1985 CART PPG Indy Car World Series

The 1985 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 7th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 15 races. Al Unser Sr. was the national champion, and the rookie of the year was Arie Luyendyk. The 1985 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Danny Sullivan won the Indy 500, in dramatic fashion, a race that became known as the "Spin and Win."

1985 CART season
PPG Indy Car World Series
Season
Races15
Start dateApril 14
End dateNovember 10
Awards
Drivers' championUnited States Al Unser
Constructors' CupUnited Kingdom March 85C/84C
Manufacturers' CupUnited Kingdom Cosworth DFX
Nations' CupUnited States United States
Rookie of the YearNetherlands Arie Luyendyk
Indianapolis 500 winnerUnited States Danny Sullivan

In September 1984, Rick Mears suffered serious leg injuries in a crash at Sanair. Mears drove only a part-time schedule in 1985, racing at Indianapolis, and subsequently on ovals only. Al Unser Sr. took Mears' full-time seat at Penske Racing as a substitute for the season. Unser had one win, ten top fives, and one other top ten, en route to the championship, a battle that climaxed in dramatic fashion in the final race of the season.

Season summary

Defending series champion Mario Andretti won the season opener, finished second at the Indy 500, and won the next two races, jumping out to the early points lead. A mid-season slump, however, saw him achieve only one top five finish the remainder of the year. He then broke his collarbone in a crash at Michigan, and was forced to sit out one race. The driver of the season became Al Unser Jr., who won the next two races (Meadowlands and Cleveland), and finished the year with nine finishes in the top 4.

At the midpoint of the season, Mario Andretti's points lead had dwindled, while Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Unser Sr., and Al Unser Jr. were all closing in. At the Pocono 500, Rick Mears triumphantly returned to victory lane after his leg injuries. Finishing second and third were Al Jr. and Al Sr., respectively, with Al Sr. now taking the points lead. Unser Jr. ate away at the points lead over the next four races, and the Unsers were neck-and-neck approaching the season finale. Meanwhile, Bobby Rahal was making a championship run of his own, winning 3 out of 4 races, and four poles in a row during a stretch in September-October. He almost won four races in row, but was taken out while leading at Sanair with only 13 laps to go. Rahal closed to within 13 points of the championship lead.

With two races to go, Unser Jr. led Unser Sr. by only 3 points. Father and son finished 1st and 2nd at Phoenix, and the standings were flipped. Al Sr. led Al Jr. by 3 points going into the finale at Miami. Rahal finished a distant 6th at Phoenix, and was mathematically eliminated from the championship.

The season finale at Tamiami Park ended in dramatic fashion. Danny Sullivan and Bobby Rahal finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, but the attention of the day was focused on the two Unsers. Late in the race, Al Unser Jr. was running third, and Al Unser Sr. was running 5th. At the moment, Al Jr. was leading the hypothetical championship standings by 1 point.

In the closing laps, Al Unser Sr. chased down and passed Roberto Moreno for 4th place. He held on to finish fourth, and thus won the championship by 1 point over his son. Unser Sr. afterwards expressed some regret about snatching the championship title from his son, but felt it was his responsibility to his own team and his own sponsors to race to his ability all the way to the end. It was also in the best interests of sportsmanship to all competitors not to give favor to his son. Unser Sr. also knew his days were numbered as a competitive driver on the circuit, while he knew Unser Jr. had many years ahead to have another chance at the title (Al Unser Jr. would indeed win the championship twice - 1990 and 1994).

The 1985 season saw two controversies at two separate races. The Michigan 500 had to be postponed for a week due to tire issues. In September, the race at Sanair came to a bizarre conclusion when the safety car, leading the field on the final lap under caution, suddenly veered into the pits on the final turn. Leader Johnny Rutherford was not informed, and second place Pancho Carter accelerated past him and beat him to the finish line. Officials initially awarded the victory to Carter, and Rutherford protested. After review, Rutherford was eventually restored the victory. (In many motorsport codes, the safety car exits to pit lane on the final lap; in most North American codes, the safety car remains on the circuit towards the finish line.)

Drivers and teams

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1985 Indy Car World Series season. All cars used Goodyear tires.

Team Chassis Engine No* Drivers Rounds
Team Penske March 85C Cosworth DFX 4 (5) United States Danny Sullivan All
5 (1) United States Rick Mears 2–3, 7, 9, 12
United States Al Unser
11 All except 3
Doug Shierson Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX 30 United States Al Unser Jr. All
Truesports Co. March 85C Cosworth DFX 3 (10) United States Bobby Rahal All
8 Canada Ludwig Heimrath Jr. 10
Newman/Haas Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX 1 (3) United States Mario Andretti All except 8
Australia Alan Jones 8
Patrick Racing March 85C Cosworth DFX 20 Italy Bruno Giacomelli 1, 4–6, 8, 10–11, 13, 15
United States Sammy Swindell 7, 9
United States Don Whittington 2-3, 12, 14
40 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi All
60 United States Rich Vogler 2
All American Racers Eagle 85GC (All except 4, 11, and 13–14)

Lola T900 (4, 11, 13–14)

Cosworth DFX 2 United States Tom Sneva All
Lola T900 97 United States Tony Bettenhausen Jr. 2
Eagle 85GC (All except 3, 6)

Lola T900 (3)

98 United States Ed Pimm All except 6
Kraco Racing March 85C Cosworth DFX 18 United States Kevin Cogan All
99 United States Michael Andretti All
Alex Morales Motorsports March 85C Cosworth DFX 21 United States Johnny Rutherford All
Machinists Union Racing March 85C Cosworth DFX 55 Mexico Josele Garza All
59 United States Pete Halsmer 2–6, 12
United Kingdom Rupert Keegan 10, 13, 15
United States Chip Ganassi 7
Galles Racing March 85C Buick V-6 (1-2)
Cosworth DFX (3-15)
6 United States Pancho Carter 2–4, 6–7, 9, 11–12, 14
Brazil Roberto Moreno 5, 8, 10, 13, 15
Cosworth DFX 7 Australia Geoff Brabham All
Team Cotter March 85C Cosworth DFX 9 Colombia Roberto Guerrero All
Forsythe Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX 32/33 United States Howdy Holmes 1-12
Netherlands Jan Lammers 13-15
Pace Racing March 84C (1-6)

Lola T900 (7-15)

Cosworth DFX 36 Australia Dennis Firestone 1-13
United Kingdom Jim Crawford 14-15
Dick Simon Racing March 85C Cosworth DFX 22 Brazil Raul Boesel 1, 4–6, 8, 10, 13, 15
United States Dick Simon 2-3, 7, 9, 11–12, 14
23 Brazil Raul Boesel 2, 7
United States Dick Simon 5
Leader Card Racing March 84C (1, 5)

March 85C (4)

Cosworth DFX 24 United States Rocky Moran 1, 4-5
March 84C (7)

March 85C (2-3, 9)

United States Tom Bigelow 2–3, 7, 9
March 84C United States Phil Krueger 6
March 85C United States Herm Johnson 8, 10
March 85C United States Gary Bettenhausen 11–12, 14
March 85C United States Dominic Dobson 13, 15
Canadian Tire Racing March 85C Cosworth DFX 67 United Kingdom Jim Crawford 11
76 Canada Jacques Villeneuve Sr. All except 2, 7, 9, and 12
United States Johnny Parsons 2
Provimi Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX 61 Netherlands Arie Luyendyk All except 9-10
Arciero Racing Lola T900 (All other races)

March 85C (12, 15)

Cosworth DFX 12 United States Bill Whittington All except 7, 9, 11, and 14
United States Randy Lanier 14
Lola T900 57 1–2, 4–6, 8, 10, 13, 15
Dale Coyne Racing Lola T800 Chevy 19 United States Dale Coyne All except 1 and 11
Gohr Racing March 85C Chevy 56 United States Steve Chassey All except 1 and 11
Hemelgarn Racing Lola T900 (All other races)

March 85C (11)

Cosworth DFX 71 Republic of Ireland Michael Roe 1–2, 4-6
United States Spike Gehlhausen 3, 7
Argentina Enrique Mansilla 8, 10-11
United States Scott Brayton 13-15
Part-time entries
Wysard Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX 34 United Kingdom Jim Crawford 1–3, 5-6
United States Darin Brassfield 15
Brayton Racing March 85C Cosworth DFX/Buick V-6 37 United States Scott Brayton 1–7, 9, 12
Interscope Racing March 85C Cosworth DFX 25 United States Danny Ongais 1–2, 6–7, 9, 12, 14-15
AMI Racing March 85C Cosworth DFX 43 United States John Paul Jr. 2, 6
Netherlands Jan Lammers 4-5
Circle Bar Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX 38 United States Chet Fillip 2–3, 6-7
Menard Cashway Lumber March 85C Cosworth DFX 8 United States Herm Johnson 2
Tom Hess Racing Lola T800 Cosworth DFX 27 (29) United States Dick Ferguson 1
Lola T900 Republic of Ireland Derek Daly 2
United States Jeff Wood 6
United Kingdom Ian Ashley 15
Purcell Racing March 83C Cosworth DFX 50 United States Tom Bigelow 2
51 United States Phil Krueger 2
Gilmore Racing March 85C (All other races)

Lola T900 (11)

Cosworth DFX 14 United States A. J. Foyt 2, 5–7, 9, 11, 14-15
March 84C 41 United States Mike Nish 2, 14
March 85C Chevy 44 United States George Snider 2
Cosworth DFX 84 United States Chip Ganassi 2
Theodore Racing Theodore Cosworth DFX 15 Brazil Chico Serra 4
  • - The number in parentheses is the number the car used at the Indianapolis 500, if a different number was used.

Notable team and driver changes

Season Schedule and Results

Schedule

Rd Date Name Circuit Location TV Broadcaster
1 April 14 United States Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach  R  Streets of Long Beach Long Beach, California NBC
2 May 26 United States Indianapolis 500  O  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis, Indiana ABC
3 June 2 United States Miller American 200 in Honor of Rex Mays  O  Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin ESPN
4 June 16 United States Stroh's/G.I. Joe's 200  R  Portland International Raceway Portland, Oregon ESPN
5 June 30 United States U.S. Grand Prix at the Meadowlands  R  Meadowlands Sports Complex East Rutherford, New Jersey NBC
6 July 7 United States Budweiser Cleveland Grand Prix  R  Burke Lakefront Airport Cleveland, Ohio ESPN
7 July 28* United States Michigan 500  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan Untelevised
8 August 4 United States Provimi Veal 200  R  Road America Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin ESPN
9 August 18 United States Domino's Pizza 500  O  Pocono International Raceway Long Pond, Pennsylvania ESPN
10 September 1 United States Escort Radar Warning 200  R  Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio ESPN
11 September 8 Canada Molson Indy 300  O  Sanair Super Speedway Saint-Pie, Quebec ESPN
12 September 22 United States Detroit News 200  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan ESPN
13 October 6 United States Stroh's 300k  R  Laguna Seca Raceway Monterey, California ESPN
14 October 13* United States Dana 150  O  Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona ESPN
15 November 9 United States Beatrice Indy Challenge  R  Tamiami Park Miami, Florida NBC

 O  Oval/Speedway
 R  Road/Street course
NC Non-championship event

The Dana 150 was scheduled for March 31, but postponed on March 13 due to track damage sustained over winter testing. On August 6, it was rescheduled for an October 13 date.

The Michigan 500 was scheduled for July 21, but postponed a week due to tire concerns. NBC did not return to televise the race.

Race results

Rd Event Name Pole Position Winner Winning Team Race time
1 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach United States Mario Andretti United States Mario Andretti Newman/Haas Racing 1:42:50
2 Indianapolis 500 United States Pancho Carter United States Danny Sullivan Team Penske 3:16:06
3 Miller American 200 in Honor of Rex Mays United States Mario Andretti United States Mario Andretti Newman/Haas Racing 1:36:38
4 Stroh's/G.I. Joe's 200 United States Danny Sullivan United States Mario Andretti Newman/Haas Racing 1:51:35
5 U.S. Grand Prix at the Meadowlands United States Mario Andretti United States Al Unser Jr. Doug Shierson Racing 1:51:55
6 Budweiser Cleveland Grand Prix United States Bobby Rahal United States Al Unser Jr. Doug Shierson Racing 1:45:31
7 Michigan 500 United States Rick Mears Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi Patrick Racing 3:53:58
8 Provimi Veal 200 United States Danny Sullivan Canada Jacques Villeneuve Sr. Canadian Tire Racing 1:45:12
9 Domino's Pizza 500 United States Rick Mears United States Rick Mears Team Penske 3:17:47
10 Escort Radar Warning 200 United States Bobby Rahal United States Bobby Rahal Truesports 1:52:23
11 Molson Indy 300 United States Bobby Rahal United States Johnny Rutherford Alex Morales Motorsports 2:03:54
12 Detroit News 200 United States Bobby Rahal United States Bobby Rahal Truesports 1:13:19
13 Stroh's 300k United States Bobby Rahal United States Bobby Rahal Truesports 1:38:56
14 Dana 150 United States Al Unser United States Al Unser Team Penske 1:14:35
15 Beatrice Indy Challenge United States Bobby Rahal United States Danny Sullivan Team Penske 2:04:59
  • Indianapolis was USAC-sanctioned but counted towards the CART title.

Drivers points standings

Pos Driver LBH United States INDY United States MIL United States POR United States MEA United States CLE United States MIC1 United States ROA United States POC United States MDO United States SAN Canada MIC2 United States LAG United States PHX United States MIA United States Pts
1 United States Al Unser 5 4 4 3 3 2* 7 3 27 13* 12 2 1* 4 151
2 United States Al Unser Jr. 9 25 7 2* 1* 1 15 17* 2* 4 3 23 3 2 3 150
3 United States Bobby Rahal 27 27 9 20 25 28 6 4 4 1* 10 1* 1* 6 2* 133
4 United States Danny Sullivan 3 1 4 27 18 27 14 13 5 2 5 8 8 4 1 126
5 United States Mario Andretti 1* 2* 1* 1 26 14* 10 7 7 15 21 11 3 27 114
6 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi 2 13 8 3 2 8 1 5 6 8 25 13 24 8 26 104
7 United States Tom Sneva 8 20 2 24 6 11 3 21 8 15 7 5 19 19 21 66
8 Canada Jacques Villeneuve Sr. 7 DNQ 22 23 21 4 1 3 11 25 13 17 54
9 United States Michael Andretti 19 8 19 28 4 7 27 2 13 14 19 25 9 5 25 53
10 United States Rick Mears 21 3 30 1 2 51
11 United States Johnny Rutherford 10 6 23 9 14 15 4 DNS 14 22 1 9 21 26 19 51
12 Mexico Josele Garza 28 31 7 12 27 6 19 18 26 11 6 6 7 10 9 46
13 United States Ed Pimm 12 9 21 19 DNS 5 11 20 9 8 3 14 9 12 45
14 United States Kevin Cogan 23 11 16 5 7 9 7 25 17 21 9 4 17 22 24 44
15 Australia Geoff Brabham 6 19 12 14 24 2 29 15 19 13 4 16 10 12 22 41
16 United States Pancho Carter 13 33 5 13 16 16 12 2 10 7 37
17 Colombia Roberto Guerrero 26 3 6 15 DNS 19 13 19 18 18 23 24 4 21 28 34
18 Netherlands Arie Luyendyk  RY  17 7 17 21 10 5 Wth 6 DNS 18 15 22 25 7 33
19 Italy Bruno Giacomelli  R  18 10 5 10 22 6 16 6 14 32
20 United Kingdom Jim Crawford 4 16 DNS 9 13 20 15 16 16
21 United States Bill Whittington 16 14 DNS 26 16 24 24 5 17 DNQ 8 15
22 United States Scott Brayton 11 30 DNQ 6 15 25 8 16 22 26 18 DNQ 15
23 Australia Alan Jones 3 14
24 United States Danny Ongais DNQ 17 20 22 7 14 6 14
25 United States Howdy Holmes 14 10 11 17 13 22 9 10 21 16 21 18 DNS 12
26 Netherlands Jan Lammers 16 12 5 20 13 11
27 Republic of Ireland Michael Roe  R  21 DNQ 7 8 26 11
28 Brazil Roberto Moreno  R  28 16 25 16 5 10
29 United States Johnny Parsons 5 10
30 Brazil Raul Boesel  R  20 18 11 11 12 28 8 23 20 23 10
31 Argentina Enrique Mansilla 9 10 12 8
32 United States Pete Halsmer DNQ 15 8 19 11 7
33 Australia Dennis Firestone 22 DNQ 20 18 DNQ 21 11 20 9 17 14 DNS 23 6
34 United States Steve Chassey DNQ DNS DNQ 20 DNS 12 26 11 12 14 15 11 DNQ 6
35 United Kingdom Rupert Keegan  R  19 12 10 4
36 United States Dick Simon 26 13 17 25 10 17 19 DNQ 3
37 United States Chet Fillip DNQ 10 18 17 3
38 United States Dominic Dobson DNS 18 11 2
39 United States Herm Johnson DNQ 12 24 1
40 Republic of Ireland Derek Daly 12 1
41 United States Randy Lanier 24 DNQ 22 22 20 14 20 13 17 15 0
42 United States Spike Gehlhausen 14 18 0
43 United States John Paul Jr. 15 17 0
44 United States Phil Krueger DNQ DNQ 21 15 0
45 United States Rocky Moran  R  15 DNQ DNQ 0
46 United States Gary Bettenhausen 22 DNS 16 0
47 United States Tom Bigelow DNQ 18 26 23 0
48 United Kingdom Ian Ashley 18 0
49 United States A. J. Foyt 28 23 Wth 24 24 23 20 0
50 United States Don Whittington 24 DNQ 20 20 24 0
51 United States Chip Ganassi 22 22 0
52 United States Dale Coyne DNQ DNS DNQ DNQ DNS 24 23 27 28 DNS 27 DNQ DNQ 0
53 United States Sammy Swindell 23 25 0
54 United States Rich Vogler 23 0
55 United States Jeff Wood 23 0
56 United States Dick Ferguson 25 DNQ 0
57 Brazil Chico Serra 25 0
58 Canada Ludwig Heimrath Jr.  R  26 0
59 United States Tony Bettenhausen Jr. 29 0
60 United States George Snider 32 0
United States Darin Brassfield  R  DNQ -
United States Frank Chianelli  R  DNQ -
United States Gordon Johncock Wth -
United States Jerry Karl DNQ -
United States Mike Nish  R  DNQ EX -
United States Willy T. Ribbs  R  Wth -
United States Ken Schrader DNP -
Pos Driver LBH United States INDY United States MIL United States POR United States MEA United States CLE United States MIC1 United States ROA United States POC United States MDO United States SAN Canada MIC2 United States LAG United States PHX United States MIA United States Pts
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th-6th place
Light Blue 7th–12th place
Dark Blue Finished
(Outside Top 12)
Purple Did not finish
Red Did not qualify
(DNQ)
Brown Withdrawn
(Wth)
Black Disqualified
(DSQ)
White Did not start
(DNS)
Blank Did not
participate
(DNP)
Driver
replacement
(Rpl)
Injured
(Inj)
Race not held
(NH)
Not competing
In-line notation
Bold Pole position
Italics Ran fastest race lap
* Led most race laps
 RY  Rookie of the Year
 R  Rookie

Sanair controversy

In the Sanair race (Molson Indy 300), Roberto Guerrero had a strong lead until he lost control and spun. Later in the race Jacques Villeneuve Sr. collided with leader Bobby Rahal in attempt to challenge for the lead, taking both out. The race finished under a yellow flag, but the safety car entered pit lane on the final lap, and thinking there would be a final restart, Pancho Carter passed Johnny Rutherford after the safety car entered pit lane and before the finish line. CART initially declared Carter the winner, but an appeals panel later overturned the decision and confirmed Rutherford's victory. In many codes of motorsport (typically FIA Code) the safety car enters pit lane as the field is on the final lap, and the cars cross the checkered flag together without the safety car on course. However, this practice is not accepted in North America, where the safety car leads the leaders to the finish line if the safety car situation exists.

See also

References

  1. Tribune, Cooper Rollow, Chicago. "INDY SURPRISE: JOHNCOCK SAYS HE`S RETIRING". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2018-09-28.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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