1986 CART season
PPG Indy Car World Series


Bobby Rahal
Season
Races17
Start dateApril 6
End dateNovember 11
Awards
Drivers' championUnited States Bobby Rahal
Constructors' CupUnited Kingdom March
Manufacturers' CupUnited Kingdom Cosworth
Nations' CupUnited States United States
Rookie of the YearUnited States Chip Robinson
Indianapolis 500 winnerUnited States Bobby Rahal

The 1986 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 8th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 17 races, and one non-points exhibition event. Bobby Rahal was the national champion, and the rookie of the year was Chip Robinson. The 1986 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Bobby Rahal won the Indy 500, and would later become the first driver since 1980 to win Indy and the CART championship in the same season.

The first two races of the season were won by Kevin Cogan (Phoenix) and Michael Andretti (Long Beach), respectively, the first career wins for both drivers on the CART circuit. Rain delayed the Indianapolis 500, postponing it for six days. Bobby Rahal, driving for Truesports, passed Kevin Cogan with two laps to go, and won for car owner Jim Trueman, who was stricken with cancer. Trueman died less than two weeks later.

The season would shape up as a two-man battle between Rahal and Michael Andretti. Andretti won at Milwaukee, which put him in the points lead for the first time. On Father's Day, Andretti was leading on the final lap at Portland. His car ran out of fuel on the final turn of the final lap, and his father Mario beat him to the finish line by 0.07 seconds. It would go down in lore as one of the most shocking finishes in Indy car history, as well as the closest finish in Indy car history on a road course (until 1997).

Rahal was back in victory lane in July, winning the inaugural Molson Indy Toronto, but Michael Andretti still held the points lead. Rahal won four out of five races during a stretch in August and September, and emerged with a 9-point lead in the standings with two races left. Michael Andretti won a key victory at the second-to-last race of the season at Phoenix, while Rahal finished 3rd.

Going into the season finale at Tamiami Park, Rahal held a scant 3-point lead over Andretti. Neither driver was a factor at Miami, and just past the halfway point, Andretti dropped out with a broken halfshaft. Rahal effectively clinched the championship when Andretti dropped out. Roberto Guerrero won the pole and dominated the race, leading the first 111 laps. But on the final lap, his car sputtered and he ran out of fuel. Al Unser Jr. slipped by to steal the victory, his lone win of 1986. Unser Jr. won from 19th starting position, the furthest back any driver had won a CART road/street course race at the time.

Drivers and Teams

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1986 Indy Car World Series season. All cars used Goodyear tires.

Team Chassis Engine No* Drivers Rounds
Bignotti-Cotter Racing March 86C Cosworth DFX 2 (5) Colombia Roberto Guerrero All
Curb-All American Racers March 86C Cosworth DFX 33 United States Tom Sneva All
66 United States Ed Pimm All except 8, 11-12, 14
Republic of Ireland Derek Daly 8, 11-12, 14
Eagle 86GC 98 Netherlands Jan Lammers 1-3
Dick Simon Racing Lola T86/00 Cosworth DFX 22 Brazil Raul Boesel All
23 United States Dick Simon 3, 10, 12
United States Chip Robinson 6-7, 17
United Kingdom Ian Ashley 8, 11, 14
Galles Racing Lola T86/00 (2-11, 13-17)[1]
March 86C(1, 12)[2]
Cosworth DFX (1-4, 12-17)[3]
Honda/Judd (5-11)[4]
8 Australia Geoff Brabham All
Lola T86/00 Cosworth DFX 9 Brazil Roberto Moreno 1-11, 13-17
United States Pancho Carter 12
15 3, 9-10
Hemelgarn Racing March 86C (1, 3, 9-10, 13)[5] Cosworth DFX (1, 9-10, 13)[6]
Buick V-6 (3)[7]
71 United States Scott Brayton 1, 3, 9-10, 13
Cosworth DFX Canada Jacques Villeneuve Sr. 2, 4-8, 11-12, 14-17
81 3
Kraco Racing March 86C Cosworth DFX 18 United States Michael Andretti All
Leader Card Racing March 86C Cosworth DFX 24 United States Gary Bettenhausen 1, 3-4, 9-10, 12-13, 16
United States Dominic Dobson 2, 5-8, 11, 14-15, 17
March 85C 42 United States Phil Krueger 3
Machinists Union Racing March 86C Cosworth DFX 55 Mexico Josele Garza 1-11, 17
United States Johnny Parsons 12-13, 16
South Africa Desiré Wilson 14-15
59 11
United States Chip Ganassi 1, 3
United States Johnny Parsons 4, 7, 9-10
95 3
Alex Morales Motorsports March 86C Cosworth DFX 6 United States Rich Vogler 3
21 United States Johnny Rutherford All
Newman/Haas Racing Lola T86/00 Cosworth DFX 5 (2) United States Mario Andretti All
Patrick Racing March 86C Cosworth DFX 7 United States Kevin Cogan All
20 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi All
Penske Racing March 86C (1, 3-5, 7-11, 13-16)[8]
Penske PC-15 (2, 6, 12, 17)[9]
Cosworth DFX (1, 3-5, 7-10)[10]
Chevy 265A (2, 6, 11-17)[11]
1/ 86 (4) United States Rick Mears All
March 86C (1-16)[12]
Penske PC-15 (17)
Cosworth DFX (1-16)[13]
Chevy 265A (17)
4 (1) United States Danny Sullivan All
March 86C (9-10, 17)
Penske PC-15 (1, 3)
Chevy 265A (1, 3, 9-10, 17 11 United States Al Unser 1, 3, 9-10, 17
Doug Shierson Racing Lola T86/00 Cosworth DFX 30 United States Al Unser Jr. All
Truesports March 86C Cosworth DFX 3 United States Bobby Rahal All
Part-time entries
A. J. Foyt Enterprises March 86C Cosworth DFX 14 United States A. J. Foyt 1, 3-4, 9-10, 13, 16-17
Chevy V6 44 United States Mike Nish 3
Cosworth DFX 84 United States George Snider 3, 9
United States Sammy Swindell 10
Arciero Racing March 86C

March 85C (11, 13)

Cosworth DFX 12 United States Randy Lanier 1-9
United States Steve Chassey 11, 14-16
United States Eddie Cheever 17
United States Jeff MacPherson 13
Bettenhausen Motorsports March 86C Cosworth DFX 16 United States Tony Bettenhausen Jr. 3
Lola T86/00/ March 86C 61 Netherlands Arie Luyendyk All except 5 and 12
Dale Coyne Racing Coyne DC-1 Chevy 19 United States Dale Coyne All except 3-4
Gohr Racing March 86C Buick V-6 (Until Mid-Ohio)

Cosworth DFX

56 United States Steve Chassey 3-4, 9
United States Rocky Moran 6-7, 10-11, 13-17
United States John Morton 8
March 85C Buick V-6 65 United Kingdom Rupert Keegan 3
J.P. Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX 10 United States Spike Gehlhausen 3, 9-10, 13
March Engineering March 86C Buick V-6 25 United States Danny Ongais 3
31 United Kingdom Jim Crawford 3
Mosquito Autosport March 85C Cosworth DFX 16 (19) United States Rick Miaskiewicz 2-4, 6-8
Pace Racing Lola T86/00 Cosworth DFX 36 United States Randy Lewis 2, 6-8, 11, 14-15, 17
Australia Dennis Firestone 3, 9-10, 12, 13, 16
Team Menard March 86C Cosworth DFX 28 United States Herm Johnson 3
  • - The number in parentheses for chassis & engine indicates the round number it was used at.
  • - The number in parentheses for car number is the number the car used at the Indianapolis 500, if a different number was used.

Season Summary

Schedule

Rd Date Name Circuit Location TV Broadcaster
1 April 6 United States Dana 200 for Special Olympics  O  Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona ESPN
2 April 13 United States Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach  R  Streets of Long Beach Long Beach, California NBC
3 May 31* United States Indianapolis 500  O  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis, Indiana ABC
4 June 8** United States Miller American 200 in Honor of Rex Mays  O  Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin ESPN
5 June 15 United States Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200  R  Portland International Raceway Portland, Oregon ESPN
6 June 29 United States Chase Grand Prix at the Meadowlands  R  Meadowlands Sports Complex East Rutherford, New Jersey NBC
7 July 6 United States Budweiser Cleveland Grand Prix  R  Burke Lakefront Airport Cleveland, Ohio ESPN
8 July 20 Canada Molson Indy Toronto  R  Streets of Toronto Toronto, Ontario ESPN
9 August 2 United States Michigan 500  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan NBC
10 August 17 United States Domino's Pizza 500  O  Pocono International Raceway Long Pond, Pennsylvania ESPN
11 August 31 United States Escort Radar Warning 200  R  Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio ESPN
12 September 7 Canada Molson Indy Montreal  O  Sanair Super Speedway Saint-Pie, Quebec ESPN
13 September 28 United States Pepsi Cola 250  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan ESPN
14 October 4*** United States Race For Life 200  R  Road America Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin Untelevised
15 October 12 United States Nissan Monterey Grand Prix Featuring the Champion Spark Plug 300  R  Laguna Seca Raceway Monterey, California ESPN
16 October 19 United States Circle K/Fiesta Bowl 200  O  Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona ESPN
17 November 9 United States Nissan Indy Challenge  R  Tamiami Park Miami, Florida NBC

 O  Oval/Speedway
 R  Road/Street course
NC Non-championship event
*The Indianapolis 500 was scheduled for May 25, but postponed due to rain.
**The Miller American 200 in Honor of Rex Mays was scheduled for June 1, but postponed due to the delay of running the Indianapolis 500 on May 31.
***The Road America race was started on September 21, but stopped after a few laps due to rain, the rest was run on October 4.

Race results

Rd Event Name Pole Position Winner Winning team Race time
1 Dana 200 for Special Olympics United States Mario Andretti United States Kevin Cogan Patrick Racing 1:39:42
2 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach United States Danny Sullivan United States Michael Andretti Kraco Racing 1:57:34
3 Indianapolis 500 United States Rick Mears United States Bobby Rahal Truesports 2:55:43
4 Miller American 200 in Honor of Rex Mays United States Michael Andretti United States Michael Andretti Kraco Racing 1:42:45
5 Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi United States Mario Andretti Newman/Haas Racing 1:50:53
6 Chase Grand Prix at the Meadowlands United States Michael Andretti United States Danny Sullivan Team Penske 1:49:17
7 Budweiser Cleveland Grand Prix United States Danny Sullivan United States Danny Sullivan Team Penske 1:43:01
8 Molson Indy Toronto Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi United States Bobby Rahal Truesports 2:05:50
9 Michigan 500 United States Rick Mears United States Johnny Rutherford Alex Morales Motorsports 3:38:45
10 Domino's Pizza 500 United States Michael Andretti United States Mario Andretti Newman/Haas Racing 3:17:13
11 Escort Radar Warning 200 United States Mario Andretti United States Bobby Rahal Truesports 1:56:18
12 Molson Indy Montreal United States Rick Mears United States Bobby Rahal Truesports 1:48:05
13 Pepsi Cola 250 United States Rick Mears United States Bobby Rahal Truesports 1:22:33
14 Race for Life 200 United States Bobby Rahal Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi Patrick Racing 2:26:42
15 Champion Spark Plug 300k United States Mario Andretti United States Bobby Rahal Truesports 1:33:20
16 Circle K/Fiesta Bowl 200 United States Bobby Rahal United States Michael Andretti Kraco Racing 1:29:06
17 Nissan Indy Challenge Colombia Roberto Guerrero United States Al Unser Jr. Doug Shierson Racing 1:52:45
  • Indianapolis was USAC-sanctioned but counted towards the CART title.

Drivers points standings

Pos Driver PHX1 United States LBH United States INDY United States MIL United States POR United States MEA United States CLE United States TOR Canada MIC1 United States POC United States MDO United States SAN Canada MIC2 United States ROA United States LAG United States PHX2 United States MIA United States Pts
1 United States Bobby Rahal 16 18 1 6 20 3 15 1 10* 14 1 1* 1 5 1* 3 8 179
2 United States Michael Andretti 15* 1* 6 1* 2* 20 2 19 11 11* 10 6 2* 2* 3 1* 18 171
3 United States Danny Sullivan 4 11 9 11 11 1 1* 2 25 16 3* 5 12 6 2 2 26 147
4 United States Al Unser Jr. 12 2 5 8 3 9 8 4* 8 6 5 2 21 11 23 6 1 137
5 United States Mario Andretti 7 5 32 5 1 24 3 3 21 1 24 8 10 9 4 4 11 136
6 United States Kevin Cogan 1 17 2 12 14 21 23 5 22 2 4 4 4 20 9 14 4 115
7 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi 3 16 7 24 12 2 13 17 20 19 21 3 3 1 7 5 20 103
8 United States Rick Mears 19 20 3* 3 16 19 4 8 12 8 17 18 8 3 17 20 3 89
9 Colombia Roberto Guerrero 8 DNS 4 18 13 4* 17 20 24 21 2 17 22 4 5 12 2* 87
10 United States Tom Sneva 2 4 33 2 4 17 5 9 18 15 12 13 5 12 22 18 22 82
11 United States Johnny Rutherford 5 9 8 4 15 7 10 10 1 18 8 16 9 14 12 9 12 78
12 Australia Geoff Brabham 10 3 12 21 7 22 14 14 4 12 20 11 11 22 6 8 5 64
13 Brazil Raul Boesel 13 19 13 14 8 23 6 7 5 5 7 9 15 8 14 13 19 54
14 Mexico Josele Garza 23 7 18 7 17 8 7 23 2 7 14 24 45
15 Canada Jacques Villeneuve Sr. 8 20 15 5 5 19 24 11 19 10 19 16 6 38
16 Brazil Roberto Moreno 20 6 19 13 18 18 25 18 6 10 16 6 16 20 10 17 30
17 Netherlands Arie Luyendyk 6 15 15 9 16 24 6 23 17 18 13 7 10 15 21 29
18 United States Ed Pimm 22 22 17 10 6 12 DNS 15 24 7 11 7 10 29
19 United States Pancho Carter 16 3 3 15 28
20 United States Randy Lanier 11 13 10 20 9 6 9 21 19 21
21 United States A. J. Foyt 17 24 19 9 4 16 22 23 16
22 Netherlands Jan Lammers 9 14 DNQ 8 23 9 13
23 Republic of Ireland Derek Daly DNQ 6 10 13 11
24 United States Johnny Parsons 27 22 21 16 29 7 23 11 8
25 United States Randy Lewis 10 10 20 11 15 24 18 14 8
26 United States Chip Robinson  RY  14 7 6
27 United States Spike Gehlhausen DNQ 7 22 18 6
28 United Kingdom Ian Ashley 15 9 23 4
29 United States Sammy Swindell 9 4
30 United States Mike Nish  R  DNQ DNS 10 24 22 3
31 United States Dominic Dobson  R  12 19 11 18 16 19 18 21 13 3
32 United States Rick Miaskiewicz  R  21 DNQ 16 15 11 13 DNS 2
33 United States Gary Bettenhausen 21 11 23 26 13 21 20 19 2
34 United States Dale Coyne DNQ 23 21 DNQ 12 DNQ DNQ 26 23 12 DNQ 17 DNS DNQ 25 2
35 United States John Morton 12 1
36 United States Rocky Moran  R  13 16 25 25 DNQ 21 15 21 16 0
37 United States Jeff MacPherson 22 15 13 DNQ 0
38 South Africa Desiré Wilson 13 19 16 0
39 United States Scott Brayton 24 30 13 27 19 0
40 Australia Dennis Firestone Wth 17 28 14 14 17 0
41 United States Al Unser 18 22 14 20 15 0
42 United States Dick Simon 14 22 23 20 0
43 United States Chip Ganassi 14 21 0
44 United States Steve Chassey DNQ 17 28 17 0
45 United States Danny Ongais 23 0
46 United States Tom Phillips 24 0
47 United States Rich Vogler 25 0
48 United States George Snider 26 27 0
49 United States Eddie Cheever 27 0
50 United States Tony Bettenhausen Jr. 28 0
51 United Kingdom Jim Crawford 29 0
52 United States Phil Krueger 31 0
- United Kingdom Rupert Keegan  R  DNQ -
- United States Herm Johnson DNQ -
- United States Steve Bren  R  DNQ -
- United States John Paul Jr. Wth -
Pos Driver PHX1 United States LBH United States INDY United States MIL United States POR United States MEA United States CLE United States TOR Canada MIC1 United States POC United States MDO United States SAN Canada MIC2 United States ROA United States LAG United States PHX2 United States MIA United States Pts
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th-6th place
Light Blue 7th–12th place
Dark Blue Finished
(Outside Top 12)
Purple Did not finish
Red Did not qualify
(DNQ)
Brown Withdrawn
(Wth)
Black Disqualified
(DSQ)
White Did not start
(DNS)
Blank Did not
participate
(DNP)
Driver
replacement
(Rpl)
Injured
(Inj)
Race not held
(NH)
Not competing
In-line notation
Bold Pole position
Italics Ran fastest race lap
* Led most race laps
 RY  Rookie of the Year
 R  Rookie

See also

References

  1. "Driver Season Stats".
  2. "Driver Season Stats".
  3. "Driver Season Stats".
  4. "Driver Season Stats".
  5. "Driver Season Stats".
  6. "Driver Season Stats".
  7. "Driver Season Stats".
  8. "Driver Season Stats".
  9. "Driver Season Stats".
  10. "Driver Season Stats".
  11. "Driver Season Stats".
  12. "Driver Season Stats".
  13. "Driver Season Stats".


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