Gordon Johncock, a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, has died at 90

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Gordon Johncock, a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, has died at 90

2026-09-29 10:50 Last Updated At：11:01

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Gordon Johncock, a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion and winner of 25 career IndyCar races, has died. He was 90.

Johncock died from natural causes Monday at his home in South Branch, Michigan, a spokesman for the family told The Associated Press.

Johncock competed in one of IndyCar's golden eras. He raced annually at The Brickyard against the likes of four-time winners A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser, three-time winners Bobby Unser and Johnny Rutherford and 1969 race winner Mario Andretti, among others.

And yet, with so many big personalities in the series then, Johncock managed to carve out his own niche with his smalltown roots and penchant for wearing flannel shirts and jeans. He won the 1976 USAC title in an IndyCar.

But he was best known for his Indy 500 wins. His first came in 1973, one of the race's most tragic months. His second came in 1982 when he outdueled Mears to the finish line for what was then the closest winning margin in race history at 0.16 seconds. It's still the seventh-closest.

“By far the biggest thrill of my racing career was winning Indianapolis in 1982," Johncock once said. “The way it happened, the competition, so many near wins after 1973 and it all came together and the car lasted in 1982. Plus, I’ve got amazing respect for Rick Mears — one of the very best. He was never my teammate, but I think we could have been good ones.”

The month of May in 1973 was marred by rain, which forced the race to be run over three days and shortened to 133 of 200 laps; two horrific crashes that resulted in the deaths of drivers Art Pollard and Swede Savage, Johncock's teammate with Patrick Racing who was severely injured in the race. Savage was pronounced dead in early July.

A pit crew member for Patrick Racing also died after being hit by a fire truck responding to Savage's crash, And driver David “Salt” Walther suffered severe burns when his car burst into flames as it hit the catch fence in the front straightaway as the race began, injuring nearly a dozen fans.

Yet Johncock, who started 11th, overcame the chaos and was one of just two cars on the lead lap when more rain forced the race to be stopped.

“I didn’t feel that race was given to us,” Johncock once told Autoweek. “If we had only led one or two laps and happened to be settin’ there when they stopped it and won it that way, then I guess you wouldn’t have earned it very well."

Johncock started driving the family's John Deere tractor in Hastings, Michigan, when he was 5 years old. He joined the IndyCar Series in 1964 and finished fifth in the 500 as a rookie in 1965. Johncock wound up competing in the 500 24 times, tied for fifth-most. He made three starts on the front row, nine times on the second row and completed 7,895 miles while leading a total of 339 laps. He finished third in the 500 in 1976 and 1978, and had two fourth place finishes.

From 1964-92, Johncock made 262 career IndyCar starts and retired twice.

In 1967, joining A.J. Foyt as the sport’s only owner/driver, and he was one of the last living drivers to have competed in both the front and rear-engine IndyCar eras. And like drivers from that generation, he also competed in NASCAR — making 21 starts, including three at the Daytona 500 where he finished fifth in 1973.

Johncock was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1997 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1999.

Away from the track, Johncock loved farming and the forestry business — which explained his clothing choice and why people referred to his fashion choices as “Johncock casual.”

He is survived by his wife, Sue; three daughters, two sons, two stepdaughters, 12 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

Turnovers, penalties and poor decisions costly in Eagles' 27-7 loss to Bears

CHICAGO (AP) — Turnovers, penalties and poor decisions were costly in Philadelphia’s 27-7 loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday night. The Eagles also were hurt by circumstances out of their control when quarterback Jalen Hurts was in concussion protocol.

First, a look at what was in their control.

Hurts threw an interception, backup Andy Dalton tossed an end-zone pick when Hurts was being evaluated, and the Eagles lost a fumble while forcing zero turnovers.

“You can’t sustain wins,” coach Nick Sirianni said of losing the turnover battle. “Obviously have to make a change there.”

Then there were the penalties. Philadelphia was whistled 10 times for 61 yards, several of which were holds against the secondary. Add in some questionable decisions, including Sirianni electing not to go for it on fourth-and-1 on his own 49-yard line down 20-7 with 3:30 left in the third quarter and Dalton firing into the hands of Bears safety Dillon Thieneman on third-and-2 from the 2-yard line, and it was a recipe for defeat.

“I think we all have to own that loss right there,” Sirianni said. “I don’t think anybody coached well, I don’t think anybody played well. It was a true team loss.”

A turning point for Philadelphia came with 8:37 remaining in the second quarter of a seven-point game when D’Marco Jackson decked Hurts with a hard hit just as the quarterback was stepping out of bounds after a scramble.

Jackson was flagged for unnecessary roughness while Hurts was flagged for a possible concussion by NFL spotters. Beginning at Chicago’s 15-yard line, Dalton took over. After three running plays, he threw an interception while an animated Hurts came out of the medical tent, apparently ready to play but not quite cleared to do so.

“I was still waiting for the thumbs-up,” Hurts said. He added that he felt fine and wished things could have been expedited.

Sirianni understood the protocol and did not second guess officials’ decision to evaluate Hurts.

“The health of the player is the most important thing,” he said. “That was unfortunate how that possession played itself out.”

Sirianni also said that he considered calling a timeout to buy time in order to get Hurts back on the field but did not have enough information to know if it would be worth it to do so.

The Eagles (2-1) will have to clean things up if they want to contend for a title.

“This is an opportunity to learn from, and we have to choose to learn from it,” Hurts said.

On the field, not much. Off the field, accountability. Both Hurts and Sirianni accepted blame for their part in the loss. Sirianni said he was sorry for his verbal lashing out following the hit on Hurts.

Just about everything. The Eagles needed Hurts to rescue them in a Week 2 win over Tennessee with a stellar final drive, but it masked struggles that showed up again against the Bears.

The offense has been ineffective, with Hurts under constant pressure. He was sacked twice more against the Bears, bringing the total to eight sacks for minus-45 yards this season.

The running game had some bright spots in the first half but stalled after halftime. Defensively, the Eagles allowed backup Case Keenum to pick them apart for 247 yards and a pair of touchdowns. And, of course, the penalties and turnovers didn’t help.

Hurts running in short-yardage situations continues to be a weapon for Philadelphia’s offense, and Hurts executed it to perfection for the team’s only touchdown at the end of the first half. He expertly managed the clock on the play, choosing to go for it from the 1-yard line rather than clock the ball and got the snap off just before the first half expired.

Defense. Vic Fangio’s unit was expected to be a strength this season but has been average at best. The unit has surrendered more than 100 yards on the ground in each of the three games, allowing more than 127 yards per contest, while giving up an average of 23 points per game.

None

0-The number of turnovers forced by the Eagles defense in the first three games.

Host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

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