Ontario, The California Racetrack

It All Started in'70, with Jim McElreath Victory

By Johnny McDonald   

They dressed up sparkling new Ontario Motor Speedway with all the color that could be found and added window dressing with pageantry.  It was September 6th, 1970.

Early morning winds from the east even cleared away the smog to give 170,423 auto racing aficionados a beautiful view of the San Gabriel mountains.

And for the 500 miles of Indianapolis-style auto racing, they added a Hollywood finish with an unlikely hero.

Unassuming Jim McElreath, a driver who once dropped out of the United States Auto Club championship trail because he couldn't land a ride, ended up in victory circle to claim the first California 500.  It was a day when attrition wiped away the major competition.

The 42-year old Texan from Arlington was in a backup Coyote Ford, finishing two seconds ahead of the event's oldest participant, Art Pollard (43) from Medford, Oregon.

The fact that McElreath completed the distance in three hours, seven minutes, 22.55 seconds was incidental, even though -- as the track's inaugural -- it had to be listed as a record.

The established front-runners, particularly Al Unser, the Indy 500 winner earlier in the year and the national points leader, had been running smoothly in front.

Suddenly, a blower failure rendered his P.J. Colt Ford useless and it rolled to a stop in the grassy infield on the 187th lap.  From that point on, it was a case of survival. And the race became a suspenseful finish that defied a mystery movie ending.  Few of the customers left the huge arena early.

Stock car driver Lee Roy Yarbrough inherited the lead with Formula One driver Jack Brabham's green streamliner until white smoke spewed from the exhaust as he completed the 191st lap. 

Then, it was Pollard's turn.  He held on tenaciously with his Ford-powered Scorpion until McElreath slipped in front between turns three and four on lap 196.  Pollard did nose back in front on the white-flag lap, but couldn't hold off McElreath.

The early race leaders had been pole-sitter Lloyd Ruby, local product Dan Gurney and sports car ace Peter Revson until Unser got out front. By comparison, Unser led 166 laps and McElreath only five. But he led the important one . . . the last one!

Rounding out the top five were Dick Simon of Salt Lake City, Gordon Johncock of Mount Pleasant, Mich., and Revson, whose home was in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Attrition was expected to be the story on a new track . . . and it was.  However, tires were not a factor and McElreath changed only right rear tires in three pits stops while Pollard didn't need new rubber at all.

Yet, only seven cars from the field of 33 were running at the finish.  There were three accidents: Jim Hurtubise of North Tonawanda, N.Y., hit the turn three wall on lap two, Gurney hit an object on the track and his suspension gave way on lap 98, and A.J. Foyt -- McElreath's car owner and teammate -- went into the barrier on lap 192. Fortunately, no one was injured.

It was a race full of drama . . . but much of it was packed into the last half hour.  Victory for McElreath was like a ninth-inning homer that wins a ball game or the last-second touchdown pass.

This unlikely victor, who is known best for his sprint car exploits, can be remembered as the guy who drifted around the garages and pits unnoticed.  He's a journeyman usually looking for a ride.

Many car owners (except Foyt) believed McElreath's best years were behind him.

McElreath's best season took place four years earlier when he won at Trenton, Phoenix and twice at Langhorne, Pa., all in Indianapolis equipment.  However, each year he could be found at Indianapolis walking the pavement with helmet in hand, ready for any offer . . . usually one in an untried machine in the final hour of qualifications.

There were positive signs at Indy earlier in the year when he qualified 33rd and finished fifth.  Still, he was not noted as a good pavement chauffeur.  But, he sure could handle the broad-sliding sprinters on dirt ovals.

In fact, Jim was headed for Indianapolis and the Hoosier 100 the following week for one of the world's richest fairgrounds dirt races.

McElreath, father of three, started on the outside of the sixth row after qualifying at an average speed of 172.257 mph, more than five miles per hour slower than the pole-sitting Ruby.

He broke into the top 10 at 340 laps and maintained either a seventh or eighth position most of the way.  And then, fate did the rest.

Strategies were shelved and through the hectic first running at Ontario, even the famous made mistakes:  Gurney overshot his pit on the first stop, costing him about a minute.  Fire broke out in Joe Leonard's pit and crew chief George Bignotti was rescued from the flames.

And Revson's crew, one of the finest along pit row, fouled up on the driver's last stop. Peter didn't get a proper push from his men and a coil fouled.  The coil damage would not have affected his car's efficiency had he been able to keep the engine going.  Instead, he was in the pit for five minutes and staggered home fifth.

Ruby's bad luck continued, and in California he had to take a seat with the rest of the onlookers with valve headaches.

But this is merely a snapshot of history, by 1981 the Ontario Motor Speedway would be closed, with the Unsers claiming the lion's share of glory. Big Al won twice, with Bobby winning three times, including '79 . . . and the last race in '80. But, Jim McElreath had written his name into the history books.