1979 Trenton Twin Indy Explained

The 1979 Trenton Twin Indy were the fifth and sixth rounds of the 1979 IndyCar season, held on June 10, at Trenton Speedway, Hamilton Township, Mercer County, near Trenton, New Jersey

Race 1

Summary

Gordon Johncock won the pole for the race, with Bobby Unser starting second, Al Unser starting third, Tom Sneva starting fourth, and Johnny Rutherford starting fifth.

In the race, Johncock held the lead for the first 44 laps, before Bobby Unser took the lead on lap 45 after Johncock entered the pits. Johncock fell further to third after he spun out on lap 49. [1] Al Unser moved up to second, and was two seconds behind Bobby Unser when a caution came out on lap 57, but when the green flag flew again Bobby Unser won over his brother. Johncock finished third, Wally Dallenbach finished fourth, and Rick Mears finished fifth.

Results

Pos Sta No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Led Pts
1212Bobby UnserPenske Racing670:49:5023200
232Al UnserChaparral Cars670160
3120Gordon JohncockPatrick Racing6744140
4740Wally DallenbachPatrick Racing66+1 Lap0120
569Rick MearsPenske Racing66+1 Lap0100
641Tom SnevaTeam O'Connoell66+1 Lap080
71025Danny OngaisTeam Field66+1 Lap060
8811Tom BagleyTeam Hillin65+2 Lap050
9127Steve KrisiloffFletcher Racing64+3 Laps040
101310Pancho CarterTeam Morales64+3 Laps030
111592John MahlerIntercomp63+4 Laps020
121741Bill AlsupPrivate60+7 Laps010
13936Mike MosleyTeam Gurney51engine05
141121Lee KunzmanConqueste Racing Team24engine05
1554Johnny RutherfordTeam McLaren16valve05
161435Larry RiceS&M Electric8handling05
171869Joe SalandaHoffman Racing5engine05
181619Spike GehlhausenPrivate0oil pressure05

Lap Leader Breakdown

Leader From Lap To Lap
  1. Of Laps
Gordon Johncock14444
Bobby Unser456723

Race 2

Summary

Starting positions for the race were determined by finishes in the first race, putting Bobby Unser on the pole. In the race itself, Unser briefly lost the lead to Gordon Johncock on the first lap, but he took it back and except for 5 laps led by Pancho Carter controlled the rest of the race. Wally Dallenbach finished second, Johnny Rutherford in third, Tom Bagley in fourth, and Gordon Johncock in fifth.

Results

Pos Sta No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Led Pts
1112Bobby UnserPenske Racing670:40:4662200
2440Wally DallenbachPatrick Racing670160
3134Johnny RutherfordMcLaren670140
4811Tom BagleyBobby Hillin670120
5320Gordon JohncockPatrick Racing66+1 Lap0100
6725Danny OngaisTed Field66+1 Lap080
7512Rick MearsPenske Racing66+1 Lap060
81010Pancho CarterAlex Morales65+2 Laps550
91241Bill AlsupPrivate62+5 Laps040
101435Larry RicePrivate60+7 Laps030
111192John MahlerPrivate60+7 Laps020
1222Al UnserChaparral Cars52universal joint010
131619Spike GehlhausenCarl Gehlhausen52oil line05
1497Steve KrisiloffFletcher Racing50oil leak05
1561Tom SnevaJerry O'Connell41suspension05
161569Joe SaldanaHoffman Racing2lost power05

Lap leader breakdown

Leader From Lap To Lap
  1. Of Laps
Bobby Unser12626
Pancho Carder27315
Bobby Unser326736

Points standings after the Race

Note: Only top 10 are listed

Rank Driver Points Diff Change
1Rick Mears1725=0
2Bobby Unser1275-450-1
3Gordon Johncock1140-585+1
4Johnny Rutherford875-850-1
5Danny Ongais853-872-1
6Mike Mosley835-890+2
7Al Unser640-1085=0
8Tom Bagley583-1142=0
9Wally Dallenbach468-1257-2
10Tom Sneva416-1309+1

References

  1. News: Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan on June 11, 1979 ยท Page 18. Newspapers.com. 2018-10-01. en.

External links