Auto Racing: There's a Turbine in Their Future

Any serious sports fan would be well advised to follow a couple of simple rules. Never show up late for a prizefight. And never leave the Indianapolis 500 early.

All those thousands of spectators who were already on their way home by the time last week's Indy 500 reached the 492-mile mark could hardly be blamed, of course. One by one, they had seen most of their favorites fall by the wayside: Graham Hill, the 1966 winner, out on the 24th lap with a sick piston in his Lotus-Ford; Mario Andretti, the speediest qualifier at 168.9 m.p.h., out on the 59th lap when his Brawner-Ford threw a wheel on the No. 3 turn; Dan Gurney, the second fastest qualifier (at 167.2 m.p.h.), black-flagged on the 161st lap with a blown cylinder in his American Eagle. And they had watched, first with awe, then with mounting ennui, as Parnelli Jones, in his turbine-powered STP Special, made it look too easy—coasting almost soundlessly around the track, smashing record after record, effortlessly outdistancing everyone, until with only three laps to go he had opened up nearly a full lap lead.

Gambling on Misfortune. The fans still should have stayed around. A. J. Foyt Jr. did. Twice before, in 1961 and 1964, Foyt, 32, had sneaked into Victory Lane at Indy when misfortune befell faster cars. A.J. was among a score of drivers who protested that Jones's car should be banned from the 500—arguing that it really was an "airplane," and that no piston-engined machine could possibly match the tremendous torque (1,000 foot-pounds) and acceleration produced by its 550-h.p. Pratt & Whitney power plant. But Foyt is nothing if not a pragmatist: he ordered a special "overdrive" gear installed in his Coyote-Ford to save his engine and cut down on fuel consumption. He was content to play tortoise to Jones's hare, drive at a steady pace and allow Parnelli to pull away—gambling that the turbine car would break down before the 500 miles were up.

The strategy, as it turned out, worked perfectly—but not until Foyt had just about given up hope. "I thought the turbine would be out of business within 300 laps," he said later. "When the darn thing was still going by then, I figured Parnelli had won." Then came Lap 197. Just eight miles from the finish, a $6 ball bearing failed inside Jones's gearbox. Into the pits went Parnelli, and into the lead went Foyt. Victory was just around the corner. Or disaster. Sweeping through the last turn and into the main straightaway, Foyt was only yards from the checkered flag when the track in front of him was suddenly filled with fishtailing racers and flying tires. Five cars had cracked up, and Foyt's Coyote was sixth in line. Somehow, A.J. threaded his way through the wreckage and across the finish line.

Records All Around. Foyt became the fourth driver in history to score three victories at Indy. His purse for this one—$171,227—set a record. So did the average speed: 151.207 m.p.h. Finally, by using Goodyear tires on his Coyote, Foyt snapped Firestone's 43-year-victory string at Indy.