1986 Indianapolis 500
The 70th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 31, 1986. After being rained out on May 25–26, the race was rescheduled for the following weekend. Bobby Rahal was the winner, becoming the first driver in Indy history to complete the 500 miles (800 km) in less than three hours.
Kevin Cogan, who was a key fixture in the controversial crash on the opening lap of the 1982 race, took the lead in dramatic fashion with 13 laps to go. He appeared to be on his way to victory, and redemption, but saw his lead evaporate when a caution came out with six laps remaining. With two laps to, the green flag came back out, and second place Bobby Rahal got the jump on the restart and grabbed the lead. Rahal pulled away and won the race, with car owner Jim Trueman, stricken with cancer, cheering him on in the pit area. Trueman died eleven days after the victory.
The race was sanctioned by USAC, and was included as part of the 1986 CART/PPG Indy Car World Series. For the first time ever, ABC Sports televised the race live "flag-to-flag" on network television in the United States.
Read more about 1986 Indianapolis 500: Race Schedule, Carburetion Day, Rain Delay, Race Box Score, Starting Grid, Post Race, Quotes, Gallery