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Foyt sweeps by

05. Jan 2023 
by Ziv Knoll
3109 views

The 61st running of the 500 Miles of Indianapolis was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, on May 29, 1977. A.J. Foyt became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times.

Picture above: A.J. Foyt (Coyote-Foyt) sweeps into turn one with Gordon Johncock (Wildcat) and Tom Sneva (Penske McLaren-DFX) in hot pursuit. It looked like 1977 might be Gordon’s 500 for a while, until he blew an engine with 20 laps to go. A.J. went on to take his fourth 500. Tom Sneva who started on the pole finished second. See the huge crowd in the grandstands.

As of 2022, Foyt’s record has been tied by Al Unser Sr., Rick Mears and Hélio Castroneves, but still stands as an Indy 500 record. Foyt’s victory in a Coyote-Foyt V8, is also the last time the winning car (both chassis and engine) was built entirely in the United States (picture below).

Source: IRMA

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