Gordon Johncock was a natural behind the wheel and became one of the premier drivers of his era, and of any era.

Born on August 5, 1936, in Hastings, Michigan, Johncock initially made his mark in supermodifieds, winning throughout the Midwest and as far east as New York’s Oswego Speedway.

In sprint cars, Johncock scored the inaugural Williams Grove National Open in 1963. With USAC in 1964, he opened eyes by conquering Indiana’s daunting Winchester Speedway, while also setting a new world record in qualifying, doing so without brakes at an average speed of nearly 105 mph.

Finishing fifth as an Indianapolis 500 Rookie in 1965, Johncock carried onward to his first Indy Car win at Milwaukee that same year, the first of his 20 career USAC National Championship victories. His defining moments came at Indian-apolis in the tragedy-marred 1973 race, and again in 1982, when his 0.16 second winning margin over Rick Mears proved to be the closest in race history at the time. In 1976, he earned the series championship.

Johncock was adept at adapting to any setting, even winning a pair of USAC Stock Car races in 1972 at Milwaukee and in 1973 at Texas World Speedway.