Tom Sneva

Thomas E. Sneva (born June 1, 1948) is a retired American race car driver, the winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1983. He primarily raced in Indy cars, and was named to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2005.

Tom Sneva
Sneva in the 1980s
Nationality	American
Born	(1948-06-01) June 1, 1948 Spokane, Washington
Achievements	1977, 1978, 1982–83 USAC Championship Car champion 1983 Indianapolis 500 winner
Champ Car career
128 races run over 13 years
Years active	1979–1992
Best finish	2nd (1984)
First race	1979 Arizona Republic Jimmy/Bryan 150 (Phoenix)
Last race	1992 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
First win	1980 XM Satellite Radio Indy 200 (Phoenix)
Last win	1984 Caesars Palace Grand Prix (Caesars Palace)
Wins Podiums Poles 10 28 4
NASCAR Cup Series career
8 races run over 5 years
Best finish	53rd (1982)
First race	1977 NAPA National 500 (Charlotte)
Last race	1987 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 1 0

A former math teacher from Spokane, Washington, Sneva's win at Indianapolis followed several runner-up finishes and notable crashes. Nicknamed "The Gas Man,"[1] he was an outstanding qualifier, winning the pole position three times (1977, 1978, 1984). He was also the fastest qualifier on a fourth occasion in 1981, but because of qualifying rules did not start the race from the pole position.

Sneva won two consecutive USAC National Championships for Indy cars in 1977 and 1978.

Career

Born in Spokane, Sneva played football and basketball at Lewis and Clark High School and a year of college basketball at Eastern Washington State College in nearby Cheney.[2] After graduation from Eastern, he worked as a math teacher before racing full-time.[3] Sneva was the eldest of five brothers, all racers; the next oldest was Jerry, who also competed at Indy.

At Indianapolis in 1977, Sneva drove his famed Norton Spirit McLaren M24/Cosworth racer for car owner Roger Penske, and became the first driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 at a speed at 200 mph (321.9 km/h) or more. His one-lap track record on May 14 was 200.535 mph (322.7 km/h).[4][5]

Sneva won 2 races in 1977 and became the first driver in Team Penske history to win a championship. In 1978, Sneva did not win a race but with 5 second place finishes and 16 top fives, Sneva still won the championship. Despite this, Sneva was released by Penske after the 1978 season. Although it was speculated that his dismissal was for not winning to Penske's expectations, Penske later said in a 2009 Centennial Era interview that, in reality, Tom and him had disagreements on the direction of the team, and that was the reason for them parting ways.(30)

Sneva's March 84C at Laguna Seca in 1984

In 1984, Sneva became the first to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 over 210 mph (338.0 km/h) in his Texaco Star March 84C/Cosworth driving for the new Mayer Motor Racing team. His one and four lap track records on May 12 were 210.689 mph (339.1 km/h) and 210.029 mph (338.0 km/h).[6][7]

Sneva's career at the Indianapolis 500 was known for fast qualifying, second-place finishes, near misses and several crashes.[6] Three times (1977, 1978, 1980) Sneva ended up the bridesmaid by finishing second. Finally, Sneva broke through in dramatic fashion in 1983 after a thrilling late race duel with Penske driver Al Unser, Sr. and the lapped car of Unser's rookie son, Al Jr. It was Sneva's 1983 win in his Texaco Star March 83C/Cosworth for Bignotti-Cotter Racing that led to his nickname of "The Gas Man." That win was also famous for it being the last of George Bignotti's record seven Indianapolis 500 wins as a chief mechanic. For Sneva, the victory was sweet revenge, as he had been fired by Roger Penske in 1978 despite having won back-to-back USAC championships.

Sneva's second-place finish in 1980 is notable as it is one of only two occasions of such a finish by a driver starting last. It is also one of only three times the driver who started last (33rd) led laps during the race, a record matched by Alex Tagliani in 2016 and James Davison in 2017. Several other times Sneva was in contention for the win, but did not make it to the end of the race. In 1981, Sneva charged hard from his 20th starting position to lead early in the race, but his untested Blue Poly March 81-C/Cosworth was fragile and his clutch failed early on.

One year later, Sneva was in a duel with eventual winner Gordon Johncock and eventual runner-up Rick Mears when his engine in his Texaco Star March 82-C/Cosworth began losing power and eventually failed near the end of the race. In 1983, Sneva captured his first Indianapolis 500 win, engaging in a duel with Al Unser and his son in the final 20 laps. Al Unser Jr. was widely criticized after the race for trying to mess Sneva up to help his dad win, as well as having passed several cars under caution, and jumping the final restart, for which he received a two-lap penalty.

As defending champion in 1984, Sneva dueled with Mears only 32 laps from the finish, but his CV joint failed, enabling Mears to win. The 1985 race was a testament to Sneva's ability as he drove an ill-handling Skoal Bandit Eagle/Cosworth to second place before exiting in a crash with the lapped car of Rich Vogler. It was this series of near misses combined with second-place finishes and hard-charging qualifying and racing style that made Sneva a fan favorite at Indianapolis.

He suffered one of the most famous crashes at Indianapolis during the 1975 race, his second. After touching wheels with Eldon Rasmussen, 26-year-old Sneva flipped up into the catch fence and tore his car in half, but suffered mostly minor burns on 15% of his body in the fiery crash. He walked to the ambulance but was placed in the intensive care unit at Methodist Hospital, mainly for lung issues due to the fire retardant.[2][8] Describing the crash years later Sneva quipped, "In a situation like that it's important to talk to yourself: 'Faint, you coward, faint!'"

In 1986, he was warming up his car during the pace lap, but lost control and crashed before the race started. In 1987, Sneva crashed three cars, two in practice, and one during the race. He crashed during the Indianapolis 500 in 1975, 1979, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1992, a record for crashes during the race.

After Sneva's Indy victory in 1983, he never finished the race again. He dropped out of the race in 1984-1990, failed to qualify in 1991, and dropped out of the 1992 race as well. Some observers have attributed his decline in success to the switch to radial tires (the series transitioned to radials over a period from 1985–1987). His driving style was more apropos to bias ply tires.

Sneva showed his versatility by competing in eight NASCAR Winston Cup Series events in his career, spanning from 1977 to 1987. He earned one top-ten, a 7th in the 1983 Daytona 500.

Sneva's final start was the 1992 Indy 500. He arrived at Indy without a ride for 1993, and was unsuccessful in landing a car for the race. He retired with 13 career Indy car wins and 14 pole positions.

After Sneva retired from driving, he was a color commentator for ABC television network's Wide World of Sports program and called several Indy 500s. He is also heavily involved in the golf course business where he resides in Paradise Valley, Arizona.[9]

Personal

Sneva's father, Edsol ("Ed") was a local racer in the Spokane region.[10][11]

Sneva is the oldest of five brothers and one sister: Jerry, Jan, Blaine, Ed ("Babe") and Robin. He said the brothers were always racing something growing up.[10] Babe (1951–1976) succumbed to severe head injuries more than eighteen months after a race crash in British Columbia.[10][12][13][14][15]

Sneva was an ace in mathematics, and graduated from Eastern Washington State College in nearby Cheney with an education degree.[9] He became a math teacher in a school district outside of Spokane city limits, and drove the school bus.[3]

Motorsports career results

American open-wheel racing

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

USAC Championship Car

USAC Championship Car results
Year	Team	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Pos.	Pts
1970	Vollstedt Enterprises	Vollstedt 67	Ford 159ci V8t	PHX	SON	TRE	INDY	MIL	LAN	CDR	MCH	IRP	ISF	MIL	ONT	DSF	INF	SED	TRE	SAC	PHX DNQ	NA	-
1971	Larry Kramer	Vollstedt 65	Chevrolet 320 ci V8	RAF	RAF	PHX	TRE	INDY	MIL	POC	MCH	MIL	ONT	TRE 21	PHX DNQ							NC	0
1973	Tipke Racing	Tipke 73	Offy 159 ci t	TWS 26	TRE	TRE	INDY DNQ	MIL														31st	30
	Carl Gehlhausen	Kingfish 72							POC DNQ	MCH 21	MIL 14	ONT					TRE 19	TWS	PHX 14
	Leader Card Racers	Eagle 68											ONT 10	ONT 17	MCH	MCH
1974	Grant King Racers	Kingfish 73	Offy 159 ci t	ONT 13	ONT	ONT 12	PHX 15	TRE 11	INDY 20	MIL 14	POC 13	MCH 10	MIL 14	MCH 5	TRE 8	TRE 8	PHX 24					18th	550
1975	Penske Racing	McLaren M16C	Offy 159 ci t	ONT 9	ONT	ONT 6	PHX 7	TRE 6	INDY 22	MIL	POC 29	MCH 2	MIL 3	MCH 1	TRE 13	PHX 2						6th	1830
1976	Penske Racing	McLaren M16C	Offy 159 ci t	PHX 17	TRE 3	INDY 6	MIL 13	POC 7	MCH 6	TWS 16	TRE 3	MIL 13	ONT 26	MCH 5	TWS							8th	1570
	Bruce H. Crower	Eagle 72	Crower 160 ci F8													PHX DNS
1977	Penske Racing	McLaren M24	Cosworth DFX V8t	ONT 14	PHX 16	TWS 1	TRE 10	INDY 2	MIL 2	POC 1	MOS 3			MIL 18			PHX 17					1st	3965
		Penske PC-5										MCH 4	TWS 5		ONT 3	MCH 10
1978	Penske Racing	Penske PC-6	Cosworth DFX V8t	PHX 22	ONT 2	TWS 2	TRE 3	INDY 2	MOS 4	MIL 15	POC 3	MCH 2	ATL 8	TWS 5	MIL 15	ONT 23	MCH 2	TRE 3	SIL 3	BRH 2	PHX 16	1st	4153
1979	Jerry O'Connell Racing	McLaren M24	Cosworth DFX V8t	ONT	TWS	INDY 15	MIL	POC	TWS	MIL												NC	0
1980	Jerry O'Connell Racing	McLaren M24	Cosworth DFX V8t	ONT 2	INDY 2	MIL 6	POC 3	MDO 11														2nd	1970
1981–82	Bignotti-Cotter Racing	March 81C	Cosworth DFX V8t	INDY 25	POC 16	ISF	DSF	INF														11th	635
		March 82C							INDY 4
1982–83	Bignotti-Cotter Racing	March 83C	Cosworth DFX V8t	ISF	DSF	NAZ	INDY 1															1st	1000
1983–84	Mayer Motor Racing	March 84C	Cosworth DFX V8t	DSF	INDY 16																	18th	25
Source:[16]

PPG Indy Car World Series

PPG Indy Car World Series results
Year	Team	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Pos.	Pts
1979	Jerry O'Connell Racing	McLaren M24	Cosworth DFX V8t	PHX 17	ATL 3	ATL 5	INDY 15	TRE 6	TRE 15	MCH 21	MCH 2	WGL 10	TRE 3	ONT 17	MCH 2	ATL 8	PHX 5				7th	1360
1980	Jerry O'Connell Racing	McLaren M24	Cosworth DFX V8t	ONT 2	INDY 2	MIL 6	POC 3	MDO 11	MCH 6	WGL 4		ONT 26	MCH 6	MEX 4							3rd	2930
		Phoenix 80									MIL 16				PHX 1
1981	Jerry O'Connell Racing	Phoenix 80	Cosworth DFX V8t	PHX 3																	8th	96
	Bignotti-Cotter Racing	Phoenix-March			MIL 4	ATL	ATL
		March 81C						MCH 23	RIV 24	MIL 1	MCH 19	WGL 21	MEX 20	PHX 1
1982	Bignotti-Cotter Racing	March 81C	Cosworth DFX V8t	PHX 7	ATL 17																5th	144
		March 82C				MIL 4	CLE 20	MCH 32	MIL 1	POC 19	RIV 2	ROA 9	MCH 19	PHX 1
1983	Bignotti-Cotter Racing	March 83C	Cosworth DFX V8t	ATL 14	INDY 1	MIL 1	CLE 5	MCH 25		POC 12	RIV 5	MDO 7	MCH 21	CPL 15		PHX 3					4th	96
		Theodore T83							ROA 4						LAG 18
1984	Mayer Motor Racing	March 84C	Cosworth DFX V8t	LBH 3	PHX 1	INDY 16	MIL 1	POR 5	MEA 6	CLE 19	MCH 2	ROA 20	POC 4	MDO 7	SAN 20	MCH 2	PHX 4	LAG 10	CPL 1		2nd	163
1985	Curb-All American Racers	Eagle 85GC	Cosworth DFX V8t	LBH 8	INDY 20	MIL 2		MEA 6	CLE 11	MCH 3	ROA 21	POC 8	MDO 15		MCH 5			MIA 21			7th	66
		Lola T900					POR 24							SAN 7		LAG 19	PHX 19
1986	Curb Racing	March 86C	Cosworth DFX V8t	PHX 2	LBH 4	INDY 33	MIL 2	POR 4	MEA 17	CLE 5	TOR 9	MCH 18	POC 15	MDO 12	SAN 13	MCH 5	ROA 12	LAG 22	PHX 18	MIA 22	10th	82
1987	Curb Racing	March 87C	Cosworth DFX V8t	LBH 3	PHX 17		MIL 13	POR 21	MEA 7	CLE 8	TOR 6	MCH 30	POC	ROA	MDO	NAZ	LAG				14th	37
		March 86C	Buick 3300 V6t			INDY 14
	Group 44 Racing		Cosworth DFX V8t															MIA 9
1988	Hemelgarn Racing	Lola T88/00	Judd AV V8t	PHX	LBH	INDY 27	MIL	POR	CLE	TOR	MEA										45th	0
			Cosworth DFX V8t									MCH 22	POC	MDO	ROA	NAZ	LAG	MIA
1989	Vince Granatelli Racing	Lola T88/00	Buick 3300 V6t	PHX DNS		INDY 27	MIL 22	DET 23			MEA 27	TOR	MCH	POC	MDO	ROA	NAZ	LAG			28th	3
		March 86C			LBH 10				POR 26	CLE 20
1990	Vince Granatelli Racing	Penske PC-18	Buick 3300 V6t	PHX	LBH	INDY 30	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	MEA	TOR	MCH	DEN	VAN	MDO	ROA	NAZ	LAG		44th	0
1991	Team Menard	Lola T89/00	Buick 3300 V6t	SRF	LBH	PHX	INDY DNQ	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	MEA	TOR	MCH	DEN	VAN	MDO	ROA	NAZ	LAG	NA	-
1992	Team Menard	Lola T91/00	Buick 3300 V6t	SRF	PHX	LBH	INDY 31	DET	POR	MIL	NHA	TOR	MCH	CLE	ROA	VAN	MDO	NAZ	LAG		62nd	0
Source:[16]

Indianapolis 500

Year	Chassis	Engine	Start	Finish	Team
1973	Tipke	Offenhauser	DNQ		Tipke Racing
1974	Kingfish	Offenhauser	8	20	Grant King Racers
1975	McLaren	Offenhauser	4	22	Penske Racing
1976	McLaren	Offenhauser	3	6	Penske Racing
1977	McLaren	Cosworth	1	2	Penske Racing
1978	Penske	Cosworth	1	2	Penske Racing
1979	McLaren	Cosworth	2	15	Jerry O'Connell Racing
1980	McLaren	Cosworth	33	2	Jerry O'Connell Racing
1981	March	Cosworth	20	25	Bignotti-Cotter Racing
1982	March	Cosworth	7	4	Bignotti-Cotter Racing
1983	March	Cosworth	4	1	Bignotti-Cotter Racing
1984	March	Cosworth	1	16	Mayer Motor Racing
1985	Eagle	Cosworth	13	20	Curb-All American Racers
1986	March	Cosworth	7	33	Curb Racing
1987	March	Buick	21	14	Curb Racing
1988	Lola	Judd	14	27	Hemelgarn Racing
1989	Lola	Buick	22	27	Vince Granatelli Racing
1990	Penske	Buick	25	30	Vince Granatelli Racing
1991	Lola	Buick	DNQ		Team Menard
1992	Lola	Buick	31	31	Team Menard

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	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	29	30	31	NWCC	Pts	Ref
1977	Jim Stacy Racing	6	Dodge	RSD	DAY	RCH	CAR	ATL	NWS	DAR	BRI	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	RSD	MCH	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT 27	CAR	ATL	ONT		NA	0	[17]
1981		5	Buick	RSD	DAY DNQ	RCH	CAR	ATL	BRI	NWS	DAR	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	TWS	RSD	MCH	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	ATL	RSD	NA	-	[18]
1982	Rogers Racing	37	Buick	DAY 22	RCH 31	BRI	ATL 15	CAR	DAR	NWS	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	POC	RSD	MCH	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	NWS	CLT	MAR	CAR	ATL	RSD		53rd	285	[19]
1983	Bay Darnell	53	Chevy	DAY 7	RCH	CAR	ATL	DAR	NWS	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	BRI	CLT	RSD	POC	MCH 32	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	ATL	RSD		75th	-	[20]
1984	Harrington Racing	2	Buick	DAY DNQ	RCH	CAR	ATL	BRI	NWS	DAR	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	RSD	POC	MCH	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	CLT	NWS	CAR	ATL	RSD		NA	-	[21]
1985	Curb Racing	42	Pontiac	DAY DNQ	RCH	CAR	ATL 32	BRI	DAR	NWS	MAR	TAL	DOV	CLT	RSD	POC	MCH	DAY	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	ATL	RSD				NA	0	[22]
1987	Jackson Bros. Motorsports	66	Olds	DAY 29	CAR	RCH	ATL	DAR	NWS	BRI	MAR	TAL	CLT	DOV	POC	RSD	MCH	DAY	POC	TAL	GLN	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	RSD	ATL			90th	76	[23]

Daytona 500

Year	Team	Manufacturer	Start	Finish
1981		Buick	DNQ
1982	Rogers Racing	Buick	25	22
1983	Bay Darnell	Chevrolet	22	7
1984	Harrington Racing	Buick	DNQ
1985	Curb Racing	Pontiac	DNQ
1987	Jackson Bros. Motorsports	Oldsmobile	29	29

International Race of Champions

(key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)

International Race of Champions results
Season	Make	Q1	Q2	Q3	1	2	3	4	Pos.	Pts	Ref
1977–78	Chevy				MCH 11	RSD 12	RSD 11	DAY	11th	-	[24]
1978–79		MCH	MCH 4	RSD	RSD 8	ATL 5			7th	-	[25]
1979–80		MCH	MCH 7	RSD	RSD	ATL			NA	0	[26]
1984	Chevy				MCH 11	CLE 11*	TAL 8	MCH 3	10th	29	[27]
1985					DAY 2	MOH 8	TAL C	MCH 7	4th	32	[28]

Awards

He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2005.[29]

References

1. Herman, Steve (May 18, 1988). "Has Tom Sneva run out of gas?". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. p. D1.
2. Pash, Phil (June 22, 1975). "Tom Sneva: Fearless driver quite a celebrity these days". Wilmington Star-News. Wilmington, North Carolina. (New York Times). p. 6C.
3. Weaver, Dan (Oct 2, 1983). "Local boy does good". The Spokesman Review. Spokane: Cowles Publishing. pp. D5. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
4. "Sneva roars to pole position". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. May 15, 1977. p. D1.
5. Brown, Butch (November 4, 1977). "Spokane honors Tom Sneva". Spokesman-Review. p. 37.
6. Cash, Phil (May 17, 1984). "Sneva saved his best effort for qualifying". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 2.
7. Fleischman, Bill (May 23, 1984). "Tom Sneva: The radical?". Spokane Chronicle. Knight Ridder Newspapers. p. 21.
8. "Wife of Tom Sneva says driver to be all right". Spokane Daily Chronicle. May 26, 1975. p. 15.
9. Weaver, Dan (Oct 2, 1983). "Local boy does good". The Spokesman Review. Spokane: Cowles Publishing. pp. D1. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
10. Weaver, Dan (Oct 2, 1983). "Local boy does good". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington): Cowles Publishing. pp. D10. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
11. "Ed Sneva wins speedway event". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). September 24, 1951. p. 16.
12. "Sneva is critical after accident". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). September 9, 1974. p. 13.
13. "Funerals: Edsol F. (Babe) Sneva Jr". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). March 31, 1976. p. 23.
14. "Private rites set for Sneva". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). March 31, 1976. p. 21.
15. "Edsol "Babe" Sneva, Jr". Find a Grave. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
16. "Champcar complete – Tom Sneva". OldRacingCars. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
17. "Tom Sneva – 1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
18. "Tom Sneva – 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
19. "Tom Sneva – 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
20. "Tom Sneva – 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
21. "Tom Sneva – 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
22. "Tom Sneva – 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
23. "Tom Sneva – 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
24. "Tom Sneva – 1978 IROC Results". Racing-Reference.
25. "Tom Sneva – 1979 IROC Results". Racing-Reference.
26. "Tom Sneva – 1980 IROC Results". Racing-Reference.
27. "Tom Sneva – 1984 IROC Results". Racing-Reference.
28. "Tom Sneva – 1985 IROC Results". Racing-Reference.
29. Tom Sneva at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America

30. "Tom Sneva", Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Retrieved from https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/history/people-of-ims/indianapolis-500-drivers/tom-sneva

External links

• Tom Sneva driver statistics at Racing-Reference
• The Greatest 33

Preceded by Gordon Johncock	Indianapolis 500 Winner 1983	Succeeded by Rick Mears