1988 CART PPG Indy Car World Series

Last updated
1988 CART season
PPG Indy Car World Series
CART logo (1979-1991).svg
Season
Races16
Start dateApril 10
End dateNovember 6
Awards
Drivers' champion Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan
Constructors' Cup Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lola
Manufacturers' Cup Flag of the United States.svg Chevrolet
Nations' Cup Flag of the United States.svg United States
Rookie of the Year Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg John Jones
Indianapolis 500 winner Flag of the United States.svg Rick Mears
  1987
1989  

The 1988 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 10th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 15 races, and one non-points exhibition event. Danny Sullivan was the national champion, winning for Team Penske. The rookie of the year was John Jones. The 1988 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Rick Mears won the Indy 500, his third victory at Indy.

Contents

The 1988 season was the breakout year for the Ilmor Chevrolet Indy V-8 engine. After being introduced in 1986, and earning its first victory in 1987, the Ilmor Chevy dominated the series in 1988, and established itself as the best powerplant on the circuit. Chevy won 14 of the 15 races, and all 15 pole positions. Along the way, the Ilmor Chevy earned its first victory at Indianapolis in 1988, with Rick Mears winning from the pole.

Season recap

Danny Sullivan won four races, nine pole positions, and had 11 top five finishes en route to the championship title. Sullivan got off to a slow start, but at Indy, he and his Penske teammates (Rick Mears and Al Unser) dominated the month of May. The Penske team swept all three spots on the front row, and led 192 of the 200 laps. Sullivan himself qualified second and dominated the first half of the race. He dropped out just beyond the halfway point when a wing adjuster failed and sent his car into the wall. He rebounded over the next six races, posting two wins and no finish worse than 4th.

Sullivan's nearest competitors during the season were Al Unser Jr. and Bobby Rahal. Unser Jr. left Doug Shierson Racing after a winless 1987 campaign and returned to Galles Racing for 1988, and also got use of the coveted Chevrolet engine. Unser won at Long Beach and Toronto, then won a controversial race at the Meadowlands. Battling for the lead in the late stages of the race, he tangled with Emerson Fittipaldi, sending Fittipaldi into the tire barrier.

Back-to-back defending CART champion, and 1986 Indy winner Bobby Rahal returned for his last season at Truesports. The team dropped the Cosworth DFX and the took up development of the Judd AV engine. The engine was known to be down on horsepower, but excelled in fuel mileage and reliability, particularly in the 500-mile races. Rahal finished 4th at Indy, second at the Michigan 500, and won the Pocono 500. His ten top five finishes kept him in contention for the title, but with only one win, he was struggling to keep pace with the Chevy-powered teams.

After winning the Michigan 500, Danny Sullivan took the points lead for the first time all year. The lead was short-lived, however, as he wrecked at Pocono. Rahal and Unser Jr. finished 1-2 at Pocono, and the top three in the standings were separated by only 5 points with five races remaining.

At Mid-Ohio, Rahal crashed out, and his title hopes began to fade. Sullivan and Unser were separated by 1 point with four races to go. All three drivers finished strong at Road America, and the championship battle pushed on. The turning point of the season came at Nazareth. Al Unser Jr. blew his engine, Rahal was not a factor, but Sullivan dominated. Sullivan started from the pole, and led the final 74 laps to score a crucial victory. With only two races left, Sullivan had a commanding 25-point lead. At the second-to-last race of the season at Laguna Seca, Sullivan pulled out a hat trick by winning the pole, leading the most laps, and winning the race. With still one race left, Sullivan clinched the 1988 CART title, holding an insurmountable 35-point lead. It was Sullivan's first and only championship title and Penske's first since 1985.

With the championship decided for Sullivan, the season finale at Miami became a race to see who would finish second in points. Rahal held an 8-point lead over Al Unser Jr., with Mario Andretti and Rick Mears also lurking in 4th and 5th, respectively. Unser Jr. dominated the race, leading 82 (of 112) laps and winning for the second time at the Tamiami Park circuit. Rahal blew an engine, Mario Andretti dropped out, and Mears finished second. The results saw a shake up in the standings, with Unser Jr. finishing second in points, Rahal third, and Mears slipping ahead of Andretti by 3 points for 4th and 5th.

Other stories from 1988 included A. J. Foyt returning to a full-time schedule (from 1980-1987, he only ran a partial schedule), and the Porsche Indy car team expanding to full-time with driver Teo Fabi. Rookie John Andretti suffered a devastating crash at the Pocono 500, but would recover before the end of the season. Jim Crawford, who suffered serious leg injuries in a crash in 1987, returned to the cockpit with a notable run at Indianapolis where he led 8 laps and finished 6th, the best result to-date for the Buick V-6 engine.

Another story was the continued downward spiral of March. After Portland the Patrick Racing Team changed from the latest March to a Lola fleet which consisted of the current model and a year old Lola.

Drivers and constructors

The following teams and drivers competed for the 1988 Indy Car World Series.

TeamChassisEngineTiresNoDriversRounds
Full-time
Flag of the United States.svg Newman/Haas Racing Lola T8800 Chevrolet G 6 Flag of the United States.svg Mario Andretti All
Flag of the United States.svg Patrick Racing March 88C Chevrolet G 20 Flag of Brazil.svg Emerson Fittipaldi 1-5
Lola T8700
Lola T8800
6-15
Flag of the United States.svg Galles Racing March 88C Chevrolet (2-8, 10-15)

Cosworth (1,9)

G 3 Flag of the United States.svg Al Unser Jr. All
Flag of the United States.svg Team Penske Penske PC-17 Chevrolet G 5 Flag of the United States.svg Rick Mears All
9 Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan All
1 Flag of the United States.svg Al Unser 3
609-10
Flag of the United States.svg Porsche North America Porsche 2708 Porsche G 8 Flag of Italy.svg Teo Fabi All
Flag of the United States.svg Truesports Lola T8800 Judd (1-7, 9-15)

Cosworth (8)

G 1/4 Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Rahal All
Flag of the United States.svg Kraco Racing March 88C Cosworth G 18 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Andretti 1-9
Lola 10-15
Flag of the United States.svg Doug Shierson Racing March Cosworth G 30 Flag of Brazil.svg Raul Boesel 1-2, 4-5
Lola 3, 6-15
Flag of the United States.svg Raynor Racing Lola Cosworth G 10 Flag of Ireland.svg Derek Daly All
Flag of the United States.svg Arciero Racing March Cosworth G 12 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg John Jones All
Flag of the United States.svg Vince Granatelli Racing Lola/March Cosworth G 2/4 Flag of Colombia.svg Roberto Guerrero All except 7-8
2/4 Flag of the United States.svg Al Unser 7-8
58/71/85 Flag of the United States.svg Gordon Johncock 3, 9-10
Flag of the United States.svg Machinists Union Racing March Cosworth G 11 Flag of the United States.svg Kevin Cogan All except 8-11
Flag of the United States.svg Scott Pruett 8, 11
55 Flag of the United States.svg Scott Atchison All except 3, 13
29/11 Flag of the United States.svg Rich Vogler 3, 9-10
Buick 28 Flag of the United States.svg Pancho Carter 3
Flag of the United States.svg Dick Simon Racing Lola Cosworth G 7 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Arie Luyendyk All
22 Flag of the United States.svg Dick Simon 1, 3-4, 9-10, 13
Flag of the United States.svg Scott Pruett 2
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Didier Theys 5-8, 11-12, 14-15
23 Flag of Italy.svg Fulvio Ballabio 2, 11-12
Flag of Finland.svg Tero Palmroth 3, 5
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Jean-Pierre Frey 14-15
Flag of the United States.svg A. J. Foyt Enterprises Lola Cosworth G 14 Flag of the United States.svg A. J. Foyt All except 9
Flag of the United States.svg Johnny Rutherford 9
March 48 Flag of the United States.svg Rocky Moran 3
Chevrolet 84 Flag of the United States.svg Stan Fox 3
Flag of the United States.svg Bettenhausen Motorsports Lola/March Cosworth/Judd G 16 Flag of the United States.svg Tony Bettenhausen Jr. All except 5 and 15
Flag of the United States.svg Dennis Vitolo 15
Flag of the United States.svg Alex Morales Motorsports March Cosworth G 21 Flag of the United States.svg Howdy Holmes All
Flag of the United States.svg Hemelgarn Racing Lola Judd/Cosworth/Buick G 91 Flag of the United States.svg Scott Brayton All except 11-12 and 14
71 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ludwig Heimrath Jr. 2-3, 5-8, 11-12, 15
Flag of the United States.svg Ken Johnson 14
81/71 Flag of the United States.svg Tom Sneva 3, 9
Flag of the United States.svg Gohr Racing March Cosworth G 56 Flag of the United States.svg Rocky Moran 2, 5-8, 11-12, 14-15
Flag of the United States.svg Bill Vukovich III 1, 3, 9-10
Flag of the United States.svg Curb Racing Lola Cosworth G 98 Flag of the United States.svg John Andretti All except 11-12 and 14-15
Flag of the United States.svg Leader Card Racing Lola Cosworth G 24 Flag of the United States.svg Randy Lewis All except 13
16 Flag of the United States.svg Dominic Dobson 5
Part-time
Flag of the United States.svg Dobson Motorsports Lola Cosworth G 17/92 Flag of the United States.svg Dominic Dobson 3, 14
Flag of the United States.svg Dale Coyne Racing March Chevrolet G 19 Flag of the United States.svg Dale Coyne 3-11, 13-15
Flag of the United States.svg Dominic Dobson 2
Flag of the United States.svg Los Angeles Drywall March Cosworth G 27 Flag of the United States.svg Dick Ferguson 2
Flag of the United States.svg Ed Pimm 3
Flag of the United States.svg Bernstein Racing Lola Buick G 15 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jim Crawford 3
17 Flag of the United States.svg Johnny Rutherford 3
Flag of the United States.svg KargoStopper Lola Cosworth G 88 Flag of the United States.svg Darin Brassfield 11, 14
Flag of the United States.svg BDR Racing March Cosworth G 43 Flag of the United States.svg Steve Bren 14
Flag of the United States.svg Gary Trout Motorsports March Cosworth G 33 Flag of the United States.svg Steve Chassey 3
35 Flag of the United States.svg Ed Pimm 11-12
Flag of the United States.svg Andale Racing March Cosworth G 69 Flag of Mexico.svg Bernard Jourdain 14-15
Flag of the United States.svg U.S. Engineering March Cosworth G 77 Flag of the United States.svg Phil Krueger 6, 9-10
Flag of the United States.svg Kent Baker Racing March Cosworth G 97 Flag of the United States.svg Phil Krueger 3
Flag of the United States.svg Scheid Tire Centers March Cosworth G 46 Flag of the United States.svg Gary Bettenhausen 3
Flag of the United States.svg Calumet Farms March Chevrolet G 84 Flag of the United States.svg George Snider 3
Flag of Brazil.svg GF Racing March Cosworth G 25 Flag of Brazil.svg Giupponi Franca 11, 14
Flag of Spain.svg José Romano12, 15
Flag of the United States.svg Indiana Carbon March Cosworth G 87 Flag of the United States.svg Spike Gehlhausen 3
Flag of the United States.svg Mergard March Cosworth G 36 Flag of the United States.svg Harry Sauce 3
Flag of the United States.svg Performers, Inc. March Cosworth G 77 Flag of the United States.svg Tom Bigelow 3

Season Summary

Schedule

RdDateRace NameTrackCity
1April 10 Checker 200 Presented by Phoenix International Raceway and the Fiesta Bowl  O  Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix, Arizona
2April 17 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach  R  Long Beach Street Circuit Long Beach, California
3May 29 Indianapolis 500  O  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana
4June 5 Miller High Life 200  O  Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin
5June 19 Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200  R  Portland International Raceway Portland, Oregon
6July 3 Budweiser Cleveland Grand Prix  R  Burke Lakefront Airport Cleveland, Ohio
7July 17 Molson Indy Toronto  R  Exhibition Place Toronto, Ontario
8July 24 Marlboro Grand Prix  R  Meadowlands Street Circuit East Rutherford, New Jersey
9August 7 Marlboro 500  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan
10August 21 Quaker State 500  O  Pocono International Raceway Long Pond, Pennsylvania
11September 4 Escort Radar Warning 200  R  Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio
12September 11 Briggs & Stratton 200  R  Road America Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
13September 25 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix  O  Pennsylvania International Raceway Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
14October 16 Nissan Monterey Grand Prix Featuring the Champion Spark Plug 300  R  Laguna Seca Raceway Monterey, California
NCNovember 5 Marlboro Challenge  R  Tamiami Park Miami, Florida
15November 6 Nissan Indy Challenge  R  Tamiami Park Miami, Florida

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

Race results

RndRace Name Pole position Winning driverWinning teamRace timeReport
1 Checker 200 Flag of the United States.svg Rick Mears Flag of the United States.svg Mario Andretti Newman/Haas Racing 1:38:22 Report
2 Long Beach Grand Prix Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan Flag of the United States.svg Al Unser Jr. Galles Racing 1:53:47 Report
3 Indianapolis 500 Flag of the United States.svg Rick Mears Flag of the United States.svg Rick Mears Team Penske 3:27:10 Report
4 Miller High Life 200 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Andretti Flag of the United States.svg Rick Mears Team Penske 1:37:42 Report
5 Budweiser/G. I. Joe's 200 Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan Team Penske 1:57:17 Report
6 Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan Flag of the United States.svg Mario Andretti Newman/Haas Racing 1:35:46 Report
7 Molson Indy Toronto Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan Flag of the United States.svg Al Unser Jr. Galles Racing 1:59:34 Report
8 Meadowlands Grand Prix Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Emerson Fittipaldi Flag of the United States.svg Al Unser Jr. Galles Racing 1:50:14 Report
9 Marlboro 500 Flag of the United States.svg Rick Mears Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan Team Penske 2:46:03 Report
10 Quaker State 500 Flag of the United States.svg Rick Mears Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Rahal Truesports 3:44:21 Report
11 Escort Radar Warning 200 Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Emerson Fittipaldi Patrick Racing 2:14:18 Report
12 Briggs & Stratton 200 Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Emerson Fittipaldi Patrick Racing 1:38:11 Report
13 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan Team Penske 1:20:47 Report
14 Champion Spark Plug 300 Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan Team Penske 1:58:35 Report
NC Marlboro Challenge Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan Flag of the United States.svg Michael Andretti Kraco Racing 0:48:52 Report
15 Nissan Indy Challenge Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan Flag of the United States.svg Al Unser Jr. Galles Racing 1:58:08 Report

Final driver standings

PosDriver PHX LBH INDY MIL POR CLE TOR MEA MIC POC MDO ROA NAZ LAG MAR MIA Pts
1 Flag of the United States.svg Danny Sullivan 231323*213*241185411*85182
2 Flag of the United States.svg Al Unser Jr. 181*1320441*12124719641*149
3 Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Rahal 162561225521182124718136
4 Flag of the United States.svg Rick Mears 22811*6236313*233127*552129
5 Flag of the United States.svg Mario Andretti 1*1520175125212172333615126
6 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Andretti 3747111436325265221*17119
7 Flag of Brazil.svg Emerson Fittipaldi 211623319414*19211*1*816220105
8 Flag of Brazil.svg Raul Boesel 54742658911561452132289
9 Flag of Ireland.svg Derek Daly 1352911196232416496107102353
10 Flag of Italy.svg Teo Fabi 72428972410182524884102144
11 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg John Jones  RY 2012DNQ1487778871311111644
12 Flag of Colombia.svg Roberto Guerrero 21932DNS142020311226142640
13 Flag of the United States.svg Kevin Cogan 83112220102424159440
14 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Arie Luyendyk 91010152*182020282625199221431
15 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Didier Theys 109182110238329
16 Flag of the United States.svg A. J. Foyt 4112651511151716221017242529
17 Flag of the United States.svg Tony Bettenhausen Jr. 6DNQ3319151784151616132625
18 Flag of the United States.svg Howdy Holmes 10171281613112323714111423824
19 Flag of the United States.svg Al Unser 3919913*923
20 Flag of the United States.svg Scott Atchison  R 129DNQ162512131010121520DNQ25917
21 Flag of the United States.svg Gordon Johncock DNQ6616
22 Flag of the United States.svg Phil Krueger 81752215
23 Flag of the United States.svg Scott Brayton 1523311091614112610182412
24 Flag of the United States.svg Dick Simon 199127192011
25 Flag of the United States.svg Rocky Moran 61613221215131728139
26 Flag of Mexico.svg Bernard Jourdain  R 2068
27 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jim Crawford 68
28 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ludwig Heimrath Jr. 142523261912192177
29 Flag of the United States.svg Randy Lewis 1721152122212113142021915107
30 Flag of the United States.svg Bill Vukovich III  R 11141796
31 Flag of the United States.svg John Andretti 1420211817822252414165
32 Flag of the United States.svg Rich Vogler 1715112
33 Flag of the United States.svg Dennis Vitolo  R 112
34 Flag of the United States.svg Dale Coyne DNSDNQ132425162227DNQ24DNSDNQ27121
35 Flag of the United States.svg Ed Pimm DNQ12151
36 Flag of the United States.svg Ken Johnson  R 121
37 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Jean-Pierre Frey  R 13190
38 Flag of the United States.svg Scott Pruett  R 1816200
39 Flag of Italy.svg Fulvio Ballabio 2517180
40 Flag of the United States.svg Steve Bren 170
41 Flag of the United States.svg Dominic Dobson 261821180
42 Flag of Finland.svg Tero Palmroth  R 19180
43 Flag of the United States.svg Johnny Rutherford 22180
44 Flag of the United States.svg Darin Brassfield 23190
45 Flag of the United States.svg Tom Sneva 27220
46 Flag of the United States.svg Dick Ferguson 22DNQ0
47 Flag of the United States.svg Steve Chassey 240
48 Flag of the United States.svg Stan Fox 300
Flag of the United States.svg Gary Bettenhausen DNQ0
Flag of the United States.svg Tom Bigelow DNQ0
Flag of the United States.svg Pancho Carter DNQ0
Flag of Brazil.svg Giupponi Franca DNQDNQ0
Flag of the United States.svg Spike Gehlhausen DNQ0
Flag of the United States.svg Johnny Parsons DNQ0
Flag of Spain.svg José RomanoDNQDNQ0
Flag of the United States.svg Harry Sauce DNQ0
Flag of the United States.svg George Snider DNQ0
PosDriver PHX LBH INDY MIL POR CLE TOR MEA MIC POC MDO ROA NAZ LAG MAR MIA Pts
ColorResult
GoldWinner
Silver2nd place
Bronze3rd place
Green4th-6th place
Light Blue7th-12th place
Dark BlueFinished
(Outside Top 12)
PurpleDid not finish
RedDid not qualify
(DNQ)
BrownWithdrawn
(Wth)
BlackDisqualified
(DSQ)
WhiteDid not start
(DNS)
BlankDid not
participate
(DNP)
Not competing
In-line notation
Bold Pole position
ItalicsRan fastest race lap
*Led most race laps
 RY Rookie of the Year
 R Rookie

Nations' Cup

PosCountryPts
1 Flag of the United States.svg United States 317
2 Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 158
3 Flag of Italy.svg Italy 52
4 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 50
5 Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland 45
6 Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia 40
7 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 31
8 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium 29
9 Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico 8
10 Flag of England.svg England 8
11 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland 0
12 Flag of Finland.svg Finland 0
PosCountryPts

Chassis Constructors' Cup

PosChassisPts
1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lola T8800/T8700248
2 Flag of the United States.svg Penske PC-17231
3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg March 88C/87C/86C/85C222
PosChassisPts

Engine Manufacturers' Cup

PosEnginePts
1 Flag of the United States.svg Chevrolet A320
2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Cosworth 206
3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Judd 131
4 Flag of Germany.svg Porsche 44
5 Flag of the United States.svg Buick 8
PosEnginePts

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The 1994 PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 16th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART under the name "IndyCar". The season consisted of 16 races. Al Unser Jr. was the national champion, his second CART title, and the rookie of the year was Jacques Villeneuve. The 1994 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Al Unser Jr. won the Indy 500 from the pole position, his second career victory in that event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penske PC-20</span>

The Penske PC-20 was a CART Penske Racing car which competed in the 1991 and 1992 seasons. In 1991, it raced in all seventeen events, scoring 3 wins, two with Rick Mears, and one with Emerson Fittipaldi, placed 4th and 5th at the season's end respectively. The most remarkable success of the PC-20 was the 1991 Indianapolis 500 win by Mears, his 4th win at the Brickyard. The car was designed by Nigel Bennett, his 4th for Penske Racing. In 1992, it also raced alongside the Penske PC-21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilmor-Chevrolet 265-A engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Ilmor-Chevrolet 265-A is a turbocharged, 2.65 L (162 cu in), V-8 Indy car racing engine, designed and developed by Ilmor, in partnership with Chevrolet, for use in the CART PPG Indy Car World Series; between 1986 and 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Pocono 500</span> Motor car race

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 Pocono 500</span> Motor car race

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.

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