Formula 5000

Formula 5000 was a racing series for open-wheel, single-seater racing cars built to a specific set of rules. The engine of choice was the venerable small block Chevrolet V-8 of 5-liter displacement. It started as a bright idea in 1967 and ran successfully until politics between the governing body, race organizers, and team owners did it in, at the end of the 1976 season.

Although there were four competitive Formula 5000 championships: the Rothman’s series in Europe, the Tasman series in Australia and New Zealand, and the Tarmac series in Britain, the heart and soul of Formula 5000 was the North American series. In the early 1970s it was known as the L and M Championship after title sponsor L and M Tobacco. In 1974, the SCCA and rival governing body USAC merged to run Formula 5000. A variety of chassis manufacturers took part, but the car that dominated the later years of the series was the Lola T332. Even though the rules allowed the turbocharged Offenhauser engine to run, the engine that dominated the series was the Chevrolet 5-liter V-8 which could put out a reliable 550 bhp and 425 lbs-ft of torque at 8,000 rpm. In fact it would have been an all Chevrolet victory season if not for Jackie Oliver winning two races in a Dodge V-8-powered Shadow DN6.