1987 Indianapolis 500

71st Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning bodyUSAC
Season1987 CART season
1986–87 Gold Crown
DateMay 24, 1987
WinnerUnited States Al Unser Sr.
Winning teamPenske Racing
Average speed162.175
Pole positionUnited States Mario Andretti
Pole speed215.390
Fastest qualifierUnited States Mario Andretti
Rookie of the YearItaly Fabrizio Barbazza
Most laps ledUnited States Mario Andretti (170)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthemSandi Patty
"Back Home Again in Indiana"Jim Nabors
Starting commandMary F. Hulman
Pace carChrysler LeBaron
Pace car driverCarroll Shelby
StarterDuane Sweeney[1]
Estimated attendance400,000[2]
TV in the United States
NetworkABC
AnnouncersHost: Jim McKay
Lap-by-lap: Jim Lampley
Color Analyst: Sam Posey
Color Analyst: Bobby Unser
Nielsen ratings11.0 / 36
Chronology
Previous Next
1986 1988

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.

  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. ^ 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.Open access icon
  3. ^ Cash, Phil (1987-05-11). "Johncock attempting Indy comeback". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  4. ^ "Al Unser". SportsCentury. 2001-05-14. ESPN.
  5. ^ "The Legends of the Brickyard" - 1987 Indy 500