The 61st 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday, May 29, 1977. Considered one of the most historically significant editions of the Indianapolis 500, several sidebar stories complemented the unprecedented accomplishment of race winner A. J. Foyt. Foyt became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times. As of 2026, Foyt's four wins have been equaled by Al Unser Sr., Rick Mears and Hélio Castroneves, but still stands as an Indy 500 record. It was the second time Foyt won the "500" as an owner/driver, as he co-owned the entry with businessman Jim Gilmore. Foyt's Coyote chassis, built in-house, powered by the turbocharged Foyt V-8 engine (a derivative of the DOHC Ford Indy V-8) marks the most-recent time the winning car (chassis and engine) was built entirely within the United States.
Two major stories headlined qualifying. During time trials, Tom Sneva won the pole position with a new track record. He became the first driver to break the 200 mph barrier at the Speedway. On the final day of time trials, Janet Guthrie broke the gender barrier by becoming the first female driver to qualify for the Indy 500. Other historical milestones during the month included the inaugural Pit Stop Contest, the first grandson of a former driver entering (Teddy Pilette), and the first father and son combination attempting to qualify for the same race (Jim and James McElreath Jr.). However, neither Pilette (grandson of 1913 competitor Théodore Pilette) nor McElreath Jr. succeeded in making the field.The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, May 2, 2007
During the summer of 1976, the entire track was repaved in asphalt. It marked the first time since the original brick surface was laid in the fall of 1909 that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was repaved in its entirety. The surface was allowed to cure over the winter, and during a tire test in March, Gordon Johncock ran a lap of 200.401 mph, an unofficial track record.
This would be the final Indy 500 for track owner Tony Hulman, who would die of heart failure on October 27, 1977. IMS Radio Network anchor Sid Collins did not call the race for the first time since 1951. Collins committed suicide on May 2, just five days before opening day, after being diagnosed with ALS. Collins was replaced by new "Voice of the 500" Paul Page. Then less than a year later, eight USAC officials would be killed in a plane crash.
The race was sanctioned by USAC, and was part of the 1977 USAC National Championship Trail. After rain-shortened races in three of the past four years (1973, 1975, 1976), the 1977 race was run the full distance under hot and sunny conditions.
Race schedule Race schedule — May, 1977SunMonTueWedThuFriSat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Opening Day 8Practice 9Practice10Practice11Practice12Practice13Practice14Pole Day15Time Trials16Practice17Practice18Practice19Practice20Practice21Time Trials22Time Trials23 24 25 26Carb Day27Mini-Marathon28Parade29Indy 50030Memorial Day31 Color Notes Green Practice Dark Blue Time trials Silver Race day Red Rained out* Blank No track activity * Includes days where trackactivity was significantlylimited due to rain
Time trials For 1977, the turbocharger "boost" settings were increased from 75 inHg (used in 1976) back to 80 inHg (used in 1974–1975). This, along with offseason engine development by the teams, was expected to provide about 50 additional horsepower.
Pole Day – Saturday May 14 During the first week of practice, several drivers flirted with the elusive 200 mph barrier. Mario Andretti, A. J. Foyt, and Johnny Rutherford all ran unofficial practice laps over 200 mph. All three became immediate favorites for the pole position. Going into the month, the official one-lap track record was still 199.071 mph, set by Johnny Rutherford back in 1973.
Pole day was sunny and warm, and an estimated 200,000 spectators arrived anticipating a record-setting day. No drivers broke the 200 mph barrier during practice on the morning of pole day, but participants and observers expected the record to fall during official time trials. At 11:00 a.m., A. J. Foyt was the first driver to make an attempt. His four-lap speed of 193.465 mph was far short of the record. About a half hour later, Al Unser Sr. (195.950 mph) went faster and knocked Foyt off of the top spot.
At 11:51 a.m., Tom Sneva took to the track. He set new all-time one-lap and four-lap track records. He became the first driver to break the 200 mph barrier at Indianapolis. Lap 1 – 44.91 seconds, 200.401 mph (new 1-lap track record) Lap 2 – 44.88 seconds, 200.535 mph (new 1-lap track record) Lap 3 – 45.54 seconds, 197.628 mph Lap 4 – 45.68 seconds, 197.032 mph Total – 3:01.01, 198.884 mph (new 4-lap track record) Though his last two laps dropped off, Sneva's four-lap average was fast enough to secure the pole position. Sneva was rewarded by having 200 silver dollars poured into his helmet. The symbolic gesture, performed by Phil Hedback of Bryant Heating and Cooling Company, mimicked Parnelli Jones, who broke the 150 mph barrier in 1962, and was awarded with 150 silver dollars poured into his helmet.
About an hour later, USAC officials retracted A. J. Foyt's qualifying time. During post-inspection, they discovered that his pop-off valve was fractured and malfunctioned. Since the infraction was not Foyt's fault, he was allowed to re-qualify. Foyt's speed of 194.563 mph was faster than his previous attempt, and he would line up 4th.
Bobby Unser (197.618 mph) put himself in the middle of the front row, bumping his brother Al to the outside. Johnny Rutherford, an early favorite for the front row, waved off his first run, then stalled on his second run. The day ended with the field filled to 16 cars, with Rutherford among those not qualified. Sneva was the only driver to run any laps over 200 mph all afternoon.
Second Day – Sunday May 15 Johnny Rutherford (197.325 mph) put in the third-fastest speed in the field, but as a second day qualifier, he was forced to line up behind the first day qualifiers in 17th position.
Five cars completed runs, filling the field to 21 cars. Clay Regazzoni wrecked during his attempt, but was not seriously injured. Regazzoni was planning on running both Indy and the Monaco Grand Prix, but the crash complicated his travel schedule.
Third Day – Saturday May 21 Clay Regazzoni started the day in Monte Carlo, but rain washed out his chance to qualify for the Monaco Grand Prix. Car owner Teddy Yip made plans to fly him back to Indy and attempt to qualify for the 500. Mario Andretti, who put in a safe qualifying time at Indy the weekend before, remained in Monaco to compete in the race, he would finish 5th.
Qualifying was sparse during the early parts of the day, with at least 12 cars taking to the track, but only two attempts run to completion. At the end of the day, the field was filled to 27 cars. Clay Regazzoni did not make it to the Speedway in enough time, and he would have to wait until Sunday.
Bump Day – Sunday May 22 The final day of time trials became a historic milestone in auto racing history. Janet Guthrie was the first car to take the track, and she became the first female driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Her four-lap average of 188.403 mph put her safely in the field, and she was the fastest car of the afternoon. Like he did for Tom Sneva a week earlier, Phil Hedback poured 188 silver dollars in her helmet, matching her qualifying speed, which was also a female closed-course speed record.
After a hectic travel burden, Clay Regazzoni finally put a car in the field.
At about 3:30 p.m., Salt Walther (184.549 mph) completed a run, followed later by Bubby Jones (184.938 mph), and the field was filled to 33 cars with Walther on the bubble. Cliff Hucul (187.198 mph) bumped out Walther. With about an hour to go, Eldon Rasmussen bumped out Vern Schuppan, and John Mahler bumped out Joe Saldana.
The final hour of qualifying saw several drivers try, but fail, to bump their way in. Young rookie Rick Mears was too slow on his two attempts, and he failed to qualify. Jim Hurtubise once again was the center of attention for a few minutes, as he rolled out his Mallard/Offy to the qualifying line. After one slow lap he waved off, and it was the final qualifying attempt ever made by a front-engined car at Indy.
As the 6 o'clock gun fired, James McElreath, Jr. was the final car on the track, but his speed was too slow to make the field. Jim and James, Jr. were trying to become the first father and son to qualify for the same Indy 500. James, Jr. fell short, however, and would die in a sprint car crash later in the year, never having a chance to race together.
Carburetion Day The final practice session was scheduled for Thursday May 26. After qualifying closed, the team of Salt Walther purchased the qualified car of Bill Puterbaugh from owner Lee Elkins. Salt's father George and brother Jeff were responsible for the purchase, and paid a reported $60,000 for the entry, and subsequently fired Puterbaugh from the ride.Salt Walther Buys Spot in Indianapolis Feature Salt Walther was named the new driver for the car, and it was repainted in his livery. According to the rules, the car would have to move to the rear of the field on race day. Almost immediately, the situation received significant negative criticism. A day later, Puterbaugh was reinstated to the ride, therefore Puterbaugh was reinstated to his 28th starting position.Walther steps aside, Puterbaugh reinstated
The final practice day saw Johnny Rutherford (194.533 mph) set the fastest lap. Mike Mosley was the only incident of the day, suffering a broken piston.
Pit stop Contest The elimination rounds for the first annual Miller Pit Stop Contest were held Thursday May 26. Qualifying heats were held May 16–17, and sixteen teams advanced to the elimination bracket. Teams would compete head-to-head, in a layout that resembled a drag race. Cars would drive into the pit box, then crews were required to change two tires (right sides). After they drop the jacks, the cars had to leave the pit box under power. Time penalties would be assessed for various violations. The top times registered during the qualifying heats belonged to Pancho Carter (14.83 seconds), A. J. Foyt (14.84 seconds), Gordon Johncock (16.28 seconds) and Wally Dallenbach (17.06 seconds).
The finals pitted Jim McElreath (Carillo) versus Wally Dallenbach (Patrick Racing). The Carillo team, led by crew chief Dave Kylm won with a time of 15.09 seconds.
Starting lineup Grid