Gordon Walter Johncock (August 5, 1936 – September 28, 2026) was an American racing driver. He won the 1973 and 1982 Indianapolis 500 and was the 1976 USAC Championship Car champion.

Early years Johncock was born in Hastings, Michigan, where his parents farmed, on August 5, 1936. He quit school while still in his teens and began competing at small tracks.

Career Johncock initially began racing supermodifieds at Michigan tracks like the Old Hastings, Michigan Raceway, Capital City Speedway in Lansing, Michigan, the Grand Rapids Michigan Speedrome, and later at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan. In 1963, Johncock won the inaugural National Open sprint car race at Williams Grove Speedway. Johncock began his USAC and CART/IndyCar career in 1964 when he drove for Weinberger Racing. He ran four races in 1964, and then went full-time in 1965.

Johncock's first USAC victory was scored at the Milwaukee Mile in August 1965. In 1966, he went winless in nine starts out of 16 races, so he left Gerhardt Racing at the end of the year to form his own team, Johncock Racing. His primary sponsor became Gilmore Broadcasting and Johncock was the only other "owner-driver" in IndyCar with the other being A. J. Foyt.

Although Johncock's team won six races in a three-year period (1967-1969), things went downhill when Johncock lost the Gilmore sponsorship at the end of 1970. Between 1970 and 1973, Johncock went winless, his team shuttered operations, and Johncock found himself in bankruptcy court.

Johncock's winless drought came to an end when he joined the STP/Patrick Racing team ahead of the 1973 USAC season. At the 1973 Indianapolis 500, a major accident at the start involving Salt Walther, coupled with two days of rain, postponed the race until late Wednesday afternoon. When the race started up again on Wednesday, Johncock's teammate Swede Savage was severely injured in a fiery crash on lap 58. A moment later, Armando Teran, a pit crew member on the same STP/Patrick team, was struck by a fire truck going northbound in the pits, and was fatally injured.

When the race resumed, Johncock took the lead on lap 73 and held it until rain fell again on the 133rd lap. Nearing 6 p.m., the race was red flagged and declared over. After a short and muted victory lane celebration, Johncock went to visit Savage at the hospital. Afterward, the celebratory victory banquet was cancelled. Instead, Johncock and his crew went to a local fast-food restaurant for hamburgers. Thirty three days after the race, Savage succumbed to his injuries.

He won the USAC national championship in 1976, snatching the title from Johnny Rutherford, in the final race of the season, at Phoenix International Raceway. In 1976 and 1978 he finished third in the Indianapolis 500, and in 1977 he was leading A. J. Foyt when the car's crankshaft broke with sixteen laps to go. In 1979, he won the inaugural race contested under CART sanction, the Arizona Republic / Jimmy Bryan 150 at Phoenix.

Johncock took his second Indianapolis 500 victory in 1982 by a car length over Rick Mears. After falling behind on the final sequence of pit stops, Mears was rapidly closing in on Johncock in the final laps, and on the 197th and 198th laps, came from 3 seconds back to be within a car length. Johncock's tires were rapidly deteriorating, and with each turn, the car understeered severely.

Mears caught Johncock at the start of the final lap and tried to pass him for the win, but Johncock made a decisive defense of his position in Turn One and held on to win the race by 0.16 seconds. At the time, it was the closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history and remains the fifth-closest behind the 2026, 1992, 2014, and 2006 races. Mears would later joke about watching the race over and over "to see if this time I get around Gordy." Johncock, years later during a live interview on ABC, offered that if the dramatic duel had occurred two or three years later—when Mears had additional experience—the Californian would probably have pulled off the winning pass.

Johncock took another three Indycar races, including the 1982 Michigan 500 to complete two legs of what was then known as the Triple Crown (Indianapolis, Michigan, and Pocono).

Johncock's last Indycar win was in the opening round of the 1983 CART PPG Indy Car World Series at the Atlanta Motor Speedway driving a Cosworth powered Patrick Wildcat. Johncock, who started third on the grid, won the 200 mile, 132 lap race running an average of 146.133 mph from the Penske-Cosworth of Al Unser and John Paul Jr. in a 1982 model Penske-Cosworth. Later in the 1983 season, Johncock suffered a broken left leg and broken right ankle in an accident while competing at Michigan International Speedway, which sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

He retired from full-time racing in 1985, but returned for occasional appearances in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991. His final race start was the 1992 Indianapolis 500, after which he retired for good.

Johncock competed in 21 NASCAR Winston Cup Series events in his career. He earned three top-fives and four top-tens in his limited schedule. The best of those finishes were a pair of fourths in 1973 at Daytona and in 1966 at Rockingham.

First retirement Johncock abruptly retired from IndyCar racing during the first week of practice for the 1985 Indianapolis 500. He served on the IMS Radio Network in 1985, but decided to return to racing in 1986. He planned to enter the 1986 Indianapolis 500, but his funding fell through. He ended up sitting out the race. He attempted another return in 1987. During the first week of time trials, Jim Crawford suffered serious injuries to his feet. Johncock was hired to drive in place of Crawford and qualified for the race.

Second retirement

Johncock completed a sixth-place finish in the 1991 Indianapolis 500, despite having flu-like symptoms the morning of the race. His final race was the 1992 Indianapolis 500, where he dropped out of the race with engine failure.

After his retirement, Johncock distanced himself from motorsports, and instead focused on his timber business in Michigan. He participated in a 2004 interview on ESPN Classic's "Big Ticket" review of the 1982 Indy 500.

In the interview, he admitted that his interest in racing was now limited, and was no longer his daily focus. In discussing the 1973 race, Johncock appeared to have made peace with the circumstances of the miserable memories that were associated with the rain-shortened race, while insisting that his car was undoubtedly the fastest on the track, led easily, but unfortunately was not in front at the time the red flag appeared.

He chose not to attend the 2011 Indianapolis 500, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first race, despite the fact that all living former participants, and particularly living former winners, were invited. A year later, Speedway officials again invited him to attend the 2012 Indianapolis 500, and this time he did return to the Speedway and participated in the pre-race festivities.

During the lead up to the 2023 Indianapolis 500, officials from Borg-Warner invited Johncock back to Indianapolis in celebration of the 50th anniversary of his 1973 win. Johncock and his extended family took a ceremonial lap around the Speedway in a tour bus. After stopping off for pictures at the Yard of Bricks, Johncock got into the driver's seat of the bus and took his family for an impromptu second, and final lap around the track.

Personal life and death Johncock married multiple times, with two failed marriages already by 1982. His longest marriage was to Suzanne Johncock, to whom he was married from 1990 until his death. Johncock had five children, all from his first marriage.

After his permanent retirement from motorsport, Johncock opened a sawmill, and actively worked well into his 80s. Johncock remarked that the work kept him active. Johncock distanced himself from motorsport after his retirement, stating "I have no interest in going back. That was my job years ago. Now, I have a different job. To me, racing was a job".

Johncock died at his home in South Branch, Michigan, on September 28, 2026, at the age of 90.

Awards Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame, 1985 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame, 1997 International Motorsports Hall of Fame, 1999 Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2000 Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, 2002 United States Auto Club Hall of Fame, 2025

Motorsports career results

American open-wheel racing (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

USAC Championship Car USAC Championship Car results Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Pts 1964 Frank Curtis Curtis 64 FE Offenhauser PHX TRE INDY MIL LAN TREWth 40th 60 Weinberger & Welseck Enterprises Blum 62 D ISF18 MIL21 DSFDNQ INF14 TRE SAC PHX10 1965 Weinberger & Welseck Enterprises Watson 62 FE Offenhauser PHX17 INDY5 MIL7 LAN10 PPR IRP8 ATL6 LAN3 MIL15 5th 1540 Blum 62 D TRE8 ISF11 DSF10 INFDNQ Pete Salemi Gerhardt 65 TRE23 Weinberger & Welseck Enterprises MIL1 TRE14 SAC PHX21 1966 Weinberger & Welseck Enterprises Gerhardt 65 Offy 252 ci PHX9 TRE2 3rd 2050 Gerhardt 66 Ford 255 ci V8 INDY4 LAN19 ATL3 PPR IRP5 LAN2 ISF MIL2 DSF INF TRE12 SAC PHXDNS Offy 252 ci MILDNS 1967 Johncock Racing Team Gerhardt 67 Ford 255 ci V8 PHX3 TRE20 INDY12 MIL1 LAN4 PPR MOS3 MOS3 IRP6 LAN2 MTR7 MTR4 ISF MIL4 DSF INF TRE2 SAC HAN1 RSD26 4th 2700 Offy 159 ci t PHX4 1968 Johncock Racing Team Gerhardt 66 Offy 159 ci t HAN1 TRE4 12th 1257 Gerhardt 67 Ford 255 ci V8 LVS7 PHX18 Gerhardt 68 Offy 159 ci t INDY27 MIL12 LAN1 PPR LAN21 LAN MCHDNS PHX7 Eagle 68 Ford 255 ci V8 MOS13 MOS CDR25 NAZ MTR15 MTR ISF RSD11 Gerhardt 68 IRP5 IRP16 Eagle 68 Offy 159 ci t MIL15 DSF INF TRE19 SAC HANDNS 1969 Johncock Racing Team Gerhardt 67 Offy 159 ci t PHX10 HAN3 5th 2070 Gerhardt 68 INDY19 MIL8 TRE4 MIL19 ISF DOV2 DSF INF TRE6 SAC SIR SIR Eagle 68 LAN20 PPR PHX10 Ford 255 ci V8 CDR1 NAZ BRN1 BRN2 Gerhardt 68 IRP10 IRP14 Chevrolet 320 ci V8 RSD9 1970 Johncock Racing Team Gerhardt 68 Offy 159 ci t PHX18 TRE15 INDY28 7th 1160 Eagle 68 Ford 255 ci V8 SON4 CDR7 IRP3 ISF MIL McLaren M15A Offy 159 ci t MIL12 LAN10 MCH12 ONT4 DSF INF SED TREDNQ SAC PHX 1971 Vollstedt Enterprises Vollstedt 67 Ford 159ci V8t RAF9 RAF10 PHX8 TRE15 MIL10 27th 225 McLaren M15A Offy 159 ci t INDY29 POC20 MCH23 MIL25 Team McLaren McLaren M16A ONT27 TRE PHX 1972 Team McLaren McLaren M16A Offy 159 ci t PHX TRE3 21st 360 McLaren M16B INDY20 MIL MCH9 POC22 ONT13 TRE20 PHX Roger Penske Enterprises MIL22 1973 Patrick Racing Eagle 72 Offy 159 ci t TWS23 TRE2 TRE21 INDY1 MIL18 POC14 7th 2240 Eagle 73 MCH9 MIL17 ONT5 ONT ONT32 MCH17 MCH TRE1 TWS7 PHX1 1974 Patrick Racing Eagle 74 Offy 159 ci t ONT14 ONT ONT26 PHX4 TRE2 POC3 MCH3 MIL1 MCH14 TRE11 TRE2 PHX1 3rd 3050 Eagle 73 INDY4 MIL16 1975 Patrick Racing Wildcat Mk 1 DGS 158 ci t ONT5 ONT ONT15 INDY31 MIL14 POC20 MCH11 MIL2 MCH6 TRE1 PHX23 10th 1280 Eagle 74 Offy 159 ci t PHX2 TRE10 1976 Patrick Racing Wildcat Mk 2 DGS 158 ci t PHX3 TRE2 INDY3 POC27 MCH1 TWS5 ONT3 MCH2 TWS2 PHX2 1st 4240 Wildcat Mk 1 MIL2 TRE1 MIL2 1977 Patrick Racing Wildcat Mk 2 DGS 158 ci t ONT5 PHX12 TWS9 TRE2 INDY11 MIL12 POC3 MCH2 TWS2 ONT11 MCH1 PHX1 5th 2830 Wildcat Mk 3 MOS18 MIL10 1978 Patrick Racing Wildcat Mk 2 DGS 158 ci t PHX1 ONT19 TWS3 TRE1 INDY3 MIL22 POC14 MCH19 ATL7 TWS7 MIL3 ONT3 MCH3 TRE14 PHX3 3rd 3548 Wildcat Mk 4 Drake DT 160 V8 MOSDNS Wildcat Mk 3 DGS 158 ci t SIL4 BRH11 1979 Patrick Racing Penske PC-6 Cosworth DFX V8t ONT TWS INDY6 MIL POC TWS MIL NC 0 1980 Patrick Racing Wildcat Mk 6 Cosworth DFX V8t ONT3 4th 1330 Penske PC-6 INDY4 Phoenix 80 MIL3 POCDNS MDO2 1981-82 Patrick Racing Wildcat MK8 Cosworth DFX V8t INDY9 POC ISF DSF INF 5th 1000 Wildcat 8B INDY1 1982-83 Patrick Racing Wildcat IX Cosworth DFX V8t ISF DSF NAZ INDY14 22nd 25 1983-84 Patrick Racing March 84C Cosworth DFX V8t DSF INDY25 29th 10