The 1971 Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 29, 1971. ABC television broadcast the race for the first time in same-day tape delay.
Peter Revson started on the pole with a speed of over 178 miles per hour, more than a mile per hour faster than any other qualifier, with defending champ Al Unser in the middle of the second row. However, Mark Donohue, who qualified in the middle of the front row, took the lead at the start of the race and led the first 50 laps. A mechanical issue ended his day after just 66 laps, and Unser took the lead. He and Joe Leonard swapped the lead several times during the middle portion of the race, but Unser led for the final 83 laps, giving him a win for the second year in a row.
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Eldon Palmer, owner of a local automobile and truck dealership Palmer Dodge (now Palmer Auto Group), was chosen to provide a pace car for the race when no automakers took up this duty as they had done in the past. In preparation for the race, he set up a traffic cone to provide himself with a reference for where to begin slowing the car. However, when he returned to the pits following the pace laps, someone had moved the cone without his knowledge. When Palmer realized that it was gone, he attempted to stop quickly, but lost control of the car, which skidded into a temporary grandstand packed mainly with photographers. No one was killed, but 22 were injured, some seriously. In the car with Palmer were Speedway owner Tony Hulman, longtime ABC television sportscaster Chris Schenkel, and astronaut John Glenn, but they were unhurt.
| Finish | Start | No | Name | Qual | Rank | Laps | Led | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 1 | Al Unser | 174.621 | 5 | 200 | 103 | Running |
| 2 | 1 | 86 | Peter Revson | 178.695 | 1 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 3 | 6 | 9 | A.J. Foyt | 174.317 | 6 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 4 | 10 | 42 | Jim Malloy | 171.838 | 11 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 5 | 11 | 32 | Bill Vukovich II | 171.674 | 12 | 200 | 0 | Running |
| 6 | 20 | 84 | Donnie Allison | 171.903 | 10 | 199 | 0 | Flagged |
| 7 | 17 | 58 | Bud Tingelstad | 170.156 | 24 | 198 | 0 | Flagged |
| 8 | 28 | 43 | Denny Zimmerman | 169.755 | 27 | 189 | 0 | Flagged |
| 9 | 22 | 6 | Roger McCluskey | 171.241 | 15 | 188 | 0 | Flagged |
| 10 | 13 | 16 | Gary Bettenhausen | 171.233 | 16 | 178 | 0 | Flagged |
| 11 | 7 | 12 | Lloyd Ruby | 173.821 | 7 | 174 | 3 | Gears |
| 12 | 3 | 2 | Bobby Unser | 175.816 | 3 | 164 | 21 | Crash T4 |
| 13 | 19 | 4 | Mike Mosley | 169.579 | 29 | 159 | 0 | Crash T4 |
| 14 | 33 | 44 | Dick Simon | 170.165 | 23 | 151 | 0 | Flagged |
| 15 | 29 | 41 | George Follmer | 169.205 | 32 | 147 | 0 | Piston |
| 16 | 14 | 21 | Cale Yarborough | 170.770 | 19 | 140 | 0 | Cam Cover |
| 17 | 4 | 85 | Denis Hulme | 174.910 | 4 | 137 | 0 | Valve |
| 18 | 24 | 18 | Johnny Rutherford | 171.152 | 18 | 128 | 0 | Flagged |
| 19 | 8 | 15 | Joe Leonard | 172.761 | 8 | 123 | 21 | Turbocharger |
| 20 | 16 | 68 | David Hobbs | 169.571 | 30 | 107 | 0 | Crash FS |
| 21 | 18 | 38 | Rick Muther | 169.972 | 25 | 85 | 0 | Crash FS |
| 22 | 32 | 99 | Bob Harkey | 169.197 | 33 | 77 | 0 | Gears |
| 23 | 15 | 95 | Bentley Warren | 169.627 | 28 | 76 | 0 | Gears |
| 24 | 23 | 22 | Wally Dallenbach, Sr. | 171.159 | 17 | 69 | 0 | Valve |
| 25 | 2 | 66 | Mark Donohue | 177.087 | 2 | 66 | 52 | Gears |
| 26 | 31 | 64 | Art Pollard | 169.499 | 31 | 45 | 0 | Valve |
| 27 | 25 | 98 | Sammy Sessions | 170.357 | 20 | 43 | 0 | Valve |
| 28 | 26 | 45 | Larry Dickson | 170.285 | 21 | 33 | 0 | Engine |
| 29 | 12 | 7 | Gordon Johncock | 171.388 | 14 | 11 | 0 | Crash T3 |
| 30 | 9 | 5 | Mario Andretti | 172.612 | 9 | 11 | 0 | Crash T3 |
| 31 | 27 | 20 | Steve Krisiloff | 169.835 | 26 | 10 | 0 | Oil Leak |
| 32 | 30 | 23 | Mel Kenyon | 170.205 | 22 | 10 | 0 | Crash T3 |
| 33 | 21 | 80 | George Snider | 171.600 | 13 | 6 | 0 | Stalled |
| Att # | Date | Time | Qual Day |
Car # | Driver Name |
Laps | Qual Time |
Qual Speed |
Rank | Start | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 05-15 | 1 | 1 | 4 | MIKE MOSLEY | 0 | — | — | — | — | ACCIDENT |
| 2 | 05-15 | 2 | 1 | 9 | A. J. FOYT | 4 | 3:26.5200 | 174.317 | 6 | 6 | |
| 3 | 05-15 | 3 | 1 | 66 | MARK DONOHUE | 4 | 3:23.2900 | 177.087 | 2 | 2 | |
| 4 | 05-15 | 4 | 1 | 32 | BILLY VUKOVICH II | 4 | 3:29.7000 | 171.674 | 12 | 11 | |
| 5 | 05-15 | 5 | 1 | 10 | DICK SIMON | 4 | 3:33.1400 | 168.903 | — | — | BUMPED BY #99 |
| 6 | 05-15 | 6 | 1 | 14 | JIM MCELREATH | 3 | — | — | — | — | WAVED OFF |
| 7 | 05-15 | 7 | 1 | 16 | GARY BETTENHAUSEN | 4 | 3:30.2400 | 171.233 | 16 | 13 | |
| 8 | 05-15 | 8 | 1 | 68 | DAVID HOBBS | 4 | 3:32.3000 | 169.571 | 30 | 16 | |
| 9 | 05-15 | 9 | 1 | 1 | AL UNSER | 4 | 3:26.1600 | 174.622 | 5 | 5 | |
| 10 | 05-15 | 10 | 1 | 7 | GORDON JOHNCOCK | 4 | 3:30.0500 | 171.388 | 14 | 12 | |
| 11 | 05-15 | 11 | 1 | 42 | JIM MALLOY | 4 | 3:29.5000 | 171.838 | 11 | 10 | |
| 12 | 05-15 | 12 | 1 | 86 | PETER REVSON | 4 | 3:21.4600 | 178.696 | 1 | 1 | |
| 13 | 05-15 | 13 | 1 | 77 | CARL WILLIAMS | 1 | — | — | — | — | WAVED OFF |
| 14 | 05-15 | 14 | 1 | 8 | ART POLLARD | 3 | — | — | — | — | WAVED OFF |
| 15 | 05-15 | 15 | 1 | 18 | JOHNNY RUTHERFORD | 0 | — | — | — | — | BLOWN ENGINE |
| 16 | 05-15 | 16 | 1 | 15 | JOE LEONARD | 4 | 3:28.3800 | 172.761 | 8 | 8 | |
| 17 | 05-15 | 17 | 1 | 2 | BOBBY UNSER | 4 | 3:24.7600 | 175.816 | 3 | 3 | |
| 18 | 05-15 | 18 | 1 | 83 | DONNIE ALLISON | 1 | — | — | — | — | WAVED OFF |
| 19 | 05-15 | 19 | 1 | 28 | BILL SIMPSON | 4 | 3:33.9400 | 168.271 | — | — | BUMPED BY #45 |
| 20 | 05-15 | 20 | 1 | 12 | LLOYD RUBY | 4 | 3:27.1100 | 173.821 | 7 | 7 | |
| 21 | 05-15 | 21 | 1 | 5 | MARIO ANDRETTI | 4 | 3:28.5600 | 172.612 | 9 | 9 | |
| 22 | 05-15 | 22 | 1 | 85 | DENIS HULME | 0 | — | — | — | — | PULLED OFF |
| 23 | 05-15 | 23 | 1 | 45 | LARRY DICKSON | 3 | — | — | — | — | ACCIDENT |
| 24 | 05-15 | 24 | 1 | 14 | JIM MCELREATH | 3 | — | — | — | — | WAVED OFF |
| 25 | 05-15 | 25 | 1 | 83 | DONNIE ALLISON | 4 | 3:34.1200 | 168.130 | — | — | WITHDRAWN 5/22 |
| 26 | 05-15 | 26 | 1 | 85 | DENIS HULME | 4 | 3:25.8200 | 174.910 | 4 | 4 | |
| 27 | 05-15 | 27 | 1 | 92 | JERRY GRANT | 4 | 3:33.6600 | 168.492 | — | — | BUMPED BY #78 |
| 28 | 05-15 | 28 | 1 | 21 | CALE YARBOROUGH | 4 | 3:30.8100 | 170.770 | 19 | 14 | |
| 29 | 05-15 | 29 | 1 | 14 | JIM MCELREATH | 4 | 3:34.5200 | 167.817 | — | — | BUMPED BY #6; REINSTATED BY #83; BUMPED BY #84 |
| 30 | 05-15 | 30 | 1 | 38 | RICK MUTHER | 3 | — | — | — | — | BLOWN ENGINE |
| 31 | 05-15 | 31 | 1 | 77 | CARL WILLIAMS | 4 | 3:33.2900 | 168.784 | — | — | BUMPED BY #23 |
| 32 | 05-15 | 32 | 1 | 8 | ART POLLARD | 4 | 3:33.8200 | 168.366 | — | — | BUMPED BY #46 |
| 33 | 05-15 | 33 | 1 | 95 | BENTLEY WARREN | 4 | 3:32.2300 | 169.627 | 28 | 15 | |
| 34 | 05-16 | 34 | 2 | 4 | MIKE MOSLEY | 0 | 3:32.2900 | 169.579 | 29 | 19 | |
| 35 | 05-16 | 35 | 2 | 38 | RICK MUTHER | 0 | 3:31.8000 | 169.972 | 25 | 18 | |
| 36 | 05-16 | 36 | 2 | 58 | BUD TINGELSTAD | 0 | 3:31.5700 | 170.156 | 24 | 17 | |
| 37 | 05-22 | 37 | 3 | 80 | GEORGE SNIDER | 4 | 3:29.7900 | 171.600 | 13 | 21 | |
| 38 | 05-22 | 38 | 3 | 43 | DENNY ZIMMERMAN | 4 | 3:32.0700 | 169.755 | 27 | 28 | |
| 39 | 05-22 | 39 | 3 | 44 | JOHN MAHLER | 3 | — | — | — | — | |
| 40 | 05-22 | 40 | 3 | 98 | SAM SESSIONS | 4 | 3:31.3200 | 170.358 | 20 | 25 | |
| 41 | 05-22 | 41 | 3 | 22 | WALLY DALLENBACH | 4 | 3:30.3300 | 171.160 | 17 | 23 | |
| 42 | 05-22 | 42 | 3 | 94 | BRUCE WALKUP | 2 | — | — | — | — | WAVED OFF |
| 43 | 05-22 | 43 | 3 | 45 | LARRY DICKSON | 3 | — | — | — | — | WAVED OFF |
| 44 | 05-22 | 44 | 3 | 41 | GEORGE FOLLMER | 4 | 3:32.7600 | 169.205 | 32 | 29 | |
| 45 | 05-22 | 45 | 3 | 44 | JOHN MAHLER | 4 | 3:31.5600 | 170.164 | 23 | 33 | REPLACED BY DICK SIMON |
| 46 | 05-22 | 46 | 3 | 18 | JOHNNY RUTHERFORD | 4 | 3:30.3400 | 171.151 | 18 | 24 | |
| 47 | 05-22 | 47 | 3 | 6 | ROGER MCCLUSKEY | 2 | — | — | — | — | OUT OF FUEL |
| 48 | 05-22 | 48 | 3 | 6 | ROGER MCCLUSKEY | 4 | 3:30.2300 | 171.241 | 15 | 22 | BUMPS #14 |
| 49 | 05-22 | 49 | 3 | 20 | STEVE KRISILOFF | 0 | — | — | — | — | PULLED OFF |
| 50 | 05-22 | 50 | 3 | 84 | DONNIE ALLISON | 4 | 3:29.4200 | 171.903 | 10 | 20 | BUMPS #14 |
| 51 | 05-22 | 51 | 3 | 45 | LARRY DICKSON | 4 | 3:31.4100 | 170.285 | 21 | 26 | BUMPS #28 |
| 52 | 05-22 | 52 | 3 | 46 | JIM MCELREATH | 4 | 3:32.8100 | 169.165 | — | — | BUMPS #8; BUMPED BY #64 |
| 53 | 05-22 | 53 | 3 | 94 | BRUCE WALKUP | 1 | — | — | — | — | PULLED OFF |
| 54 | 05-22 | 54 | 3 | 78 | SAM POSEY | 4 | 3:33.3000 | 168.776 | — | — | BUMPS #92; BUMPED BY #20 |
| 55 | 05-22 | 55 | 3 | 20 | STEVE KRISILOFF | 4 | 3:31.9700 | 169.835 | 26 | 27 | BUMPS #78 |
| 56 | 05-23 | 56 | 4 | 23 | MEL KENYON | 4 | 3:31.5100 | 170.205 | 22 | 30 | BUMPS #77 |
| 57 | 05-23 | 57 | 4 | 99 | BOB HARKEY | 4 | 3:32.7700 | 169.197 | 33 | 32 | BUMPS #10 |
| 58 | 05-23 | 58 | 4 | 17 | JERRY GRANT | 1 | — | — | — | — | WAVED OFF |
| 59 | 05-23 | 59 | 4 | 64 | ART POLLARD | 4 | 3:32.3900 | 169.500 | 31 | 31 | BUMPS #46 |
| 60 | 05-23 | 60 | 4 | 56 | JIM HURTUBISE | 2 | — | — | — | — | ACCIDENT |
| 61 | 05-23 | 61 | 4 | 33 | DICK SIMON | 1 | — | — | — | — | WAVED OFF |
| 62 | 05-23 | 62 | 4 | 17 | JERRY GRANT | 1 | — | — | — | — | WAVED OFF |
| 1970 Indianapolis 500 Al Unser |
1971 Indianapolis 500 Al Unser |
1972 Indianapolis 500 Mark Donohue |
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