John Mahler
John Mahler (born November 16, 1936, Alpha, Iowa), is a former open wheel race car driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1970-1973 and 1976-1981 seasons, with 39 combined career starts, including the 1972 and 1977-1979 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 6 times, with his best finish in 6th position in 1970 at the Indianapolis Raceway Park road course.
Qualified for the 1971 Indianapolis 500 but was replaced by his teammate who did not qualify, Dick Simon, due to sponorship commitments. John did not come away empty handed as the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association bestowed upon him its Jigger Award for the driver with the most hard luck. He was the fastest qualifying "rookie" in 1972 despite qualifying the year prior and a member of the 1977 and 1979 Last Row Party for earning a position in the 11th and final row of the starting grid.
Mahler currently owns and operates Classic Concrete Designs in Kansas City, Missouri.
Complete motorsports results
American Open-Wheel racing results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest race lap)
SCCA National Championship Runoffs
| Year | Track | Car | Engine | Class | Finish | Start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Daytona | McLaren | Chevrolet | Formula A | 11 | 7 | Not running |
Indy 500 results
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Vollstedt | Ford | Raced by Dick Simon | |
| 1972 | McLaren | Offy | 29th | 22nd |
| 1973 | Eagle | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1974 | Eagle | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1976 | Eagle | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1977 | Eagle | Offy | 31st | 14th |
| 1978 | Eagle | Offy | 17th | 26th |
| 1979 | Eagle | Offy | 32nd | 25th |
| 1980 | Finley | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1981 | Penske | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1982 | Penske | Offy | Qualifying Crash | |
| 1983 | Lion | Chevrolet | Failed to Qualify | |