The 1965 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 18 races, beginning in Avondale, Arizona on March 28 and concluding at the same location on November 21. This season was notable for the Hoosier Grand Prix, the first Championship Car event held on a road course since the 1937 Vanderbilt Cup. The USAC National Champion was Mario Andretti and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Jim Clark.

Also of note, the 1965 season featured the final IndyCar victory of Parnelli Jones career in June at the Milwaukee Mile.

Schedule and results

Rnd Date Race name Track Location Type Pole position Winning driver 1 March 28 Jimmy Bryan Memorial Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona Paved A. J. Foyt Don Branson 2 April 25 Trenton 100 Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Paved A. J. Foyt Jim McElreath 3 May 31 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana Paved A. J. Foyt Jim Clark 4 June 6 Rex Mays Classic Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin Paved A. J. Foyt Parnelli Jones 5 June 20 Langhorne 100 Langhorne Speedway Langhorne, Pennsylvania Paved Mario Andretti Jim McElreath 6 July 4 Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Pikes Peak Highway Pikes Peak, Colorado Hill Al Unser Al Unser 7 July 18 Trenton 150 Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Paved A. J. Foyt A. J. Foyt 8 July 25 Hoosier Grand Prix Indianapolis Raceway Park Clermont, Indiana Road Mario Andretti Mario Andretti 9 August 1 Atlanta Championship 250 Atlanta International Raceway Hampton, Georgia Paved A. J. Foyt Johnny Rutherford 10 August 8 Langhorne 125 Langhorne Speedway Langhorne, Pennsylvania Paved Gordon Johncock Jim McElreath 11 August 14 Milwaukee 150 Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin Paved Parnelli Jones Joe Leonard 12 August 21 Tony Bettenhausen Memorial Illinois State Fairgrounds Springfield, Illinois Dirt Jim McElreath A. J. Foyt 13 August 22 Tony Bettenhausen 200 Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin Paved A. J. Foyt Gordon Johncock 14 September 6 Ted Horn Memorial DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Du Quoin, Illinois Dirt A. J. Foyt Don Branson 15 September 18 Hoosier Hundred Indiana State Fairgrounds Indianapolis, Indiana Dirt A. J. Foyt A. J. Foyt 16 September 26 Trenton 200 Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Paved A. J. Foyt A. J. Foyt 17 October 24 Golden State 100 California State Fairgrounds Sacramento, California Dirt Don Branson Don Branson 18 November 21 Bobby Ball Memorial Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona Paved Mario Andretti A. J. Foyt

No pole is awarded for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, in this schedule on the pole is the driver who started first. No lap led was awarded for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, however, a lap was awarded to the drivers that completed the climb.

Final points standings

Note: Bobby Johns is not eligible for points.

Pos Driver PHX1 TRE1 INDY MIL1 LHS1 PIK TRE2 IRP ATL LHS2 MIL2 SPR MIL3 DQSF ISF TRE3 CSF PHX2 Pts 1 Mario Andretti 6 2 3 4 2 Wth 1 2 4 2 3 16 15 2 13 3 2 3110 2 A. J. Foyt 19 17 15 16 17 1 4 19 2 19 1 2 3 1 1 2 1 2500 3 Jim McElreath 2 1 20 3 1 11 5 10 1 14 5 6 2 DNQ 3 8 23 2035 4 Don Branson 1 13 8 20 15 4 6 8 6 6 6 25 1 13 15 1 5 1875 5 Gordon Johncock 17 8 5 7 10 23 8 6 3 15 11 1 10 DNQ 14 21 1540 6 Joe Leonard 29 2 19 5 10 Wth 1 5 2 4 1415 7 Bobby Unser 16 10 19 17 14 2 14 2 22 5 4 10 18 17 4 6 4 3 1402 8 Roger McCluskey 21 30 6 13 17 3 9 DNQ 5 4 DNS 4 9 26 1060 9 Jud Larson 12 5 DNQ DNQ 6 19 16 12 7 8 9 4 3 8 5 8 1028 10 Parnelli Jones DNQ 2 1 17 DNQ 1000 11 Jim Clark 1 1000 12 Johnny Rutherford 15 11 31 15 DNQ DNS 11 1 8 13 4 24 5 6 16 6 22 993 13 Lloyd Ruby 5 DNQ 11 19 3 18 7 23 9 3 10 26 DNQ 850 14 Jim Hurtubise 4 19 33 DNQ 21 2 18 4 21 16 DNQ 21 7 16 25 16 743 15 Al Miller 4 DNQ Wth 20 10 12 15 Wth DNQ 18 655 16 Billy Foster 24 7 17 DNQ 5 20 DNP 3 17 20 26 12 24 DNQ 13 520 17 Bobby Grim 15 DNQ 8 11 3 28 24 8 7 500 18 Mickey Rupp 6 5 18 500 19 Al Unser 9 13 12 1 22 12 26 16 11 7 DNQ 20 11 17 495 20 Bud Tingelstad 13 4 16 18 4 15 14 19 21 7 13 16 14 16 6 460 21 George Snider 23 21 DNQ 16 9 9 25 7 2 14 8 10 15 DNQ 453 22 Ronnie Duman 3 6 22 9 6 16 14 12 14 23 15 14 Wth DNS 19 DNQ 447 23 Carl Williams DNQ 12 DNQ DNQ 9 7 13 8 7 17 13 7 370 24 Chuck Rodee 22 28 5 12 10 DNQ DNQ 325 25 Bob Harkey 20 9 DNQ DNQ 8 8 15 11 DNQ 9 DNQ 10 11 325 26 Dan Gurney 26 3 12 230 27 Tommy Copp DNQ 7 8 DNQ 25 225 28 Red Riegel DNQ DNQ 11 14 6 5 DNQ 205 29 Art Pollard 22 5 DNQ 19 200 30 Arnie Knepper 7 16 18 14 22 DNQ 16 21 DNQ 16 11 13 15 7 190 31 Gary Congdon 10 22 10 9 11 11 DNQ 18 DNQ 163 32 Sam Sessions DNS DNQ 13 9 DNQ DNQ 11 10 150 33 Eddie Johnson 10 150 34 Bob Wente 14 3 DNQ DNQ 140 35 Len Sutton 12 21 7 DNQ 110 36 Wally Dallenbach Sr. 13 DNQ 9 80 37 Bill Vukovich II 9 80 38 Bob Hurt 8 DNQ DNQ DNQ Wth 29 DNQ DNQ 75 39 Norm Hall 10 DNQ 10 DNQ 19 21 75 40 Charles Louderman 3 70 41 Wes Vandervoort 4 60 42 Dee Jones 9 24 DNQ DNQ DNQ 60 43 Paul Kleinschmidt 5 50 44 Bob Mathouser 21 DNQ 11 DNQ 12 13 27 18 DNQ 17 12 22 18 45 45 Jack Hahn 6 40 46 Bay Darnell 9 DNQ 40 47 Roy Walker 7 30 48 Rodger Ward 11 20 DNQ 22 DNQ DNQ 24 22 23 23 15 30 49 Dick Atkins 12 12 30 50 Orville Nance 8 25 51 Slim Roberts 9 20 52 Greg Weld DNQ DNQ 17 12 DNQ 20 20 53 Grier Manning 10 15 54 Malcolm Brazier 11 10 55 Bill Cheesbourg 32 12 DNQ 17 DNQ 10 56 Louis Unser 12 5 - Bobby Johns 7 0 - Dave Paul DNQ DNQ 13 20 15 DNQ DNQ 0 - Johnny Boyd 13 0 - Vern Root 13 0 - Art Malone 14 DNQ 21 23 15 22 DNQ 20 0 - Larry Dickson 14 24 0 - Dempsey Wilson DNQ DNQ 14 0 - Walt Hansgen 14 0 - Thurel Novotny 14 0 - Bob Daly 15 0 - Bob McLees 16 0 - Ralph Liguori 18 18 DNQ 20 24 20 17 DNQ 0 - Mike McGreevy DNQ 17 DNQ DNQ 0 - Bob Tattersall 17 DNQ 0 - Rick Vermillion 17 0 - Bruce Jacobi DNQ 18 DNQ 18 0 - Mel Kenyon DNQ DNQ 18 0 - Bob Werner 18 0 - George Morris 18 0 - Clark Yowell 19 0 - Bob Pratt 19 0 - Hank Davis 20 0 - Dan Morgan 21 0 - Skip Hedrick 21 0 - Ted Foltz 22 0 - Masten Gregory 23 0 - Clyde McFarlin 23 0 - Bob Veith 24 0 - Walter Miller 24 0 - Chuck Stevenson 25 DNQ DNQ 0 - Danny Collins 25 0 - Jerry Grant 27 DNQ 0 - Chuck Arnold DNQ DNS 0 - Bill Eldridge DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 - Gig Stephens DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 - Bob King DNQ DNQ 0 - Chuck Booth DNQ DNQ 0 - Bob Huebner Wth DNQ 0 - Bob Christie DNQ 0 - Paul Goldsmith DNQ 0 - Skip Hudson DNQ 0 - Ebb Rose DNQ 0 - Paul Russo DNQ 0 - Bill Sullivan DNQ 0 - Chuck Hulse DNQ 0 - Ray Furnal DNP 0 - Sherman Cleveland DNP 0 Pos Driver PHX1 TRE1 INDY MIL1 LHS1 PIK TRE2 IRP ATL LHS2 MIL2 SPR MIL3 DQSF ISF TRE3 CSF PHX2 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 notparticipate(DNP) Not competing In-line notationBoldPole positionItalicsRan fastest race lap*Led most race laps Rookie of the Year Rookie

References

http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf (p. 260-265)

See also 1965 Indianapolis 500