Didn't even have to watch, I remember watching it happen....from wiki
The
1971 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 29, 1971.
Eldon Palmer, owner of a local automobile and truck dealership Palmer Dodge (now Palmer Auto Group), beaten four Dodge dealers to be chosen to provide a pace car for the race when no automakers took up this duty as they had done in the past.
In preparation for the race, Palmer set up a traffic cone to provide himself with a reference for where to begin slowing the car. Someone moved the cone without his knowledge, leading to perhaps the most spectacular Indy crash of the 1970s.
In the car with Palmer on race day were Speedway owner Tony Hulman, longtime ABC television sportscaster Chris Schenkel and astronaut John Glenn. When Palmer realized that the cone was gone, he attempted to stop quickly, but lost control of the car, which skidded into a temporary grandstand packed mainly with photographers. No one was killed, but 22 were injured, some seriously.
Notwithstanding the distraction, Al Unser wins for a second year in a row. ABC television broadcasts the race for the first time in same-day tape delay."
*******************************************
The comment "leading to perhaps the most spectacular Indy crash of the 1970s" tells me this page needs some serious editing, what a ridiculous statement.
