The Last Row Party And The Motley Crew Of 1980

Big Bend, WI (May 11, 2010) – It is said, to make the Indianapolis 500 field in itself is quite an accomplishment. True, the last few years, limited qualifiers and bumping brought the drama to a trickle on “Bump Day.” However this year with 40 cars lined up and perhaps a few more to come out of Gasoline Alley, 2010 could be pretty nerve-wracking for the driver on the “bubble.”

As a child and a voracious reader of anything on auto racing, the indispensable Carl Hungness Indianapolis 500 yearbooks were some of my favorite reading. There was always a photo of the Last Row Party. 1974 comes to mind with USAC Sprint Car veterans Larry “Boom Boom” Cannon and legendary Jan Opperman joining USAC journeyman driver Bob Harkey. In those days drivers wore garish 1970’s silk shirts or wild sport coats or leisure suits and of course those Last Row Party t-shirts pulled over the top.

Held since 1973 this event saw drivers, Bob Harkey, Sammy Sessions and Jim McElreath received their 31, 32 and 33 cent checks and special jackets and names added to the last row trophy in the inaugural event. This media gathering benefits the Indianapolis Press Club Foundation, which annually presents thousands of dollars in scholarships and cash prizes to journalism students who attend Indiana colleges and universities. Happily this Indianapolis 500 tradition appears this year will be more relevant and is now open to the public.

The event is a way to honor the drivers who got little publicity, much less a chance to win the race. However 1980 saw two incredible charges to the front. Speedy Tom Sneva had qualified his modern ground-effect Phoenix-Cosworth only to completely wipe out the starboard side of car in a violent practice crash. His crew brought out ol’ hound a nearly four-year old McLaren M24-Cosworth, flat-bottomed and considered over the hill. The last row feature featured another longshot. Veteran Gary Bettenhausen qualified an old Wildcat-DGS four-banger which was even older than ol’ hound? Bettenhausen whose left arm hung lifelessly at his side due to a dirt car crash at Syracuse in 1974 had seen better days. Bettenhausen told his wife to get ready to leave before halfway because the plan was to run as hard as he could early in the race to show the others he was there. Bettenhausen had old friend Willie Davis to chief the car and run the ragtag crew on Sherman Armstrong’s fourth entry. Add Wisconsin’s Tom Bigelow a fan favorite qualifying a newer Lola-Cosworth for Armstrong and the 1980 version of the Last Row Party was quite memorable. On race day future “500” winner Sneva and the wily Bettenhausen charged through the field as Bigelow also progressed up the lap charts. By the finish, Johnny Rutherford had won in the ground breaking Chaparral of Jim Hall. However Sneva finished second with Bettenhausen passing former winner Gordon Johncock late in the race to take third. Bettenhausen couldn’t believe the car ran the whole race. Bigelow ran a consistent race and ended up eighth. The entire last row finished in the top-10. 1980 was one last row to remember.

Many other open-wheel racing legends have occupied the back row of the Indianapolis 500 field in the past, including former “500” winners Mario Andretti, Gordon Johncock, Buddy Lazier, Johnny Rutherford, and Al Unser. Last year saw Ryan Hunter-Reay, Nelson Philippe and Alex Tagliani join the Last Party.

Join the Last Row Party, celebrating the three drivers who will start in this year’s last row of the Indianapolis 500. Want to donate a new item or service for the auction? They’d love to have it! Call 317-631-6400 or email jlabalme.indypress@att.net to make a tax-deductible donation!

Friday, May 28 5:30 – 9 pm at the Brickyard Crossing Resort. Tickets are $40/person or $375/table of 10

Steve Zautke

Steve Zautke, a Milwaukee, WI native, was raised in the sport of auto racing. His father, Bill, was a movie photographer that shot racing footage at tracks such as the Milwaukee Mile and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 1960’s and 1970’s Steve’s first professional job in racing was as an Emergency Medical Technician at tracks such as Angell Park and Hales Corners Speedway (1988-1991). Steve has also worked for the Milwaukee Mile as videographer, in media relations and historian (1993-2011). Steve also has worked as a reporter for Racing Information Systems (RIS) and has written features for ‘Vintage Oval Racing’ and ‘Victory Lane’ magazines. Most recently, Steve has written a book on Road America for Arcadia Publishing. ( http://www.amazon.com/Road-America-Nascar-Library-Collection/dp/1467111457 ) Steve co-hosts “Sparky’s Final Inspection” a motorsports-based radio show with hosts, Steve “Sparky” Fifer and “NASCAR Girl” Summer Santana on Sports Radio 1250AM in Milwaukee and is also available on the internet at www.Sportradio1250.com. A member of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Induction Committee, Steve follows all types of racing from the dirt tracks to Formula One.

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