Tom Sneva

Thomas Edsol Sneva (born June 1, 1948) is an American former race car driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1983. He primarily raced in Indy cars, and was named to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2005.

A former math teacher and junior high principal from Spokane, Washington, Sneva's win at Indianapolis came after three runner-up finishes and a spectacular crash in 1975. Nicknamed "the Gas Man," he was an outstanding qualifier, winning the pole position three times (1977, 1978, 1984). In 1977, he won the pole position with a new track record, becoming the first driver to break the 200 mph barrier at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 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 that year.

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

Career Born in Spokane, to Edsol "Ed" and Joan, Sneva's first powered vehicle was a go-kart, which he received at the age of fourteen; by the age of eighteen, he was racing stock cars. Sneva graduated from Lewis and Clark High School, where he played football and basketball, before attending Eastern Washington State College, where he played a year of college basketball. After graduating from Eastern, he was hired by the high school in Sprague, where he taught math and physical education. 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 or more. His one-lap track record on May 14 was .

Sneva won two races in 1977, including a 1-2 finish for Team Penske at the Pocono 500, and became the first driver in Team Penske history to win a championship. In 1978, Sneva did not win a race but with five second-place finishes and sixteen 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, he and Sneva had disagreements on the direction of the team, and that was the reason for them parting ways.(30) Sneva exercised a stock option on Penske Automotive Group shortly after his dismissial, a prudent decision that paid dividends down the road.

In 1984, Sneva became the first to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 over 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 and .

Sneva's career at the Indianapolis 500 was known for fast qualifying, second-place finishes, near misses and several crashes. 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 twenty laps. Al Unser Jr. was widely criticized after the race for trying to impede Sneva to help his father 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 a 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.

Sneva 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. 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, Sneva 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 to 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 seventh in the 1983 Daytona 500.

Sneva's final start was the 1992 Indianapolis 500. He arrived at Indianapolis without a ride for 1993, and was unsuccessful in landing a car for the race. He retired with thirteen career Indycar 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 Indianapolis 500s. He is also heavily involved in the golf course business where he resides in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Personal life Sneva's father, Edsol ("Ed") was a local racer in the Spokane region.

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.

Sneva was an ace in mathematics, and graduated from Eastern Washington State College in nearby Cheney with an education degree.

PPG Indy Car World Series

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 RSD RSD DAY 11th - 1978–79 MCH MCH RSD RSD ATL 7th - 1979–80 MCH MCH RSD RSD ATL NA 0 1984 Chevy MCH CLE TAL MCH 10th 29 1985 DAY MOH TAL MCH 4th 32

Awards In 2004, Sneva was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. The following year, he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.