Richard Ravon Mears is a retired American race car driver. He is one of four men to win the Indianapolis 500 four times and is the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six. Mears is also a three-time Indycar series/World Series champion.
The 66th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 30, 1982. Gordon Johncock, who had previously won the rain-shortened 1973 race, was the winner. Polesitter Rick Mears finished second by a margin of 0.16 seconds, the closest finish in Indy 500 history to that point.
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.
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.
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 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 40th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 17th modern-era Cup series. The season began on February 7 at Daytona International Speedway and ended on November 20 at the Atlanta International Speedway. Bill Elliott of Melling Racing won the championship.
The 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 39th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 16th modern-era cup series.
The 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 38th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 15th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on February 16 and ended November 16. Dale Earnhardt of RCR Enterprises won his second championship this year.
The 1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series was the inaugural Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) American open wheel racing championship series. 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 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 37th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 14th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Sunday, February 10 and ended on Sunday, November 17. Darrell Waltrip, driving for Junior Johnson, was crowned champion at the end of the season. Bill Elliott, driving for Harry Melling, had won 11 races in 1985, but lost the title by 101 points to three-time race winner Waltrip. This was the first season where all races were televised in some form.
IROC V was the fifth year of IROC competition, which took place over three weekends in 1977 and 1978. It saw the use of the Chevrolet Camaro in all races, and the schedule was held over in its entirety from IROC IV. Al Unser won two races en route to the championship and $50,000.
IROC VI was the sixth year of IROC competition, which took place in 1978 and 1979. The format changed from IROC V in that three qualifying races were held for participants from NASCAR, USAC Champ Car, and Road Racing. The top four finishers in these qualifying races then earned the chance to race in the two final races at Riverside International Raceway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. It used the Chevrolet Camaro in all races. Mario Andretti won the road racing finale en route to the championship and $75,000.
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 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."
The 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 31st season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 8th modern-era Cup series. It began on Sunday, January 14, and ended on Sunday, November 18. Richard Petty won his seventh and final Winston Cup championship, winning by 11 points over Darrell Waltrip. Dale Earnhardt was crowned NASCAR Rookie of the Year.
The 1980 Pocono 500 was an IndyCar Series motor race held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday June 22, 1980. Branded as the 1980 True Value 500 for sponsorship reasons, it was the tenth running of the event. The event was part of both the 1980 USAC Championship Car season and the 1980 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. Bobby Unser won the race driving for Team Penske. It was Unser's first Pocono 500 win and the third for Penske.
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 1982 Michigan 500, the second running of the event, was held at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, on Sunday, July 18, 1982. Branded as the 1982 Norton Michigan 500 for sponsorship reasons, the event was race number 5 of 11 in the 1982 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. The race was won by Gordon Johncock, two months after his victory in the 1982 Indianapolis 500, giving him wins in the first two legs of Indy car's Triple Crown.
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 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.
