Bill Puterbaugh

{{Short description|American racing driver}} {{More citations needed|date=October 2017}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox person |name = Bill Puterbaugh |birth_date = {{birth date|1936|6|6}} |birth_place = |death_date = {{death date and age|2017|10|9|1936|6|6}} |death_place = Brownsburg, Indiana, United States }} '''Bill Puterbaugh''' (June 6, 1936 – October 9, 2017) was an American racing driver in the USAC Championship Car series. He raced in the 1967–1971, the 1975–1977, and the 1979 seasons, with 31 career starts, including the 1975-1977 Indianapolis 500.<ref>{{cite web|title=Indy 500 Career Stats – Bill Puterbaugh|publisher=Indianapolis Motor Speedway|url=http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/indy500/history/stats/drivers/?f=Bill&l=Puterbaugh|accessdate=December 25, 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308001006/http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/indy500/history/stats/drivers/?f=Bill&l=Puterbaugh|archivedate=March 8, 2012}}</ref> He finished in the top-ten 11 times, with his best finish in sixth position in 1968 at Springfield and in 1969 at Sacramento. His seventh-place finish in the 1975 Indianapolis 500 earned him Rookie of the Year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/news-multimedia/news/2012/05/10/puterbaugh-has-never-stopped-showing-persistence-loyalty |title=Puterbaugh has never stopped showing persistence, loyalty |last=Davidson |first=Donald |author-link=Donald Davidson (historian)|date=May 10, 2012 |publisher=Indianapolis Motor Speedway |access-date=October 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021031559/http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/news-multimedia/news/2012/05/10/puterbaugh-has-never-stopped-showing-persistence-loyalty |archive-date=October 21, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Puterbaugh Top Rookie At Indy|work=Lakeland Ledger|agency=Associated Press|date=May 27, 1975|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1u0vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8PoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5962,6967925|accessdate=December 25, 2010}}</ref>

Puterbaugh died at home surrounded by his family in Brownsburg, Indiana, on October 9, 2017, at the age of 81.{{citation needed|date=November 2025}}

==USAC Championship Car season== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" ! Year ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! 16 ! 17 ! 18 ! 19 ! 20 ! 21 ! 22 ! 23 ! 24 ! 25 ! 26 ! 27 ! 28 ! Rank ! Pts. |- ! 1967 | PHX | TRE | INDY | MIL | LAN | PIP | MOS | MOS | IRP | LAN | MTR | MTR |style="background:#FFCFCF;" align=center| SPR {{small|DNQ}} | MIL |style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center| DQS {{small|13}} |style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center| ISF {{small|15}} | TRE |style="background:#EFCFFF;" align=center| SAC {{small|15}} | HAN | PHX | RIV ! ! ! ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''-''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''0''' |- ! 1968 | HAN | LVG | PHX | TRE |style="background:#FFCFCF;" align=center| INDY {{small|DNQ}} |style="background:#EFCFFF;" align=center| MIL {{small|17}} | MOS | MOS |style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center| LAN {{small|8}} | PIP | CDR |style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center| NAZ {{small|9}} | IRP | IRP |style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center| LAN {{small|12}} |style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center| LAN {{small|9}} | MTR | MTR |style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center| SPR {{small|6}} | MIL |style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center| DQS {{small|11}} | ISF | TRE | SAC | MIC | HAN | PHX | RIV | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''29th''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''265''' |- ! 1969 | PHX | HAN | INDY | MIL | LAN | PIP | CDR | NAZ | TRE | IRP | IRP | MIL |style="background:#EFCFFF;" | SPR {{small|9}} | DIS |style="background:#EFCFFF;" align=center| DQS {{small|15}} |style="background:#EFCFFF;" align=center| ISF {{small|16}} | BRN | BRN |style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center| TRE {{small|16}} |style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center| SAC {{small|6}} | KEN | KEN |style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center| PHX {{small|16}} | RIV ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''37th''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''120''' |- ! 1970 | PHX | SON | TRE |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| INDY {{small|DNQ}} | MIL | LAN | CDR | MIC | IRP |style="background:#FFFFFF;"| SPR {{small|DNS}} | MIL |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| ONT {{small|DNQ}} |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| DQS {{small|DNQ}} | ISF |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SED {{small|16}} |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| TRE {{small|17}} | SAC {{small|DNP}} | PHX ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''-''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''0''' |- ! 1971 | RAF | RAF | PHX | TRE |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| INDY {{small|DNQ}} | MIL |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| POC {{small|14}} |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| MIC {{small|DNQ}} |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| MIL {{small|13}} | ONT |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| TRE {{small|19}} | PHX ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''-''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''0''' |- ! 1972 | PHX | TRE |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| INDY {{small|DNQ}} | MIL | MIC | POC | MIL | ONT | TRE | PHX ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''-''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''0''' |- ! 1973 | TXS | TRE | TRE |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| INDY {{small|DNQ}} | MIL | POC | MIC | MIL | ONT | ONT | ONT | MIC | MIC | TRE | TXS | PHX ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''-''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''0''' |- ! 1974 | ONT | ONT | ONT | PHX | TRE |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| INDY {{small|DNQ}} | MIL | POC | MIC | MIL | MIC | TRE | TRE | PHX ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''-''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''0''' |- ! 1975 | ONT | ONT | ONT | PHX | TRE |style="background:#CFEAFF;"| INDY {{small|7}} | MIL |style="background:#CFEAFF;"| POC {{small|9}} | MIC | MIL | MIC | TRE |style="background:#CFEAFF;"| PHX {{small|9}} ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''16th''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''560''' |- ! 1976 | PHX | TRE |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| INDY {{small|22}} | MIL |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| POC {{small|DNQ}} | MIC | TXS | TRE | MIL |style="background:#CFEAFF;"| ONT {{small|7}} | MIC | TXS |style="background:#CFEAFF;"| PHX {{small|8}} ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''17th''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''375''' |- ! 1977 | ONT | PHX | TXS | TRE |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| INDY {{small|12}} | MIL | POC | MOS | MIC | TXS | MIL | ONT | MIC | PHX ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''39th''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''50''' |- ! 1979 | ONT | TXS |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| INDY {{small|DNQ}} |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MIL {{small|19}} | POC | TXS |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MIL {{small|13}} ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''30th''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''10''' |- ! 1980 | ONT |style="background:#ffcfcf;"| INDY {{small|DNQ}} | MIL | POC | MDO ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''-''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''0''' |- ! 1981-82 | INDY | POC | SPR | DQS {{small|DNS}} |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| ISF {{small|DNQ}} | INDY ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''-''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''0''' |- ! 1982-83 | SPR | DQS | NAZ | INDY {{small|DNP}} ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''-''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''0''' |- ! 1983-84 | DQS | INDY {{small|DNP}} ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''-''' | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''0''' |}

==Indianapolis 500 results== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |- ! Year ! Chassis ! Engine ! Start ! Finish |- | 1968 | Gerhardt | Ford | Failed to Qualify | |- | 1970 | Watson | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |- | 1971 | Gerhardt | Offy | Practice Crash | |- | 1972 | Curtis | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |- | 1973 | Coyote | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |- | 1974 | Lola | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |- | 1975 | Eagle | Offy | 15th | 7th |- | 1976 | Eagle | Offy | 18th | 22nd |- | 1977 | Eagle | Offy | 28th | 12th |- | 1979 | Cicada | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-sports}} {{succession box | title = Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year| years = 1975 | before = Pancho Carter | after = Vern Schuppan}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puterbaugh, Bill}} Category:1936 births Category:2017 deaths Category:Indianapolis 500 drivers Category:Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year Category:Champ Car drivers Category:Racing drivers from Indianapolis Category:USAC Silver Crown Series drivers Category:Sportspeople from Brownsburg, Indiana