1991 Indianapolis 500

75th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 75th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday, May 26, 1991. Rick Mears won from the pole position, becoming the third four time winner of the Indy 500, joining A. J. Foyt and Al Unser. During time trials, Mears also established an Indy record by winning his sixth career pole position. The month of May for Mears was tumultuous, as he suffered his first ever crash at Indy since arriving as a rookie in 1977. The wreck during a practice run totaled his primary car, and broke a bone in his right foot. Mears kept the injury mostly secret, and later admitted that the pain he experienced during the race was so bad, he had to cross his legs in the car and push the accelerator pedal down with his left foot. The race was noteworthy in that it featured the first African American driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, Willy T. Ribbs. It also saw its first Japanese driver, Hiro Matsushita. The pre race attention going into the month focused on A. J. Foyt, who was expected to retire from driving after the event. During time trials, Foyt qualified on the front row, his record 34th consecutive Indy appearance. On race day, however, Foyt dropped out early due to suspension damage. He eventually retracted his retirement plans, and returned one final time in 1992. During time trials, a sudden rain shower halted pole qualifying, unexpectedly shutting out several contenders from a chance at the front row. A number of top drivers were forced to qualify on the second day of time trials. Gary Bettenhausen in a Buick powered machine was the surprise fastest qualifier, albeit he was ineligible for the pole position. For the first time in Indy history, four members of the same family qualified for the same race. Mario, Michael, Jeff, and John Andretti competed together. Michael, Mario, and John all finished in the top ten, while Jeff was named the Rookie of the Year. Michael Andretti led the most laps during the race and battled Rick Mears for the win in the closing laps. Andretti executed a daring pass for the lead on the outside of turn one on lap 187. Mears, however, made a similar pass one lap later to re take the lead, and drove to victory. Michael's second place finish would ultimately be his career best finish at Indy. The race was sanctioned by USAC, and was included as part of the 1991 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. Morning rain delayed the start of the race by about 55 minutes. The rain stopped, the track was dried, and the race was run to completion without interruption. Later in the year, Rick Mears would also win the Michigan 500, sweeping both 500 mile races for the season, the final two victories of his racing career.

A. J. Foyt suffered a crash at Road America in September 1990, which injured his feet and legs. Foyt recuperated and went through rehabilitation during the offseason. He initially planned to race at Indy one final time in 1991, then retire from driving. Only a few team/driver changes occurred during the offseason, while most of the key fixtures from 1990 remained on the same respective teams. Among the handful of changes, Danny Sullivan departed Penske Racing, and joined the Pat Patrick Alfa Romeo effort. Rick Mears' familiar Pennzoil Z 7 Special livery was gone for 1991, as the Penske team (Mears and Fittipaldi) became a two car team with Marlboro sponsoring both cars. Doug Shierson Racing, who won the 1990 race with driver Arie Luyendyk, was sold to businessman Bob Tezak. The team was re organized in a joint effort with Vince Granatelli, and re booted as UNO/Granatelli Racing. The car's former sponsor Domino's Pizza left the sport, and the livery was changed to the classic day glow orange utilized by Granatelli entries over the years. Luyendyk's services were retained for 1991 (he won earlier in the season at Phoenix), but the entry suffered from a lack of sponsorship. During most of the season, the car had blank sidepods, but RCA sponsored the entry at Indy. John Andretti joined the newly rebooted Hall VDS team, taking over the Pennzoil sponsorship. Andretti kicked off the season by winning his first (and only) career CART race at the season opener, the Gold Coast Grand Prix at Surfers Paradise. Al Unser Jr. and Bobby Rahal returned together at Galles/KRACO Racing. Unser, the 1990 CART champion, won at Long Beach. Rahal started off the season finishing second at all three of the races prior to Indianapolis. After sitting out the 1990 season due to injury, Scott Pruett was back behind the wheel at Truesports. The team introduced its brand new "All American" Truesports 91C chassis, powered by Judd. For the second year in a row, veteran Geoff Brabham was entered at Indy only for a second team car. Derrick Walker, formerly associated with the Penske and Porsche teams, entered rookie Willy T. Ribbs at Walker Racing. On a shoestring budget, the team was considered a long shot to make the field.

The pace car for the 1991 Indy 500 was initially chosen to be the Dodge Stealth. However, the UAW, along with fans and traditionalists, protested since the Stealth was a captive import built by Mitsubishi in Japan. Traditionally, the make of the pace car has always been a domestic American brand. In late February, the Stealth was downgraded to be the "festival" (driven by the event's dignitaries for promotional purposes) and backup pace car. The pre production Dodge Viper RT/10 replaced the Stealth as the official pace car when the track opened in May. Carroll Shelby served as the driver, thought to be the first person to drive the pace car after having a heart transplant. It was Shelby's second appearance at Indy. He had also driven the pace car in 1987. As the Viper did not begin production until later that year, the race winner would win the Stealth instead of the Viper, and dealers sold pace car replica editions of the Stealth.

The first two days of practice (May 4 & May 5) were rained out. The only on track activity was brief. A limited number of cars took "shake down" laps, but no laps were run at speed.

The first hot laps were run on Monday May 6. Penske teammates Emerson Fittipaldi (223.981 mph) and Rick Mears (223.430 mph) led the speed chart.

Rick Mears ran the fastest lap thus far at 226.569 mph. Gary Bettenhausen also gained attention with a lap of 224.888 mph in the stock block Buick V 6.

Jim Crawford hit 225.643 mph in a Buick on Wednesday May 8, and Bobby Rahal became the second driver over 226 mph, with a lap of 226.080 to lead the speed chart for the day.

The speed of the stock block Buicks continued to impress as Kevin Cogan turned a lap of 226.677 mph on Thursday May 9.

On "Fast Friday," the final day of practice before time trials, Rick Mears shocked the establishment, suffering his first ever crash at Indy. Something broke in the rear of the car, sending him spinning into the turn one wall. Mears suffered an injured right foot, and was cleared to drive later in the day. Later in the day, Emerson Fittipaldi set the fastest lap of the month at 226.705 mph, and became the favorite for the pole. At 5:09 p. m., rookie Mark Dismore lost traction coming out of turn 4, while travelling an estimated 215 mph. His car first slid across the track, clipping the inside wall near the entrance to the pits, then struck the dividing barrier between the pits and the main straightaway head on. Dismore's car broke into two pieces which both tumbled into the pit lane. Dismore suffered multiple injuries to his arms, legs, and feet, and a fractured neck;

As a result of Dismore's crash, officials made a quick change in the pits in the interest of safety for the crews. The two northernmost pit stalls were removed, and replaced instead at the south end of the pit lane. The move added about 80 feet of buffer from the track surface to the first pit box.

Pole day was held on Saturday May 11, and conditions were hot and humid. A. J. Foyt drew #1 in the qualifying order, and was the first car out on the track. Foyt put himself on the provisional pole position, with a four lap run of 222.443 mph. The second car out to qualify was Randy Lewis, who wrecked in turn one on his first lap. About an hour into the session, Mario Andretti completed a run of 221.818 mph, which put him tentatively on the front row. Several cars waved off their runs, and others simply pulled out of line, preferring to wait until later in the day, anticipating better conditions. Bobby Rahal, Michael Andretti, and his brother rookie Jeff Andretti completed runs. By 12:45 p. m., there were only eight cars in the field. At 12:51 p. m., Rick Mears took to the track, one day after suffering his practice crash. He qualified for the pole position with a speed of 224.113 mph. It was not a track record, but it would be Mears' record sixth Indy 500 pole. The track went mostly quiet during the heat of the day, and only two cars went out over the next 2½ hours. At 3:52 p. m., Emerson Fittipaldi made his first attempt. After three laps in the 223 mph range (fast enough for second starting position, but not fast enough for the pole), his crew waved him off. Not realizing that storm clouds were hovering just to the east, the team planned to go out later and make another run at the pole position. A few minutes later, John Andretti completed his run under a light mist falling at the north end of the track. Lightning from the gathering storm clouds actually struck near turn 3 while the main straightaway remained awash in sunshine. The sun quickly gave way to the storm and the rain washed out the remainder of the day. Since the original qualifying order had exhausted before the rains came, pole day was officially over. Only twelve cars qualified, and several drivers were left out, including Emerson Fittipaldi, Arie Luyendyk, and Gary Bettenhausen. Roger Penske was later presented with the dubious Jigger Award for having waved off Fittipaldi's run, and effectively giving up second starting position. Meanwhile, the front row was established with Rick Mears on the pole, A. J. Foyt in the middle, and Mario Andretti on the outside. Historians point to this as one of the most storied and historic front rows in Indy history.

Many of the drivers who were left out of qualifying a day earlier returned to qualify on Sunday May 12. The first 45 minutes of the day saw heavy action. Gary Bettenhausen took to the track and completed his run at 224.468 mph, faster than Mears' pole speed, making him the fastest qualifier in the field. Since he was a second day qualifier, however, he was forced to line up behind the first day qualifiers, in 13th position. Arie Luyendyk's qualifying run of 223.881 mph made him the third fastest car in the field, but his second day status lined him up 14th. Emerson Fittipaldi finally made the field, qualifying 15th at 223.065 mph. The three cars of the 5th row (Bettenhausen, Luyendyk, Fittipaldi) ended up qualifying faster than the three cars of the front row. The rest of the day saw light action with only one major incident, an accident from Dominic Dobson in turn four which fractured his left leg, wiping out the Burns team 89 Lola, but the injury was not sufficient enough to sideline him. However, the crash forced Dominic into a backup 89 Lola that was purchased from Truesports (Truesports ran the car during the 1990 season to save money while developing their own chassis). At the end of the day, the field was filled to 22 cars.

The second week of practice focused on the non qualified drivers, and those still looking for rides. Rookie Willy T. Ribbs passed his drivers test on Monday, but suffered through multiple engine failures during the week. Ribbs managed a practice lap of 213.230 mph, but as practice came to a close, it appeared doubtful he might be able to qualify. Among the drivers named to rides during the week were former winners Gordon Johncock and Tom Sneva. The Patrick Racing Alfa Romeo team added Roberto Guerrero (their primary driver from 1990) for a second team car. Al Unser Sr., however, was unable to secure a competitive ride, and decided to sit out the race. Initially Unser was expected to drive a back up car to Arie Luyendyk at UNO/Granatelli Racing, but engine lease issues, and the lack of adequate preparation time prevented the deal from coming to fruition. Unser missed the race for the first time since 1969, the year he broke his leg in a motorcycle crash in the infield the night before time trials. Rookie Hiro Matsushita led the speed chart for the non qualified drivers most of the week, with a top lap of 216.570 mph. Roberto Guerrero quickly got up to speed in the Alfa Romeo, with the fastest lap of the week (216.941 mph). Two days during the second week of practice, Tuesday (May 14) and Thursday (May 16), saw limited track activity due to rain. After concerns earlier in the month about a short field, going into the final weekend of time trials, enough rides had materialized to ensure a full 33 car field.

Twelve cars made attempts in the first hour, and the field was filled to 29 cars. Rookie Hiro Matsushita was the fastest car of the day, qualifying at 218.141 mph, officially becoming the first Japanese driver to qualify for the Indy 500. Other notable qualifiers included Roberto Guerrero, John Paul Jr., and Scott Pruett. Tom Sneva completed a slow run of 213.189 mph, and he sat as the slowest car in the field. Two crashes occurred during the day. Dean Hall crashed in the morning practice session, and Ted Prappas wrecked in turn 4 later in the afternoon. Both drivers would miss the race. Willy T. Ribbs' frustrations continued, as his car revved too high, and he broke a valve on his warmup lap.

Four positions remained open on the final day of time trials. Gordon Johncock was the first driver to complete an attempt, and took a run of 213.812 mph. A few minutes later, Willy T. Ribbs' car started smoking and spewing oil, and suffered a turbocharger failure. Yet another engine related headache for the team. The team scrambled to replace the turbo, but then discovered a damaged scavenger pump, which delayed them further. At 2:45 p. m., Pancho Carter filled the field to 33 cars. Tom Sneva (213.189 mph) was now on the bubble. At about 3:30 p. m., Willy T. Ribbs finally returned to the track to shake down the car. He ran a few practice laps, and was quickly over 214 mph. At 5:05 p. m., the team placed the car in the tech line, and prepared to qualify. With much anticipation from fans and the media, Ribbs completed the four lap qualifying run at a speed of 217.358 mph, the fastest laps he had run all month. On his cool down lap, an ecstatic Ribbs hoisted himself partially out of his seat, waving and cheering with both hands out of the cockpit as he pulled into the pits. Ribbs bumped former winner Tom Sneva, and was comfortably in the field. Randy Lewis was the final car to complete an attempt, and he bumped Johnny Parsons from the field. In the final 15 minutes, three drivers took to the track, but all three waved off. Gordon Johncock survived the bubble, and held on to qualify 33rd.

RowInsideMiddleOutside1 3 Rick Mears 14 A. J. Foyt 6 Mario Andretti 2 18 Bobby Rahal 10 Michael Andretti 2 Al Unser Jr.3 4 John Andretti 26 Jim Crawford 20 Danny Sullivan 4 8 Eddie Cheever 86 Jeff Andretti 15 Scott Goodyear5 51 Gary Bettenhausen 1 Arie Luyendyk 5 Emerson Fittipaldi 6 9 Kevin Cogan 91 Stan Fox 50 Mike Groff 7 22 Scott Brayton 16 Tony Bettenhausen Jr. 48 Bernard Jourdain8 21 Geoff Brabham 71 Buddy Lazier 7 Hiro Matsushita 9 93 John Paul Jr. 23 Tero Palmroth 19 Scott Pruett10 40 Roberto Guerrero 17 Willy T. Ribbs 66 Dominic Dobson11 39 Randy Lewis 12 Pancho Carter 92 Gordon Johncock

Gary Bettenhausen was the fastest qualifier. However, he qualified on the second day of time trials, and thus, was ineligible for the pole position. He lined up as the fastest second day qualifier, behind the 12 drivers who qualified on the first day.

Morning rain delayed the start of the race by 55 minutes. Mary F. Hulman gave the command to start engines at 11:46 a. m., and the field pulled away. Danny Sullivan's Alfa Romeo car suffered a fuel pump problem, and was he pushed back to the pits. Observers also noted that the engine in the car of Willy T. Ribbs did not sound right. The field circulated for three warm up laps (two parade laps and one pace lap). At the start, polesitter Rick Mears took the lead into turn one. Gary Bettenhausen got sideways in turn 1, causing Buddy Lazier to swerve and tag the outside wall with his nosecone. The caution came out, and both Bettenhausen and Lazier made it back to the pits. Bettenhausen changed tires and continued, but Lazier's car was too damaged to continue. After quick repairs, Danny Sullivan joined the race right after the field took the green flag. However, since he missed the three warm up laps, he was given a three lap penalty, and was not scored until his fourth time around (so as to match the other cars). On lap 5, Willy T. Ribbs pulled into the pits with a misfire, and dropped out.

Mears gave up the lead to Mario Andretti on lap 12. Michael Andretti then took the lead and dominated most of the first half. On lap 25, Kevin Cogan and Roberto Guerrero clipped wheels in turn one, and the two cars crashed hard into the outside wall. Guerrero was unhurt, but Cogan suffered injuries to his right shoulder and forearm. Debris from the crash littered the track, and A. J. Foyt ran over a large piece of debris, breaking his left front suspension. Foyt limped back to the pits, waving to the crowd, as he felt his day was done. The crowd gave him an ovation as he walked back to the garage area, but he was still non committal to his retirement decision. Cogan assigned Guerrero the responsibility for the crash in interviews that evening, and maintained that stance even later in life. The green flag came out with six laps to go, and Mears got the jump on the restart. Michael Andretti's handling was not improving, and he was unable to challenge Mears for the lead. Mears cruised over the final five laps to the finish line, and became the third four time winner of the Indianapolis 500. In a 2011 interview, Michael Andretti and Roger Penske both stated that had Andretti managed to put Mears a lap down, it likely would have been over for Mears. What changed the complexity of the race was that Andretti suffered a cut tire just before he could have lapped Mears.

Lap Leaders Laps Leader 1–11 Rick Mears 12–33 Mario Andretti 34–54 Michael Andretti 55 Al Unser Jr. 56–79 Michael Andretti 80–82 Al Unser Jr. 83–108 Michael Andretti 109–112 Emerson Fittipaldi 113 Bobby Rahal 114–138 Emerson Fittipaldi 139–140 Rick Mears 141–153 Emerson Fittipaldi 154–165 Michael Andretti 166–169 Emerson Fittipaldi 170 Rick Mears 171–183 Michael Andretti 184–186 Rick Mears 187 Michael Andretti 188–200 Rick Mears

Total laps led Driver Laps Michael Andretti 97Emerson Fittipaldi 46Rick Mears 30 Mario Andretti 22 Al Unser Jr. 4Bobby Rahal 1

Cautions: 7 for 35 laps Laps Reason 1–3 Gary Bettenhausen, Buddy Lazier crash in turn 1 20–23 Eddie Cheever stalled in turn 4 25–33 Roberto Guerrero, Kevin Cogan, A. J. Foyt crash in turn 1 84–89 Tero Palmroth blown engine 148–153 Scott Brayton blown engine; Bernard Jourdain stalled on track 184–186 Danny Sullivan blown turbocharger on mainstretch 191–194 Mario Andretti stalled at pit entrance

The 1991 Indy 500 was held shortly after the conclusion on Operation Desert Storm. General Norman Schwarzkopf was invited to serve as grand marshal. Michael Andretti's second place finish would be the best Indy 500 result in his career. Michael Andretti led the most laps, and led as late as 13 laps to go, but failed to win, adding to the Andretti Curse. The race's 75th Running was highly publicized, and the event was advertised as the "Diamond Jubilee Running." Three days after the 1991 race, Stephen C. White, 31, of Indianapolis, entered the grounds of the speedway early on Wednesday, May 29. At some point before 7:30 a. m., he started driving around the track in a GMC pickup truck. He completed three or four laps, approaching speeds of Luther Wray, a foreman in the speedway's maintenance department attempted to block his truck by parking a Dodge Caravan minivan on the track near the start finish line. White was driving approximately when he struck the van, his truck became airborne and landed approximately 150 feet (46 m) away. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at Methodist Hospital. With the win in the 1991 Indy 500, Rick Mears joined Bobby Unser in becoming only the second driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in 3 different decades.

+ Drivers' Championship standings Rank +/– Driver Points Difference 1 1 Rick Mears 58 Leader 2 1 Arie Luyendyk 49 9 3 2 Bobby Rahal 48 10 4 Al Unser Jr. 42 16 5 John Andretti 32 26
Note: Only the top five positions are included for the drivers' standings.

The 1990–91 USAC Gold Crown Championship season consisted of one sanctioned race. The schedule was based on a split calendar, beginning in June 1990 and running through May 1991. Starting in 1981, USAC scaled back their participation in top level Indy car racing, and ultimately ceased sanctioning races outside of the Indianapolis 500 following their 1983–84 season. Subsequently the Gold Crown Championship would consist of only one event annually; the winner of the Indianapolis 500 would be the de facto Gold Crown champion, as it was their lone points paying event. The preeminent national championship season was instead sanctioned by CART, and the Indy 500 paid championship points separately (on a different scale) toward the CART championship as well. Rick Mears, by virtue of winning the 1991 Indianapolis 500, also won the 1990–91 USAC Championship.