 |
| Gordon Johncock's 1982 Indy 500 winner. |
Then a decade later, the 1992 race essentially said: "hold my beer" and became the closest finish in the history books, a 0.043 margin of victory for Al Unser Jr. over Scott Goodyear that still holds up today.
When thinking back on the history of the Indy 500, there are a couple of races and finishes that will always stand out. And the thing is, as exciting as those finishes were, plenty of memorable things happened earlier in the race as well. In 1992, the polesitter spun before the drop of the green flag. And 1982 is also known for a completely chaotic start with a front-straight crash involving multiple vehicles when Kevin Cogan's car suddenly veered sideways and turned into another car.
So, let's dig into the 1992 Indy 500, the 76th running of the race. First, we need to set the mood by watching the intro video from the ABC broadcast, narrated by the legendary broadcaster Paul Page and set to music from the Delta Force theme. If these intro videos don't pump you up for watching the Indy 500, I don't know what to tell you.
"The largest single gathering of people for a sporting event," Page tells us. Yes, it's true. The speedway is massive and full of fans, especially during this era of the early 90s. "There comes a time in a race where money doesn't matter, living doesn't matter, winning is the only thing that matters," says Al Unser Jr.
Pre-race festivities, setting the scene
Jump to some of the pre-race festivities, and we hear Gomer Pyle, aka Jim Nabors, singing Back Home Again in Indiana. It's about the traditions and people. That song title seems to be used more and more in recent years for Indy 500 marketing and merchandise. Maybe not being from Indiana contributes here, but I don't think it's *that* great of a line that we need to go that hard on the marketing.
Anyway, next we get the "lady and gentleman, start your engines" call from Mary Fendrich Hulman, the chairman of the board emeritus Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Lyn St. James made her rookie start in the field, necessitating the need for the call change. Then we get a few close-ups of cars getting fired up, the driver faces in their helmets as Page narrates.
Page mentioned the "crisp, cold day here... the coldest we can remember." My dad attended this race as his first Indy 500 in-person, and he is still disappointed that it was "like a football game" as far as the weather is concerned. It was overcast and a chilly 51 degrees for the race, which seems more like a typical Memorial Day weekend in Minnesota than in Indiana.
Pit reporter Gary Gerold walks with team owner Chip Ganassi from the grid back to the pits. And then, we have our first of many, many glitches of the race. John Paul Jr.'s No. 93 machine failed to start on the grid, so they hand-start it to get going.
Cue the on-screen graphics for the Valvoline-sponsored Race Analysis for the 500-mile, 200-lap race. The average speed record was 185.981 mph set in 1990, and the field averaged a qualifying speed of 223.479 mph. Things are a bit faster 30 years later.
ABC's Jack Arute is in the pits with some new rules for pit lane, one of which is that the pit lane speed limit is 100 mph during cautions. Now, I believe the pit speed is even slower and drivers have the capability to put on their speed limiter to avoid going too fast. Some still get penalties because they must get on that button just a little too late.
Issues before the green flag drops
Legendary Bobby Unser, a 3-time Indy 500 winner and then-broadcaster (may he rest in peace), is driving the pace car and reports a bit from the vehicle. Page is very concerned about how the cold day is going to affect the cars. As if on cue, this is when polesitter Roberto Guerrero spins out on the backstretch, hitting the inside wall on the second parade lap. Win the pole, and you don't even make it to the green flag after not getting up to race speed.
They're not done with that incident yet, and then there's a stopped Philippe Gache, a rookie, who spun in the fourth turn of the track. "We're not even to the pace lap of this race," Page says. Three cars have had issues already. Time for a quick commercial break from the early carnage.
Finally, it's time for the green flag to finally drop, with only the two-car front row of Eddie Cheever and Mario Andretti. Green! Green! Green! Cheever takes the lead, but he is quickly sandwiched/passed by the father/son duo of Mario and Michael Andretti. Commentator Sam Posey later says that he thinks Cheever missed a gear. It's son Michael who quickly jumps to a commanding lead, leaving the rest of the field in his dust. No one is even close to him.
Arie Luyendyk from Team Chip Ganassi passes Mario for second place. And for as much minor carnage as there was before the race started, the entire field should be commended for making it through the first turn and first lap without any incident. But don't worry, we're less than 10 laps in when rookie Eric Bachelart, the Indy Lights (support series) champion slows and pulls off to the inside of the track, bringing out the first of (spoiler) many cautions we'll see on this day.
Signs of the 90s times
Before going to break again, the broadcast catches a shot of Sandy Andretti, Michael's wife, sitting along the pit wall in what must have been a very-stylish-at-the-time puffy white jacket and hat with stars and gold trim. It's always been a theme for the camera crews to catch up with wives and girlfriends in the pits during the race and then usually as the winner crosses the finish line.
I should mention, too, that 1992 has on-screen graphics to let viewers know the leaderboard. That's been in place for many years, but the graphics only pop up at certain times, usually right before commercial breaks. So keeping track of the leaders is a bit tougher than it is today with the constant on-screen crawl of names.
Back to the caution period, Mario Andretti comes into the pits in his Havoline/Kmart machine. There's something electrical his crew is working on. We also get a brief interview with Kenny Bernstein, Guerrero's car owner, who can't really shed too much light on the situation about the polesitter's spin.
St. James, who's 45 years old at the time, is in 22nd place, and we'll keep an eye on her throughout the race. Bobby Unser has also made his way from the pace car to the broadcast booth.
Back to green, for a moment
We're back to green-flag racing, and Michael Andretti again runs away from the rest. They run a lap or less before 1983 Indy 500 winner Tom Sneva slams into the wall to bring out another caution. He's crashed in five of his last seven starts and hasn't finished the race since he won it, Posey tells us. But hey, he'll still always be an Indy 500 champion. In this case, Senva lost it coming into turn four and slammed into the outside wall. Parts go flying. Sneva is taken off on a stretcher into the ambulance but waves to the crowd as he goes.
Time to check in with polesitter Guerrero. "I keep hoping this is a dream or a nightmare," he says, adding that he was trying to warm up his rear tires in light of the cold weather. He seems in complete disbelief, for sure.
Another commercial as the caution continues, and then we come back to a pre-done feature from Arute showing us the 1911 winning car, then shows the IndyCar decades later, with the computer screen for drivers behind the steering wheel along with all the other knobs and buttons. Things look much different today, of course, with all the advancements in technology.
Mario Andretti had a short in the ignition wire, so he's back running. But we're not done checking in with him. At this point, Al Unser Jr. is back in 20th place before the restart after 19 laps. Tuck that away for later. Apparently, the drivers have also radioed their crews that they're pretty cold while turning laps. No, really? It's cold.
Checking in with the field
Scott Brayton is in second place, and then Luyendyk passes his teammate Cheever for third place. Michael Andretti is still dominating out front. He has speed (220 mph) that no one else can seem to match yet.
Checking in on other parts of the field, Bobby Rahal moves around John Andretti, the nephew of Mario. This race field has four drivers named Andretti, with Mario, Michael, John and Mario's other son, Jeff Andretti.
We get a little on-board camera action with 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal, driving the Miller Genuine Draft-sponsored car before making another pass. Scott Goodyear also jumps into the pits, starting the race from the back row. Then we go back to the track and get a leaderboard update to find out the race is on lap 37.
Cut to a pre-taped interview with Michael Andretti answering a question about the Indy 500 and how he's not intimidated by it. A lot of it has to do with the family history, he says, adding that if he wins this race it will be a bonus because he's done so many other things in his career. Thinking about it 30 years later, that's a good way for Michael to look at it.
The 1989 Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi passes Jimmy Vasser, whose name we hear for the first time as the fastest rookie in the race. Vasser went on to a successful career in the car before becoming a team owner.
Also, much of the field isn't on the lead lap anymore. Michael Andretti just put his dad a lap down, for one thing. Rick Mears is also down a lap and comes into the pits for a routine stop, which are in the 15-16-second neighborhood in 1992. Posey comments that Mears doesn't have the speed today.
After 51 laps, Michael still leads, with Cheever in second, followed by Brayton, Luyendyk and Fittipaldi. Then we see driver Scott Pruett, in a Budweiser-sponsored car, glides into the pits with a cloud of smoke coming behind him.
Racing history in the booth
Page informs us that Michael led 97 laps in the 1991 race, the most of any driver that year. But it was Mears who came away with his fourth (and final) Indy 500 victory that year. Posey adds that Michael is running away with this race. Will the Andretti curse show up once again this year? The Valvoline Race Summary graphic shows us that after 50 laps, Michael led 39 of them with an average race speed of 158.631 mph and five lead changes (pit stops shuffle things). Thirty cars of the 33 are still running at this point.
Johncock makes his way onto the inside apron of the track with smoke coming out of his rear, a blown engine. Johncock, you'll remember, is famously the winner of the 1982 race, beating out Mears. Johncock heads into the pits here, but the caution flag comes out anyway after 62 laps. Nothing with Johncock here, but we see a John Andretti crew member getting stretchered the pits after an injury from that last pit stop. Sounds like he came into the pits too hot.
More cautions and updates
Green flag once again with only three cars on the lead lap - three! Michael, Cheever and Fittipaldi. And as restarts breed more cautions, there's another crash. It will end Gache's day this time, a day he'll probably want to forget. His car was hit, sitting in the middle of the track with various debris scattered around while the safety team attends to him. Stan Fox was the other car involved, and he apparently hit Gache in the incident.
On the replay, we see Gache lose it in a corner, hit the outside wall and then the car drifted down the track as traffic comes by. Fox really didn't have anywhere to go. While Fox walked away, Gache is wheeled to the ambulance on a stretcher, appearing to be moving around and relatively alright though.
We get a couple more pit-row updates during the caution, talking to Pruett after his engine blew, learning more about a supposed radio problem for Michael Andretti and an update on Luyendyk. Unser Jr. is up to 6th during this caution, and we get another update on St. James, "taking her time" during a pit stop. Cue the pre-taped interview with St. James and her discussing how she got interested in racing. She talks about being friends with some guys as a teenager, and they were all interested in cars. "It was just a lot of fun," she says, of racing.
She also adds: "I was the girl. But it was ok." She was comfortable in that world, too. So, before Danica Patrick, before Sarah Fisher, there was Lyn St. James.
Under caution, Arute has another Indy 500 Track Facts feature, about a new safety feature near the entrance of the pits, where there have been some bad crashes in the past. Then we check in with Fox outside the medical center, he's fine.
This one is shaping up to be a weird one
On the restart, Michael Andretti continues to leave the rest of the field in his wake. I guess they really didn't wave off the restarts because the field wasn't bunched up enough like they do now. Posey comments that this is effectively a one-man race right now.
And just as quickly as we had a restart, the caution flag comes out again as Fittipaldi, one of the cars who had been running up front, crashes into the wall. It's here that Page remarks what an unusual race this has become, from the polesitter spinning before the race started to all of these crashes during the race.
On the replay, it looks like it's Mears and Jim Crawford who connect for a crash, too, and then Fittipaldi comes into frame hitting the wall on his own before coming across the first crash or any debris. Mears and Fittipaldi are both Team Penske cars, so Roger Penske is not too pleased at this point, I'm sure. Mears is stretchered off, waving to the crowd. Fittipaldi gets onto his stretcher under his own power but looks to be in some pain.
When two Penske cars - two Indy 500 champions - go out within seconds of each other in the race, you know it's a bad day at the speedway.
'More like a war zone'
Let's check in with Gache outside the track medical center. He's alright as well. He also indicated that he had an engine problem before the start of the race. And hey, it's a good thing Arute and ABC made a few of these canned feature stories because here's another one during this caution. It goes over the evolution and changes of the cars at Indianapolis since 1911, complete with old footage from past races.
Let's have some carnage in the pits, too. Dominic Dobson had an issue when he tried to drive away without a left rear tire attached. We also have a crew member for Mario Andretti's team getting his right foot attended to, complete with a close-up of the man's ankle.
We have another leaderboard update after 70 laps, with Michael leading, Cheever in second and an update needed as it still lists Fittipaldi in third even though he's out of the race. Luyendyk, Rahal, Unser Jr., Brayton, Goodyear and Paul Tracy follow. At this time, 26 cars are still listed as running, with Mario in the last spot.
Just as I note that, the green flag drops, we see Michael navigate through some lapped cars on the front stretch, and just as quickly we see yet another crash coming out of turn four. It's Mario Andretti, and his car comes to rest on the inside of the track near the pit entrance. His onboard camera shows him throwing his steering wheel aside.
Bobby Unser offers up this line: "Well it's been more like a war zone today than it has been a race."
Well said.
On the replay riding with Mario, it looks like the back end just got loose and sent him into the wall. Posey said Mario has failed to finish in 20 of 27 Indy 500 races to this point. Andretti Curse, anyone? Add another piece of evidence to the file.
Posey, upon seeing this crash replay again, says this race has turned into a demo derby. Also, he mentions the technology of the IndyCars keeping the drivers safe. We get plenty of replays of Mario's onboard camera, seeing his head whip around in the car.
This marks the sixth caution period of the day. Take a ride around the track with Rahal's onboard camera while another graphic-box with his pretaped interview shows Bobby talking about his love for the sport of IndyCar racing. That's why he keeps racing, because he loves it.
Pit stops, check-in for more medical updates
Michael and Cheever enter the pits for routine stops under the yellow. The speed limit in the pits under yellow is 100 mph, and Posey notices how slow that looks. He's right. It's amazing how slow the cars look, even when they go around the track under caution speeds. Cheever beats Michael out of the pits amid the lapped traffic.
The booth fellas talk a little bit more about the cold day and how that affects the tires. Now let's see if this next restart is a clean one for a few laps. Michael has some lapped traffic to jump around here. The speed he's carrying is really fun to watch.
In another interview outside the medical center, we hear from Rick Mears' dad, Bill Mears, which is different. He assures us all that Rick is OK, including his feet, which is concerning from a past crash Mears had years ago where his feet were badly injured.
As Rahal and Brayton compete for third place, Brayton's engine lets go with the now-familiar sight of a cloud coming out of the car's rear. Another Buick engine fails a driver on this day, according to Bobby Unser. This is right before the halfway mark of the race, about 93 laps in, as Brayton makes his way down pit line and out of harm's way.
More and more cars are out of the race
The Goodyear blimp gives viewers a shot of Michael Andretti on the restart from high above. But hold on, because Tracy slows and pulls off into the grass while rookie Vasser slams into the wall and settles into the infield grass while the safety teams attend to him. Bobby Unser has had enough and casually slams the rookies for not knowing about the cold tires etc. It's been a day in the booth, folks.
Brayton is out of the race, by the way, and also mentions the cold temperatures affecting things in his on-camera interview. I wonder what Michael Andretti is thinking at this point. He obviously has an extremely fast car and is turning laps like nobody else. But the near-constant caution periods have to be annoying, too.
With all the carnage, we get a word from Dr. Henry Bock, the medical director at the speedway, to update the media on Sneva (good condition, negative X-rays), Crawford, Mears (right knee injuries), Fittipaldi (left knee puncture wound) and Mario Andretti (feet injuries) are going to Methodist Hospital.
Some more pit interviews here, including Rick Galles, the car owner for Al Unser Jr. He mentions being back on the lead lap and says "you never know."
Only 19 cars are still running. We get a list of those out of the race: Guerrero, Bachelart, Sneva, Pruett, Johncock, Gache, Fox, Mears, Crawford, Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, Brayton, Tracy, Vasser. So yeah, fun times out there on track. Most of those were from crashes, too, rather than mechanical issues.
Another restart, another crash
We're finally ready for another restart, and we get only a couple of seconds of green-flag racing before rookie Brian Bonner crashes hard into the outside wall in turn four before he reached the green flag. He gets out of the car wearing a white driver suit with an apparent Applebee's sponsorship on the back.
At about halfway through the race, 51 laps were run under green and 51 laps under yellow. So not only are all the bundled-up spectators having to sit outside in these cool temps, they're not being treated to a ton of green-flag racing. And the staff making up the safety teams and the track medical center certainly earned their money on this race day. Speaking of, let's throw it to another pretaped feature about the track medical center, getting an inside look at the facility and procedures.
127.982 mph is the average speed of the race up until this point, with eight caution periods.
It's not just the drivers who've had issues during the race either. Come back from the commercial and we see a member of Luyendyk's crew getting some attention after a mishap where he was refueling, lost his balance and slipped across the back of the car as Luyendyk pulled away. Page comments "thank goodness" that the refuelers in the pit crews are required to wear helmets. What's jarring to watch this 30 years later, however, is that he's the only one wearing a helmet. Now, all pit crew members wear firesuits and helmets for safety.
Time for a restart once again, if we dare. Seven cars are on the lead lap. Due to some shuffling, Al Unser Jr. had the lead, but it didn't take long for Michael Andretti to charge back to the lead. A few more laps tick off, Rahal makes a pit stop for a flat tire and we get a brief shot of Michael's No. 1 Texaco car along the back straight.
Then, another crash. Posey simply utters "Jeff Andretti" as we see his car hit the wall and come to a stop in the middle of the track. Gary Bettenhausen is also caught up in the aftermath in his bright Glidden car; he's now failed to finish 15 of his 20 Indy 500 races. Man, that is some bad luck right there.
On the replay, it looked like Jeff's car lost a right-rear wheel before the corner and his car went flying into the outside wall. "That's a head-on crash. That's a bad angle there for Jeff," Bobby Unser says as we see the gruesome replay of the car indeed slamming into the wall and destroying the front end.
Halway point
Just past halfway, and Page calls this "a race riddled with accidents" as he throws it to break. Crews are working hard to get Jeff Andretti out of the car. The way the driver's feet are so close to the front wing of the car, it's pretty obvious there would be some bad potential injuries to his feet. Posey reminds us that two Andrettis are on their way to the hospital, the other being Jeff's dad, Mario.
With another caution, let's roll an in-depth feature about driver Nelson Piquet, a former Formula One champion who suffered a brutal crash practicing for the 1992 Indy 500. He hit the wall outside of turn four, injuring his feet and legs pretty badly. Seeing the replay, it looks like a similar crash to Jeff Andretti's, who by this time is getting loaded into the ambulance.
Meanwhile, his brother Michael is still driving around the track, knowing that his family members (and yes, fellow racers) are both headed to the hospital. We're up to 119 laps of the race, with 16 cars still running, 17 out of the race.
We're so desperate for some content here - before calling it "content" was even a thing - that ABC now throws the segment to pretaped interviews with Formula One drivers, asking them what they think of the Indy 500 and if they're interested in the race. Nigel Mansell, Riccardo Patrese and the legendary Ayrton Senna weigh in.
As we get back to some shots of crew chiefs and driver wives sitting in the pits, I have to say, it's weird to see everyone sitting out in the open. I'm talking about canopies and timing stands that today are commonplace in the pits. Every team has their own booth area, also with their technology toys like laptops etc. How times have changed.
Remember Luyendyk's crew member who nearly got run over? Well, we learn that a member of Crawford's crew stepped in to help out with Luyendyk's pit stops in his absence. That certainly doesn't happen much.
Green, green, green again. Let's see how long it can last.
"We're at lap 124, and I think we've got a race on our hands," Posey says.
Focusing in on the leaders
Cheever is assessed a penalty for passing on under the yellow (that's a no-no), so he's fallen back in the field now. But they talk to car owner Chip Ganassi, and he's irate because he has no idea where that penalty came from. He apparently passed Raul Boesel.
Al Unser Sr. is up to fourth place, and Page floats the idea of Big Al being the first five-time winner. Meanwhile, Michael is flying at 228.6 mph around the track. Unser Jr. went by on a 222.178 mph lap. I don't want to jinx it, but we're also getting a bunch of green-flag laps. Michael has about a nine-second lead, ahead of Luyendyk and Unser Jr. Sixteen cars are still running after 130 laps.
And... we're back. Second-place Luyendyk connects with the wall to end his day and bring out yet another caution period. That pushes Unser Jr., Unser Sr. and Scott Goodyear into the positions behind Michael.
The Unsers are now leading under caution as I imagine Michael must have come into the pits. Let's cut to a pre-taped clip of Unser Jr. talking about how emotional he gets during races. Keep that one in the back pocket.
A day to remember for the Andrettis
Posey says that it's certainly going to be a day for Michael to remember, not only for his domination of the race but because his dad and brother both ended up in the hospital following crashes. He's also working his way up the list of all-time leaders in terms of laps led at Indianapolis.
As Michael weaves his way through lapped traffic, he comes across Unser Sr., and the elder driver passes Michael right back before Michael gets him again on the inside. He just seems to have speed that isn't matched by any other driver on this day.
Buddy Lazier slows on the backstretch on lap 149. He's a young driver at this point, but I recall him as a driver that perhaps overstayed his welcome and raced for a long time in the Indy 500.
With another caution period, let's go back to the doc outside the track medical center for more updates. Dr. Bock tells us that Brian Bonner has gone to Methodist Hospital with a bruised left foot and right shin injury. Vasser has an apparent fractured right thigh bone. Jeff Andretti has a concussion and severe injuries to his feet and ankles. Luyendyk will be released shortly with a bruised right foot.
Unser Jr. is the leader of the 14 running cars on the 12th caution period, two fewer than the record number of caution. The booth also confirms that Michael came in to fill his fuel tank, which took him out of the lead. Ted Prappas' car is pushed down pit lane, leaving St. James as the lone rookie still running, in 11th place. Thirteen cars remain in the race with 150 of 200 laps complete.
Lap 154, and it's back to the green flag. Unser Jr. still holds the lead, and under-the-radar Goodyear is in second place. He started in last place. No driver has ever won from last place. But after 165 laps, Michael has regained the lead, turning laps at 229 mph. This is definitely his race.
Now, the chatter in the booth has started to really turn toward discussing Michael's dominance of the race and the potential that he'll go all the way and win it. It would be the second win for the successful Andretti family at Indianapolis. Posey brings up this point in the race in 1987 when Mario was in about the same position as Michael is now, and Mario's engine decided to let go at that point. Interesting.
Michael is into the pits now, giving up the lead if only for now. A clean stop for Michael, getting him new tires and fuel. Goodyear comes in for his final stop, too. This puts Big Al and Little Al into the top spots, but they still need to stop here, and they do. It's 628 Indy 500 laps led for Big Al before he heads into the pits. One of the best to ever run at the speedway.
Lap 178 and Michael is back in the lead after that round of pit stops. Stops here are 14-17 seconds or so, and yes, they're much faster today. Under 10 seconds. With so many cars out, here's a reminder that four-time winner Foyt and 1986 winner Rahal are still running, too. They come in for routine pit stops.
We're at 18 laps to go now, and how can Michael not win this race, right?
Closing in on the finish, and it's dramatic
Posey comments on the battle for second place "should anything go wrong with Michael" being one of the best they've seen in a long time, between Unser Jr. and Goodyear. Posey is so good in the booth, by the way. I enjoy going back to old races and hearing his voice alongside Page.
Lap 188 is complete, and Little Al passes Goodyear for second place.
Eleven laps to go, Page says, followed up by this with a shot of Michael's car: "And Michael is slowing. Michael is slowing. The rest of the field is coming past. Michael Andretti is slowing down. Al Unser Jr. will take the lead as Michael Andretti slows down at Indianapolis. An unbelievable turn of events. The man who has dominated this race, on the 189th lap, suddenly the car slows and Michael appears to be done."
Then we get Bobby Unser: "Paul, that is another Andretti thing. It's sad for Michael. I have never seen a race driver in my life that deserves this race more than Michael Andretti. And he isn't even going to make it back to the pits."
"We've got a whale of a race on the racetrack," Page says, as the focus now turns to the tight battle between leader Unser Jr. and Goodyear. The yellow flag does come out here, because of Michael's car on the track. Arute tells us about Michael's radio communication to the team: "I can't believe it, the engine quit," Michael reportedly told his team.
There are 10 laps to go. What a heartbreaking day for Michael and the Andretti family. Michael led 163 laps. Total domination. And his engine failed him.
We go back to green with less than 10 to go as Goodyear tries to chase down Unser Jr. Forget all the caution periods, the cold day, all the cars that are out of the race. There are seven laps to go, and these two are going to give the fans a shootout of a finish. Goodyear is definitely within striking distance to try and make a pass. For now, just enjoy watching these two race around the oval.
Goodyear is closing the gap, there's no doubt. Three to go, and he's right there. Right behind him. Two laps to go, and Page reminds us that this was the time in 1989 when Fittipaldi and Unser Jr. touched wheels, sending Unser Jr. into the wall and Fittipaldi on to victory.
The white flag is out, Page reminds us of the close finish a decade ago in 1982 between Johncock and Mears. The final corner, the final stretch before the yard of bricks. Goodyear closes in and tries to come around Little Al on the inside. And I've gotta say, that's some not-so-great camera direction from ABC going on as the cars cross the finish line. Right at that happens, we get a shot of the flag stand waving the checkered and one holding up a sign completely blocking the shot. Is that really necessary? Kind of ruined the moment a bit.
 |
| Al Unser Jr.'s 1992 Indy 500 winner. |
But anyway... Little Al holds him off and wins his first Indianapolis 500!
Posey is right there with this: "I believe that's the closest finish in Indy history. Closer than the race 10 years ago when Gordon Johncock beat Rick Mears!" Bobby Unser, Little Al's uncle, says it's the most fabulous finish he's ever seen.
We see the Unser Jr. pit crew celebrating, then get an interview with car owner Rick Galles who says "this feels good."
The broadcast does show us a slow-motion view of the finish, with Goodyear's pass attempt and Little Al winning by less than a car length. The margin of victory: 0.043. It still holds up prior to the 2022 race as the closest finish in Indy 500 history. So for all that, one of the most unusual, crash-filled, injury-riddled days at the Speedway, fans were treated to the closest finish ever.
An emotional celebration for Unser Jr.
Page then tells a story about Unser Jr. telling him on a plane recently that he was worried he may never win this race.
Now it's time to see Unser Jr. in his car with the Borg-Warner trophy behind him. Arute is there for the comments and celebration. Unser Jr. says he almost took it too easy off turn four, then gets a hug from his car owner as the traditional jug of milk is handed to him.
Arute asks Unser Jr. about his dream of winning the Indy 500. Unser Jr. said he didn't think he had a chance to win this race, mentioning Michael Andretti. Arute jumps in with an "it sounds like there's some tears in your voice right now."
Then Little Al offers this line that is one of the most memorable from Indy 500 celebrations:
"You just don't know what Indy means."
Go listen to the clip to hear the emotion in his voice as he gets more hugs.
Page has this fact for us, too. Bobby Unser won on May 24, 1981. Al Unser Sr. won on May 24, 1987. Al Unser Jr. wins the Indy 500 on May 24, 1992. By the way, Big Al took third place in this one, not that anything really matters other than first place here.
So, we've reached the end of the minute-by-minute, lap-by-lap journey through the 1992 Indianapolis 500. A race that is most notable for the polesitter's spin before the green flag, the high volume of car carnage and the closest finish of all time. Thanks for coming along on the ride with me.
No comments:
Post a Comment