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1976 Indy 500: Shortest Indy 500 on record

1976 Indy 500: Shortest Indy 500 on record
1976 Indy 500: Shortest Indy 500 on record
1976 Indy 500: Shortest Indy 500 on record
Posted at 5:52 PM, Apr 18, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-18 17:52:29-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- Bill Hudnut succeeded Richard Lugar as mayor on Jan. 1 1976, and went on to hold office for 16 years as the city's longest serving mayor.

It was the same year that Indiana University claimed a stake in history, too.

Head Coach Bob Knight led the Hoosiers to an undefeated season, capped off by an NCAA Championship. They were the last undefeated team to win the title.

And 1976 was just as memorable at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

The track was buzzing about the first woman to try and qualify for the Indianapolis 500: Janet Guthrie.

Guthrie passed her rookie test, but equipment trouble prevented her from making a qualifying attempt.

The 33 drivers who did make the 60th running of the Indy 500 participated in the shortest race on record.

Rain sent the drivers to the pits after just 102 laps with pole-sitter Johnny Rutherford in the lead.

After two-and-a-half hours of waiting, the track dried enough to restart, but just as drivers were getting ready to start their engines again, the rain returned.

It poured and the race was called after 255 miles. 

Rutherford became the only winning driver in history to walk into Victory Lane.

He averaged 188.957 miles per hour on the way to his second win in what was the beginning of the multi-winner era.

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