The roots of the problem: an Indycar TL

[Inferno60]

Also it’s Ribbs not Ribs.

 

[kinnikuniverse]

Also it’s Ribbs not Ribs.

Thanks for the heads up, man. I thought for sure it was with one B. Then again, i was hungry when i wrote this, so maybe that's why...

 

[kinnikuniverse]

Bonus Chapter: Jeff Gordon's Winston cup side quest


1994 for Jeff Gordon saw him not only attemtping to confirm his 1993 Rookie of the Year status in his second season in Indycars, but also expand his horizons into different disciplines of racing. During the 1993 off-season, Jeff was offered a full-time ride in Richard Childress's number 31 car as teammate to Dale Earnhardt, after impressing in his limited outings in the 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup season. While he cherished his time as Dale's temporary teammate, the idea of being a strictly number 2 driver didn't really appeal to him, and his main priority was racing full time in Indycars, so he declined.

While talking with Jim Hall over the secret plans for an experimental pushrod engine build by Mercedes-Benz for Indy, Jeff received a phone call from Rick Hendrick, the owner of one of the rising teams in the Winston cup, Hendrick Motorsports. The latter was thinking about fielding a third car for Gordon in a part-time capacity, allowing him to compete in Indycars and whatever other series he wanted to enter. After much negotiating, Jeff managed to convince Hendrick to give him equal treatment to the team's other drivers, Ken Schrader and new signing Terry Labonte, even with running a part-time schedule. And thus, the #24 car, sponsored by Gordon's backers, Dupont, was born.

Before tackling on the Daytona 500 for the first time in his career, Jeff competed at that same track for the Daytona 24 hours endurance race. Driving the Chevrolet Corvette entered by Hendrick in the GTS class, finishing 13th overall at the event and getting to feel the track's banked turns before the great american race.

At Daytona, Gordon surprised everyone by running at the front for almost the entire race, keeping it steady and his pace almost matching that of the leaders as he finished in a very impressive 4th place behind teammate Labonte. He continued impressing in his next race at Richmond, scoring his first ever Winston Cup podium with a brilliant 3rd place.

Those performances only served to increase his fame across the racing world, even getting mainstream attention with his exploits in both Indycar and NASCAR, something that hasn't been seen since the haydays of AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti.

I2th place at Atlanta the week before the Indycar season opener at that same track soon followed, although he would suffer a retirement at Darlington and Martinsville, while Talladega, the last race before the month of May at Indy, saw Jeff running in the lead for much of the race, but sadly, he would be victim of a spin with halfway to go, ending up in a disappointing 24th.

Jeff would bounce back at Michigan with a 12th place and with an 8th place at the Pepsi 500 at Daytona, but would suffer another retirement at the summer Dega race.

Jeff leading at Talladega​

Following his heartbreaking loss at Michigan at the Marlboro 500 in Indycars, Jeff hoped to turn his fortunes around on August 6th, the date of the first ever NASCAR Winston Cup race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, an event that has been years in the making, after a long period of negotiations between the France Family and Indycar Inc. Jeff, the runner up to the 1994 Indy 500, brought plenty of Indycar fans to the speedway, eager to witness if he will have a gpod showing in stock cars. He would not disappoint, putting the #24 car on the second row behind Dale Earnhardt and polesitter Rick Mast.

the start of the inaugural Brickyard 400​

At the start, Gordon had a clean getaway and managed to pass Earmlnhardt and Mast to take the lead in less than ten laps. Jeff would lead the race for most of the first half, with the lead being conceded mainly through the pit stop windows, but the #24 still remained in contention for the race win.

In the second half, the brothers Geoff and Brett Bodine, the latter driving for the Michigan 500 winning team Budweiser King Racing, looked strong and mounted a serious late push for the win...until Brett bumps into his brother! Geoff would collect Dale Jarrett with him, leaving Jeff with the perfect opportunity to get a historic win.

Jeff Gordon and Davey Allison battling for the win at Indy​

After the final pitstop, Rusty Wallace, with his Penske team making a lightning-fast (for the time) 15-second pitstop, leaving in the lead, but Jeff did not give up. After a grueling battle, going side-by-side many times, Jeff finally passed Wallace and took the lead. Wallace fell down to 7th, while Davey Allison was right behind Gordon. Allison managed to pass Gordon for the lead, but a debris on the track hit Irvan's roght front tire, forcing him to pit and giving away the lead to Gordon, who would hold off Brett Bodine to the roar of the crowd as he scores his first win at Indianapolis...in stock cars, but a win, nonetheless!

Jeff and the #24 crew celebrating the historic win at Indy​

A jubilant Jeff came back to the Jim Hall team for the next Indycar race at Cleveland in very high spirits. That win was exactly what he needed after the loss at Michigan, and his fame skyrocketed almost overnight. A record crowd came to the Burke Lakefront Airport to witness American racing's new golden boy, eager to see another exploit from the young prodigy, this time, in open-wheelers...

To be Continued in the 1994 Marlbor Indycar World Series's second half...

 

[kinnikuniverse]

Aw, man...i can't find a way to write the 1994 second half posts...i only wrote down the parts for Cleveland and Road America, and i wrote down all the race results, but i dunno how to finish the texts and what else to add in the texts for the other races...then again, slight spoilers (but not really, considering the main story of the season): it is kinda boring to write "Sennawinslol" or "Unserwinslol" most of the time. Worst part is i actually have guessed a long time ago that i wouldn't like writing the 1994 season precisely because of that...

 

[Inferno60]

Aw, man...i can't find a way to write the 1994 second half posts...i only wrote down the parts for Cleveland and Road America, and i wrote down all the race results, but i dunno how to finish the texts and what else to add in the texts for the other races...then again, slight spoilers (but not really, considering the main story of the season): it is kinda boring to write "Sennawinslol" or "Unserwinslol" most of the time. Worst part is i actually have guessed a long time ago that i wouldn't like writing the 1994 season precisely because of that...

Maybe try a second half recap on how everyone did?

 

[SealTheRealDeal]

Aw, man...i can't find a way to write the 1994 second half posts...i only wrote down the parts for Cleveland and Road America, and i wrote down all the race results, but i dunno how to finish the texts and what else to add in the texts for the other races...then again, slight spoilers (but not really, considering the main story of the season): it is kinda boring to write "Sennawinslol" or "Unserwinslol" most of the time. Worst part is i actually have guessed a long time ago that i wouldn't like writing the 1994 season precisely because of that...

JV goes Vettel mode and wins every race in the second half of the year

 

[kinnikuniverse]

JV goes Vettel mode and wins every race in the second half of the year

As tempting as it is, this isn't a canada wank proof: there's no Vancouver race.

But yeah, i did plan everything up until 2000, but at the same time, i can't help but feel like i made a mistake with the 1994 season...

 

[Inferno60]

As tempting as it is, this isn't a canada wank proof: there's no Vancouver race.

But yeah, i did plan everything up until 2000, but at the same time, i can't help but feel like i made a mistake with the 1994 season...

Might as well get this season out of the way and focus on the future.

 

[kinnikuniverse]

1994 Marlboro Indycar World Series - second half

Round 11: Budweiser Cleveland GP

A record crowd came over to Cleveland for the burke lakefront airport race, eager to see not only Ayrton Senna, but also Jeff Gordon, who followed up his heartbreaking loss at Michigan with a historic first win in NASCAR Winston Cup at the inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis the previous week, driving the part-time #24 car of Rick Hendrick.

However, at the airport track, Gordon started 8th and spent his race battling with Jacques Villeneuve and John Andretti for 4th place, as the race ended up being yet another duel between the two championship leaders, Ayrton Senna and Al Unser Jr. The two Penske teammates exchanged the lead between each other for the entire race, thrilling the fnas and the millions watching around the world with their battle. The pivotal moment came when Senna attempted a signature aggressive move down the inside at turn one, only to go wide and hit the grass, allowing Michael Andretti in 3rd to pass him and effectively give away the win to Unser, his first road course win and the first time he has beaten Senna head-to-head on a road course.

Cleveland Race Results

1) Al Unser Jr 20 pts
2) Michael Andretti 16 pts
3) Ayrton Senna 14 pts
4) Jacques Villeneuve 12 pts
5) Jeff Gordon 10 pts
6) Raul Boesel 6 pts
7) Wally Dallenbach Jr 4 pts
8) Eddie Cheever 3 pts
9) Robbie Groff 2 pts
10) Willy T. Ribs 1 pt

Round 12: Miller Genuine Draft at Mid-Ohio

Senna would have his revenge at the following race at Mid-Ohio, winning another intense duel with Little Al. The merc cars retired due to reliability issues, while John andretti delivers a great performance for Derrick Walker, who receives the first big bits of Silly Season news as they gained sponsorship from Valvoline for 1995.

Mid-Ohio Race Results

1) Ayrton Senna 20 pts
2) Al Unser Jr 16 pts
3) Emerson Fittipaldi 14 pts
4) John Andretti 12 pts
5) Robby Gordon 10 pts
6) Adrian Fernandez 6 pts
7) Michael Andretti 4 pts
8) Raul Boesel 3 pts
9) Jacques Villeneuve 2 pts
10) Scott Sharp 1 pt

​

Round 13: Texaco Havoline 200 at Road America

Elkhart Lake was packed as usual, expecting another duel between the Brazilian Icon and the 2-time Indycar champion and reigning Indy 500 winner on the 4-mile long road racing home of Indycar. However, it seemed as if it was gonna be a one-sided affair in favor of the Brazilian. Senna was simply on fire, flying away from everyone en route to secure the 20 points needed to pull away from Little Al in the title race.

And then, on lap 38, the unthinkable happened: Senna's Honda engine blew up in smokes!

But it wasn't Little Al that inherited the lead, it was Jacques Villeneuve! The french canadian rookie would spend the last 12 laps holding on for dear life against a charging Unser Jr and Jeff Gordon, with Unser seeking the lead in the standings to put pressure on Senna.

Pulling out all the stops, Little Al went through the entire overtaking book, but Villeneuve held on and shocks the paddock by scoring his first ever Indycar win!

JV with the Penskes of Little Al and Emmo in hot pursuit en route to his first win.​

Road America race results

1) Jacques Villeneuve 20 pts
2) Al Unser Jr 16 pts
3) Jeff Gordon 14 pts
4) Emerson Fittipaldi 12 pts
5) Bobby Rahal 10 pts
6) Adrian Fernandez 10 pts
7) Raul Boesel 6 pts
8) Robbie Stanley 4 pts
9) Robbie Groff 3 pts
10) Scott Sharp 1 pt

Round 14: Texas 500

The Texas World Speedway at College Station lays witness to a great qualifying session on saturday, as Jeff Gordon put his Pennzoil Reynard-Mercedes on pole, beating Scott Goodyear, Robby Gordon and the ever impressive on ovals Robbie Stanley for it. In the championship battle, Ayrton Senna outqualifies Al Unser Jr, starting in 6th alongside Bobby Rahal while Little Al puts his Penske-Honda in 8th besides Michael Andretti.

Already at the start, the race became an unpredictable affair, with the top 7 all very close to each other. Bobby Rahal and the two penskes climbed up the ladder to join Gordon up front.

Gordon retires from an engine failure while battling Al Unser Jr for the win. Ayrton Senna hits the wall on the highside trying to pass Unser Jr, with little Al defending himself. Senna was pissed.

Unser Jr wins his 5th consecutive Texas 500, an event record. Scott Goodyear keeps his chances at staying at Walker for 1995 alive with a 2nd place finish, while Robbie Stanley confirms his prowess on super speedways in 3rd.

Robbie Stanley with yet another great performance on ovals​

1994 Texas 500 results

1) Al Unser Jr 20 pts
2) Scott Goodyear 16 pts
3) Robbie Stanley 14 pts
4) Robby Gordon 12 pts
5) Eddie Cheever 10 pts
6) John Andretti 6 pts
7) Bobby Rahal 4 pts
8) Mark Smith 3 pts
9) Emerson Fittipaldi 2 pts
10) Michael Andretti 1 pt

Round 15: Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix of Pennsylvania at Nazareth


Al Unser Jr starts in a meager 18th place, while Senna starts 2nd behind Emmo. Unser manages to climb the entire field in less than 50 laps and managed to pass Senna, before the brazilian passed him at the backstraight on lap 50. An intense duel in the narrow turns of the bullring ensued, with Unser and Senna not giving an inch as they exchanged the lead between each other, much to the roar of the enthusiastic crowd.

After a hard, but fair scuffle, it would be Senna who wins from Little Al and keeps himself in the title fight, his first career win on an oval. Jeff Gordon finished 3rd in a really good performance.

Nazareth Race Rssults

1) Ayrton Senna 20 pts
2) Al Unser Jr 16 pts
3) Jeff Gordon 14 pts
4) Emerson Fittipaldi 12 pts
5) Raul Boesel 10 pts
6) Robbie Groff 6 pts
7) Jacques Villeneuve 4 pts
8) Scott Goodyear 3 pts
9) Robby Gordon 2 pts
10) Mauricio Gugelmin 1 pt

Round 16: LA Times 500k at Riverside


Senna winslol while Little Al retires, meaning that the points difference in the standings are now only 4 points! Jeff Gordon had his best race on a road course, even challenging Senna at points during the latter half of the race.

Riverside Race Results

1) Ayrton Senna 20 pts
2) Jeff Gordon 16 pts
3) Jacques Villeneuve 14 pts
4) Raul Boesel 12 pts
5) Emerson Fittipaldi 10 pts
6) John Andretti 6 pts
7) Adrian Fernandez 4 pts
8) Michael Andretti 3 pts
9) Scott Sharp 2 pts
10) Mauricio Gugelmin 1 pt


Title Duel standings heading into the final round

Al Unser Jr. 200 pts

Ayrton Senna 196 pts

Round 17: California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway


A sold out crowd gathered at Ontario, California, for yet another epic final showdown for the title. The world saw that the level in Indycar racing is not to be underestimated, and that Senna did not just coast his way to title contention, with Al Unser Jr proving to the world that american drivers can defeat the best of the best and turn right. Unser was a man possesed, giving the fight to his Penske teammate all season long.

Yet it was Jeff Gordon who stole the show at the California 500. Qualifying on pole, the local hero finally had everything going right for him, for once. The Mercedes Pushrod engine, while filled with massive potential qhen it held up, ended up being a bit less reliable than the Hall and Rahal teams wished for, and if they can fix those issues, Gordon might just be a favorite for 1995, as he showed today at Ontario, finally scoring his first ever Indycar win after the runner-up finish at Indy and the heartbreaks in Michigan and Texas.


Behind him, Al Unser Jr and Senna battled each other. This time, on a super speedway. Little Al's experience advantage on super speedway proved the difference, as he shuts up the doubters and F1 fanboys to finish 2nd and win the 1994 Indycar title, his 3rd championship, becomign the first driver to win the title with three different teams (Doug Shierson in 1985, Galles in 1990 and Penske in 1994). After the race, Senna, while disappointed in losing out to the title, nonetheless congratulated Unser's title win with a firm handshake, all while telling him that next year will be his time. And he will make sure of it.

Meanwhile, Bobby Rahal finishes 4th, while Mario Andretti scores the last 2 points of his career before his impending retirement, getting a lap of honor after the race, while Jimmy Vasser, who is bound to replace Eddie Cheever at the rapidly rising Ganassi squad next year, ends his breakthrough year with a point for John Della Pena, who will take a one-year hiatus from the sport to concentrate on getting Richie Hearn the Formula Atlantic title next year.



Ontario Race Results

1) Jeff Gordon 20 pts
2) Al Unser Jr 16 pts
3) Ayrton Senna 14 pts
4) Bobby Rahal 12 pts
5) Robby Gordon 10npts
6) Robbie Stanley 6 pts
7) John Andretti 4 pts
8) Scott Goodyear 3 pts
9) Mario Andretti 2 pts
10) Jimmy Vasser 1 pt


Final title duel Standings


Senna 210 pts
Al Unser Jr 216 pts

Little Al celebrating his third Indycar title​

And thus, the 1994 Indycar season concludes with an exciting title duel that was won by Al Unser Jr over the former F1 great Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian will surely be hungry for both the Indy 500 and the title next year, but with competition from both his teammate Unser, the improvements of the Ford Cosworths and Mercedes engines, Reynard proving themselves as the main competitors to Penske as well as the new stars of Indycar in Jeff Gordon, Jacques Villeneuve and Robby Gordon, 1995 is shaping up to be a wide open campaign full of excitement. Jeff Gordon, in particular, has a few tricks up his sleeves that he can't wait to reveal to the world next year...

To Be Continued in: 1995 - the new generation

 

[Inferno60]

I’m guessing the preview will be coming very soon.

 

[kinnikuniverse]

1994 Motorsports End of the Year updates.

NASCAR Winston Cup

The duel for the title between Davey Allison and Dale Earnhardt was the talk of the Wisnton cup. To show how dominant both drivers were in 1994, they ended up on the podium in 27 of the 31 races of the schedule. Allison had the early advantage, but an excellent middle half of the season for the Intimidator saw him take over the standings heading into the last quarter of the season. Allison, however, would win at Dover, Martinsville and Charlotte to get back on top. Earnhardt won at Rockingham, but Alan Kulwicki would take advantage of Eanrhardt hitting the wall at Phoenix to extend his yearly win streak, while Allison finished 2nd to take the lead by only 21 points heading into the final round in Atlanta.

Number 3 and number 28 dueled all race long in Georgia, with thrilling rubbin' a plenty, especially heading into the last 30 laps. Allison used a slingshot draft past Earnhardt, who was blocked by backmarker Morgan Shepherd, to take the lead and win both the Napa 500 and his first ever Wisnton Cup Championship.

The Allison Family celebrating Davey's Winston Cup title

​

World Touring Car Championship

at the WTCC, Alfa Corse confirmed their dominance by winning the title, with its duo of Gabriele Tarquini and Giampiero Simoni having won most of the races and preventing a late charge by Paul Radisich in the Ford Mondeo. Alfa's winged 155, however, will have its unfair advantaged cancelled for 1995, as every car will now be equipped with aerodynamics and wings. With Renault extending their partnership woth Williams into Touring Cars with Alain Menu and the arrival of new cars such as the Volvo S40 and the Honda Accord and the improvements on Opel and Peugeot, 1995 is shaping up to be quite the war for the title.

Formula 1

last time we left, Jean Alesi was leading the championship for Williams, but Michael Schumacher and Benetton came back with a launch control-less B-Spec of their B194. Schumi would easily win the Hungarian GP, taking advantage of Alesi's retirement, while Alesi's teammate Damon Hill and McLaren's Paul Tracy completes the podium.

At Spa-Francorchamps, Rubens Barrichello, who retroactively won the Pacific GP following Schumi and Benetton's DQs, surprised the paddock by putting his Jordan on Pole, but he would sadly sin off on lap 19, leading Alesi and Schumi to battle once again. However, Alesi's woes continued with mechanical issues, leading Schumi to win the Belgian GP...until he got DSQed again due to hsi car having a worn skid block, giving the win to McLaren's Mika Hakkinen.

at Monza for the Italian GP, the tifosis had something to celebrate, with Ferarri locking up the front row with Alex Zanardi scoring his first pole alongside Gerhardt Berger and dominating proceedings...until Zanardi blew up his rear brakes, which led to the lead changing hands many times as well as other teams such as Williams, Benetton and Mika Hakkinen all having blown engines or mechanical issues in a crazy race of attrition.

in the end, it would be neither Berger nor Tracy who would win, but the underdog Lotus, with Johnny Herbert and Gil De Ferran, using strategic pit stops and taking adavntage of the chaos, ending up in front and scoring a spectacular 1-2 win at Monza, a win that might have just saved Colin Chapman's baby for the near future....

​

in portugal, the craziness continued, as Benetton, McLaren and Ferrari once again retired and Jean Alesi threw away an easy win by going wide while trying to pass David Brabham, giving the win to teammate Damon Hill and the frenchman championship lead still too uncomfortable, with Schumi still.having a chance to surpass him, while Barrichello scores the podium for Jordan.

At Jerez for the European GP, Schumi and Alesi delivered a thrilling duel for the win, which ended after Alesi apun off at the end of the backstraight while attmepting to pass the german, giving away the win to Schumi with Damon Hill 2nd and Eddie Irvine scoring his first podium. Schumi took top spot in the standings following that win.

Alesi would avenge that loss in Japan, trading the lead with Schumi at Suzuka until he passed him with 12 laps to go, now the gap between them only 4 points with Schumi top of the standings. Alex Zanardi ends up on the podium for Ferrari.

In Adelaide, Schumi and Alesi continued their duel for one last time, Alesi chasing the German through the streets of South Australia until the moment happened:

Schumacher attempted to close the door on Alesi as he went on his inside, going upside downa d retiring, allowing Alesi time to pit and repair the car's suspension. This sees Alesi in a race against time as he attwmpted to finish on the podium to win it on the tie breaker with his 4 wins to Schumi's 3. Lap after lap, Alesi climbed up the ranks, eventually reaching 4th place behind Paul Tracy, hoping for some kind of miracle to happen...

And then, Damon Hill, leading the race, suffered from worn brakes, conceding the win to Gerhardt Berger in the Ferrari, with Paul Tracy in second and Jean Alesi clinching the title with 3rd place and winning on tie breaker, Williams's third straight championship in an unbelievable end to the season.

Jean Alesi, 1994 F1 World Champion​

Michael Schumacher almost managed to snatch the title despite being suspended, showing that even without driver aids, Benetton were extremely quick. With Williams looking weaker than usual and other teams stepping up big time this year, Many feel like 1995 is gonna be the year of the baron...

 

[kinnikuniverse]

1995 Marlboro Indycar World Series Season Preview

The 1995 Marlboro Championship Trail looks hot, with plenty of teams stepping up their game to challenge the dominant Penske-Honda outfit. Some big news concerning the schedule, as Atlanta Motor Speedway, after 30 years of being the season opener for the Indycar season, will be replaced in 1996 by the brand new oval build in Miami at the Homestead complex. Atlanta Motor Speedway has decided to run out its Indycar contract and stick to its parent company ISC's commitments with NASCAR from 1996 onwards, prompting Indycar Inc. To buy land in Miami to build a new oval track with long, sweeping corners [1] and secure sponsorship from none other than the Walt Disney Company to become the title sponsor for the new Grand Prix of Miami that will open next season.


Also of note is the potential rebranding of the Marlboro Michigan 500. Seeing the dwindling numbers in recent years at the event, Indycar Inc. Is thinking about making the event the compliment to the Indy 500 by moving it, starting next year in 1996, to the 4th of July week-end, giving out significant prize money to the victor and renaming it with patriotic fervor as the US 500. Time will tell if that will bring new life to the 2nd oldest 500 mile race on the calendar.

That isn't all, however. In much bigger news, Indycar Inc., with its global reach increasing exponentially thanks to the presence of Ayrton Senna, looks to capitalise on Senna's presence and worldwide popularity by looking at potential overseas races in the near future. Recently retired Emerson Fittipaldi has long been an advicate for an Indycar race in Brazil, and with Senna and the large brazilian presence in the series, we might see a race in Brazil sooner than later. Rumour has it that a special oval layput might be constructed at the Jacarapegua circuit in Rio De Janeiro to welcome the Indycars, while in other news, with Formula 1 leaving the streets of Adelaide for the new temporary track in Melbourne, Victoria, rumour has it that Indycar Inc. Have expressed interest in potentially picking up the Adelaide street race event for 1996.

It is an exciting time in Indycar history, with increased global attention and interest. And with a new generation of stars coming up to face the veterans of the sport, we might be on the cusp of something special...that is, if the 1996 CBA meetings do go well, considering there are some big issues that Indycar Inc. Needs to address for the sake of its future, such as the rising costs, the full-time american rookies quota and the increasing pressures on the tobacco industry...


1995 Schedule

1. Valvoline 300 (O) - March 15th- Atlanta Motor Speedway
2. Jimmy Bryant Memorial (O) - April 2nd - Phoenix International Raceway
3. Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (S) - April 9th
4. Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix of Pennsylvania (O) - April 23rd - Nazareth Speedway
5. 79th Indianapolis 500 (O) - May 28th
6. Rex Mays Classic (O) - June 4th - Milwaukee Mile
7. Budwesier GP of New York (R) - June 11th - Watkins Glen International
8. GI Joe's 200 (R) - June 25th - Portland
9. New England 200 (O) - July 9th - New Hampshire
10. Molson Indy (S) - July 16th - Toronto
11. Marlboro Michigan 500 (O) - July 23rd
12. Budweiser GP of Cleveland (R) - July 30th
13. Miller Genuine Draft 200 (R) - August 13th - Mid-Ohio
14. Texaco Havoline 200 (R) - August 20th - Road America
15. Texas 500 (O) - September 3 - Texas World Speedway
16. LA Times 500k (R) - September 10th. Riverside Raceway
17. California 500 (O) - September 30th - Ontario Motot Speedway (Night Race)

TEAMS AND DRIVERS

Marlboro Team Penske

Penske PC-24-Honda
#1 Al unser jr
#2 Ayrton Senna

Penske had one of the most dominant seasons in Indycar history in 1994, with Al Unser Jr beating the legendary Ayrton senna for the title and the Indy 500. This year, Senna is ready to beat his teammate and the rest of the field to get the title.

Player's Forsythe Green Racing
Reynard 95I-Ford Cosworth
#27 Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Villeneuve won his first Indycar race at Road America, and his strong points finishes would've earned him rookie of the year were not for Senna. The Reynard-Ford package seems to be the main contenders against Penske, and with the Green Brothers and Tony Cicote perfecting their approach and Gerry Forsythe's managerial skills, JV might be the main darkhorse in this year's championship.

Newman-haas Racing
Lola T95/00-Ford Cosworth
#6 Michael andretti - Texaco-Havoline
#3 Christian fittipaldi (R) - Budweiser

Back to earth for Newman-Haas, with Penske dominating 1994, although Michael Andretti managed to win his 5th Toronto win and scored a few poles and regular top 5 finishes once the ford-cosworths upgrades arrived. With his fatger Mario retiring, Paul Newman and Carl Haas brought over Emerson Fittipaldi's nephew Christian as his new number 2. Christian impressed last season in formula 1 for Arrows, with his best finish being a podium in Germany.

Team Rahal-Hogan
Lola T95/00-Mercedes 500I
#11 Bryan herta - Duracell
#9 Bobby Rahal - Miller Genuine Draft

Bobby Rahal and Bryan Herta had strong first impressions with the Merc Pushrod engines, but over the season, reliability issues reared its head. This year, with the Merc improving in that department, the team looks set to cone back to the front.

Firestone Patrick Racing
Reynard 95I-Ford Cosworth
#20 Scott Pruett - Firestone

Pat Patrick returns from his 1994 hiatus, bringing back Scott Pruett and coming in with the brand new Firestone tires, of which they tested all year long last year. Armed with the Reynard-Ford package, Pruett might play spoiler to the front runners this year.

Pennzoil hall VDS racing
Reynard 95I-Mercedes 500I
#24 Jeff Gordon

With Jeff Gordon finally winning his first indycar race at the season finale in Ontario and the merc engines improving their reliability, many feels this is a make or break year for the Jim Hall team. Gordon has made it clear: he wants to compete for the championship. He definitely has the package to challenge the Penskes, Walkers and Forsythes, but the question remains: will the engine hold up? Not to mention his contract is up at the end of the year...

Panasonic Dick simon racing
Lola T95/00-Chevrolet Ilmor
#7 Raul boesel
#22 Hiro Matsushita

With Buick discontinuing their Aurora V8 engine program, Dick Simon opted to go with Chevies for this year. This might be the last year we see this team, however, for Simon himself is considering retirement.

Target Chip ganassi Racing
Reynard 95I-Ford Cosworth
#10 Jimmy vasser
#8 Jeff Krosnoff (R)

A big shakeup at Ganassi. While Jimmy Vasser replacing Eddie Cheever was expected, Robby Gordon leaving the team to join Walker Racing most certainly wasn't. Scraping something out of a bad situation, Mike Hull, one of the chief mechanics of the team, suggested to Chip his old friend Jeff Krosnoff, who has grown into a fan favorite in Japan. After much negotiating with Toyota, the Nippon automaker accepted to loan Krosnoff to the Ford-powered Target outfit for one year only, as they are planning to return to Indycars next year with Dan Gurney and an unknown team. Should Krosnoff impress, Ganassi might be able to leverage that into a works Toyota deal...that is, if they are not pursuing the Honda engines as the rumours suggests...

Tasman motorsports
Penske PC-23-Honda
#31 Andre Ribeiro (R) - LCI
#99 Eddie Lawson (R) - Subway

A brand new team enters the fray. 1994 Indy Lights champion Andre Ribeiro and the Tasman team moves up to the big time, bringing over Ribeiro's teammate and former 3-time 500cc Motorcycle world champion Eddie Lawson as his teammate, though many thinks that this move is most likely to fulfill the 3 full-time american rookies rule that Indycar Inc. Implemented all the way back in 1984. A rule that will be one of the main talking points at the next CBA meetings this offseason...


AJ Foyt Enterprises
Lola T95/00-Chevrolet
#14 Robbie Stanley - Copenhagen
#48 Davey hamilton (ovals) - Canadian Tire
#48 David Empringham (road Courses), Lola T94/Chevrolet for the 500 milers - Canadian Tire

With Kenny Bernstein disbanding his Indycar team despite a stunning win at Michigan, Robbie Stanley almost found himself without a seat wherenot for the intervention of AJ Foyt, who offered him the legendary #14 car. Davey Hamilton stays as the oval specialist, giving AJ Foyt a deadly combination on the ivals, while David Empringham brings Canadian Tire money and runs the road courses and last year's car in the 500 milers.

Pacwest racing
Reynard 95I-Chevrolet Ilmor
#17 Mauricio gugelmin - Hollywood Cigarettes
#18 Scott Sharp - Visa

Bruce McCaw's outfit continues its steady growth int he sport, opting for stabilisation and building on its foundations.

Payton coyne Racing
Lola T95/-Chevrolet Ilmor
#19 Robbie buhl - Mi-Jack
#34 Willy t. Ribbs - Coors Light

Willy T. Ribbs showed that he still got it in 1994, scoring points in many races and bringing Payton/Coyne to a comfortable mid-table team. Robbie Buhl, meamwhile, essentially became Ribbs's number 2.


Alumax Bettenhausen/Comptech Racing
Penske PC-23-Honda
#16 Parker Johnstone (R)

After a less than stellar season with Robbie Groff, Tony Bettenhausen Jr. Plans a big return to competitiveness. Equipped with the dominant Penske PC-23-Honda package, the squad, now teaming up with IMSA GTP lights team Comptech Racing, hired Honda factory driver Parker Johnstone, who impressed massively in pre-season test on both road courses and ovals.

Galles Racing
Lola T94/00-Chevrolet Ilmor
#66 Adrian Fernandez - Tecate
#55 Davy Jones - Motorola

To say Rick Galles is in trouble would be a big understatement. Not only did Valvoline left for Walker, but Wally Dallenbach Jr switched to NASCAR Winston Cup by accepting an offer he couldn't refuse: drive the legendary #43 of Richard Petty. As such, he hurriedly gained sponsorship from the ambitious Motorola and hired former Foyt leading man Davy Jones as Adrian Fernandez's new teammate.


Arciero-Wells Racing
Reynard 94I-Ford Cosworth
#25 Mark Smith - Craftsman Tools

Frank Arciero and Cal Wells switches to the Reynard-Ford package that brought Jacques Villeneuve and Forsythe to victory at Road America. Whether or not this will lead to improved results remains to be seen...


Valvoline Walker Racing
Reynard 95I-Ford
#5 Robby Gordon - Valvoline
#15 John Andretti - Molson

This is it for Derrick Walker: the big push towards championship contention. Poaching Valvoline from Galles, he used said money to snatch Robby Gordon, one of the leaders of the new generation of Indycar drivers, as his new lead driver to form a strong duo with John Andretti. They will most likely be one of the favorites for the title now with Penske, Hall, Rahal and Forsythe.


Delta Faucet Hemelgarn Racing
Reynard 94I-Ford
#33 Buddy Lazier

Ron Hemelgarn buys one of Ganassi's 94 Reynard-Ford packages to run for Buddy Lazier, hoping to get back into the points.



Pagan Racing (Part-time)
Reynard 94I-Chevrolet Ilmor
#91 Jeff Andretti - Interstate Batteries

Due to the failures of 94, Pagan and Jeff Andretti will only compete on the speedways and larger road courses for this year

Menard Racing (Part-Time)
Lola T95/00-Menard-Buick
#40 Scott Goodyear (Speedways, Portland, Cleveland, Toronto, Road America and 500 milers) - Mackenzie Financials
#60 Tony Stewart (R) (Indy 500) - Quaker State
#80 Scott Brayton (500 milers only) - Glidden

John Menard Jr., a long-time Indy 500, only entrant running his modified Buick V6 engines, is using this year to test the waters for a full-time entry in 1996, managing to convince Indycar Inc to let him use his Menard-Buick engine by arguing that they let Hall and Rahal run the Merc pushrod engine for the entire season last year. Scott Goodyear comes in from Walker on a part-time basis, with veteran Scott Brayton joining him on the 500 milers and the impressive Sprint car standout Tony Stewart making his Indycar debut at the track he calls home, the Indy 500. His impending debut at Indy received lots of hype in both the local racing scene and in the magazines, with many even daring to call Stewart a future superstar...


Indy Regency Racing (Part-time)
Lola T94/00-Ford Cosworth
#96 Arie Luyendyk (ovals only)
#96 Chris Smith (Portland, Cleveland, Watkins Glen and Road America)

Indy Regency is reduced to a part time schedule this year, with 1990 Indy 50p winner Arei Luyendyk tackling the ovals and Chris smith onboard for the larger road courses.


Alright, so the 1995 season is ready! What do you think of all this, guys?


[1] Here, Homestead-Miami will be build with its current layout from 2000 onwards.

 

[Inferno60]

Any updates @kinnikuniverse?

 

[kinnikuniverse]

Any updates @kinnikuniverse?

I am taking a break right now. I'll come back to this when i feel motivated to do so.

 

[SealTheRealDeal]

I am taking a break right now. I'll come back to this when i feel motivated to do so.

intrusive thought: Jacques Villeneuve may not go bald if you butterfly away his hair bleaching phase.

 

[Inferno60]

Also it’s cool you gave Lotus a win to save their bacon.

 

[kinnikuniverse]

1995 marlboro indycar World Series: rounds 1-4

Round 1: Valvoline 300 atlanta motor speedway

For the last time ever, the Indycar season opens up at the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Valvoline 300. For this last race before the exclusive deal with NASCAR, The main challengers Jacques Villeneuve, the Penske-Hondas of Al Unser Jr and Ayrton Senna and two of the mercedes powered cars in Rahal-Hogan's Bryan Herta and Hall VDS's Jeff Gordon started at the front, as expected, but it was 3-time champion Michael Andretti in his Lola-Ford who got the pole for this afternoon. The Ford Cosworth engines improved to a degree that it could well match the Honda V8s of Penske ans the Merc, as exemplified by Michael pulling away at the start. Same couldn't be said for Jacques Villeneuve. His Player's sponsored Reynard-Ford immediately dropped back to fourth, while Jeff Gordon in the yellow Pennzoil Reynard-Mercedes hada rocket start, passing the two penskes in a three-wide overtake, then getting Villeneuve at the backstraight to end up in 2nd chasing after Michael.

The race was one of Massive Attrition, as only 13 cars finished the race. Ayrton Senna, on a quest for retribution after losing both the Indy 500 and the Indycar title to his teammate Unser, passed through Little Al and started pursuing Villeneuve and Gordon. Villeneuve would retire from transmission failure in the pits, leading to Gordon and Senna battling it out for 2nd place in a thrilling duel that got the atlanta crowd on its feet. Alas, Senna suffered electrical problems and would have to retire in the pits.

Parker Johnstone, the impressive rookie driving the Penske PC-23 Honda for Bettenhausen, would sadly have his race ended with transmission failure, while Scott Pruett and the returning Patrick Racing outfit showed off the durability of the new Firestone tires by going up into 4th, while rookie Christian Fittipaldi, coming off a good season in F1 with Arrows, put his Budweiser Lola-Ford in 3rd behind Jeff Gordon and his teammate Michael Andretti.

However, Michael started having problems with his car, as it went a bit too wide to his liking into the banked turns. Eventually, his suspension got loose and Michael hit the wall exiting turn 3, prompting a yellow flag with 20 laps to go, essentially giving the win to Jeff Gordon, who picks up where he left off at the 1994 season Finale in Ontario to win it in Atlanta, with holding off the impressive Fittipaldi in the last 5 laps being nothing more than a formality.

Of note is Scott Goodyear, in the part-time Menard car powered by their own customized Buick V6, managing to score a brilliant 7th place finish and Robbie Stanley and Davy Jones scoring points for their new teams Foyt and Galles.



Atlanta Race Results

1) Jeff Gordon 20 pts
2) Christian Fittipaldi 16 pts
3) Bobby Rahal 14 pts
4) Scott Pruett 12 pts
5) Maurigio Gugelmin 10 pts
6) Scott Sharp 6 pts
7) Scott Goodyear 4 pts
8) Bryan Herta 3 pts
9) Robbie Stanley 2 pts
10) Davy Jones 1 pt

​

Round 2: Jimmy Bryant Memorial at Phoenix International raceway

The second round at Phoenix saw an action-packed week-end with plenty of twists and turns. First off, Jeff Gordon and Ayrton Senna took turns taking the pole from each other in qualifying, until Gordon shattered the track record to snatch pole from the F1 legend.

The race sees Senna, Gordon and Michael Andretti taking turns into the lead with some gritty battling, with Michael receiving help from his Teammate Christian Fittipaldi in dealing with Senna and Gordon.

At first, this team strategy worked for much of the middle portion of the race. However, everything would go wrong for Newman-Haas in the late portions. Fittipaldi had a terrible pit stop, while Michael's radio broke down, not hearing a single thing Carl Haas was telling him. As such, with 5 laps to go, a hard-charging Robby Gordon, up front after an audacious early pit strategy by new boss Derrick Walker, flew into the lead of the race, passing by Michael like a rocket and never looked back, scoring his 3rd career win and first for Walker, with a confused Michael in 2nd in front of Senna, Jeff Gordon and Jacques Villeneuve.

Phoenix Race Results:

1) Robby Gordon 20 pts
2) Michael Andretti 16 pts
3) Ayrton Senna 14 pts
4) Jeff Gordon 12 pts
5) Jacques Villeneuve 10 pts
6) Bryan Herta 6 pts
7) John Andretti 4 pts
8) Al Unser Jr 3 pts
9) Scott Pruett 2 pts
10) Christian Fittipaldi 1 pt

Round 3: Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

The stars of Hollywood all gathered at Ocean Boulevard for the Monaco of the West Coast. Like last year, the Penske-Hondas locked the front row amd ominated, although it looked as if Jeff Gordon could've challenged for the win, passing both Penskes in a spectacular three-wide pass heading into turn one and leading the first 16 laps, showing off the improved power of the Merc 500i engine. Unfortunately, Gordon and Christian Fittipaldi, 2nd, collided with each other at the end of the backstraight, retiring on the spot and engaging in a war of words afterward.

Senna and Unser Jr continued their duel from last year in.teh streets of Long Beach. The two exchanged the lead of the race and got the California crowd up their feet. The turning point came on the third-to-last lap, where Little Al dived into Senna's inside at the end of the backstraight and managed to snatch the lead while barely scratching the wall at the exit. Senna tried everything he could, but Little Al held firm and reconquers his throne at Long Beach!

The Brazilian looked a bit morose heading onto the podium. While he is definitely among the favorites and has the results to back it up with two consecutive podiums, he wishes he won that one. On another note, Robbie Stanley impresses in the streets of Long Beach, almost heading for a podium but, alas, he ran out of fuel on the penultimate lap. However, he was so far ahead of Mauricio Gugelmin that he still managed a top 5 finish anyways.

Long Beach Race Results

1) Al Unser Jr 20 pts
2) Ayrton Senna 16 pts
3) Scott Pruett 14 pts
4) John Andretti 12 pts
5) Robbie Stanley 10 pts
6) Mauricio Gugelmin 6 pts
7) Parker Johnstone 4 pts
8) Willy T. Ribs 3 pts
9) Eddie Lawson 2 pts
10) Scott Sharp 1 pt


Round 4: Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix of Pennsylvania at Nazareth Speedway.


Senna looked set to get his first win in 95, easily passing front rowers Robby Gordon and Jimmy Vasser at the start at Nazareth. The battle was between him, Villeneuve and Jeff Gordon for the win, with Little Al and Michael retiring early. However, it won't be any of those three that would be the star of the show in Pennsylvania. Rather, it was Robbie Stanley of AJ Foyt. Going on an ambitious two-stops strategy, the former USAC champion and 1994 Michigan 500 winner took the lead and did everything in his power to hold off Senna and prevent his car from running out of fuel. Senna came close many times, but Stanley proves that he is here in Indycars to stay as he brings home his Lola-Chevrolet to an incredible second career win, AJ Foyt's first ever win as a team owner.

Another upset by Stanley​

Nazareth Race Results

1) Robbie Stanley 20 pts
2) Ayrton Senna 16 pts
3) Jacques Villeneuve 14 pts
4) Jeff Gordon 12 pts
5) Parker Johnstone 10 pts
6) Bobby Rahal 6 pts
7) John Andretti 4 pts
8) Scott Pruett 3 pts
9) Adrian Fernandez 2 pts
10) Raul Boesel 1 pt


With Senna getting two close calls at Long Beach and Nazareth, the Brazilian is more motivated than ever to get his first win of the season, while Jeff Gordon is seeking to consolidate his status as a title contender. And what better way to do both of that at the greatest spectacle in racing?

​

To Be Continued...

 

[kinnikuniverse]

Month of May 1995

The 1995 Indianapolis 500 miles sweepstakes sees 47 cars participate in the time trials, and safe to say, it is quite possibly the craziest qualifying in recent history.

legend says that Roger still has nightmares of this car, with it stalking him and constantly saying "Ello, Guv'nah!" Over and over...​

First off, the notable struggles of fhe reigning champions, team Penske. All month Long, Al Unser Jr, Ayrton Senna and indy only veteran Emerson fittipaldi struggled to get the car up to speed with the front runners. It gotten so bad that they rented a lola from Bobby Rahal for Emmo, to no avail. Little Al didn't fare much better, becoming the first reigning Indy 500 champion to be bumped from the event in the entire race's history.

Magic Senna, however, delivered the goods, and managed to get his Penske-Honda in mid-field. However, the brazilian exchanged a long, hard look at the captain that told everything one needed to know about how disastrous this has been so far for the champs.

Meanwhile, the story of the month is the performance of team menard and one Tony Stewart. The current USAC silver crown title leader makes a much publicized debut at Indianapolis, with many wondering if the local kid from Indiana could drive an Indycar. Stewart shut up any and all doubters, sending his lola-menard-Buick onto an astonishing rookie Pole position, with teammates Scott Brayton and Scott Goodyear locking up the front row alongside him!

​

Stewart became an overnight sensation, with sports news all around highlighting the indiana native's pole lap. One man who is not seeing Tony Stewart's surprise emergence in good eye was Jeff Gordon. Qualifying on the inside of the 5th row, Gordon sees the arrival of Stewart as amother sign that the Indycar field is gonna be even more competitive in the following years, and seeing a new young gun around his age take his spotlight at the biggest stage of them all? That ain't gonna cut it!

​

Meanwhile, in other interesiting stories, Lyn St. James competes in her 4th consecutive Indy 500, while Eddie Lawson becomes the first former Motorcycle world champion to compete at the event! Jacques Villeneuve, meanwhile, starts on the second row between Michael andretti and Mauricio Gugelmin, and could potentially be the dark horse of this race.

1995 Indy 500 STARTING GRID

Row 1
Tony Stewart (R)
Scott Brayton
Scott Goodyear

ROW 2
Michael Andretti
Jacques Villeneuve
Mauricio Gugelmin

ROW 3
Robby Gordon
Scott Pruett
Jimmy Vasser

ROW 4
Hiro Matsushita
Stan Fox
André Ribeiro (R)

ROW 5
Jeff Gordon
Robbie Stanley
John Andretti

ROW 6
Christian Fittipaldi (R)
Willy T. Ribs
Scott Sharp

ROW 7
Ayrton Senna
Bryan Herta
Bobby Rahal

ROW 8
Raul Boesel
Buddy Lazier
Eddie Lawson (R)

ROW 9
Adrian Fernandez
Arie Luyendyk
Mark Smith

ROW 10
Lyn St. James
Davy Jones
Davey Hamilton

ROW 11
Parker Johnstone (R)
Hideshi Matsuda (R)
Jeff Krosnoff (R)

Notable DNQs
David Empringham
Chris Smith
Jeff Andretti
Robbie Buhl
Al Unser Jr
Emerson Fittipaldi
Robbie Groff
Franck Fréon
Éliseo Salazar
Carlos Guerrero
Alessandro Zampedri

START YOUR ENGINES!​

 

[kinnikuniverse]

1995 Indianapolis 500 Miles Sweepstakes​

Rain fell the night before the race, and moisture continued throughout the early morning hours. The rain stopped, however, and the track was dried. The start of the race was delayed by only about five minutes.

At the start, Scott Goodyear swept into the lead from the outside of the front row. Seconds later, Stan Fox dipped low to the inside, hit the rumble strips, became loose and spun a half turn. The car shot directly into the outside wall in turn one. The car was demolished, the front nose was ripped off, and Fox's legs and body were exposed as the car crashed up into the catch fence. Robbie Stanley, Lyn St. James, and Willy T. Ribs were caught up in the accident.

Jeff Gordon ran over a piece of debris, breaking the front suspension. He limped back to the pits, but dropped out when it was determined the damage was too much to repair.

Tough Luck for Jeff Gordon...​

A long caution was needed for cleanup, and Fox was critically injured with a closed head injury due to g-forces. Despite his exposed extremities, however, he suffered no major injuries to his arms or legs. Fox was transported to Methodist Hospital, and after several months, he recovered, but would never race again.

On lap 10, the race finally got restarted. Tony Stewart, the hotshot rookie who became an overnight sensation in his first Indycar appearance, got the jump on the green flag, and took the lead.

The rookie sensation Tony Stewart flying in the early goings​

On lap 37, Stewart was trying to get by the car of Scott Sharp. the Indiana native felt that Sharp was blocking him, and as they went into turn 1, Stewart gave him the finger. In the process, he knocked off his helmet headrest cushion. It flew out of the cockpit and landed on the racing surface. It brought out the yellow flag for debris. The yellow came out during a sequence of green-flag pit stops, the field was hectically shuffling in and out of the pit area.

By rule, the pits were immediately closed at the onset of yellow, and Jacques Villeneuve became scored as the leader on lap 38. A few cars, including Villeneuve, Scott Pruett and others, had not made their scheduled pit stop yet, and were getting precariously close to running out of fuel. Villeneuve was not aware he was actually leading the pack. The pace car came out to pick up the field, and by rule, was supposed to get directly in front of Villeneuve as the leader. But Villeneuve went by the pace car twice, not knowing they were trying to pick him up. Finally, the officials sorted out the field, the pit area was opened, and Villeneuve immediately went to the pits for service. He suffered a slow stop with several errors. He nearly pulled away with the fuel hose attached, then subsequently stalled as he pulled away.

A few minutes after the race went back to green, Indycar Inc. assessed Jacques Villeneuve a two-lap penalty for passing the pace car twice as they were trying to pick him up. The penalty dropped him from 3rd place to 27th. The two laps were effectively deleted from his scoring serial.



Michael Andretti led 45 laps in the first half but on lap 77, he was abruptly knocked out of the race. Maurício Gugelmin was leading in turn four, and Andretti was behind him in second place. Andretti caught him in turn four, as Gugelmin was slowing down to make a pit stop. Andretti tried to go around him on the outside, but got up into the "marbles" and brushed the wall exiting turn four, damaging the suspension. He veered across the track to enter the pits, to have the crew look over the car. The rear wishbone suspension was bent, and Andretti climbed out of the car, out of the race.

Another didappointing race for the 2-time Indy 500 winner​

As Andretti was climbing from his car, Scott Sharp spun and wrecked in turn four.

By the time the field went back to green on lap 84, Jacques Villeneuve had made up one of his laps. He was running 20th, one lap down.


On lap 124, Andre Ribeiro stalled on the track with an electrical problem. By that time, Jacques Villeneuve had gotten his lap back, and was now on the lead lap in 12th place. Villeneuve caught another break when Christian Fittipaldi, in the Budweiser Newman-Haas Lola-Ford, slowed on the backstretch with electrical problems, bringing out another caution.

Maurício Gugelmin led the most laps so far, but did not manage to lead again after lap 138. The leaders were now Jimmy Vasser, Scott Pruett, and Tony Stewart. Jacques Villeneuve was now up to 6th place. After Vasser pitted while leading on lap 157, Villeneuve retook the lead for the first time since his penalty.

On lap 162, Davy Jones crashed in turn 2 as Villeneuve was preparing to pit. The race restarted on lap 169. Vasser led following pit stops by most of the drivers during the caution. A lap later, Scott Pruett passed him going down the backstretch for the lead. Vasser got high and hit the outside wall in the north chute. Pruett held point until shortly after the restart on lap 176 when Stewart passed him.

By this stage of the race, the winds began to gust over 30 mph. On lap 184, with Stewart still in front by almost a second, Pruett got high in turn 2 and bounced off the outside wall. Pruett's car spun across the backstretch, got airborne and backed into the catchfence, demolishing the rear end.


With eleven laps to go, Tony Stewart led Jacques Villeneuve, Scott Goodyear and Ayrton Senna under caution. The Brazilian, the inly Penske that qualified, race an uncharacteristically understated race, but it ended up paying off, for he was in prime position to turn on the Honda power and deliver his magic late in the race...

The field prepared to go back to green on lap 190. Down the backstretch, Stewart held back a little bit and allowed the pace car to clear ahead. Indycar official Don Bailey was driving the Corvette pace car, which was entering turn four. At the entrance of turn three, Stewart and Villeneuve both accelerated, leaving a trail of tire marks behind. Villeneuve was right on his tail. Entering turn four, Smoke continued to accelerate, but Villeneuve suddenly backed off to avoid passing the pace car. The two cars had caught up to the pace car in the middle of turn four, and it had not yet entered the pits. Tony did not lift, blew by the pace car and proceeded to race down the front stretch. The rest of the field checked up and a gaggle of six cars nearly collided to avoid the pace car as it pulled into the pits.


flagman Duane Sweeney put out the green flag, with Stewart now well ahead of the rest of the cars. Villeneuve emerged from the melee still in second, and the rest of the field diced down the front stretch and funneled into turn one without incident.

A few moments later, race control announced that Tony Stewart was being assessed a stop-and-go penalty for passing the pace car on the restart. To say that Stewart was pissed would be a massive understatement. On his radio, he insisted that he did not do anything wrong. He claimed that the green light was on, and many felt the pace car was going too slow. The black flag was waved at Stewart but he kept racing and chose not to acknowledge it. Team owner John Menard told him to keep going to the end believing they could protest the penalty after the race. Per the black flag rules, Stewart had a window of five laps to serve the penalty before disqualification.

Since he failed to heed the penalty, Indycar Inc. ceased scoring him after lap 195. Therefore, when Jacques Villeneuve came around to complete lap 196, he was scored officially in the lead, with Ayrton Senna second and Bobby Rahal now third.


This led to a three-way drag race to the end. Ayrton Senna and Rahal turned on the power to catch up to Villeneuve, with Senna on the way to attacking the young French Canadian.

Moves were made, and blocks at the limit of legality ensued, but in the end, it would be the blue and white car of Player's Forstyhe Green racing, coming from two laps down, who crosses the finish line first and its driver, Jacques Villeneuve, who will drink the milk and boast that he defeated Senna at Indianapolis.

On the last lap, Arie Luyendyk passed Villeneuve at the stripe to un-lap himself, and finished 7th on the lead lap. With his lap total stopped at 195 for ignoring the penalty, Tony Stewart sank through the standings to 15th place, five laps down.

Scott Brayton's day ended ten laps down in 17th place. His car was down on turbocharger boost, and after the race he quipped that he was so slow he felt he "was in the way." Years later, it would be revealed that Brayton (and his teammate Scott Goodyear), were secretly being penalized for illegally over-boosting their turbocharger plenums and tampering with the pop-off valves during practice and qualifying.

Tony Stewart was visibly upset in an interview as he said to reporters: "It's Bullshit, that's what it is. I feel like I won this race. The pace car was going too slow. ... I almost hit it. Scott Pruett almost hit it, Villeneuve almost hit it. He wasn't on the gas and I saw the green lights turn on and that meant go. That's all I can say. I stayed out because in my eyes it was perfect ... and if I came in and later found I didn't make a mistake then what are you going to do? It would have been too late and you won't get it back. It's bullshit."

​

1995 Indy 500 Results

1) Jacques Villeneuve 20 pts
2) Ayrton Senna 16 pts
3) Bobby Rahal 14 pts
4) Scott Goodyear 12 pts
5) Robby Gordon 10 pts
6) Mauricio Gugelmin 6 pts
7) Arie Luyendyk 4 pts
8) John Andretti 3 pts
9) Buddy Lazier 2 pts
10) Hiro Matsushita 1 pt

 

[Huey Louis IX]

I feel like Tony's post-race interview could've used a few more expletives.

Nice update, I'm enjoying the season so far.