Mario Andretti reflects on the 1996 Indianapolis 500, a race he chose to skip due to its negative atmosphere. He expresses sadness over missing the iconic event and the circumstances that led to his decision.
Mentioned in this story
Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2021. We are republishing it as part of our coverage of the 2026 Indy 500.
INDIANAPOLIS āĀ It takes a lot to rile Mario Andretti. What the legendary racecar driver lacks in size, he makes up for in passion āĀ but almost always positive. Heās a jokester, a āglass-half-fullā kind of guy who sees the goodness in just about everything. Not only does it keep the 81-year-old moving, but it keeps him jumping into two-seater open-wheel cars day after day to give fans the time of their lives at 180 mph.
So imagine what kind of mess could pull the Andretti family patriarch to a race track, fully knowing the mere sight of it is going to fill him with disgust and despair. He chose to spend the anniversary of winning the 1969 Indianapolis 500 away from Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1996, instead going toĀ another raceĀ he knew would never live up to the pomp and circumstance of the Memorial Day weekends heād grown to know and love.
Michigan International Speedway wasnāt even second-best. āIt was worse than that,ā he said in 2021. āBut weād been left with no choice. We didnāt choose that. We were pushed.
āAnd I was sad, not only not to be (at IMS), but to have to watch a race up against Indianapolis. But we had no choice.ā
Drivers who competed at those tracks that day, May 26, 1996 firmly believe they had no choice but to be where they were. The dichotomy of the 1996 Indy 500 and U.S. 500, both run that Memorial Day weekend Sunday, was born from "The Spilt"Ā ā a product of Tony Georgeās last-ditch hope to save the prototypical American racecar driver and the oval tracks American open-wheel racing was born on.
Through the rain, race fans make their way into the infield Friday, May 15, 2026, ahead of practice for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The 1996 Indianapolis 500 is referred to as a 'dark day' due to the negative atmosphere surrounding the event, which led Mario Andretti to skip attending.
Mario Andretti chose to miss the 1996 Indy 500 because he felt pushed away from the event and opted to attend another race instead.
The 1996 Indianapolis 500 left Mario Andretti feeling sad and disappointed, as it contrasted sharply with the positive experiences he had at the event in previous years.
Mario Andretti has a deep affection for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, having won the race there in 1969, and he expressed regret over not being able to attend the 1996 event.
Caitlin Clark broke out of her shooting slump by hitting five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, but the Indiana Fever lost to the Washington Mystics 104-102 in overtime. Clark's performance highlighted her determination despite the loss.
Caitlin Clark criticized by fans for her shooting slump in recent game.
Dillo Day 2023 at Northwestern features BabyChiefDoIt, Daya, and more!
Check out the Giants' 2026 schedule takeaways and wide receiver insights!
Northwestern's season ends without an NCAA tournament bid due to consistency issues.
Jordan Crawford commits to Missouri, finalizing the roster but leaving a spot open.
See every story in Sports ā including breaking news and analysis.
Rain falls Friday, May 15, 2026, ahead of practice for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
A person walks in the rain near the pagoda Friday, May 15, 2026, during practice for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The unveiling of the Moster Jam truck attempting to break a world speed record was delayed due to rain Friday, May 15, 2026, during Fast Friday practice ahead of the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
1 / 4
Through the rain, race fans make their way into the infield Friday, May 15, 2026, ahead of practice for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
1 / 4
Through the rain, race fans make their way into the infield Friday, May 15, 2026, ahead of practice for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
2 / 4
Rain falls Friday, May 15, 2026, ahead of practice for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
3 / 4
A person walks in the rain near the pagoda Friday, May 15, 2026, during practice for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
4 / 4
The unveiling of the Moster Jam truck attempting to break a world speed record was delayed due to rain Friday, May 15, 2026, during Fast Friday practice ahead of the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
That 1996 racing season was the first of more than a decade withĀ two open-wheel racing series running simultaneously. Their existence was better than no open-wheel series, but ā and depending upon whom you ask ā only barely. CART, run by some of American open-wheel racingās biggest names ā Penske, Ganassi, Rahal ā pitted itself against the grandson of the man who helped save the Greatest Spectacle in Racing after World War II, equipped with deep pockets and the historical equity of a race that is bound to outlive them all.
In the midĀ '90s, Tony George followed through upon his threat to start a new racing league centered on opportunity for American drivers and the American staple of oval racing with the Indy 500 at the center of it all, afraid that team owners were turning it into just another date on the schedule.
So, with the Indy Racing League scurrying to put the finishing touches on a season-opening race to be held at Walt Disney World and a relatively simple three-race inaugural season, with the Indy 500 as its āSuper Bowl,'Ā CART officials prepared their own shot across the bow.
Along with NASCARās Coca-Cola 600, which had been created years ago precisely to steal some of IndyCarās Memorial Day weekend thunder, CART officials would run their own race that Sunday ā the U.S. 500 ā to try to steal the Indy 500ās date and race distance, swipe most of its talent and stage a coup that has both sides riled up to this day.
āTony (George), in his own way, thought he was doing the best thing,ā Andretti told IndyStar earlier this month. āBut he was destroying everything about IndyCar racing. And weāre still paying for that today.ā
Michael Andretti calls it a ādark day.ā Bobby Rahal chooses āsilly ā¦ embarrassing ā¦ a major screwup.ā
Lyn St. James doesnāt even want to talk about it at first. āI wish, in a way, you guys wouldnāt bring that back up,ā she said. āI know itās an anniversary ā¦ but itās one you want to forget.ā But she relents. Those days are long gone.
Jimmy Vasser remembers CARTās attempt to mimic a full weekend of qualifying, the first step in the seriesā convoluted clone of a race.
āAnd I just remember it was freezing,ā he said. āIt was like, you know, hell froze over.ā
But that merely laid the groundwork for the mess of death, on-track disasters and post-race gaffes to come.
What each driver IndyStar spoke to about that day in 1996 remembers distinctly is the frustrating feeling of being trapped, caught in the middle of quasi-political warfare none of them wanted to be part of, but all of them were arguably most-affected by.
For St. James, who made her name racing sports cars and drove in her first Indy 500 in 1992 as the second driver who is a woman, siding with George and the Indy 500 was a no-brainer. Similar to the struggle todayās drivers still deal with, the few sponsors she was ever able to muster were only interested in being one of the stickers on her car for the largest single-day sporting event in the world.
Keeping them for other events to help fill out her schedule was the product of the premier bargaining chip she held: the Indy 500. Desert that, and she might as well call it a career.
For Arie Luyendyk, the choice was similarly personal, but with goals altogether more lofty. Since his first win at IMS in 1990, the Dutch driver had finished 2nd, 3rd and 7th, while starting 4th and 8th the other two times. He craved the way winning a second 500 would set himĀ apart in the record books. Only 14 drivers had won it multiple times.
āIt was so important to me that I could run the Indy 500,ā he told IndyStar this month. āI was at the tail-end of my career, and I just always had that strong urge to win it a second time.ā
For guys like Vasser, Rahal, the younger Andretti and others, the decision was just as easy. Rahal, the 1986 Indy 500 winner, was driving for his namesake team at the time, while Vasser and Andretti held cushy rides with Chip Ganassi Racing and Newman/Haas Racing, respectively. And as much as the two adored, revered and longed to win the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, that passion didnāt outweigh what had to been seen as a purely business decision.
Choosing to leave a top team to compete in a series whose season was only three races long and in an Indy 500 field that included an eye-popping 17 rookies in 1996 was what you might call ācareer suicideā to drivers with aspirations of going down in history as one of the best ever.
āThereās just no way you could do that,ā Michael Andretti said. āAt that point, everything was bigger in CART. All the manufacturers were there, and they really dictated a lot. And to us, (the 1996 Indy 500 field) was a bit of a joke because thereās guys out there that really shouldnāt have been in the field.
āIn the end, it just was a dark time for me because it started this trend of five years that I missed having a shot at winning the race, and I may have had a really good shot at winning one of those races because Iād been so competitive on ovals at that point. Some of us drivers, we kinda got caught in the middle of it, all the politics, and it wasnāt very fair that we lost our chances to try and win this race.ā
For Vasser, the ā96 season was a coming-out party of sorts. In his first season running for Chip Ganassi Racing, Vasser managed four podiums and finished 8th in the season-long standings.Ā But the following year, he caught fire, winning three of the first four races. Entering race day for the U.S. 500 at Roger Penske-owned Michigan International, he was starting on pole, poised to win his first 500-mile race ā one of three he would go on to win during his career that would come to a close in 2008.
āBut that all just seems to go unnoticed, because none of them were the Indy 500,ā he said. āCART tried to make these races these $1 million-purse events, and I won three of them in my career, but Iām not on the Borg-Warner.ā
A rear-engine Tucker Torpedo Special prototype built by the famed Harry Miller qualified for the 1946 Indianapolis 500 with George Barringer at the wheel. This concept eventually became the Tucker 48. Gear trouble forced Barringer out of the race. The production version, not shown here, 1946ā1948 Tucker Torpedo sedan designed by Preston Tucker, changed automobile history forever with its rear engine, safety chamber, roll bar, padded dashboard, and collapsible steering column, cyclops headlight which turned with the car and pop-out shatter proof windshield.
Clessie Cummins, Co-Founder of Cummins Inc. and the honorary chairman of the board sits in the cockpit of the 1931 No. 8 Cummins Diesel car, the first Cummins to enter the Indy 500. The first car in history to complete all 500 miles without pit stops, the Cummins-Powered Duesenberg finished 13th with an average speed of just over 86 mph. After the win, Cummins founders W.G. Irwin and Clessie Cummins drove the car on a European tour to promote the engines.
In 1909, just after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was paved with 3.2 million bricks, J. Walter Christie drove his front-wheel-drive Christie V-4 racer in speed trials at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, setting a record running a half-mile in 17.53 seconds. Christie achieved high speeds on the straits, but was slowed by the turns. The car featured no mechanicās seat and was described as a torpedo on wheels. In 1916 it became the first car to officially lap the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at over 100 mph, when it was driven by Barney Oldfield.
Fire protection suit engineer, Ed Gough, who designed the suit, walks through 45 feet of flame in 3,5000 degrees heat to demonstrate the protective suit for Indy 500 drivers on Oct. 13, 1964, at the Central Indiana Firemenās Convention at the Marion County Fairgrounds. The suit developed a minor problem when Gough brushed the face mask used for the first time in this test. āThis was the first time we exposed the mask (plastic with gold coating) to direct flame and we found it that it will pull up and crack. I got my nose burned when I brushed the mask and it collapsed inward. Well replace the plastic with tempered glass.ā
(From left) Three time Indy 500 winner Wilber Shaw holds an early racing helmet while chatting with Barney Oldfield, āThe Speed King,ā at the Legion Ascot Speedway in California. Shaw used his experience working at Firestone to help develop synthetic rubber tires, the āChannel Tread" tire, and self sealing inner tires to prevent blowouts. Oldfield, a safety advocate, wore a safety harness long before it was standard and was the first to do a 100 mph lap at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Flames leap from a racing suit worn by Bill Simpson, president of Simpson Safety Equipment, after he was doused with gasoline and set on fire on Wednesday, May 15th, 1986. The demonstration showed how technical advances in fire retardant clothing have benefitted race car drivers. The flames burned for about 20 seconds before being extinguished.
Ray Harroun sits in his Marmon Wasp after winning the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. He averaged 74.602 mph in completing the first 500 in 6 hours, 42 minutes and 8 seconds. The Wasp's safety innovations, including the first known rear view mirror, allowed the car to be a single seater, without a mechanic, reducing weight.
Allison Engineering Company building at 1200 North Main Street in Speedway circa 1917. James A. Allison, a partner with Carl Fisher in the Prest-O-Lite, which made automobile lamps, began the business as a machine shop in 1913 and changed its name to the Allison Engineering Company in 1917. The company was a major producer of aircraft engines, hardware, and transmissions. Allison and Fishers were two of the four founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. General Motors purchased the company in 1929, a year after James Allison died. The building was home to Riley & Scott who built open-wheel racing car chassis, including the Indy Racing League chassis from 1997-2000. The building is currently in private hands.
Allison Engineering Company building at 1200 North Main Street in Speedway circa 1917. James A. Allison, a partner with Carl Fisher in the Prest-O-Lite, which made automobile lamps, began the business as a machine shop in 1913 and changed its name to the Allison Engineering Company in 1917. The company was a major producer of aircraft engines, hardware, and transmissions. Allison and Fishers were two of the four founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. General Motors purchased the company in 1929, a year after James Allison died. The building was home to Riley & Scott who built open-wheel racing car chassis, including the Indy Racing League chassis from 1997-2000. The building is currently in private hands.
Norman Graham Hill, nicknamed "Mr. Monaco,ā checks his hair in his side mirror at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He won the 1966 Indy 500 with the Mecom Racing Team. It was the 50th running of the race, and 150th anniversary of Indianaās statehood.
"Preston Tucker and His Battle to Build the Car of Tomorrow" by Steve Lehto (Chicago Review Press)
This pair of extremely advance rear engine Gulf Miller racers, shown with George Bailey, were built in the late 1930ās and possessed design features which are used today. They were far ahead of themselves, however, and were not successful. The remaining one is still in existence, May 27, 1972. In the 1941 Indy 500, two Gulf Oil Miller Rear- Engine Racers were entered in Indy 500 Race by Eddie Offutt. One #35, was eventually purchased by George Barringer, and the other was destroyed in a race day garage fire. In 1946 Preston Tucker entered the #12 racer in the 500, which finished 28th. In 1947 Preston Tucker wanted to promote his dream of the Tucker '48 sedan by racing a team of three in the 1947 Indy 500. The #66 Tucker '48 Special Racer.
Preston Tucker was an American automobile entrepreneur who developed the Tucker 48, also known as the "Tucker Torpedo.ā The innovative vehicle introduced many of the safety innovations in modern cars of today. Tucker learned to drive at age 11 and set about buying old junkers and fixing them up to sell. In the 1930ās Tucker spent time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where he met Harry Miller. Tucker moved to Indianapolis and they formed "Miller and Tucker, Inc." in 1935. After Millerās death in 1943, Tucker helped Millerās widow pay for the funeral. During this time Tucker also met the Chevrolet brothers and John Eddie Offutt, who would later help him build his prototype of the Tucker 48.
Jeff Bridges starred as automobile visionary Preston Tucker in the 1988 biopic "Tucker: A Man and his Dream."
Record breaking aviator and honorary official for the Indianapolis 500 Roscoe Turner drives fellow aviator Eddie Rickenbackerās #10 Maxwell, which Rickenbacker drove in the 1916 race. Turner was a three-time winner of the Thompson Trophy air race and flew in the Howard Hughes film Hellās Angels. He was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1952. In 1962, Turner was named "Character of the Year" by aviationās International Order of Characters after flying with Gilmore Oilās mascot, a lion cub named Gilmore.
Jimmy Murphyās Durant Special in 1923 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Murphy became the first Californian to win the Indy 500 in 1922.
The debut of the turbine-powered STB Turbocar at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 27, 1968, in Indianapolis.
The Pope-Hartford racer driven in the 1911 and 1912 Indy 500. The car was wrecked when it blew out a tire. Driver Frank Fox and his riding mechanic, Fred J. Horey, were injured.
Jimmy Jackson sits in his #61 Cummins Diesel Special, 1950, nicknamed the Green Hornet. Jackson was forced to drop out of the 500 after 50 laps due to mechanical issues. Jackson also set a land speed record of 165.23 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in the car the same year.
1 / 19
A rear-engine Tucker Torpedo Special prototype built by the famed Harry Miller qualified for the 1946 Indianapolis 500 with George Barringer at the wheel. This concept eventually became the Tucker 48. Gear trouble forced Barringer out of the race. The production version, not shown here, 1946ā1948 Tucker Torpedo sedan designed by Preston Tucker, changed automobile history forever with its rear engine, safety chamber, roll bar, padded dashboard, and collapsible steering column, cyclops headlight which turned with the car and pop-out shatter proof windshield.
1 / 19
A rear-engine Tucker Torpedo Special prototype built by the famed Harry Miller qualified for the 1946 Indianapolis 500 with George Barringer at the wheel. This concept eventually became the Tucker 48. Gear trouble forced Barringer out of the race. The production version, not shown here, 1946ā1948 Tucker Torpedo sedan designed by Preston Tucker, changed automobile history forever with its rear engine, safety chamber, roll bar, padded dashboard, and collapsible steering column, cyclops headlight which turned with the car and pop-out shatter proof windshield.
2 / 19
Clessie Cummins, Co-Founder of Cummins Inc. and the honorary chairman of the board sits in the cockpit of the 1931 No. 8 Cummins Diesel car, the first Cummins to enter the Indy 500. The first car in history to complete all 500 miles without pit stops, the Cummins-Powered Duesenberg finished 13th with an average speed of just over 86 mph. After the win, Cummins founders W.G. Irwin and Clessie Cummins drove the car on a European tour to promote the engines.
3 / 19
In 1909, just after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was paved with 3.2 million bricks, J. Walter Christie drove his front-wheel-drive Christie V-4 racer in speed trials at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, setting a record running a half-mile in 17.53 seconds. Christie achieved high speeds on the straits, but was slowed by the turns. The car featured no mechanicās seat and was described as a torpedo on wheels. In 1916 it became the first car to officially lap the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at over 100 mph, when it was driven by Barney Oldfield.
4 / 19
Fire protection suit engineer, Ed Gough, who designed the suit, walks through 45 feet of flame in 3,5000 degrees heat to demonstrate the protective suit for Indy 500 drivers on Oct. 13, 1964, at the Central Indiana Firemenās Convention at the Marion County Fairgrounds. The suit developed a minor problem when Gough brushed the face mask used for the first time in this test. āThis was the first time we exposed the mask (plastic with gold coating) to direct flame and we found it that it will pull up and crack. I got my nose burned when I brushed the mask and it collapsed inward. Well replace the plastic with tempered glass.ā
5 / 19
(From left) Three time Indy 500 winner Wilber Shaw holds an early racing helmet while chatting with Barney Oldfield, āThe Speed King,ā at the Legion Ascot Speedway in California. Shaw used his experience working at Firestone to help develop synthetic rubber tires, the āChannel Tread" tire, and self sealing inner tires to prevent blowouts. Oldfield, a safety advocate, wore a safety harness long before it was standard and was the first to do a 100 mph lap at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
6 / 19
Flames leap from a racing suit worn by Bill Simpson, president of Simpson Safety Equipment, after he was doused with gasoline and set on fire on Wednesday, May 15th, 1986. The demonstration showed how technical advances in fire retardant clothing have benefitted race car drivers. The flames burned for about 20 seconds before being extinguished.
7 / 19
Ray Harroun sits in his Marmon Wasp after winning the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. He averaged 74.602 mph in completing the first 500 in 6 hours, 42 minutes and 8 seconds. The Wasp's safety innovations, including the first known rear view mirror, allowed the car to be a single seater, without a mechanic, reducing weight.
8 / 19
Allison Engineering Company building at 1200 North Main Street in Speedway circa 1917. James A. Allison, a partner with Carl Fisher in the Prest-O-Lite, which made automobile lamps, began the business as a machine shop in 1913 and changed its name to the Allison Engineering Company in 1917. The company was a major producer of aircraft engines, hardware, and transmissions. Allison and Fishers were two of the four founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. General Motors purchased the company in 1929, a year after James Allison died. The building was home to Riley & Scott who built open-wheel racing car chassis, including the Indy Racing League chassis from 1997-2000. The building is currently in private hands.
9 / 19
Allison Engineering Company building at 1200 North Main Street in Speedway circa 1917. James A. Allison, a partner with Carl Fisher in the Prest-O-Lite, which made automobile lamps, began the business as a machine shop in 1913 and changed its name to the Allison Engineering Company in 1917. The company was a major producer of aircraft engines, hardware, and transmissions. Allison and Fishers were two of the four founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. General Motors purchased the company in 1929, a year after James Allison died. The building was home to Riley & Scott who built open-wheel racing car chassis, including the Indy Racing League chassis from 1997-2000. The building is currently in private hands.
10 / 19
Norman Graham Hill, nicknamed "Mr. Monaco,ā checks his hair in his side mirror at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He won the 1966 Indy 500 with the Mecom Racing Team. It was the 50th running of the race, and 150th anniversary of Indianaās statehood.
11 / 19
"Preston Tucker and His Battle to Build the Car of Tomorrow" by Steve Lehto (Chicago Review Press)
12 / 19
This pair of extremely advance rear engine Gulf Miller racers, shown with George Bailey, were built in the late 1930ās and possessed design features which are used today. They were far ahead of themselves, however, and were not successful. The remaining one is still in existence, May 27, 1972. In the 1941 Indy 500, two Gulf Oil Miller Rear- Engine Racers were entered in Indy 500 Race by Eddie Offutt. One #35, was eventually purchased by George Barringer, and the other was destroyed in a race day garage fire. In 1946 Preston Tucker entered the #12 racer in the 500, which finished 28th. In 1947 Preston Tucker wanted to promote his dream of the Tucker '48 sedan by racing a team of three in the 1947 Indy 500. The #66 Tucker '48 Special Racer.
13 / 19
Preston Tucker was an American automobile entrepreneur who developed the Tucker 48, also known as the "Tucker Torpedo.ā The innovative vehicle introduced many of the safety innovations in modern cars of today. Tucker learned to drive at age 11 and set about buying old junkers and fixing them up to sell. In the 1930ās Tucker spent time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where he met Harry Miller. Tucker moved to Indianapolis and they formed "Miller and Tucker, Inc." in 1935. After Millerās death in 1943, Tucker helped Millerās widow pay for the funeral. During this time Tucker also met the Chevrolet brothers and John Eddie Offutt, who would later help him build his prototype of the Tucker 48.
14 / 19
Jeff Bridges starred as automobile visionary Preston Tucker in the 1988 biopic "Tucker: A Man and his Dream."
15 / 19
Record breaking aviator and honorary official for the Indianapolis 500 Roscoe Turner drives fellow aviator Eddie Rickenbackerās #10 Maxwell, which Rickenbacker drove in the 1916 race. Turner was a three-time winner of the Thompson Trophy air race and flew in the Howard Hughes film Hellās Angels. He was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1952. In 1962, Turner was named "Character of the Year" by aviationās International Order of Characters after flying with Gilmore Oilās mascot, a lion cub named Gilmore.
16 / 19
Jimmy Murphyās Durant Special in 1923 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Murphy became the first Californian to win the Indy 500 in 1922.
17 / 19
The debut of the turbine-powered STB Turbocar at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 27, 1968, in Indianapolis.
18 / 19
The Pope-Hartford racer driven in the 1911 and 1912 Indy 500. The car was wrecked when it blew out a tire. Driver Frank Fox and his riding mechanic, Fred J. Horey, were injured.
19 / 19
Jimmy Jackson sits in his #61 Cummins Diesel Special, 1950, nicknamed the Green Hornet. Jackson was forced to drop out of the 500 after 50 laps due to mechanical issues. Jackson also set a land speed record of 165.23 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in the car the same year.
What was already a chaotic, confusing month, when St. James remembers everyone around her wanting to talk about anything but the actual on-track product,Ā quickly turned somber leading into the second weekend of qualifying.
The weekend before, Luyendyk fought through a myriad of engine issues to post a late four-lap run of 233.390 mph, including aĀ best lap of 234.742 mph, to take over pole from Team Menardās Scott Brayton, before Brayton and his team officials elected to pull their car from the field and attempt to requalify a backup car instead. A four-lap average of 233.718 did just that.
Scott Brayton reacts to team owner John Menard in the pit area after setting a new four lap track record and securing the pole for the 80th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 1996. Brayton was killed in practice just a few days later.
With less than 20 minutes to spare on Pole Day, Brayton crossed the finish line, and at 6 p.m., he officially accepted the pole position for the 1996 Indy 500. Later in the evening, Luyendykās run that set him in the middle of Row 1 would be thrown out, his backup car coming inĀ a few pounds under the minimum weight.
Six days later, Braytonās right-rear tire blew during practice just as he was entering Turn 2. Immediately sent spinning, he made hard contact with the outside wall and was found unconscious by the track safety team. He was transported immediately to Methodist Hospital, but was pronounced dead within the hour, due to a basilar skull fracture.
St. James was speaking at a luncheon for an arthritis organization early that afternoon, having already qualified her car the weekend before.
āBut finding out what happened to Scotty just totally took the wind out of my sails,ā she said.
She had planned to go out later that afternoon to scrub some tires over a handful of on-track runs, but told those around her, āI canāt get the loss of Scotty out of my head. I canāt strap myself in a racecar with the way my headās at. And I canāt tell the crew. I donāt want them to think Iām weak.ā
Danny Ongais served as Braytonās substitute driver and had to start in the back of the field. Rookie Tony Stewart took over pole for the ā96 500, where he finished 24th, but Stewart would recover quickly to take the 1996-97 IRL title in his second of just three full-time open-wheel racing seasons before jumping to NASCAR.
As one of more than a dozen rookies in that race day field, Stewart, then 25,Ā remembers the weight of the moment burdeningĀ him more than anything heās experienced since. A rookie starting on pole for the biggest race in the world, one that in some ways had lost appealĀ and would be more picked-apart than any before or after, was a lot to put on a young Stewart.
āThatās the closest Iāve ever been to throwing up before a race,ā he said. āThe nerves were at a level that I had never seen before in my entire life in any form of motorsports leading up to my first Indy 500.
āIt was extremely hard to stay composed, knowing what was coming up.ā
Stewartās butterflies spread across the grid to create aĀ mess of the first 20 laps. Hideshi Matsuda stalled on the front-stretch during the pace laps and had to be pushed into the pits. Johnny Unser had transmission issues and dropped out before the green flag fell. Mark Dismore did a half-spin in Turn 1 on Lap 1, bringing out a brief yellow due to debris on track.
On the restart, Scott Harrington came upon the back of the field too quickly, locked his brakes and spun himself, nearly taking out three cars in the process but managing to avoid the wall. Shortly after, Paul Durant blew an engine on the back-stretch on Lap 11, only to spin in his own leaking fluid. Ongais would also spin before Lap 20 to cap the circus of errors.
Six hours north in Michigan, though, thingsĀ arguably went worse. On the final pace lap with Vasser on pole and slowing bringing the field up to speed, Adrian Fernandez was hugging the CGR carās right side and, coming around a corner, nudged Vasserās right-rear tire, sending the eventual race-winner into a 90-degree right turn straight into the side of Bryan Hertaās Team Rahal machine.
The accident collected nearly a dozen cars and lives in infamy in YouTube clips. It'sĀ brought up every time a pre-green flag IndyCar crash occurs, whether itās Race 2 at Texas Motor Speedway this year or in the seriesā iRacing Challenge a year ago.
āHere, weāre talking about the greatest drivers, and they couldnāt even start the race. Boy, that was pretty silly, and really embarrassing in my mind,ā Rahal said.
Added Vasser: āSome people say it was because we tried to go three-wide, but that had nothing to do with it. The track is actually wider than (IMS). It simply shouldnāt have turned out that way. It was just a real blemish on that day, just a real disaster.ā
The other side that Rahal, Vasser and others will point to is that, due to CART rules, the race had not yet officially started and drivers whoseĀ cars were damaged could hop into their backup cars for the raceās restart about an hour later ā something that would not be possible today in IndyCar. In a way, it points to a more team-friendly system the team owner-owned and operated series boasted about.
Only Fernandez wasnāt able to restart the race, and in the end, Vasser won the 250-lap event watched by a nearly-packed Michigan venue that had the fan vibrancyĀ many say IMS lacked that day.
Bobby Rahal stands near the garages on Friday, May 8, 2026, in between practices for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Bobby Rahal, 1986 winner of the Indianapolis 500.
A newspaper article shows a hometown celebration for Bobby Rahal after he won the 1986 Indianapolis 500.
Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and his wife Debi enjoy the crowd that turned out in honor of the race driver in Columbus on June 5, 1986. About 20,000 people lined Broad Street. "I'm flabbergasted by all the people attending today," Rahalsaid. "There's no place better to live than Columbus, Ohio."
Bobby Rahal's trophy case in Joliet, Ill., includes a pair of Borg-Warner Trophy replicas: One for his 1986 win as a driver, another for being Buddy Rice's team owner in 2004.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum unveils its latest acquisition, as retired race car driver and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal drives his winning car up to the museum Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 1986 March 86C IndyCar was driven by Rahal in the 1986 Indy 500 and the 1986 CART series championship.
Bobby Rahal, left, celebrates with his son Graham Rahal, who drives the No. 15 Soldier Strong Honda for team Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, at the first dual of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on Saturday June 3, 2017 on Belle Isle.
IndyCar driver Graham Rahal chats with father and team owner Bobby Rahal before morning practice on Friday.
1 Nov 1998: Bobby Rahal and wife Debi Rahal celebrate following the Marlboro 500 at the California Speedway in Fontana, California. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire /Allsport
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - JANUARY 28: BMW Team owner Bobby Rahal talks with fans on pit lane before the start of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 28, 2023 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Bobby Rahal with David Letterman at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway May16, 1988
Danica Patrick (with team owner Bobby Rahal) was the talk of the race when she became the first woman to lead. She finished fourth.
1986 Indy 500 champion Bobby Rahal walks off the court after participating in a game during a timeout. Tonight's game was Indianapolis Motor Speedway night. Pacers defeat the Heat, 114-103. Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat, Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind., Friday, January 30, 2009.
Former Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and co-owner of Rahal/Letterman Racing, watches his drivers practice on the third day of qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 17, 2008.
Former Indyd 500 winner Bobby Rahal, right, shares a laugh with a friend as his son and driver Graham Rahal, left, looks on, May 15, 2010.
Nov 10, 1985; Miami, FL, USA FILE PHOTO; Indy car driver Bobby Rahal during the 1985 Beatrice Indy Challenge at Tamiami Park. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
FILE ā Bobby Rahal, right, talks to his driver Ryan Hunter-Reay, left, during his rookie orientation program at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2008.
Louis Foster embraces team co-owner Bobby Rahal after winning the pole in NTT IndyCar Series qualifying for the XPEL Grand Prix on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
16 Feb 1997: Bobby Rahal of the United States looks on during CART tire tests at the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterrey, California. Mandatory Credit: David Taylor /Allsport
Retired IndyCar Driver Bobby Rahal is interviewed in the red carpet during the Verizon IndyCar Championship Celebration, held at the Hilbert Circle Theatre, Tuesday October 4th, 2016.
Retired IndyCar Driver Bobby Rahal walks the red carpet during the Verizon IndyCar Championship Celebration, held at the Hilbert Circle Theatre, Tuesday October 4th, 2016.
Bobby Rahal talks to Oriol Servia after a qualification speed of 228.034 for the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Saturday, May 17, 2014, in Indianapolis.
IndyCar driver Spencer Pigot (16) with team owner Bobby Rahal,right, following his qualifying run for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 Saturday, May 21, 2016, morning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Bobby Rahal of the United States sits aboard the #18 MillerTeam Rahal Reynard 96i Mercedes-Benz IC108C V8t before the start of the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) 1996 PPG Indy Car World Series Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami on 3 March 1996 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida, United States. (Photo by Pascal Rondeau/Allsport/Getty Images)
Bobby Rahal hugs Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Takuma Sato (75) on Saturday, May 17, 2025, during qualifying for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
31 Aug 1996: Bobby Rahal (R) and team mate Bryan Herta discuss their practice times during practice for the Molson Indy, round fourteen of the PPG Indycar World Series in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire/Allsport
Nov 2, 1997; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR team owner Bobby Rahal during the Dura Lube 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
25 Oct 1997: Portrait of Bobby Rahal of the United States with his CART Awards. Rahal drives a Reynard Ford 971 for Team Rahal. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire /Allsport
Bobby Rahal
10 May 1997: Bobby Rahal and Bryan Herta of the United States look on during the Hollywood Rio 400 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mandatory Credit: Mike Powell /Allsport
Nov 10, 1985; Miami, FL, USA FILE PHOTO; Indy car driver Bobby Rahal (3) during the 1985 Beatrice Indy Challenge at Tamiami Park. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
14 DEC 1995: Race car driver Bobby Rahal looks on during the Lexus Challenge held at La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, California. Mandatory Credit: Jon Cuban /Allsport
1 / 32
Bobby Rahal stands near the garages on Friday, May 8, 2026, in between practices for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
1 / 32
Bobby Rahal stands near the garages on Friday, May 8, 2026, in between practices for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
2 / 32
Bobby Rahal, 1986 winner of the Indianapolis 500.
3 / 32
A newspaper article shows a hometown celebration for Bobby Rahal after he won the 1986 Indianapolis 500.
4 / 32
Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and his wife Debi enjoy the crowd that turned out in honor of the race driver in Columbus on June 5, 1986. About 20,000 people lined Broad Street. "I'm flabbergasted by all the people attending today," Rahalsaid. "There's no place better to live than Columbus, Ohio."
5 / 32
Bobby Rahal's trophy case in Joliet, Ill., includes a pair of Borg-Warner Trophy replicas: One for his 1986 win as a driver, another for being Buddy Rice's team owner in 2004.
6 / 32
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum unveils its latest acquisition, as retired race car driver and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal drives his winning car up to the museum Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 1986 March 86C IndyCar was driven by Rahal in the 1986 Indy 500 and the 1986 CART series championship.
7 / 32
Bobby Rahal, left, celebrates with his son Graham Rahal, who drives the No. 15 Soldier Strong Honda for team Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, at the first dual of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on Saturday June 3, 2017 on Belle Isle.
8 / 32
IndyCar driver Graham Rahal chats with father and team owner Bobby Rahal before morning practice on Friday.
9 / 32
1 Nov 1998: Bobby Rahal and wife Debi Rahal celebrate following the Marlboro 500 at the California Speedway in Fontana, California. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire /Allsport
10 / 32
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - JANUARY 28: BMW Team owner Bobby Rahal talks with fans on pit lane before the start of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 28, 2023 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
11 / 32
Bobby Rahal with David Letterman at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway May16, 1988
12 / 32
Danica Patrick (with team owner Bobby Rahal) was the talk of the race when she became the first woman to lead. She finished fourth.
13 / 32
1986 Indy 500 champion Bobby Rahal walks off the court after participating in a game during a timeout. Tonight's game was Indianapolis Motor Speedway night. Pacers defeat the Heat, 114-103. Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat, Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind., Friday, January 30, 2009.
14 / 32
Former Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and co-owner of Rahal/Letterman Racing, watches his drivers practice on the third day of qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 17, 2008.
15 / 32
Former Indyd 500 winner Bobby Rahal, right, shares a laugh with a friend as his son and driver Graham Rahal, left, looks on, May 15, 2010.
16 / 32
Nov 10, 1985; Miami, FL, USA FILE PHOTO; Indy car driver Bobby Rahal during the 1985 Beatrice Indy Challenge at Tamiami Park. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
17 / 32
FILE ā Bobby Rahal, right, talks to his driver Ryan Hunter-Reay, left, during his rookie orientation program at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2008.
18 / 32
Louis Foster embraces team co-owner Bobby Rahal after winning the pole in NTT IndyCar Series qualifying for the XPEL Grand Prix on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
19 / 32
16 Feb 1997: Bobby Rahal of the United States looks on during CART tire tests at the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterrey, California. Mandatory Credit: David Taylor /Allsport
20 / 32
Retired IndyCar Driver Bobby Rahal is interviewed in the red carpet during the Verizon IndyCar Championship Celebration, held at the Hilbert Circle Theatre, Tuesday October 4th, 2016.
21 / 32
Retired IndyCar Driver Bobby Rahal walks the red carpet during the Verizon IndyCar Championship Celebration, held at the Hilbert Circle Theatre, Tuesday October 4th, 2016.
22 / 32
Bobby Rahal talks to Oriol Servia after a qualification speed of 228.034 for the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Saturday, May 17, 2014, in Indianapolis.
23 / 32
IndyCar driver Spencer Pigot (16) with team owner Bobby Rahal,right, following his qualifying run for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 Saturday, May 21, 2016, morning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
24 / 32
Bobby Rahal of the United States sits aboard the #18 MillerTeam Rahal Reynard 96i Mercedes-Benz IC108C V8t before the start of the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) 1996 PPG Indy Car World Series Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami on 3 March 1996 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida, United States. (Photo by Pascal Rondeau/Allsport/Getty Images)
25 / 32
Bobby Rahal hugs Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Takuma Sato (75) on Saturday, May 17, 2025, during qualifying for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
26 / 32
31 Aug 1996: Bobby Rahal (R) and team mate Bryan Herta discuss their practice times during practice for the Molson Indy, round fourteen of the PPG Indycar World Series in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire/Allsport
27 / 32
Nov 2, 1997; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR team owner Bobby Rahal during the Dura Lube 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
28 / 32
25 Oct 1997: Portrait of Bobby Rahal of the United States with his CART Awards. Rahal drives a Reynard Ford 971 for Team Rahal. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire /Allsport
29 / 32
Bobby Rahal
30 / 32
10 May 1997: Bobby Rahal and Bryan Herta of the United States look on during the Hollywood Rio 400 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mandatory Credit: Mike Powell /Allsport
31 / 32
Nov 10, 1985; Miami, FL, USA FILE PHOTO; Indy car driver Bobby Rahal (3) during the 1985 Beatrice Indy Challenge at Tamiami Park. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
32 / 32
14 DEC 1995: Race car driver Bobby Rahal looks on during the Lexus Challenge held at La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, California. Mandatory Credit: Jon Cuban /Allsport
In Victory Lane, Vasser was overheard saying what he says now was meant to be an off-the-cuff comment to his crew members as they high-fived and hugged and hollered.
āWho needs milk?!ā a mic caught him saying, referring to IMSās longstanding tradition of handing the Indy 500-winner a bottle of milk to chug, and eventually douse themselves on the Victory Podium.
āAnd then when the team got back to the shop on 38th Street after the race, there was a milk bottle sitting by the gate.ā
That line of his was spread across newspapers around the country and certainly taken to heart by the local Indy 500-diehards, who would never let him hear the end of it as long as he continued to drive ā most vehemently in 2000 for his Indy 500 return.
āI joked and said, āMy doctor said I needed some more calcium in my dietā,ā he says nowadays. āI certainly never meant that Michigan was the better place to be.ā
Back at IMS, Stewart led 44 laps early from pole, but retired 82 laps in with a blown engine. By just past the halfway mark, only six cars were on the lead lap, and by Lap 150, less than half the field was still running. By the closing laps, the 500-mile race had turned into a fuel-conservation battle, with Buddy Lazier finding himself able to run in full-rich mode while others tried to ration.
With fewer than 10 laps to go, Lazier made the race-winning pass on Davy Jones, who had led 46 laps. A late caution with four laps to go gave Jones the ability to battle for the win down the stretch, but lapped traffic separated the two, helping give Lazier his 0.695-seconds cushion he needed to come away with the 500 victory ā his first IndyCar win of any kind.
Lazierās win prompted more disdain from the CART contingent, who saw that yearās winner as another mark against George āĀ that heĀ had watered down the field of the Greatest Spectacle in racing by needing to fill a 33-car field with what Vasser compared this month to the NFLās 1987 season, when teams had to call upon āreplacement playersā to fill rosters while most of the league went on strike.
Before his 500 win, Lazierās best finish in the CART championship was 19th (1992). By 1996, he had only three top-10s to his name, and in 1995, he managed just a partial-season program across three teams and finished 27th in the Indy 500.
āI think (Lazier winning) took a lot away from the 500 for sure,ā Andretti said. āWe were over there watching the greatest race in the world feeling like itās a bit of a joke.ā
St. James, on the other hand, saw that Cinderella story as the monthās only redeeming moment. The bickering, the grandstanding, the comparing of oneās rosters and playing up the otherās mistakes was a poor look for both series ā one that wouldnāt cease until CARTās powerhouses began to trickle over to the Indy 500 at the turn of the century. Ganassiās Juan Pablo Montoya ran away from Lazier with a more than 7-second cushion to win his first 500 in 2000.
āI remember saying, āThis is bigger than any of us. This race is bigger than any team or driver, whether you went to Michigan or you stayed (at IMS),āā St. James said. āIt has a bigger history than any of us individually. Get over it.
āIt would be a wasteĀ of time to think about what it could have been had āThe Splitā not happened, because it happened.ā
Email sports reporter Nathan Brown atĀ nlbrown@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter:Ā @By_NathanBrown.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 1996 Indy 500 remembered as 'dark day' by Michael Andretti