1974 Phoenix 150 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1974)

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1974phoenix1501.jpg

Mike Mosley (pictured at the 1972 Indianapolis 500) won the event.

Status: Partially Found

The 1974 Phoenix 150 was the fourth race of the 1974 USAC Championship Car Season. Occurring on 17th March at the Phoenix International Raceway, the race would ultimately be won by Mike Mosley in an Eagle-Offenhauser, having barely even made the race after initially failing to qualify for it.

Background

The 1974 Phoenix 150 was the 10th running of the event, with the annual race lasting 150 miles.[1] The event was making its return to the calendar after not being run in 1973.[2] It was one of two 1974 USAC Championship Car Season races to commence at Phoenix International Raceway, the other being also being called the Phoenix 150,[3] which commenced on 2nd November and was won by Gordon Johncock in an Eagle-Offenhauser.[4] The race would have ties with Phoenix events like the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix, before Phoenix races were dropped from the IndyCar schedule after 2018 following low attendance.[5]

Prior to the race, qualifying commenced with Al Unser winning the pole position in an Eagle-Offenhauser with a speed of 137.195 mph.[6][1] Directly behind him was McLaren-Offenhauser's Johnny Rutherford, with Eagle-Offenhauser driver Bobby Unser lining up third.[1] Mike Mosley originally failed to qualify for the event.[6] However, because the competing field was so small, he was permitted to compete, along with Mongoose-Foyt's John Cannon.[6][1] Mosley therefore lined up 19th out of 20 competitors.[1]

The Race

With the starting order decided, the 1974 Phoenix 150 commenced on 17th March.[1] Rutherford shot into the lead on the first lap, holding it for the first nine before Unser retook it on lap 10.[1] Unser then held the first position for 16 laps, eventually dropping it Coyote-Foyt's A.J. Foyt on lap 26.[1] Three laps later, he retired following a broken turbo hose.[6][1] Foyt only defended the lead for four laps before Johncock took over, leading another 19 laps, only for Foyt to regain it and then drop it to King-Offenhauser's Tom Sneva a lap later.[1] Sneva also only held the lead briefly, as Eagle-Offenhauser's Wally Dallenbach passed him on lap 51.[1]

Dallenbach held the first position for the longest uninterrupted duration of the race at 55 laps, ultimately losing it to Foyt on lap 106 and later dropping to a lap behind the leaders at the event's end.[1] Foyt led the next four laps,[1] but Mosley had successfully climbed the order following consistent driving and quick pit stops.[6] On lap 110, he completed the final lead change of the race.[1][6] Mosley therefore maintained the first position for the next 41 laps to claim victory and $9,555 in prize money.[6][1] Bobby Unser finished 15 seconds behind in second, with Foyt taking third.[1][6]

Availability

According to IndyCar on TV, the race received live flag-to-flag coverage from ABC as part of its ABC Championship Auto Racing.[7] The broadcast has yet to resurface, although highlights from Car and Track and a silent fan recording can be found online.

Gallery

Videos

Car and Vision highlights of the race.

Fan footage of the event (starts from 9:13).

See Also

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Racing-Reference detailing the qualifying and race results of the event. Retrieved 9th Jun '22
  2. ↑ IndyCar on TV noting the Phoenix 150 was not run in 1973 Retrieved 9th Jun '22
  3. ↑ Racing-Reference detailing the 1974 USAC Championship Car Season schedule. Retrieved 9th Jun '22
  4. ↑ Racing-Reference detailing the results of the November 1974 Phoenix 150. Retrieved 9th Jun '22
  5. ↑ IndyStar reporting on Phoenix races being dropped from the IndyCar schedule after 2018. Retrieved 9th Jun '22
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 The New York Times reporting on Mosley winning the race. Retrieved 9th Jun '22
  7. ↑ IndyCar on TV detailing the ABC broadcast of the race. Retrieved 9th Jun '22
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