Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Date: Sunday, May 26, 1996
Start time: 12:04 PM CDT
Weather: Cool, damp, cloudy
IRL historical: #3 of 3 in 1996 season, IRL race #3 overall
Track historical: IRL race #1, Indy car race #81 at this track
Track configuration: 2.5-mile, rectanglar
Wing package: N/A (old cars)
This historic Indy 500 was a race of firsts and lasts. It was the first Indy 500 under the sanction of the Indy Racing League, and the first win for Firestone since 1966. It was the last race for the turbocharged engines, a symbol of Indy car racing since the late '60s, and the last appearance at Indy by the venerable (but not very reliable) Buick/Menard V-6. It would also be the last appearance by the controversial popoff valves, which would not be missed. It was the last appearance at Indy by the Reynard and Lola chassis makes. It was a first in terms of the tragedy that befell the pole winner, and the first start on the pole by a rookie in 13 years.
Popular Scott Brayton, one of the drivers that the IRL was created to benefit, won the pole with a record speed of 233.718 on May 11. It was not without controversy as Arie Luyendyk was faster, but his run was disallowed after his car was found to be underweight. After withdrawing his original car, he went out the next day and recaptured the record with a 236.986 run, a record that will likely stand for a long time since the switch to the new cars in 1997 reduced these speeds considerably. Unfortunately, on May 15 Brayton died in a practice crash. Veteran Danny Ongias, who had once been a successful Indycar driver but had not driven in the 500 since 1986, was called out of retirement to take Brayton's place. Since the driver switch meant the car would have to move to the rear of the field, rookie phenom Tony Stewart was moved up from second starting position to the pole, becoming the first rookie to start from the pole since Teo Fabi in 1983. 17 rookies rolled off the grid, an extraordinary number but not a record. Only 16 took the green flag because Johnny Unser stopped on the parade lap with a kaput gearbox, continuing a family curse; his father Jerry crashed on the first lap of the 1958 race and then died in practice in 1959, so neither father nor son had managed to complete a lap under green in the 500 to date.
Stewart got off in the lead and held it until the first round of pit stops, but several other cars made adjustments and by lap 50 a six-car race was shaping up, with Guerrero and Lazier getting turns in the lead and Luyendyk and Zampedri on the doorstep. By lap 43, Ongias was 9th despite an early spin, and rookie Johnny O'Connell had moved up to 14th. But five laps later O'Connell was out with a fuel pump problem. Another Menard driver, Mark Dismore, was also moving up after an early spin; Dismore was finally making his first Indy 500 start after being seriously injured in practice in 1991. Stephan Gregoire, making his first start since 1993, ran as high as sixth before pitting on lap 63 and eventually retiring due to an underhood fire that melted his engine's ignition wiring. During a yellow flag on lap 70 for debris, Davy Jones elected to exercise some strategy and did not pit, thereby inheriting the lead and establishing himself as an contender. A pattern soon developed with Stewart, Guerrero, Lazier, and Jones contending for the lead and Luyendyk and Zampedri remaining in contact. However, Stewart's race ended on lap 83 when the notoriously unreliable Menard engine failed, a failure that crew chief Larry Curry blamed on a malfunction of the USAC-mandated popoff valve -- the final year for that particular complaint. Jones' pit strategy backfired when he had to pit under green for fuel on lap 87, handing the lead to Lazier. Davey Hamilton, driving for A. J. Foyt, had been expected to contend, but lost 12 laps having new half-shafts installed in his Lola. A caution on lap 94 indirectly took out one of the contenders. The caution itself was for a relatively minor brush with the wall by Brad Murphey, but during the caution Luyendyk collided with Eliseo Salazar in the pit exit. The incident looked rather flagrant as replays showed that Luyendyk had clearly reached the pit-exit line first and Salazar had then tried to pass him in the warm-up lane. The incident eventually ended Luyendyk's race due to suspension damage; no penalty was imposed on Salazar but he did lose two laps while a new nose was mounted. Jones again did not pit during this caution and took the lead. At this point there were 5 cars on the lead lap, followed by three rookies one lap down: Ritchie Hearn, Buzz Calkins, and Dismore. Following the caution, on lap 116 Hearn passed the leader Jones to rejoin the lead lap, and got to make up that lap when a caution flew on lap 118 for Fermin Velez's blown engine. During this caution, Mike Groff, the last car on the lead lap, retired in dramatic fashion when he came into the pits with a fire in the cockpit; he was unhurt but wiring was damaged and Groff was out. On this caution Lazier and Zampedri did not pit, taking over the first two positions. This lasted until lap 130 when Mark Dismore's Menard engine blew and a yellow flew; a good pit stop by the Pagan Racing crew got Guerrero back out first, followed by Jones. Buzz Calkins, one lap down in 6th, made a late stop during the caution to top off his fuel. It was a good idea and might have brought Calkins a win had his engine not expired on lap 149, two laps after Jim Guthrie, who had been one position behind Calkins, experienced the same misfortune. Calkins was in contention for the IRL championship but the retirement appeared to end his hopes.
Guerrero and Jones pitted under green just before a caution on lap 159 for the only major wreck of the day, when Scott Harrington pushed up into Lyn St. James in turn 2 and both cars wrecked hard. This was a long caution and just before the green flag Lazier and Guerrero gave up their positions to make late stops and top off. Lazier's stop was uneventful, but Guerrero's car caught fire during the stop. Normally a driver exits the car in a hurry when this happens, but Guerrero was so determined to win the race that he remained in the car and kept the engine running, and after the traditional throwing of buckets of water Guerrero drove off furiously, soaking wet and a bit crispy around the edges but still in contention. After all this the running order was Jones, Zampedri, Hearn, Lazier, and Guerrero on the lead lap, with Scott Sharp (who only needed to maintain his position to win the 1996 IRL championship) one lap down in 6th and Salazar two laps down in 7th and leading the pack for the restart. On the start, as the cars came down the front stretch Jones tried to go inside of Salazar to break out from the pack; Salazar, trying not to lose another lap, crowded Jones into the inside wall and Jones' left wheels brushed the concrete. This seemed to effect the Galles car somewhat, as Zampedri quickly passed Jones to assume the race lead for the first time, and shortly Lazier passed Jones as well. On lap 190, something seemed to change in the handling of Zampedri's car and Lazier quickly overtook and passed him, as Zampedri began to fall back through the field. Jones tried to pursue but he was in serious trouble on fuel mileage and was running his engine full lean, as well as drafting every chance he got. The race appeared to be in hand for Lazier, but on lap 195 Sharp stuffed his car into the wall in turn 2, bringing out a yellow and closing up the field. Now Jones would have a clear shot at Lazier, and the three laps made under caution (as the IMS crew very quickly cleaned up the debris) were just enough to ease Jones' fuel situation. Jones plotted his strategy while Lazier raised his hands into the air and flexed them, trying to relieve the pain and numbness in his back (which had been severely injured in a crash in Phoenix in March). The green flew on lap 198, and Lazier drove away; Jones could do nothing and watched Lazier's purple car cross under the checkered flag for the win in the IRL's first 500. The last lap had an extra bit of drama as Guerrero, fighting with Zampedri for 4th, spun in turn 4 and the two (plus Salazar) crashed hard, with Zampedri's car bouncing off the catch fence and sliding aross the start-finish line upside down. Zampedri suffered serious foot and leg injuries in the accident, his only consolation being that he was credited with 4th place. Hearn finished a very quiet third to pick up Rookie of the Year honors. It was a storybook ending for Lazier, who had made a living on the fringes of Indy car racing for years but had never had access to good equipment before. In Victory Lane, he was unable to get out of the car and he sat on top of the seat back and drank the traditional milk as the victory wreath was placed around his neck -- an image that has become one of the most famous in racing history. Ongias, in what would turn out to be his last Indy 500 start, finished a very credible 7th. A final twist: Sharp's late crash left him one point short of passing Calkins to win the championship. The two finished in a tie, and since the IRL points system of the time lacked a tiebreaker mechanism, they were declared co-champions.
Fin St Qual Car C/E/T Driver Entrant Laps Status Laps Pts
Spd # Led
1 5 231.468 91 R/F/F Buddy Lazier Hemelgarn 200 Running 43 35
2 2 232.882 70 L/L/G Davy Jones Galles 200 Running 46 33
3 15 226.521 4 R/F/G Ritchie Hearn DellaPenna 200 Running 32
4 7 229.595 8 R/F/F Alessandro Zampedri Hemelgarn 200 Running 20 31
5 6 231.373 21 R/F/G Roberto Guerrero Pagan 199 Crash T4 47 30
6 3 232.684 7 L/F/G Eliseo Salazar Scandia 197 Crash T4 29
7 33 233.718 32 L/M/F Danny Ongias Menard 197 Running 28
8 30 226.856 52 L/F/F Hideshi Matsuda Beck 197 Running 27
9 23 226.217 54 L/F/F Robbie Buhl Beck 197 Running 26
10 21 231.201 11 L/F/G Scott Sharp Foyt 194 Crash T2 25
11 4 231.781 3 L/M/F Eddie Cheever Menard 189 Running 24
12 10 228.887 14 L/F/G Davey Hamilton Foyt 181 Running 23
13 8 229.380 22 L/F/G Michel Jourdain Scandia 177 Running 22
14 18 224.594 45 L/F/G Lyn St. James McCormack 153 Crash T1 21
15 32 222.185 44 R/F/G Scott Harrington Harrington 150 Crash T1 20
16 20 236.986 5 R/F/F Arie Luyendyk Byrd 149 Suspension 19
17 9 229.013 12 R/F/F Buzz Calkins Bradley 148 Brakes 18
18 19 223.394 27 L/M/F Jim Guthrie Blueprint 144 Engine 17
19 14 227.260 30 L/M/F Mark Dismore Menard 129 Engine 16
20 11 228.704 60 R/F/G Mike Groff Walker 122 Fire 15
21 28 222.487 34 L/F/G Fermin Velez Scandia 107 Engine 14
22 31 222.793 43 L/F/G Joe Gosek Scandia 106 Radiator 13
23 26 226.053 10 R/F/F Brad Murphey Hemelgarn 91 Suspension 12
24 1 233.100 20 L/M/F Tony Stewart Menard 82 Engine 44 11
25 25 224.453 90 L/F/G Racin Gardner Gardner 76 Suspension 10
26 22 228.840 41 L/F/G Marco Greco Foyt 64 Engine 9
27 13 227.556 9 R/F/F Stephan Gregoire Hemelgarn 59 Ignition 8
28 27 223.843 16 L/M/F Johnny Parsons Jr. Blueprint 48 Radiator 7
29 29 222.361 75 L/M/F Johnny O'Connell Cunningham 47 Fuel Pickup 6
30 12 228.229 33 R/F/G Michele Alboreto Scandia 43 Gearbox 5
31 17 224.757 18 L/M/G John Paul Jr. PDM 10 Ignition 4
32 24 225.404 96 L/B/G Paul Durant ABF 9 Engine 3
33 16 226.115 64 R/F/G Johnny Unser Proj. Indy 0 Gearbox 2
The #32 car was qualified on the pole by Scott Brayton, and by rule was moved to 33rd when Danny Ongias was substituted.
Laps under green: 146 of 200 laps (73.0%)
Caution flags: 10 for 54 laps (27.0%)
#1: lap 2, debris, T4, 3 laps
#2: lap 11, blown engine (Durant), T3, 5 laps
#3: lap 17, spin (Ongias), T4, 3 laps
#4: lap 50, blown engine (Parsons), FS, 6 laps
#5: lap 70, debris, FS, 5 laps [during caution:
stalled car (Harrington), T1]
#6: lap 94, crash (Murphey), T2, 8 laps
#7: lap 118, blown engine (Velez), T2, 7 laps
#8: lap 130, blown engine (Dismore), T3, 5 laps
#9: lap 159, crash (Harrington, St. James), T1, 9 laps
#10: lap 195, crash (Sharp), T2, 3 laps
Red flags: 0 for 0 minutes
Lead changes: 16, number of different leaders: 5
St: Stewart 1-31
#1: Guerrero 32-37
#2: Lazier 38-41
#3: Stewart 42-54
#4: Guerrero 55-70
#5: Jones 71-86
#6: Lazier 87-97
#7: Jones 98-120
#8: Lazier 121-133
#9: Guerrero 134-158
#10: Jones 159-160
#11: Lazier 161-167
#12: Jones 168-169
#13: Zampedri 170-189
#14: Jones 190-192
#15: Lazier 193-200
C/E/T finish averages (# started / avg finish):
Lola: 21 / 17.5
Reynard: 12 / 16.2
Buick: 1 / 32.0
Ford Cosworth: 23 / 15.7
Menard: 8 / 20.9
Mercedes-Ilmor: 1 / 2.0
Firestone: 15 / 16.1
Goodyear: 18 / 17.8