 By 1974, Vel's Parnelli Jones was in trouble.Of their three cars from 1973 only Andretti in 5th place would make the top 10.They lost their Samsonite sponsorship at year's end and Firestone (Vel's Parnelli Jones tire supplier since their debut in the 1967 USAC Championship Car season) was cutting back their racing funding as well, eventually pulling out completely at the end of the year.