The 1966 Langhorne 100 was the fifth round of the

1966 USAC Championship Car season The 1966 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 16 races, beginning in Avondale, Arizona on March 20 and concluding at the same location on November 20. There was also one non-championship event at Fuji Speedway in Japan. The USAC National ...

, held on June 12, 1966, at the

Langhorne Speedway Langhorne Speedway was an automobile racetrack in Middletown Township, Bucks County, near the borough of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. According to the book ''Langhorne! No Man's Land'' by L. Spencer Riggs: "With a ...

, near

Langhorne, Pennsylvania Langhorne Borough is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,622 at the time of the 2010 census. The mailing address "Langhorne" is used for Langhorne Borough, but it is also used broadly to describe the majority of surro ...

Summary

Mario Andretti Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, t ...

took the pole;

Don Branson Donald L. Branson (June 2, 1920 – November 12, 1966) was an American racecar driver. Career Born in Rantoul, Illinois, Branson drove in the USAC Championship Car series and also in sprint cars, racing champ cars in the 1956–1966 seasons w ...

qualified second in a

sprint car Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New ...

(which he claimed was much easier to handle on this track). Andretti held the lead after getting the green flag, pulling away from Branson. Gary Congdon moved into third. By the second lap, Andretti was 8 car lengths ahead of Branson and Congdon.

Jim McElreath Jim McElreath (February 18, 1928 – May 18, 2017) was an American racing driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. Racing career Jim began his racing career in 1945 at the age of 17. He raced stock cars in Dallas, Texas. Jim wou ...

who had started 11th, worked his way to sixth position during the early stages of the race. On lap 26,

George Snider George "Ziggy" Snider (born December 8, 1940 in Fresno, California) is a retired American race car driver. A longtime driver in the United States Automobile Club Silver Crown series, Snider is also a 22-time starter of the Indianapolis 500, the ...

and

Art Pollard Artle Lee Pollard, Jr. (May 5, 1927 – May 12, 1973), was an American racecar driver. Born in Dragon, Utah, and raised in the Portland, Oregon area, Pollard drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1965–1973 seasons, with 84 ...

spun out, hitting the outside wall. After the ensuing caution ended Andretti once again distanced himself from the field. Midway through the race, McElreath passed

Joe Leonard Joe Leonard (August 4, 1932 in San Diego, California – April 27, 2017 in San Jose, California) was an American professional motorcycle racer and racecar driver. Biography Motorcycle career Leonard won the first A.M.A. Grand National Champion ...

for third. Andretti by this time held a half lap lead. McElreath soon passed Branson for second. On lap 55, Congdon, who had been running third, dropped out with gearbox failure. On the following lap,

Gordon Johncock Gordon Johncock (born August 5, 1936) is an American former racing driver. He won the Indianapolis 500 twice, and was the 1976 USAC Marlboro Championship Trail champion. Early career Johncock began racing at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan. J ...

dropped out with

universal joint A universal joint (also called a universal coupling or U-joint) is a joint or coupling connecting rigid shafts whose axes are inclined to each other. It is commonly used in shafts that transmit rotary motion. It consists of a pair of hinges ...

issues.

Jim Hurtubise James Hurtubise (December 5, 1932 – January 6, 1989) was an American race car driver who raced in USAC Champ Cars (including the Indianapolis 500), as well as sprint cars and stock cars (USAC and NASCAR). He was from the Buffalo suburb of No ...

passed Branson, moving into third. On lap 65,

Bud Tingelstad Bud Tingelstad (April 4, 1928 – July 30, 1981) was an American racecar driver. Born in Frazee, Minnesota, Tingelstad drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1960–1971 seasons with 120 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 i ...

dropped out with engine failure. On lap 71, Hurtubise spun out, smashing into the infield fence. This brought out a second caution period. On the restart

Al Unser Alfred Unser (May 29, 1939 – December 9, 2021) was an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr. He was the second of four men ( A. J. Foyt, himself, Rick ...

moved into third, passing Leonard. Andretti pulled out a two-second lead over McElreath. On lap 78,

Ronnie Duman Ronald B. Duman (February 12, 1929 – June 9, 1968), was an American racing driver who competed in the USAC Championship Car series and the Indianapolis 500. Duman was an accomplished driver in sprints and midgets, and won the prestigious L ...

spun; Bob Hurt, attempting to evade the stranded Duman, hit the wall, ending his race. Duman was able to continue. The accident brought out the third yellow. On the restart, Andretti once again quickly distanced himself from McElreath. On lap 89

Bobby Unser Robert William Unser (February 20, 1934 – May 2, 2021) was an American automobile racer. At his induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994, he had the fourth most IndyCar Series wins at 35 (behind his brother Al, A. J. F ...

dropped out with engine failure. Sam Sessions spun out in oil left behind by Unser, bringing out a fourth and final yellow. The white flag was presented along with the yellow as the cars completed the final lap. Andretti took the checkered, completing the race in one hour. Win the victory, Andretti moved into third in USAC standings.

Results

{, class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%" , - ! Place ! Name ! Sponsor ! Chass. ! Laps ! Points , - style="background:#FFFFFF;" ! 1 ,

, Dean Van Lines , Ford , 100 , 200 , - ! 2 ,

, John Zink , Ford , 100 , 160 , - ! 3 , {{flagicon, USA

, Yamaha , Ford , 100 , 140 , -

References

* http://racing-reference.info/race/1966_Langhorne_100/UO 1966 in American motorsport Motorsport in Pennsylvania