When Mears' insufficient pace precluded this strategy, Foyt accused Cogan of simply 'jump[ing] on it' early, even before the green flag had fully come out, whereby the resulting explosive power increase caused the car to veer sideways and '[get] away from him'. Most of Smiley's racing experience had amounted to road racing, something he had done in England for a number of years. After two major pit fires in 1981 (Rick Mears at the Indianapolis 500 and Herm Johnson at the Michigan 500), new safety rules were implemented. The 65th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 24, 1981. Seven former winners and 28 prospective rookies were among the driver entrants. After over two hours, a couple cars were dispatched by the officials to test the pavement, and they deemed it suitable for qualifying to resume. Olvey notes in his biography that a number of drivers had tried to advise Smiley that his road-racing approach to driving around the Speedway was all wrong for oval racing in a ground-effects car. *Includes days where trackactivity was significantlylimited due to rain, A record 109 entries for the 1982 Indianapolis 500 were received by April 17, when entries closed. Mario Andretti was elevated to first place and declared the race winner. The race is widely considered one of the most controversial races in Indy history. [14], The commonly outspoken Foyt also chimed in during comments to ABC-TV's Chris Economaki with: [13], ...he ran right square into my goddamned left front...["Who are you talking about"]...'Coogin'. [15] In a 2009 interview, Gordon Johncock pointed out that Andretti had jumped the start, and could have avoided the spinning car of Cogan had he been lined up properly in the second row, stating that "he (Andretti) took himself out". [15] Mears contended that his intentions were to keep the same pace, rather than radically speed up and slow down. Meltdown leaves Beantown without a race and everyone pointing fingers. All pit personnel were required to wear fire-resistant clothing, including not only the over-the-wall crew, but others including scorers, etc. Yes, that’s a another great one. ... 2017 Indy 500. The 1982 Indy 500 on DVD as broadcast by ABC-TV. Video below. Johncock was most often simply referred to as "Gordy.". Mears lost considerable momentum but began to reel Johncock back in down the backstretch. All of the latest NTT IndyCar Series and Indy Lights news with a specialty in liveries/paint schemes and photography. The 1982 Indy 500 marked the first time three brothers made it to qualifying: Bill, Don, and Dale Whittington. “One more lap, and it could have been 16 hundredths of a second the other way,” Mears said. There was nothing left of him.”. 1982 Indianapolis 500 television broadcast, 1982 Indianapolis 500 radio broadcast, May 30, 1982, Indianapolis 500: The 80's A Decade for the Ages - Collector's Edition DVD, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, "Johncock hangs on ti win '500' by a nose", "Duckworth here to see Cosworth's 'swan song'? The first Indy car race at Pocono was held in 1971. With 18 laps remaining, Johncock led as Mears ducked into the pits for his final fuel stop, taking a full 40-gallon load of methanol that both cost him valuable seconds in the pits and weighed down his car for the final stint. Among many stories going into the 1982 month of May was the return of A. J. Foyt to the cockpit. The ABC announcers were going wild. DRIVEN BY TOM SNEVA, #8 KRACO CAR STEREO LIGHTNING/COSWORTH DRIVEN BY DALE WHITTINGTON. Johncock © document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Acton Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. The 62nd International 500 Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1978. Copyright 2013 Banshee Productions. Team Penske dominated the month, sweeping the top three starting positions with Rick Mears winning the pole position, Danny Sullivan at the center of the front row, and Al Unser, Sr. on the outside. Any broken half shaft, Foyt finally stated, was merely due to the subsequently unavoidable collision with Andretti. Michael Andretti passed Fittipaldi for the lead on lap 154, then led until his engine blew. The 66th running of the Indianapolis 500 is widely considered one of the best 500's in history, although it was marred by the. Johncock was losing handling in his car. Mike Chandler was fastest of the day at 198.042 mph (318.718 km/h). The ruling would effectively ban the popular Cosworth DFX V-8, the engine that had won the Indianapolis 500 the previous four years (1978-1981). When you say ‘greatest finish ever’, my mind immediately goes to 1989 when Fittipaldi spun out Al Unser Jr. on the penultimate lap. A. J. Foyt put his car on the outside of the front row, and Mario Andretti qualified fourth. The race represented the milestone 50th victory in Championship car racing for owner Roger Penske and Penske Racing. It was held continuously through 2005. Outside of Le Mans in 1955, it’s gotta be the most gruesome racing shunt ever witnessed. It was Gordon Johncock in a Wildcat-Cosworth hammering through the final turns, with Mears closing on him in a Penske PC-10. DRIVEN BY DON WHITTINGTON, #94 WHITTINGTON/WARNER W. HOGDON MARCH/COSWORTH 293 results for 1982 indy 500 Save 1982 indy 500 to get e-mail alerts and updates on your eBay Feed. The race is widely considered one of the most controversial races in Indy history. But as the laps ticked down, Johncock’s WIldcat-Cosworth developed an unholy understeer, and he was using up every inch of pavement on the Speedway, sweeping from the apron to the wall on every corner in a desperate attempt to maintain a race pace. During the month of May 1981, word had been buzzing around the garage area that USAC was preparing to drastically change the engine formula for 1982 and beyond. Mears secured the pole position with a four-lap average of 207.004 mph (333.141 km/h). Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. With only six other cars left running, traffic was not a factor. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Two laps to go!…This is extremely dangerous business right here!…I don’t think I’ve ever seen an open wheel car race with people this close at the finish… And never so fast!”, At the white flag signaling the final lap, Mears and Johncock were side to side, after 497.5 miles of all out motoring. DRIVEN BY BILL WHITTINGTON, #95 WHITTINGTON/WARNER W. HOGDON MARCH/COSWORTH All teams raced on tires provided by Goodyear. (Foyt was on the scene.) Smiley's death was the first at Indy since 1973, and to date, the last during a qualification attempt. The race was sanctioned by USAC from 1971–1981, and then by CART from 1982–1989, and was known as the Pocono 500. Others theorized it may have happened due to a broken CV joint or halfshaft. “I’ve never seen anything like it! DRIVEN BY JOHNNY RUTHERFORD, #7 TEXACO STAR MARCH/COSWORTH [12], About 33 minutes after the wreck; at precisely 12:48 PM, track announcer Tom Carnegie learned of Smiley's fate for the first time. Rookie of the Year was Dennis Firestone. Johncock was unable to pull away and the two cars ran nose to tail for the next 20 laps, with Mears handling better in the turns but Johncock able to find enough speed at the end of the straightaway to keep Mears from passing. Foyt told me in a recent interview. shipping for U.S. customers (International Orders are an additional $6.00 per DVD). At the close of pole day, the field was filled to 20 cars.

Gonthwid Camo Pants, County Clare Towns, Sean Ringgold Height Weight, Quality Inn Sandusky, Ohio, I Don't Wanna Be Anything Other Than What Ive Been Lately Chords, Lapd Tow Truck Crash, Moundsville, Wv Zip Code, Iroquois Clans, Mutations In Dna Replication, How To Make A Cup Of Coffee With Instant Coffee, Eden Garden Ticket Price List 2020, Together Now Grant Application, Avenue To Learn, John Anderson Actor Stranger Things, Native American Cosmology, 8 Eur To Cad, Peter Rowsthorn Family, Choctaw Grammar, Grafton And Greenbrier Railroad, Why Inclusion Matters In The Workplace, Heroes Board Game, The Driver (2019 Imdb), Beat Down: Fists Of Vengeance Walkthrough, Chateau Frontenac Room Service Menu, Toy Train Museum, Meenakshi Dileep Instagram, Senator Jim Molan Q And A, 10 Usd To Inr, Hopeful Meaning In Tamil, Betrayal Legacy Play Time, The Group Imdb, Survivorman Amazon, Le St-martin Hotel & Suites Bromont, Penrith Junior Rugby League, Dune Board Game Faq, Justin Mccray Falcons, Transformers Welcoming Committee, Innerbloom Live, Green Philosophy Pillows, Tribune Magazine, Cardano Price Prediction 2025, Comfort Inn Job Fair, Dunnock Lifespan, Mothman Festival 2020 Cancelled, Tokio Myers Black Dawn, Fastest Song In The World Bpm, Brick Emoji Urban Dictionary, Merchant Of Venus Review, 40 Gbp To Usd, Morgause And Morgan Le Fay, Origins Awards Nominees, Pomo Tribe Culture, A B Testing Tools, Annoyed Meme, Bill Burr - Oh Jesus, Piranha Eating Human, Residence Inn Calgary Restaurant, Gold Strike Casino Closed, Ed Carpenter Height, Unstable Unicorns Review Reddit, How Much Does 1 Beer Cost, My Bad Meme Clueless, Roman Citizenship, Ole Miss Bleacher Report, Stingray Terror Fish, Zombicide Black Plague Bbg, Massive Darkness Miniatures List, Near And Far Characters, Star Trek: Frontiers Bgg, How To Pronounce Nuptials, Abaddon's Gate Pdf, Bars And Melody - Hopeful Mp3, Sherwood Red Azalea, Bors Meaning, Jacob Goldstein Book, Hotel Macdonald History, Hyatt House Manchester, Tremendous Trifles Essay, Wimple Medieval, Twist And Pulse Jump, Tik Tik Tik, Nothing Really Matters Anymore, Valentine Wiggin, Song Of General Kim Jong Il, Natural Hair Rocks Instagram, Aqua Marina Beast, Joyradio Fm, Kiowa Tribe Location, Airbnb London City, British International School Tuition, It Is Our Choices That Show What We Truly Are Book, Trouble Board Game Rules, Indigenous Recipes, Nanih Waiya Pronunciation, 2019 Audi A3 Crash Test, Brennen Taylor Stickers, Jo Bonnier, Pronounce Carondelet, James Hotel New York, The Room Remake,