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| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | USAC | ||||
| Season | 1984 CART season 1983-84 Gold Crown | ||||
| Date | May 27, 1984 | ||||
| Winner |  Rick Mears | ||||
| Winning team | Penske Racing | ||||
| Average speed | 163.612 mph (263.308 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | Tom Sneva | ||||
| Pole speed | 210.029 mph (338.009 km/h) | ||||
| Fastest qualifier | Tom Sneva | ||||
| Rookie of the Year |  Roberto Guerrero &Michael Andretti | ||||
| Most laps led | Rick Mears(119) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Purdue Band | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Nabors | ||||
| Starting command | Mary F. Hulman | ||||
| Pace car | Pontiac Fiero | ||||
| Pace car driver | John Callies (Pontiac) | ||||
| Starter | Duane Sweeney[1] | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 400,000[2] | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | ABC | ||||
| Announcers | Host:Jackie Stewart Lap-by-lap:Jim McKay Color Analyst:Sam Posey | ||||
| Nielsen ratings | 12.9 / 25 | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
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The68th Indianapolis 500 was held at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway inSpeedway, Indiana on Sunday May 27, 1984.Rick Mears, who previously won in1979, won his second (of four) Indy 500 victories driving forPenske. ContendersTom Sneva andMario Andretti dropped out of the race in the second half, leaving Mears alone two laps ahead of the field, and he cruised to the victory. Mears set a new speed record for 500 miles (163.612 mph), breakingMark Donohue's1972 record. It is also tied for the largest margin of victory (two laps) since the "pack-up" rule was adopted in1979. Three months after the race, however, Mears would suffer severe leg injuries in a practice crash atSanair.
Three rookies finished in the top five:Roberto Guerrero (2nd),Al Holbert (4th), andMichael Andretti (5th).Guerrero andAndretti shared therookie of the year award. The race is well-remembered for the terrible crash ofsportswriter-turned-racerPat Bedard, who tumbled through the infield in turn 4 on lap 58. Another rookie, two-timeWorld Champion and future two-time Indy winnerEmerson Fittipaldi made a quiet debut.
The race was sanctioned byUSAC, and was included as part of the1984 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. The 1984 race has the distinction of having the record for most entries (117), and the most cars to actually be seen in the garage (87).Defending race winnerTom Sneva, who broke the 200 mph barrier during time trials in1977, headlined qualifying on pole day. Sneva made history once again, as he became the first driver to break the 210 mph barrier, en route to his thirdpole position. This Indy 500 was the last for 33 years that an activeFormula One driver (in this caseTeo Fabi), qualified for the field. Two-timeWorld ChampionFernando Alonso would be the next, making his "500" debut in2017.[3]
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On May 11,Mario Andretti turned a lap of 212.414 mph during practice, the fastest lap ever run at the Speedway. Andretti established himself as a favorite for the pole.Gordon Johncock practiced at over 211 mph, and Tom Sneva was over 208 mph.
Pole Day was a historic day asTom Sneva broke the track record with the first lap official over 210 mph at Indianapolis. Sneva was also the first driver to break the 200 mph barrier, which he accomplished during time trials in1977.
Rick Mears was the first driver in the field, completing his run with an early track record of 207.847 mph. RookieMichael Andretti was the next car out (207.805 mph), running surprisingly close to Mears. At 12:45 pm,Mario Andretti took to the track with high expectations. His first lap was completed at 209.687 mph, a new one-lap track record. His second and third laps dropped off, however. As he came out of turn four on the fourth and final lap, the car's engine quit. Andretti coasted across the finish line powerless to complete the run. The average speed sank to 207.467 mph. It would be good enough for row 2, but a disappointment compared to his practice speeds earlier in the week.
Shortly before 2 p.m.,Tom Sneva took to the track, and electrified the crowd. His third lap was run at 210.423 mph, a new track record, and the first qualifying lap ever at Indy over 210 mph. His fourth lap was the fastest. His four-lap average speed of 210.029 mph was also a new record, and secured him the pole position. It was Sneva's third Indy pole, and fourth time as the overall fastest qualifier.
Later in the day,Howdy Holmes, the teammate of Sneva, squeezed onto the front row with a run of 207.977 mph. It put him in second starting position, and bumpedRick Mears to the outside of the front row. RookieMichael Andretti out-qualified his father, and would line up in 4th position (Mario qualified 6th). A total of 28 cars qualified on pole day.
Rain kept the track closed until nearly 1 p.m. Only three cars made attempts all afternoon, but none of them were run to completion.Johnny Rutherford went out for his second attempt in a Foyt entry, but never completed a lap due to mechanical problems.
During a practice run,John Paul Jr. wrecked in turn four, suffering leg injuries.
The day of time trials began with five spots remaining unfilled on the grid. With rain in the forecast for Sunday, several teams scrambled to get their cars prepared to qualify on this day.Bill Alsup was the first driver to make an attempt, but his crew waved off.
George Snider was the first driver to complete his run, putting in a safe speed of 201.860 mph in a Foyt backup car. Later,Steve Chassey wrecked on the first lap of his qualifying attempt. He would sit out the rest of the month with a concussion.
At 1 p.m. the field was filled to 33 cars.Chris Kneifel (199.831 mph) was on the bubble. Among the drivers still not in the field was three-time winnerJohnny Rutherford. He was struggling to get his car up to speed, and exhausted his three allotted attempts in aFoyt Chevy V-6. The team bought a back-up car fromGalles, and Rutherford immediately began shaking the car down. Rutherford was in danger of missing the race for the second year in a row. In1983, he was sidelined with a broken foot and broken ankle from a practice crash.
At 5:50 p.m., with only ten minutes left before the 6 o'clock gun,Johnny Rutherford took to the track for one last attempt to qualify. His first lap was an impressive 203.156 mph, but the car began smoking throughout. Rutherford decided to ride it out, and he was not black-flagged. His speed dropped over the final three laps, but his four-lap average of 202.062 mph was fast enough to bump his way into the field.
Spike Gehlhausen (200.478 mph) was now on the bubble.Gary Bettenhausen made a last-ditch effort to bump him out, but he waved off after only two laps.
As predicted, rain washed out the final day of time trials. Since the field had been filled to 33 cars a day earlier, the field was set, and there would be no further qualifying.
The final practice was held Thursday May 24. All of the eligible cars took laps except forJohnny Rutherford.Rick Mears (208.719 mph) was the fastest driver of the day. No incidents were reported.
Jacques Villeneuve, who suffered a crash during practice while using his backup car on May 17, withdrew from the starting field after being ruled medically unfit to drive.[4] The first alternate,Chris Kneifel was re-instated to the field to fill the vacancy.[5] Kneifel became the last driver to start the Indianapolis 500 with a qualifying speed under 200 mph, and the first alternate starter since1929.
The eliminations rounds for the 8th annualMillerPit Stop Contest were held on Thursday May 24. The top four race qualifiers and their respective pit crews were automatically eligible:Tom Sneva,Howdy Holmes,Rick Mears, andMichael Andretti. Four additional spots would be available, for a total of eight participants. Qualifying heats were scheduled for Thursday May 17 in order to fill the four at-large berths.
On May 17, seven teams took part in qualifying heats. The results were as follows:Al Holbert (14.250 seconds),Dick Simon (15.469 seconds),Teo Fabi (16.832 seconds), andTom Gloy (19.423 seconds).Mario Andretti posted a time of 13.306 seconds, but was penalized 10 seconds for running over an air hose.Al Unser Jr. andGeoff Brabham also failed to advance.[6]
The eliminations would consist of two rounds. The preliminary round would feature two teams at a time, racing head-to-head against the clock. The two fastest teams overall - regardless of the individual head-to-head results - would advance to the final round. The preliminary pairings were as follows: Sneva vs. Gloy, Holmes vs. Fabi, Mears vs. Simon, and Andretti vs. Holbert.
Rick Mears was issued a 3-second penalty for a loose nut, which dropped him from 2nd to 5th. Tom Gloy was disqualified for stalling his engine and crossing the finish line not under power. Andretti and Holmes registered the two fastest times during the preliminary round, and both advanced to the final round. Andretti and hisKRACO Racing team won the finals, the first rookie driver to win the event.[7]
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| Row | Inside | Middle | Outside |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 -Tom Sneva W | 41 -Howdy Holmes | 6 -Rick Mears W |
| 2 | 99 -Michael Andretti R | 20 -Gordon Johncock W | 3 -Mario Andretti W |
| 3 | 9 -Roberto Guerrero R |  18 -Geoff Brabham | 28 -Herm Johnson |
| 4 | 2 -Al Unser W | 25 -Danny Ongais | 14 -A. J. Foyt W |
| 5 | 77 -Tom Gloy R |  33 -Teo Fabi | 7 -Al Unser Jr. |
| 6 | 21 -Al Holbert R | 16 -Tony Bettenhausen Jr. | 5 -Bobby Rahal |
| 7 | 35 -Patrick Bedard | 22 -Dick Simon | 10 -Pancho Carter |
| 8 | 40 -Chip Ganassi |  47 -Emerson Fittipaldi R |  55 -Josele Garza |
| 9 | 57 -Spike Gehlhausen | 37 -Scott Brayton | 98 -Kevin Cogan |
| 10 | 30 -Danny Sullivan |  61 -Derek Daly | 84 -Johnny Rutherford W |
| 11 | 4 -George Snider | 50 -Dennis Firestone | 73 -Chris Kneifel |
Race day dawned cool and clear, with temperatures in the 60s. Rain was forecast for later in the afternoon, but was not expected to affect the race.Mary F. Hulman gave the command to start engines just before 11 a.m., and all cars pulled away for the pace laps.
At the start,Rick Mears got the jump and swept across the track to take the lead in turn one. Pole sitterTom Sneva settled into second, and rookieMichael Andretti went from the inside of row 2 to take third. Mears led the first lap at a speed of 195.610 mph, a new Indy record for the opening lap.[8]Geoff Brabham ducked into the pits after one lap, dropping out with a bad fuel line.
A few laps later,Michael Andretti passed Tom Sneva to take second place.Gordon Johncock also went to the pits for an unscheduled pit stop.
The first 100 miles were run clean, with no incidents.Tom Sneva ledAl Unser Jr.,Rick Mears,Mario andMichael Andretti.
After 37 laps, race rookie and future two-time winnerEmerson Fittipaldi dropped out due to low oil pressure. The two-timeFormula OneWorld Champion had a relatively quiet month of May, acclimating himself gradually to the Indy car circuit. It was a largely unnoticed effort in the underfunded W.I.T. Promotions entry, a pink-painted car. On lap 45,Spike Gehlhausen spun in turn 1, and came to a rest in turn 2 without contact bringing out the race's first caution flag.
Rick Mears took the lead for the second time on lap 54. On lap 58,Patrick Bedard suffered a terrible crash in turn four. The car spun to the inside of the north shortchute, hit the inside wall, flipped over, and barrel-rolled through the grass. The car broke into two pieces, the tub and the engine. Debris littered the track, and a lengthy caution was needed to clean up the incident. Bedard was injured, but the injuries were not life-threatening. Under the caution,Danny Sullivan came up too fast and ran into the car ofRoberto Guerrero, hopping up on two wheels, and damaging his right-front suspension. Sullivan dropped out of the race, but Guerrero was able to continue.
The lead traded amongst Mears, Sneva, Mario Andretti, Teo Fabi, and Danny Ongais. After the lengthy caution for Bedard's crash,Tom Sneva came to the lead, and led at the halfway point. Around lap 70, the DataSpeed computer timing and scoring system crashed. The remainder of the race would have to be scored manually, and the scoring serials were at times incomplete. However, at no point was the leader of the race unknown or disputed.[9]
At lap 100,Tom Sneva led, looking for back-to-back wins.Al Unser Jr. was in second,Rick Mears third,Mario Andretti fourth, andMichael Andretti fifth. The rest of the top ten wasBobby Rahal,Roberto Guerrero,Al Holbert,Al Unser Sr., andTeo Fabi. Four laps later, however, Fabi was out with a broken fuel system.
On lap 103,Gordon Johncock hit the wall coming out of turn four. He spun to the inside, hit the pit wall, then spun back across the pits and hit the wall separating the pits from the track. He missed hitting Teo Fabi's car, which was being pushed back to the garage, and somehow missed hitting the crew members that were in the sign board area. Johncock injured his left ankle (he had suffered a right ankle injury at Michigan the previous year), and ultimately took a short retirement from racing.
WithRick Mears now leading,Mario Andretti started slipping in the standings due to a broken exhaust pipe. The engine was losingrpm, but he was still managing to stay in contention. After running in the top five most of the day,Al Unser Jr. dropped out on lap 131 with a broken water pump.
Tom Sneva briefly took the lead on laps 142-143 during a sequence of pit stops. Rick Mears was back in front on lap 144. With 50 laps to go,Rick Mears ledTom Sneva andRoberto Guerrero.Al Unser Sr. had now worked his way into the top five.Michael Andretti andMario Andretti were also still in contention.
On lap 153,Mario Andretti went into the pits for a routine stop. He was held up in traffic, and the car ofJosele Garza cut in front of him down the pit lane. Garza's car made contact, and broke the nosecone of Mario's car. It was too damaged to continue, and Mario was forced todrop out.
With several contenders dropping out in quick succession, the race came down to two drivers in the final 100 miles:Rick Mears andTom Sneva.Scott Brayton stalled on the track on the leader's lap 163, bringing out the final caution of the race. With 33 laps to go, Sneva's crew debated pitting, hoping to make it to the finish on one more stop. They planned on pitting with 30 laps to go. On lap 168, however, sparks came from the back of Sneva's car in turn 3 as the field was preparing to go back to green. Sneva immediately ducked into the pits with a broken CV joint, and he climbed from the car. Mears, post-race, would remark, "I feel bad for him, but it's a relief for me...he was my toughest competitor."
With Sneva out of the race,Rick Mears now held a commanding lead. No other cars were in contention, with Mears now two laps ahead of the entire field. Mears cruised to the finish, and was not challenged the rest of the way. The only battle remained for second place, betweenRoberto Guerrero andAl Unser Sr.
A light drizzle started entering the area in the final 30 laps or so, threatening to end the race early. The heavy rain did not come, and Mears completed the 200 laps at a race record 163.612 mph. Mears won his second Indy 500, with a margin of victory of over two laps. Due to the ongoing scoring issues from the DataSpeed timing and scoring system,Al Unser Sr. was tentatively hand scored in second, withRoberto Guerrero unofficially third. For a brief period, it was Penske Racing's first 1-2 finish in the Indy 500. However, when scoring was ultimately resolved, Guerrero was rightfully elevated to second, with Unser dropping to third.[10] After an eventful day - nearly being caught up in the Bedard crash, being hit by Sullivan during the ensuring yellow flag, overshooting his pit stall during one of his stops, and spinning in turn two - Guerrero was surprised to find out he finished second, and was votedco-Rookie of the Year with Michael Andretti.[11]
W Former Indianapolis 500 winner
R Indianapolis 500 Rookie
All cars utilizedGoodyear tires.
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The race was carried live on theIMS Radio Network.Paul Page served as the chief announcer for the eighth year. It was Page's eleventh year overall as part of the network crew.Lou Palmer reported from victory lane. Luke Walton introduced the starting command during the pre-race ceremonies, but did not have on-air duties during the race itself.
Bob Forbes spent the early segments of the race covering the center pits, then spent the second half of the race concentrating on covering the garage area and track hospital. Sally Larvick was once again used in a limited role, conducting interviews. She also reported from the track hospital in the early portions of the race. This was the last year of the Backstretch reporter. The Backstretch reporter would return for a two-year period from 1989 to 1990 but have a very limited role both years.
This would be the final 500 on the crew for Doug Zink, who debuted in 1966. Zink died April 3, 2016.[13]
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network | ||
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| Booth Announcers | Turn Reporters | Pit/garage reporters |
Chief Announcer:Paul Page | Turn 1: Ron Carrell | Luke Walton (pre-race) Sally Larvick (interviews/hospital) |
| Jerry Baker (north pits) Chuck Marlowe (center pits) Bob Forbes (center pits/garages) Lou Palmer (south pits) | ||
The race was carried in the United States onABC Sports on asame-day tape delay basis.Jackie Stewart served as the host position in "ABC Race Central" for the final time.Jack Arute joined the crew as a pit reporter, a position he would hold for over 20 years. After 1983,Chris Economaki left ABC, and joinedCBS for theDaytona 500 and otherNASCAR events.Larry Nuber debuted as a pit reporter in his first Indy assignment, andABC News and ABC Sports correspondentRay Gandolf supplied in-depth features.
A new camera angle was introduced for this broadcast, located on the start's stand over the shoulder of the flagman. The angle would be used at the dropping of the green flag as well as the finish.
The race was televised in Brasil for the first time, as the debut of former Formula One champion Emerson Fittipaldi attracted national interest. Record aired the race with Emerson's father Wilson Fittipaldi as announcer.
The broadcast has re-aired onESPN Classic since May 2011.
| ABCTelevision | |
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| Booth Announcers | Pit/garage reporters |
| Bill Flemming Jack Arute Larry Nuber Ray Gandolf (features) | |
| 1983 Indianapolis 500 Tom Sneva | 1984 Indianapolis 500 Rick Mears | 1985 Indianapolis 500 Danny Sullivan |
| Preceded by 162.962mph (1972 Indianapolis 500) | Record for the fastest average speed 163.612 mph | Succeeded by 170.722mph (1986 Indianapolis 500) |