The 1963 Tony Bettenhausen 200 was the seventh round of the 1963 USAC Championship Car season, held on August 18, 1963, at the Milwaukee Mile, in West Allis, Wisconsin.
The race was the first American Championship Car race won by a rear-engined car. Jim Clark and Team Lotus had finished second at the 1963 Indianapolis 500 after a controversy surrounding the lack of a black flag for winner Parnelli Jones, whose car was leaking oil. Colin Chapman and Team Lotus decided to return to Champ Car competition at Milwaukee and Trenton later in the year. The rear-engined Lotuses dominated practice and qualifying, breaking the track record by over a second. In the race, Clark led all 200 laps and lapped the entire field, save for second place A. J. Foyt. Clark's teammate Dan Gurney finished third, battling a misfire.
Although a rear-engined car would not win the Indianapolis 500 until 1965, the win signaled a shift in Champ Car design. The last win for a front-engined roadster on a paved track was the opening round of the 1965 season at Phoenix, barely a year and a half after Clark's Milwaukee victory.
Qualifying Clark, Gurney, Foyt, and Jones broke the previous qualifying record set in 1961 by Don Branson at 34.09 sec (105.62 mph / 169.94 km/h).
Race result Pos No. Driver Team/Sponsor Car Laps Time/Retired Grid Laps Led Points 192 Jim ClarkLotus Powered by FordLotus-Ford2001:54:53.0981200400 22 A. J. FoytSheraton-ThompsonTrevis-Offenhauser200Finished30320 393 Dan GurneyLotus Powered by FordLotus-Ford199+ 1 Lap20280 41 Rodger WardKaiser AluminumWatson-Offenhauser199+ 1 Lap140240 510 Chuck HulseDean Van LinesEwing-Offenhauser197+ 3 Laps60200 614 Roger McCluskeyKonstant HotWatson-Offenhauser197+ 3 Laps150160 746 Johnny RutherfordRacing AssociatesTurner-Chevrolet196+ 3 Laps90120 838 Jim HurtubiseKonstant HotPhilipp-Offenhauser195+ 5 Laps130100 929 Bobby GrimVita Fresh Orange JuiceKuzma-Offenhauser195+ 5 Laps16080 104 Don BransonLeader Card 500Watson-Offenhauser194+ 6 Laps11060 118 Jim McElreathJim Forbes RacingWatson-Offenhauser194+ 6 Laps23040 1220 Len SuttonLeader Card 500Watson-Offenhauser193+ 7 Laps20020 1386 Bob VeithRacing AssociatesPorter-Offenhauser193+ 7 Laps80 1427 Troy RuttmanDayton Steel WheelWatson-Offenhauser190+ 10 Laps170 1561 Bob MathouserFederal EngineeringKurtis-Offenhauser189+ 11 Laps240 1626 Bob WenteMorcroftTrevis-Offenhauser187+ 13 Laps210 1789 Jack ConelyJ & E EngineeringDunn-Offenhauser174+ 26 Laps260 1881 Bud TingelstadGabriel ShockerKuzma-Offenhauser160Magneto200 1921 Johnny WhitePfrommer TruckingMeskowski-Offenhauser157Blown engine100 2053 Chuck RodeeSpirit of St. LouisWatson-Offenhauser67Oil line250 2137 Ed KostenukCity of VictoriaKurtis-Offenhauser64Water hose180 225 Bobby MarshmanEcono Car RentalEpperly-Offenhauser56Differential120 2398 Parnelli JonesAgajanian/Willard BatteryWatson-Offenhauser42Brakes40 249 Eddie SachsBryant Heating & CoolingWatson-Offenhauser37Overheating220 2545 Al MillerBardahlWatson-Offenhauser27Wrecked70 2635 Lloyd RubyGabriel ShockerTrevis-Offenhauser11Engine50 DNS33 Ralph LiguoriConcannonKurtis-Offenhauser-DNS-0 DNS95 Bob MacLeanMitchell GallasKurtis-Offenhauser-DNS-0 DNS66 Mickey ShawLil-BeanieMeskowski-Chevrolet-DNS-0
Standings after the race National Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 A. J. Foyt2000 2 Rodger Ward1450 3 Parnelli Jones1330 4 Jim Clark1200 5 Jim McElreath975
Note: Only the top five positions are included.
References