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{{Short description|Sports season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{American Championship Car season
{{American Championship Car season
|series = USAC Championship Car
|series = USAC Championship Car
Line 8: Line 10:
|end_date = July 13
|end_date = July 13
|season_champ_title = National champion
|season_champ_title = National champion
|season_champ = {{Flagicon|United States}} [[Johnny Rutherford (driver)|Johnny Rutherford]]
|season_champ = {{Flagicon|United States}} [[Johnny Rutherford]]
|indy_winner = {{Flagicon|United States}} [[Johnny Rutherford (driver)|Johnny Rutherford]]
|indy_winner = {{Flagicon|United States}} [[Johnny Rutherford]]
|previous = [[1979 USAC Championship Car season|1979]]
|previous = [[1979 USAC Championship Car season|1979]]
|next = [[1981–82 USAC Championship Car season|1981-82]]
|next = [[1981–82 USAC Championship Car season|1981–82]]
}}
}}
The '''1980 USAC Championship Car season''' consisted of five races, beginning in [[Ontario, California|Ontario]], [[California]] on April 13 and concluding in [[Lexington, Ohio|Lexington]], [[Ohio]] on July 13. The [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]] National Champion and [[Indianapolis 500]] winner was [[Johnny Rutherford (driver)|Johnny Rutherford]].
The '''1980 USAC Championship Car season''' consisted of five races, beginning in [[Ontario, California|Ontario]], [[California]] on April 13 and concluding in [[Lexington, Ohio|Lexington]], [[Ohio]] on July 13. The [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]] National Champion and [[Indianapolis 500]] winner was [[Johnny Rutherford]].


CART and USAC united in 1980 under the banner of the Championship Racing League (CRL). The first five races of the season were run under CRL banner and sanction by USAC. The union dissolved after the Mid-Ohio race and USAC ended their season.
USAC and [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]] united in early 1980 to form a co-sanctioning agreement under the banner of the Championship Racing League (CRL). The entire season was supposed to run under this agreement, but only the first five races of the 1980 Indy/Championship Car season were run under CRL banner. Unhappy with the arrangement, USAC pulled out of the CRL after the Mid-Ohio race in July. USAC declared their 1980 season over after the five races, while CART finished out the remainder of the [[1980 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1980 season]] on their own.

[[Johnny Rutherford]], driving [[Jim Hall (racing driver)|Jim Hall]]'s revolutionary [[Ground effect (cars)|ground effects]] [[Chaparral Cars#2K|Chaparral 2K]] won three of the five races (including [[1980 Indianapolis 500|Indianapolis]]), and finished second in the other two. Rutherford won the USAC championship by a commanding point margin. Rutherford happened to score the most points under both USAC's five-race points distribution and CART's 12-race [[1980 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|points championship]], securing what could be considered "undisputed" or "unanimous" top driver honors for the calendar year of 1980.


==Schedule and results==
==Schedule and results==
In January 1980, USAC initially released a 10-race schedule, with new venues [[Talladega Superspeedway|Talladega]], [[Charlotte Motor Speedway|Charlotte]], and [[Road Atlanta]] added to the schedule.<ref name="Star12-27-1979">{{cite news|title=USAC Announces 1980 Schedule|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5716090//|first=Robin|last=Miller|author-link=Robin Miller (journalist)|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|page=31|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=December 27, 1979|accessdate=June 29, 2016}}{{Open access}}</ref> However, these three events were eventually scrapped when USAC entered into a joint sanctioning effort with CART. But the sanctioning effort ended after 5 races, so the following races (NC) did not count to USAC championship but the [[1980 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|CART championship]]. College Station, Talladega, Charlotte, Braselton, and Mosport were removed from the schedule entirely.
In January 1980, USAC initially released a ten-race schedule, with new venues [[Talladega Superspeedway|Talladega]], [[Charlotte Motor Speedway|Charlotte]], and [[Road Atlanta]] added to the schedule.<ref name="Star12-27-1979">{{cite news|title=USAC Announces 1980 Schedule|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5716090//|first=Robin|last=Miller|author-link=Robin Miller (journalist)|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|page=31|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=December 27, 1979|access-date=June 29, 2016}}{{Open access}}</ref> However, these three events were eventually scrapped when USAC entered into a joint sanctioning effort with CART.
===Original schedule===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%"
! Rnd
! Date
! Race Name
! Length
! Track
! Location
|-
! 1
| April 26
| Texas 200
| {{convert|200|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Texas World Speedway]]
| [[College Station, Texas]]
|-
! 2
| May 26
| [[1980 Indianapolis 500|500 Mile International Sweepstakes]]
| {{convert|500|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]]
| [[Speedway, Indiana]]
|-
! 3
| June 8
| [[ABC Supply Wisconsin 250|Gould Rex Mays Classic]]
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Milwaukee Mile|Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway]]
| [[West Allis, Wisconsin]]
|-
! 4
| June 22
| [[1980 Pocono 500|True Value 500]]
| {{convert|500|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Pocono Raceway|Pocono International Raceway]]
| [[Long Pond, Pennsylvania]]
|-
! 5
| July 13
| [[Honda Indy 200|Red Roof Inns 150]]
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|lightblue|R|border=darkgray}} [[Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course]]
| [[Lexington, Ohio]]
|-
! 6
| July 27
| Road Atlanta 200
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|lightblue|R|border=darkgray}} [[Road Atlanta]]
| [[Braselton, Georgia]]
|-
! 7
| August 10
| [[ABC Supply Wisconsin 250|Tony Bettenhausen 150]]
| {{convert|200|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Milwaukee Mile|Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway]]
| [[West Allis, Wisconsin]]
|-
! 8
| August 24
| Alabama 200
| {{convert|500|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Talladega Superspeedway|Alabama International Motor Speedway]]
| [[Talladega, Alabama]]
|-
! 9
| September 14
| Mosport 200
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|lightblue|R|border=darkgray}} [[Canadian Tire Motorsport Park|Mosport International Raceway]]
| [[Bowmanville, Ontario]]
|-
! 10
| September 28
| Charlotte 500
| {{convert|300|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Charlotte Motor Speedway]]
| [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]
|}

{{legend|#FFFFFF|text=O|Oval/Speedway|border=solid 1px #AAAAAA}}
{{legend|lightblue|text=R|Road Course|border=solid 1px #AAAAAA}}

===Revised schedule===
In the spring of 1980, USAC and CART merged their schedules for the newly created CRL Championship. With Talladega, Charlotte, and Road Atlanta already scrapped, Texas World Speedway was cancelled too. That track would soon cease to hold any more professional races, and Indy cars never raced at Texas World again. Mosport, which had held races in the past, was also dropped. [[1980 Indianapolis 500|Indianapolis]], Milwaukee, Mid-Ohio, and [[Pocono 500 (IndyCar)|Pocono]], all were kept as part of the final merged schedule.

The co-sanctioning effort ended after only five races. USAC declared their involvement in the 1980 season over after Mid-Ohio. The remaining seven races were sanctioned solely by CART, and paid points to the [[1980 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|CART championship]] only.


{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%"
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%"
Line 32: Line 124:
! 1
! 1
| April 13
| April 13
| {{flagicon|US}} Datsun Twin 200
| Datsun Twin 200
| {{convert|200|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|200|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Ontario Motor Speedway]]
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Ontario Motor Speedway]]
Line 38: Line 130:
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Johnny Rutherford (driver)|Johnny Rutherford]]
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Johnny Rutherford (driver)|Johnny Rutherford]]
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Johnny Rutherford (driver)|Johnny Rutherford]]
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Johnny Rutherford (driver)|Johnny Rutherford]]
|-
!
| April 26
| Cancelled
| {{convert|200|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Texas World Speedway]]
| [[College Station, Texas]]
|
|
|-
|-
! 2
! 2
| May 26
| May 26
| {{flagicon|US}} [[1980 Indianapolis 500|Indianapolis 500-Mile Race]]
| [[1980 Indianapolis 500|500 Mile International Sweepstakes]]
| {{convert|500|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|500|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]]
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]]
Line 59: Line 142:
! 3
! 3
| June 8
| June 8
| {{flagicon|US}} [[ABC Supply Wisconsin 250|Gould Rex Mays Classic]]
| [[ABC Supply Wisconsin 250|Gould Rex Mays Classic]]
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Milwaukee Mile|Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway]]
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Milwaukee Mile|Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway]]
Line 68: Line 151:
! 4
! 4
| June 22
| June 22
| {{flagicon|US}} [[ABC Supply 500|True Value 500]]
| [[1980 True Value 500|True Value 500]]
| {{convert|500|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|500|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Pocono Raceway|Pocono International Raceway]]
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Pocono Raceway|Pocono International Raceway]]
Line 77: Line 160:
! 5
! 5
| July 13
| July 13
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Honda Indy 200|Red Roof Inns 150]]
| [[Honda Indy 200|Red Roof Inns 150]]
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|lightblue|R|border=darkgray}} [[Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course]]
| {{Color box|lightblue|R|border=darkgray}} [[Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course]]
Line 83: Line 166:
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Al Unser]]
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Al Unser]]
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Johnny Rutherford (driver)|Johnny Rutherford]]
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Johnny Rutherford (driver)|Johnny Rutherford]]
|-
!colspan=8|Races sanctioned by CART only
|-
|-
! NC
! NC
| July 20
| July 20
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Firestone Indy 400|Norton 200]]
| [[Firestone Indy 400|Norton 200]]
| {{convert|200|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|200|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Michigan International Speedway]]
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Michigan International Speedway]]
Line 92: Line 177:
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Bobby Unser]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Bobby Unser]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Johnny Rutherford]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Johnny Rutherford]]
|-
!
| July 27
| Cancelled
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|lightblue|R|border=darkgray}} [[Road Atlanta]]
| [[Braselton, Georgia]]
|
|
|-
|-
! NC
! NC
| August 3
| August 3
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Grand Prix at The Glen|Kent Oil 150]]
| [[Grand Prix at The Glen|Kent Oil 150]]
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|lightblue|R|border=darkgray}} [[Watkins Glen International]]
| {{Color box|lightblue|R|border=darkgray}} [[Watkins Glen International]]
Line 113: Line 189:
! NC
! NC
| August 10
| August 10
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[ABC Supply Wisconsin 250|Tony Bettenhausen 200]]
| [[ABC Supply Wisconsin 250|Tony Bettenhausen 200]]
| {{convert|200|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|200|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Milwaukee Mile|Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway]]
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Milwaukee Mile|Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway]]
Line 119: Line 195:
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Johnny Rutherford]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Johnny Rutherford]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Johnny Rutherford]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Johnny Rutherford]]
|-
!
| August 24
| Cancelled
| {{convert|500|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Talladega Superspeedway|Alabama International Motor Speedway]]
| [[Talladega, Alabama]]
|
|
|-
|-
! NC
! NC
| August 31
| August 31
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[California 500 (Indycar)|California 500]]
| [[California 500 (Indycar)|California 500]]
| {{convert|500|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|500|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Ontario Motor Speedway]]
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Ontario Motor Speedway]]
Line 137: Line 204:
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Bobby Unser]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Bobby Unser]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Bobby Unser]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Bobby Unser]]
|-
!
| September 14
| Cancelled
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|lightblue|R|border=darkgray}} [[Canadian Tire Motorsport Park|Mosport International Raceway]]
| [[Bowmanville, Ontario]]
|
|
|-
|-
! NC
! NC
| September 20
| September 20
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Firestone Indy 400|Gould Grand Prix]]
| [[Firestone Indy 400|Gould Grand Prix]]
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Michigan International Speedway]]
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Michigan International Speedway]]
Line 155: Line 213:
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mario Andretti]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mario Andretti]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mario Andretti]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mario Andretti]]
|-
!
| September 28
| Cancelled
| {{convert|300|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Charlotte Motor Speedway]]
| [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]
|
|
|-
|-
! NC
! NC
| October 26
| October 26
| {{flagicon|MEX}} [[Gran Premio Tecate|I Copa México 150]]
| [[Gran Premio Tecate|I Copa México 150]]
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|lightblue|R|border=darkgray}} [[Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez|Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez]]
| {{Color box|lightblue|R|border=darkgray}} [[Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez|Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez]]
Line 176: Line 225:
! NC
! NC
| November 8
| November 8
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|Miller High Life 150]]
| [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|Miller High Life 150]]
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|150|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Phoenix International Raceway]]
| {{Color box|transparent|O|border=darkgray}} [[Phoenix International Raceway]]
Line 183: Line 232:
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tom Sneva]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tom Sneva]]
|}
|}

{{legend|#FFFFFF|text=O|Oval/Speedway|border=solid 1px #AAAAAA}}
{{legend|#FFFFFF|text=O|Oval/Speedway|border=solid 1px #AAAAAA}}
{{legend|lightblue|text=R|Road Course/Street Circuit|border=solid 1px #AAAAAA}}
{{legend|lightblue|text=R|Road Course/Street Circuit|border=solid 1px #AAAAAA}}
Line 189: Line 237:
==Final points standings==
==Final points standings==


{{see|List of American Championship car racing point scoring systems}}
{{further|List of American Championship car racing point scoring systems}}


{|
{|
Line 322: Line 370:
|-
|-
! 14
! 14
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Tom Bagley]]
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Tom Bagley (racing driver)|Tom Bagley]]
|style="background:#dfffdf;" align=center| 5
|style="background:#dfffdf;" align=center| 5
|style="background:#EFCFFf;" align=center| 28
|style="background:#EFCFFf;" align=center| 28
Line 574: Line 622:
|-
|-
! 42
! 42
|style="background:Orange;"| {{flagicon|US}} [[John Wood (driver)|John Wood]]
|style="background:Orange;"| {{flagicon|US}} [[John Wood (racing driver, born 1952)|John Wood]]
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center| 12
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center| 12
|style="background:#ffcfcf;" align=center| DNQ
|style="background:#ffcfcf;" align=center| DNQ
Line 682: Line 730:
|-
|-
! 54
! 54
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Tony Bettenhausen, Jr.]]
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Tony Bettenhausen Jr.]]
|
|
|style="background:#ffcfcf;" align=center| DNQ
|style="background:#ffcfcf;" align=center| DNQ
Line 920: Line 968:


==References==
==References==
* {{cite web|url=http://www.driverdb.com/standings/980-1980/ |title=USAC National Championship 1980 |author=Åberg, Andreas |publisher=Driver Database |accessdate=2009-05-11 |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5gkZjJJMQ?url=http://www.driverdb.com/standings/980-1980/ |archivedate=2009-05-13 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.driverdb.com/standings/980-1980/ |title=USAC National Championship 1980 |author=Åberg, Andreas |publisher=Driver Database |access-date=2009-05-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080325034438/http://www.driverdb.com/standings/980-1980/ |archive-date=2008-03-25 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.champcarstats.com/year/1980u.htm |title=1980 Championship Racing League |publisher=ChampCarStats.com |accessdate=2009-05-11 |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5gkZjkXEc?url=http://www.champcarstats.com/year/1980u.htm |archivedate=2009-05-13 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.champcarstats.com/year/1980u.htm |title=1980 Championship Racing League |publisher=ChampCarStats.com |access-date=2009-05-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908043144/http://www.champcarstats.com/year/1980u.htm |archive-date=2008-09-08 |url-status=live }}
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


Latest revision as of 13:42, 27 August 2024

1980 USAC Championship Car season
Championship Racing League

Champion: Johnny Rutherford
Season
Races5
Start dateApril 13
End dateJuly 13
Awards
National championUnited States Johnny Rutherford
Indianapolis 500 winnerUnited States Johnny Rutherford
← 1979
1981–82 →

The 1980 USAC Championship Car season consisted of five races, beginning in Ontario, California on April 13 and concluding in Lexington, Ohio on July 13. The USAC National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Johnny Rutherford.

USAC and CART united in early 1980 to form a co-sanctioning agreement under the banner of the Championship Racing League (CRL). The entire season was supposed to run under this agreement, but only the first five races of the 1980 Indy/Championship Car season were run under CRL banner. Unhappy with the arrangement, USAC pulled out of the CRL after the Mid-Ohio race in July. USAC declared their 1980 season over after the five races, while CART finished out the remainder of the 1980 season on their own.

Johnny Rutherford, driving Jim Hall's revolutionary ground effects Chaparral 2K won three of the five races (including Indianapolis), and finished second in the other two. Rutherford won the USAC championship by a commanding point margin. Rutherford happened to score the most points under both USAC's five-race points distribution and CART's 12-race points championship, securing what could be considered "undisputed" or "unanimous" top driver honors for the calendar year of 1980.

Schedule and results

[edit]

In January 1980, USAC initially released a ten-race schedule, with new venues Talladega, Charlotte, and Road Atlanta added to the schedule.[1] However, these three events were eventually scrapped when USAC entered into a joint sanctioning effort with CART.

Original schedule

[edit]
Rnd Date Race Name Length Track Location
1 April 26 Texas 200 200 mi (320 km)  O  Texas World Speedway College Station, Texas
2 May 26 500 Mile International Sweepstakes 500 mi (800 km)  O  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana
3 June 8 Gould Rex Mays Classic 150 mi (240 km)  O  Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin
4 June 22 True Value 500 500 mi (800 km)  O  Pocono International Raceway Long Pond, Pennsylvania
5 July 13 Red Roof Inns 150 150 mi (240 km)  R  Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio
6 July 27 Road Atlanta 200 150 mi (240 km)  R  Road Atlanta Braselton, Georgia
7 August 10 Tony Bettenhausen 150 200 mi (320 km)  O  Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin
8 August 24 Alabama 200 500 mi (800 km)  O  Alabama International Motor Speedway Talladega, Alabama
9 September 14 Mosport 200 150 mi (240 km)  R  Mosport International Raceway Bowmanville, Ontario
10 September 28 Charlotte 500 300 mi (480 km)  O  Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte, North Carolina
O Oval/Speedway
R Road Course

Revised schedule

[edit]

In the spring of 1980, USAC and CART merged their schedules for the newly created CRL Championship. With Talladega, Charlotte, and Road Atlanta already scrapped, Texas World Speedway was cancelled too. That track would soon cease to hold any more professional races, and Indy cars never raced at Texas World again. Mosport, which had held races in the past, was also dropped. Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Mid-Ohio, and Pocono, all were kept as part of the final merged schedule.

The co-sanctioning effort ended after only five races. USAC declared their involvement in the 1980 season over after Mid-Ohio. The remaining seven races were sanctioned solely by CART, and paid points to the CART championship only.

Rnd Date Race Name Length Track Location Pole Position Winning Driver
1 April 13 Datsun Twin 200 200 mi (320 km)  O  Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario, California United States Johnny Rutherford United States Johnny Rutherford
2 May 26 500 Mile International Sweepstakes 500 mi (800 km)  O  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana United States Johnny Rutherford United States Johnny Rutherford
3 June 8 Gould Rex Mays Classic 150 mi (240 km)  O  Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin United States Gordon Johncock United States Bobby Unser
4 June 22 True Value 500 500 mi (800 km)  O  Pocono International Raceway Long Pond, Pennsylvania United States Bobby Unser United States Bobby Unser
5 July 13 Red Roof Inns 150 150 mi (240 km)  R  Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio United States Al Unser United States Johnny Rutherford
Races sanctioned by CART only
NC July 20 Norton 200 200 mi (320 km)  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan United States Bobby Unser United States Johnny Rutherford
NC August 3 Kent Oil 150 150 mi (240 km)  R  Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen, New York United States Al Unser United States Bobby Unser
NC August 10 Tony Bettenhausen 200 200 mi (320 km)  O  Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin United States Johnny Rutherford United States Johnny Rutherford
NC August 31 California 500 500 mi (800 km)  O  Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario, California United States Bobby Unser United States Bobby Unser
NC September 20 Gould Grand Prix 150 mi (240 km)  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan United States Mario Andretti United States Mario Andretti
NC October 26 I Copa México 150 150 mi (240 km)  R  Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Mexico City, Mexico United States Bobby Unser United States Rick Mears
NC November 8 Miller High Life 150 150 mi (240 km)  O  Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona United States Mario Andretti United States Tom Sneva
O Oval/Speedway
R Road Course/Street Circuit

Final points standings

[edit]
Further information: List of American Championship car racing point scoring systems
Pos Driver ONT
United States 		INDY
United States 		MIL
United States 		POC
United States 		MDO
United States 		Pts
1 United States Johnny Rutherford 1* 1* 2 2 1 2740
2 United States Tom Sneva 2 2 6 3 11 1970
3 United States Bobby Unser 23 9 1 1* 15 1334
4 United States Gordon Johncock 3 4 3* DNQ 2 1330
5 United States Pancho Carter 18 6 4 6 7 1078
6 United States Bill Alsup 7 DNQ 9 4 3 990
7 United States Rick Mears 21 5 5 12 9* 766
8 United States Gary Bettenhausen 3 12 33 20 726
9 United States Sheldon Kinser 13 DNQ 11 7 24 345
10 United States Danny Ongais 7 24 18 21 330
11 United States Howdy Holmes DNQ 15 8 14 266
12 United States Tom Bigelow 8 250
13 United States Spike Gehlhausen 4 29 DNQ 245
14 United States Tom Bagley 5 28 23 29 DNS 220
15 United States Tim Richmond 9 DNQ DNQ 22 205
16 United States Larry Cannon 33 DNQ 9 DNQ 205
17 United States Roger Mears 9 DNQ 4 180
18 United States Gordon Smiley 6 25 170
19 United States Billy Engelhart 11 10 13 170
20 Australia Vern Schuppan DNQ 5 5 150
21 United States Lee Kunzman DNQ 10 DNQ 150
22 United States Greg Leffler 10 DNQ 150
23 United States Tom Gloy 6 120
24 United States Jerry Sneva 17 8 14 120
25 United States Herm Johnson 14 DNQ 17 11 116
26 United States Dick Ferguson 8 31 DNQ 105
27 United States Roger Rager 23 26 8 100
28 Canada Cliff Hucul 7 90
29 United States Bill Vukovich II 12 21 28 65
30 United States Jan Sneva 10 DNQ 60
31 United States Rick Muther 24 DNQ 18 10 57
32 United States Jerry Karl 21 14 15 18 54
33 United States Phil Caliva 15 DNQ 16 12 50
34 United States Al Unser 16 27 20 24 13 49
35 United States A. J. Foyt DNS 14 19 45
36 United States Ron Shuman 11 DNQ 40
37 United States Mario Andretti 20 17 40
38 United States Dick Simon 22 13 21 DNQ 38
39 Australia Dennis Firestone 16 30 30
40 United States John Martin DNQ 20 16 28
41 United States Mike Mosley 19 32 23 28
42 United States John Wood 12 DNQ DNQ 23 25
43 United States Don Whittington 13 DNQ 25
44 United States George Snider 15 DNQ 25
45 United States Jim McElreath 24 27 25
46 United States Bill Tempero 17 DNQ 16 17 22
47 United States Joe Saldana 25 DNQ 22 DNQ 19
48 United States Phil Threshie DNQ 22 25 15
49 United States Johnny Parsons 26 DNQ 10
50 United States Billie Harvey 19 6
51 United States John Mahler DNQ DNQ 19 6
52 United States Bill Whittington 30 5
53 United States Al Loquasto DNQ 31 5
54 United States Tony Bettenhausen Jr. DNQ DNQ 32 DNQ 5
- United States Hurley Haywood 18 0
- United States Pete Halsmer 20 DNQ 0
- United States Ross Davis 22 0
- United States Bob Frey DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Janet Guthrie DNQ DNQ 0
- Canada Buddie Boys DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Rich Vogler DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Bob Harkey DNQ DNQ 0
- United States Dana Carter DNQ 0
- United States Larry Dickson DNQ 0
- United States Tom Frantz DNQ 0
- United States Jim Hurtubise DNQ 0
- United States Bill Puterbaugh DNQ 0
- United States Salt Walther DNQ 0
- Canada Frank Weiss DNQ 0
- United States Bruce Hill DNQ 0
- United States Milt Harper DNQ 0
Pos Driver ONT
United States 		INDY
United States 		MIL
United States 		POC
United States 		MDO
United States 		Pts
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th & 5th place
Light Blue 6th-10th place
Dark Blue Finished
(Outside Top 10)
Purple Did not finish
(Ret)
Red Did not qualify
(DNQ)
Brown Withdrawn
(Wth)
Black Disqualified
(DSQ)
White Did not start
(DNS)
Blank Did not
participate
(DNP)
Not competing
In-line notation
Bold Pole position
Italics Ran fastest race lap
* Led most race laps
Rookie of the Year
Rookie

References

[edit]
  • Åberg, Andreas. "USAC National Championship 1980". Driver Database. Archived from the original on March 25, 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  • "1980 Championship Racing League". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  1. ^ Miller, Robin (December 27, 1979). "USAC Announces 1980 Schedule". The Indianapolis Star. p. 31. Retrieved June 29, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon

See also

[edit]
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