The 76th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 24, 1992. The race is famous for the fierce battle in the closing laps, as race winner Al Unser, Jr. held off second place Scott Goodyear for the victory by 0.043 seconds, the closest finish in Indy history. Unser, Jr. became the first second-generation driver to win the Indy 500, following in the footsteps of his father Al Unser, Sr. He also became the third member of the famous Unser family to win the race.
Cold temperatures and high winds turned the race into a crash-filled, marathon day. The tone for the race was set early when pole position winner Roberto Guerrero spun out and crashed on the pace lap. The race was dominated by Michael Andretti in the debut of the Ford Cosworth XB engine. Andretti led 160 laps and was 30 seconds in front when his fuel pump suddenly failed with eleven laps to go.
Thirteen cars were eliminated in crashes during the race, and several other serious wrecks occurred during practice. Former Formula One World Champion Nelson Piquet suffered serious leg injuries in a crash on May 7. Pancho Carter and Hiro Matsushita suffered broken bones in separate crashes, and rookie Jovy Marcelo was fatally injured after a practice crash on May 15. Defending champion Rick Mears crashed during practice and during the race, while Jeff Andretti experienced the worst crash during the race itself, suffering serious injuries to his legs and feet.
Following the race, sweeping changes came about at the track, largely in the interest of safety. In addition, a noticeable "changing of the guard" followed, as the 1992 race signaled the final race for several Indy legends, including A. J. Foyt, Rick Mears, Tom Sneva, and Gordon Johncock. A race-record ten former winners started in the field.
The race was sanctioned by USAC, and was included as part of the 1992 PPG Indy Car World Series. Unser's victory was considered by some an "upset," as his somewhat inauspicious Galmer chassis was not expected to excel on ovals, and its first generation Chevy engine was starting to become a lame duck powerplant in the series. It was also a long-awaited victory for Unser, Jr., who was making his tenth Indy attempt. Unser, the 1990 CART champion, had recently confided with Paul Page that he was afraid he may never win the 500. Taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Indianapolis_500
Starting Lineup:
Row | Inside | Middle | Outside |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 36 - Roberto Guerrero | 9 - Eddie Cheever | 2 - Mario Andretti (W) |
2 | 6 - Arie Luyendyk (W) | 51 - Gary Bettenhausen | 1 - Michael Andretti |
3 | 22 - Scott Brayton | 18 - Danny Sullivan (W) | 4 - Rick Mears (W) |
4 | 12 - Bobby Rahal (W) | 5 - Emerson Fittipaldi (W) | 3 - Al Unser, Jr. |
5 | 91 - Stan Fox | 8 - John Andretti | 19 - Éric Bachelart (R) |
6 | 44 - Philippe Gache (R) | 10 - Scott Pruett | 93 - John Paul, Jr. |
7 | 7 - Paul Tracy (R) | 48 - Jeff Andretti | 26 - Jim Crawford |
8 | 27 - Al Unser (W) | 14 - A. J. Foyt (W) | 21 - Buddy Lazier |
9 | 11 - Raul Boesel | 39 - Brian Bonner (R) | 90 - Lyn St. James (R) |
10 | 47 - Jimmy Vasser (R) | 68 - Dominic Dobson | 59 - Tom Sneva (W) |
11 | 92 - Gordon Johncock (W) | 31 - Ted Prappas (R) | 15 - Scott Goodyear† |
Other Drivers on Entry List:
Didier Theys |
Fabrizio Barbazza |
Gregor Foitek |
Hiro Matsushita |
Jeff Wood |
Johnny Parsons |
Johnny Rutherford |
Jovy Marcelo |
Kenji Momota |
Mark Dismore |
Mike Groff |
Nelson Piquet |
Pancho Carter |
Rocky Moran |
Tony Bettenhausen, Jr. |
Lap-By-Lap Summery:
2nd Parade Lap: Car #36 Roberto Guerrero Crashed in Turn 2
Green Flag: Michael Andretti Lead Lap 1
Lap 6: Caution #1 Car #19 Eric Bachelart Tow-In
Lap 7: Mario Andretti Took the lead
Lap 8: Michael Andretti Took the lead
Lap 10: Green Flag
Lap 12: Caution #2 Car #59 Tom Sneva Crashed in Turn 4
Lap 14: Eddie Cheever Took the lead
Lap 20: Green Flag
Lap 21: Michael Andretti Took the lead
Lap 47: Eddie Cheever Took the lead
Lap 48: Arie Luyendyk Took the lead
Lap 49: Michael Andretti Took the lead
Lap 62: Caution #3 Car #92 Gordon Johncock Blew an Engine
Lap 66: Green Flag
Lap 67: Caution #4 Car #44 Philippe Gache, and Car #91 Stan Fox Crashed in Turns 1 and 2
Lap 75: Green Flag
Lap 76: Caution #5 Car #4 Rick Mears, Car #5 Emerson Fittipaldi, and Car #26 Jim Crawford Crashed in Turns 1 and 2
Lap 83: Green Flag
Lap 84: Caution #6 Car #2 Mario Andretti Crashed in Turn 4
Lap 88: Eddie Cheever Took the lead
Lap 89: Green Flag: Michael Andretti Took the lead
Lap 94: Caution #7 Car #22 Scott Brayton Blew an Engine
Lap 96: Green Flag
Lap 97: Caution #8 Car #7 Paul Tracy Tow-In, and Car #47 Jimmy Vasser Crashed in Turn 1
Lap 102: Green Flag
Lap 103: Caution #9 Car #39 Brian Bonner Crashed in Turn 4
Lap 108: Al Unser Jr. Took the lead
Lap 109: Green Flag
Lap 110: Michael Andretti Took the lead
Lap 115: Caution #10 Car #48 Jeff Andretti Crashed in Turn 2, Car #51 Gary Bettenhausen Struck debris from the crash.
Lap 116: Al Unser Jr. Took the lead
Lap 117: Michael Andretti Took the lead
Lap 122: Green Flag
Lap 137: Caution #11 Car #6 Arie Luyendyk Crashed in Turn 4
Lap 141: Al Unser Jr. Took the lead
Lap 143: Green Flag
Lap 150: Caution #12 Car #21 Buddy Lazier Tow-In
Lap 152: Michael Andretti Took the lead
Lap 155: Green Flag
Lap 174: Al Unser Jr. Took the lead
Lap 178: Michael Andretti Took the lead
Lap 190: Caution #13Car #1 Michael Andretti Tow-In from the lead; Al Unser Jr. Took the lead
Lap 193: Green Flag
Lap 200: Checkered Flag: Al Unser Jr. holds off Scott Goodyear in the closest finish in Indy 500 history, for his first win.
Race Results:
Finish | Driver | Laps | Status | Prize Money |
1 | Al Unser Jr. | 200 | 134.477 | $1,244,184 |
2 | Scott Goodyear | 200 | 134.476 | $609,333 |
3 | Al Unser | 200 | 134.375 | $368,533 |
4 | Eddie Cheever Jr. | 200 | 134.374 | $271,103 |
5 | Danny Sullivan | 199 | Running | $211,803 |
6 | Bobby Rahal | 199 | Running | $237,703 |
7 | Raul Boesel | 198 | Running | $191,503 |
8 | John Andretti | 195 | Running | $186,203 |
9 | A.J. Foyt | 195 | Running | $189,883 |
10 | John Paul Jr. | 194 | Running | $171,403 |
11 | Lyn St. James | 193 | Running | $187,953 |
12 | Dominic Dobson | 193 | Running | $179,983 |
13 | Michael Andretti | 189 | Fuel pressure | $295,383 |
14 | Buddy Lazier | 139 | Engine | $164,283 |
15 | Arie Luyendyk | 135 | Accident | $166,953 |
16 | Ted Prappas | 135 | Gear box | $163,253 |
17 | Gary Bettenhausen | 112 | Accident | $150,803 |
18 | Jeff Andretti | 109 | Accident | $153,703 |
19 | Brian Bonner | 97 | Accident | $156,953 |
20 | Paul Tracy | 96 | Engine | $160,053 |
21 | Jimmy Vasser | 94 | Accident | $170,853 |
22 | Scott Brayton | 93 | Engine | $173,683 |
23 | Mario Andretti | 78 | Accident | $156,633 |
24 | Emerson Fittipaldi | 75 | Accident | $138,703 |
25 | Jim Crawford | 74 | Accident | $167,503 |
26 | Rick Mears | 74 | Accident | $136,403 |
27 | Stan Fox | 63 | Accident | $136,683 |
28 | Philippe Gache | 61 | Accident | $136,128 |
29 | Gordon Johncock | 60 | Engine | $136,003 |
30 | Scott Pruett | 52 | Engine | $143,503 |
31 | Tom Sneva | 10 | Accident | $139,778 |
32 | Eric Bachelart | 4 | Engine | $144,228 |
33 | Roberto Guerrero | 0 | Accident | $286,378 |
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