Post by frow78 on Jun 19, 2015 23:59:02 GMT -5
The 1986 CART Series kicked off the season in Phoenix, Arizona. Phil Threshie grabbed the pole and went on to lead the first 67 laps. The only caution came out when teammates Herm Johnson and Michael Chandler collided, sending most cars to pit road for service. Around nine drivers decided to stay out and play the strategy game, including Danny Onagis, Danny Sullivan, and Ed Pimm. At the end of the day, it was Onagis taking home the win after four of nine cars who didn't pit initially had to make green flag stops. Sullivan and Pimm completed the podium, finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively. Shown below is the wreck between Chandler (Blue/Gray) and Johnson (Neon).
Road America was next up on the schedule, a track notorious for producing underdog winners. Unheralded sophomore driver Ed Pimm qualified on the pole, fresh off his top 3 at Phoenix. He was accompanied on the front row by Pete Halsmer, who recorded his career best start with the 2nd place berth. As the race progressed, it was clear that Pimm was the class of the field and nobody was going to catch him. Halsmer and Scott Brayton had an intense battle for 2nd lasting nearly 15 laps, and resulting in Brayton moving into the runner-up spot. After the race's only pit stop, Pimm continued to pull away from the field and went on to win the race. Brayton held on to 2nd, and Tom Gloy finished third.
After Road America, the CART Series traveled to Indianapolis for the most prestigious race of the year. Coming into the event, Steve Kinser was the odds-on favorite to win his second 500 in three years. Danny Onagis was also a threat to win, and Phil Threshie came into the race as a contender as well. Tom Klausner, who finished 2nd in the 1984 race, started on the pole alongside Phil Threshie. As they were battling for the lead, Jack Fadden turned around Hurley Hawywood in front of the pack on the second lap. Haywood's car spun up the track, hitting Danny Onagis and also collecting Teo Fabi. Fabi was able to continue, off the pace, while Onagis and Haywood were relegated to the garage. After about a 70 lap green flag run, Scott Brayton and Josele Garza got together in a nasty crashing in between turns 1 and 2. The drivers were alright but both their day's were over. The cars lined up double file for the restart, as about were on the lead lap and about half were not. Raul Boesel, who restarted 12th, was unable to hold the bottom line of 3 wide and moved up the track coming out of turn two. Boesel made contact with the Kenyon, who was in the middle, sending both drivers into Herm Johnson, who was running the top. All three cars hit the wall at a sharp 45 degree angle, and at nearly 190 MPH. Johnson's car shot straight up in the air as a result of the impact and flipped once before landing on all four wheels off of the racing surface. Kenyon and Boesel spun after hitting the wall and were directly in the middle of the track. Everyone missed Kenyon, but Boesel was struck hard by Michael Andretti. The three drivers who could not continue (Boesel, Johnson, and Andretti) were all checked and released from the infield care center. Steve Kinser moved into the lead after the restart and went on to lead the following 30 laps. He suffered a suspension failure on lap 87 while leading and was forced to retire from the race. Phil Threshie inherited the lead and proceeded to pull away from the field. His steady 3-second gap was the largest anyone had all day, but it was erased after a brutal crash involving Tom Klausner and Emerson Fittipaldi. Klausner suffered a concussion, broken ribs, a broken leg, and a shrapnel injury as a result of the accident. He was pronounced as being in a 'stable' condition but his return to racing is doubtful. The crash set up a 25 lap dash to the finish where Phil Threshie and Tom Gloy separated themselves from the field after using a lap car as a pick. The two drivers swapped the lead many times in the closing laps before Threshie took the lead for good coming to the white flag. The win was Threshie's first in the Indy 500, and Gloy's 2nd place marked his second podium finish in three years. The rest of the field was slowed by a yellow on the last lap after Eldon Rasmussen spun, preventing the other lead lap cars from racing back to the line to finish lap 200. That said, Chris Kneifel finished 3rd, Al Unser Jr. finished 4th, and rookie Phil Krueger rounded out the top 5 in fifth. Below is a highlight reel of all the action in the 1986 Indy 500.
The fourth race of the series was in Riverside, California. Tom Gloy was the class of the field; he passed pole sitter Danny Onagis on the first lap and never looked back. Gloy went on to lead 70 of 77 laps and win with a margin of 5.3 seconds. The remaining 7 laps were led by Onagis and Phil Threshie, who both had different pit strategy than Gloy. Steve Kinser rebounded from his disappointing Indy 500 to finish 2nd, while Danny Onagis came home 3rd. Although they didn't win, Ford had 5 of 10 top ten finishers and gained control in the Manufacturers Championship.
Michigan was next on the schedule, and the race was shortened from 200 to 150 laps for 1986. Danny Onagis had the fastest car on pole day, clocking a lap nearly a full second ahead of 2nd place Phil Threshie. The #15 car (Onagis) wasn't as dominant during the race, as Threshie, Gloy and Onagis split the number of laps led nearly equally. This marked the first race of the year for Connor Root, who spun following contact with Emerson Fittipaldi on lap 20 and fell four laps down. He eventually parked his car on lap 69. This was the second race of the year without the yellow flag waving, allowing Onagis to pull away from Tom Gloy following the last pit stop. Onagis went on to win by over three seconds as Gloy finished 2nd and Phil Threshie finished 3rd. Rich Vogler was the last car on the lead lap, and he finished 11th after starting on the second row. Below is a picture of Root's drift, which became a spin, after making contact with Fittipaldi.
Road America was next up on the schedule, a track notorious for producing underdog winners. Unheralded sophomore driver Ed Pimm qualified on the pole, fresh off his top 3 at Phoenix. He was accompanied on the front row by Pete Halsmer, who recorded his career best start with the 2nd place berth. As the race progressed, it was clear that Pimm was the class of the field and nobody was going to catch him. Halsmer and Scott Brayton had an intense battle for 2nd lasting nearly 15 laps, and resulting in Brayton moving into the runner-up spot. After the race's only pit stop, Pimm continued to pull away from the field and went on to win the race. Brayton held on to 2nd, and Tom Gloy finished third.
After Road America, the CART Series traveled to Indianapolis for the most prestigious race of the year. Coming into the event, Steve Kinser was the odds-on favorite to win his second 500 in three years. Danny Onagis was also a threat to win, and Phil Threshie came into the race as a contender as well. Tom Klausner, who finished 2nd in the 1984 race, started on the pole alongside Phil Threshie. As they were battling for the lead, Jack Fadden turned around Hurley Hawywood in front of the pack on the second lap. Haywood's car spun up the track, hitting Danny Onagis and also collecting Teo Fabi. Fabi was able to continue, off the pace, while Onagis and Haywood were relegated to the garage. After about a 70 lap green flag run, Scott Brayton and Josele Garza got together in a nasty crashing in between turns 1 and 2. The drivers were alright but both their day's were over. The cars lined up double file for the restart, as about were on the lead lap and about half were not. Raul Boesel, who restarted 12th, was unable to hold the bottom line of 3 wide and moved up the track coming out of turn two. Boesel made contact with the Kenyon, who was in the middle, sending both drivers into Herm Johnson, who was running the top. All three cars hit the wall at a sharp 45 degree angle, and at nearly 190 MPH. Johnson's car shot straight up in the air as a result of the impact and flipped once before landing on all four wheels off of the racing surface. Kenyon and Boesel spun after hitting the wall and were directly in the middle of the track. Everyone missed Kenyon, but Boesel was struck hard by Michael Andretti. The three drivers who could not continue (Boesel, Johnson, and Andretti) were all checked and released from the infield care center. Steve Kinser moved into the lead after the restart and went on to lead the following 30 laps. He suffered a suspension failure on lap 87 while leading and was forced to retire from the race. Phil Threshie inherited the lead and proceeded to pull away from the field. His steady 3-second gap was the largest anyone had all day, but it was erased after a brutal crash involving Tom Klausner and Emerson Fittipaldi. Klausner suffered a concussion, broken ribs, a broken leg, and a shrapnel injury as a result of the accident. He was pronounced as being in a 'stable' condition but his return to racing is doubtful. The crash set up a 25 lap dash to the finish where Phil Threshie and Tom Gloy separated themselves from the field after using a lap car as a pick. The two drivers swapped the lead many times in the closing laps before Threshie took the lead for good coming to the white flag. The win was Threshie's first in the Indy 500, and Gloy's 2nd place marked his second podium finish in three years. The rest of the field was slowed by a yellow on the last lap after Eldon Rasmussen spun, preventing the other lead lap cars from racing back to the line to finish lap 200. That said, Chris Kneifel finished 3rd, Al Unser Jr. finished 4th, and rookie Phil Krueger rounded out the top 5 in fifth. Below is a highlight reel of all the action in the 1986 Indy 500.
The fourth race of the series was in Riverside, California. Tom Gloy was the class of the field; he passed pole sitter Danny Onagis on the first lap and never looked back. Gloy went on to lead 70 of 77 laps and win with a margin of 5.3 seconds. The remaining 7 laps were led by Onagis and Phil Threshie, who both had different pit strategy than Gloy. Steve Kinser rebounded from his disappointing Indy 500 to finish 2nd, while Danny Onagis came home 3rd. Although they didn't win, Ford had 5 of 10 top ten finishers and gained control in the Manufacturers Championship.
Michigan was next on the schedule, and the race was shortened from 200 to 150 laps for 1986. Danny Onagis had the fastest car on pole day, clocking a lap nearly a full second ahead of 2nd place Phil Threshie. The #15 car (Onagis) wasn't as dominant during the race, as Threshie, Gloy and Onagis split the number of laps led nearly equally. This marked the first race of the year for Connor Root, who spun following contact with Emerson Fittipaldi on lap 20 and fell four laps down. He eventually parked his car on lap 69. This was the second race of the year without the yellow flag waving, allowing Onagis to pull away from Tom Gloy following the last pit stop. Onagis went on to win by over three seconds as Gloy finished 2nd and Phil Threshie finished 3rd. Rich Vogler was the last car on the lead lap, and he finished 11th after starting on the second row. Below is a picture of Root's drift, which became a spin, after making contact with Fittipaldi.
