1961 USAC Championship Car season

The 1961 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 12 races, beginning in Trenton, New Jersey on April 9 and concluding in Phoenix, Arizona on November 19. There was also one non-championship event at Pikes Peak, Colorado. The USAC National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was A. J. Foyt. The season was marred by the deaths of 1951 and 1958 season champion Tony Bettenhausen at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Al Keller at Phoenix.

1961 USAC Championship Car season
USAC National Championship Trail
Season
Races12
Start dateApril 9
End dateNovember 19
Awards
National champion A. J. Foyt
Indianapolis 500 winner A. J. Foyt

Schedule and results
Rnd Date Race Name Track Location Type Pole Position Winning Driver
1 April 9 Trenton 100 Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Paved Tony Bettenhausen Eddie Sachs
2 May 30 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana Paved Eddie Sachs A. J. Foyt
3 June 4 Rex Mays Classic Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin Paved Dick Rathmann Rodger Ward
4 June 18 Langhorne 100 Langhorne Speedway Langhorne, Pennsylvania Dirt Al Keller A. J. Foyt
NC July 4 Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Pikes Peak Highway Pikes Peak, Colorado Hill Bobby UnserA Bobby Unser
5 August 20 Tony Bettenhausen 200 Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin Paved Don Branson Lloyd Ruby
6 August 21 Tony Bettenhausen Memorial Illinois State Fairgrounds Springfield, Illinois Dirt Parnelli Jones Jim Hurtubise
7 September 4 Ted Horn Memorial DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Du Quoin, Illinois Dirt Jim Hurtubise A. J. Foyt
8 September 9 Syracuse 100 New York State Fairgrounds Syracuse, New York Dirt Rodger Ward Rodger Ward
9 September 16 Hoosier Hundred Indiana State Fairgrounds Indianapolis, Indiana Dirt A. J. Foyt A. J. Foyt
10 September 24 Trenton 100 Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Paved Eddie Sachs Eddie Sachs
11 October 29 Golden State 100 California State Fairgrounds Sacramento, California Dirt Shorty Templeman Rodger Ward
12 November 19 Bobby Ball Memorial Arizona State Fairgrounds Phoenix, Arizona Dirt Al Keller Parnelli Jones
  Paved/Dirt Oval
  Road Course/Hill Climb
  Non-championship race
^A No pole is awarded for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, in this schedule on the pole is the driver who started first. No lap led was awarded for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, however, a lap was awarded to the drivers that completed the climb.

Final points standings
Pos Driver TRE1
 INDY
 MIL1
 LAN
 MIL2
 SPR
 DQSF
 SYR
 ISF
 TRE2
 SAC
 PHX
 Pts
1 A. J. Foyt 5 1 22 1 3 2 1 18 1 14 12 15 2150
2 Eddie Sachs 1 2 Wth 3 5 DNS 3 DNQ DNQ 1 DNQ 6 1760
3 Rodger Ward 18 3 1 19 6 17 1 17 3 1 2 1680
4 Shorty Templeman 4 DNQ 10 5 2 2 5 16 16 12 1190
5 Al Keller 5 2 15 12 18 5 4 16 5 18 17 1000
6 Jim Hurtubise 2 22 5 8 7 1 18 3 18 2 14 DNS 939
7 Len Sutton DNQ 19 4 2 10 9 9 4 11 4 8 860
8 Bobby Marshman  RY  17 7 19 11 15 9 8 7 2 19 3 11 769
9 Parnelli Jones 15 12 2 23 11 12 5 12 9 2 1 750
10 Dick Rathmann 4 13 3 6 4 3 DNQ 10 20 750
11 Lloyd Ruby 8 21 1 16 16 11 DNQ 18 DNQ 670
12 Don Branson 16 33 6 14 24 15 6 17 8 4 7 3 530
13 Elmer George 8 8 4 DNQ 8 14 6 15 6 9 470
14 Chuck Stevenson 6 400
15 Roger McCluskey 6 27 17 5 DNQ 15 8 14 7 11 7 370
16 A. J. Shepherd 11 26 DNQ 6 4 7 15 DNQ 360
17 Chuck Hulse 12 DNQ 14 18 17 13 4 DNQ 6 6 DNQ 14 302
18 Jim McElreath  R  3 21 10 4 290
19 Al Farmer DNQ DNQ DNQ 16 7 13 16 DNQ DNQ 5 5 260
20 Jack Brabham  R  9 200
21 Johnny Boyd 21 7 8 DNQ 15 160
22 Norm Hall  R  10 DNQ DNQ DNQ 150
23 Troy Ruttman 3 20 16 140
24 Don Davis 29 DNQ 13 13 14 10 12 13 8 8 DNQ 140
25 Ronnie Duman  R  DNQ 15 DNS 11 DNQ DNQ 10 DNQ 13 9 DNQ 128
26 Bob Christie 17 20 9 10 110
27 Gene Hartley 11 100
28 Red Riegel  R  DNQ 7 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 13 18 60
29 Ralph Liguori DNQ DNQ 7 DNQ DNQ DNQ 60
30 Len Duncan 7 60
31 Jiggs Peters 9 12 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 50
32 Danny Jones DNQ 14 9 DNQ 40
33 Don Freeland DNQ 9 DNQ 40
34 Allen Crowe  R  16 17 13 DNQ 12 DNQ 10 40
35 Bruce Jacobi 14 DNQ DNQ 10 30
36 Wayne Weiler DNQ 15 10 30
37 Bob Cleberg 10 DNQ DNQ DNQ 30
38 Rex Easton DNQ DNQ 9 DNQ 22
39 Bud Tingelstad DNQ DNQ 14 DNQ 11 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 20
40 Eddie Johnson 18 11 DNQ DNQ 20
41 Bob Mathouser  R  DNQ 11 DNQ DNQ 20
42 Dempsey Wilson 16 12 20 DNQ DNQ DNQ 15 DNQ 10
43 Jack Turner 25 21 12 DNQ DNQ 10
- Bill Cheesbourg 28 13 DNQ DNQ 0
- Don Horvath  R  13 DNQ 0
- Leroy Neumayer  R  DNQ 13 0
- Paul Goldsmith 14 18 0
- Keith Rachwitz  R  DNQ 16 0
- Jack Rounds 20 DNQ 17 0
- Bob Veith DNQ 25 17 0
- Ray Wearne  R  DNQ 17 DNQ 0
- Leon Clum  R  DNQ DNQ 18 DNQ DNQ 0
- Tony Bettenhausen 19 DNQ 0
- Tommy Copp  R  21 DNQ 0
- Johnny Coy  R  22 DNQ 22 0
- Ernie Koch DNQ DNQ 22 DNQ 0
- Ebb Rose  R  23 26 0
- Cliff Griffith 24 0
- Jim Rathmann DNQ 30 DNQ DNQ 0
- Jimmy Daywalt 31 0
- Bobby Grim 32 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- Beau Clerke DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- Jim McWithey DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- Jim Hemmings DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- Harry Beck DNP DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- Tony Bonadies DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- Vern Harriman DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- Ray Crawford DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
- Bill Randall DNQ DNQ 0
- Bert Brooks DNQ DNQ 0
- Jack Conely DNQ DNQ 0
- Ed Kostenuk DNQ DNQ 0
- Chuck Arnold DNQ DNQ 0
- Al Pombo DNQ DNQ 0
- Tony Romit DNQ 0
- Duane Carter DNQ 0
- Russ Congdon DNQ 0
- Jack Ensley DNQ 0
- Mike Magill DNQ 0
- Chuck Rodee DNQ 0
- Paul Russo DNQ 0
- Bud Sterrett DNQ 0
- Bob Wente DNQ 0
- Chuck Weyant DNQ 0
- Cliff Spalding DNQ 0
- Ray Brown DNQ 0
- Hal Rettberg DNQ 0
- Bill Hyde DNQ 0
- Russ Long DNQ 0
- Jimmy Davies DNQ 0
Pos Driver TRE1
 INDY
 MIL1
 LAN
 MIL2
 SPR
 DQSF
 SYR
 ISF
 TRE2
 SAC
 PHX
 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

References
  • Åberg, Andreas. "USAC National Championship 1961". Driver Database. Archived from the original on 2011-01-01. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  • "1961 USAC National Championship Trail". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-01. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  • http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf (p. 272-273)

See also
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