WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Back to the Brickyard: The 1965 Indy 500

Episode Date: April 5, 2024

A look at the first race won by a rear-engine car.

Welcome to Back to the Brickyard, your spot for Indianapolis 500 History here at Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. I'm Christian Pappen. 1965 was the year the tide truly shifted in favor of rear-engined cars, with 27 out of 33 cars in the field being rear-engineed. In qualifications, A.J. Foyt took the pole with the new record speed of 161.233 miles per hour. He was joined on the front row by Jim Clark and Dan Gurney. After a brilliant six-year run that featured two wins, two second place finishes, a third and a fourth, Roger Ward was unable to qualify for the race, instead joining the broadcast team for the event.

Clark took the lead on the first lap, but Foyt was back in front on lap two. On lap three, Clark ended the brief battle pulling back in front and leading until his first pit stop on lap 66, at which point Hoyt briefly regained the lead until he too took a pit stop on lap 75. Clark would run away and lead to the finish, winning by nearly two laps over second place Parnelli Jones. Voight experienced gearbox trouble shortly after the halfway point and dropped to 15th place. 1965 was also a year of many famous rookies at the speedway. Mario Andretti finished third, nearly catching Jones before the checker. Gordon Johncock finished fifth in a front of the speedway.

engine Roadster and future four-time winner Al-Anser finished ninth. You have been listening to Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. I'm Christian Papniel, and I'll catch you the next time we go back to the brickyard.