Race details | |
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7th round of the 1983 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season | |
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Date | August 14, 1983 |
Official name | 1983 Domino's Pizza 500 |
Location | Long Pond, Pennsylvania |
Course | Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi / 4.023 km |
Distance | 200 laps 500 mi / 804.672 km |
Weather | Temperatures up to 74 °F (23 °C); wind speeds up to 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) [1] |
Pole position | |
Driver | Tom Sneva (Bignotti-Cotter Racing) |
Time | 191.848 mph |
Podium | |
First | Teo Fabi (Forsythe/Pettit Racing) |
Second | Al Unser Jr. (Galles Racing) |
Third | Rick Mears (Team Penske) |
The 1983 Pocono 500, the 13th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 14, 1983. Branded as the 1983 Domino's Pizza 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Teo Fabi, the first rookie to win the Pocono 500.
On March 8, 1983, Domino's Pizza announced they would offer a one million dollar bonus to any driver who could win IndyCar's Triple Crown of 500 Mile Races: The Indianapolis 500, Michigan 500, and Pocono 500. In 1982, Gordon Johncock won Indianapolis and Michigan before breaking a gearbox while running second at Pocono. If no driver won all three races, Dominos would award a $10,000 prize to the driver that scored the most points in the three races. [2]
In May, Tom Sneva won the Indianapolis 500, the first of his career. In mid-July, John Paul Jr. won the Michigan 500. This meant no driver was going for the Domino's Triple Crown million dollar bonus at Pocono. [3]
Rookie Teo Fabi was attempting to become the first driver to win the pole at all three 500 mile races in one year, having already won the pole at Indianapolis and Michigan.
At Pocono, Johnny Rutherford made his return to Indy Car racing after suffering a broken left foot and ankle at Indianapolis. [4]
Wednesday's practice session saw Teo Fabi post the fastest speed at 193.1 mph. Al Unser Jr. was second fastest at 189.0 mph. [5]
Practice and qualifying scheduled for Thursday was canceled. CART required a medical helicopter at all tracks before on-track activity was allowed; due to fog and poor visibility, the helicopter was unable to land at the track when it attempted in the morning. A rainstorm around 2:30 p.m. prevented another landing attempt from the helicopter and washed out any chance of practice. [6]
Bobby Rahal led a practice session on Friday at 189.5 mph, followed by Mario Andretti and Danny Ongais. Rain cancelled qualifying for the second straight day.
In a practice session on Saturday morning, Dick Simon crashed in turn one. Without enough time to repair the car, Simon withdrew from the race. [7]
On Saturday, Indianapolis 500 winner, Tom Sneva, won the pole with a speed of 191.848 mph. Teo Fabi qualified second. Due to CART rule changes since 1982 limiting ground effects, Sneva's pole speed was nine miles per hour slower than Rick Mears' 1982 pole speed. [8]
Kevin Cogan, Danny Ongais, and Steve Chassey had their qualifying times disallowed due to illegal rear-wing heights. That moved Al Loquasto into the field. A promoter's option was invoked which expanded the starting field to 34 cars and allowed Cogan, Ongais, and Chassey to all make the field. [7]
Heading into the race, Pocono was criticized by drivers for the very rough and bumpy frontstretch. While the track was wide, there were large bumps as it went closer to the pit wall. Teo Fabi was quoted as saying, "The track is not very safe. It makes you very anxious. The straightaway is just impossible." [9]
Pete Halsmer added, "You just can't have 700 horsepower cars jumping up in the air. If I had to rate the safe tracks against those that are unsafe, I'd have to say this one is near the back end." [9]
Rick Mears said, "If you stay in the groove, and there's only one of them in the front straightaway, you're in pretty decent shape. But if you leave the groove, there's a lot of surprises." [9]
Polesitter Tom Sneva said, "It's so rough that passing becomes a serious situation. There are places out there where you just can't pass and keep the car on the ground." [9] He also added, "Drivers make a track unsafe, not the track itself. You just have to use your head more and stay out of trouble. If it feels uncomfortable at 192, then slow down to 188. You have to realize your limitations." [10]
Because of the bumps on the frontstretch, the race was started two-wide instead of the usual three-wide that had been done for over a decade. After the race, Pocono repaved the entire mile-long frontstretch ahead of the 1984 season and eliminated the bumps.
When the race began, Tom Sneva led the first 13 laps. Don Whittington collided with Chip Ganassi and crashed into turn three wall with the right side of the car on lap 12, bringing out the first of a record 10 cautions. [11] Teo Fabi took the lead during pit stops and led for the next 19 laps.
Rick Mears took the lead during pit stops under a caution for debris on lap 36. When the race restarted, the field was led by Desiré Wilson, who was on the tail end of the lead lap. Wilson lost control at the exit of turn one and hit the outside wall. Michigan 500 winner, John Paul Jr drove over the car of Scott Brayton and nearly flew over the wall.
Tom Sneva retook the lead on lap 52 and led for the next 14 laps before stalling in the pit lane on a pit stop. He lost a lap while the crew tried to restart his engine.
After 91 laps, Johnny Rutherford blew a right-front tire and crashed in turn one near the point where he crashed in the 1982 race.
Rick Mears lost radio contact with his crew and resorted to using hand signals to communicate with his crew. [12] Unable to discuss changes for the car, Mears suffered from handling problems and led for the final time on lap 136. After completing 152 laps, Pete Halmer crashed in turn three. Halsmer suffered a fractured left ankle.
Fabi led 116 laps, including the last 64. The Italian earned his first career win. Al Unser Jr. finished second to make a 1-2 finish for rookies. [13]
Rick Mears finished third and clinched the Triple Crown points title. By scoring the most points at IndyCar's 500 mile races, Mears won a $10,000 bonus. [12]
Jim McElreath finished 23rd in what would be the final Indy car race of his career. At 55 years-old, McElreath was the oldest man to run a 500-mile race, a record he held until AJ Foyt broke it in 1990.
The Pocono 500 was broadcast by NBC's Sportsworld. Paul Page was the lead broadcaster, joined by Gordon Johncock. Gary Gerould reported from the pits. A one-hour delayed broadcast was aired two weeks after the race on August 28. [14]
The 62nd 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1978. Danny Ongais dominated the early stages of the race but eventually dropped out with a blown engine. Al Unser Sr. dominated the second half, and held a large lead late in the race. However, Unser bent the front wing of his Lola during a pit stop on lap 180, causing his handling to go away over the final twenty laps. Second place Tom Sneva charged to catch Unser's crippled Lola but came up 8 seconds short at the finish line – the second-closest finish in Indy history to that point. Unser held off the challenge, and became a three-time winner of the 500. It was Al Unser's third Indy victory in the decade of the 1970s, and the fifth of nine overall victories by the Unser family.
The 64th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 25, 1980. Johnny Rutherford won the pole position, led 118 laps, and won the race by a commanding 29.92 second margin. After failing to finish the race the year before, Jim Hall's radical new Chaparral 2K ground effects chassis was a heavy favorite entering the month, and drove a flawless race. Rutherford, the winner in 1974 and 1976, became the sixth driver to win the Indy 500 three times.
The 67th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 29, 1983. After finishing second three times, winning the pole position twice (1977–1978), and being the fastest qualifier one additional time (1981), Tom Sneva finally shook his "bridesmaid" status and won his first and only Indianapolis 500. The win also represented the record seventh Indy victory that chief mechanic George Bignotti was involved with.
The 68th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 27, 1984. Rick Mears, who previously won in 1979, won his second Indy 500 victories driving for Penske. Contenders Tom Sneva and Mario Andretti dropped out of the race in the second half, leaving Mears alone two laps ahead of the field, and he cruised to the victory. Three months after the race, however, Mears would suffer severe leg injuries in a practice crash at Sanair.
The Michigan 500 was an IndyCar Series race held at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Held from 1981 to 2001, the event was held in high prestige, constituting part of Indy car racing's 500-mile "Triple Crown".
The 1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series was the inaugural season for the CART Indy car series. It was the first national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 14 races. Rick Mears was the national champion, and the rookie of the year was Bill Alsup. The 1979 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Rick Mears won the Indy 500, his first of four victories in the event.
The Pocono 500 was an IndyCar Series race held at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, located in the Pocono Mountains. The first Indy car race at Pocono was held in 1971. It was the first major event held at the track, shortly after its completion. The race was sanctioned by USAC from 1971 to 1981, and then by CART from 1982 to 1989, and was known as the Pocono 500. The race was removed from the CART calendar following the 1989 running, due to poor track conditions, as well as poor revenue for the promoter.
The 1980 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the second in the CART era of U.S. open-wheel racing. It consisted of twelve races, beginning in Ontario, California on April 13 and concluding in Avondale, Arizona on November 8. The PPG Indy Car World Series Drivers' Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Johnny Rutherford. Rookie of the Year was Dennis Firestone. The entire season, including the 64th Indianapolis 500, was to be co-sanctioned by both the USAC and CART under the banner of the Championship Racing League (CRL). However, USAC withdrew from the arrangement after five races.
The 1978 Pocono 500, the 8th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, June 25, 1978. Branded as the 1978 Schaefer 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Al Unser who one month earlier had won the Indianapolis 500. Two months later, Unser won the California 500 to become the only driver to win all three of IndyCar's Triple Crown of 500 mile races in the same year.
The 1979 Pocono 500, the 9th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday June 24, 1979. A. J. Foyt won the race, his third Pocono 500 win. Branded as the 1979 Music 500 Presented by Sam Goody for sponsorship reasons, the race was notable for its role in role in the confrontation between separate Indy car racing sanctioning bodies, USAC and CART.
The 1982 Pocono 500, the 12th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 15, 1982. Branded as the 1982 Domino's Pizza Pocono 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Rick Mears, his first Pocono 500 win.
The 1984 Pocono 500, the 14th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 19, 1984. Branded as the 1984 Domino's Pizza 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Danny Sullivan.
The 1985 Pocono 500, the 15th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 18, 1985. Branded as the 1985 Domino's Pizza 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Rick Mears, his first victory since suffering severe leg injuries in a September 1984 crash.
The 1986 Pocono 500, the 16th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 17, 1986. Branded as the 1986 Domino's Pizza 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Mario Andretti in his 14th attempt to win the Pocono 500 at the track near his Pennsylvania home.
The 1987 Pocono 500, the 17th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 16, 1987. Branded as the 1987 Quaker State 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Rick Mears, snapping a two-year winless drought, and earning his third Pocono 500 win.
The 1988 Pocono 500, the 18th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 21, 1988. Branded as the 1988 Quaker State 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Bobby Rahal, the first and only win for the Judd engine in Indy car racing. It was also the last win for the Truesports team.
The 1989 Pocono 500, the 19th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 20, 1989. The race was won by Danny Sullivan, his second Pocono 500 victory. It was the last Indy car race at Pocono until 2013.
The 1983 Michigan 500, the third running of the event, was held at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, on Sunday, July 17, 1983. Branded as the 1983 Norton Michigan 500 for sponsorship reasons, the event was race number 5 of 13 in the 1983 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. The race was won by John Paul Jr. - his first Indy Car victory - who made a last lap pass over Rick Mears.
The 1985 Michigan 500, the fifth running of the event, was held at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, on Sunday, July 28, 1985. The event was race number 7 of 15 in the 1985 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. The race was won by Emerson Fittipaldi, his first Indy Car victory. The race was delayed for one week over concerns about Goodyear's new radial tires.
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