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| {{InfoboxLost
| | #REDIRECT [[1977 USAC Championship Car Season (lost footage of IndyCar races; 1977)]] |
| |title=<center>1977 Rex Mays Classic</center>
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| |image=1977rexmaysclassic1.jpg
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| |imagecaption=Program for the race.
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| |status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
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| }}
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| The '''''1977 Rex Mays Classic''''' was the sixth race of the 1977 USAC Championship Car Season. Occurring on 12th June at the Milwaukee Mile, the race would ultimately be won by Johnny Rutherford in a McLaren-Cosworth, after having led 102 of the 150 laps. However, the race was also known for Wildcat-DGS' Gordon Johncock's crash, which required him to be hospitalised.
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| ==Background==
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| The ''1977 Rex Mays Classic'' was the 28th running of the race, with the annual event lasting 150 miles.<ref name="results">[https://racing-reference.info/race-results/1977_Rex_Mays_Classic/UO/ ''Racing-Reference'' detailing the qualifying and race results of the event.] Retrieved 25th Jun '22</ref> It was one of two 1977 USAC Championship Car Season races to be held at Milwaukee Mile,<ref>[https://racing-reference.info/season-stats/1977/UO/ ''Racing-Reference'' detailing the 1977 USAC Championship Car Season schedule.] Retrieved 25th Jun '22</ref> the other being the Tony Bettenhausen 200, which occurred on 21st August and was won by Johnny Rutherford.<ref>[https://racing-reference.info/race-results/1977_Tony_Bettenhausen_200/UO/ ''Racing-Reference'' detailing the results of the 1977 Tony Bettenhausen 200.] Retrieved 25th Jun '22</ref> The event, which was held in honour of Rex Mays, a two-time AAA champion who saved fellow racer Duke Dinsmore's life during the 1948 Milwaukee 100,<ref>[https://mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/rex-mays.html ''Motorsports Hall of Fame'' detailing how the race was renamed in honour of Rex Mays.] Retrieved 25th Jun '22</ref> would commence on an annual basis until it was renamed from 1988 onwards.<ref>[https://racedepartment.com/downloads/milwaukee-mile_rex-mays-classic-150.27745/ ''Race Department'' noting the Rex May Classic name lasted from 1950 to 1987.] Retrieved 25th Jun '22</ref>
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| Prior to the race, qualifying commenced with Bobby Unser winning the pole position in a Lightning-Offenhauser with a speed of 131.482 mph.<ref name="results"/> Directly behind him was Rutherford, with Gordon Johncock lining up third out of 20 competitors.<ref name="results"/>
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| ==The Race==
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| With the starting order decided, the 1977 Rex Mays Classic commenced on 12th June.<ref name="results"/> Unser maintained his lead from the start, holding it for 22 laps before being passed by Rutherford on lap 19.<ref name="results"/> Rutherford would then control proceedings, where with the exception of McLaren-Cosworth's Tom Sneva briefly taking the lead on lap 42 following Rutherford's pitstop during a caution, would be in front for the next 60 laps.<ref name="results"/> Meanwhile, Bobby Unser retired after 71 laps following a magneto failure.<ref name="results"/> Meanwhile, Mike Mosley in a Lightning-Offenhauser would move into the first position on lap 83 while the race was under another caution, and would remain in front when it resumed two laps later.<ref name="results"/> He would then drop the lead briefly to Johncock, regain it a lap later on lap 87, only to drop it back to Johncock on lap 89.<ref name="results"/>
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| Johncock then led the next 18 laps, before he was passed by Rutherford on lap 107.<ref name="results"/> After 120 laps, Johncock attempted to lap rookie Clark Templeman, who was driving an Eagle-Offenhauser.<ref name="nyt">[https://nytimes.com/1977/06/13/archives/johncock-is-seriously-injured-in-race-crash-at-milwaukee-klausler.html ''The New York Times'' reporting on Rutherford winning the race and Johncock's crash.] Retrieved 25th Jun '22</ref> However, disaster struck when they touched wheels, causing Johncock to end up sideways, go airborne, and hit a wall.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="results"/> According to Parnelli-Cosworth's Al Unser, the crash may have been caused by Templeman's inexperience, stating "It looked like Clark Templeman came up a little bit—didn't know where he was on the race track—just when Johncock was coming down for the (third) turn. All you have to do is touch wheels a little bit in that critical point and that's what happened. They just brushed wheels and that got Gordy sideways. He came back and went over, the front of him (Templeman), and got airborne."<ref name="nyt"/>
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| While Johncock's Wildcat suffered limited visual damage, a wheel had come off and collided with the driver's helmet, leaving a tyre mark on it.<ref name="nyt"/> He was taken to hospital with possible head and spinal injuries.<ref name="nyt"/> It appeared his injuries were less severe than suspected, as he would compete in the 1977 Schaefer 500 just two weeks later.<ref>[https://racing-reference.info/race-results/1977_Schaefer_500/UO/ ''Racing-Reference'' noting Johncock competed at the 1977 Schaefer 500 that occurred two weeks after the Rex Mays Classic.] Retrieved 25th Jun '22</ref> He also implicitly downplayed the accident in an 1984 interview, with him deeming his accident at a 1983 CART race in Michigan to be the first instance where he suffered serious injuries, him breaking both ankles at the event.<ref>[https://upi.com/Archives/1984/06/29/Auto-racing-is-a-form-of-entertainment-so-Gordon/3055457329600/ ''UPI'' where Johncock stated his 1983 crash at a Michigan event was the most serious of his career.] Retrieved 25th Jun '22</ref>
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| Following Johncock's crash, Rutherford's main rival would be Sneva.<ref name="nyt"/> Nevertheless, he was able to withstand the pressure for the lead for the remaining 44 laps to claim victory and $19,658 in prize money.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="results"/> Sneva finished around six seconds behind in second, with Unser taking third.<ref name="nyt"/><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 CBS.<ref>[https://sites.google.com/site/indycarontv/home/the-races/usac/1977/1977-rex-mays-classic ''IndyCar on TV'' detailing the CBS broadcast of the race.] Retrieved 25th 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 Bobby Ball 150 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1971)]]
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| *[[1971 Jimmy Bryan 150 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1971)]]
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| *[[1971 Marlboro 300 (lost 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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| *[[1971 Schaefer 500 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1971)]]
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| *[[1971 Trentonian 200 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1971)]]
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| *[[1972 Best Western Motels 150 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1972)]]
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| *[[1972 Indianapolis 500 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1972)]]
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| *[[1972 Phoenix 150 (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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| *[[1972 Trenton Times 300 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1972)]]
| |
| *[[1972 Trentonian 200 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1972)]]
| |
| *[[1973 Schaefer 500 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1973)]]
| |
| *[[1973 Texas 200 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1973)]]
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| *[[1974 Phoenix 150 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1974)]]
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| *[[1974 Schaefer 500 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1974)]]
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| *[[1974 Trentonian 200 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1974)]]
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| *[[1975 Bricklin 150 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1975)]]
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| *[[1975 Michigan 150 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1975)]]
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| *[[1975 Trentonian 200 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1975)]]
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| *[[1976 Indianapolis 500 (partially found footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1976 Jimmy Bryan 150 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1976)]]
| |
| *[[1976 Michigan 150 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1976)]]
| |
| *[[1976 Schaefer 500 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1976 Trenton Times Auto Classic (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1976 Trentonian 200 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1977 American Parts 200 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1977)]]
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| *[[1977 Jimmy Bryan 150 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1977)]]
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| *[[1977 Michigan Grand Prix (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1977)]]
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| *[[1977 Schaefer 500 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1977)]]
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| *[[1977 Texas Grand Prix (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1977)]]
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| *[[1977 Trentonian 200 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1977)]]
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| *[[1978 Coors 200 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1978)]]
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| *[[1978 Daily Express Indy Silverstone (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1978)]]
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| *[[1978 Daily Mail Indy Trophy (partially found CBS and BBC One footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1978)]]
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| *[[1978 Norton Twin 200 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1978)]]
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| *[[1979 Arizona Republic / Jimmy Bryan 150 (partially found footage of SCCA/CART IndyCar Series race; 1979)]]
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| *[[1979 California 500 (lost footage of SCCA/CART IndyCar Series race; existence unconfirmed; 1979)]]
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| *[[1979 Gould Grand Prix (lost footage of SCCA/CART IndyCar Series race; 1979)]]
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| *[[1980 Miller High Life 150 (partially found footage of CART PPG IndyCar World Series race; 1980)]]
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| *[[1980 Norton Twin 200 (lost footage of CART PPG IndyCar World Series race; 1980)]]
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| *[[1980 Primera Copa Mexico 150 (lost footage of CART PPG IndyCar World Series race; 1980)]]
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| *[[1980 Tony Bettenhausen 200 (lost footage of CART PPG IndyCar World Series race; 1980)]]
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| *[[1981 Kraco Car Stereo 150 (lost CART PPG IndyCar World Series race; 1981)]]
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| *[[1981 Pocono 500 (lost footage of USAC Championship Car Season race; 1981)]]
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| *[[1996 Las Vegas 500K (partially lost footage of IRL Season race; 1996)]]
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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 sports events]]
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| [[Category:Completely lost media]]
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