Two-Time Indianapolis 500 Winner Gordon Johncock Dies at 90

Remembering Gordon Johncock

I still can’t believe he’s gone.

When I heard that Gordon Johncock had passed away at 90, my mind immediately went back to being a kid and to one of the most unforgettable days I ever spent with him.

A few days before the 1973 Indianapolis 500, I remember having lunch with him. We were all piled into a motorhome, heading to a local restaurant. On the way back to the track, he decided to just drive right onto the racetrack and make a lap—with all of us still inside.

It was raining.

I had no idea that a 28-foot motorhome could drift, but he certainly did. Somehow, he made that giant motorhome dance around the track in the rain and to this day I can still picture it. I don't think many people can say they got a ride around Indianapolis with Gordon Johncock at the wheel of a motorhome.

A few days later, he went on to win the 1973 Indy 500 in a Granatelli family, STP-sponsored car.

But as special as that victory was, that isn't what I remember most about him.

In 1982, the year I got my driver's license, he was one of the first people to ask me when I was going to try my hand at Indy. He always believed in me. He encouraged me. He was always supportive and those words meant more to me than he probably ever knew.

My dad loved him, too. In fact, everyone in my family loved him. “You weren't just a great race car driver or an Indianapolis 500 winner to us. You became part of our family.”

That's how I will always remember him.

Not just as "Gordon Johncock," the champion, but as Gordy, the guy who would take a bunch of us around the track in a 28-foot motorhome in the rain, the guy who encouraged me when I was young and the friend who always believed I could do more.

He lived a great, long life, and he left behind memories that will stay with me forever.

I will miss you, Mr. Johncock.

You will always be family to me.

Rest easy, my friend.

And thank you for believing in me.

With love and gratitude,

J.R. Granatelli