Jim Malloy qualified and finished second with it in the Rex Mays Classic at the Milwaukee Mile, then seventh at Langhorne with Rislone sponsorship. This car was turned over the veteran Bud Tingelstad who qualified 18th and was classified 15th when a Ford valve again let the team down on the 155th lap. Unser was fast, but broke his leg in a motorcycle accident while waiting for the weather to clear. It rained, and rained some more throughout the first week of qualifying. After Hanford on April 13 the show headed for Indianapolis for the month of May. In its first race at Phoenix, Al put the Vel’s Parnelli Jones Special on the pole but the Ford dropped a valve on lap 14 while in the lead. Recognizing the extent of the modifications, it was renamed the Vel’s Parnelli Jones Special. Bignotti and Dilamarter converted this car, wearing USAC #3 signifying Al Unser’s 1968 driving championship standing, to rear wheel drive with side-mounted fuel cells and the distinctive “coal chute” rear decks feeding air to rear-mounted oil coolers. USAC had reacted to the perceived advantages of 4-wheel drive by restricting them to just 10-inch tire widths, effectively robbing the promising but expensive technology of its advantage and not incidentally protecting the installed base of USAC car owners. The objective was not only to dominate USAC racing in North America but also to race competitively in international grands prix, carrying the Firestone banner into territory dominated by Goodyear.
#Johnny lightning driver
With backing from Ford and Firestone Vel Miletich and Parnelli Jones set up their own team, buying out Al Retzlaff and acquiring along with his Lola-Fords the services of legendary chief mechanic George Bignotti, his co-chief Jim Dilamarter and driver Al Unser. He followed up on these wins with another victory later in the season at Langhorne.Ī major development in 1969 was the foundation of the Vel’s Parnelli Jones Ford team. His victory came just a week after taking his first USAC Championship victory on the dirt at Nazareth. Unser proved his versatility by winning both ends of the two-heat feature.
After being repaired in England it returned in time for the USAC road course race at Indianapolis Raceway Park. In the 500 Unser qualified the 4WD Lola outside the second row in sixth position but crashed on lap 40 when a spindle broke. He bought a single four-wheel drive Lola with Ford V8 power for owner, Al Retzlaff, to be driven by Al Unser.
The advantages of four-wheel drive had been shown in 1967 and George Bignotti sought to profit from combining it with the Ford V8 in 1968.
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