1988 Pocono 500

Last updated

Flag of the United States.svg 1988 Pocono 500
Race details
10th round of the 1988 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season
1988PoconoProgram.jpg
DateAugust 21, 1988
Official name 1988 Quaker State 500
Location Long Pond, Pennsylvania
CoursePermanent racing facility
2.5 mi / 4.023 km
Distance200 laps
500 mi / 804.672 km
WeatherTemperatures up to 76 °F (24 °C); wind speeds up to 21 miles per hour (34 km/h) [1]
Pole position
Driver Rick Mears  (Team Penske)
Time204.564 mph
Podium
First Bobby Rahal  (Truesports)
Second Al Unser Jr.  (Galles Racing)
Third Roberto Guerrero  (Vince Granatelli Racing)

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.

Contents

Background

Rick Mears won his third Indianapolis 500 in May. Danny Sullivan won the Michigan 500.

The 1988 CART Season was dominated by the Ilmor Chevrolet Indy V-8 engine. The first nine races were won by the Chevrolet engine while Cosworth and Judd were winless entering the Pocono 500. [2]

Practice and Time Trials

Practice - Thursday, August 18

During practice on Thursday, August 18, Mario Andretti posted the fastest speed at 199.358 mph. Derek Daly was second fastest at 196.083 mph. [3] Phil Krueger and Rich Vogler crashed in turn one in separate accidents but the cars were repaired. An estimated 10 tires were cut during practice, blamed on Pocono's boiler-plate metal wall that did not sit flush with the asphalt surface like a concrete wall. Debris was able to get under the wall and roll onto the track. Andretti was quoted as saying, "if you had a concrete wall, you wouldn't have that problem." [4]

Qualifying - Friday, August 19

In Friday morning's practice, Rick Mears posted the fastest speed at 205.761 mph.

Early in the afternoon qualifying session, Danny Sullivan posted a speed of 203.358 mph. Sullivan's time was the fastest until Rick Mears went out late and took pole position with a speed of 204.564 mph. Bobby Rahal was third fastest at 202.520 mph. [5] Rick Mears became the first driver to win the pole for all three 500 mile races in a single season. [5]

1983 Pocono 500 winner, Teo Fabi, crashed on lap one of his qualifying run when he ran wide in turn three and hit the wall. He went to a backup car and qualified on Saturday. In Saturday's qualifying session, Phil Krueger posted a speed of 187.825 mph, but was disqualified due to the rear wing being set back too far. Krueger was allowed to start the race with a promoter's option. [6]

Dale Coyne qualified at a speed of 167.835 mph. He was not allowed to start the race because his speed did not meet CART's rule that all qualifiers must be within 115% of the pole speed. [7]

Support Races

The 40 lap, American Racing Series event was held on Saturday. [8] Jon Beekhuis led the first two laps. Tommy Byrne took the lead on lap three. Michael Greenfield, in a car co-owned by Chip Ganassi and Pat Patrick, took the lead on lap eight and led for the next 29 laps. A spin by Beekhuis and Mike Snow set up a four-lap run to the finish. On the restart, Byrne passed Greenfield entering turn one and pulled out to a sizable lead. On the final lap, Byrne caught a slow car in turn two and had to let off the throttle, allowing Greenfield to catch and pass him. It was Greenfield's first win in the series. [9]

A 24-lap, 60 mile race for the SCCA RaceTruck Challenge was held on Saturday afternoon. 19 year-old actor, Jason Bateman, was making his second start in the series, driving a Mitsubishi Mighty Max. On lap one, polesitter, Richie Agresti spun in turn two. [10] Agresti slid across the track and was hit hard by Bateman in the left front. Bateman's truck got airborne and landed on its roof. The impact pushed the left-front wheel back into the cockpit and broke Bateman's left ankle. [11]

Driving a Jeep Comanche, Al Unser led the first seven laps before dropping back to 19th. Tommy Archer beat his brother Bobby by 0.06 seconds to win the race. [10]

Race

Sławomir Wałęsa, the 15-year-old son of Polish statesman Lech Wałęsa, delivered the command to start engines in Polish and English. [12] The pace car was a custom Ferrari Mondial built at a cost of one million dollars as a gift to series sponsor, PPG. It was driven by Kevin Cogan who was missing the race due to a broken left forearm suffered at Toronto in July. [13]

Polesitter, Rick Mears held the lead on the start. On lap two, the caution came out when Dick Simon's engine started smoking. On the restart, Danny Sullivan took the lead. Before one lap was completed, Arie Luyendyk crashed in turn three. He was hospitalized for a fractured right heel.

On lap 28, Michael Andretti blew an engine and brought out the third caution. Sullivan pitted after the restart, which gave the lead to Al Unser. Phil Krueger crashed after completing 42 laps. Rick Mears hit debris and damaged his suspension. [14]

53 year-old A. J. Foyt took the lead on lap 87. It was the first time Foyt had led multiple laps in an Indy car race since Michigan in July 1984. Foyt led 14 laps before gearbox issues put him out after 132 laps. It was the last time he would lead an Indy car race.

On lap 117, Dick Simon and Mario Andretti collided entering turn three. Simon, who was 18 laps down, failed to see Andretti passing inside and cut him off. The two cars hit the wall, collecting Danny Sullivan who wrecked trying to avoid the debris. The 54 year-old Simon was heavily criticized by both Sullivan and Andretti, who suffered a bruised right thigh. "He was in the way all day," Andretti said. "He should be more concerned with the leaders. He should not be running, in my opinion." [15]

Sullivan asked, "How many times does he have to cause something like this before someone realizes that something has to be done?" [15] Simon only drove one more Indy car race before retiring.

During green flag pit stops on lap 168, John Andretti broke a half-shaft exiting the pits and crashed hard into an I-beam supporting the steel boiler-plate wall separating the pit road from the race track. The car split in half with the cockpit flipping several times. Andretti was extracted from the car and suffered only a fractured metatarsal bone in his left foot.

49 year-old Unser appeared headed to his first Pocono 500 win since 1978 until he suffered ignition failure while leading with 28 laps remaining. Unser had led a race-high 79 laps. [16]

Bobby Rahal assumed the lead after Unser's retirement. He led the final 28 laps and beat Al Unser Jr. by 17 seconds. The race was slowed by 11 cautions for 65 laps. Rahal's average speed was 133.713 mph, the slowest average speed in 18 races at Pocono. It was the first and only Indy car win for the Judd engine. It was the only race in the 1988 CART season that the Ilmor Chevrolet Indy V-8 didn't win. [17] [18]

Aftermath

Criticism of the track conditions became more vocal in 1988. [19] Drivers were upset with the bumpy and weathered asphalt and openly hoped that the track would be repaved. Race-winner Rick Mears said "this is a great place to come to race, provided they do resurface it. The drivers think it's a fun track, a great track." [19] Danny Sullivan said, "It would be nice if they would resurface it like they're doing at Indianapolis now." [19] Emerson Fittipaldi said, "If you want my opinion, we shouldn't run here. The surface is so rough, in one practice session, I missed my pit twice because I couldn't get the car stopped, it bounced." [19]

Broadcasting

While the race began at noon, NBC aired a delayed broadcast of the race at 4 p.m. that afternoon. Charlie Jones and Johnny Rutherford were the play-by-play announcers. Gary Gerould and Sally Larvick were the pit reporters. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 Indianapolis 500</span> 76th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 76th Indianapolis 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, as race winner Al Unser Jr. held off second place Scott Goodyear for the victory by 0.043 seconds, the closest finish in Indy history. Unser Jr. became the first second-generation driver to win the Indy 500, following in the footsteps of his father Al Unser Sr. He also became the third member of the famous Unser family to win the race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991 Indianapolis 500</span> 75th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 75th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday, May 26, 1991. Rick Mears won from the pole position, becoming the third four-time winner of the Indy 500, joining A. J. Foyt and Al Unser. During time trials, Mears also established an Indy record by winning his sixth career pole position. The month of May for Mears was tumultuous, as he suffered his first ever crash at Indy since arriving as a rookie in 1977. The wreck during a practice run totaled his primary car, and broke a bone in his right foot. Mears kept the injury mostly secret, and later admitted that the pain he experienced during the race was so bad, he had to cross his legs in the car and push the accelerator pedal down with his left foot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Indianapolis 500</span> 74th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 74th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 27, 1990. Dutchman Arie Luyendyk took the lead with 32 laps to go, and earned his first-ever victory in championship-level competition. It was the second consecutive year the Indy 500 was won by a foreign-born competitor, the first time that had occurred since 1965–1966. Luyendyk completed the 500 miles at an average speed of 185.981 mph (299.307 km/h), a record that stood for 23 years until 2013. In reference to the long-standing speed record, the 1990 race had often been referred to as "The Fastest 500."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Indianapolis 500</span> 73rd running of the Indianapolis 500

The 73rd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1989. The race was won by two-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion Emerson Fittipaldi. Fittipaldi's victory made him the first Indianapolis 500 winner from Brazil, the first foreign-born winner of the race since Mario Andretti in 1969, and the first non-American winner since Graham Hill in 1966. Though Fittipaldi started on the front row and dominated much of the race, he found himself running second in the waning laps. Michael Andretti passed Fittipaldi for the lead on lap 154, then led until his engine blew. Al Unser Jr. moved up to second, but trailed Fittipaldi by a big margin. Gambling on fuel mileage, Unser caught up to Fittipaldi after a fortuitous caution period on lap 181, and subsequently took the lead on lap 196.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 Indianapolis 500</span> 72nd running of the Indianapolis 500

The 72nd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday May 29, 1988. Team Penske dominated the month, sweeping the top three starting positions with Rick Mears winning the pole position, Danny Sullivan at the center of the front row, and Al Unser, Sr. on the outside. Mears set a new track record, becoming the first driver to break the 220 mph barrier in time trials. On race day, the three Penske teammates proceeded to lead 192 of the 200 laps, with Rick Mears taking the checkered flag, his third-career Indy 500 victory. The race represented the milestone 50th victory in Championship car racing for owner Roger Penske and Penske Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 Indianapolis 500</span> 71st running of the Indianapolis 500

The 71st Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday May 24, 1987. After dominating practice, qualifying, and most of the race, leader Mario Andretti slowed with mechanical problems with only 23 laps to go. Five laps later, Al Unser Sr. assumed the lead, and won his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory. At age 47, just days short of his 48th birthday, Unser became the oldest winner of the Indy 500, a record that still stands as of 2023. During the month of May, an unusually high 25 crashes occurred during practice and qualifying, with one driver in particular, Jim Crawford, suffering serious leg injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan 500</span> Indy car race at Michigan

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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pocono 500 (IndyCar)</span> IndyCar race at Pocono

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 CART PPG Indy Car World Series</span> Sports season

The 1987 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 9th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 16 races, and one non-points exhibition event. Bobby Rahal was the national champion, winning his second-consecutive title. The rookie of the year was Fabrizio Barbazza. The 1987 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Al Unser won the Indy 500, his record-tying fourth victory at Indy.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 Pocono 500</span> Motor car race

The 1984 Pocono 500, the 14th running of the event, was held at 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.

<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">1986 Pocono 500</span> Motor car race

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 Pocono 500</span> Motor car race

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Pocono 500</span> Motor car race

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 Michigan 500</span> Motor car race

The 1984 Michigan 500, the fourth running of the event, was held at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, on Sunday, July 22, 1984. The event was race number 8 of 16 in the 1984 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. The race was won by Mario Andretti, his first Michigan 500 victory.

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 Michigan 500</span> Motor car race

The 1986 Michigan 500, the sixth running of the event, was held at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, on Saturday, August 2, 1986. The race was won by Johnny Rutherford, his 27th and final Indy Car victory. It was Rutherford's sixth win in IndyCar racing's Triple Crown of 500 mile races, and his first at the Michigan 500. The event was race number 9 of 17 in the 1986 CART PPG Indy Car World Series.

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

The 1988 Michigan 500, the eighth running of the event, was held at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, on Sunday, August 7, 1988. Branded as the 1988 Marlboro 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Danny Sullivan, his first Michigan 500 victory and the first Michigan 500 win for Team Penske at the track Roger Penske owned. The event was race number 9 of 15 in the 1988 CART PPG Indy Car World Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Michigan 500</span> Motor car race

The 1990 Michigan 500, the tenth running of the event, was held at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, on Sunday, August 5, 1990. Branded as the 1990 Marlboro 500 for sponsorship reasons, the event was race number 10 of 16 in the 1990 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. The race was won by Al Unser Jr., his first 500-mile Indy Car victory. With an average speed of 189.727 mph, it remained the fastest 500 mile Indy car race until the 2002 The 500 at California Speedway.

References

  1. ↑ "1988 Pocono 500 weather information". Wunderground. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  2. ↑ "1988 CART Schedule and Results - Racing-Reference".
  3. ↑ "Andretti Quickest". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. August 19, 1988. p. 20.
  4. ↑ "Mario, Daly Post Top Pocono 500 Times". Indianapolis Star. (Indiana). Associated Press. August 19, 1988. p. 29.
  5. 1 2 "Mears Makes History at Pocono". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. August 20, 1988. p. 15.
  6. ↑ "Rahal Hopes to Engineer Win Today". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. August 21, 1988. p. C7.
  7. ↑ "1988 Pocono 500 Results".
  8. ↑ "1988 Pocono ARS Results".
  9. ↑ 'Speedweek ARS Highlights (Television). ESPN Speedweek via YouTube. August 25, 1988. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  10. 1 2 "SCCA Truck Results". Dayton Daily News. (Ohio). Associated Press. August 21, 1988. p. 4D.
  11. ↑ Jason Bateman – SmartLess, August 16, 2021, Episode 57
  12. 1 2 1988 Pocono 500 Telecast: NBC-TV, August 21, 1988
  13. ↑ 'Speedweek Pocono 500 Highlights (Television). ESPN Speedweek via YouTube. August 25, 1988. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Rahal Outlasts Quaker State Field". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. August 22, 1988. p. 10.
  15. 1 2 "Sullivan Driven Up The Wall". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. August 22, 1988. p. 10.
  16. ↑ "1988 Quaker State 500 Results - Racing-Reference".
  17. ↑ "Quaker State Win to Rahal". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. August 22, 1988. p. 7.
  18. ↑ "1988 CART Schedule and Results - Racing-Reference".
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Pocono Gets Bumpy Response from Drivers Seeking Smooth Ride". Indianapolis Star. (Indiana). Associated Press. August 23, 1988. p. 33.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.