1986 Indianapolis 500

70th Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning bodyUSAC
Season1986 CART season
1985-86 Gold Crown
DateMay 31, 1986
WinnerUnited States Bobby Rahal
Winning teamTruesports
Average speed170.722 mph (274.750 km/h)
Pole positionUnited States Rick Mears
Pole speed216.828 mph (348.951 km/h)
Fastest qualifierUnited States Rick Mears
Rookie of the YearUnited States Randy Lanier
Most laps ledUnited States Rick Mears (76)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthemDavid Hasselhoff
"Back Home Again in Indiana"John Davies
Starting commandMary F. Hulman
Tony George (restart)
Pace carChevrolet Corvette
Pace car driverChuck Yeager
StarterDuane Sweeney[1]
Estimated attendance400,000 (Sun.)[2]
5,800 (Mon.)[3]
325,000 (Sat.)[4]
TV in the United States
NetworkABC
AnnouncersHost: Jim McKay
Lap-by-lap: Jim Lampley
Color Analyst: Sam Posey
Nielsen ratings8.8 / 31
Chronology
Previous Next
1985 1987

The 70th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Saturday, May 31, 1986. After being rained out on May 25–26, the race was rescheduled for the following weekend. Bobby Rahal was the winner, becoming the first driver in Indy history to complete the 500 miles (800 km) in less than three hours. At an average speed of 170.722 mph (274.750 km/h), it was the fastest 500-mile Indy car race to that point.

Nearly the entire race unfolded as a three-way battle between polesitter Rick Mears, Bobby Rahal, and Kevin Cogan. Cogan, who was a key fixture in the controversial crash on the opening lap of the 1982 race, took the lead in dramatic fashion with 13 laps to go. Cogan, driving for Patrick Racing, appeared to be on his way to victory, and career redemption. But on lap 194, his lead evaporated when a spin by Arie Luyendyk brought out the caution flag. After a quick cleanup, the green flag came back out with two laps to go. Second place Bobby Rahal got the jump on the restart and grabbed the lead. Rahal pulled away and won the race, with car owner Jim Trueman, stricken with cancer, cheering him on in the pit area. Trueman died eleven days after the victory.[5][6] At the time, it was the closest three-car finish in Indy history.

The race was sanctioned by USAC, and was included as part of the 1986 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. For the first time, ABC Sports televised the race live "flag-to-flag" on network television in the United States. The race celebrated the 75th anniversary of the first 500, but there was very little fanfare of the milestone outside of the cover art of the official program.

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Miller, Robin (May 26, 1986). "Persistent rain postpones race". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  3. ^ Koenig, Bill (May 27, 1986). "Waiting for the race that wasn't". The Indianapolis Star. p. 8. Retrieved June 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  4. ^ Miller, Robin (June 1, 1986). "Rahal's fast restart wins 500". The Indianapolis Star. p. 1. Retrieved June 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  5. ^ "'500' victory car owner, Trueman, dies in Ohio (Part 1)". The Indianapolis Star. June 12, 1986. p. 1. Retrieved August 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  6. ^ "'500' victory car owner, Trueman, dies in Ohio (Part 2)". The Indianapolis Star. June 12, 1986. p. 11. Retrieved August 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon