them at the time. It also started the trend of cars having the radiators mounted in "side-pods" rather than with front radiator inlets (compare the difference in the front row PR photos). It was also the last time a front-engined roadster (Hurtubise's Mallard) raced in a 500 mile race. These photos were mostly scanned from the 1972 & 1989 Pocono souvenir programs (credits at bottom), Motor Trend Sept '71, The Unfair Advantage, and Champ Car magazine.

The box score for the race can be found here: http://www.motorsport.com/stats/champ/data/ch197107.pdf

Front row photo - Parnelli Colt (A Unser) - Gurney Eagle (B Unser) - McClaren M16 (M Donohue)


Same pose, different angle, in color

Pre-race festivities included marching bands on the front straight

Turbo Ford in Mario's Macnamara before the race

Front row during the pace laps

Pace formation before the grandstands
(pictured third row: Revson, Foyt, Rutherford)

Rounding T2 in pace formation (photo covered 2 pages)

Donohue runs away after the start
(Photo: Barry Tenin - "The Unfair Advantage")

Aerial photo of full-house on opening day
Race day attendance: 60-75K (Motor Trend 9/71)

Nascar's Donnie Allison spins as Rutherford and B Unser pass

Following the pace car under caution

Donohue on the apron
(Photo: Bob Tronolone - ChampCar magazine Aug/Sept 2000)

Team Penske pit stop
Notice the McClaren had the fuel intake on the opposite side

Another Penske pit stop photo in color

Steve Krissilof spins

Joe Leonard pulls away with the fuel hose still attached
(Foyt in the background)

Roger McCluskey, Joe Leonard, front of Lloyd Ruby's car
(Motor Trend 9/71 photographer unknown)

Peter Revson in the other McClaren

Herk's Mallard - the last roadster in a 500 miler

Mallard ontrack
(Motor Trend 9/71 photographer unknown)

Looks like Roger is ready to climb a fence :)
(Motor Trend 9/71 photographer unknown)

Photos of the top 5 finishers
(photos not taken at Pocono - note blue front wings on the McClaren)

Mark Donohue with his sons in Victory lane

Mark & Roger

Photo credits as listed in 1972 program: Bud Jones, Dr. Robt Berman, Ike Refice, Dudley L. Stouch, Reinhold Radke, Bruce Craig, Dave Innes, Alber W. Koster, Paul W. Sernak, King Photos, William E Treible, Bruce Stromberg, Jan Dee Bowen.

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