1981 Indianapolis 500
Encyclopedia
The 65th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
on Sunday, May 24, 1981. A hectic month of May was interrupted several times by rain. Bobby Unser
took the checkered flag as the winner, with Mario Andretti
second. The following morning, USAC
officials ruled that Unser
had passed cars illegally while exiting the pit area
on lap 149, and issued him a one-position penalty. The official posted results scored Unser
finishing second, and declared Andretti
the winner.
After a lengthly protest and appeals process, the penalty was rescinded, and Unser
was reinstated the victory on October 9. The race is widely considered one of the most controversial races in Indy history.
sanctioned the season of races. The Indianapolis 500 itself became an invitation-only race sanctioned by USAC
, involving the CART regulars and various one-off entries.
A record total of 105 entries were expected to shatter the previous records for drivers on the track and qualifying attempts. Speed-cutting measures were still in place, and no drivers were expected to challenge the track records in 1981.
Mario Andretti
, as he had done in previous years, planned to race at Indianapolis in-between his busy, full-time Formula One
schedule. His plans included qualifying at Indy on pole day weekend (May 9–10), then flying to Europe for the Belgian Grand Prix
(May 17). After Belgium, he would fly back to Indianapolis in time for race day (May 24).
(actually 19 at the time, lied on his entry form to say he was 21) and Geoff Brabham
both passed their rookie tests.
On Sunday May 3, Al Unser
became the first driver to practice over 190 mi/h. A day later, his brother Bobby Unser
pushed the speeds over 197 mi/h. The first incidents of the month occurred Monday, when Gordon Smiley
spun, and Pete Halsmer
crashed in turn 4.
Tuesday (May 5) was completely rained out, and Wednesday (May 6) was windy, keeping the speeds mostly down. A record 50 cars took to the track on Thursday (May 7), with Mario Andretti
fastest of the day at 194.3 mi/h.
On Friday, the final day of practice before pole day, Penske
teammates Bobby Unser
and Rick Mears
were hand-timed just a tick below 200 mi/h. Mario Andretti
was a close third over 198 mi/h.
was the fastest of the nine, sitting on the provisional pole at 196.078 mi/h. Rain stopped qualifying for the day at 5:49 p.m., and pushed pole qualifying into the next day.
On Sunday May 10, pole position qualifying was scheduled to resume. Rain fell all afternoon, however, and canceled all track activity for the day. 27 cars were still eligible for the pole position, and the resumption of pole day qualifying was scheduled for the following Saturday.
Among the cars not yet qualified was Mario Andretti
, who due in Belgium
for the Grand Prix
. His plans to put the car safely in the field on pole weekend were thwarted, and a contingency plan would have to be made.
. Mario Andretti
took his final practice run of the week, and departed for Belgium. Two major crashes occurred, involving Phil Caliva
and Phil Krueger
. Tim Richmond
and Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon both were involved in spins, but suffered no contact.
On Wednesday May 13, Rick Mears pushed the fastest speed of the month to 200.312 mi/h. Retired veteran driver Wally Dallenbach
climbed into Mario Andretti
's car, and began to take some shake down laps. Due to Andretti's absence for the rest of the week, the Patrick Racing
team decided to have Dallenbach qualify the car for him. On race day, Andretti would take over the cockpit once again. Dallenbach was quickly up to speed, over 191 mi/h on his first day.
Rain closed the track on Thursday. On Friday, Bobby Unser
upped the speed even further, turning a lap of 201.387 mi/h. A record 63 cars took to the track on the final full day of practice. World of Outlaws
star, and Indy rookie Steve Kinser
crashed in turn 1.
took over the pole position with a four-lap average of 200.546 mi/h. Meanwhile, Wally Dallenbach
put Mario Andretti
's car safely in the field at over 193 mi/h. Mike Mosley
squeezed himself into the front row posting a 197.141 mi/h run. Moments later, Rick Mears
took to the track. After a lap over 200.9 mi/h, his car developed a vibration, and he was forced to wave off, giving up his chance for the pole position. Pole qualifying continued until 2:00 p.m., when the original qualifying line was finally exhausted. Bobby Unser
was awarded the pole, and the next round of qualifying began.
After pole qualifying was over, Tom Sneva
qualified his car at 200.691 mi/h. It was the fastest speed of the month, but since it did not take place in the pole round, he was not eligible for the pole position. Later in the day, Rick Mears
took a back-up car out to qualify, but had to settle for a slower speed, and 22nd starting position.
On Sunday, bump day time trials were very busy. Ten cars were bumped during 25 attempts.
returned from Belgium, and practiced in his already-qualified car. Jerry Karl
was arrested during the week, but would be released on bond in time for race day. Bob Harkey
practiced his car for him.
The starting grid was altered slightly after qualifying. Wally Dallenbach
, who qualified Mario Andretti
's car 8th, stepped aside as planned, and the car moved to the rear of the grid. In addition, George Snider
vacated his ride in favor of Tim Richmond
.
Bobby Unser
continued his dominance of the month, and led the speed chart for the afternoon, with a hand-timed lap of 197.6 mi/h. Later in the afternoon, hoping to sweep the month, his Penske Racing
pit crew also guided him to a victory in the Miller Pit Stop Contest.
Thanks to quick action by safety workers and the fact that methanol burns at a much lower temperature than gasoline, no one was seriously hurt in the incident. Mears and four of his mechanics (including Derrick Walker
, a future crewchief on the Penske team) were sent to hospital, and Mears underwent plastic surgery on his face, particularly on his nose. The incident prompted a redesign to the fuel nozzle used on Indycars, adding a safety valve that would only open when the nozzle was connected to the car.
came into the pits on lap 63 as the leader of the race, but problems during the stop caused it to drag on for a disastrous 46 seconds. After finally leaving the pits, Ongais approached a slower car at the end of the backstretch. Perhaps still upset about the long stop, he made a late pass going into turn 3. Carrying too much speed out of the turn, the car drifted out into the grey and the back end began to slide. Ongais tried to correct the slide by turning right, and the car hooked to the right and crashed nearly head-on into the wall. (A year later, Gordon Smiley
lost control at the same place in the same way, but crashed directly head-on and was killed.) The front end of the car was ripped away, leaving an unconscious Ongais completely exposed in the cockpit as the car continued around turn 3, trailing a long tongue of orange fire from burning oil. Safety crews quickly surrounded the car and used the Jaws of Life
to rescue Ongais, who suffered a concussion and badly broken feet and legs. Remarkably, Ongais made a full recovery and raced again at Indianapolis just one year later.
crashed in turn 4. Three laps later, leader Mario Andretti
and second place Bobby Unser
went into the pit area for service. Unser
finished his pit stop first, and was the first driver to exit the pit area. Andretti
followed a few seconds behind.
While the two cars were exiting the pits, the pace car was leading the field at reduced pace through turn 1 and turn 2. Unser
stayed on the track apron, below the painted white line, and proceeded to pass by 14 cars and blend into the field at the exit of turn two. He took his place in line immediately behind the pace car as the leader. Andretti
appeared to pass two or three cars before he blended into the field in the south short chute.
The moves went largely unnoticed at the time. Andretti
claims that he immediately called his pit crew on the radio and told him that Unser had passed cars under the yellow. Though no action would be taken, he wanted it observed for the record. During the live radio broadcast, no announcers made note of the incident, nor was it yet reported that any penalty was under consideration. The TV announcers however expressed astonishment that Unser passed cars under the yellow despite knowing the rules, and even more after he was not penalized.
led late in the race, but slowed and eventually suffered a blown engine with less than 10 laps to go. Bobby Unser
assumed the lead on lap 182, with Mario Andretti
second. Unser held on to win by 5.18 seconds, one of the closest finishes at Indianapolis to that point.
Unser
celebrated his third Indy 500 victory (also 1968 and 1975), while Andretti
was lauded for charging from 32nd starting position to a 2nd place finish.
's team, Patrick Racing
, was voicing concern over Bobby Unser
passing cars under the yellow on lap 149. At the time, it was the policy of USAC
to post official results for the Indianapolis 500 at 8 a.m. the morning after the race. USAC officials announced that the scoring and video tapes would be reviewed overnight.
televised the race on same-day tape-delay
at 9 p.m. EDT. At the time, it was the policy of ABC Sports to record live commentary of the race at the start of the race and at the end of the race. For the remaining portions of the race, commentary was recorded during post-production
.
Unlike the live radio broadcast, which did not notice nor mention the infraction, the television broadcast focused heavily on the incident, and reported it as it was being aired. It was later revealed that commentators Jim McKay
and Jackie Stewart
had provided the commentary in post-production, and did so with the knowledge already that Unser had won the race, and a protest was in the works. The broadcast was considered misleading, as it suggested that the infraction was noticed by all parties at the time it occurred. The broadcast was also accused of being biased against Unser, as Stewart only pointed out Unser passing cars under the yellow, and not Andretti doing so. It was later shown on the official highlight film that Andretti passed cars too, but A.J. Foyt (a lapped car) claimed that he had waved Andretti by (which was permissible under the rules) to allow Andretti to blend in closer to the lead lap drivers. That did not come to light until later, and was not considered reason to revise the official standings for a second time.
spent the night reviewing race tapes and scoring reports. At 8 a.m. EST Monday morning, the official results of the race were posted. Bobby Unser
was charged with passing cars under the yellow, and was penalized 1 position (some erroneous reports listed it as a 1-lap penalty) for the infraction. The penalty dropped Unser down to second place, and elevated Mario Andretti
to first place. Andretti
was declared the victor, and it made him a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.
That night, a subdued Victory Banquet, with Andretti the new guest of honor, was overshadowed by large-scale media attention. Ted Koppel
's Nightline focused the evening's program on the controversy.
Penske Racing
, Bobby Unser
's team, immediately protested the decision.
filed an appeal after the official results were posted. A hearing was June 12, 1981. The USAC appeals hearing resembled a court case. According to some in attendance, witnesses who took the stand were subjected to numerous odd and superfluous questions, many with little or no relevance to the race itself. The hearings reportedly were dragged out with considerable wasted time. Mid-way through the hearing, the meeting was adjourned, and the resumption was scheduled for July 29.
Bobby Unser's primary argument was based on what he considered to be a vague definition of the "blend rule." When exiting the pit area under caution, drivers were instructed to look to their right and see which car was next to them on the track. After accelerating to sufficient speed, the driver was to "blend" (merge) into the field behind that car. Mario Andretti
argued that it was an established guideline that the place to look for the car to blend behind was at the south end of the pit straight, where the concrete wall ends. Bobby Unser
countered that he understood that, as long as the car stayed under the white line and in the apron, the place to blend in was the exit of turn two. Unser argued that the warm-up apron was an extension of the pit area. He also contended that Andretti had passed at least two cars himself, and should have also incurred a one-lap penalty. In addition, it was pointed out that USAC allowed the alleged infraction to go unpenalized throughout the remainder of the race (instead of acting upon it immediately after it happened).
USAC
was faced with a dilemma, as the rulebook was in fact unclear in regards to the blend rule. Officials mulled over the decision for months. On October 9, 1981, a three-member USAC
appeals board voted 2-1 to reinstate the victory to Bobby Unser
. He was instead fined $
40,000.
, who felt the entire ordeal was politically motivated by his USAC enemies, became disillusioned with auto racing and took a sabbatical from driving. He sat out the 1982 Indy 500
, and retired officially in 1983.
After being reinstated the winner, Bobby Unser
was presented with the miniature Borg-Warner Trophy
, while Mario Andretti
had already been presented with the winner's championship ring
. While Bobby Unser celebrated in victory lane on race day, the morning after the race, Mario Andretti took part in the winner's photograph session. No official victory photos were taken of Unser. Months after the race, Unser's likeness was sculpted and added to the Borg-Warner Trophy
appropriately.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
on Sunday, May 24, 1981. A hectic month of May was interrupted several times by rain. Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
took the checkered flag as the winner, with Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
second. The following morning, USAC
United States Automobile Club
The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...
officials ruled that Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
had passed cars illegally while exiting the pit area
Pit stop
In motorsports, a pit stop is where a racing vehicle stops in the pits during a race for refuelling, new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above...
on lap 149, and issued him a one-position penalty. The official posted results scored Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
finishing second, and declared Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
the winner.
After a lengthly protest and appeals process, the penalty was rescinded, and Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
was reinstated the victory on October 9. The race is widely considered one of the most controversial races in Indy history.
Background
Three years into the first open wheel split, the sport of Indy car racing began settling into a mostly stabilized environment by 1981. The upstart CART seriesChamp Car
Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
sanctioned the season of races. The Indianapolis 500 itself became an invitation-only race sanctioned by USAC
United States Automobile Club
The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...
, involving the CART regulars and various one-off entries.
A record total of 105 entries were expected to shatter the previous records for drivers on the track and qualifying attempts. Speed-cutting measures were still in place, and no drivers were expected to challenge the track records in 1981.
Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
, as he had done in previous years, planned to race at Indianapolis in-between his busy, full-time Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
schedule. His plans included qualifying at Indy on pole day weekend (May 9–10), then flying to Europe for the Belgian Grand Prix
1981 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1981 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on May 17, 1981.-Mechanic safety:The Belgian Grand Prix of 1981 was marred by two serious incidents involving mechanics, one fatal. In Friday practice a mechanic from the Osella team, Giovanni Amadeo, stumbled off the pitwall...
(May 17). After Belgium, he would fly back to Indianapolis in time for race day (May 24).
Practice - week 1
Practice started on Opening Day, Saturday May 2. The two most notable rookies of the field made most of the headlines for the afternoon. Young Josele GarzaJosele Garza
Josele Garza is a Mexican professional race car driver. He started seven Indianapolis 500 races. Garza was the 1981 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after rolling off sixth and finishing 23rd at the age of 19...
(actually 19 at the time, lied on his entry form to say he was 21) and Geoff Brabham
Geoff Brabham
Geoff Brabham is an Australian racing driver. He is the son of three-time Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham. Brabham spent the majority of his racing career in the United States. He raced successfully in CART early in his career. In ten appearances in the Indianapolis 500, with a best result...
both passed their rookie tests.
On Sunday May 3, Al Unser
Al Unser
Alfred "Al" Unser is a former American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser, Jr....
became the first driver to practice over 190 mi/h. A day later, his brother Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
pushed the speeds over 197 mi/h. The first incidents of the month occurred Monday, when Gordon Smiley
Gordon Smiley
Gordon Eugene Smiley was an American race car driver from Omaha, Nebraska who was killed in a single-car crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was inducted into the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2000....
spun, and Pete Halsmer
Pete Halsmer
Pete Halsmer , is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in 5 seasons , with 33 career starts, and started in the Indianapolis 500 in 1981-1982. He finished in the top five three times in the CART series, with his best finish in 2nd position in 1983 at Cleveland...
crashed in turn 4.
Tuesday (May 5) was completely rained out, and Wednesday (May 6) was windy, keeping the speeds mostly down. A record 50 cars took to the track on Thursday (May 7), with Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
fastest of the day at 194.3 mi/h.
On Friday, the final day of practice before pole day, Penske
Penske Racing
Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, and Formula One. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske...
teammates Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
and Rick Mears
Rick Mears
Rick Ravon Mears is a retired American race car driver. He is one of three men to have won the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race four times , and the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six...
were hand-timed just a tick below 200 mi/h. Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
was a close third over 198 mi/h.
Time trials - weekend 1
On Saturday May 9, rain delayed the start of pole position time trials until 3:34 p.m. An abbreviated session saw only 9 cars finish qualifying runs. A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt
Anthony Joseph Foyt, Jr., or as he is universally known as in motorsports circles, A. J. Foyt , is a retired American automobile racing driver. He raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes USAC Champ cars and midget cars. He raced stock cars in NASCAR and USAC. He won...
was the fastest of the nine, sitting on the provisional pole at 196.078 mi/h. Rain stopped qualifying for the day at 5:49 p.m., and pushed pole qualifying into the next day.
On Sunday May 10, pole position qualifying was scheduled to resume. Rain fell all afternoon, however, and canceled all track activity for the day. 27 cars were still eligible for the pole position, and the resumption of pole day qualifying was scheduled for the following Saturday.
Among the cars not yet qualified was Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
, who due in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
for the Grand Prix
1981 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1981 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on May 17, 1981.-Mechanic safety:The Belgian Grand Prix of 1981 was marred by two serious incidents involving mechanics, one fatal. In Friday practice a mechanic from the Osella team, Giovanni Amadeo, stumbled off the pitwall...
. His plans to put the car safely in the field on pole weekend were thwarted, and a contingency plan would have to be made.
Practice - week 2
Rain continued to fall, and washed out practice on Monday (May 11). On Tuesday May 12, the 200 mi/h barrier was finally broken in practice for the month by Danny OngaisDanny Ongais
Danny Ongais is a former racecar driver from the United States.He is the only native Hawaiian to compete at the Indianapolis 500...
. Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
took his final practice run of the week, and departed for Belgium. Two major crashes occurred, involving Phil Caliva
Phil Caliva
Phil Caliva is an Italian-born American racing driver who competed in the CART Championship Car series from 1979 to 1984. After racing in the North American Formula Super Vee series in 1977 and 1978, he made his CART debut in 1979 driving for Spike Gehlhausen at Ontario Motor Speedway...
and Phil Krueger
Phil Krueger
Phil Krueger , is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in 9 seasons , with 23 career starts, including the 1986 and 1988 Indianapolis 500...
. Tim Richmond
Tim Richmond
Tim Richmond was an American race car driver from Ashland, Ohio. He competed in IndyCar racing before transferring to NASCAR's Winston Cup Series . Richmond was one of the first drivers to change from open wheel racing to NASCAR stock cars full-time, which has since become an industry trend...
and Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon both were involved in spins, but suffered no contact.
On Wednesday May 13, Rick Mears pushed the fastest speed of the month to 200.312 mi/h. Retired veteran driver Wally Dallenbach
Wally Dallenbach, Sr.
Wally Dallenbach, Sr. is a former long-time open-wheeled race car driver in CART from East Brunswick Township, New Jersey. He drove in 180 Indy Car races between 1965 and 1979, winning five times. He is the father of NASCAR driver and commentator, Wally Dallenbach, Jr.-Biography:Dallenbach nearly...
climbed into Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
's car, and began to take some shake down laps. Due to Andretti's absence for the rest of the week, the Patrick Racing
Patrick Racing
Patrick Racing was an auto racing team in both Champ Car and the Indy Racing League.Patrick Racing was started by Pat Patrick with the formation of CART in 1978. Patrick Racing would win three Indianapolis 500s and two CART championships, making it one of the most successful CART teams ever.In...
team decided to have Dallenbach qualify the car for him. On race day, Andretti would take over the cockpit once again. Dallenbach was quickly up to speed, over 191 mi/h on his first day.
Rain closed the track on Thursday. On Friday, Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
upped the speed even further, turning a lap of 201.387 mi/h. A record 63 cars took to the track on the final full day of practice. World of Outlaws
World of Outlaws
The World of Outlaws is an American motorsports sanctioning body. The body sanctions two major national touring series. It is best known for sanctioning a national tour of sprint cars. It later purchased a national tour of late model stockcars called the World of Outlaws Late Model Series...
star, and Indy rookie Steve Kinser
Steve Kinser
Steve Kinser , is a professional sprint car racer. He has won 20 championships in the World of Outlaws series, and currently drives the #11 Bass Pro Shops car. Kinser left the World of Outlaws in 2006 to compete with the National Sprint Tour series, but returned to the World of Outlaws for the...
crashed in turn 1.
Time trials - weekend 2
Pole day time trials resumed on a sunny Saturday May 16. About a half hour into the session, Bobby UnserBobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
took over the pole position with a four-lap average of 200.546 mi/h. Meanwhile, Wally Dallenbach
Wally Dallenbach, Sr.
Wally Dallenbach, Sr. is a former long-time open-wheeled race car driver in CART from East Brunswick Township, New Jersey. He drove in 180 Indy Car races between 1965 and 1979, winning five times. He is the father of NASCAR driver and commentator, Wally Dallenbach, Jr.-Biography:Dallenbach nearly...
put Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
's car safely in the field at over 193 mi/h. Mike Mosley
Mike Mosley
Mike Mosley , was an American racecar driver.Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Mosley died in an off-road vehicle accident near Riverside, California. His young son, Michael, was also riding in the van Mosley was driving, but was uninjured. He was a driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series...
squeezed himself into the front row posting a 197.141 mi/h run. Moments later, Rick Mears
Rick Mears
Rick Ravon Mears is a retired American race car driver. He is one of three men to have won the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race four times , and the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six...
took to the track. After a lap over 200.9 mi/h, his car developed a vibration, and he was forced to wave off, giving up his chance for the pole position. Pole qualifying continued until 2:00 p.m., when the original qualifying line was finally exhausted. Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
was awarded the pole, and the next round of qualifying began.
After pole qualifying was over, Tom Sneva
Tom Sneva
Tom Sneva is a former Indy Car driver who was named to the prestigious Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2005. Sneva is best remembered for winning the 1983 Indianapolis 500. Nicknamed "The Gas Man," Sneva was an outstanding qualifier, winning the pole position for the Indianapolis 500 three...
qualified his car at 200.691 mi/h. It was the fastest speed of the month, but since it did not take place in the pole round, he was not eligible for the pole position. Later in the day, Rick Mears
Rick Mears
Rick Ravon Mears is a retired American race car driver. He is one of three men to have won the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race four times , and the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six...
took a back-up car out to qualify, but had to settle for a slower speed, and 22nd starting position.
On Sunday, bump day time trials were very busy. Ten cars were bumped during 25 attempts.
Carburetion Day
On Thursday May 21, the final scheduled practice session was held. All 33 qualified cars, along with 2 alternates that took laps. Mario AndrettiMario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
returned from Belgium, and practiced in his already-qualified car. Jerry Karl
Jerry Karl
Jerry Karl , was a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series...
was arrested during the week, but would be released on bond in time for race day. Bob Harkey
Bob Harkey
Bob Harkey , is a former driver in the USAC Championship Car series. He raced in the 1963-1979 seasons, with 85 career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in 1964, 1971 and 1973-1976...
practiced his car for him.
The starting grid was altered slightly after qualifying. Wally Dallenbach
Wally Dallenbach, Sr.
Wally Dallenbach, Sr. is a former long-time open-wheeled race car driver in CART from East Brunswick Township, New Jersey. He drove in 180 Indy Car races between 1965 and 1979, winning five times. He is the father of NASCAR driver and commentator, Wally Dallenbach, Jr.-Biography:Dallenbach nearly...
, who qualified Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
's car 8th, stepped aside as planned, and the car moved to the rear of the grid. In addition, George Snider
George Snider
George "Ziggy" Snider is a retired American race car driver. A longtime driver in the United States Automobile Club Silver Crown series, Snider is also a 22-time starter of the Indianapolis 500, the most starts without winning the race. His best finish was eighth in the 1975 Indianapolis 500...
vacated his ride in favor of Tim Richmond
Tim Richmond
Tim Richmond was an American race car driver from Ashland, Ohio. He competed in IndyCar racing before transferring to NASCAR's Winston Cup Series . Richmond was one of the first drivers to change from open wheel racing to NASCAR stock cars full-time, which has since become an industry trend...
.
Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
continued his dominance of the month, and led the speed chart for the afternoon, with a hand-timed lap of 197.6 mi/h. Later in the afternoon, hoping to sweep the month, his Penske Racing
Penske Racing
Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, and Formula One. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske...
pit crew also guided him to a victory in the Miller Pit Stop Contest.
Start
Bobby Unser took the lead at the start, with Johnny Rutherford moving up from row 2 into second place. Mike Mosley, the #2 starter, blew a radiator on lap 16 and finished in last place. Tom Sneva, with the fastest car in the field, charged from the 20th starting position to third place by lap 20. Rutherford took the lead from Unser on lap 22, but three laps later went out with a broken fuel pump. Sneva led for a lap, then pitted under the yellow flag for Rutherford's tow-in. Unser made his first pit stop on lap 32 when Don Whittington's wreck brought out another yellow. Sneva inherhited the lead and held it until the second round of pit stops began on lap 56. Sneva pitted first, but the car stalled as he tried to pull away. As Sneva's crew tried to re-fire the engine, new leader Rick Mears pulled into his pit directly behind Sneva.Mears pit fire
When Rick Mears pitted on lap 58, fuel began to gush from the refueling hose before it had been connected to the car. Fuel sprayed over the car, Mears and his mechanics, then ignited when it contacted the engine. Methanol burns with a transparent flame and no smoke, and panic gripped the pit as crew members and spectators fled from the invisible fire. Mears, on fire from the waist up, jumped out of his car and ran to the pit wall, where a safety worker, not seeing the fire, tried to remove Mears' helmet. Meanwhile, Mears' fueler, covered in burning fuel, waved his arms frantically to attract the attention of the fire crews already converging on the scene. By this time the safety worker attending to Mears had fled, and Mears, in near panic at being unable to breathe, leaped over the pit wall toward another crewman carrying a fire extinguisher, who dropped the extinguisher and also fled. Mears tried to turn the extinguisher on himself, but at this point his father, Bill Mears, having already pulled Rick's wife Deena to safety, grabbed the extinguisher and put out the fire. His mechanics had also been extinguished, and the pit fire crew arrived to thoroughly douse Mears' car.Thanks to quick action by safety workers and the fact that methanol burns at a much lower temperature than gasoline, no one was seriously hurt in the incident. Mears and four of his mechanics (including Derrick Walker
Derrick Walker
Derrick Walker is a British auto racing team owner.-Formula One:He started in auto racing as a chief mechanic for the Brabham Formula One team from 1970 to 1975...
, a future crewchief on the Penske team) were sent to hospital, and Mears underwent plastic surgery on his face, particularly on his nose. The incident prompted a redesign to the fuel nozzle used on Indycars, adding a safety valve that would only open when the nozzle was connected to the car.
Danny Ongais crash
Danny OngaisDanny Ongais
Danny Ongais is a former racecar driver from the United States.He is the only native Hawaiian to compete at the Indianapolis 500...
came into the pits on lap 63 as the leader of the race, but problems during the stop caused it to drag on for a disastrous 46 seconds. After finally leaving the pits, Ongais approached a slower car at the end of the backstretch. Perhaps still upset about the long stop, he made a late pass going into turn 3. Carrying too much speed out of the turn, the car drifted out into the grey and the back end began to slide. Ongais tried to correct the slide by turning right, and the car hooked to the right and crashed nearly head-on into the wall. (A year later, Gordon Smiley
Gordon Smiley
Gordon Eugene Smiley was an American race car driver from Omaha, Nebraska who was killed in a single-car crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was inducted into the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2000....
lost control at the same place in the same way, but crashed directly head-on and was killed.) The front end of the car was ripped away, leaving an unconscious Ongais completely exposed in the cockpit as the car continued around turn 3, trailing a long tongue of orange fire from burning oil. Safety crews quickly surrounded the car and used the Jaws of Life
Hydraulic Rescue Tools
Hydraulic rescue tools are used by emergency rescue personnel to assist vehicle extrication of crash victims, as well as other rescues from small spaces. These tools include cutters, spreaders, door busters and rams...
to rescue Ongais, who suffered a concussion and badly broken feet and legs. Remarkably, Ongais made a full recovery and raced again at Indianapolis just one year later.
Unser pit incident
On lap 146, Gordon SmileyGordon Smiley
Gordon Eugene Smiley was an American race car driver from Omaha, Nebraska who was killed in a single-car crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was inducted into the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2000....
crashed in turn 4. Three laps later, leader Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
and second place Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
went into the pit area for service. Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
finished his pit stop first, and was the first driver to exit the pit area. Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
followed a few seconds behind.
While the two cars were exiting the pits, the pace car was leading the field at reduced pace through turn 1 and turn 2. Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
stayed on the track apron, below the painted white line, and proceeded to pass by 14 cars and blend into the field at the exit of turn two. He took his place in line immediately behind the pace car as the leader. Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
appeared to pass two or three cars before he blended into the field in the south short chute.
The moves went largely unnoticed at the time. Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
claims that he immediately called his pit crew on the radio and told him that Unser had passed cars under the yellow. Though no action would be taken, he wanted it observed for the record. During the live radio broadcast, no announcers made note of the incident, nor was it yet reported that any penalty was under consideration. The TV announcers however expressed astonishment that Unser passed cars under the yellow despite knowing the rules, and even more after he was not penalized.
Finish
Gordon JohncockGordon Johncock
Gordon Johncock is a former racing driver, best known as a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and the 1976 USAC Marlboro Championship Trail champion. Johncock was most often simply referred to as "Gordy."...
led late in the race, but slowed and eventually suffered a blown engine with less than 10 laps to go. Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
assumed the lead on lap 182, with Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
second. Unser held on to win by 5.18 seconds, one of the closest finishes at Indianapolis to that point.
Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
celebrated his third Indy 500 victory (also 1968 and 1975), while Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
was lauded for charging from 32nd starting position to a 2nd place finish.
Post race
Shortly after the race was over, ramblings over a possible protest or penalty were surfacing. AndrettiMario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
's team, Patrick Racing
Patrick Racing
Patrick Racing was an auto racing team in both Champ Car and the Indy Racing League.Patrick Racing was started by Pat Patrick with the formation of CART in 1978. Patrick Racing would win three Indianapolis 500s and two CART championships, making it one of the most successful CART teams ever.In...
, was voicing concern over Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
passing cars under the yellow on lap 149. At the time, it was the policy of USAC
United States Automobile Club
The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...
to post official results for the Indianapolis 500 at 8 a.m. the morning after the race. USAC officials announced that the scoring and video tapes would be reviewed overnight.
Television controversy
ABCESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
televised the race on same-day tape-delay
Broadcast delay
In radio and television, broadcast delay refers to the practice of intentionally delaying broadcast of live material. A short delay is often used to prevent profanity, bloopers, violence, or other undesirable material from making it to air, including more mundane problems such as technical...
at 9 p.m. EDT. At the time, it was the policy of ABC Sports to record live commentary of the race at the start of the race and at the end of the race. For the remaining portions of the race, commentary was recorded during post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
.
Unlike the live radio broadcast, which did not notice nor mention the infraction, the television broadcast focused heavily on the incident, and reported it as it was being aired. It was later revealed that commentators Jim McKay
Jim McKay
James Kenneth McManus , better known by his professional name of Jim McKay, was an American television sports journalist....
and Jackie Stewart
Jackie Stewart
Sir John Young Stewart, OBE , better known as Jackie Stewart, and nicknamed The Flying Scotsman, is a Scottish former racing driver and team owner. He competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am...
had provided the commentary in post-production, and did so with the knowledge already that Unser had won the race, and a protest was in the works. The broadcast was considered misleading, as it suggested that the infraction was noticed by all parties at the time it occurred. The broadcast was also accused of being biased against Unser, as Stewart only pointed out Unser passing cars under the yellow, and not Andretti doing so. It was later shown on the official highlight film that Andretti passed cars too, but A.J. Foyt (a lapped car) claimed that he had waved Andretti by (which was permissible under the rules) to allow Andretti to blend in closer to the lead lap drivers. That did not come to light until later, and was not considered reason to revise the official standings for a second time.
Official results
USACUnited States Automobile Club
The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...
spent the night reviewing race tapes and scoring reports. At 8 a.m. EST Monday morning, the official results of the race were posted. Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
was charged with passing cars under the yellow, and was penalized 1 position (some erroneous reports listed it as a 1-lap penalty) for the infraction. The penalty dropped Unser down to second place, and elevated Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
to first place. Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
was declared the victor, and it made him a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.
That night, a subdued Victory Banquet, with Andretti the new guest of honor, was overshadowed by large-scale media attention. Ted Koppel
Ted Koppel
Edward James "Ted" Koppel is an English-born American broadcast journalist, best known as the anchor for Nightline from the program's inception in 1980 until his retirement in late 2005. After leaving Nightline, Koppel worked as managing editor for the Discovery Channel before resigning in 2008...
's Nightline focused the evening's program on the controversy.
Penske Racing
Penske Racing
Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, and Formula One. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske...
, Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
's team, immediately protested the decision.
Box score
| Finish | Start | No | Name | Qual | Rank | Laps | Led | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 3 |  Bobby UnserBobby Unser Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser... |
200.546 | 2 | 200 | 89 | Running |
| 2 | 32 | 40 | Mario Andretti Mario Andretti Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR... |
193.040 | 12 | 200 | 12 | Running |
| 3 | 18 | 33 |  Vern SchuppanVern Schuppan Vernon "Vern" Schuppan is a racing driver from Whyalla, South Australia. Schuppan drove in various categories, participating in Formula One, the Indianapolis 500 and most successfully in sports car racing.-Formula One:... |
186.548 | 31 | 199 | 0 | Flagged |
| 4 | 12 | 32 | Kevin Cogan Kevin Cogan Kevin Cogan is a former racecar driver who drove in Formula One from to . Driving a RAM Williams in the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix, he failed to qualify, suffering the same result driving for Tyrrell at the 1981 US GP West... |
189.444 | 18 | 197 | 0 | Flagged |
| 5 | 15 | 50 | Geoff Brabham Geoff Brabham Geoff Brabham is an Australian racing driver. He is the son of three-time Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham. Brabham spent the majority of his racing career in the United States. He raced successfully in CART early in his career. In ten appearances in the Indianapolis 500, with a best result... |
187.990 | 22 | 197 | 0 | Flagged |
| 6 | 23 | 81 | Sheldon Kinser Sheldon Kinser Sheldon Kinser , was an American race-car driver.Kinser, a Bloomington, Indiana native, died of cancer. He was a three-time USAC Sprint Car Series Champion . He also drove in the USAC and CART Championship Car series... |
189.454 | 17 | 195 | 0 | Flagged |
| 7 | 16 | 16 | Tony Bettenhausen, Jr. Tony Bettenhausen, Jr. Tony Bettenhausen, Jr. was a Champ Car team owner and driver who died in a 2000 plane crash. He was the son of former 14-time Indianapolis 500 competitor Tony Bettenhausen and the brother of 21-time Indy racer Gary Bettenhausen. The family holds the dubious distinction of the most combined starts... |
187.013 | 28 | 195 | 0 | Flagged |
| 8 | 17 | 53 | Steve Krisiloff Steve Krisiloff Steve Krisiloff , is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1969–1979, 1981 and 1983 seasons, with 111 combined career starts, and started in the Indianapolis 500 all but 1969–1970... |
186.722 | 30 | 194 | 0 | Flagged |
| 9 | 4 | 20 | Gordon Johncock Gordon Johncock Gordon Johncock is a former racing driver, best known as a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and the 1976 USAC Marlboro Championship Trail champion. Johncock was most often simply referred to as "Gordy."... |
195.429 | 7 | 194 | 52 | Engine |
| 10 | 28 | 4 | Dennis Firestone Dennis Firestone Dennis Firestone is a former CART driver from 1979 to 1987. He was the Rookie of the year in CART 1980 season finishing in 12th in season points, his best season. His best finish in a CART race was a pair of 5th places that year... |
187.784 | 23 | 193 | 0 | Engine |
| 11 | 7 | 7 | Bill Alsup Bill Alsup Bill Alsup is a former race car driver. He was the first CART Rookie of the Year in 1979 and competed in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, finishing 11th. He made 57 CART & USAC Champ Car starts in his career... |
193.154 | 11 | 193 | 0 | Flagged |
| 12 | 25 | 74 | Mike Chandler Mike Chandler Mike Chandler , is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1980-1984 seasons, with 9 career starts, and started in the Indianapolis 500 in 1981-1983. A near head-on crash in practice for the 1984 race left him in a coma for several days and prematurely ended his career... |
187.567 | 26 | 192 | 0 | Flagged |
| 13 | 3 | 14 | A.J. Foyt |
196.078 | 6 | 191 | 0 | Flagged |
| 14 | 33 | 84 | Tim Richmond Tim Richmond Tim Richmond was an American race car driver from Ashland, Ohio. He competed in IndyCar racing before transferring to NASCAR's Winston Cup Series . Richmond was one of the first drivers to change from open wheel racing to NASCAR stock cars full-time, which has since become an industry trend... |
189.254 | 20 | 191 | 0 | Flagged |
| 15 | 31 | 38 | Jerry Karl Jerry Karl Jerry Karl , was a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series... |
186.008 | 33 | 189 | 0 | Flagged |
| 16 | 29 | 37 | Scott Brayton Scott Brayton Scott Everets Brayton was a race car driver from Coldwater, Michigan, on the American open-wheel circuit. He competed in 14 Indianapolis 500s, beginning with the 1981 event... |
187.774 | 24 | 173 | 0 | Engine |
| 17 | 9 | 88 | Al Unser Al Unser Alfred "Al" Unser is a former American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser, Jr.... |
192.719 | 14 | 166 | 0 | Flagged |
| 18 | 19 | 31 | Larry Dickson Larry Dickson Larry Dickson , is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1965-1981 seasons, with 105 combined career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in 1966-1969, 1971, 1978–1979, and 1981. He finished in the top ten 44 times, with his best finish in 2nd position in... |
186.278 | 32 | 165 | 0 | Piston |
| 19 | 13 | 35 | Bob Lazier Bob Lazier Robert "Bob" Lazier , is an American former race car driver. He raced in the CART series in 1981 and was CART's Rookie of the Year. He had fourth-place finishes at Watkins Glen and Mexico. Lazier also competed in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, finishing 19th after a blown engine caused him to retire... |
189.424 | 19 | 154 | 0 | Engine |
| 20 | 14 | 56 | Tom Bigelow Tom Bigelow Tom Bigelow , USA, is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series.-Midget car racing:... |
188.294 | 21 | 152 | 0 | Engine |
| 21 | 27 | 90 | Bill Whittington Bill Whittington Bill Whittington is an American racing driver from Lubbock, Texas who won the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans together with his brother Don Whittington and Klaus Ludwig in a Porsche 935. The German professional Klaus Ludwig, multiple winner at Le Mans and elsewhere, did most of the driving in the heavy... |
197.098 | 5 | 146 | 0 | Stalled |
| 22 | 8 | 60 | Gordon Smiley Gordon Smiley Gordon Eugene Smiley was an American race car driver from Omaha, Nebraska who was killed in a single-car crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was inducted into the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2000.... |
192.988 | 13 | 141 | 1 | Crash T4 |
| 23 | 6 | 55 |  Josele GarzaJosele Garza Josele Garza is a Mexican professional race car driver. He started seven Indianapolis 500 races. Garza was the 1981 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after rolling off sixth and finishing 23rd at the age of 19... |
195.101 | 9 | 138 | 13 | Crash T3 |
| 24 | 24 | 79 | Pete Halsmer Pete Halsmer Pete Halsmer , is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in 5 seasons , with 33 career starts, and started in the Indianapolis 500 in 1981-1982. He finished in the top five three times in the CART series, with his best finish in 2nd position in 1983 at Cleveland... |
187.705 | 25 | 123 | 0 | Crash T3 |
| 25 | 20 | 2 | Tom Sneva Tom Sneva Tom Sneva is a former Indy Car driver who was named to the prestigious Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2005. Sneva is best remembered for winning the 1983 Indianapolis 500. Nicknamed "The Gas Man," Sneva was an outstanding qualifier, winning the pole position for the Indianapolis 500 three... |
200.691 | 1 | 96 | 25 | Clutch |
| 26 | 11 | 8 | Gary Bettenhausen Gary Bettenhausen Gary Bettenhausen is a retired American auto racing driver. He was born in Blue Island, Illinois, raised in Tinley Park, Illinois, and currently resides in Monrovia, Indiana.-Racing family:... |
190.870 | 16 | 69 | 0 | Rod |
| 27 | 21 | 25 | Danny Ongais Danny Ongais Danny Ongais is a former racecar driver from the United States.He is the only native Hawaiian to compete at the Indianapolis 500... |
197.694 | 3 | 64 | 4 | Crash T3 |
| 28 | 10 | 5 | Pancho Carter Pancho Carter Duane "Pancho" Carter, Jr. is a retired American race car driver. He is most famous for his participation in CART races.-Background:... |
191.022 | 15 | 63 | 0 | Compression |
| 29 | 30 | 51 | Tom Klausler Tom Klausler Tom Klausler , is a retired American racecar driver. He competed in the CART Championship Car series and in SCCA's Can-Am series.-Racing career:... |
186.732 | 29 | 60 | 0 | Gearbox |
| 30 | 22 | 6 | Rick Mears Rick Mears Rick Ravon Mears is a retired American race car driver. He is one of three men to have won the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race four times , and the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six... |
194.018 | 10 | 58 | 1 | Pit Fire |
| 31 | 26 | 91 | Don Whittington Don Whittington Reginald "Don" Whittington is a former American racing driver from Lubbock, Texas who won the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans together with his brother Bill Whittington and Klaus Ludwig on a Porsche 935, although Ludwig, a multiple winner at Le Mans and elsewhere, did most of the driving in the heavy rain... |
187.237 | 27 | 32 | 0 | Crash BS |
| 32 | 5 | 1 | Johnny Rutherford Johnny Rutherford For the Major League Baseball pitcher, see Johnny Rutherford . For other people with a similar name, see John RutherfordJohn Sherman Rutherford III , better known as Johnny Rutherford, and also known as "Lone Star JR" is a former U.S... |
195.387 | 8 | 25 | 3 | Fuel Pump |
| 33 | 2 | 48 | Mike Mosley Mike Mosley Mike Mosley , was an American racecar driver.Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Mosley died in an off-road vehicle accident near Riverside, California. His young son, Michael, was also riding in the van Mosley was driving, but was uninjured. He was a driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series... |
197.141 | 4 | 16 | 0 | Radiator |
Failed to Qualify
- Tom BagleyTom BagleyTom Bagley , is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1978-1980 and 1983 seasons, with 42 combined career starts, including the 1978-1980 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 23 times, with a best finish, three times, of 4th position.-Indy 500...
(#43) - Steve Ball (#85)
- Pat Bedard (#17)
- Jim BuickJim BuickJames J. Buick is a former American racing driver from Omaha, Nebraska who competed in the CART series in 1981. He started four races with a best finish of 16th and failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in a 7 year old Chevrolet–powered Eagle. Buick again attempted but failed to make...
(#86) - Phil CalivaPhil CalivaPhil Caliva is an Italian-born American racing driver who competed in the CART Championship Car series from 1979 to 1984. After racing in the North American Formula Super Vee series in 1977 and 1978, he made his CART debut in 1979 driving for Spike Gehlhausen at Ontario Motor Speedway...
(#47, #87) - Larry Cannon (#96, #99)
- Steve ChasseySteve ChasseySteve Chassey , is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in 9 seasons , with 44 career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in 1983, 1987, and 1988. He finished in the top ten 4 times, with his best finish in 5th position in 1981 at Watkins Glen International...
(#64) - Bill Engelhart (#29)
- Dick FergusonDick FergusonDick Ferguson , is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1979-1985 and 1987-1988 seasons, with 26 career starts, including the 1980 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 5 times, with a best finish of 6th position in 1981 at Michigan.-External Links:*...
(#95) - Bob FreyBob FreyRobert C. Frey is a former American racing driver from Elyria, Ohio. He was a notable sprint car driver who won some of the country's most prestigious races when he attempted to try his hand at CART Championship Car racing in 1980. His first attempt to qualify for a race at the Pocono Raceway...
(#71) - Spike GehlhausenSpike GehlhausenDaniel William "Spike" Gehlhausen , is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in 11 seasons , with 79 combined career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in 1976, 1978-1980, and 1984...
(#23, #34) - Ken Hamilton (#63)
- Bob HarkeyBob HarkeyBob Harkey , is a former driver in the USAC Championship Car series. He raced in the 1963-1979 seasons, with 85 career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in 1964, 1971 and 1973-1976...
(#71, #89, #96) - Jim HurtubiseJim HurtubiseIn 1957, Hurtubise started his NASCAR career running two races. Over the next twenty years, he would race 36 races, winning one race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and amassing eleven top ten finishes.-Award:...
(#65)
- Herm JohnsonHerm JohnsonHerm Johnson , is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in 7 seasons , with 35 career starts, including the 1984 Indianapolis 500. He also raced at Indy in 1982, but the race was not part of CART that year...
(#28) - Bubby JonesBubby JonesNorman "Bubby" Jones , is a former driver in the USAC Sprint Car series, with 22 victories, and a member of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, inducted in 1998. He also raced in the USAC Championship Car series, in the 1977-1978 seasons, with 2 career starts, including the 1977 Indianapolis 500...
(#58) - Steve KinserSteve KinserSteve Kinser , is a professional sprint car racer. He has won 20 championships in the World of Outlaws series, and currently drives the #11 Bass Pro Shops car. Kinser left the World of Outlaws in 2006 to compete with the National Sprint Tour series, but returned to the World of Outlaws for the...
(#78). - Phil KruegerPhil KruegerPhil Krueger , is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in 9 seasons , with 23 career starts, including the 1986 and 1988 Indianapolis 500...
(#89) - Greg LefflerGreg LefflerGreg Leffler , is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1980-1983 seasons, with 13 career starts, including the 1980 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten twice, with his best finish in 6th position in 1982 at Riverside. In 1979, Leffler was the USAC Sprint Car...
(#43, #44) - Harry MacDonaldHarry MacDonaldHarry MacDonald is a retired American racecar driver. He raced in the US Formula Super Vee series from 1977 to 1979 and in 1978 won a race at Texas World Speedway and finished third in the championship...
(#45) - John MahlerJohn MahlerJohn Mahler , 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...
(#92, #93) - John MartinJohn Martin (driver)John Martin , is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1970-1977 and 1979-1980 seasons, with 52 career starts, including the 1972-1976 Indianapolis 500 races. He finished in the top ten 17 times, with his best finish in 5th position at Ontario Motor...
(#57) - Jim McElreathJim McElreathJim McElreath , is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series.-Racing career:He raced in the 1961-1983 seasons, with 178 combined career starts, including 15 in the Indianapolis 500 in 1962-1970, 1973–1974, and 1977-1980. He finished in the top ten 101 times, with five victories...
(#26) - Chip MeadChip MeadHarry Talbott "Chip" Mead, Jr. was an American racing driver from Dayton, Ohio.Starting out in US Formula Super Vee, the single-seat Can-Am series, and North American Formula Atlantic in the late 70's including a 7th place points finish in the 1977 Formula Atlantic season, Mead later made 7 starts...
(#49) - Roger MearsRoger MearsRoger Mears , is a former off-road driver who also drove in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1978-1984 seasons, with 31 combined career starts, and started in the 1982 and 1983 Indianapolis 500...
(#98) - Jerry MillerJerry Miller (driver)Jerry Wayne Miller was an American racing driver from Salem, Indiana who excelled at sprint car racing and made a 3 year foray into Championship Car....
(#65) - Johnny ParsonsJohnny ParsonsJohnny Parsons is an American racecar driver.-Racing family:Parsons is the son of Arza and 1950 Indianapolis 500 winner Johnnie Parsons. His parents divorced, and Johnny was raised with half-brothers Dana and Pancho Carter, the product of Arza'a marriage with Duane Carter. The Carters grew up...
(#8, #12, #18) - Roger RagerRoger RagerRoger Rager , is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series.Rager wasn't quite five years old when he ran a "space ship" go-kart around the track during an intermission for a race program that included his dad, Bob, at the Nebraska State Fair in Lincoln.At age 14, Rager purchased...
(#21, #66)
- Larry RiceLarry RiceLarry Rice was an American racing driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He was the 1973 USAC National midget driver's champion and won the USAC Silver Crown series in 1977 and 1981. He was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1993.-Racing career:Larry's father...
(#52) - Tim RichmondTim RichmondTim Richmond was an American race car driver from Ashland, Ohio. He competed in IndyCar racing before transferring to NASCAR's Winston Cup Series . Richmond was one of the first drivers to change from open wheel racing to NASCAR stock cars full-time, which has since become an industry trend...
(#21) - Joe SaldanaJoe SaldanaJoe Saldana , is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1977-1980 seasons, with 31 combined career starts, including the 1978-1979 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 10 times, with a best finish of 6th position in 1979 at Atlanta...
(#24, #69) - Dick SimonDick SimonDick Simon is one of the oldest men to ever have raced in the Indianapolis 500. He was 55 years old during his final Indy 500 start in 1988. A multiple starter and top-ten finisher in the race, he also became a car owner, founding Dick Simon Racing helping to begin the IndyCar careers of Stéphan...
(#22) - Jerry SnevaJerry SnevaJerry Sneva , is a former off-road driver who also drove in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1977-1982 seasons, with 26 combined career starts, including the 1977-1980 and 1982 Indianapolis 500 and was named 1977 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year...
(#17, #34, #72, #74) - George SniderGeorge SniderGeorge "Ziggy" Snider is a retired American race car driver. A longtime driver in the United States Automobile Club Silver Crown series, Snider is also a 22-time starter of the Indianapolis 500, the most starts without winning the race. His best finish was eighth in the 1975 Indianapolis 500...
(#84) - Bill TemperoBill TemperoBill Tempero is an American former racing driver from Milwaukee. He raced in the CART Championship Car series from 1980 to 1984 competing in full seasons his first two years and partial schedules thereafter. He failed to qualify for both the races he attempted in 1984, so he was not credited with...
(#15) - Phil ThreshiePhil ThreshiePhil Threshie , is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1977-1981 seasons, with 15 combined career starts, including the 1978-1979 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten once, an 8th position in 1979 at Texas World Speedway.-Indy 500...
(#67) - Rich VoglerRich VoglerRich Vogler was a champion sprint car and midget car driver. He was nicknamed "Rapid Rich". He competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times, his best finish was eighth in 1989.-Racing career:...
(#44, #46) - Bill Vukovich IIBill Vukovich IIWilliam John Vukovich, Jr. , better known as Bill Vukovich II is a former driver in the championship car division of USAC and CART series....
(#42) - Frank WeissFrank WeissFrank Weiss is a retired Canadian racecar driver. He competed in the USAC and CART Championship Car series....
(#93) - Dale WhittingtonDale WhittingtonDale Whittington , was an American racecar driver.Born in Orlando, Florida as the youngest of the three Whittington brothers...
(#91)
Protest and appeals
Roger PenskeRoger Penske
Roger S. Penske is the owner of the automobile racing team Penske Racing, the Penske Corporation, and other automotive related businesses. A winning racer in the late 1950s, Penske was named 1961's Sports Car Club of America Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated...
filed an appeal after the official results were posted. A hearing was June 12, 1981. The USAC appeals hearing resembled a court case. According to some in attendance, witnesses who took the stand were subjected to numerous odd and superfluous questions, many with little or no relevance to the race itself. The hearings reportedly were dragged out with considerable wasted time. Mid-way through the hearing, the meeting was adjourned, and the resumption was scheduled for July 29.
Bobby Unser's primary argument was based on what he considered to be a vague definition of the "blend rule." When exiting the pit area under caution, drivers were instructed to look to their right and see which car was next to them on the track. After accelerating to sufficient speed, the driver was to "blend" (merge) into the field behind that car. Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
argued that it was an established guideline that the place to look for the car to blend behind was at the south end of the pit straight, where the concrete wall ends. Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
countered that he understood that, as long as the car stayed under the white line and in the apron, the place to blend in was the exit of turn two. Unser argued that the warm-up apron was an extension of the pit area. He also contended that Andretti had passed at least two cars himself, and should have also incurred a one-lap penalty. In addition, it was pointed out that USAC allowed the alleged infraction to go unpenalized throughout the remainder of the race (instead of acting upon it immediately after it happened).
USAC
United States Automobile Club
The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...
was faced with a dilemma, as the rulebook was in fact unclear in regards to the blend rule. Officials mulled over the decision for months. On October 9, 1981, a three-member USAC
United States Automobile Club
The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...
appeals board voted 2-1 to reinstate the victory to Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
. He was instead fined $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
40,000.
Aftermath and lore
The 1981 Indianapolis 500 was largely considered the most controversial running to date. It was referred to as "The Great Dispute," and in some circles was "Undecided." Bobby UnserBobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
, who felt the entire ordeal was politically motivated by his USAC enemies, became disillusioned with auto racing and took a sabbatical from driving. He sat out the 1982 Indy 500
1982 Indianapolis 500
The 66th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 30, 1982. Gordon Johncock, who had previously won the rain-shortened 1973 race, was the winner...
, and retired officially in 1983.
After being reinstated the winner, Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
was presented with the miniature Borg-Warner Trophy
Borg-Warner Trophy
The Borg-Warner Trophy, named for United States automotive supplier BorgWarner, is symbolic of victory in the Indianapolis 500 automobile race...
, while Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
had already been presented with the winner's championship ring
Ring (jewellery)
A finger ring is a circular band worn as a type of ornamental jewelry around a finger; it is the most common current meaning of the word ring. Other types of metal bands worn as ornaments are also called rings, such as arm rings and neck rings....
. While Bobby Unser celebrated in victory lane on race day, the morning after the race, Mario Andretti took part in the winner's photograph session. No official victory photos were taken of Unser. Months after the race, Unser's likeness was sculpted and added to the Borg-Warner Trophy
Borg-Warner Trophy
The Borg-Warner Trophy, named for United States automotive supplier BorgWarner, is symbolic of victory in the Indianapolis 500 automobile race...
appropriately.