Johnny Rutherford

At 86 years old, Johnny Rutherford physical status not available right now. We will update Johnny Rutherford's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

John Sherman "Johnny" Rutherford III (born March 12, 1938), also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver.

He is one of ten drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 at least three times, winning in 1974, 1976, and 1980.Rutherford began racing modified stock cars in 1959 and he also dabbled in stock car racing, making 35 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series starts from 1963 to 1988.

Rutherford won in his first start, at Daytona International Speedway driving for Smokey Yunick.

This made him one of the youngest drivers ever to win in NASCAR history, in a full points-paying NASCAR race.

Personal life

Although "Lone Star JR" proudly displayed the flag of Texas on his racing helmet, Rutherford was actually born in Coffeyville, Kansas and moved to Texas at a young age.

Johnny met Betty Hoyer, a nurse, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1963 when he was taking his rookie test. They married two months later and were a highly visible and inseparable couple throughout Johnny's racing career. His first Indy 500 win in 1974, with Betty looking on from the pits, helped to end the superstition in American racing against allowing women in the pit area.

Rutherford was the honorary chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in 2006.

Rutherford, who has been invited to The White House on behalf of Indy on multiple occasions, is considered a popular ambassador and spokesman for the sport of Indy car racing.

Source

Racing career

Rutherford's first automobiles in Dallas in 1959 were converted stock cars. In 1961, he joined the International Motor Contest Association's sprint car circuit, and was in charge of the majority of 1962. Rutherford debuted with the United States Auto Club (USAC) in the Hoosier Hundred and later won his first championship.

Rutherford dominated his qualifying heat race in the 1963 Daytona 500, becoming the youngest winner of a Duel as a championship event since the race was off the track in 1971 (though it has since been disregarded). He also got his first appearance in the Indianapolis 500 later this year. At the Atlanta 250, Rutherford's first Indy car race victory took place. In 1965, he was the champion of the USAC National Sprint Car Championships.

In 1963, Rutherford made his first appearance in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time. When Sachs plowed into Dave MacDonald's burning car, he was immediately behind him the following year. Rutherford miraculously pulled between the car and the wall, getting so close to Sachs' car that a lemon wrapped around his neck was discovered inside Rutherford's engine compartment.

Rutherford was involved in a big accident on April 3, 1966, at Eldora Speedway. His vehicle turned off the track, and he sustained broken arms, a broken finger, and a head injury. He was forced to miss out on the 1966 Indy 500 and the remainder of the season. He had trouble finding a competitive ride for the next two seasons. He boosted his profile by qualifying for the 1970 500, the first in the 1970s, and leading early on. When he joined the McLaren team in 1973, he was back in a top-flight ride.

Rutherford claimed pole position at the Indy 500 in 1973, 1976, and 1980. Rutherford set a one-lap time record of 199.071 mph in 1973, just shy of becoming the first driver to break the 200 mph barrier in Indianapolis. In 1973, his long-awaited second victory came at the Ontario Motor Speedway, and Indy 500 triumphs followed in 1974, 1976, and 1980. Rutherford set a new Indy car qualifying lap record of 215.189 mph in 1984. His victory in the 1986 Michigan 500, a record that hasn't faded, as well as making him the first driver to win a 500-mile race at four separate tracks (Ontario, Pocono, Michigan). Rutherford won for nine seasons in a row, making him one of only six drivers in Indy Car history.

Rutherford came from 'down under' to compete in Australia's most coveted motor sport, the Bathurst 1000 km (600 mi) touring car race at the Mount Panorama Circuit in October 1977. Rutherford rode a V8 powered Holden Torana for the team that had defeated the 1976 race, partnering Janet Guthrie (who earlier this year had been the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500) later this year. Rutherford qualified 26th out of 60 starters on a 6.172 km (3.835 mi) public road course on a mountainous road (Australian vehicles have the steering wheel on the right side of the car). During practice, he protested about his car because it was not as good as the teams lead car driven by 1976 champion Bob Morris and John Fitzpatrick (JR was 8.2 seconds slower). Morris got in the car, but it was not as fast as his own Torana, but it was still a slow car that was not responding, as a result of JR's lack of familiarity with the vehicle and track. JR got off to a slow start in the race (another new one was the standing start), but his campaign came to an end on lap 8 when he attempted to lap 1966 champion Bob Holden. Rutherford broke down into an earth bank at the top of The Peak, and the Torana and Escort made contact, and Rutherford fell into an earth bank. On the back of a tilt-tray truck, the bent Torana was taken back to the pits (with the race still going at full speed and cars passing the truck going along the 2 km long Conrod Straight at over 150 mph (241 km/h)). Before being reinstated, it was disqualified. Rutherford rode another 5 laps before finally retiring, but Guthrie did not get to drive.

Rutherford's NASCAR Winston Cup career spanned 35 years, from 1963 to 1988. He made his debut in his first appearance at Daytona International Speedway, winning for Smokey Yunick. The victory in a fully paid NASCAR race in his second 100-mile Daytona 500 qualifying round made him one of the youngest drivers to win in NASCAR history. (Before 1971, the qualifying races were strictly points-paying tournaments.) Rutherford rode twelve races in 1981, the most he ever competed in a single NASCAR season. Rutherford also participated in five national championships – 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1984, and 1984.

Post-racing career

It will be 1988 that Rutherford's 24th and final appearance in Indianapolis would have been announced. By this time, he was only part-time and was splitting time as a television analyst on NBC, ABC, CBS, and ESPN, as well as a radio analyst on Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. For the majority of that time, he was also the pace car for the CART Indycar series. In three attempts (1989, 1990, 1992), he was unable to find a ride in 1991 or 1993. Rutherford debuted on the IMS Radio Network in 1989 and became the driving analyst. He was never going to achieve his Indy debut, which was 25 years old.

Rutherford officially retired from racing during the month of May 1994. Rutherford took over As the Indy Racing League began in 1996, serving as both a pace car driver and coach, as an official. Rutherford also served as a racing consultant for Team Pennzoil.

Motorsports career results

(Bold) (Bold – Pole position was given by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led to the top of the chart. (Lote was a hero on this one.)

(Bold) (Bold – Pole position). (Most laps led) – What a beautiful sight.)

(key)

(key) (Key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Source

Awards

• Inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1996
• Inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1995
• Inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1996
• Inducted in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1987