Bill Puterbaugh (June 6, 1936 – October 9, 2017) was an American racing driver in the USAC Championship Car series. He raced in the 1967-1971, the 1975–1977, and the 1979 seasons, with 31 career starts, including the 1975-1977 Indianapolis 500.[1] He finished in the top ten 11 times, with his best finish in 6th position in 1968 at Springfield and in 1969 at Sacramento. His 7th-place finish in the 1975 Indianapolis 500 earned him Rookie of the Year.[2][3]
Puterbaugh died at home surrounded by his loving family in Brownsburg, IN on October 9, 2017 at the age of 81.[4]
USAC Championship Car season
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | Rank | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | PHX | TRE | INDY | MIL | LAN | PIP | MOS | MOS | IRP | LAN | MTR | MTR | SPR DNQ | MIL | DQS 13 | ISF 15 | TRE | SAC 15 | HAN | PHX | RIV | - | 0 | |||||||
| 1968 | HAN | LVG | PHX | TRE | INDY DNQ | MIL 17 | MOS | MOS | LAN 8 | PIP | CDR | NAZ 9 | IRP | IRP | LAN 12 | LAN 9 | MTR | MTR | SPR 6 | MIL | DQS 11 | ISF | TRE | SAC | MIC | HAN | PHX | RIV | 29th | 265 |
| 1969 | PHX | HAN | INDY | MIL | LAN | PIP | CDR | NAZ | TRE | IRP | IRP | MIL | SPR 9 | DIS | DQS 15 | ISF 16 | BRN | BRN | TRE 16 | SAC 6 | KEN | KEN | PHX 16 | RIV | 37th | 120 | ||||
| 1970 | PHX | SON | TRE | INDY DNQ | MIL | LAN | CDR | MIC | IRP | SPR DNS | MIL | ONT DNQ | DQS DNQ | ISF | SED 16 | TRE 17 | SAC DNP | PHX | - | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1971 | RAF | RAF | PHX | TRE | INDY DNQ | MIL | POC 14 | MIC DNQ | MIL 13 | ONT | TRE 19 | PHX | - | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1972 | PHX | TRE | INDY DNQ | MIL | MIC | POC | MIL | ONT | TRE | PHX | - | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1973 | TXS | TRE | TRE | INDY DNQ | MIL | POC | MIC | MIL | ONT | ONT | ONT | MIC | MIC | TRE | TXS | PHX | - | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1974 | ONT | ONT | ONT | PHX | TRE | INDY DNQ | MIL | POC | MIC | MIL | MIC | TRE | TRE | PHX | - | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 1975 | ONT | ONT | ONT | PHX | TRE | INDY 7 | MIL | POC 9 | MIC | MIL | MIC | TRE | PHX 9 | 16th | 560 | |||||||||||||||
| 1976 | PHX | TRE | INDY 22 | MIL | POC DNQ | MIC | TXS | TRE | MIL | ONT 7 | MIC | TXS | PHX 8 | 17th | 375 | |||||||||||||||
| 1977 | ONT | PHX | TXS | TRE | INDY 12 | MIL | POC | MOS | MIC | TXS | MIL | ONT | MIC | PHX | 39th | 50 | ||||||||||||||
| 1979 | ONT | TXS | INDY DNQ | MIL 19 | POC | TXS | MIL 13 | 30th | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980 | ONT | INDY DNQ | MIL | POC | MDO | - | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981-82 | INDY | POC | SPR | DQS DNS | ISF DNQ | INDY | - | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982-83 | SPR | DQS | NAZ | INDY DNP | - | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983-84 | DQS | INDY DNP | - | 0 |
Indianapolis 500 results
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Gerhardt | Ford | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1970 | Watson | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1971 | Gerhardt | Offy | Practice Crash | |
| 1972 | Curtis | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1973 | Coyote | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1974 | Lola | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1975 | Eagle | Offy | 15th | 7th |
| 1976 | Eagle | Offy | 18th | 22nd |
| 1977 | Eagle | Offy | 28th | 12th |
| 1979 | Cicada | Offy | Failed to Qualify |
References
- ^ "Indy 500 Career Stats – Bill Puterbaugh". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ^ Davidson, Donald (May 10, 2012). "Puterbaugh has never stopped showing persistence, loyalty". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ "Puterbaugh Top Rookie At Indy". Lakeland Ledger. Associated Press. 1975-05-27. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ^ Family member
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Pancho Carter | Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year 1975 | Succeeded by Vern Schuppan |