The Triple Crown is a "championship" consisting of three 500 Mile Super Speedway races on the

IndyCar INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...

calendar. Traditionally, the crown jewel races were events at

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United State ...

Pocono Raceway Pocono Raceway (formerly Pocono International Raceway), also known as ''The Tricky Triangle'', is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. It is the site of three NASCAR national series races and an ARCA M ...

, and a third race at either

Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario Motor Speedway was a motorsport venue located in Ontario, California. It was the first and only automobile racing facility built to accommodate major races sanctioned by all of the four dominant racing sanctioning bodies: USAC (and now In ...

Michigan International Speedway Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is a moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than approximately south of the village of Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is ...

, or

Auto Club Speedway Auto Club Speedway, originally opened as California Speedway, is a , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California, near Fontana. It has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. It was also previ ...

. In some years a driver would be recognized as a "Triple Crown Champion" if he/she scored the most points in the three races;

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 ...

being the only driver to win all three 500 mile races during the 1978 IndyCar Season. Even though three super speedways and three 500 mile races have been featured in many seasons, only in 1971–1989 and 2013–2015 were "Triple Crowns" recognized.

History

The Triple Crown concept was first suggested by

General Manager Bill Marvel in 1970. Hoping to replicate the success of horse racing's

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

, Pocono promoted their debut race in 1971 as joining an elite group of three 500 miles

races. Other "Crown Jewel" races included the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

and the California 500 at

which debuted in 1970. The driver that scored the most points in the three 500 mile races would be presented with a diamond-studded gold ring.

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 ...

won the first two Triple Crown championships in 1971 and 1972. By 1974, several drivers criticized USAC over their lack of promotion for the Triple Crown. Shortly after

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the ninth winne ...

won the similar prize in horse racing, it was lamented that auto racing's Triple Crown was not similarly embraced. After Marvel left his position at Pocono, promotion of the Crown was reduced and USAC neglected to even mention

Roger McCluskey Roger McCluskey (August 24, 1930 – August 29, 1993) was an American IndyCar driver. He was from Tucson, Arizona. He won championship titles in three divisions of the United States Auto Club: Sprints, Stocks, and Champ Cars. He won the USAC Spr ...

won the 1973 Crown in their media guide. "The Triple Crown was one man's dream,"

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 ...

said in June 1974. "Since Bill Marvel isn't connected here anymore, the whole thing died. It has some definite meaning, but it has to be talked about." "It is a good publicity thing,"

Mark Donohue Mark Neary Donohue Jr. (March 18, 1937 – August 19, 1975), nicknamed "Captain Nice," and later "Dark Monohue," was an American race car driver and engineer known for his ability to set up his own race car as well as driving it to victories. D ...

said, "but it has to be promoted. Right now everybody is just trying to win the race at hand." In June 1974,

Philadelphia Daily News ''Philadelphia Daily News'' is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper is owned by The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, which also owns Philadelphia's other major newspaper ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. The ''Dail ...

writer Bill Fleischman wrote, "A few years ago, Joe Leonard was honored at a dinner in Philadelphia as the first Triple Crown Winner. Leonard said he hoped his sport's Triple Crown would soon be as prestigious as horse racing's established salute. It hasn't happened. And it won't until auto racing cares enough to promote what could be an exciting attention getter." Between 1975 and 1980, the prize was renamed the Olsonite Triple Crown and carried a $1,500 prize for the champion and an annual trophy. In 1978, Al Unser became the first and only driver to win all three Crown Jewel races in one season. Ontario Motor Speedway closed in 1980 and its spot in the Triple Crown was replaced with a new 500 Mile race at

. In 1982,

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 ...

won the first two legs of the Triple Crown and looked to become the second driver to sweep the crown jewels. While running second at Pocono with six laps remaining, Johncock broke a gearbox and dashed his hopes to win all three races. In March 1983,

Domino's Pizza Domino's Pizza, Inc., trading as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware domiciled and headquartered at the Domino's Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor ...

became the title sponsor of the Domino's Pizza CART Triple Crown Award. A $1 million prize was offered should any driver win all three Triple Crown races in one season. In addition, whichever driver scored the most points in the Triple Crown would win $10,000 and a trophy. Domino's sponsorship of the award expired at the end of 1986 and the annual crowning of a champion based on points was discontinued. Pocono left the IndyCar schedule after 1989 and the Triple Crown promotion was dropped entirely. The last Michigan 500 was held in 2001 which made Indianapolis the last 500 mile race for several years. In 2012, a 500 mile race at

was held as the season-ending race. In October 2012, it was announced that Pocono would return to the schedule in 2013. The Triple Crown promotion returned as well. "If you're gonna bring history back, the one thing that the fans wanted to see was the Triple Crown," IndyCar CEO

Randy Bernard Randy Bernard (born January 31, 1967) is the former CEO of Professional Bull Riders and IndyCar. He is currently co-managing Garth Brooks. Career Professional Bull Riders Bernard previously served as the CEO of Professional Bull Riders, serving f ...

said. "Ever since I started three years ago, that was one of the big things they kept telling us." Like the promotion in the 1980s, the Triple Crown revival carried cash bonuses, sponsored by Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka. If a driver could win all three races, they would earn a $1 million dollar bonus. $250,000 was offered if a driver could win 2 out of 3 races. It became known as the Fuzzy's Vodka Triple Crown. In 2014, the Triple Crown races awarded double points in the IndyCar standings. Following repeated schedule changes and decreased attendance, the California 500 left the IndyCar schedule after 2015 and the Triple Crown promotion was dropped once again.

Triple Crown Seasons

Triple Crown Points Champions

When Pocono and Fontana were on the schedule together from 2013 to 2015, IndyCar did not officially announce a Triple Crown points champion.

References

{{reflist IndyCar Series

History

Triple Crown Seasons

Triple Crown Points Champions

See also

References