1976 SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 Championship

The 1976 SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 Championship [1] was the tenth running of the Sports Car Club of America's premier open wheel racing series [2] and the third to be co-sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and the United States Auto Club (USAC).[3]

1976 SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 Championship season
Previous: 1975 Next: none

The championship was won by Brian Redman driving a Lola T332 Chevrolet.[4] It was Redman's third consecutive SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 Championship title win.[5] For the first time in three years, a vehicle other than a Lola won a race, with March and Shadow winning one race each.[5] 1976 also marked the first race win by a non-Chevrolet powered car since the 1971 season, with a Dodge-powered Shadow winning at Road America.[5]

1976 was to be the final year of the SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 Championship as the SCCA replaced it with a revived Can Am Series for 1977.[6] The rules for the new series were to allow the Formula 5000 cars to compete with fully enveloping bodywork.[6]

Race results
Brian Redman won the championship driving a Lola T332C similar to that pictured above

The championship was contested over a seven race series.[4]

Race [7] Date [7] Location [7] Distance [7] Winning driver [7] Winning car [7]
1 May 9 Pocono International Raceway 35 laps Brian Redman Lola T332C – Chevrolet V8
2 June 20 Mosport Park 40 laps Alan Jones Lola T332 – Chevrolet V8
3 July 11 Watkins Glen International 30 laps Alan Jones March 76A – Chevrolet V8
4 July 25 Road America 25 laps Jackie Oliver Shadow DN6B – Dodge V8
5 August 8 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 42 laps Brian Redman Lola T332C – Chevrolet V8
6 August 28 Road America 20 laps Brian Redman Lola T332C – Chevrolet V8
7 October 17 Riverside International Raceway 40 laps Al Unser Lola T332 – Chevrolet V8

Points system

Championship points were awarded on a 36-24-16-12-8-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the first ten positions in each race.[4]

Final points standings
Pos Driver POC
 MOS
 WGL
 ROA1
 MDO
 ROA2
 RIV
 Pts
1 Brian Redman 1 8 6 14 1 1 3 132
2 Al Unser 2 2 4 3 1 112
3 Jackie Oliver 14 2 13 1 2 25 2 108
4 Alan Jones 7 1 1 5 DNS 4 96
5 Danny Ongais 2 4 9 16 3 2 11 78
6 Vern Schuppan 3 6 16 3 20 20 5 45
7 Warwick Brown 16 5 3 4 17 6 41
8 Peter Gethin 18 19 7 9 7 4 10 37
9 Teddy Pilette 12 3 18 6 5 5 12 23
10 Randy Lewis 4 7 12 20 8 10 Wth 20
11 Brett Lunger 4 10 6 26 15 18
12 Horst Kroll 8 13 5 12 14 13 11
13 Skeeter McKitterick 6 11 21 Wth 7 17 9
14 Sam Posey 5 20 8
15 John Cannon 15 21 6 8 8
16 Bob Lazier 9 7 10 18 7
17 Arlon Koops 17 8 11 9 5
18 Evan Noyes 13 DNS 22 11 28 7 4
19 John David Briggs 10 19 DNS 12 8 16 4
20 Tuck Thomas 11 8 DNS 3
21 John Benton 9 12 Wth 13 21 DNQ 2
22 Richard Shirey 16 Wth 9 24 2
23 Patrick Tambay 9 2
24 Bruce Allison 10 Wth Wth 1
25 Bob Nagel 17 15 10 17 18 12 1
Geoff Davie 11 18 17 18 0
Jim Sechser 19 11 0
Doug Schulz 13 14 0
John Korn 13 0
Eppie Wietzes 14 0
Hunter Harris 14 0
Peter Papke 14 Wth 0
Bert Kuehne 21 17 15 16 23 0
Roger Bighouse 15 0
Patrick McGonegle 15 0
John Gunn DNQ 15 0
Vic Todia 16 0
Don Breidenbach 18 DNS Wth 0
Ed Kasprowicz 19 0
Graham McRae Wth 19 0
David Purley 19 0
John Morton 20 24 0
Rocky Moran 20 0
Micky Fowler 21 0
Greg Hodges 22 0
Dick Kantrud 22 0
Maurizio Flammini 22 0
Steve Behr 23 0
Bob Earl 23 0
Ed Polley 27 25 0
Garth Pollard 26 0
Dick Ferguson 29 DNQ 0
Derek Bell 30 0
Gerre Payvis DNS 0
Andy Ratcliffe Wth DNQ 0
Dick Messier DNQ 0
Michael Brockman DNQ 0
Bill Baker Wth 0
Robert E. Dugo Wth 0
George Follmer Wth 0
Gary Matthews Wth 0
Chuck Bartlebaugh Wth 0
Ron Dykes Wth 0
Pos Driver POC
 MOS
 WGL
 ROA1
 MDO
 ROA2
 RIV
 Pts
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th to 10th place
(points finish)
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

References
  1. Jaycee Grand Prix - SCCA/USAC Formula 500 Championship Race, www.myf5000.com Retrieved on 29 May 2014
  2. Wolfgang Kopfler, Formula A and Formula 5000 in America - Race by Race, 2003, pages 7 to 102
  3. Wolfgang Kopfler, Formula A and Formula 5000 in America - Race by Race, 2003, page 81
  4. Wolfgang Kopfler, 1976 Formula 5000 Championship, Formula A and Formula 5000 in America - Race by Race, 2003, pages 101 & 102
  5. Gordon Kirby, The Season in the USA, Automobile Year 1976/77, pages 191 to 192
  6. Wolfgang Kopfler, The end of Formula 5000, Formula A and Formula 5000 in America - Race by Race, 2003, page 110
  7. US Formula 5000 races 1968-1976, www.oldracingcars.com Retrieved on 29 May 2014
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