The 1972 Indianapolis 500 was the 56th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. The event was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, United States on Saturday, 27 May 1972. Bobby Unser started on pole position and Mark Donohue was the race winner.
1972 Indianapolis 500 Race Result
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Tire | Started | Laps | Total Time | Laps Led | Status | Avg. Speed | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 66 | Mark Donohue | McLaren | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 3 | 200 | 3:04:05.54 | 13 | Running | 162.962 | $218,763 |
| 2 | 4 | Al Unser | Parnelli | Offenhauser | Firestone | 19 | 200 | +3:10.55 | 0 | Running | 160.192 | $95,258 |
| 3 | 1 | Joe Leonard | Parnelli | Offenhauser | Firestone | 6 | 200 | 0 | Running | 159.327 | $58,793 | |
| 4 | 52 | Sam Sessions | Lola | Ford | Firestone | 24 | 200 | 0 | Running | 158.411 | $39,583 | |
| 5 | 34 | Sam Posey | Eagle | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 7 | 198 | 0 | Running | $37,411 | ||
| 6 | 5 | Lloyd Ruby | Atlanta | Foyt | Firestone | 11 | 196 | 0 | Running | $29,557 | ||
| 7 | 60 | Mike Hiss | Eagle | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 25 | 196 | 0 | Running | $30,814 | ||
| 8 | 9 | Mario Andretti | Parnelli | Offenhauser | Firestone | 5 | 194 | 0 | Out of fuel | $24,822 | ||
| 9 | 11 | Jimmy Caruthers | Scorpion | Foyt | Firestone | 31 | 194 | 0 | Running | $23,094 | ||
| 10 | 21 | Cale Yarborough | Atlanta | Foyt | Firestone | 32 | 193 | 0 | Running | $22,133 | ||
| 11 | 84 | George Snider | Coyote | Foyt | Goodyear | 21 | 190 | 0 | Running | $23,080 | ||
| 12 | 48 | Jerry Grant | Eagle | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 15 | 188 | 16 | Penalty | $24,156 | ||
| 13 | 44 | Dick Simon | Lola | Foyt | Goodyear | 23 | 186 | 0 | Out of fuel | $19,759 | ||
| 14 | 7 | Gary Bettenhausen | McLaren | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 4 | 182 | 138 | Ignition | $41,284 | ||
| 15 | 40 | Wally Dallenbach | Lola | Foyt | Firestone | 33 | 182 | 0 | Running | $19,645 | ||
| 16 | 89 | John Martin | Brabham | Offenhauser | Firestone | 14 | 161 | 0 | Fuel leak | $18,084 | ||
| 17 | 37 | Lee Kunzman | Gerhardt | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 30 | 131 | 0 | Lost tire | $17,901 | ||
| 18 | 23 | Mel Kenyon | Coyote | Ford | Goodyear | 12 | 126 | 0 | Fuel injection | $17,146 | ||
| 19 | 17 | Denny Zimmerman | McLaren | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 28 | 116 | 0 | Ignition rotor | $17,320 | ||
| 20 | 24 | Gordon Johncock | McLaren | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 26 | 113 | 0 | Exhaust valve | $17,823 | ||
| 21 | 15 | Steve Krisiloff | Kingfish | Offenhauser | Firestone | 10 | 102 | 0 | Ignition rotor | $15,954 | ||
| 22 | 31 | John Mahler | McLaren | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 29 | 99 | 0 | Piston | $16,013 | ||
| 23 | 56 | Jim Hurtubise | Coyote | Foyt | Firestone | 13 | 94 | 0 | Penalty | $15,350 | ||
| 24 | 14 | Roger McCluskey | Antares | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 20 | 92 | 0 | Valve | $15,016 | ||
| 25 | 2 | A.J. Foyt | Coyote | Foyt | Goodyear | 17 | 60 | 0 | Turbocharger | $15,611 | ||
| 26 | 98 | Mike Mosley | Eagle | Offenhauser | Firestone | 16 | 56 | 3 | Accident | $15,984 | ||
| 27 | 18 | Johnny Rutherford | Brabham | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 8 | 55 | 0 | Rod | $14,535 | ||
| 28 | 3 | Bill Vukovich II | Eagle | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 18 | 54 | 0 | Rear end | $14,364 | ||
| 29 | 95 | Carl Williams | Eagle | Offenhauser | Firestone | 22 | 52 | 0 | Oil cooler | $14,022 | ||
| 30 | 6 | Bobby Unser | Eagle | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 1 | 31 | 30 | Ignition rotor | $30,830 | ||
| 31 | 12 | Peter Revson | McLaren | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 2 | 23 | 0 | Gearbox | $15,924 | ||
| 32 | 42 | Swede Savage | Eagle | Offenhauser | Goodyear | 9 | 5 | 0 | Rod | $13,767 | ||
| 33 | 33 | Salt Walther | P.J. Colt | Foyt | Firestone | 27 | 0 | 0 | Magneto | $14,538 |