Michigan 500 : Rutherford Wins; Only 7 Running

Johnny Rutherford didn’t even know he had taken the lead on the way to his hard-earned victory Saturday in the Michigan 500 before a crowd estimated at 70,000.

The 48-year-old Rutherford, becoming the oldest driver ever to win an Indy car event, had been trailing Bobby Rahal, the 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner.

“My crew chief, John Capels, didn’t get on the radio and tell me that Rahal had dropped out,” said Rutherford, smiling widely. “I thought Rahal was somewhere on the backstretch and that I was still running second.”

Rutherford earned $125,446, averaging 137.139 m.p.h.

It was a long, confusing, attrition-filled race, with only seven of the 28 starters running at the end.

“That’s just the way racing goes. We’ve seen fewer cars than that finish,” said Rutherford, who drove the last few laps at about 217 m.p.h. in order to hold off a challenge by Josele Garza of Mexico.

Garza, who never has won an Indy car event, finished 1.82 seconds behind Rutherford’s Cosworth-powered March.

Bobby Unser was 47 when he won his last race, the Indianapolis 500 in 1981. He retired at the end of that season.

Rutherford said he has no intention of quitting. “I don’t listen to the talk of retirement,” he said. “I do what I love to do and I’m enjoying it as much as I ever did.”

Rutherford, who started 14th, moved into the lead on Lap 196 of the 250-lap event when Rahal pitted under a caution flag.

The Texan stayed ahead the rest of the way as Rahal retired from the race on Lap 219 with an engine problem after a pit stop the previous lap.

There was one serious accident, Randy Lanier, the 1986 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, suffering a broken right leg when he crashed between Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 100.