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. 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.[1]
Unser's victory is considered one of the biggest upsets in Indy 500 history.[2] Unser entered the month of May without a ride and without sponsorship money, which left him on the sidelines for 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 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 USAC, 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.[3]
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. Taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_Indianapolis_500
Starting Lineup:
| Row | Inside | Middle | Outside |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mario Andretti (W) |
Bobby Rahal (W) |
Rick Mears (W) |
| 2 | A. J. Foyt (W) |
 Roberto Guerrero |
Dick Simon |
| 3 |  Arie Luyendyk |
Johnny Rutherford (W) |
Michael Andretti |
| 4 |  Ludwig Heimrath (R) |
Rich Vogler |
Jeff MacPherson |
| 5 | Scott Brayton |
 Geoff Brabham |
Gary Bettenhausen |
| 6 | Danny Sullivan (W) |
 Fabrizio Barbazza (R) |
Gordon Johncock (W) |
| 7 |  Derek Daly |
Al Unser, Sr. (W) |
Tom Sneva (W) |
| 8 | Al Unser, Jr. |
Randy Lewis (R) |
Kevin Cogan |
| 9 |  Josele Garza |
Stan Fox (R) |
Tony Bettenhausen, Jr. |
| 10 | Davy Jones (R) |
Pancho Carter |
Ed Pimm |
| 11 | George Snider |
Steve Chassey |
 Emerson Fittipaldi† |
Other Drivers on Entry List:
| Danny Ongais |
| Dennis Firestone |
| Dick Ferguson |
| Dominic Dobson |
| Jim Crawford |
| Johnny Parsons |
| Phil Krueger |
| Rick Miaskiewicz |
| Rocky Moran |
| Sammy Swindell |
| Spike Gehlhausen |
| Tom Bigelow |
Lap-By-Lap Summery:
Lap 1: Caution #1 Car #29 Pancho Carter, and #55 Josele Garza Crashed in Turn 1; Mario Andretti Took the lead
Lap 5: Green Flag
Lap 27: Caution #2 Car #23 Ludwig Heimrath Spun in Turn 4 because of a loose wheel
Lap 28: Roberto Guerrero Took the lead
Lap 29: Mario Andretti Took the lead
Lap 33: Green Flag
Lap 39: Caution #3 Debris on the track
Lap 42: Green Flag
Lap 61: Danny Sullivan Took the lead
Lap 62: Caution #4 Debris on the track
Lap 65: Mario Andretti Took the lead
Lap 67: Green Flag
Lap 81: Caution #5 Car #3 Danny Sullivan Spun in Turn 4; Roberto Guerrero Took the lead
Lap 82: Mario Andretti Took the lead
Lap 84: Green Flag
Lap 96: Caution #6 Car #22 Dick Simon Tow-In
Lap 97: Roberto Guerrero Took the lead
Lap 98: Mario Andretti Took the lead
Lap 101: Green Flag
Lap 131: Caution #7 Car #16 Tony Bettenhausen Jr. Lost wheel in Turn 3, Hit by Car #4 Roberto Guerrero and launched into stands killing a spectator.
Lap 134: Green Flag
Lap 150: Caution #8 Car #33 Tom Sneva Crashed in Turn 2
Lap 158: Green Flag
Lap 162: Caution #9 Car #12 Fabrizio Barbazza Spun in Turn 4
Lap 166: Green Flag
Lap 178: Roberto Guerrero Took the lead
Lap 183: Al Unser Took the lead
Lap 192: Caution #10 Car #5 Mario Andretti Tow-In
Lap 196: Green Flag
Lap 200: Checkered Flag: Al Unser wins his forth and final Indy 500.
Race Results:
| Finish | Driver | Laps | Status | Prize Money |
| 1 | Al Unser | 200 | 162.175 | $526,763 |
| 2 | Roberto Guerrero | 200 | 162.109 | $305,013 |
| 3 | Fabrizio Barbazza | 198 | Running | $204,663 |
| 4 | Al Unser Jr. | 196 | Running | $142,963 |
| 5 | Gary Bettenhausen | 195 | Running | $132,213 |
| 6 | Dick Simon | 193 | Running | $131,813 |
| 7 | Stan Fox | 192 | Running | $111,263 |
| 8 | Jeff MacPherson | 182 | Running | $117,313 |
| 9 | Mario Andretti | 180 | Ignition | $368,063 |
| 10 | Tony Bettenhausen Jr. | 171 | Running | $105,838 |
| 11 | Johnny Rutherford | 171 | Running | $104,313 |
| 12 | Scott Brayton | 167 | Engine | $103,063 |
| 13 | Danny Sullivan | 160 | Engine | $120,713 |
| 14 | Tom Sneva | 143 | Accident | $103,313 |
| 15 | Derek Daly | 133 | Engine | $100,763 |
| 16 | Emerson Fittipaldi | 131 | Engine | $98,263 |
| 17 | Josele Garza | 129 | Running | $103,350 |
| 18 | Arie Luyendyk | 125 | Suspension | $97,113 |
| 19 | A.J. Foyt | 117 | Oil seal | $102,963 |
| 20 | Rich Vogler | 109 | Rocker arm | $98,263 |
| 21 | Ed Pimm | 109 | Turbocharger | $95,513 |
| 22 | Gordon Johncock | 76 | Valve | $94,913 |
| 23 | Rick Mears | 75 | Coil wire | $112,463 |
| 24 | Geoff Brabham | 71 | Oil pressure | $92,963 |
| 25 | Steve Chassey | 68 | Engine | $97,913 |
| 26 | Bobby Rahal | 57 | Ignition | $123,013 |
| 27 | Pancho Carter | 45 | Valve | $93,263 |
| 28 | Davy Jones | 34 | Engine | $115,463 |
| 29 | Michael Andretti | 28 | Pit fire | $91,113 |
| 30 | Ludwig Heimrath, Jr. | 25 | Spun out | $111,513 |
| 31 | Kevin Cogan | 21 | Oil pump | $90,763 |
| 32 | Randy Lewis | 8 | Gearbox | $90,763 |
| 33 | George Snider | 0 | Engine fire | $92,71 |
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