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| {{InfoboxLost
| | #REDIRECT [[1971 USAC Championship Car Season (partially found footage of IndyCar races; 1971)]] |
| |title=<center>1971 Bobby Ball 150</center>
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| |image=1971bobbyball1501.jpg
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| |imagecaption=Billboard promoting the race.
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| |status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
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| }}
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| The '''''1971 Bobby Ball 150''''' was the final race of the 1971 USAC Championship Car Season. Occurring on 23rd October at the Phoenix International Raceway, the race would ultimately be won by A.J. Foyt in a Coyote-Ford, his first victory in two years.
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| ==Background==
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| The ''1971 Bobby Ball 150'' was the 22nd running of the event, with the annual race lasting 150 miles.<ref name="results">[https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/1971_Bobby_Ball_150/UO/ ''Racing-Reference'' detailing the qualifying and race results of the event.] Retrieved 3rd Jun '22</ref> It was one of two 1971 USAC Championship Car Season races to occur at Phoenix International Raceway, the other being the Jimmy Bryan 150,<ref name="calendar">[https://www.racing-reference.info/season-stats/1971/UO/ ''Racing-Reference'' detailing the 1971 USAC Championship Car Season schedule.] Retrieved 2nd Jun '22</ref> [[1971 Jimmy Bryan 150 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1971)|which occurred on 27th March and was won by Al Unser in a Colt-Ford]].<ref name="jimmy">[https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/1971_Jimmy_Bryan_150/UO/ ''Racing-Reference'' detailing the results of the 1971 Jimmy Bryan 150.] Retrieved 3rd Jun '22</ref> Named in memory of AAA driver Bobby Ball,<ref name="bobby">[http://www.midwestracingarchives.com/2019/01/the-bobby-ball-memorial.html ''Midwest Racing Archives'' detailing the origins of the Bobby Ball race.] Retrieved 3rd Jun '22</ref> the race has ties with Phoenix events like the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix, before Phoenix races were dropped from the IndyCar schedule after 2018 following low attendance.<ref>[https://eu.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2018/06/22/indycar-not-return-phoenix-2019/727625002/ ''IndyStar'' reporting on Phoenix races being dropped from the IndyCar schedule after 2018.] Retrieved 3rd Jun '22</ref>
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| Prior to the race, qualifying commenced with Bobby Unser winning the pole position with a speed of 134.932 mph.<ref name="results"/> Directly behind him was McLaren-Offenhauser's Mark Donohue, with A.J. Foyt lining up third out of 24 competitors.<ref name="results"/> Foyt was seeking is first USAC win in two years, as well as to climb to second in the Championship standings, with Colt-Ford's Joe Leonard having claimed the title a month prior.<ref name="nyt">[https://www.nytimes.com/1971/10/24/archives/foyt-wins-at-phoenix-and-takes-2d-place-in-usac-final-standing.html ''The New York Times'' reporting on Foyt winning the race.] Retrieved 3rd Jun '22</ref><ref name="standings">[https://www.racing-reference.info/standings/1971/UO/ ''Racing-Reference'' detailing the final standings of the 1971 USAC Championship Car Season.] Retrieved 3rd Jun '22</ref>
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| ==The Race==
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| With the starting order decided, the 1971 Bobby Ball 150 commenced on 23rd October.<ref name="results"/> Unser maintained his lead from the start, defending it for the first 26 laps.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="results"/> Nevertheless, Foyt, having passed Donohue on the opening lap, nearly made it through on lap 26 before ultimately seizing the first position a lap later.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="results"/> From there, he generally controlled proceedings.<ref name="nyt"/> After having led 64 laps, he made a pitstop, enabling Kuzma-Offenhauser's Roger McCluskey to take the lead.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="results"/> McCluskey would lose the lead six laps later to Brabham-Offenhauser's Billy Vukovich, Jr., the latter then dropping it to Mario Andretti in a McNamara-Ford on lap 100.<ref name="results"/><ref name="nyt"/>
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| Ultimately, none could withstand the pressure from Foyt, with him passing Andretti for the lead on 108 laps, in what turned out to be the final lead change of the event.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="results"/> He therefore led the remaining 43 laps to claim victory and $9,748 in prize money.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="results"/> It was Foyt's first USAC Championship win since 1969, and his first on a paved track since 1968.<ref name="nyt"/> It also confirmed he would finish runners-up for that year's Championship.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="standings"/> McCluskey took second, with Vukovich, Jr finishing third, a lap down from Foyt.<ref name="results"/>
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| ==Availability==
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| According to ''IndyCar on TV'', the race received live flag-to-flag coverage from ABC as part of its ''Wide World of Sports''.<ref>[https://sites.google.com/site/indycarontv/home/the-races/usac/1971/1971-bobby-ball-150 ''IndyCar on TV'' detailing the ABC broadcast of the race.] Retrieved 3rd Jun '22</ref> The broadcast has yet to resurface however, and no footage of the race is currently publicly available.
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| ==See Also==
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| *[[1962 Trenton 100 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1962)]]
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| *[[1962 Trenton 200 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1962)]]
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| *[[1963 Trenton 100 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1963)]]
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| *[[1963 Trenton 200 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1963)]]
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| *[[1964 Golden State 100 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1964)]]
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| *[[1964 Trenton 100 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1964)]]
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| *[[1965 Golden State 100 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1965)]]
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| *[[1965 Jimmy Bryan Memorial (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1965)]]
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| *[[1966 Jimmy Bryan Memorial (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1966)]]
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| *[[1966 Trenton 150 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1966)]]
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| *[[1967 Trenton 150 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1967)]]
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| *[[1968 Tony Bettenhausen 100 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1968)]]
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| *[[1968 Trenton 150 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1968)]]
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| *[[1969 Langhorne 150 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1969)]]
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| *[[1969 Rex Mays Classic (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1969)]]
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| *[[1969 Trenton 200 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1969)]]
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| *[[1970 Bobby Ball 150 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1970)]]
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| *[[1970 Jimmy Bryan 150 (partially lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1970)]]
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| *[[1970 Langhorne 150 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1970)]]
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| *[[1970 Rex Mays Classic (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1970)]]
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| *[[1970 Rocky Mountain 150 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1970)]]
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| *[[1970 Trenton 200 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1970)]]
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| *[[1971 Jimmy Bryan 150 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1971)]]
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| *[[1971 Michigan 200 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1971)]]
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| *[[1971 Rex Mays Classic (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1971)]]
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| *[[1972 Indianapolis 500 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1972)]]
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| *[[1972 Rex Mays Classic (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1972)]]
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| *[[1972 Tony Bettenhausen 200 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1972)]]
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| *[[1976 Indianapolis 500 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1981 Pocono 500 (lost televised footage of IndyCar race; 1981)]]
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| *[[Indianapolis 500 WFBM-TV Broadcasts (lost racing footage; 1949-1950)]]
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| *[[Indianapolis 500 MCA closed-circuit broadcasts (partially lost racing footage; 1964-1970)]]
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| ==References==
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| {{reflist}}
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| [[Category:Lost recordings of real incidents]]
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| [[Category:Lost TV]]
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| [[Category:Completely lost media]]
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