1980 USAC Championship Car season
| 1980 USAC Championship Car season | |
|---|---|
| Championship Racing League | |
Champion: Johnny Rutherford | |
| Season | |
| Races | 5 |
| Start date | April 13 |
| End date | July 13 |
| Awards | |
| National champion | Johnny Rutherford |
| Indianapolis 500 winner | Johnny Rutherford |
The 1980 USAC Championship Car season consisted of five races, beginning in Ontario, California on April 13 and concluding in Lexington, Ohio on July 13. The USAC National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Johnny Rutherford.
One year after the first open wheel "Split", USAC and CART came together under the banner of the Championship Racing League (CRL). The entire season was supposed to be co-sanctioned by CART and USAC. However, USAC pulled out the CRL arrangement in July after only five races. USAC declared their 1980 season over, while CART finished out the remainder of their 1980 season on their own.
Johnny Rutherford, driving Jim Hall's revolutionary ground effects Chaparral 2K won three of the five races (including Indianapolis), and finished second in the other two. Rutherford won the USAC championship by a commanding point margin. Rutherford happened to score the most points under both USAC's five-race points distribution and CART's 12-race points championship, securing what could be considered "undisputed" or "unanimous" top driver honors for the calendar year of 1980.