The 75th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 26, 1991. Rick Mears won from the pole position, becoming the third four-time winner of the Indy 500, joining A. J. Foyt and Al Unser. During time trials, Mears also established an Indy record by winning his sixth career pole position. The month of May for Mears was tumultuous, as he suffered his first ever crash at Indy since arriving as a rookie in 1977. The wreck during a practice run totaled his primary car, and injured his right foot. Mears later admitted that pain he was experiencing during the race was so bad, he had to cross his legs in the car and push the accelerator pedal down with his left foot.[1]
The race was noteworthy in that it featured the first African American driver to qualify for the Indy 500, Willy T. Ribbs. It also saw its first Japanese driver, Hiro Matsushita. The pre-race attention going into the month focused on A. J. Foyt, who was expected to retire from driving after the event. During time trials, Foyt qualified on the front row, his record 34th consecutive Indy appearance. On race day, however, he dropped out early due to suspension damage. He eventually retracted his retirement plans, and returned one final time in 1992.
For the first time in Indy history, four members of the same family qualified for the same race. Mario, Michael, Jeff, and John Andretti competed together. Michael, Mario and John all finished in the top ten, while Jeff was named the Rookie of the Year.
The race was sanctioned by USAC, and was included as part of the 1991 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. Morning rain delayed the start of the race by about an hour. The rain stopped, the track was dried, and the race was run to its full scheduled completion. Later in the year, Rick Mears would also win the Michigan 500, sweeping both 500-mile races for the season, the final two victories of his racing career. Taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Indianapolis_500
Starting Lineup:
| Row | Inside | Middle | Outside |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Rick Mears (W) |
A.J. Foyt (W) |
Mario Andretti (W) |
| 2 | Bobby Rahal (W) |
Michael Andretti |
Al Unser, Jr. |
| 3 | John Andretti |
 Jim Crawford |
Danny Sullivan (W) |
| 4 | Eddie Cheever |
Jeff Andretti (R) |
 Scott Goodyear |
| 5 | Gary Bettenhausen |
 Arie Luyendyk (W) |
 Emerson Fittipaldi (W) |
| 6 | Kevin Cogan |
Stan Fox |
Mike Groff (R) |
| 7 | Scott Brayton |
Tony Bettenhausen, Jr. |
 Bernard Jourdain |
| 8 |  Geoff Brabham |
Buddy Lazier (R) |
 Hiro Matsushita (R) |
| 9 | John Paul, Jr. |
 Tero Palmroth |
Scott Pruett |
| 10 |  Roberto Guerrero |
Willy T. Ribbs (R) |
Dominic Dobson |
| 11 | Randy Lewis |
Pancho Carter |
Gordon Johncock (W) |
Other Drivers on Entry List:
| Davey Hamilton |
| Dean Hall |
| Didier Theys |
| Guido Daccò |
| Jeff Wood |
| Johnny Parsons |
| Mark Dismore |
| Michael Greenfield |
| Paul Tracy |
| Phil Krueger |
| Salt Walther |
| Ted Prappas |
| Tom Sneva |
| Vinicio Salmi |
Lap-By-Lap Summery:
Caution #1 Car #51 Gary Bettenhausen Spun in Turn 1; Car #71 Buddy Lazier Crashed trying to avoid him. Rick Mears Leads Lap 1
Lap 3: Green Flag
Lap 12: Mario Andretti Took the lead
Lap 20: Caution #2 Car #8 Eddie Cheever Tow-In
Lap 23: Green Flag
Lap 25: Caution #3 Car #9 Kevin Cogan and Car #40 Roberto Guerrero Crashed in Turn 1. Car #14 A.J. Foyt Hit Debris from the crash and dropped out as a result.
Lap 33: Green Flag
Lap 34: Michael Andretti Took the lead
Lap 55: Al Unser Jr. Took the lead
Lap 56: Michael Andretti Took the lead
Lap 80: Al Unser Jr. Took the lead
Lap 83: Michael Andretti Took the lead
Lap 84: Caution #4 Car #23 Tero Palmroth Tow-In
Lap 89: Green Flag
Lap 109: Emerson Fittipaldi Took the lead
Lap 113: Bobby Rahal Took the lead
Lap 114: Emerson Fittipaldi Took the lead
Lap 139: Rick Mears Took the lead
Lap 141: Emerson Fittipaldi Took the lead
Lap 148: Caution #5 Car #22 Scott Brayton, and Car #48 Bernard Jourdain Tow-In's
Lap 153: Green Flag
Lap 154: Michael Andretti Took the lead
Lap 166: Emerson Fittipaldi Took the lead
Lap 170: Rick Mears Took the lead
Lap 171: Michael Andretti Took the lead
Lap 184: Caution #6 Car #20 Danny Sullivan Blew an Engine; Rick Mears Took the lead
Lap 186: Green Flag
Lap 187: Michael Andretti Took the lead with an outside pass on Rick Mears in Turn 1
Lap 188: Rick Mears Took the lead with an outside pass on Michael Andretti in Turn 1
Lap 191: Caution #7 Car #6 Mario Andretti Tow-In
Lap 194: Green Flag
Lap 200: Checkered Flag: Rick Mears Wins his fourth Indy 500. As of today this is the last four time winner of the race.
Race Results:
| Finish | Driver | Laps | Status | Prize Money |
| 1 | Rick Mears | 200 | 176.457 | $1,219,704 |
| 2 | Michael Andretti | 200 | 176.402 | $607,753 |
| 3 | Arie Luyendyk | 199 | Running | $317,053 |
| 4 | Al Unser Jr. | 198 | Running | $223,916 |
| 5 | John Andretti | 197 | Running | $205,153 |
| 6 | Gordon Johncock | 188 | Running | $275,690 |
| 7 | Mario Andretti | 187 | Engine | $203,478 |
| 8 | Stan Fox | 185 | Running | $201,090 |
| 9 | Tony Bettenhausen Jr. | 180 | Running | $170,016 |
| 10 | Danny Sullivan | 173 | Engine | $194,403 |
| 11 | Emerson Fittipaldi | 171 | Gearbox | $183,728 |
| 12 | Scott Pruett | 166 | Engine | $159,191 |
| 13 | Dominic Dobson | 164 | Running | $159,190 |
| 14 | Randy Lewis | 159 | Running | $150,490 |
| 15 | Jeff Andretti | 150 | Engine | $167,490 |
| 16 | Hiro Matsushita | 149 | Running | $145,891 |
| 17 | Scott Brayton | 146 | Engine | $172,191 |
| 18 | Bernard Jourdain | 141 | Gearbox | $140,190 |
| 19 | Bobby Rahal | 130 | Engine | $153,741 |
| 20 | Geoff Brabham | 109 | Electrical | $136,491 |
| 21 | Pancho Carter | 94 | Engine | $139,703 |
| 22 | Gary Bettenhausen | 89 | Radiator | $177,890 |
| 23 | Tero Palmroth | 77 | Engine | $131,990 |
| 24 | Mike Groff | 68 | Water leak | $133,290 |
| 25 | John Paul Jr. | 53 | Oil leak | $130,690 |
| 26 | Jim Crawford | 40 | Engine | $133,690 |
| 27 | Scott Goodyear | 38 | Engine | $127,791 |
| 28 | A.J. Foyt | 25 | Suspension | $153,591 |
| 29 | Kevin Cogan | 24 | Accident | $127,391 |
| 30 | Roberto Guerrero | 23 | Accident | $125,203 |
| 31 | Eddie Cheever Jr. | 17 | Electrical | $125,591 |
| 32 | Willy T. Ribbs | 5 | Engine | $147,791 |
| 33 | Buddy Lazier | 1 | Accident | $162,690 |
