Background
Nigel Mansell went on to win the 1993 CART championship, with 1993 Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi finishing second in points. Mansell returned to team up again with Mario Andretti at Newman Haas. Andretti embarked on a yearlong Arrivederci Mario tour, announcing he would retire after 1994. The 1994 race would be his 29th and final start at Indy. Fittipaldi remained at Penske Racing, which expanded to a three-car effort for 1994, including Al Unser, Jr. and Paul Tracy. Unser, Jr. left Galles after a six-year stint, and was replaced there with rookie Adrián Fernández.
After a dismal season in Formula One, Michael Andretti returned to Indycar racing for 1994, signing with Ganassi. Rahal-Hogan Racing, with drivers Bobby Rahal and Mike Groff, debuted the first Honda Indycar engine, the Honda HRX Indy V-8.
Chevrolet dropped its support of the Ilmor engine program at Indy after 1993. For 1994, the 265C and 265D V-8 powerplants were badged the "Ilmor Indy V8."
Jim Nabors returned to sing the traditional "Back Home Again in Indiana" just months after receiving a liver transplantation transplant. Nabors had suffered a near-fatal case of Hepatitis B, which caused liver failure. Initially it was not expected that he would be able to attend the race in person.
Six days before opening day, the worldwide motorsports community was marred by the death of Ayrton Senna at San Marino. Indy drivers Emerson Fittipaldi, Raul Boesel, and Maurício Gugelmin, were among those in attendance at the funeral, all three serving as pall-bearers.
Read more about this topic: 1994 Indianapolis 500
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