 | |||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | USAC | ||||
| Season | 1987 CART season 1986–87 Gold Crown | ||||
| Date | May 24, 1987 | ||||
| Winner |  Al Unser Sr. | ||||
| Winning team | Penske Racing | ||||
| Average speed | 162.175 | ||||
| Pole position | Mario Andretti | ||||
| Pole speed | 215.390 | ||||
| Fastest qualifier | Mario Andretti | ||||
| Rookie of the Year |  Fabrizio Barbazza | ||||
| Most laps led | Mario Andretti (170) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Sandi Patty | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Nabors | ||||
| Starting command | Mary F. Hulman | ||||
| Pace car | Chrysler LeBaron | ||||
| Pace car driver | Carroll Shelby | ||||
| Starter | Duane Sweeney[1] | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 400,000[2] | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | ABC | ||||
| Announcers | Host: Jim McKay Lap-by-lap: Jim Lampley Color Analyst: Sam Posey Color Analyst: Bobby Unser | ||||
| Nielsen ratings | 11.0 / 36 | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The 71st Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday May 24, 1987. After dominating practice, qualifying, and most of the race, leader Mario Andretti slowed with mechanical problems with only 23 laps to go. Five laps later, Al Unser Sr. assumed the lead, and won his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory. At age 47, just days short of his 48th birthday, Unser became the oldest winner of the Indy 500, a record that still stands as of 2024. During the month of May, an unusually high 25 crashes occurred during practice and qualifying, with one driver in particular, Jim Crawford, suffering serious leg injuries.[3]
Al Unser's victory is considered one of the biggest upsets in Indianapolis 500 history.[4] Unser, whose driving career was beginning to wind down, had dropped down to part-time status a year earlier. He entered the 1987 month of May without a ride and without sponsorship money, which left him on the sidelines during the first week of practice. After Danny Ongais suffered a concussion in a practice crash, Unser was hired by Penske to fill the vacant seat. Unser proceeded to win the race with a year-old March 86C chassis, and the venerable Cosworth DFX, the powerplant's tenth consecutive Indy victory. Unser's car, originally entered as a back-up, had been sitting in a hotel lobby in Reading, Pennsylvania, as a show car just weeks prior.
The race was sanctioned by the United States Auto Club, and was included as part of the 1987 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. Of the notable statistics, the 1987 Indy 500 was the first such where the entry list did not include a single car built in the United States.[5]
During the race, a spectator was killed when an errant tire was hit into the grandstand, the first spectator fatality at the event in a racing-related incident since 1938.
- ^ Fox, Jack C. (1994). The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 (4th ed.). Carl Hungness Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 0-915088-05-3.
- ^ O'Neill, John R. (May 25, 1987). "Fans had comfort of living room in track infield". The Indianapolis Star. p. 9. Retrieved June 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Cash, Phil (1987-05-11). "Johncock attempting Indy comeback". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
- ^ "Al Unser". SportsCentury. 2001-05-14. ESPN.
- ^ "The Legends of the Brickyard" - 1987 Indy 500
