(Indianapolis, IN) — Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Gordon Johncock, whose dramatic 1982 victory remains one of the most memorable finishes in race history, died Monday at his home in South Branch, Michigan. He was 90.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway said Johncock died of natural causes. The Michigan native was the 1976 INDYCAR SERIES national champion and won 25 races during a career that spanned 25 seasons.
Johncock will be remembered most for his two victories at Indianapolis — wins that came under dramatically different circumstances.
A victory overshadowed by tragedy
Johncock’s first Indianapolis 500 victory came in 1973, a race delayed two days by rain and overshadowed by tragedy.
He took the lead for the first time on Lap 40 and was still in front when rain ended the race after 133 laps. Johncock led 64 laps that day.
The race was marred by separate accidents involving Johncock’s teammate, Swede Savage, and crew member Armando Teran. The traditional Victory Banquet was canceled, and Johncock and his Patrick Racing crew later marked the victory with hamburgers at a Burger Chef after visiting Savage in the hospital.
IMS and INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said Tuesday that Johncock was known for his “hard-charging, no-nonsense style of racing” and left a lasting legacy on the sport.
Boles said the tragedy surrounding the 1973 race also became an important turning point for safety, leading to changes in track engineering and regulations.
— IMS and INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles
An Indianapolis 500 classic
Nine years after his first victory, Johncock delivered one of the most celebrated finishes in Indianapolis 500 history.
Johncock and Rick Mears battled through the closing laps of the 1982 race, with Mears making one final attempt to pass entering Turn 1 on the last lap.
Johncock held him off and won by just 0.16 of a second, then the closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history.
The margin remains the seventh-closest finish in race history.
Johncock later recalled nearly losing control after hitting a bump low in Turn 3 on the final lap, briefly giving Mears a chance to close the gap.
“I pretty near lost it,” Johncock told The Indianapolis Star in 2016.
Boles said Johncock’s inability to fully celebrate his first Indianapolis victory made the 1982 triumph even more meaningful, calling it “one of the iconic moments in the history of the Speedway.”
A quarter-century behind the wheel
Johncock began his INDYCAR career in 1964 after racing sprint cars. He finished fifth as a rookie in the 1965 Indianapolis 500 and earned his first series victory later that season at the Milwaukee Mile.
He also became an owner-driver in 1967 and won six races during a three-year stretch running his own team.
Johncock came close to adding more Indianapolis victories. He finished third in 1976 and 1978 and fourth in 1966 and 1974.
In 1977, Johncock led 129 laps and was ahead of eventual winner A.J. Foyt with 16 laps remaining when a broken crankshaft ended his race.
Johncock made 262 INDYCAR starts and competed in the Indianapolis 500 24 times, tied for fifth-most in race history. He led 339 career laps at Indianapolis.
His final Indianapolis 500 start came in 1992.
Johncock also competed in 21 NASCAR Cup Series races, including three Daytona 500 starts. He recorded three top-five finishes and won a pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1973.
A quiet life after racing
After retiring, Johncock focused on his timber business in northern Michigan and largely stayed away from the spotlight.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway said some of his employees did not realize their boss had once been a race car driver — much less a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.
Johncock once summed up his attitude toward his racing career simply.
“It was a job I used to have. Now I have a different job.”
Boles said Johncock was remembered as much for his quiet life away from racing as for his accomplishments on the track.
Johncock was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1997 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1999.
He is survived by his wife, Sue; daughters Patsy, Pamilee, and Peggy; sons Gordon Jr. and Wally; stepdaughter Valerie; 12 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.