Eldon Rasmussen
Encyclopedia
Eldon Rasmussen is a former driver in the USAC
Championship Car series. He raced in the 1971 and 1973-1979 seasons, with 23 career starts, including the 1975, 1977, and 1979 Indianapolis 500
. His Indy career was unremarkable except for a single moment on lap 125 of the 1975 race: Tom Sneva, attempting to lap Rasmussen, ran over his left front wheel and was launched into the Turn 2 wall, exploding and disintegrating before tumbling to a stop. The spectacular nature of the accident, and the fact that Sneva miraculously escaped serious injury, have led to its being constantly replayed on television and becoming one of the iconic images of the race. Rasmussen's image is therefore familiar to nearly every fan of the Indy 500, even though his name might not be.
In his Champcar career, Rasmussen finished in the top ten 3 times, with a best finish in 7th position in 1975 at Ontario. He built his own race chassis which he dubbed the "Rascar" which he campaigned with limited success from 1973 to 1979. In all 3 of his Indy starts, Rasmussen qualified his Rascar on the last row.
Eldon Rasmussen has been a fabricator of race parts in Indianapolis for years and was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame
.
United States Automobile Club
The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...
Championship Car series. He raced in the 1971 and 1973-1979 seasons, with 23 career starts, including the 1975, 1977, and 1979 Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
. His Indy career was unremarkable except for a single moment on lap 125 of the 1975 race: Tom Sneva, attempting to lap Rasmussen, ran over his left front wheel and was launched into the Turn 2 wall, exploding and disintegrating before tumbling to a stop. The spectacular nature of the accident, and the fact that Sneva miraculously escaped serious injury, have led to its being constantly replayed on television and becoming one of the iconic images of the race. Rasmussen's image is therefore familiar to nearly every fan of the Indy 500, even though his name might not be.
In his Champcar career, Rasmussen finished in the top ten 3 times, with a best finish in 7th position in 1975 at Ontario. He built his own race chassis which he dubbed the "Rascar" which he campaigned with limited success from 1973 to 1979. In all 3 of his Indy starts, Rasmussen qualified his Rascar on the last row.
Eldon Rasmussen has been a fabricator of race parts in Indianapolis for years and was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame
Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame
The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame was founded in 1993 by Lee Abrahamson and Gary Magwood assisted by Len Coates to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of the Canadian motorsport community....
.
Indy 500 results
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 1974 Indianapolis 500 The 58th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26, 1974. Johnny Rutherford, in his eleventh attempt, won the race from the 25th starting position, the farthest back since Fred Frame in 1932.... |
Rascar | Foyt | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1975 1975 Indianapolis 500 The 1975 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 25, 1975.Wally Dallenbach Sr. had a twenty-second lead when he retired on lap 162 with a burned piston. Johnny Rutherford lost the inherited lead to Bobby Unser when he pitted. On lap 171 the yellow came out for rain and the two... |
Rascar | Foyt | 32nd | 24th |
| 1976 1976 Indianapolis 500 The 1976 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 30, 1976.Rain stopped the race on lap 102. Two hours later, the race was about to be restarted, but the rain fell again. Officials called the race at that point and Johnny Rutherford was declared the winner... |
Rascar | Foyt | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1977 1977 Indianapolis 500 The 1977 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 29, 1977.Gordon Johncock led 129 laps and had a 16 second lead on A.J. Foyt one lap after final pit stops when his crankshaft broke. Foyt became the first driver to win four times. Tom Sneva broke the barrier in qualifying, and... |
Rascar | Foyt | 32nd | 13th |
| 1978 1978 Indianapolis 500 The 1978 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 28, 1978. For the first time, Mary Fendrich Hulman, widow of Tony Hulman, delivered the command for drivers to start engines.... |
Rascar | Foyt | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1979 1979 Indianapolis 500 The 1979 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 27, 1979.The month was filled with controversy on and off the track. A court injunction was issued after USAC denied entries by the start-up CART series. During time trials, several cars were disqualified due to illegal wastegate... |
Antares | Offy | 33rd | 23rd |