1991 Indianapolis 500

75th Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	USAC
Season	1991 CART season 1990–91 Gold Crown
Date	May 26, 1991
Winner	Rick Mears
Winning team	Team Penske
Average speed	176.457 mph
Pole position	Rick Mears
Pole speed	224.113 mph
Fastest qualifier	Gary Bettenhausen
Rookie of the Year	Jeff Andretti
Most laps led	Michael Andretti (97)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthem	Sandi Patti
"Back Home Again in Indiana"	Jim Nabors
Starting command	Mary F. Hulman
Pace car	Dodge Viper
Pace car driver	Carroll Shelby
Starter	Duane Sweeney[1]
Estimated attendance	300,000 (estimated)
TV in the United States
Network	ABC
Announcers	Host/Lap-by-lap: Paul Page Color Analyst: Sam Posey Color Analyst: Bobby Unser
Nielsen ratings	8.0 / 27
Chronology
Previous Next 1990 1992

The 75th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday, May 26, 1991. Rick Mears won from the pole position, becoming the third four-time winner of the Indy 500, joining A. J. Foyt and Al Unser. During time trials, Mears also established an Indy record by winning his sixth career pole position. The month of May for Mears was tumultuous, as he suffered his first ever crash at Indy since arriving as a rookie in 1977. The wreck during a practice run totaled his primary car, and broke a bone in his right foot. Mears kept the injury mostly secret, and later admitted that the pain he experienced during the race was so bad, he had to cross his legs in the car and push the accelerator pedal down with his left foot.^[2][3]

The race was noteworthy in that it featured the first African American driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, Willy T. Ribbs. It also saw its first Japanese driver, Hiro Matsushita. The pre-race attention going into the month focused on A. J. Foyt, who announced that he would retire from driving after the end of the 1991 season.^[4] During time trials, Foyt qualified on the front row, his record 34th consecutive Indy 500 appearance. On race day, however, Foyt dropped out early due to suspension damage. He eventually retracted his retirement plans, and returned one final time in 1992.

During time trials, a sudden rain shower halted pole qualifying, unexpectedly shutting out several contenders from a chance at the front row. A number of top drivers were forced to qualify on the second day of time trials. Gary Bettenhausen in a Buick-powered machine was the surprise fastest qualifier, albeit he was ineligible for the pole position. For the first time in Indy history, four members of the same family qualified for the same race. Mario, Michael, Jeff, and John Andretti competed together. Michael, Mario, and John all finished in the top ten, while Jeff was named the Rookie of the Year. Michael Andretti led the most laps during the race and battled Rick Mears for the win in the closing laps. Andretti executed a daring pass for the lead on the outside of turn one on lap 187. Mears, however, made a similar pass one lap later to re-take the lead, and drove to victory. Michael's second-place finish would ultimately be his career best finish at Indy.

The race was sanctioned by USAC, and was included as part of the 1991 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. Morning rain delayed the start of the race by about 55 minutes. The rain stopped, the track was dried, and the race was run to completion without interruption. Later in the year, Rick Mears would also win the Michigan 500, sweeping both 500-mile races for the season, the final two victories of his racing career.