 | |||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | USAC | ||||
| Season | 1985 CART season 1984–85 Gold Crown | ||||
| Date | May 26, 1985 | ||||
| Winner |  Danny Sullivan | ||||
| Winning team | Penske Racing | ||||
| Average speed | 152.982 mph (246.201 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | Pancho Carter | ||||
| Pole speed | 212.583 mph (342.119 km/h) | ||||
| Fastest qualifier | Pancho Carter | ||||
| Rookie of the Year |  Arie Luyendyk | ||||
| Most laps led | Mario Andretti (107) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Robert McFarlin | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | The Voices of Liberty, conducted by Mickey Mouse | ||||
| Starting command | Mary F. Hulman | ||||
| Pace car | Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais | ||||
| Pace car driver | James Garner | ||||
| Starter | Duane Sweeney[1] | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 400,000[2] | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | ABC | ||||
| Announcers | Host/Lap-by-lap: Jim McKay Color Analyst: Sam Posey | ||||
| Nielsen ratings | 9.7 / 18 | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The 69th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday, May 26, 1985. The race was sanctioned by USAC, and was included as part of the 1985 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. The Speedway also celebrated 40 years of ownership by the Hulman/George family.
In one of the most dramatic moments in Indy 500 history, Danny Sullivan took the lead from Mario Andretti on lap 120. But as he was completing the pass, Sullivan's car stepped out, and he lost control. He spun directly in front of Andretti in turn one, doing a complete 360°. Andretti veered to the inside and slipped by unscathed, while Sullivan's car somehow avoided contact with the concrete wall. Sullivan remarkably gathered control without stalling the engine, and continued in the race. About twenty laps later, Sullivan managed to re-pass Andretti for the lead, this time cleanly. Sullivan led the final 61 laps, and scored his first and only Indy victory. It was the fifth Indy win for car owner Roger Penske (Penske Racing), tying the record at the time held by Lou Moore.
Due to the electrifying spin by Sullivan, and the subsequent recovery, the race became known in auto racing lore as the "Spin and Win".[3] It is largely considered one of the most famous moments in all of Indy car racing history.
The 1985 Indy 500 was the breakout race for the "stock block" Buick Indy V6 engine. Pancho Carter and Scott Brayton swept the top two spots on the starting grid with the pushrod Buick, setting new track record speeds in time trials. However, both cars still had questionable reliability for the full 500 miles, and both dropped out early with mechanical problems on race day.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Miller, Robin (May 27, 1985). "Sullivan spins and still wins; second victory still eludes Mario". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ryan, Nate (2010-05-21). "Danny Sullivan's Indy 500 win still has spin 25 years later". CART. USA Today. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
