1981 CART season | |
---|---|
PPG Indy Car World Series | |
Season | |
Races | 11 |
Start date | March 22 |
End date | November 8 |
Awards | |
Drivers' champion | Rick Mears |
Constructors' Cup | Penske |
Manufacturers' Cup | Cosworth |
Nations' Cup | United States |
Rookie of the Year | Bob Lazier |
The 1981 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season, the third in the CART era of U.S. open-wheel racing, consisted of 11 races, beginning in Avondale, Arizona on March 22 and concluding at the same location on October 31. The PPG Indy Car World Series Drivers' Champion was Rick Mears despite missing Round 2 at Milwaukee due to injuries sustained in the Indianapolis 500. Rookie of the Year was Bob Lazier. After the disagreement with the USAC during the previous season, the 65th Indianapolis 500 was not part of the Series, however no competing race was scheduled and most CART teams and drivers did take part.
The following teams and drivers competed for the 1981 CART World Series.
Of note was the addition of the inaugural Michigan 500 to replace the California 500 at the now-closed Ontario Motor Speedway. The Tony Bettenhausen 200 at Milwaukee was originally scheduled for August 2, but was rained out and postponed until September 5.
Rd | Date | Name | Circuit | Location | TV Broadcaster |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | March 22 | Kraco Car Stereo 150 | O Phoenix International Raceway | Avondale, Arizona | NBC |
NC | May 24 | Indianapolis 500 | O Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis, Indiana | ABC |
2 | June 8 | Gould Rex Mays Classic | O Milwaukee Mile | West Allis, Wisconsin | ESPN |
3 | June 28 | Kraco Twin 125 | O Atlanta Motor Speedway | Hampton, Georgia | NBC/ESPN |
4 | |||||
5 | July 25 | Norton Michigan 500 | O Michigan International Speedway | Brooklyn, Michigan | NBC |
6 | August 30 | Los Angeles Times 500 | R Riverside International Raceway | Riverside, California | ESPN |
7 | September 5 | Tony Bettenhausen 200 | O Milwaukee Mile | West Allis, Wisconsin | NBC |
8 | September 20 | Detroit News Grand Prix | O Michigan International Speedway | Brooklyn, Michigan | Untelevised |
9 | October 4 | Watkins Glen 200 | R Watkins Glen International | Watkins Glen, New York | Untelevised |
10 | October 18 | I Copa México 150 | R Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez | Mexico City, Mexico | Untelevised |
11 | November 8 | Miller High Life 150 | O Phoenix International Raceway | Avondale, Arizona | NBC |
- The Detroit News Grand Prix was supposed to run for 150 miles, but was shortened due to a scoring error.
O Oval/Speedway R Dedicated road course
Rd | Race | Pole Position | Winning driver | Winning team | Race time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kraco Car Stereo 150 | Bobby Unser | Johnny Rutherford | Chaparral | 1:17:08 |
NC | Indianapolis 500 | Bobby Unser | Bobby Unser | Team Penske | 3:35:42 |
2 | Gould Rex Mays Classic | Gordon Johncock | Mike Mosley | All American Racers | 1:19:03 |
3 | Kraco Twin 125 | Johnny Rutherford | Rick Mears | Team Penske | 0:51:29 |
4 | Rick Mears | Rick Mears | Team Penske | 0:45:20 | |
5 | Norton Michigan 500 | Tom Sneva | Pancho Carter | Alex Foods | 3:45:45 |
6 | Los Angeles Times 500 | Geoff Brabham | Rick Mears | Team Penske | 2:43:40 |
7 | Tony Bettenhausen 200 | Johnny Rutherford | Tom Sneva | Bignotti-Cotter | 1:41:41 |
8 | Detroit News Grand Prix | Rick Mears | Rick Mears | Team Penske | 1:10:30 |
9 | Watkins Glen 200 | Mario Andretti | Rick Mears | Team Penske | 1:52:17 |
10 | I Copa México 150 | Bobby Unser | Rick Mears | Team Penske | 1:24:48 |
11 | Miller High Life 150 | Bobby Unser | Tom Sneva | Bignotti-Cotter | 1:20:10 |
Note, the total time of the Norton Michigan 500 does not include red flag stoppage time as the race was stopped for nearly 1 hour due to a bad pit lane fire
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