The1992 PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 14th national championship season ofAmerican open wheel racing sanctioned byCART (d.b.a "IndyCar"). The season consisted of 16 races.Bobby Rahal was the national champion, his third and final career CART title.Stefan Johansson was named the Rookie of the Year. The1992 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned byUSAC, but counted towards the CART points championship.Al Unser Jr. won the Indy 500 in the closest finish in the history of that event.
Starting in 1992, and continuing through 1996, the CART organization began operating under the nameIndyCar. The term IndyCar was a registered trademark ofIMS, Inc., and was licensed to CART from 1992 to 1996. The use of the term "CART" was curtailed in the series and in the media in favor of IndyCar during this period.
Bobby Rahal, who was in his first season as an owner/driver, won four races and three poles en route to the title. Rahal's three oval wins included a dominating wire-to-wire victory at Phoenix, where he led all 200 laps. Rahal fielded the "tried and true"Lola/IlmorChevrolet "A" combination. It was the final championship for the Ilmor Chevy A engine. Rahal managed to outperform the newer engines that joined the series in 1992, the Ford/Cosworth XB, as well as the Ilmor Chevy "B" engine, which was used by the Penske team. For the third time,Michael Andretti finished runner-up to Rahal in the points. Andretti promptly left Indy car racing the following year to race in Formula One.
A bevy of crashes, some serious, at the1992 Indianapolis 500 injured several drivers, and shook up the driver lineup during parts of the season.Jovy Marcelo was fatally injured in a practice crash, whileNelson Piquet suffered devastating leg injures in another practice crash.Hiro Matsushita suffered a fractured leg and missed several races over the summer.Mario Andretti,Rick Mears, andJimmy Vasser all sat out the race at Detroit while they recovered from injuries. In July, Mears dropped out of the Michigan 500 with nagging injuries, and ultimately sat out the rest of the season. Mears then unexpectedly retired from racing in December.
On October 23, 1991, the newly reformedHayhoe-Cole Racing announced thatJimmy Vasser would drive "as many (races) as we can afford" for the team in 1992, aiming to complete the full season. Vasser had won six races on route to a second-place finish in theAtlantic Championship behindJovy Marcelo, but was hampered by a lack of reliability.[46]
On November 21, 1991,A. J. Foyt expressed an intention to postpone his retirement and compete in the1992 Indianapolis 500, which was confirmed on January 24, 1992.[86][2]
On January 4, 1992, theRAL Group announced thatBrian Till would drive the No. 24 car in at least eight events, starting at theGrand Prix of Long Beach and competing in every subsequent road course event except forVancouver. His limited schedule, later under the Robco Racing name, went on to include an additional race at theNew Hampshire oval. Till finished fifth inIndy Lights points in 1991, a year after winning theAtlantic Championship driving for Robco.[71][87]
On February 4, 1992,King Motorsports announced an expansion of itsIndianapolis 500 program to two cars, to be driven byRoberto Guerrero andJim Crawford, having both raced for the team in 1991 and served as test drivers during the winter. It was also announced that Guerrero would drive at Long Beach as a warm-up for the 500, with no further races planned despite the increased manifold pressure forBuick engines at CART-sanctioned races.[50]
On February 14, 1992,Chip Ganassi Racing announced it would field a second car on a part-time basis forArie Luyendyk and rookieRobby Gordon. Luyendyk would drive the No. 6 car at theIndianapolis 500, with the possibility of other oval races subject to additional funding.[16] Gordon, aFord-backed competitor with multiple wins in theIMSA GT series andoff-road racing, was slated to drive at least six of the eight road course races after theIndianapolis 500.[88][89]
On February 17, 1992,Menard Racing announced that the former three-timeFormula One world championNelson Piquet would drive the No. 27 car at theIndianapolis 500, making his Indy Car debut.[72][90] Piquet had retired from Formula One in January, after finishing sixth in the last of his 14 seasons with theBenetton team.[91] Piquet took the car that had been intended forKevin Cogan, who was due to have reconstructive surgery on the shoulder injury he incurred in the 1991 edition.[92] In the same announcement,Gary Bettenhausen was confirmed to return to the No. 51 for the third straight year.[72]
On March 13, 1992,McCormack Motorsports-Arciero Racing announced the signing ofFabrizio Barbazza, who returned for his third stint with the team after the 1987 and 1989 seasons, to drive the No. 30 car. Barbazza switched fromFormula 1, where he failed at all of his 12 attempts to qualify for a Grand Prix with theAGS team during his rookie season.[52]
As a part of his role asPenske Racing's test driver,Paul Tracy was scheduled to compete again in a third car for selected events, including theIndianapolis 500. It was reported that his schedule was limited to the oval events and potentially the two Canadian races, although Penske did not made any specific announcements beforehand.[67][94] Tracy drove the olderPenske PC-20 at Phoenix and Indianapolis.[66]
The following drivers were entered for theSurfers Paradise race and other events without a prior announcement:
Dale Coyne Racing signed reigningIndy Lights championÉric Bachelart to drive the No. 19 car. Bachelart had been reported in February to have signed an eight-race deal for an unnamed team, but he ended up contesting an almost full season.[20] Bachelart took the place ofRandy Lewis, who retired from racing.[95][96]
Leader Cards Racing would contest the full 1992 season withBuddy Lazier, who had raced for various outfits in 1991. His sponsorship package prevented the team from downsizing to an Indy 500-only program.[51]
At the season opener inSurfers Paradise,Walker Motorsports fielded its second CART franchise, as the No. 17, in a joint effort withLeader Cards Racing, which provided theirLola T90/00-Cosworth spare car. The entry did not feature a driver until after qualifying, being included in the starting field regardless. On race day morning, March 22, 1992,A. J. Foyt was named as the driver in astart and park effort, to allow the entry to collect prize money.[81]
D. B. Mann Motorsports enteredJohn Paul Jr. to drive the No. 93 car for the third year in a row. The team entered the race one more time after they couldn't find a buyer in 1991, and announced it would shut down definitely after the race, although it would eventually return in 1993.[100][101]
Truesports enteredGeoff Brabham to drive the No. 21 car for the third year in a row. However, the effort was aborted on May 5 because ofScott Pruett destroying his primary car in a practice crash atGrand Prix of Long Beach, the lack of additional sponsorship to build a new model in time and Brabham suffering a minor neck injury in late April.[102][103][104]
R. Kent Baker Racing enteredSteve Chassey to drive the No. 97 car, which was supposed to be aLola T91/00 chassis. However, neither the car or the driver took part in any practice session, and the Indy-only team disappeared.
On April 1, 1992,Dick Simon Racing announced thatLyn St. James would drive the No. 90 car for the team at theIndianapolis 500 under the Paragon Racing banner, trying to become the second women in history to qualify for the race. She had previously driven inIMSA GT, with six wins in the GTO class, andTrans-Am.[34] As a long-timeFord factory driver, St. James was scheduled to race aCosworth engine, but she received permission to qualify and race a back-up car with aChevrolet engine after encountering issues with her primary machine.[74]
On April 3, 1992,A. J. Foyt withdrew from thePhoenix event after injuring his shoulder blade in a practice crash.[105] He was replaced the following day by veteran collaboratorGeorge Snider, who also worked as a refueller for the team and agreed tostart and park the No. 14 car. This was Snider's first Indy Car start since 1987, and the first at Phoenix since 1978.[3][106]
On April 8, 1992, further new combinations were entered for theIndianapolis 500:[33]
On April 21, 1992,Concept Motorsports announced thatMark Dismore would attempt to qualify at theIndianapolis 500 in the No. 66 instead ofDominic Dobson. Dismore was making his return to Indy Car competition after the extensive injuries he suffered the previous year at Indianapolis during practice. The agreement withBurns Racing Team was voided, but the car retained Burns' regular No. 66.[19]
On April 24, 1992,Gregor Foitek abandoned hisA. J. Foyt Enterprises ride before the rookie orientation practice for theIndianapolis 500, after his wife imposed him an ultimatum to return their family to Europe.[110][111] On April 28, 1992, Foyt announced thatJeff Andretti would attempt to qualify for theIndianapolis 500 in the No. 48 car.[11] Andretti was expected to complete the rest of the season in the No. 14 car before the leg injuries he suffered in the race, though no announcement had been made beforehand.[112]
On April 24, 1992,Walker Motorsports announced thatJohnny Rutherford would drive the No. 17 car at theIndianapolis 500, in his third attempt to make his 25th start at the race after not landing a ride in 1991.[82] On May 4, 1992, it was announced that Rutherford would drive the rest of the season,[113] but the sponsorship deal was voided just three days later,[114][115] and the car was parked until Rutherford found additional sponsorship on May 15.[116]
On May 7, 1992,Nelson Piquet suffered multiple leg and foot fractures in a practice crash. The next day,Menard Racing announced that four-time winnerAl Unser would take over the No. 27 car, making his return to theIndianapolis 500 after not having a ride in 1991.[73]
Early in May, it was reported thatRaul Boesel had lost his financial backing and was working to find enough sponsorship to qualify the No. 29 car.[117] On May 10, 1992, one day afterHiro Matsushita fractured his right femur in a practice crash, Boesel took his place inDick Simon Racing's No. 11 car.[27] On May 16, it was confirmed that Boesel would remain in the car during Matsushita's recovery.[28] On May 23, Boesel signed a deal to run the rest of the season, which would see him step into the No. 23 machine once Matsushita returned.[30]
On May 12, 1992,Burns Racing Team announced thatDominic Dobson would drive the No. 68 car, aLola T91/00. It had been originally entered with aBuick engine, but Dobson's announcement was held off until the team was able to get second-handChevrolet engines.[15][118]
On May 14, 1992,Menard Racing announced thatRocky Moran would drive the No. 59 car, two years after his last Indy 500 appearance. However, after just six practice laps, the deal was withdrawn due to Moran being too tall to fit in the tight confines of hisLola T91/00.[74] On May 16, he was replaced by former Indy 500 winnerTom Sneva, who had failed to qualify with the same team one year before.[75]
On May 15, 1992,Walker Motorsports announced thatMike Groff would attempt to qualify the No. 15T car, aLola T92/00, which was the original primary machine forScott Goodyear before he elected to qualify his spareLola T91/00 car on Pole Day due to last-minute mechanical issues. The deal called for Groff to qualify the car and swap rides with Goodyear, taking over the T91/00 if both cars made the show.[79] After Goodyear was bumped from the field, Groff relinquished his spot, and the No. 15T was again renumbered as No. 15.[122]
On May 17, 1992, during Bump Day morning,Mark Dismore deserted his ride withConcept Motorsports after struggling during the month and switched to a back-up car forD. B. Mann Motorsports, labelled as No. 93T, on which he failed to qualify. Concept did not attempt to qualify after failing to reach a deal withJohnny Parsons.[25][123]
On June 1, 1992,Newman/Haas Racing announced thatMario Andretti would miss theDetroit Grand Prix after fracturing his toes, this being only the second time in his career he had been sidelined due to injury. He was replaced byTeo Fabi, the reigningWorld Sportscar champion withJaguar, who had last raced an Indy car in 1990 with the defunctPorsche program.[4]
On June 1, 1992,Bettenhausen Motorsports announced thatSwedish driverStefan Johansson would drive the No. 16 car at theDetroit Grand Prix. Johansson, a former driver for theMcLaren andFerrari F1 teams with 79 career starts until 1991, replaced team ownerTony Bettenhausen Jr., who elected to reduce his schedule to the oval races after failing to qualify for theIndianapolis 500, for sporting and business reasons. Bettenhausen also announced that he would drive atPortland due to Johansson's previous commitment withMazda at the24 Hours of Le Mans.[4] Johansson had previously reached an agreement to drive a second car forTruesports, which was never signed due to internal disagreements within the team.[124][125]
Other drivers were entered for theDetroit Grand Prix without a prior announcement:
Walker Motorsports entered the No. 17 car forMike Groff, who didn't start the race after being a late qualifier.[80] Groff would get to start a race in the No. 17 car later in the year atRoad America, also as a late qualifier.
On June 16, 1992, Foyt announced that rookieRoss Cheever would drive atPortland instead ofBrian Bonner, who claimed he had been promised a full-time ride.[5] Cheever, twice a runner-up in theJapanese Formula 3000 standings with six wins, was hoped to race at most of the events that didn't collide with his Japanese campaign, competing in five races over the year.[6] Bonner returned toDale Coyne Racing, being entered atMilwaukee for practice purposes before competing atNew Hampshire andMid-Ohio.[23][126][127]
At Portland,Hayhoe-Cole Racing fielded the No. 17 car forJimmy Vasser instead of their regular No. 47 as part of a partnership withWalker Motorsports, which was the entrant for the car and shared the related earnings for fielding its second franchised entry. This was done again atCleveland,Vancouver andNazareth, the last of which Vasser withdrew from, after fullfilling the franchise requirement by taking part in practice.[79]
On July 13, 1992,Penske Racing announced thatPaul Tracy would replace Mears for the second time at theToronto race, due to his lingering wrist issues, and that both drivers would compete at theMichigan 500 as part of a three-car effort. Penske also revealed that Tracy had been scheduled to drive the No. 7 car at his home race before Mears stepped down.[33]
On July 18, 1992,Hiro Matsushita announced he would not compete at theMichigan 500 after his aborted return atToronto, where he withdrew after practice due to lingering leg pain. Boesel, who had driven the No. 23 car for the first time at Toronto, went back to the No. 11 at Michigan before Matsushita returned to the cockpit at Cleveland.[29]
On July 30, 1992,Walker Motorsports announced it would enter the No. 17 car at theMichigan 500 forJon Beekhuis, who was injured one year before with the same team at the same track.[83]
On August 4, 1992,Penske Racing announced thatPaul Tracy would again replaceRick Mears at theGrand Prix of Cleveland, after Mears withdrew mid-race from theMichigan 500 because of his injured wrist.[62] On August 12, 1992, it was announced that Mears would miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his wrist, with Tracy taking his spot.[63]
Starting atMid-Ohio,A. J. Foyt Enterprises hiredMike Groff to contest the final three races of the season, replacingRoss Cheever. Groff, who had already driven for the team at the end of 1991, became Foyt's ninth different driver over the year, including the team owner himself.[10]
On September 17, 1992,Penske Racing announced thatAl Unser would drive the No. 4 car atNazareth, three years after his last race for Penske.[64]Paul Tracy was set to drive the No. 7 car due to a previous sponsorship commitment withMobil 1, as it had been the case atMid-Ohio, where the No. 4 car withMarlboro colors was not run.[134][135]
AtNazareth andLaguna Seca,Dale Coyne Racing fieldedDennis Vitolo in the No. 19 car, which was its newly acquiredLola T91/00 chassis, because of Vitolo's new sponsorship, which can be traced as early as September 13, 1992.[8] Bachelart was moved to the No. 39, although he did not took to the track atNazareth.
On October 17, 1992,Walker Motorsports announced thatWilly T. Ribbs would drive the No. 17 car that weekend at theLaguna Seca season finale. Ribbs had driven for Walker for most of the 1991 season.[85]
On January 24, 1991,Galles-Kraco Racing announced its plans to build its own car, to be named asGalmer G92, for the 1992 season.[136][137][138] The car was first unveiled to the public on August 24, 1991.[139]
On October 20, 1991,Alfa Romeo announced its withdrawal from Indy Car racing after three seasons, ending its two-year relationship withPatrick Racing.[141] On the same day, Patrick reported to the press thatChevrolet had denied the team an engine contract earlier in the month, because of a trangression in late 1989 when they had sent a unit to Alfa Romeo engineers, who tore it apart and studied it.[142] An offer to run a limited, unsupported batch of Alfa engines was rejected,[143] and a tentative agreement withNewman/Haas Racing to use their 1991Chevrolet engines was discarded in November because of a lack of guarantees for rebuilds and electronics supply from Chevrolet buildersIlmor.[144][145][146]
On October 23, 1991, Jim Hayhoe announced the reformation of the Hayhoe Racing team, which had fielded Indy Cars in 1967–68 and 1970.[147] The team reached a deal withGalles-Kraco Racing, who sold twoLola T91/00 chassis, facilitated the use ofChevrolet engines and recommended their test driverJimmy Vasser.[148][149][150] In February, it was reported that race car collector Rick Cole was a co-owner in the team, which was known asHayhoe-Cole Racing.[46]
On October 30, 1991,Ford Motor Company announced its return to Indy Car racing in an official capacity for the first time since 1971, teaming up withCosworth. The new Ford-Cosworth XB engines would be supplied toNewman/Haas Racing andChip Ganassi Racing, with both teams switching fromChevrolet. The same day,Chevrolet announced a new version of their engine, to be used exclusively byPenske Racing in 1992.[151]
On December 19, 1991,Bobby Rahal announced he had bought outPatrick Racing along with his business partnerCarl Hogan, a former team owner inCan-Am andFormula 5000. The organization was renamed asRahal-Hogan Racing, signed an engine supply deal withChevrolet and changed numbers on the car to No. 12. Former team ownerPat Patrick claimed he felt forced to sell after being 'black-listed' by Chevrolet, so the team could receive a competitive engine, and thus retain sponsorship from theMiller Brewing Company.[70]
On January 4, 1992, the provisionally named RAL Group, a team with formerIndy Lights andAtlantic Championship experience under the Cole Performance banner, announced it would step up to the Indy Cars in 1992. The team became the first and only customer for theTruesports chassis, using the 91C model with Judd engines.[87] The name of the team was later stablished asRobco Racing in late May.
On January 22, 1992,Vince Granatelli Racing announced the team would be shut down after five seasons in the series due to a lack of sponsorship. Despite winning two races withArie Luyendyk, Granatelli run half of the 1991 season without corporate support after its split with co-owner Bob Tezak.[154]
On February 13, 1992, it was reported thatBayside Motorsports had shut down after three seasons in Indy Car racing, leavingJeff Andretti without a drive. The team had lost theTexaco sponsorship, and its owner Bruce Leven had sold all of his auto franchises after a costly divorce settlement.[155][156]
Walther Motorsports did not enter theIndianapolis 500 after failing to qualify in the last two editions, putting a definite end to the team after decades in Indy car racing. DriverSalt Walther was arrested in March 1992 over the theft of a golf cart owned by theIndianapolis Motor Speedway after the 1991 race.[159]
For the 1992 season,Arciero Racing changed names toMcCormack Motorsports-Arciero Racing, reflecting the ownership change that had already taken place the previous season between team manager Dennis McCormack and franchise owner Frank Arciero.[160][161] In August 1992, the team came to be known only asMcCormack Motorsports, as both entities were set to split for 1993.[131]
For theIndianapolis 500,Dick Simon Racing entered cars forScott Brayton that featured both its regularChevrolet engines and stock-blockBuick engines, built by Brayton Engineering. After practising with both cars, Brayton elected to qualify with a Buick.[32]
After failing to qualify for theIndianapolis 500, and the departure of its former driverDominic Dobson,Concept Motorsport failed to appear at any other race during the season due to a lack of sponsorship, and was closed shortly after.[162]
After missing theNew Hampshire race,Leader Cards Racing struck a deal withHemelgarn Racing to lease its racing operation for the remainder of the season. The car was run in Hemelgarn colors, and it switched to aChevrolet engine fromCleveland onwards.[163][164] Although it was reported during the year that Leader Cards had closed up shop, the team retained its franchise and retook control after the season.[165][166]
^Used by Mario Andretti at round 1, and by Michael Andretti at rounds 1-2.
^Practiced and withdrew from the event due to extensive leg injuries.
^Practiced and withdrew from the event because he didn't fit in the car.
^abAt theIndianapolis 500,Scott Goodyear qualified his spare car, a Lola T91/00, due to a mechanical issue in his primary car. On the second week of qualifications, Groff was signed to qualify the former primary car as the No. 15T entry, and was set to switch rides with Goodyear for the race. However, Groff had to relinquish his spot in the starting field after Goodyear was bumped.
Bobby Rahal
Lola
Stefan Johansson
