Richmond 's father bought an Eagle Indy Car chassis and an Offenhauser engine for the 1979 race at Michigan International Speedway . Richmond qualified 21st fastest with a 175 @.@ 768 mph ( 282 @.@ 871 km / h ) lap , significantly slower than Bobby Unser 's 203 @.@ 879 mph ( 328 @.@ 111 km / h ) pole position speed . The race ended for him when his motor blew up on the fourth lap , and he finished last ( 23rd ) . Owner Pat Santello was looking for a driver to replace Larry Rice for his CART team at the following race at Watkins Glen International , so he gave Richmond a test at Willow Spring where he had previously set the student record . Santello hired Richmond , who then qualified 15th fastest for the event and finished in eighth place , the best of his IndyCar career . Richmond raced in three more events that season .