Rafaela Indy 300 Heat 1
Autódromo
Ciudad de Rafaela
2.874 Mile Paved Oval
53 Laps/152.322 Miles
February 28, 1971
| Finish | Start | Driver | Car # | Sponsor/Name | Chassis | Engine | Laps | Status |
Points |
| 1 | 3 | Al Unser | 1 | Johnny Lightning 500 | Colt | Ford TC | 53 | 0:54:46.53 166.909 | 300 |
| 2 | 1 | Lloyd Ruby | 12 | Gene White Firestone | Mongoose 70 | Ford TC | 53 | Finished | 240 |
| 3 | 4 | Mike Mosley | 4 | G. C. Murphy | Watson | Ford TC | 52 | Flagged | 210 |
| 4 | 2 | Swede Savage | 42 | Olsonite | Eagle 70 | Offy TC | 52 | Flagged | 180 |
| 5 | 8 | Roger McCluskey | 41 | Vanfreight Daffodil | King | Offy TC | 52 | Flagged | 150 |
| 6 | 6 | Joe Leonard | 15 | Vel's Parnelli Jones | Colt | Ford TC | 52 | Flagged | 120 |
| 7 | 13 | Johnny Rutherford | 17 | Vollstedt Enterprises | Vollstedt | Offy TC | 52 | Flagged | 90 |
| 8 | 7 | Cale Yarborough | 21 | Gene White Firestone | Mongoose 70 | Ford TC | 51 | Flagged | 75 |
| 9 | 11 | Gordon Johncock | 7 | Vollstedt Enterprises | Vollstedt | Ford TC | 51 | Flagged | 60 |
| 10 | 10 | Bentley Warren | 94 | Vatis | Finley | Offy TC | 51 | Flagged | 45 |
| 11 | 9 | Gary Bettenhausen | 16 | Thermo King | Gerhardt | Offy TC | 50 | Flagged | 30 |
| 12 | 17 | Carlos Pairetti | 44 | Fiecha Coca-Cola | Vollstedt | Ford TC | 50 | Flagged | |
| 13 | 12 | Dick Simon | 10 | TraveLodge Sleeper | Lola | Ford TC | 49 | Flagged | |
| 14 | 15 | Jim Malloy | 29 | MVS | Cecil | Ford TC | 48 | Flagged | |
| 15 | 27 | Salt Walther | 77 | Walther's | Morris | Ford TC | 47 | Flagged | |
| 16 | 26 | John Mahler | 100 | Mahler Eagle 100 | Eagle | Chevy | 47 | Flagged | |
| 17 | 14 | Bill Simpson | 28 | Wynn's Kwik Kool | Eagle | Offy TC | 46 | Flagged | |
| 18 | 19 | Don Brown | 39 | Seymour Enterprises | Gerhardt | Chevy | 46 | Flagged | |
| 19 | 20 | Dave Strickland | 50 | Navarro | Navarro | Rambler TC | 45 | Flagged | |
| 20 | 23 | Max Dudley | 61 | Dudley Boat and Trailer | Gerhardt | Chevy | 44 | Flagged | |
| 21 | 21 | Tom Bigelow | 34 | Midwest Manufacturing Dura-Pot | Huffaker | Chevy | 43 | Flagged | |
| 22 | 25 | Rick Muther | 54 | Jack Adams Aircraft | Glen Bryant | Pratt & Whitney Turbine | 40 | Engine | |
| 23 | 24 | Larry Cannon | 47 | Autotron Photoelectric | Philipp/Porter | Chevy | 21 | Lost oil pressure | |
| 24 | 16 | Denny Zimmerman | 43 | Fiore Racing Enterprises | Vollstedt | Offy TC | 21 | Magneto | |
| 25 | 22 | Ludwig Heimrath | 55 | Heimrath Porsche | Eisert | Chevy | 8 | Black flag, oil | |
| 26 | 18 | Dee Jones | 51 | Minnesota Serendipity | Watson | Ford | 4 | Black flag, oil | |
| 27 | 5 | Bobby Unser | 2 | Olsonite | Eagle 71 | Offy TC | 3 | Burned piston | |
| -- | -- | Juan Carlos Salatino | 74 | Winter Special | Gerhardt | Chevy | -- | Did not start | |
| -- | -- | Ángel Monguzzi | 39 | Seymour Enterprises | Gerhardt | Chevy | -- | Driven by D. Brown | |
| -- | -- | Roger McCluskey | 8 | Gilmore Racing | Scorpion 70 | Ford TC | -- | Did not appear | |
| -- | -- | Larry Dickson | 27 | Vollstedt | Vollstedt 67 | Ford TC | -- | Did not appear | |
| -- | -- | Jim Malloy | 31 | Federal Engineering | Gerhardt 69 | Offy TC | -- | Did not appear | |
| -- | -- | Bruce Jacobi | 65 | Travelon Trailer | X | Offy | -- | Did not appear | |
| -- | -- | Karl Busson | 73 | Cavanaugh-Tomlinson | Gerhardt | Chevy | -- | Did not appear | |
| -- | -- | Mario Andretti | 5 | STP Oil Treatment | McNamara | Ford TC | -- | Withdrew | |
| -- | -- | Art Pollard | X | X | X | X | -- | Did not appear | |
| -- | -- | Jorge Cupeiro | X | X | X | X | -- | Did not appear, ill | |
| -- | -- | Jorge Ternengo | X | X | X | X | -- | Did not appear | |
| -- | -- | Omar Cuvertino | 17 | Vollstedt Enterprises | Vollstedt | Offy TC | -- | Driven by Rutherford |
| Lap Leaders | Total | Laps |
| Al Unser | 25 | 5-7, 13-22, 42-53 |
| Lloyd Ruby | 24 | 1-4, 8-12, 23-37 |
| Mike Mosley | 4 | 38-41 |