1989 Indianapolis 500
Encyclopedia
The 73rd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
on Sunday, May 28, 1989. Emerson Fittipaldi
became the first foreign winner of the race since 1966. Though Fittipaldi dominated most of the race, he dropped to second in the waning laps. On the 199th lap, Al Unser, Jr.
was leading Fittipaldi down the backstretch. The two cars weaved through lap traffic, and Fittipaldi dove underneath in turn three. The two cars touched wheels, and Unser spun out, crashing into the outside wall. Fittipaldi coasted around the final lap to score his first Indy 500 victory.
(213.657 mph) led the speed chart for the day.
Practice picked up on Sunday May 7, with 44 cars taking to the track. Emerson Fittipaldi
(221.347 mph) set the fastest lap of practice thus far. Michael Andretti
was also over 220 mph.
On Monday May 8, Rick Mears
set an-time unofficial track record at 225.733 mph, the first ever practice lap over 225 mph at the Speedway. His teammate Al Unser, Sr. was close behind at 224.831 mph.
Rain washed out practice for Tuesday May 9.
On Wednesday May 10, rookie Steve Butler
crashed in turn 4, suffering a broken collarbone. The speeds were slightly down from Monday, with Al Unser, Sr. topping the chart at 223.380 mph.
At 4:11 p.m. on Thursday May 11, Danny Sullivan
's car lost the engine cover, causing him to break into a 180° spin in turn three. The car hit the wall hard with the right side. Sullivan suffered a mild concussion and a fractured right arm. Sullivan would be forced to sit out the first week of time trials. High winds kept the speeds down, with Jim Crawford
in a Buick V-6 (221.021 mph) the best lap of the day.
Rick Mears
blistered the track on Friday May 12, the final day of practice before time trials. His lap of 226.231 mph was the fastest practice lap ever run at the Speedway. Jim Crawford
and Al Unser, Sr. also topped 225 mph. Mears finished the week as the favorite for the pole position.
On Sunday May 14, pole day time trials were held. The cars would be allowed one trip through the qualifying draw order, and the pole round would be concluded. Al Unser, Sr. drew first in line, and was the first driver to make an attempt. Unser set a track record on all four laps, and put himself on the provisional pole position with a track record run of 223.471 mph.
A busy hour of qualifying saw several cars complete runs. Scott Brayton
, Scott Pruett
, Bernard Jourdain
, Teo Fabi
, and Michael Andretti
were among those who completed runs. Bobby Rahal
and A. J. Foyt
followed, and the field was already filled to 11 cars by 1:30 p.m.
At 2 p.m., Mario Andretti
(220.486 mph) tentatively put himself third. The next car out, however, was pole favorite Rick Mears
. Mears set a one-lap track record of 224.254 mph, and a four-lap record of 223.885 mph to secure the pole position. Minutes later, Michael Andretti
's car was disqualified for being 4.5 pounds underweight.
With Mears and Unser, Sr. firmly holding the top two spots, the rest of the session focused on which driver would round out the front row in third starting position. Jim Crawford
, in the Buick V-6, set a stock block track record of 221.450 mph to sit in third at 2:40 p.m. Twenty minutes later, though, Emerson Fittipaldi
took to the track, the final car eligible for the pole round. His run of 222.329 mph put him on the outside of the front row, and bumped Craford back to row 2.
After the pole position round was settled, the "second day" of time trials commenced at 3:15 p.m. Michael Andretti
re-qualified at 218.774 mph (the 8th fastest car in the field), but was forced to start 22nd as a second-day qualifier. Tom Sneva
had an impressive first lap of 223.176 mph, but blew his engine before the run was completed. At the end of the day, the field was filled to 26 cars.
. The Penske Team started preparing a car for Sullivan, with Geoff Brabham
selected to shake the car down.
Danny Sullivan
returned to the cockpit on Thursday May 18. He completed about 10-12 hot laps, with a top speed of 213.118 mph. Jim Crawford
crashed his already-qualified car in turn 3. A suspension piece broke as he entered the turn, and the car spun into the outside wall. The team would repair the machine.
Rain washed out practice on Friday May 19, the third day overall lost during the month.
qualified comfortably at 216.027 mph. Sullivan was the fastest car of the day, followed by Kevin Cogan
and Rocky Moran
. Two crashes occurred during the day, involving Buddy Lazier
and Steve Saleen
. Neither would manage to qualify. At the end of the third day, the field was filled to 31 cars.
On Bump Day, Sunday May 21, much of the attention was focused on Johnny Rutherford
, the biggest name who had yet to qualify. As the day opened, Billy Vukovich III
(216.698 mph) put his car in the field with an impressive run, ranked 16th-fastest overall. The second car to qualify was Johnny Rutherford
, who completed his run at 213.097 mph and filled the field to 33 cars. Davy Jones
(211.475 mph) was now on the bubble.
John Paul, Jr.
bumped Jones out of the field at 12:45 p.m., However, he himself was now on the bubble at 211.969 mph. At 3 p.m., Jones returned to the track and bumped his way back into the field. The move put Phil Krueger
(212.458 mph) on the bubble. At 4:45 p.m., Pancho Carter
bumped out Krueger. Johnny Rutherford (213.097 mph) now found himself on the bubble.
Rutherford survived three attempts, and held on to the bubble spot over the next hour. During that time, he put together a last-minute deal to step into an Foyt
back-up car. He shook down the car, and appeared to be finding speed.
With 15 minutes left in the day, Rich Vogler
(213.239 mph) bumped Johnny Rutherford from the field. Rutherford scrambled to get in line, and made it to the front in just enough time. At 5:58 p.m., Rutherford pulled out onto the track for an attempt. His warm-up lap was fast enough to qualify, but just after he took the green flag, his engine blew in turn 1. Rutherford failed to make the field for only the second time in his career.
had a spectacular crash at the pit-entrance section of the front straightaway. His car made slight contact with the outside wall as he exited turn four, spun to the inside and made heavy contact with the inside pit wall. The car rebounded into the attenuating barrier at the pit entrance, broke in two pieces, and slid on its side through the pits. The engine completely separated from the remains of the car and came to a stop in the pit area. Amazingly, Cogan climbed out unhurt.
, Jim Crawford
, and Arie Luyendyk
also dropped out of the race. Mario Andretti
experienced electrical problems, which caused him to lose significant ground to the leader. Michael Andretti
, who had started in the seventh row, had been chasing Fittipaldi the entire race and by the 150 lap mark, he was within sights of the leader. Meanwhile, Al Unser, Jr. remained on the leap lap in third place, despite being lapped earlier in the race. By this point, the three leaders had significant distance on the fourth place car of Raul Boesel
. With less than 100 miles to go, Michael Andretti passed Fittipaldi for the lead, but his engine expired a few laps later, ending the young Andretti's bid for an Indy 500 win. Fittipaldi regained the lead, with Al Unser, Jr.
second. The remainder of the field ran at least six laps behind.
A caution came out with about 20 laps to go. Fittipaldi, leading, pitted for much-needed fuel, but nearly stalled his engine as he pulled away. He lost several seconds on the stop, and was also blocked by a safety truck as he exited the pit area. Al Unser, Jr.
was running a distant second place, but the caution came to his advantage. The team decided to gamble on track position, so Unser stayed out and did not to pit for fuel. Team owner Rick Galles made the call not to pit - their fuel calculations were close, they thought they might be able to make it to the finish. Their reasoning was that if Unser ran out of fuel on the final lap, they would still finish no worse than second since third place Raul Boesel was six laps behind.
(3rd place). After clearing Boesel, Unser began closing dramatically. By lap 193 he was directly behind Fittipaldi, and a lap later he nearly touched wheels with Emerson as the two drivers worked traffic and battled for the lead. On lap 196 he passed Fittipaldi for lead in turn three and began to pull away.
With two laps to go, Unser approached slower traffic. Fittipaldi closed in, and on the backstrech, pulled inside Unser. Running side-by-side in turn three, the Brazilian’s Penske drifted slightly high and the cars touched wheels. Unser spun around into the turn 3 wall. As the yellow flag came out for the last lap, Unser emerged unhurt and stepped to the edge of the track to give Fittipaldi a sporting thumbs-up as the pace car escorted "Emmo" to his first Indy win. In a post-race interview Unser, Jr. was asked whether the accident could have been avoided. He answered that he believed not as he and Fittipaldi "both wanted to win it badly."
.
"Fittipaldi comes inside Little Al! A drag race on the back side again... Slower traffic moves to the right... Can Fittipaldi get past? Little Al brings it down low... They touch! Little Al into the wall, Fittipaldi continues on! Little Al slams the wall, as Emerson Fittipaldi screams toward the white flag - the yellow flag comes out!" - Paul Page
on ABC television.
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 28, 1989. Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi |São Paulo]], Brazil) is a Brazilian automobile racing driver who throughout a long and successful career won the Indianapolis 500 twice and championships in both Formula One and CART.-Early and personal life:...
became the first foreign winner of the race since 1966. Though Fittipaldi dominated most of the race, he dropped to second in the waning laps. On the 199th lap, Al Unser, Jr.
Al Unser, Jr.
Alfred Unser, Jr. , nicknamed "Little Al", "Al Junior" or simply "Junior" is a retired American race car driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.-History:...
was leading Fittipaldi down the backstretch. The two cars weaved through lap traffic, and Fittipaldi dove underneath in turn three. The two cars touched wheels, and Unser spun out, crashing into the outside wall. Fittipaldi coasted around the final lap to score his first Indy 500 victory.
Backgound
Speedway management had resurfaced the entire track with asphalt the previous fall, which resulted in higher overall speeds for the Month of May.Practice - week 1
Opening day was Saturday May 6. Only eleven cars took to the track on a cold 45°F day, which saw snow flurries in the morning and the afternoon. Arie LuyendykArie Luyendyk
Arie Luyendyk, originally Arie Luijendijk is a Dutch auto racing driver, twice winner of the Indianapolis 500....
(213.657 mph) led the speed chart for the day.
Practice picked up on Sunday May 7, with 44 cars taking to the track. Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi |São Paulo]], Brazil) is a Brazilian automobile racing driver who throughout a long and successful career won the Indianapolis 500 twice and championships in both Formula One and CART.-Early and personal life:...
(221.347 mph) set the fastest lap of practice thus far. Michael Andretti
Michael Andretti
Michael Mario Andretti is a retired American CART and Formula One driver and owner of the Andretti Autosport team in the IndyCar Series. Andretti is the son of Mario Andretti. His son is Marco Andretti.-Early career:...
was also over 220 mph.
On Monday May 8, 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...
set an-time unofficial track record at 225.733 mph, the first ever practice lap over 225 mph at the Speedway. His teammate Al Unser, Sr. was close behind at 224.831 mph.
Rain washed out practice for Tuesday May 9.
On Wednesday May 10, rookie Steve Butler
Steve Butler
Steve Butler won six national driving championships in USAC Sprint Car and Silver Crown open-wheel racing. Butler was highly regarded for his technical skills and performed chief mechanic duties on several of his winning race cars. He also communicated his view of racing to fans both as author and...
crashed in turn 4, suffering a broken collarbone. The speeds were slightly down from Monday, with Al Unser, Sr. topping the chart at 223.380 mph.
At 4:11 p.m. on Thursday May 11, Danny Sullivan
Danny Sullivan
Daniel John "Danny" Sullivan III is a former racing driver from the United States. He is best known for winning the 1985 Indianapolis 500.-Before racing:...
's car lost the engine cover, causing him to break into a 180° spin in turn three. The car hit the wall hard with the right side. Sullivan suffered a mild concussion and a fractured right arm. Sullivan would be forced to sit out the first week of time trials. High winds kept the speeds down, with Jim Crawford
Jim Crawford
Jim or Jimmy Crawford may refer to:* Jim Crawford , Scottish auto racing driver* Jimmy Crawford , retired NASCAR Cup Series driver* Jim Crawford , Irish footballer...
in a Buick V-6 (221.021 mph) the best lap of 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...
blistered the track on Friday May 12, the final day of practice before time trials. His lap of 226.231 mph was the fastest practice lap ever run at the Speedway. Jim Crawford
Jim Crawford
Jim or Jimmy Crawford may refer to:* Jim Crawford , Scottish auto racing driver* Jimmy Crawford , retired NASCAR Cup Series driver* Jim Crawford , Irish footballer...
and Al Unser, Sr. also topped 225 mph. Mears finished the week as the favorite for the pole position.
Time trials - weekend 1
Pole day was scheduled for Saturday May 13. Rain, however, washed out the entire day. All time trial activities were postponed until Sunday.On Sunday May 14, pole day time trials were held. The cars would be allowed one trip through the qualifying draw order, and the pole round would be concluded. Al Unser, Sr. drew first in line, and was the first driver to make an attempt. Unser set a track record on all four laps, and put himself on the provisional pole position with a track record run of 223.471 mph.
A busy hour of qualifying saw several cars complete runs. 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...
, Scott Pruett
Scott Pruett
Scott Donald Pruett is an American race car driver who has competed in NASCAR, Champ Car, IMSA, Trans-Am and Grand-Am. He and his wife Judy have three children, and are children's book authors....
, Bernard Jourdain
Bernard Jourdain
Bernard Jourdain is a Belgian born Mexican former race car driver. He started two Indianapolis 500's . He was named the Indy 500 Co-Rookie of the Year in 1989 with Scott Pruett. He entered the 1990 Indy 500, but wrecked twice in practice and failed to qualify...
, Teo Fabi
Teo Fabi
Teodorico Fabi , better known as Teo Fabi, is an Italian former racing driver.-Career:Fabi participated in 71 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on January 23, 1982. He achieved 2 podiums, and scored a total of 23 championship points...
, and Michael Andretti
Michael Andretti
Michael Mario Andretti is a retired American CART and Formula One driver and owner of the Andretti Autosport team in the IndyCar Series. Andretti is the son of Mario Andretti. His son is Marco Andretti.-Early career:...
were among those who completed runs. Bobby Rahal
Bobby Rahal
Robert "Bobby" Woodward Rahal is an American auto racing driver and team owner. As a driver, he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500...
and A. J. Foyt
A. 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...
followed, and the field was already filled to 11 cars by 1:30 p.m.
At 2 p.m., 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...
(220.486 mph) tentatively put himself third. The next car out, however, was pole favorite 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...
. Mears set a one-lap track record of 224.254 mph, and a four-lap record of 223.885 mph to secure the pole position. Minutes later, Michael Andretti
Michael Andretti
Michael Mario Andretti is a retired American CART and Formula One driver and owner of the Andretti Autosport team in the IndyCar Series. Andretti is the son of Mario Andretti. His son is Marco Andretti.-Early career:...
's car was disqualified for being 4.5 pounds underweight.
With Mears and Unser, Sr. firmly holding the top two spots, the rest of the session focused on which driver would round out the front row in third starting position. Jim Crawford
Jim Crawford
Jim or Jimmy Crawford may refer to:* Jim Crawford , Scottish auto racing driver* Jimmy Crawford , retired NASCAR Cup Series driver* Jim Crawford , Irish footballer...
, in the Buick V-6, set a stock block track record of 221.450 mph to sit in third at 2:40 p.m. Twenty minutes later, though, Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi |São Paulo]], Brazil) is a Brazilian automobile racing driver who throughout a long and successful career won the Indianapolis 500 twice and championships in both Formula One and CART.-Early and personal life:...
took to the track, the final car eligible for the pole round. His run of 222.329 mph put him on the outside of the front row, and bumped Craford back to row 2.
After the pole position round was settled, the "second day" of time trials commenced at 3:15 p.m. Michael Andretti
Michael Andretti
Michael Mario Andretti is a retired American CART and Formula One driver and owner of the Andretti Autosport team in the IndyCar Series. Andretti is the son of Mario Andretti. His son is Marco Andretti.-Early career:...
re-qualified at 218.774 mph (the 8th fastest car in the field), but was forced to start 22nd as a second-day qualifier. 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...
had an impressive first lap of 223.176 mph, but blew his engine before the run was completed. At the end of the day, the field was filled to 26 cars.
Practice - week 2
Practice during the second week was light, with many qualified drivers practicing in back-up cars. Most of the focus was on the non-qualified drivers, and the recovery status of Danny SullivanDanny Sullivan
Daniel John "Danny" Sullivan III is a former racing driver from the United States. He is best known for winning the 1985 Indianapolis 500.-Before racing:...
. The Penske Team started preparing a car for Sullivan, with 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...
selected to shake the car down.
Danny Sullivan
Danny Sullivan
Daniel John "Danny" Sullivan III is a former racing driver from the United States. He is best known for winning the 1985 Indianapolis 500.-Before racing:...
returned to the cockpit on Thursday May 18. He completed about 10-12 hot laps, with a top speed of 213.118 mph. Jim Crawford
Jim Crawford
Jim or Jimmy Crawford may refer to:* Jim Crawford , Scottish auto racing driver* Jimmy Crawford , retired NASCAR Cup Series driver* Jim Crawford , Irish footballer...
crashed his already-qualified car in turn 3. A suspension piece broke as he entered the turn, and the car spun into the outside wall. The team would repair the machine.
Rain washed out practice on Friday May 19, the third day overall lost during the month.
Time trials - weekend 2
On the third day of time trials, Saturday May 20, Danny SullivanDanny Sullivan
Daniel John "Danny" Sullivan III is a former racing driver from the United States. He is best known for winning the 1985 Indianapolis 500.-Before racing:...
qualified comfortably at 216.027 mph. Sullivan was the fastest car of the day, followed by 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...
and Rocky Moran
Rocky Moran
Rocky Moran, Sr. is a retired American race car driver. Moran, Sr. started three Indianapolis races with a best finish of 14th in 1989....
. Two crashes occurred during the day, involving Buddy Lazier
Buddy Lazier
Robert Buddy Lazier is an American Indycar driver. He won the 1996 Indianapolis 500 and has finished in the Top Ten in that race six times...
and Steve Saleen
Steve Saleen
Stephen Mark Saleen is an American businessman and former racing driver. He is best known for being the founder and former vice chairman of Saleen, Inc., originally named Saleen Autosport, which until 2009 was an OEM manufacturer of specialty vehicles including the Saleen S7 and highly modified...
. Neither would manage to qualify. At the end of the third day, the field was filled to 31 cars.
On Bump Day, Sunday May 21, much of the attention was focused on 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...
, the biggest name who had yet to qualify. As the day opened, Billy Vukovich III
Billy Vukovich III
William John Vukovich III , better known as Billy Vukovich III or Bill Vukovich III was an American race car driver. He was a three time starter of the Indianapolis 500...
(216.698 mph) put his car in the field with an impressive run, ranked 16th-fastest overall. The second car to qualify was 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...
, who completed his run at 213.097 mph and filled the field to 33 cars. Davy Jones
Davy Jones
Davy Jones may refer to:People:*Davy Jones , English actor and singer, formerly of the band The Monkees*Davy Jones , American*Davy Jones , American baseball player...
(211.475 mph) was now on the bubble.
John Paul, Jr.
John Paul, Jr.
John Lee Paul, Jr. is a former race car driver in CART and the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series and winner of the 1982 12 Hours of Sebring while co-driving with his father John Paul, Sr....
bumped Jones out of the field at 12:45 p.m., However, he himself was now on the bubble at 211.969 mph. At 3 p.m., Jones returned to the track and bumped his way back into the field. The move put 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...
(212.458 mph) on the bubble. At 4:45 p.m., 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:...
bumped out Krueger. Johnny Rutherford (213.097 mph) now found himself on the bubble.
Rutherford survived three attempts, and held on to the bubble spot over the next hour. During that time, he put together a last-minute deal to step into an Foyt
A. J. Foyt Enterprises
A.J. Foyt Enterprises is a racing team in the IZOD Indycar Series and formerly NASCAR. It is owned by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A. J. Foyt. Foyt Enterprises won IRL titles in 1996 with Scott Sharp and 1998 with Kenny Bräck, the latter driver also winning the Indianapolis 500 for the team...
back-up car. He shook down the car, and appeared to be finding speed.
With 15 minutes left in the day, Rich Vogler
Rich Vogler
Rich 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:...
(213.239 mph) bumped Johnny Rutherford from the field. Rutherford scrambled to get in line, and made it to the front in just enough time. At 5:58 p.m., Rutherford pulled out onto the track for an attempt. His warm-up lap was fast enough to qualify, but just after he took the green flag, his engine blew in turn 1. Rutherford failed to make the field for only the second time in his career.
Start
At the start, Emerson Fittipaldi jumped to the lead and began to pull away. On the third lap, Kevin CoganKevin 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...
had a spectacular crash at the pit-entrance section of the front straightaway. His car made slight contact with the outside wall as he exited turn four, spun to the inside and made heavy contact with the inside pit wall. The car rebounded into the attenuating barrier at the pit entrance, broke in two pieces, and slid on its side through the pits. The engine completely separated from the remains of the car and came to a stop in the pit area. Amazingly, Cogan climbed out unhurt.
Mid race
The race was dominated by Emerson Fittipaldi for the first 400 miles. During that stretch, several contenders retired due to mechanical failures, including all three Penske machines. Top-five contenders Bobby RahalBobby Rahal
Robert "Bobby" Woodward Rahal is an American auto racing driver and team owner. As a driver, he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500...
, Jim Crawford
Jim Crawford
Jim or Jimmy Crawford may refer to:* Jim Crawford , Scottish auto racing driver* Jimmy Crawford , retired NASCAR Cup Series driver* Jim Crawford , Irish footballer...
, and Arie Luyendyk
Arie Luyendyk
Arie Luyendyk, originally Arie Luijendijk is a Dutch auto racing driver, twice winner of the Indianapolis 500....
also dropped out of the race. 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...
experienced electrical problems, which caused him to lose significant ground to the leader. Michael Andretti
Michael Andretti
Michael Mario Andretti is a retired American CART and Formula One driver and owner of the Andretti Autosport team in the IndyCar Series. Andretti is the son of Mario Andretti. His son is Marco Andretti.-Early career:...
, who had started in the seventh row, had been chasing Fittipaldi the entire race and by the 150 lap mark, he was within sights of the leader. Meanwhile, Al Unser, Jr. remained on the leap lap in third place, despite being lapped earlier in the race. By this point, the three leaders had significant distance on the fourth place car of Raul Boesel
Raul Boesel
Raul de Mesquita Boesel is a former racing driver who raced for the March and Ligier Formula One teams and later raced in Champ Car and the Indy Racing League.He won the 1987 World Sportscar Championship and the 1988 24 Hours of Daytona...
. With less than 100 miles to go, Michael Andretti passed Fittipaldi for the lead, but his engine expired a few laps later, ending the young Andretti's bid for an Indy 500 win. Fittipaldi regained the lead, with Al Unser, Jr.
Al Unser, Jr.
Alfred Unser, Jr. , nicknamed "Little Al", "Al Junior" or simply "Junior" is a retired American race car driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.-History:...
second. The remainder of the field ran at least six laps behind.
A caution came out with about 20 laps to go. Fittipaldi, leading, pitted for much-needed fuel, but nearly stalled his engine as he pulled away. He lost several seconds on the stop, and was also blocked by a safety truck as he exited the pit area. Al Unser, Jr.
Al Unser, Jr.
Alfred Unser, Jr. , nicknamed "Little Al", "Al Junior" or simply "Junior" is a retired American race car driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.-History:...
was running a distant second place, but the caution came to his advantage. The team decided to gamble on track position, so Unser stayed out and did not to pit for fuel. Team owner Rick Galles made the call not to pit - their fuel calculations were close, they thought they might be able to make it to the finish. Their reasoning was that if Unser ran out of fuel on the final lap, they would still finish no worse than second since third place Raul Boesel was six laps behind.
Finish
When the race restarted on lap 185, Fittipaldi quickly built a 3-second lead while Unser struggled to get around the lapped car of Raul BoeselRaul Boesel
Raul de Mesquita Boesel is a former racing driver who raced for the March and Ligier Formula One teams and later raced in Champ Car and the Indy Racing League.He won the 1987 World Sportscar Championship and the 1988 24 Hours of Daytona...
(3rd place). After clearing Boesel, Unser began closing dramatically. By lap 193 he was directly behind Fittipaldi, and a lap later he nearly touched wheels with Emerson as the two drivers worked traffic and battled for the lead. On lap 196 he passed Fittipaldi for lead in turn three and began to pull away.
With two laps to go, Unser approached slower traffic. Fittipaldi closed in, and on the backstrech, pulled inside Unser. Running side-by-side in turn three, the Brazilian’s Penske drifted slightly high and the cars touched wheels. Unser spun around into the turn 3 wall. As the yellow flag came out for the last lap, Unser emerged unhurt and stepped to the edge of the track to give Fittipaldi a sporting thumbs-up as the pace car escorted "Emmo" to his first Indy win. In a post-race interview Unser, Jr. was asked whether the accident could have been avoided. He answered that he believed not as he and Fittipaldi "both wanted to win it badly."
Race results
| Finish | Start | No | Name | Qual | Rank | Laps | Led | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 20 |  Emerson FittipaldiEmerson Fittipaldi Emerson Fittipaldi |São Paulo]], Brazil) is a Brazilian automobile racing driver who throughout a long and successful career won the Indianapolis 500 twice and championships in both Formula One and CART.-Early and personal life:... |
222.329 | 3 | 200 | 158 | 167.581 mph |
| 2 | 8 | 2 |  Al Unser, Jr.Al Unser, Jr. Alfred Unser, Jr. , nicknamed "Little Al", "Al Junior" or simply "Junior" is a retired American race car driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.-History:... |
218.642 | 9 | 198 | 5 | Crash T3 |
| 3 | 9 | 30 | Raul Boesel Raul Boesel Raul de Mesquita Boesel is a former racing driver who raced for the March and Ligier Formula One teams and later raced in Champ Car and the Indy Racing League.He won the 1987 World Sportscar Championship and the 1988 24 Hours of Daytona... |
218.228 | 11 | 194 | 1 | Running (-6 laps) |
| 4 | 5 | 5 | 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... |
220.485 | 5 | 193 | 1 | Running (-7 laps) |
| 5 | 10 | 14 | A. J. Foyt A. 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... |
217.135 | 12 | 193 | 0 | Running (-7 laps) |
| 6 | 6 | 22 | 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... |
220.458 | 6 | 193 | 0 | Running (-7 laps) |
| 7 | 31 | 50 | Davy Jones Davy Jones (racing driver) Davy Jones is an American racing driver.In 1983 he came 3rd in the British Formula Three Championship behind Ayrton Senna and Martin Brundle. He also that year tested the Brabham F1 car at Brands Hatch with Bernie Ecclestone, the then team owner, looking at Jones as the next American hope for F1... |
214.279 | 22 | 192 | 0 | Running (-8 laps) |
| 8 | 33 | 29 | Rich Vogler Rich Vogler Rich 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:... |
213.238 | 31 | 192 | 0 | Running (-8 laps) |
| 9 | 20 | 69 |  Bernard JourdainBernard Jourdain Bernard Jourdain is a Belgian born Mexican former race car driver. He started two Indianapolis 500's . He was named the Indy 500 Co-Rookie of the Year in 1989 with Scott Pruett. He entered the 1990 Indy 500, but wrecked twice in practice and failed to qualify... (R) |
213.105 | 33 | 191 | 0 | Running (-9 laps) |
| 10 | 17 | 3 | Scott Pruett Scott Pruett Scott Donald Pruett is an American race car driver who has competed in NASCAR, Champ Car, IMSA, Trans-Am and Grand-Am. He and his wife Judy have three children, and are children's book authors.... (R) |
213.955 | 28 | 190 | 0 | Running (-10 laps) |
| 11 | 25 | 65 |  John JonesJohn Jones (driver) John Jones , is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1988, 1989, 1991, and 1992 seasons with 41 career starts, including the 1989 Indianapolis 500... |
214.028 | 27 | 189 | 0 | Running (-11 laps) |
| 12 | 30 | 81 | Billy Vukovich III Billy Vukovich III William John Vukovich III , better known as Billy Vukovich III or Bill Vukovich III was an American race car driver. He was a three time starter of the Indianapolis 500... |
216.698 | 13 | 186 | 0 | Running (-14 laps) |
| 13 | 18 | 71 | Ludwig Heimrath Ludwig Heimrath Ludwig Heimrath, Jr. - born September 9, 1956 in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. Started his driving career racing Go-karts and Formula Fords. In 1979 and 1980 he won the Ontario Formula Ford Championship winning seven races in total. In 1981 and 1982, he competed in selected International Motorsport... |
213.878 | 29 | 185 | 0 | Running(-15 laps) |
| 14 | 28 | 33 | Rocky Moran Rocky Moran Rocky Moran, Sr. is a retired American race car driver. Moran, Sr. started three Indianapolis races with a best finish of 14th in 1989.... |
214.212 | 24 | 181 | 0 | Running (-19 laps) |
| 15 | 24 | 10 |  Derek DalyDerek Daly Derek Daly is a former racing driver from the Republic of Ireland. He won the 1977 British Formula Three Championship, and competed as a professional racing driver for 17 years participating in 64 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on April 2, 1978. He scored a total of 15... |
214.237 | 23 | 167 | 0 | Running (-33 laps) |
| 16 | 16 | 56 |  Tero PalmrothTero Palmroth Tero Palmroth , is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1988-1992 seasons with 12 career starts, including the 1988-1991 Indianapolis 500. His best CART finish was in 12th position at the 1990 Indianapolis 500.-Indy 500 results:-External Links:*]... |
214.203 | 25 | 165 | 0 | Spindle |
| 17 | 21 | 6 | Michael Andretti Michael Andretti Michael Mario Andretti is a retired American CART and Formula One driver and owner of the Andretti Autosport team in the IndyCar Series. Andretti is the son of Mario Andretti. His son is Marco Andretti.-Early career:... |
218.774 | 8 | 163 | 35 | Engine |
| 18 | 29 | 86 | Dominic Dobson Dominic Dobson Dominic Dobson is a German-born former CART and Craftsman Truck Series driver who made 7 starts in the Indianapolis 500 with a best finish of 12th in 1992, over 60 starts in the CART , with a best finish of 3rd at the Michigan 500 in 1994... |
213.590 | 30 | 161 | 0 | Engine |
| 19 | 4 | 15 |  Jim CrawfordJim Crawford (driver) Jim Crawford was a Scottish racing driver. He first came to the racing community's notice when he borrowed Stephen Choularton's Lotus 69 and won on his first outing at Croft Racing Track in the North East of England... |
221.450 | 4 | 135 | 0 | Drive Train |
| 20 | 19 | 12 |  Didier TheysDidier Theys Didier Theys is an Belgian sports car driver. He is a two-time overall winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona ; a winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring ; the Sports Racing Prototype driver champion of the Grand-American Road Racing Association and the winner of the 24 Hours of Spa... (R) |
213.120 | 32 | 131 | 0 | Engine |
| 21 | 15 | 9 |  Arie LuyendykArie Luyendyk Arie Luyendyk, originally Arie Luijendijk is a Dutch auto racing driver, twice winner of the Indianapolis 500.... |
214.883 | 20 | 123 | 0 | Engine |
| 22 | 32 | 24 | 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:... |
214.067 | 26 | 121 | 0 | Electrical |
| 23 | 1 | 4 | 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... |
223.885 | 1 | 113 | 0 | Engine |
| 24 | 2 | 25 | 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.... |
223.471 | 2 | 68 | 0 | Clutch |
| 25 | 12 | 70 | John Andretti John Andretti John Andretti is an American race car driver. He has won in CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series and NASCAR. He was the last NASCAR driver to win a Cup race for the famous Petty Enterprises team.-Andretti family:... |
215.611 | 16 | 61 | 0 | Engine |
| 26 | 7 | 18 | Bobby Rahal Bobby Rahal Robert "Bobby" Woodward Rahal is an American auto racing driver and team owner. As a driver, he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500... |
219.530 | 7 | 58 | 0 | Valve |
| 27 | 22 | 7 | 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... |
218.396 | 10 | 55 | 0 | Pit Fire |
| 28 | 26 | 1 | Danny Sullivan Danny Sullivan Daniel John "Danny" Sullivan III is a former racing driver from the United States. He is best known for winning the 1985 Indianapolis 500.-Before racing:... |
216.027 | 15 | 41 | 0 | Rear Axle |
| 29 | 11 | 28 | Randy Lewis |
216.494 | 14 | 24 | 0 | Wheel Bearing |
| 30 | 13 | 8 |  Teo FabiTeo Fabi Teodorico Fabi , better known as Teo Fabi, is an Italian former racing driver.-Career:Fabi participated in 71 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on January 23, 1982. He achieved 2 podiums, and scored a total of 23 championship points... |
215.563 | 17 | 23 | 0 | Ignition |
| 31 | 23 | 91 | 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."... |
215.072 | 19 | 19 | 0 | Engine |
| 32 | 27 | 11 | 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... |
214.569 | 21 | 4 | 0 | Crash FS |
| 33 | 14 | 99 | 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:... |
215.230 | 18 | 0 | 0 | Valve |
Failed to Qualify
- Johnny RutherfordJohnny RutherfordFor 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...
(#98/#14T) - Bumped - 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...
(#77) - Bumped - John Paul, Jr.John Paul, Jr.John Lee Paul, Jr. is a former race car driver in CART and the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series and winner of the 1982 12 Hours of Sebring while co-driving with his father John Paul, Sr....
(#39/#79/#97) - Bumped - Michael Greenfield (#17/#63) - failed to qualify; wave off
- 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...
(#17/#24) - failed to qualify; wave off - Steve ButlerSteve ButlerSteve Butler won six national driving championships in USAC Sprint Car and Silver Crown open-wheel racing. Butler was highly regarded for his technical skills and performed chief mechanic duties on several of his winning race cars. He also communicated his view of racing to fans both as author and...
(#61) - crashed in practice - Buddy LazierBuddy LazierRobert Buddy Lazier is an American Indycar driver. He won the 1996 Indianapolis 500 and has finished in the Top Ten in that race six times...
(#35) - crashed in practice - Steve SaleenSteve SaleenStephen Mark Saleen is an American businessman and former racing driver. He is best known for being the founder and former vice chairman of Saleen, Inc., originally named Saleen Autosport, which until 2009 was an OEM manufacturer of specialty vehicles including the Saleen S7 and highly modified...
(#59) - crashed in practice - 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...
(#59/#69) - crashed in practice - Scott HarringtonScott HarringtonScott Harrington is a former driver in the Indy Racing League. Starting out on two wheels, Harrington won a number of championships and achieved much success in the world of AMA Motocross and Supercross. In 1986 Sports Car Magazine picked Harrington as one of the three most promising drivers in...
(#44) - practiced, did not attempt to qualify - Tom BigelowTom BigelowTom Bigelow , USA, is a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series.-Midget car racing:...
(#66) - practiced, did not attempt to qualify - Stan FoxStan FoxStan Fox was a United States open wheel race car driver. Fox was one of the last links between the midget car racing world and the Indianapolis 500.-Midget car career:...
(#84) - practiced, did not attempt to qualify - 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...
(#79, #97) - practiced, did not attempt to qualify - Dale CoyneDale CoyneDale Coyne is an IndyCar Series team owner and former Champ Car auto racing team owner and driver.-Driving career:Coyne made his CART debut in 1984 at Portland and failed to qualify...
(#39) - practiced, did not attempt to qualify - 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:*...
(#47) - did not take practice - Bobby OliveroBobby OliveroBobby Olivero , is a former driver in the USAC Championship Car series. He raced in the 1976-1978 seasons, with 17 career starts, including the 1977 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 11 times, with his best finish in 5th position in 1977 at Ontario.In 1979, Olivero was the USAC Silver...
- unknown
Quotes
"They're side-by-side, Emmo on the inside, Al covered traffic goes high, they touched wheels, Al Jr. hit into the wall hard, Emerson Fittipaldi keeps on going, they touched wheels, Al Jr. into the wall and Emerson Fittipaldi will lead them back to the yellow flag" - Larry Henry described the crash involving Al Unser Jr. and Emerson Fittipaldi on Lap 198 for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio NetworkIndianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network , is an in-house radio syndication arrangement which broadcasts the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar, and the Brickyard 400 to radio stations covering most of North America....
.
"Fittipaldi comes inside Little Al! A drag race on the back side again... Slower traffic moves to the right... Can Fittipaldi get past? Little Al brings it down low... They touch! Little Al into the wall, Fittipaldi continues on! Little Al slams the wall, as Emerson Fittipaldi screams toward the white flag - the yellow flag comes out!" - Paul Page
Paul Page
Paul Page is an American motorsports broadcaster who was the lead announcer for ABC Sports' coverage of CART and the IRL from 1988 to 2004. He currently is the lead announcer for NHRA.-Early life and career:...
on ABC television.
Trivia
- The field for this race is replicated in the video game format in the 1989 release Indianapolis 500: The SimulationIndianapolis 500: The SimulationIndianapolis 500: The Simulation is a 1989 computer game. It was hailed as the first step of differentiating racing games from the arcade realm and into true simulations. It was developed by the Papyrus Design Group, consisting of David Kaemmer and Omar Khudari, and distributed by Electronic Arts...
. - The 1989 race was the best Indy 500 result for 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:...
(8th place) and Raul BoeselRaul BoeselRaul de Mesquita Boesel is a former racing driver who raced for the March and Ligier Formula One teams and later raced in Champ Car and the Indy Racing League.He won the 1987 World Sportscar Championship and the 1988 24 Hours of Daytona...
(3rd place). It was also the only top five finish at Indy for A. J. FoytA. J. FoytAnthony 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...
in the decade of the 1980s.