The1996 U.S. 500 was aCART series race held atMichigan International Speedway inBrooklyn, Michigan on Sunday May 26, 1996. It was the sixth round of the1996 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season, and was run on the same day as the1996 Indianapolis 500.Jimmy Vasser ofChip Ganassi Racing won the race from the pole position. It marked the first and only time that two 500-mile Indy car races were held at Michigan in the same season, alongside the traditionalMichigan 500, which washeld two months later on July 28.

1996 U.S. 500

Race details
Race 6 of 16 in the1996 CART season
1996 U.S. 500 program cover
Date	May 26, 1996
Official name	The Inaugural U.S. 500
Location	Michigan International Speedway,Brooklyn, Michigan, United States
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.000 mi / 3.219 km
Distance	250 laps 500.000 mi / 804.672 km
Weather	Temperatures reaching up to 63 °F (17 °C); wind speeds up to 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h)[1]
Pole position
Driver	Jimmy Vasser (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Time	31.031 (232.025 mph)
Fastest lap
Driver	Alex Zanardi (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Time	30.836 (233.493 mph) (on lap 18 of 250)
Podium
First	Jimmy Vasser (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Second	Maurício Gugelmin (PacWest Racing)
Third	Roberto Moreno (Payton/Coyne Racing)

The race was born out of a protest of the formation of the rivalIRL and specifically the reservation of starting spots in the1996 Indianapolis 500 to IRL-based entries.^[2][3]Traditionally, the Indianapolis 500 has had a field of 33 cars. In 1994,Indianapolis Motor Speedway presidentTony George announced he was going to start a new series, theIndy Racing League (IRL), with theIndianapolis 500 as its centerpiece.^{[4][5][6][7][8]}CART had been sanctioning the sport ofIndy car racing since1979, with the exception of the Indianapolis 500 itself, which was sanctioned singly byUSAC. Throughout much of 1995, the CART-based teams were unhappy with the formation of the IRL, and mostly uninterested in participating in its events.^[9][10][11] However, for the time being, they were still tentatively preparing to compete at the Indianapolis 500 (in a one-off) pending a reconciliation.^[12] On July 3, 1995, the IRL announced that the top 25 drivers in IRL points would be guaranteed starting positions in the 1996 Indy 500, leaving only eight at-large spots; a rule that became known as the25/8 rule.^[13][14] On December 18, 1995CART teams, convinced they were being deliberatelylocked out from the 1996 Indy 500, and the victims of a "power grab" by Tony George, announced their intentions toboycott that event. The owners, along with CART president and CEO Andrew Craig, jointly announced plans for a new race, the InauguralU.S. 500, to be held atMichigan International Speedway the same day.^[15][16]

A field of 28 cars qualified for the race. All of the CART-based teams participated, including such major teams asPenske,Ganassi,Newman/Haas,Galles,Rahal,Tasman,Forsyth, andTeam Green - each considered among the top teams in thesport. The race attracted a crowd of 110,879 spectators,^[17][18] and posted a $1 million purse for first place. The historicVanderbilt Cup trophy was revived and would be presented to the winner. But the race was marred by a huge pileup on the pace lap, which turned the race into a debacle.^[17][18] Approaching the green flag in turn four,Adrián Fernández, in the middle of the front row, clipped wheels with polesitterJimmy Vasser. Both cars crashed collectingBryan Herta on the outside of the front row. Several other cars were collected in the incident. Many cars crashed, spun, or veered to the infield grass to avoid the melee. The race was red-flagged, with no less than 12 cars involved in the crash. About an hour later, the race was restarted with numerous drivers switching to back-up cars.

CART rookieAlex Zanardi started in row two and avoided the pace lap crash. He led 134 laps (of 250) but dropped out with a blown engine on lap 175. With nine laps to go, race leaderAndré Ribeiro's car ran out of fuel, and he was forced to duck into the pits for a splash-and-go. Ribeiro's car - one of the backup cars rolled out - did not have proper working fuel telemetry, leaving the crew unsure of their fuel situation.Jimmy Vasser led the final 9 laps to victory. It was Vasser's fourth win of the season, and he would go on to win the1996 CART championship.

See also1996 Indy Racing League season

The seeds of the IRL/CART "Split" were planted in the early 1990s, when newly-namedIndianapolis Motor Speedway presidentTony George began exploring options of changes in the sport ofIndy car racing. Sharply rising costs, the lack of manyovals on the schedule, and the dwindling number of American participants were among his stated concerns. As early as May 1991,^[19][20] George announced intentions to change the engine formula to 3.5Lnormally aspirated powerplants (similar to the engines used inFormula One at the time), an idea that never got beyond the planning stages. George joined the CART board of directors from 1992 to 1994 as a non-voting member. He resigned after the brief tenure, disagreeing with the direction of the series.^[21][22]

In the summer of 1994, George announced he was going to start a new series, theIndy Racing League, with theIndianapolis 500 as its centerpiece.^[4][5]CART had been sanctioning the sport of Indy car racing since1979, with the exception of the Indianapolis 500 itself, which was sanctioned singly byUSAC. The firstUSAC/CART "split" in 1979 had already caused major controversy in the sport. USAC continued to sanction paved championship races outside of Indianapolis as late as1981, but by1983 dropped all races outside of Indy. An arrangement around that time was put in place to recognize the Indianapolis 500 on the CART schedule, and it would pay points towards the CART championship. The Indy 500 would be contested by the CART-based teams, along with numerous part-time and "Indy only" entries. Stability returned, and the sport settled into a relative harmony through 1995. Rules between the two sanctioning bodies were largely similar, and for the most part, the same chassis and engines were used by both, with only minor technical differences. One conspicuous difference was that USAC allowed "stock block" engines (e.g.BuickV-6 and theMenard V-6) moreturbocharger boost than CART allowed, and USAC - for a time - allowed purpose-builtpushrod engines (a rule that was exploited byPenske in1994).

George blueprinted the new Indy Racing League as a lower-cost alternative to CART, with an emphasis on attracting more American drivers (particularly from theSprint andMidget ranks), an all-oval schedule, and new cars withnormally-aspirated, "production-based" engines. Turbochargers would be banned after 1996. For approximately the first season and a half the Indy Racing League would fall under the overall sanctioning umbrella ofUSAC. As a result of these changes, the Indy 500 would no longer be recognized on the CART calendar, and due to a planned "rules freeze", CART's 1996 model year chassis and some of the 1996 engines would technically be prohibited as well.^[23] Furthermore, starting in1997, the machines raced in IRL would be entirely different and the chassis and turbocharged engines used in CART would no longer be allowed at the Speedway.

Almost immediately, a turbulent political controversy erupted, with participants, media, fans, manufacturers, and sponsors all apprehensive of the sport's direction and pending shakeup. The prevailing opinion around the CART paddock was largely negative regarding the formation of the IRL. The1995 season and1995 Indy 500 were held as normal, but under a growing cloud of uncertainty about the future of the sport. During the summer of 1995, and into the offseason, the two factions of CART and the IRL were unable to reconcile on much of anything, and the "Split" began to take shape.

From 1992 to 1996,Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) licensed the trademarkIndyCar from theIndianapolis Motor Speedway. During that timeframe, the CART series was referred to as thePPG IndyCar Series, the sanctioning bodyoperated under the name "IndyCar", and the machines were referred to as "Indy cars". All references to "CART" were largely eschewed. With the upstart series now named theIndy Racing League, and ties between theIndy 500 and CART severed, there was growing confusion with respect to the names.

Throughout much of the summer and fall of 1995,CART teams were generally ambivalent regarding the formation of the IRL and expressed no interest in participating in any IRL race other than Indianapolis.^[12] CART announced their1996 schedule on June 10, 1995, which initially featured no races in May and an open date onMemorial Day weekend.^[24][25] While no direct conflicts with the three-race1996 IRL schedule were created, CART scheduled international races atRio andAustralia the weekend before and the weekend after the IRL race atPhoenix, respectively. With lengthy and logistically complicated international trips bookending Phoenix, there would be no realistic way for the CART teams to participate in that event.^[23]

On July 3, 1995, to ensure larger car counts for non-Indianapolis races, the IRL announced that the top 25 drivers in the IRL points standings would be guaranteed starting positions in the 1996 Indy 500. The only condition was to meet a prescribed minimum qualifying speed average during time trials (220 mph).^[13][14] The new rules meant that only eight positions would be filled by non-top 25 "at-large" entries, leading to it being referred to as the25/8 rule.^[13][14]

George and others within the IRL hoped that the25/8 rule would lure some of the CART teams to participate in the first two IRL races in 1996 (Walt Disney World andPhoenix).^[23] However, none of the CART teams were planning on entering either of those two races.^[14] Since none of the CART-based entries would have scored any IRL championship points by the time they arrived at Indy in May, the entire contingent of CART-based teams (as many as 28 cars), would all be considered "at-large" entries - all vying for only 8 spots on the grid. With additional handful of (non-CART based) one-off "Indy-only" entries expected to enter, the total number of "at-large" cars could be as high as 35–40.

On December 18, 1995CART teams, convinced they were being deliberatelylocked out from the 1996 Indy 500, announced their intention toboycott the 500. The owners, along with CART president and CEO Andrew Craig, jointly announced plans for a new race, the InauguralU.S. 500, to be held atMichigan International Speedway the same day.^[15][16] At the time, Michigan was owned byRoger Penske, a prominent owner in the CART series. The official reaction fromIMS/IRL was one of disappointment and dismay, suggesting thatCART was preparing to do considerable damage toIndy car racing.^[26][27] CART participants were convinced of the opposite.

Almost immediately after the announcement of the race, the U.S. 500 was marketed as the "[Real] stars and cars" ofIndy car racing.^{[28][29][30][31]} It was to imply the top teams, top drivers, and the best equipment would be racing at Michigan and not at Indy. The tagline appeared on the race's program cover, and similar phrases appeared in various advertisements. Several of the drivers atIndy were inexperienced rookies from an obscure range of backgrounds, giving the impression of a field ofreplacement drivers.^[32] Three formerIndy 500 winners (Bobby Rahal,Emerson Fittipaldi, andAl Unser Jr.) would be at Michigan, while only former 500 winner (Arie Luyendyk) would be at Indy.

TheU.S. 500 name was a reference to theUnitedStates of America, and was immediately referred to by CART CEO Andrew Craig as "...America's best taking on the world."^[15] The name style was not entirely unique; it was similar to theNHRA'sU.S. Nationals, and theFormula OneU.S. Grand Prix. Without Indy on their calendar, CART was determined to establish the U.S. 500 as the flagship event for their series.^[33]

All of the CART-based teams elected to boycott the1996 Indianapolis 500 (and the remainder of the1996 IRL season) except forGalles andWalker. But neither of those two teams fielded their regular full-time CART drivers at Indy. Former CART teamsA. J. Foyt Racing,Hemelgarn Racing, andDick Simon Racing (which had been sold toAndy Evans and becameTeam Scandia) switched alliances during the offseason to the IRL.

As the month of May drew closer, the chances of any sort of reconciliation evaporated. Some sponsors, such asValvoline, pulled their support of the Indy 500, and switched their alliances to the U.S. 500.^[34][35][36] Numerous CART drivers, includingEmerson Fittipaldi,Michael Andretti,Al Unser Jr.,Bobby Rahal,Robby Gordon, among others, went on record stating they wished they were racing at Indianapolis, but would not do so.^{[36][37][38][39][40]}

• January 18, 1996: CART announced a $3.5 million purse for the U.S. 500, with $1 million going to the winner. Second place would receive $250,000 and $100,000 for third.^[41]
• January 27, 1996: The rivalIRL holds its inaugural race, theIndy 200 atWalt Disney World Speedway.^[42][43] As expected, none of the CART-based teams showed up.^[44][45]
• February 23, 1996:Tony George met withRoger Penske in an effort to discuss a solution which would lure the CART teams back to Indy. A proposal to expand the Indy 500 field to 42 cars, and a request to allow 1996 model year chassis were among the ideas discussed. Though some media outlets prematurely reported a truce, and that the U.S. 500 was cancelled,^[46] the meeting adjourned with no real progress and no formal agreement.^[47]
• March 3, 1996: The CART season began with theMarlboro Grand Prix of Miami atHomestead–Miami Speedway.Jimmy Vasser was the winner, his first CART series victory.^[48][49]
• March 24, 1996: The second race of the IRL season was held atPhoenix. Once again, no CART-based teams entered. It was the final IRL race before going to Indy.
• May 2, 1996: An entry list of 29 cars was announced for the U.S. 500.^[50]Mario Andretti, rumored to be coming out of retirement to race in the U.S. 500, was not the list.^[51]
• May 6, 1996: TheIndianapolis Motor Speedway and theIndy Racing League filed a lawsuit in theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana to preventCART from using theIndyCar trademark. CART had been licensing the moniker since 1992. IMS also filed for damages, accusing CART and its members of conspiracy and antitrust. JudgeDavid F. Hamilton presided over the suit.^[52] Later in the year, the lawsuit would be settled. For1997, CART relinquished its license of the termIndyCar, and rebranded itself as "CART" once again. In order to further distance themselves from the Indy 500 and the rival Indy Racing League (which it no longer had any link), participants started referring to their machines not as "Indy cars" but as "Champ Cars", a revival of a historic name.^[53]

Practice and qualifying was scheduled for May 9–12 and May 24–25, with race day scheduled for May 26. The track was scheduled to open on Thursday May 9 with rookie orientation,^[54] followed by full field practice on Friday May 10. Pole qualifying was scheduled for Saturday May 11, followed by Second Round qualifying on May 12. The teams would then depart and return two weeks later. If necessary, a third and final round of qualifying would be held on Friday May 24. Final practice was scheduled for Saturday May 25, the day before the race.^[28]

Scheduling qualifying for a separate weekend mimicked the schedule for theIndy 500, and was largely unique compared to other the CART series races. Nearly all other CART races conducted qualifying on the same weekend as the race. Pole qualifying for the U.S. 500 would be held on the same day and around the same time aspole qualifying for the Indy 500. This effectively prevented teams competing at both events from having hopes of winning the pole position at both races.

Rookie orientation was held on Thursday May 9.^[54] Two practice sessions were held, and nine drivers participated. No incidents were reported, but rain fell during the part of the day.Roberto Moreno, competing full-time in the CART series for the first time since1986, took part in a refresher test. CART series rookieAlex Zanardi set the fastest lap of the day.^[55][56]

Two practice sessions were scheduled for Friday May 10, a morning session and an afternoon session. Due to rain, however, the afternoon session was cancelled. A total of 27 drivers took laps, with no incidents reported. Many of the drivers reported that the reduction in downforce and the reduction in turbocharger boost made driving the track more difficult than in previous years. Honda-powered machines swept the top four spots, withAdrián Fernández the fastest for the day.^[57]

On the morning of Saturday May 11, the next practice session was held. Cold temperatures, high winds, and light snow flurries were reported.Adrián Fernández (235.608 mph) once again led the speed chart, but the lap was aided by a tow.Paul Tracy was second-fastest.Scott Pruett reportedly suffered mechanical problems, and would switch to a back-up car for qualifying.^[58]

Pole qualifying was scheduled to begin at approximately 1 p.m., with a $100,000 bonus going to the pole position winner. Temperatures were in the mid-to-low 40s (°F) with strong winds, and awind chill of 28 °F.^[58] Cars were permitted up to four warm-up laps which were followed by two timed laps. The final results were based on the best single lap (a "best of two" format), and the grid would line up in rows of three.Bryan Herta was the first driver out to qualify, and he would wind up putting his car on the outside of the front row.

Penske driversAl Unser Jr. andPaul Tracy reportedwastegate issues, which slowed their speeds. On his first attempt,Emerson Fittipaldi took the green flag, but pulled in to the pits with an engine issue. He was able to make a second attempt, and qualified 9th.Gil de Ferran blew an engine, but was able to qualify in a back-up car.Jimmy Vasser, with his first lap at 232.025 mph, won the pole position. A total of 26 cars completed runs.^[59][60]Teo Fabi, who fractured his foot in a bicycle accident the previous weekend, did not make an attempt, and was expected to withdraw.P. J. Jones did not make an attempt, while rumors were circulating thatMario Andretti might come out of retirement to make a qualifying attempt.

Second round qualifying was scheduled for Sunday May 12, but no cars elected to make a qualifying attempt. Once again, unseasonably cold temperatures, snow flurries, and winds chills in the mid-20s (°F) made for difficult and uncomfortable conditions. Approximately 3,000 spectators were in attendance. A three-hour practice session was held, with 22 drivers taking laps.Paul Tracy was the fastest of the afternoon.Mario Andretti took laps in modified 1994 Lola carrying anIMAX camera, filming scenes for the upcomingdocumentary filmSuper Speedway. Andretti confirmed that he would not make an attempt to qualify for the race. After practice, the teams departed. Several teams were planning to test at other venues before returning to Michigan on May 24.^[61]

The teams returned to Michigan after an 11-day layoff. During practice, the first major crash occurred. Coming out of turn two,Paul Tracy came up quickly on the car of teammateAl Unser Jr. He tried to go around on the outside, but hit the outside wall. Tracy spun across the track, and made contact withHiro Matsushita. Tracy's car suffered heavy damage to the front left suspension, but since it was his back-up car, he would still be able to start as normal on race day. Matsushita's car suffered heavy damage, but neither driver was injured.

Three practice sessions were held Friday.Alex Zanardi turned the fastest practice lap of the day.Adrian Fernandez was injured when a piece of carbon fiber became lodged in his left eye.^[62][63]

Gary Bettenhausen arrived at the track, attempting to qualify for his first Indy car race since1993. Bettenhausen managed only a handful of practice laps, with the car suffering boost control and popoff valve problems. The team decided to put the car in the qualifying line anyway, and he took the green flag after only three warmup laps. Bettenhausen turned a lap of 208.607 mph, then suffered engine failure on the second lap. Though he was slowest car in the field, it was enough to make the starting grid.

P. J. Jones, the only other non-qualified driver withdrew. He announced instead that he would make his CART debut atMilwaukee the following weekend.^[64]

The final practice was held Saturday May 25. Scott Pruett was the fastest driver for the day. No incidents were reported.^[65]

  Drivers eliminated in the pace lap crash

  Drivers involved in the pace lap crash; made repairs or switched to a back-up car for the restart

 R  1996 CART series rookie

• Teo Fabi (#37) - Withdrew due to non-racing related injury
• P. J. Jones (#98) - Withdrew

Race day dawned overcast and cool, with a slight chance of showers. The green flag was scheduled for just after 2 p.m. (eastern), about two hours after the start of theIndy 500. Television coverage was live onESPN.^[66]GovernorJohn Engler gave the command to start engines. Series officials announced several new experimental rules before the race. At the onset of caution, the pits will immediately be closed. After the field is bunched up behind thepace car, the pits will be open the first time around for lead lap cars. The next time around, the pits will be open to lapped cars. The pit road speed limit was reduced from 110 mph to 80 mph, and stop-and-go penalties were replaced with the drive-through penalty. Two-wide restarts will be utilized, with lead lap cars on the outside, and lapped cars to the inside. Finally, drivers may not pass on a restart until after they cross the start/finish line.^[67]

A moment of silence was held to honorScott Brayton, who was killed at Indianapolis on May 17. Each car carried a decal in memory of Brayton.^[67]

The field of 27 cars lined up in nine rows of three, mimicking the traditional starting grid at Indy, as well as Michigan 500 races of years past. The field was given three warm-up laps. Around this time, theIndy 500 was approaching lap 110.^[68] On the third and final pace lap, the field assembled tightly into the three-wide grid down the backstretch. The pace car dropped off and the front row, consisting ofJimmy Vasser (inside),Adrián Fernández (middle), andBryan Herta (outside) led the field into turn four. As the cars accelerated through turn four, just seconds before the green flag was to be displayed, the left front wheel of Fernández's car clipped the right rear wheel of Vasser's car. Vasser's car pivoted sharply to the right, collecting the car of Herta, and both crashed hard into the outside wall. Fernández spun wildly to the inside, and a melee broke out behind them. No less than twelve cars became caught up in a huge pileup.^[69] Some cars spun or veered to the infield grass to avoid contact. Among the cars that avoided contact wereAlex Zanardi,Al Unser Jr.,Paul Tracy, andMichael Andretti.Parker Johnstone claimed he narrowly avoided a flying suspension piece, and Andretti said a tire flew over his head.^[69][17][18]

The red flag was displayed instantly, and the start was aborted. Vasser and Herta climbed from their cars, both visibly angry. No drivers were seriously injured, but the track was littered with debris and numerous wrecked cars were stopped on the track or parked in the infield grass. Safety crew tended to the scene and pit crews began scrambling to find spare parts and roll out back-up cars. Several drivers expressed frustration about the perceived slowness of the start by polesitter Vasser. Officials declared that since the green flag never came out, all participants were permitted to make repairs under the red flag, and/or switch to back-up machines. Involved in the crash were: Vasser, Fernández, Herta,André Ribeiro,Emerson Fittipaldi,Gil de Ferran,Maurício Gugelmin,Parker Johnstone,Eddie Lawson,Fredrik Ekblom,Jeff Krosnoff, andJuan Manuel Fangio II. Other cars suffered minor damage, includingRaul Boesel.^[69][17][18]

Fittipaldi, de Ferran, Gugelmin, Johnstone, and Lawson all managed to make repairs. Vasser, Herta, Ribeiro, Ekblom, Krosnoff, and Fangio each switched to back-up cars. The grid was reassembled in pit lane, and drivers climbed into their cockpits, with some crew members still performing last-minute fixes and adjustments. Fernández's team tried to make the necessary repairs, but were unsuccessful. They claimed that their car was the last to be towed back to the pits, which offered them insufficient time to inspect the damage much less make repairs. They ran out of time to switch to their back-up machine and elected to drop out of the race. Fernández was the only car to not line up for the second start attempt, and placed last.^[69][17][18]

After a red flag delay of 1 hour and 1 minute,^[70] 26 cars lined up for a second attempt at a start. Almost half the field consisted of back-ups, or cars with repairs (some finished hastily). By this time, theIndy 500 was on about lap 172 (28 laps to go).^[71] WithAdrián Fernández officially out of the race, only two cars made up the front row. A rather strung-out start saw polesitterJimmy Vasser jump the start, and he held a sizeable lead when the green flag dropped.Al Unser Jr. andAlex Zanardi moved into second and third, withBryan Herta slipping down to fourth. At the end of lap 2,Scott Pruett blew an engine on the frontstretch, bringing out the first caution of the day.

The green flag was back out on lap 8, with Vasser leading, Zanardi second, and Unser third.Michael Andretti moved pastEmerson Fittipaldi at start/finish line, then got by Unser going into turn three. Only three laps later, however, the yellow was out again, this time for a blown engine byFredrik Ekblom (incidentally, the first of the back-up cars to suffer mechanical problems).

After the subsequent restart,Alex Zanardi chased down his teammate Jimmy Vasser and took the lead for the first time on lap 18. The yellow came out for debris on lap 23, and most of the leaders headed to pit lane for their first scheduled pit stops. The green was back out on lap 28 withMaurício Gugelmin andRoberto Moreno cycled to the front. Gugelmin and Moreno each led a handful of laps before Zanardi easily chased them down. Zanardi was back in the lead by lap 37.

Alex Zanardi dominated the first half, as attrition began to take its toll on several of the contenders.Raul Boesel,Michael Andretti, andRobby Gordon all dropped out with mechanical problems. Zanardi led Vasser,André Ribeiro,Greg Moore, andMark Blundell. Penske teammatesAl Unser Jr. andPaul Tracy began suffering from handling problems, as wasEmerson Fittipaldi in theHogan-Penske entry. All three began slipping down the standings, and none of the three would be factors for the rest of the afternoon.

On lap 84,Gary Bettenhausen (running about 5 laps down) went high and crashed in turn four. Bettenhausen believed he cut a tire, which pushed him into the wall. With fluids pouring from the machine, a lengthy caution was needed to clean up the incident.

Zanardi continued to lead, chased by Moore, Ribeiro, and Vasser.Bobby Rahal climbed as high as sixth, but soon slipped out of the top ten with a pushing condition. At the halfway point, Zanadri led Ribeiro by 8.3 seconds.

On lap 128,Bobby Rahal, battlingundersteer, drifted high exiting turn two and brushed the outside wall. The yellow came out for contact, and Rahal circulated two additional laps before pulling into the pits. Rahal was out of the race with suspension damage. The field prepared to restart on lap 132, but the restart was waved off. Officials noticed thatAndré Ribeiro (who had pitted just before the yellow for Rahal's incident) was lined up with the lapped cars. He had been inadvertently trapped behind the pace car. They corrected the error by waving him around so he could make up the lap. Meanwhile,Eddie Lawson was sent to the back of the line for a blend-line violation. The race was finally restarted at lap 138.

Alex Zanardi continued to lead, with Jimmy Vasser, Greg Moore, Mark Blundell, Bryan Herta, and Gil de Ferran among those still on the lead lap. On lap 146, de Ferran went to the pits for an unscheduled stop. The pop-off valve gasket failed, and he lost five laps as the crew made repairs. At the same time,Jeff Krosnoff blew an engine, bringing out the 7th caution of the day.

The green came back out with 98 laps to go. Eight cars were still on the lead lap. The Ganassi teammates of Zanardi and Vasser ran 1st-2nd, running laps in the 230 mph range. Greg Moore and André Ribeiro were racing for 3rd-4th on lap 160 when Moore spun coming out of turn two. The back end came around, and the car spun through the infield grass. Moore did not make any contact, and was able to drive back to the pits to change tires. Under the yellow, Vasser and Zanardi had trouble in the pits. Vasser's team dropped the jacks before the left rear tire was attached, while Zanardi slid past his marks. The team had to roll the car backwards in order to engage the fuel hose. Christian Fittipaldi broke the pneumatic jacks on his car, prompting an extra stop for examination, as well as forcing the team to revert to manual jacks. He would later fall out with engine failure.

After the pit stops were completed,Parker Johnstone moved into the lead, with Ribeiro second, and Herta third. Vasser and Zanardi dropped back to 5th and 7th, respectively. The green flag came back out on lap 168. Zanardi and Vasser began charging immediately, dicing aggressively through traffic to catch the leaders. By lap 174, they were running 2nd and 3rd behind Johnstone; but one lap later, Zanardi's engine blew with a huge plume of smoke down the frontstretch. When the racing resumed, Johnstone continued to lead, withMark Blundell second, and Vasser third.

With 50 laps to go, Johnstone was caught behind the slower car ofHiro Matsushita. Vasser dove high in turn one and took the lead for the first time since the early going. The race was expected to come down to the final round of pit stops. Vasser made his final stop from the lead on lap 207; that handed the lead back to Johnstone. But seconds later while going down the backstretch, Johnstone's car ran out of fuel. He was towed back to the pits, and fell two laps down.

Bryan Herta andGreg Moore both suffered blown engines. Johnstone, after running out of fuel, dropped out with a broken gearbox. Only three cars were left running on the lead lap.

With twenty laps to go,André Ribeiro ledMaurício Gugelmin andJimmy Vasser. Vasser got by Gugelmin for second, and set his sights on the lead. With ten laps to go, Ribeiro and Vasser were running nose-to-tail. Coming out of turn four Ribeiro suddenly ducked into pit lane with fuel pickup problems. Ribeiro's car - one of the backup cars rolled out - did not have proper working fuel telemetry (the components had not been transferred over from the wrecked primary car). This left the crew unsure of their fuel situation. He needed a splash-and-go pit stop to make it to the finish, which handed the lead toJimmy Vasser. Vasser led the final 9 laps to victory. At the finish, flagman Jim Swintell waved the checkered flag along with the American flag.

Maurício Gugelmin finished second, the only other car on the lead lap. A total of eleven cars were running at the finish.Roberto Moreno placed third, his first podium in CART competition. Vasser celebrated in victory lane, sarcastically quipping "who needs milk?" - a thinly veiled jab at the Indy 500 victory lanetradition.^[72]

 R  CART series rookie

• Source^[73]

Drivers' Championship standings

For 1996, CART had existing television contracts with bothABC andESPN. The IRL signed a contract withABC for theirfirst season, and for part of theirsecond season.^[74][75] The Indianapolis 500 would be carried live onABC. CART shopped around the television rights for the U.S. 500 to several major networks includingCBS,FOX,TBS, andESPN.^[76][77] A promising deal with CBS ultimately fell through,^[78] whileTBS elected to focus on their coverage of theCoca-Cola 600. On January 18, 1996, a television deal was announced withESPN. However, as part of the deal, the start time of the U.S. 500 was shifted to 2 p.m. (eastern), roughly two hours after the start of the Indy 500. As a result, the two races were only expected to overlap for about an hour or so.^[79][80]

With regular anchorPaul Page at Indy,ESPN's Formula One commentatorBob Varsha took the role of host and play-by-play announcer.Scott Goodyear, who was recovering from a back injury suffered atRio,^[81] served as color commentator. ESPN also carried live coverage of pole qualifying on Saturday May 11. With the Indy 500 blacked out in the Indianapolis area (until the evening), the U.S. 500 was the only race of the two which was shown live in the Indianapolis market. The U.S. 500 telecast was also rerun at night onESPN2.

The race was carried live on the CART IndyCar Radio Network.Lou Palmer served as chief announcer with Tom Michaels, Larry Henry and Sally Larvick.^[82][83]

Following the1996 season,CART decided not to run the U.S. 500 opposite theIndianapolis 500 again.^[84][85] The success of the event was questionable, and the reasons to continue the event were the subject of considerable debate.^[86][87] The teams and sponsors wanted to race onMemorial Day weekend, but almost no one was interested in going head-to-head with Indy again.^{[86][87][88][89]} Teams were against running two 500-mile races atMichigan in the same season.^[90][91] With three races in thearea, the U.S. 500 was also believed to have hurt attendance two weeks later atDetroit, as well as at the traditional Michigan 500 in July.^[85]

Some drivers and observers felt that the event did not live up to the hype, and failed to establish itself as acrown jewel.^[92] Motorsports writer for theLos Angeles Times, Shav Glick, noted that the 1996 U.S. 500 was promoted "as if it were theSuper Bowl", but in 1997 it was "being conducted with no more vigor than any other race at say,Milwaukee,Mid-Ohio orVancouver."^[93] CART CEO Andrew Craig then attempted to shift the series attitude towards promoting the season championship as the ultimate prize rather than a single major race.^[93]

From 1997 to 1999, rather than stage a head-to-head race, on the day before the Indianapolis 500, CART held theMotorola 300 at the newly-openedGateway International Raceway as theirMemorial Day weekend alternative.^[94] This race, however, experienced much less interest, and was eventually moved to August.^[95]

While the 500-mile race in May was discontinued, the nameU.S. 500 however, was kept for a time. From 1997 to 1999 the name was used for the annual 500-mile race at Michigan in July (the race formerly known as theMichigan 500 and later theMarlboro 500). The Marlboro 500 name was shifted over to abrand new race at the newly-openedCalifornia Speedway.

In 2000, theU.S. 500 moniker was dropped permanently as the race name was changed to theMichigan 500 presented byToyota. In its final year as a CART race (2001) the July race was known as theHarrah's 500. In 2002, the race switched alliances to theIndy Racing League, and became what was known as theFirestone Indy 400. After2007, Indy cars stopped racing at Michigan, and (as of 2024) have never returned.