Chapter three discusses Vollstedt’s rear-engined Indy car, which he built in 1963. With Len Sutton back as a driver, the rear-engined car was in fourth place halfway through the 1964 Indy 500 when the fuel pump housing broke and slowed the car to a 16th finish. Nevertheless, rear-engined cars would take over at Indy and other open wheel racing events, and Rolla’s car would help to make that revolution official. Other drivers who drove Vollstedt cars were Cale Yarborough, Billy Foster, George Follmer, Jimmy Clark, Larry Dickson, Tom Sneva, John Cannon, Gordon Johncock, Tom Bigelow, Denny Zimmerman, Emerson Fittipaldi and Bob Harkey. But it was Janet Guthrie who drove for Vollstedt from 1976 through 1978 that garnered the team the most notoriety. Dick Simon was the primary driver and helped Janet make her entry into the Indy 500. Simon was instrumental in many other ways and great at finding sponsors for the team. Janet was new to circle track racing and Simon’s tutoring made all the difference. Trouble with the car kept Guthrie out of the 1976 Indy 500, but the next year she qualified right in the middle of the pack. A broken part caused Guthrie to drop out of the 1977 race, but she had impressed the other drivers. In 1978, Guthrie drove a George Bignotti car and placed ninth overall and gave Vollstedt 10 percent of her purse for all that he had done for her in getting into the Indy 500 program. Rolla would continue to race at Indy through 1984, and also compete in England during a USAC tour in 1978. Vollstedt would continue to race his Offy powered cars through 1981, and was the last team owner to do so. From 1982 other V-8 engines like the Cosworth dominated the field and the storied Offy engines ceased to race at the 500.
|