1972 Indianapolis 500

56th Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	USAC
Season	1972 USAC Trail
Date	May 27, 1972
Winner	Mark Donohue
Winning team	Penske Racing
Average speed	162.962 mph (262.262 km/h)
Pole position	Bobby Unser
Pole speed	195.940 mph (315.335 km/h)
Fastest qualifier	Bobby Unser
Rookie of the Year	Mike Hiss
Most laps led	Gary Bettenhausen (138)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthem	Purdue Band
"Back Home Again in Indiana"	Jim Nabors
Starting command	Tony Hulman
Pace car	Hurst/Olds Cutlass
Pace car driver	Jim Rathmann
Starter	Pat Vidan[1]
Estimated attendance	275,000[2]
TV in the United States
Network	ABC
Announcers	Jim McKay, Jackie Stewart
Chronology
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The 56th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Saturday, May 27, 1972.^[3] The race is notable in that for the first time, the cars were permitted bolt-on wings, and speeds climbed dramatically.^[4] Bobby Unser won the pole position at a then-remarkable speed of 195.940 mph (315.3 km/h) for four laps,^[5] breaking Peter Revson's track record of 178.696 mph (287.6 km/h) from 1971 by 17.244 mph (27.8 km/h) – the largest one-year track record increase in Indy history. The race average speed of 162.962 mph (262.3 km/h) was also a new record, which stood until 1984.

Gary Bettenhausen led 138 laps until his car suffered ignition trouble on lap 176, and he coasted to the pits. Jerry Grant took over the lead, but pitted for a new tire and fuel on lap 188 in teammate Bobby Unser's pit - for which he was later disqualified. Bettenhausen's Penske teammate Mark Donohue won the race, after leading only the final 13 laps.^[3][4][6] It was owner Roger Penske's first of nineteen Indy 500 victories (as of 2023) and the first victory for a McLaren chassis at Indy. Al Unser Sr., who won the race in 1970 and 1971, was looking to become the first driver in history to "three-peat" at the Indianapolis 500. He fell short, but his runner-up finish ties for the best three-year span (1st-1st-2nd) in Indy history.

For the first time, Jim Nabors was invited to sing "Back Home Again in Indiana" during the pre-race ceremonies. Nabors accepted and performed with little rehearsal and was warmly received. It was the beginning of a 36-year tradition, where Nabors performed nearly every year from 1972 through 2014.

The 1972 race was the first to utilize the Electro-PACER Light system to facilitate the yellow light periods. Speedway officials still did not utilize the pace car during cautions, and this enforcement tool would be used at Indy for seven years, albeit not without controversy in subsequent races. This system was similar in concept to systems such as the Virtual Safety Car and the "Slow zone" that became popular in the 2010s. Although the technology for the Electro-PACER system was primitive compared to the later systems used over forty years later.

After the decade of the 1960s saw numerous drivers from Europe and other nationalities, the 1972 race was the first since 1962 and the last to have an all-American lineup. Mario Andretti who was born in Istria (part of Italy at the time) was a naturalized U.S. citizen at the time of this race.