The 1985 Pocono 500, the 15th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 18, 1985. Branded as the 1985 Domino's Pizza 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was won by Rick Mears, his first victory since suffering severe leg and feet injuries in a September 1984 crash.
Background
In September 1984, Rick Mears suffered severe injuries to his feet in a crash at Sanair Super Speedway. Doctors in Canada initially wanted to amputate both feet but were convinced to transfer Mears to Indianapolis for reconstructive surgery. Mears returned to racing at the 1985 Indianapolis 500 where he finished 21st. He ran only races at ovals while continuing rehab for his injuries. At the Michigan 500 three weeks before Pocono, Mears won his first pole since returning, but fell out of the race after seven laps with transmission issues.[1]
In the Michigan 500, Mario Andretti crashed and suffered a broken collar bone and hairline fracture of the right hip socket. He was forced to sit out the CART race at Road America on August 4, but made his return at Pocono.
During the CART race at Road America, Al Unser Jr. broke his right ankle when he crashed while leading on lap 36. Unser raced at Pocono but needed to be carried into his car by his crew chief. Tom Gloy was a standby driver if Unser needed someone else to drive.[2]
On Tuesday, August 6, Danny Sullivan suffered minor injuries in a testing session at Pocono. In turn one, Sullivan spun 360 degrees and hit the wall, destroying the car. The car planned to be raced by his Team Penske teammate, Rick Mears, in the Pocono 500, but a backup was needed. Sullivan suffered "banged-up ankles, a sprained shoulder, and a torn back muscle."[3]
Danny Sullivan won the 1985 Indianapolis 500 in May. Emerson Fittipaldi won the Michigan 500 in early August to score his first Indy car victory. CART entered the Pocono 500 with Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, and Al Unser in a three-way tie for the points lead.
Practice and Time Trials
Practice - Thursday, August 15
On Thursday, August 15, Bobby Rahal was fastest in practice at 200.334 mph. Rick Mears was second at 198.702 mph. A. J. Foyt was a surprising third at 198.627 mph.[4]
Practice - Friday, August 16
Friday's qualifying session was canceled because of rain. A 90-minute practice session was held when the track dried. Bobby Rahal was fastest at 201.450 mph. Mario Andretti was second at 201.374 mph. Rick Mears was third at 201.266 mph. Sammy Swindell, attempting to make his second Indy car start, crashed in turn three minutes before practice ended. He went to a backup car.[5]
Qualifying - Saturday, August 17
In Saturday's qualifying session, Rick Mears won the pole and broke the track record with a speed of 203.532 mph. Danny Sullivan was second at 202.125 mph. Bobby Rahal qualified third and completed the front row with a speed of 201.930 mph. [6] Phil Krueger was the slowest qualifier at 155.154 mph. Steve Chassey and Tom Bigelow failed to post qualifying speeds but were allowed to start the race.[7]
Andretti and Cogan Helicopter Crash
On race morning, teammates Michael Andretti and Kevin Cogan were in a helicopter crash on the way to the track. They were staying at a nearby lake house owned by Mario Andretti. As the helicopter was taking off, it struck an electrical wire 50 feet in the air. The rear rotor hit first, then the main rotor, and the helicopter went nose first towards the ground. On the way down, it hit a tree which cushioned the impact. "Thank God for the tree," Andretti said, "I'm sure it kept it from exploding."[8]
There were seven passengers on board, with no one sustaining serious injuries. A second helicopter carrying Mario Andretti and Paul Newman was also on the scene and carried the drivers to Pocono. Michael Andretti went to the track's infield hospital for treatment for soreness behind the left shoulder blade. Both Andretti and Cogan started the race.[9]
Race
The CEO of Domino's Pizza, Tom Monaghan was Grand marshal for the race and gave the command to start engines.[10]
From his starting spot in the middle of the front row, Danny Sullivan took the lead entering turn one at the start of the race. Then entering turn two, Michael Andretti passed Sullivan for first. Overcoming his morning helicopter crash, Andretti led the first 18 laps.[11]
On lap 19, Michael Andretti entered pit lane. At that exact moment, the right-front wheel fell off his car and continued down pit lane. The wheel struck the wall separating the pits from the race track and no one was injured. Bobby Rahal took over the lead.
With rain threatening, there were several different strategies for teams. As cars went through green flag pit stops, the lead was swapped by Rahal, Danny Sullivan, Al Unser Jr. and Johnny Rutherford.[12]
The race was caution-free for the first 122 laps. The first yellow flag was thrown on lap 123 for a piece of debris in turn one. During the caution period, ESPN television reporters were able to relay messages from Al Unser Jr to his crew who lost radio contact with him earlier in the race.[13]
On lap 133, Johnny Rutherford passed Unser Jr. to re-take the lead of the race. Within two laps, Rutherford built nearly a two-second lead over Unser. On lap 135, Rutherford spun exiting turn one and hit the outside wall. After being examined by doctors at the track, Rutherford was unhurt except for bruises and he had no memory of the accident. "I knew I was leading, then the lights went out. I don't remember the accident at all."[14]
Michael Andretti fell out of the race on lap 151 when his engine failed and he stopped in turn two. Mears pitted under caution, giving the lead back to Al Unser. Three laps after the restart, a piece of debris fell off Pancho Carter's car and brought out another caution. Unser pitted, which gave the lead back to Mears.
Mears made his final pit stop on lap 189 for fuel only. Rahal entered pit road on lap 193 for fuel. While Rahal was refueling, a caution was thrown when a piece of debris from a car's sidepod landed on the track in turn one. Al Unser Sr. assumed the lead and planned to stay out on track. With one lap until the restart, Unser pitted from the lead. Because Unser pitted late, several lapped cars were between the pace car and new leader, Mears. Mears navigated the traffic and won by 2.18 seconds over Al Unser Jr. Unser Sr. finished third. Bobby Rahal pitted with four laps to go due to a flat tire and finished fourth.[15]
It was Mears' first win since his September 1984 crash that resulted in massive injuries to his feet. Al Unser scored the most points in the Indy car Triple Crown and was awarded a $10,000 prize from Domino's.
Box score
Race statistics
| Lap Leaders | |
|---|---|
| Laps | Leader |
| 1–18 | Michael Andretti |
| 19–26 | Bobby Rahal |
| 27–28 | Al Unser Jr. |
| 29–30 | Danny Sullivan |
| 31 | Mario Andretti |
| 32–36 | Bobby Rahal |
| 37–44 | Al Unser |
| 45–53 | Bobby Rahal |
| 54–58 | Al Unser Jr. |
| 59 | Johnny Rutherford |
| 60–63 | Al Unser Jr. |
| 64 | Danny Sullivan |
| 65–82 | Bobby Rahal |
| 83–88 | Al Unser Jr. |
| 89 | Johnny Rutherford |
| 90–117 | Al Unser Jr. |
| 118–119 | Johnny Rutherford |
| 120–132 | Al Unser Jr. |
| 133–134 | Johnny Rutherford |
| 135–145 | Bobby Rahal |
| 146–151 | Rick Mears |
| 152–163 | Al Unser |
| 164–188 | Rick Mears |
| 189–192 | Bobby Rahal |
| 193–195 | Al Unser |
| 196–200 | Rick Mears |
| Cautions: 5 for 36 laps | |
|---|---|
| Laps | Reason |
| 124–131 | Debris turn 1 |
| 135–147 | Johnny Rutherford crash turn 2 |
| 152–159 | Michael Andretti fire turn 2 |
| 163–165 | Debris |
| 194–197 | Debris turn 1 |
Broadcasting
For the first time, the Pocono 500 was broadcast by ESPN. A three-hour, tape-delayed telecast was shown at 8 p.m., hours after the race was over. Larry Nuber and Gordon Johncock were the lead announcers. Jack Arute and Gary Lee were pit reporters.[18]
References
- ^ "1985 Michigan 500 Results"
- ^ "Mario Andretti Wants to Make Points Sunday". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. August 16, 1985. p. 20.
- ^ "Mario Andretti Wants to Make Points Sunday". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. August 16, 1985. p. 20.
- ^ "Mario Andretti Wants to Make Points Sunday". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. August 16, 1985. p. 20.
- ^ "Foot Injuries Slow Rick Mears". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. August 17, 1985. p. 20.
- ^ "Rick Mears on Pocono Pole". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. August 18, 1985. p. C7.
- ^ "Domino's Pizza 500 Lineup". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. August 18, 1985. p. C10.
- ^ "Cogan, Young Andretti Crash on Way to the Track". Indianapolis News. Associated Press. August 19, 1985. p. 15.
- ^ "Cogan, Young Andretti Crash on Way to the Track". Indianapolis News. Associated Press. August 19, 1985. p. 15.
- ^ 1985 "CART Pocono 500 Round 9"
- ^ "1985 Domino's Pizza 500 Results - Racing-Reference"
- ^ "1985 Domino's Pizza 500 Results - Racing-Reference"
- ^ "Just Another Fun Day of Racing for Al Jr". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. August 19, 1985. p. 21.
- ^ "Just Another Fun Day of Racing for Al Jr". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. August 19, 1985. p. 21.
- ^ "Pocono Driving Wounded 1-2". Indianapolis News. Associated Press. August 19, 1985. p. 15.
- ^ 1985 Domino's Pizza 500
- ^ 1985 Pocono 500 - Round 9
- ^ 1985 Pocono 500 Telecast: ESPN-TV, August 18, 1985