1992 Indianapolis 500

The 76th Indianapolis 76th Indianapolis 500

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,
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
as race winner Al Unser,
Indianapolis 500
Jr. held off second place
Scott Goodyear for the Sanctioning
USAC
body
victory by 0.043
seconds, the closest 1992 CART
finish in Indy history. season
Season
1991–92 Gold
Unser, Jr. became the
Crown
first second-generation
Date May 24, 1992
driver to win the Indy
500, following in the Winner Al Unser, Jr.
footsteps of his father Al Galles-Kraco
Winning team
Unser, Sr. He also Racing
became the third 134.477 mph
Average speed
member of the famous (216.420 km/h)
Unser family to win the Roberto
Pole position
race. Guerrero
Cold temperatures and Pole speed 232.482 mph
high winds turned the (374.144 km/h)

race into a crash-filled, Fastest qualifier Guerrero

marathon day. The tone Rookie of the
Lyn St. James
for the race was set early Year
when pole position Michael
Most laps led
winner Roberto Guerrero Andretti (160)
spun out and crashed on Pre-race ceremonies
the pace lap. The race
National anthem Sandi Patti
was dominated by
"Back Home
Michael Andretti in the
Again in Jim Nabors
debut of the Ford
Indiana"
Cosworth XB engine.
Starting
Andretti led 160 laps and Mary F. Hulman
command
was 30 seconds in front
Pace car Cadillac Allanté
when his fuel pump
suddenly failed with Pace car driver Bobby Unser
eleven laps to go. Duane
Starter
Sweeney[1]
Thirteen cars were
Estimated
eliminated in crashes 400,000[2]
attendance
during the race, and
TV in the United States
several other serious
wrecks occurred during Network ABC

practice. Former Formula Host/Lap-by-

One World Champion lap: Paul Page
Color Analyst:
Nelson Piquet suffered
Announcers Sam Posey
serious leg injuries in a Color Analyst:
crash on May 7. Pancho Bobby Unser

Carter and Hiro

Nielsen ratings 9.8 / 31
Matsushita suffered
Chronology
broken bones in separate
crashes, and rookie Jovy
Previous Next
Marcelo was fatally
1991 1993
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.[3]

Contents
1 Offseason
1.1 Testing
1.2 Rule changes
2 Race schedule
3 Practice – week 1
3.1 Saturday May 2
3.2 Sunday May 3
3.3 Monday May 4
3.4 Tuesday May 5
3.5 Wednesday May 6
3.6 Thursday May 7
3.7 Friday May 8
4 Time trials – weekend 1
4.1 Pole Day – Saturday May 9
4.2 Second Day – Sunday May 10
5 Practice – week 2
5.1 Monday May 11
5.2 Tuesday May 12
5.3 Wednesday May 13
5.4 Thursday May 14
5.5 Friday May 15 – Fatal crash of Jovy Marcelo
6 Time trials – weekend 2
6.1 Third Day – Saturday May 16
6.2 Bump Day – Sunday May 17
6.3 Carburetion Day – Thursday May 21
7 Starting grid
7.1 Alternates
7.2 Failed to Qualify
8 Race recap
8.1 Pre-race
8.2 First half
8.3 Multiple crashes
8.4 Second half
8.5 Late race
8.6 Finish
9 Box score
9.1 Race statistics
10 Legacy
11 Statistics
12 Broadcasting
12.1 Radio
12.2 Television
13 Gallery
14 Notes
14.1 References
14.2 Works cited
14.3 External links

Offseason
A busy offseason began at the conclusion of the 1991 PPG
Indy Car World Series. The biggest announcement was the
return of Ford to the Indy car ranks. The Ford Cosworth XB
was introduced to replace the aging DFX and the lesser-
used DFS. It quickly became an engine of choice, and for
1992, was the powerplant for Newman/Haas Racing and
Chip Ganassi Racing. For 1992, Ilmor introduced an updated
motor (265-B), badged as the "Chevrolet-B," and it was
fielded by Penske Racing singly. The rest of the Chevrolet
teams utilized the existing Ilmor (265-A), now being referred
to as the "Chevrolet-A".

Galles-Kraco Racing unveiled their new Galmer chassis for

1992. It met with instant success as Al Unser Jr. won the
pole position for the season opener at Surfers Paradise and
finished 4th. Teammate Danny Sullivan won a few weeks
later at Long Beach, with Unser Jr. 4th. The chassis was
expected to excel on street and road courses, but there were
some doubts about its oval track abilities. Unser Jr. managed
a 4th place at Phoenix, but both drivers entered the month
of May at Indy with mixed expectations.

Truesports fielded their own in-house "All American" chassis

for the second year in a row, this time designated the
Truesports 92C, and powered by the Chevy Ilmor-A.
Previously Truesports had been utilizing the Judd AV engine.

After much fanfare of a pending retirement in 1991, A. J. Foyt

brushed off the idea, and returned to the cockpit. He raced
in the 1992 Daytona 500, and entered as a driver for
Indianapolis. It would be his record 35th consecutive Indy
500 start.

Team and driver switches for 1992 included most notably

Bobby Rahal and Danny Sullivan, who swapped rides with
each other at Galles-Kraco Racing and Patrick Racing
respectively. In December, however, Pat Patrick sold the
assets of Patrick Racing to Rahal, and it became Rahal-
Hogan Racing. Right off the bat, Rahal scored a victory for
the re-booted team. He won the second race of the season
at Phoenix, leading wire-to-wire.

Rookie driver Paul Tracy continued into his second year with
Penske, and was offered his first attempt at Indy.

Testing

During testing in March and April, King Racing set the early
pace. On March 28, Roberto Guerrero became the first driver
to run a test lap over 230 mph. Teammate Jim Crawford also
ran a 230 mph lap. The Indy car testing was accompanied by
a concurrent IROC feasibility test. Track management was at
the time exploring the possibility of holding a stock car or
IROC event at the circuit.

Goodyear arrived at the Speedway sporting a slightly new

look. The logos on the tires were noticeably painted in
yellow. This coincided with a change in signage for Goodyear
in American auto racing, as the company brought back their
classic blue and yellow logo scheme for motorsports.

Rule changes

For 1992, new pit rules were implemented by USAC. At the

onset of a caution flag, the pit road was immediately closed,
and cars were required to pack up behind the pace car first.
The next time around, if officials deemed the field was
properly bunched up, the pits would open for all competitors.
In addition, a 100 mph speed limit was applied to the pits
during caution periods. These rules reflected regulations
that NASCAR had experimented with in 1991, and were in the
interest of safety for drivers and crew members.

Race schedule
Race schedule — April/May 1992
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
ROP ROP

26 27 28 29 30 1 2
ROP Practice
 9
3 4 5 6 7 8
Pole
Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice
Day

10 16
11 12 13 14 15
Time Time
Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice
Trials Trials
*
17 18 19 20 21 22
23 where
Bump Carb Mini-
Parade activit
Day Day Marathon
signifi
24 25 limited
26 27 28 29 30
Indy Memorial
500 Day ROP —
Rookie
31 Orient

Practice – week 1
Saturday May 2

King Racing teammates Jim Crawford and Roberto Guerrero

quickly established themselves as the cars to beat during
the first week of practice. The two drivers fielded a pair of
Lola V-6 Buicks, an engine that many thought was finally
beginning to show its potential after years of development.
On opening day, Crawford broke the unofficial track record
with a lap of 229.609 mph. Several rookies finished their
rookie tests, including Paul Tracy, Jimmy Vasser, Lyn St.
James, and the most noteworthy of the rookies, former
Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet.

Sunday May 3
Fabrizio Barbazza crashed in turn 1 midway through the day
during a refresher test. he was not injured. Late in the day, Al
Unser, Jr., driving the new Galmer chassis, blew a motor.
Michael Andretti led the speed chart for the afternoon at
226.187 mph.

Monday May 4

Roberto Guerrero upped the speed for the month, becoming

the first driver to practice over 230 mph at the Speedway.
His lap of 230.432 mph early in the session, however, lasted
only a couple hours. Teammate Jim Crawford upped the
speed, and by the end of the day, posted a 233.433 mph lap.
Meanwhile, Nelson Piquet was comfortably getting up to
speed, running a top lap of 226.809 mph.

Tuesday May 5

Several incidents occurred on Tuesday, during a cool, windy

day. Scott Brayton, Buddy Lazier, and Paul Tracy each
suffered separate spins/crashes. Rookie Lyn St. James was
finding speed difficult, running a 217.097 mph, her fastest
lap of the month, nowhere near the top of the charts.
Guerrero continued King Racing's dominance, turning in
another 230 mph practice lap.

Wednesday May 6
Crawford and Guerrero led the speed chart once again, with
Crawford over 233 mph for the second time. The biggest
story of the day, however, was the massive crash by Rick
Mears. Late in the afternoon, Mears entered turn two, and a
fluid leak sprayed water over the back wheels. The car broke
out into a spin, and he crashed hard into the wall in turn two.
The car flipped over and remained upside down while sliding
down the backstretch. Mears suffered a minor foot fracture
and an injury to his wrist.

Thursday May 7

The second major crash in two days occurred, this time

involving Nelson Piquet. In turn four, Piquet's car did a
reverse spin, and hit the wall head-on with the nose. Piquet
suffered serious injuries to both legs, and was immediately
admitted to the hospital for surgery. Piquet withdrew and
would require nearly a year of rehabilitation. Piquet had been
acclimating himself quite well to the Speedway, but was
reportedly frustrated with the frequency of caution lights
during the practice sessions.[4] A metal piece of debris was
reported on the backstretch, prompting USAC to turn on the
yellow. Piquet, in the middle of a "hot lap", momentarily
ignored the yellow light, and raced through turn three and
the north chute.[4] In turn four, he lifted off the throttle
quickly to enter the pits, at which time the car snapped out
of control.[4]
Roberto Guerrero was back at the top of the speed chart,
running his fastest lap of the month, 232.624 mph.

Friday May 8

The final day of practice before the run for the pole position
saw four drivers over 231 mph. Mario Andretti led the chart
for the day, at 233.202 mph. Arie Luyendyk was second,
while Crawford and Guerrero were close behind. Al Unser, Sr.
was named as a replacement for Nelson Piquet's entry, and
Gary Bettenhausen suffered damage when his engine blew,
causing a lazy spin in turn 1.

Time trials – weekend 1

Pole Day – Saturday May 9

Rain kept the cars off the track until noon, and persistent
"weepers" plagued the rest of the afternoon. During the first
practice session, Jim Crawford's hopes for a pole position
were set back when he blew an engine and spun.

Several yellows for moisture and debris dragged out the 60-
minute practice session until 3:15 p.m. Roberto Guerrero
(232.090 mph) set the fastest practice lap of the day.

Qualifying finally began at 4 p.m. Arie Luyendyk was the first

car out, and he did not disappoint. He set a new one-lap
track record of 229.305 mph, and grabbed the provisional
pole position with a four-lap record of 229.127 mph. A hectic
round of time trials followed, as drivers scrambled for their
shot at qualifying before the 6 p.m. gun. At 4:50 p.m., Gary
Bettenhausen set a one-lap record of 229.317 mph, but his
four-lap record was shy of the pole. Among the other drivers
securing a starting position were Bobby Rahal, Emerson
Fittipaldi, Paul Tracy, and Al Unser, Jr.. Scott Goodyear also
put a Walker Racing team car in the field, taking a run of
219.054 mph.

At 5:34 p.m., Roberto Guerrero took to the track. He set new

all-time one- and four lap track records on his way to the
pole position.

Lap 1 – 38.762 seconds, 232.186 mph (new 1-lap track

record)
Lap 2 – 38.707 seconds, 232.516 mph (new 1-lap track
record)
Lap 3 – 38.690 seconds, 232.618 mph (new 1-lap
track record)
Lap 4 – 38.692 seconds, 232.606 mph
Total – 2:34.851, 232.482 mph (new 4-lap track
record)

Following the run, Guerrero ran out of fuel, and stalled on the
backstretch. The next car out to qualify was Danny Sullivan,
who had already left the pits. The resulting yellow light
condition, halted qualifying for several minutes, and
precipitated Sullivan to pull off the track and get back in line
to qualify later.

After Guerrero was towed back to the pits, Rick Mears took
to the track, shaking off his accident earlier in the week.
Mario Andretti squeezed himself onto the front row, with one
lap over 230 mph. A. J. Foyt was the final car of the day.
After three laps in the 226 mph range, the engine quit on the
final lap, and Foyt aborted the run.

Since the original qualifying order had not yet exhausted

before the 6 p.m. close, pole qualifying was to be extended
into the next day. Among the cars still in line were Jim
Crawford, Michael Andretti, Eddie Cheever, and Danny
Sullivan, who could not get back in line in enough time after
refueling.

Second Day – Sunday May 10

With a handful of cars still eligible for the pole, Roberto

Guerrero was forced to wait through the night to see if his
pole run would hold up. Teammate Jim Crawford was still
considered a threat, but another engine failure in the
morning practice set the team back. Eddie Cheever bumped
his way into the front row with a 229.639 mph run. Michael
Andretti qualified for the second row.
Crawford's crew, scrambling to install a new motor, wheeled
the car out to the pits yet unfinished, with parts in hand. Two
crew members were actually sitting in the engine bay,
working on it, as others pushed it towards the qualifying line.
They were unable to finish the engine work in time, and
Crawford missed out on his chance for the pole position.
Moments later Roberto Guerrero was officially awarded the
$100,000 PPG pole award.

Late in the day, the field filled to 27 cars. Al Unser, Sr., A. J.

Foyt, Raul Boesel all made runs. Crawford finally put his car
in the field, but despite the 228.859 mph average (6th
fastest overall), his status as a second day qualifier forced
him to line up 21st.

Practice – week 2
Monday May 11

A light day of activity saw Jeff Wood and Jovy Marcelo the
fastest among non-qualified cars. Scott Pruett did a light
spin, but made no contact.

Tuesday May 12

Rain closed the track early at 2:25 p.m. Jovy Marcelo was
the fastest among non-qualified cars, at 216.534 mph.
Wednesday May 13

Increased activity was seen at the track. Lyn St. James was
still struggling in the 212 mph range in her Cosworth. St.
James' contract for Ford Motor Company had prevented her
from driving the more powerful Chevrolet so far during the
month.

Thursday May 14

Ted Prappas led the non-qualified cars at 221.212 mph. Dick

Simon Racing announced that an agreement had been made
for Lyn St. James to utilize Philippe Gache's back up car, a
Lola/Chevrolet. St. James was quickly over 218 mph.

Friday May 15 – Fatal crash of Jovy Marcelo

At 4:07 p.m., rookie Jovy Marcelo went low in turn one, and
spun into the outside wall. The car slid along the wall, then
came to rest in turn two. His car suffered major front end
damage, and Marcelo was found unconscious. At 4:35 p.m.,
Marcelo was pronounced dead at Methodist Hospital of a
basal skull fracture. It was the first driver fatality at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway since Gordon Smiley in 1982.

The final full day of practice, meanwhile, saw Tony

Bettenhausen Jr run the fastest lap of the week for non-
qualified cars, 221.033 mph. Didier Theys was second at
220.146 mph in a John Andretti back-up car.

Time trials – weekend 2

Third Day – Saturday May 16

The third day of time trials saw three cars added to the field.
Tom Sneva joined as a third driver for Menard Racing, and
Pancho Carter's month came to an end when he broke his
arm in a turn 2 crash.

Lyn St. James ran her fastest laps of the month and became
the second female driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.
Her third lap of 220.902 mph was also a closed-course
record for a female racing driver. She also became the oldest
rookie driver in the history of the race, at age 45.[5] Brian
Bonner and Mike Groff (a teammate to Scott Goodyear) also
completed runs, filling the field to 30 cars. Tom Sneva and
Gordon Johncock were among those who waved off
attempts.

Bump Day – Sunday May 17

The final day of qualifying saw heavy track action. Several

cars went out early on to qualify, but only Kenji Momota and
Dominic Dobson finished their runs. At 2:45 p.m., in his third
and final attempt, Tom Sneva put his car safely in the field at
219.737 mph. At that point, the field was filled, with Jimmy
Vasser (218.268 mph) on the bubble.

At 3:50 p.m., Gordon Johncock bumped Vasser, which put

Kenji Momota on the bubble. Vasser turned right around and
re-qualified in a back-up car. Vasser's speed of 222.313 mph
established him as the fastest rookie qualifier. The move put
Scott Goodyear (219.054 mph) on the bubble.

In the final hour, after showing promise during practice,

Didier Theys' third and final qualifying attempt ended with a
blown engine. Likewise Tony Bettenhausen could not get up
to speed and waved off. With six minutes left until the 6
o'clock gun, Ted Prappas took to the track. He bumped
Scott Goodyear out by 0.089 seconds. Johnny Rutherford
made one last futile attempt to qualify, but was too slow to
bump his way in.

Carburetion Day – Thursday May 21

The final practice session saw Mario Andretti (226.409 mph)

as the fastest car of the day. Ford Cosworth XB teams swept
the top four spots. Pole-sitter Roberto Guerrero was fifth
fastest, and Bobby Rahal was the fastest of the Chevrolet
powered machines. Al Unser, Jr. practiced a disappointing
25th speed rank. There were eight cautions during the two-
hour session, but none for accidents.

Rahal-Hogan Racing with driver Bobby Rahal and chief

mechanic Jim Prescott won the Miller Pit Stop contest.

During the week leading up to the race, Walker Racing

announced that Scott Goodyear would replace Mike Groff in
the team's qualified car. Goodyear, the team's primary driver,
was bumped on the final day of time trials. The switch
required the #15 car to be moved to the rear of the field, and
Goodyear would start 33rd on race day.[6]

Starting grid
Row Inside Middle Outside
36 – Roberto 9 – Eddie 2 – Mario
1
Guerrero Cheever Andretti (W)
6 – Arie 51 – Gary 1 – Michael
2
Luyendyk (W) Bettenhausen Andretti
22 – Scott 18 – Danny 4 – Rick
3
Brayton Sullivan (W) Mears (W)
12 – Bobby 5 – Emerson 3 – Al
4
Rahal (W) Fittipaldi (W) Unser, Jr.
8 – John 19 – Éric
5 91 – Stan Fox
Andretti Bachelart (R)
44 – Philippe 10 – Scott 93 – John
6
Gache (R) Pruett Paul, Jr.
7 – Paul Tracy 48 – Jeff 26 – Jim
7
(R) Andretti Crawford
27 – Al Unser 14 – A. J. Foyt 21 – Buddy
8
(W) (W) Lazier

9 11 – Raul 39 – Brian 90 – Lyn St.

 Boesel Bonner (R) James (R)
47 – Jimmy 68 – Dominic 59 – Tom
10
Vasser (R) Dobson Sneva (W)
92 – Gordon 31 – Ted 15 – Scott
11
Johncock (W) Prappas (R) Goodyear†

Guerrero crashed during the second parade lap, and

did not start the race. Gache also spun on the parade
lap, and drove to the pits and missed the start. He
joined the field on lap 3.
Scott Goodyear and Mike Groff were teammates for
Walker Racing. Goodyear was the full-time primary
driver (entered in a 1992 chassis), and Groff the second
team driver (entered in a 1991 chassis). Due to a
lingering oil pressure problem,[6] and the hectic nature
of the abbreviated pole day time trials session,
Goodyear and Groff temporarily swapped cars to
qualify, in order to take advantage of the favorable draw.
At the close of qualifying, the team pre-planned to swap
the drivers back to their original cars, and Goodyear and
Groff would move to the rear of the field. However, at
the close of qualifying, Groff had qualified 26th, but
Goodyear was bumped. As expected, and as planned,
Goodyear took Groff's place behind the wheel in the
primary car. The driver switch required the car to be
moved to the rear of the field (33rd).

Alternates
 First alternate: Mike Groff (#75/#17) – qualified 26th,
but turned the car over to teammate Scott Goodyear

Failed to Qualify

Kenji Momota (R) (#88) – bumped

Didier Theys (#38) – blew an engine during
qualifying
Tony Bettenhausen, Jr. (#16/#61) – too slow
Mark Dismore (#66/#93) – too slow
Johnny Parsons (#30) – too slow
Johnny Rutherford (W) (#17) – too slow
Pancho Carter (#81) – crashed in practice; suffered
broken arm
Hiro Matsushita (#11) – crashed in practice; suffered
broken leg
Nelson Piquet (R) (#27) – crashed in practice;
suffered serious leg injuries
Jovy Marcelo (R) (#50) – crashed in practice; fatally
injured
Fabrizio Barbazza (#30/#42) – practiced, but did not
make a qualifying attempt

Race recap
Pre-race

A cold front entered the Indianapolis area the evening before

the race, bringing misty rain and
cold temperatures. Race morning
dawned at 48 °F (9 °C),[7] with
winds gusting to 23 mph
(37 km/h).[7] The resulting wind
chill was as low as 28 °F (−2 °C).
[8] Mary F. Hulman gave the

starting command at 10:51 a.m., Pole-sitter Roberto Guerrero

and the pace car, driven by Bobby crashed during the pace laps.
Unser led the field on the way to
the first parade lap. John Paul, Jr.'s car suffered a
mechanical failure on the starting grid, but at the last minute,
he hastily pulled away to join the field. The cold weather
made for precarious conditions for the drivers, as it would be
increasingly difficult to warm up the slick tires.

As the field entered the backstretch on the second parade

lap, polesitter Roberto Guerrero gunned his machine to
warm up the tires, but the back end whipped around, and
the car spun into the inside wall. The suspension was
damaged enough that he could not continue, and he was out
of the race before the green flag. Moments later, Philippe
Gache lost control on cold tires, and spun lazily into the
apron of turn 4. The incidents delayed the start by five
minutes.

Without the polesitter in the race, second place starter Eddie

Cheever was charged with leading the field to the green flag.

First half

In turn one, outside runners Michael and Mario Andretti split

Cheever on the inside and outside. Michael took the lead,
Mario behind him in 2nd. Michael Andretti blistered the track
to set a new record for the first lap at 210.339 mph. After
only four laps of green flag racing, however, Éric Bachelart
blew an engine. Unable to return to the pits, Bachelart
brought out the yellow. During this caution period, Mario
Andretti made two pit stops to have identified (and replaced)
a shorted ignition wire, and dropped one lap down.

The field went back to green on lap 11. In turn four, Tom
Sneva lost control with cold tires, and crashed hard into the
outside wall. A long caution followed to clean up the debris.
On lap 21, the race finally got going, with Michael Andretti
the early and dominating leader.

A fairly long stretch of green flag racing saw Andretti starting

to lap the field up through 12th place. Andretti was running
race laps in the high 220 mph range. Andretti was being
chased primarily by Arie Luyendyk, Scott Brayton and Eddie
Cheever. By lap 60, Andretti held a 30-second lead, and only
three cars were on the lead lap. The average speed at lap 60
had climbed to 161.458 mph
Multiple crashes

Michael Andretti's blistering pace was halted on lap 62 when

Gordon Johncock blew an engine. The caution bunched the
field for a restart on lap 67. Moments after the green, rookie
Philippe Gache spun and hit the outside wall. The car slid
into the path of Stan Fox, and Fox plowed into the wreck.
The crash was blamed on cold tires, and Gache's
inexperience, although both drivers emerged from the crash
virtually unhurt.

The green came back out on lap 75. In turn one, Jim
Crawford lost control while attempting to pass John Andretti,
and collected Rick Mears. Both cars crashed hard into the
outside wall and rested on the south chute. Behind them,
Mears’ Penske teammate Emerson Fittipaldi lost control and
hit the outside wall in turn one as well. All three drivers were
sent to Methodist Hospital for relatively minor injuries.

On lap 84, the green came out once again, but as the field
headed down the mainstretch, Mario Andretti crashed in turn
four. The car lost the back end due to cold tires, and
slammed nose-first hard into the wall. Andretti went to
Methodist Hospital with broken toes.

The green came back out on lap 90, but the restart was brief
when Scott Brayton blew an engine on lap 94. The caution
was followed by another when Paul Tracy also blew an
engine on lap 97, and Jimmy Vasser subsequently smacked
the wall in turn one. The field went back to green on lap 103,
but cold tires struck again, as rookie Brian Bonner lost
control and crashed in turn 4.

The field restarted on lap 110, and appeared to safely

circulate the track. Five laps later, a major crash occurred.
Jeff Andretti's car broke a right-rear wheel hub in turn two.
The car immediately turned around, and Jeff Andretti
crashed head-on into the wall near the Turn Two Suites. The
front of the car was demolished, and Andretti suffered
severe leg injuries. Andretti's errant right-rear tire and wheel
bounced off the outside retaining wall and flew high into the
air and across the track. The wheel struck Gary
Bettenhausen's left front suspension, sending him out of
control into the inside wall at the start of the backstretch,
eliminating him from the race as well. It took 18 minutes to
extricate Jeff Andretti from the car, and he was immediately
transported to Methodist Hospital for surgery. Meanwhile,
Jeff's older brother Michael Andretti was still leading.
Michael, however, had just seen both his father and brother
crash and be sent to the hospital.

Just seconds before Jeff Andretti's crash, Bobby Rahal was

forced to pit due to a flat tire. When the yellow came out for
Andretti, Rahal lost a lap, and would be mired a lap down the
rest of the way.
From lap 62–122, only nine laps of green flag racing were
turned in. Eight cautions slowed the race for almost 90
minutes. The finally got back underway at lap 123.

Second half

Michael Andretti took over where he had left off, and pulled
away from the competition. The dwindling field was down to
17 cars, and six were on the lead lap. Among the cars still in
contention were Ganassi teammates Cheever and Luyendyk.
Al Unser, Jr. and Al Unser, Sr. had moved up into the top five,
and Scott Goodyear had climbed from last starting position
to the last car on the lead lap (6th place). A. J. Foyt had
worked his way into the top 10, and Lyn St. James was the
only rookie left running by lap 135.

Around the halfway point of the race, the National Weather

Service issued a bulletin. The temperature was 52 °F (11 °C),
cloudy skies, with winds at 15 mph, resulting in a wind chill of
39 °F (4 °C).[9]

On lap 137, Arie Luyendyk attempted to lap A. J. Foyt, but

Foyt had lost a mirror and did not see him. Luyendyk got into
the "marbles," and slid up into the turn 4 wall.

The green resumed on lap 144, with Al Unser, Jr. in the lead
after a sequence of pit stops. Michael Andretti charged
towards the front, but Al Unser, Sr. passed him for second
momentarily. The dicing was halted when Buddy Lazier blew
an engine and brought the yellow back out.

With 50 laps to go, only 15 cars were running, and only five
cars were on the lead lap.

Late race

With 45 laps to go, the green came out and the field began
the race to the finish. Michael Andretti once again, began to
easily pull away from his competitors. On the 166th lap, he
ran a record race lap of 229.118 mph, en route to a 15-
second lead.

On laps 171–177, the field began circulating through a series

of green-flag pit stops. It would be the final stops of the day.
During the sequence, Al Unser, Sr. passed his son Al, Jr. and
led for four laps. After the field shuffled through their stops,
Michael Andretti was back in the lead, by 23 seconds.

With the majority of crashes happening in turn 4, the safety

crews had an extensive workout for the entire race. They
were rewarded with a standing ovation from the grandstands
after what turned out to be the final wreck of the day.

Finish

With 12 laps to go, Michael Andretti held a 28-second lead

of Scott Goodyear. A lap later,
Al Unser, Jr. passed Goodyear
for second place. On lap 189,
Michael Andretti pulled
alongside Al Unser, Sr. and put
him a lap down in turn two.
Down the backstretch,
however, Andretti suddenly Al Unser, Jr.'s 1992 Indy 500 winning
began to slow. His fuel pump Galmer.
had failed, and the car coasted to a stop in the north short
chute. Andretti had dominated the entire race, and had led
160 of the first 189 laps.

Al Unser, Jr. suddenly inherited the lead, with Scott

Goodyear right behind in second. The caution came out for
Andretti's stalled car, and the field bunched up for a late-
race restart.

With 7 laps to go, the green flag came out, and the race was
down to a tense two-man battle between Al Unser, Jr. and
Scott Goodyear. With four laps to go, Unser held a 0.3-
second lead. The cars battled nose-to-tail around the entire
track, with the savvy Unser holding Goodyear off thus far. On
the final lap, Goodyear drafted Unser down the backstretch,
and tucked closely behind through the final turn. In turn four,
Unser, Jr. got loose, and claimed he had to back off the
accelerator slightly, and Goodyear pounced on the
opportunity to close in. Out of the final turn, Goodyear zig-
zagged behind Unser down the straightaway, and dove his
nose inside over the final few hundred yards. Goodyear
pulled alongside, but Unser held him off officially by 0.043
seconds, the closest finish in Indy 500 history.

Al Unser, Sr. edged out Eddie Cheever by a split second for

third place. A. J. Foyt brought his car home in 9th, while
John Paul, Jr., who nursed his car all day with a broken fuel
cable, avoided all the crashes to finish 10th. Lyn St. James
clinched the rookie of the year award, as she was the only
rookie left running, in 11th place. Danny Sullivan avoided all
of the crashes, and finished 5th, giving Galles/KRACO
Racing two cars in the top five. It was Sullivan's first time
running at the finish since 1985-1986. CART points leader
Bobby Rahal also escaped the carnage, coming home 6th,
and maintained his points lead.

It was the first of three bitter defeats in the Indy 500 for
Scott Goodyear. Goodyear, an experienced road racer, was
lauded by many for charging from last place (33rd) to nearly
winning the race. It would have been the first time in Indy
history that a driver won from the last starting position, and
would have been Goodyear's first win in Indy car
competition. Later in the year, he would triumph at the
Michigan 500. In a post-race interview a disappointed but
happy Goodyear said "This is a real disappointment. When
Michael Andretti lost the lead those last few laps I thought
'This is a real possibility.' It was a two-car race from there. I
just couldn't get enough time against him and he just beat
me. We just drove flat-out those last 3 laps and my
Mackenzie team did a fantastic job. We had an up-and-
down month and they gave me such a good race-car. I just
needed a little more time to get him."

In victory lane, a very emotional Al Unser, Jr. climbed from

the cockpit, and was interviewed by ABC-TV's Jack Arute.
When Arute noticed some tears behind Unser, Jr's voice,
Unser, Jr. responded in what would become one of the most
famous quotes regarding victory at the Indianapolis 500:

Well, you just don't know what Indy means!

Unser's quote would be replayed in many subsequent

airings, as well as during the intro for ABC's Wide World of
Sports in reference to the famous catchphrase "The Thrill of
Victory".

Box score
FP SP No. Driver Qual C E Laps Status
Al Unser,
1 12 3 222.989 G C 200 134.477 mp
Jr.
Scott +0.043
2 33 15 221.800 L C 200
Goodyear seconds
3 22 27 Al Unser, 223.744 L B 200 +10.236
Sr. (W) seconds
Eddie +10.281
4 2 9 229.639 L F 200
Cheever seconds
Danny
5 8 18 224.838 G C 199 Flagged
Sullivan (W)
Bobby
6 10 12 224.158 L C 199 Flagged
Rahal (W)
Raul
7 25 11 222.433 L C 198 Flagged
Boesel
John
8 14 8 222.644 L C 195 Flagged
Andretti
A. J. Foyt
9 23 14 222.798 L C 195 Flagged
(W)
John
10 18 93 220.244 L B 194 Flagged
Paul, Jr.
Lyn St.
11 27 90 220.150 L C 193 Flagged
James (R)
Dominic
12 29 68 220.359 L C 193 Flagged
Dobson
Michael Fuel
13 6 1 228.168 L F 189
Andretti Pressure
Buddy
14 24 21 222.688 L B 139 Engine
Lazier
Arie
15 4 6 Luyendyk 229.127 L F 135 Crash T4
(W)
Ted
16 32 31 219.173 L C 135 Gear Box
Prappas (R)
Gary
17 5 51 Bettenhausen 228.932 L B 112 Crash BS

Jeff
18 20 48 219.306 L C 109 Crash T2
Andretti
Brian
19 26 39 220.845 L B 97 Crash T4
Bonner (R)
Paul
20 19 7 219.751 P C 96 Engine
Tracy (R)
Jimmy
21 28 47 222.313 L C 94 Crash T1
Vasser (R)
Scott
22 7 22 226.142 L B 93 Engine
Brayton
Mario
23 3 2 229.503 L F 78 Crash T4
Andretti (W)
Emerson
24 11 5 223.607 P C 75 Crash T1
Fittipaldi (W)
Jim
25 21 26 228.859 L B 74 Crash T1
Crawford
Rick
26 9 4 224.594 P C 74 Crash T1
Mears (W)

27 13 91 Stan Fox 222.867 L B 63 Crash SS

Philippe
28 16 44 221.496 L C 61 Crash T1
Gache (R)
Gordon
29 31 92 Johncock 219.287 L B 60 Engine
(W)
Scott
30 17 10 220.464 T C 52 Engine
Pruett
31 30 59 Tom 219.737 L B 10 Crash T4
 Sneva (W)
Éric
32 15 19 221.549 L B 4 Engine
Bachelart (R)
Roberto
33 1 36 232.481 L B 0 Crash BS
Guerrero

W – Former Indianapolis 500 winner, R – Rookie

*C Chassis: G=Galmer, L=Lola, P=Penske, T=TrueSports

*E Engine: B=Buick, C=Ilmor-Chevrolet, F=Cosworth-Ford

All cars utilized Goodyear tires.

Race statistics

Lap Leaders
Laps Leader
Cautions: 13 for 85
Michael laps
1–6
Andretti
Laps Reason
Mario
7 Eric
Andretti
6–10 Bachelart,
Michael engine
8–13
Andretti
12– Crash turn 4
14– Eddie 20 – Sneva
20 Cheever
62– Johncock,
21– Michael 66 engine
46 Andretti
67– Crash turn 1
Eddie 75 – Fox, Gache
47
Cheever Total laps led
Crash turn 1
Arie Laps Leader – Crawford,
48 76–
Luyendyk
 49– Michael Michael 160 83 Mears,
87 Andretti Andretti Prappas,
Fittipaldi
Eddie Al Unser
88 25
Cheever Jr. Crash turn 4
83–
– Mario
89– Michael Eddie 89
9 Andretti
107 Andretti Cheever
94– Brayton,
108– Al Unser Al Unser 4
96 engine
109 Jr. Mario
1 Tracy engine,
110– Michael Andretti 97–
Vasser crash
115 Andretti 102
Arie turn 1
1
Al Unser Luyendyk
116 102– Crash turn 4
Jr. 109 – Bonner
117– Michael Crash turn 2
140 Andretti 115– – Jeff
141– Al Unser 122 Andretti,
151 Jr. Bettenhausen

152– Michael 137– Crash turn 4

173 Andretti 143 – Luyendyk

174– 150–
Al Unser Lazier, engine
177 155

178– Michael Michael

190–
189 Andretti Andretti
193
stalled
190– Al Unser
200 Jr.

Legacy
Scott Goodyear's charge from 33rd starting position to
second place marked the second time a driver had done so
in Indy history, Tom Sneva had gone from 33rd to second in
1980. The winning margin of Unser over Goodyear was later
deemed to be closer than published. Unser's Galmer-
Chevrolet placed its timing transponder in the nose of the
car rather than the sidepod, the standard location in all the
other cars. Goodyear's Lola lagged behind due to its
placement of the transponder in the sidepod. USAC officials
estimated an unofficial winning margin of 0.0331 seconds.

The exciting finish of the 1992 Indy 500 was largely

overshadowed by the vast number of serious crashes during
the month, including the fatal crash of Jovy Marcelo and the
devastating injures suffered by both Nelson Piquet and Jeff
Andretti. The crash-filled race saw 13 cautions for 85 laps,
and the slowest average speed since 1958. Several drivers
spent time in the hospital, while others required lengthy
rehabilitation. At the next Indy car race at Detroit, several
drivers required substitute drivers, including Mario Andretti,
Rick Mears, and Hiro Matsushita.

In the aftermath of his crashes during practice and the race,

Rick Mears raced only a partial schedule for the remainder of
the 1992 season. He dropped out of the Michigan 500 due
to the nagging injured wrist he suffered in his practice crash
and abruptly retired from driving in December. The 1992
race was also the final start for A. J. Foyt, who would retire
from the cockpit before the 1993 race.

The Andretti Family's misfortunes during the race reflected

back to the Andretti Curse. Jeff Andretti's devastating leg
injuries, Mario Andretti's foot injuries, and Michael Andretti's
shocking late-race engine failure collectively amounted to
one of the worst examples of bad luck the family ever
experienced at Indianapolis. Michael Andretti would not
return to Indy for two years, due to his 1993 Formula One
participation, and Jeff would qualify only one additional time
in his career. A couple years later, family patriarch Mario
reflected on the day in his autobiography Andretti. With his
youngest son Jeff undergoing surgery, himself recuperating
in a hospital bed, and hearing of his other son Michael's
heartbreaking loss, the elder Andretti called it the "worst day
of my life."[10]

During the summer of 1992, the track would be reconfigured

for safety reasons. The apron at the bottom of the track was
removed and replaced with a new warm up lane. The outside
retaining wall was also replaced. These improvements were
completed in time for the 1993 race.

Statistics
The race was held on May 24, only the third time in Indy
history the race had fallen on that date. The previous
winners on that date had been Bobby Unser (May 24,
1981) and Al Unser, Sr. (May 24, 1987). Al Unser, Jr.'s
victory on May 24, 1992, marked all three runnings on
that date as victories by the Unser family.
Michael Andretti led 160 laps but failed to win the race.
It was the most laps led by a non-winner since his father
Mario led 170 in a losing effort in the 1987 race.
Polesitter Roberto Guerrero became the third pole
winner to finish last. Cliff Woodbury (1929) and Pancho
Carter (1985) were the previous two at the time.
Eddie Cheever became the first #2 starter to complete
500 miles since Mario Andretti in 1969. During that
period, the second starting position was experiencing a
perceived "curse," where it produced no winners, and
cars frequently dropping out. In the intervening 22
races, the #1 and #3 starting positions had accounted
for 12 victories.
Al Unser, Sr. became the first driver to complete 500
miles in a car powered by a Buick V6 engine. His third-
place finish was the highest finishing position for a
Buick powered car since its debut in 1985, and would
ultimately be the best finishing position for that engine.
A record ten former winners representing 20 victories
started the race. The ten drivers included:
A. J. Foyt (4 wins)
Al Unser, Sr. (4)
Rick Mears (4)
Gordon Johncock (2)
Mario Andretti (1)
Tom Sneva (1)
Danny Sullivan (1)
Bobby Rahal (1)
Emerson Fittipaldi (1)
 Arie Luyendyk (1)

Three-time winner Johnny Rutherford also attempted to

qualify, but was too slow. With Al Unser, Jr. a first-time
winner, the field ultimately comprised 11 winners. In addition,
Eddie Cheever and Buddy Lazier would eventually go on to
win the race, bringing the winners total to 13 drivers
(representing 26 victories) in the 1992 field.

Although A. J. Foyt, Al Unser, Sr., and Rick Mears had

competed together for many years, this was the first
and only time they took the green flag together as four-
time winners.
This was the most recent 500 with two drivers in the
field with three or more victories until it was
accomplished again in 2013, with both Hélio
Castroneves and Dario Franchitti, each with 3 victories
apiece.

Broadcasting
Radio
"Al Unser, Jr. has the
lead, one more turn to
go...here they come,
coming to the finish
line, Bob Jenkins, who's
gonna win it?!" "The
checkered flag is
out...S-[cott] Goodyear
makes a move!...Little
Al wins by just a few
tenths of a
second!...perhaps the
closest finish in the
history of the
Indianapolis 500!"
Bob Lamey (turn 4) and
Bob Jenkins (chief
announcer) calling the
final moments of the
race.

The race was carried live on the IMS Radio Network. Bob
Jenkins served as chief announcer for the third year. Derek
Daly served as the "driver expert." Daly, who had experience
on ESPN, replaced Johnny Rutherford for 1992, but this
would be his only appearance on the network. The
broadcast was heard on over 600 affiliates.

Bob Forbes conducted the winner's interview in victory lane.

It would be the final time until 2004 that a separate interview
would be conducted by the radio network crew. In
subsequent years, the radio network would simulcast the
winner's interview from television.

Other than Daly, the rest of the crew remained the same
from 1991. The 1992 race, notable for its windy and cold
weather, saw the turn announcers reporting from admittedly
uncomfortable locations.
The radio network call of the closest finish in Indy history
was critically praised and replayed often. The last seconds of
the call were included in a television commercial for Valvoline
(Unser, Jr.'s sponsor) which ran for several months following
the race.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network

Turn
Booth Announcers Pit/garage reporters
Reporters
Chief Announcer: Turn 1: Jerry Bob Forbes (north pits)
Bob Jenkins Baker Brian Hammons (north-
Driver expert: Derek Turn 2: Gary center pits)
Daly Lee Sally Larvick (south-
Statistician: Howdy Turn 3: Larry center pits)
Bell Henry Chris McClure (south
Historian: Donald Turn 4: Bob pits)
Davidson Lamey Chuck Marlowe
(garages)

Television

The race was carried live flag-to-flag coverage in the United

States on ABC Sports. Paul Page served as host and play-
by-play announcer, accompanied by Bobby Unser and Sam
Posey. For the second time, Unser served as the pace car
driver, and reported live from the pace car on the warm up
laps.

The same exact crew from 1990–1991 returned. The 1992

broadcast is notable in that it missed the finish of the race.
[11]As Al Unser, Jr. held off Scott Goodyear at the finish line,
the director cut to a camera angle over the flagstand, and
viewers were not able to see the leaders actually cross the
line until a replay was shown.

Locally, ABC affiliate WRTV arranged to air the race in same-

day tape delay in the Indianapolis market. The race is
blacked out in Indianapolis, and previously would not be
shown locally until a week or two weeks after the race was
held.

The broadcast registered a 10.9 rating (34 share) with 37

million viewers, the highest since going to a live broadcast in
1986. The final two hours peaked at 11.8/34.

The broadcast has re-aired numerous times on ESPN Classic

since the mid-2000s.

ABC Television
Booth Announcers Pit/garage reporters
Host/Announcer: Paul Page Jack Arute
Color: Sam Posey Gary Gerould
Color: Bobby Unser Dr. Jerry Punch

Gallery
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1992
Indianapolis 500.
 1992 Cadillac Allanté pace car

Al Unser, Jr. 1992 winning car

Notes
References

Works cited

1992 Indianapolis 500 Day-By-Day Trackside Report

For the Media
Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats –
Official Site
1992 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, Indianapolis
Motor Speedway Radio Network

External links

NYTimes: SPORTS PEOPLE: AUTO RACING; Indy 500's

Finish Was Even Closer July 3, 1992
Video of Michael Andretti's break down with 11 laps to
go

1991 Indianapolis 1992 Indianapolis 1993 Indianapolis

500 500 500
Rick Mears Al Unser Jr. Emerson Fittipaldi
show
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