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The 1995 Michigan 500 was the thirteenth round of the
1995 PPG Indy Car World Series The 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series season was the seventeenth in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) era of U.S. American open-wheel car racing. It consisted of 17 races, beginning in Miami, Florida on March 5 and concluding in Monterey, C ...
season. Branded as the 1995 Marlboro 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was held on July 30, 1995, at the 2.00 mi
Michigan International Speedway Michigan International Speedway (formerly named as the Michigan Speedway from 1997 to 2000) is a D-shaped oval superspeedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. It has hosted various major auto racing series throughout its existence, including NASCAR, Cham ...
in
Brooklyn, Michigan Brooklyn is a village in Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,313 at the 2020 census. It is located in the Irish Hills region of southern Michigan, just north of U.S. Route 12 along M-50. The village is located w ...
. The race marked Firestone's first Indy Car victory since 1974.
Patrick Racing Patrick Racing was an auto racing team in United States Auto Club, USAC, Championship Auto Racing Teams, CART, Champ Car World Series, Champ Car and the Indy Racing League. Patrick Racing was started by Pat Patrick (auto racing), U.E. "Pat" Patri ...
driver
Scott Pruett Scott Donald Pruett (born March 24, 1960) is an American former racing driver who has competed in numerous disciplines of the sport. In the 1980s, Pruett established himself as a top sports car racer, winning two IMSA GTO, and three Trans-Am ...
took his first win in American open-wheel competition after a late-race battle with defending series champion Al Unser Jr., winning by just over half a second.
Adrian Fernández Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the main ...
came in third place, one lap behind Pruett and Unser.
Parker Johnstone Parker Johnstone III (born March 27, 1961) is a former race car driver and motorsports announcer from Redmond, Oregon. An accomplished musician, he was the principal trumpet of the International Youth Orchestra, touring Europe, playing with Herb ...
earned his first
pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the ra ...
and fastest lap in the series but suffered brake problems that forced him to retire; rookie André Ribeiro led the first ever laps of his career, ultimately earning a point for leading the most laps during the race.
Danny Sullivan Daniel John Sullivan III (born March 9, 1950), better known as Danny Sullivan, is an American former racing driver. He earned 17 wins in the CART Indy Car World Series, including the 1985 Indianapolis 500. Sullivan won the 1988 CART Champions ...
's IndyCar career would come to an end at leader's lap 194 as he would be involved in a crash where he would suffer a broken pelvis and other injuries. This was the first time the series competed on the newly resurfaced circuit, which made the track smoother and easier to drive on. Nevertheless, the race still saw massive attrition knock out many of the front-runners over the grueling 500-mile distance. Many cars suffered problems with failing wheel bearings and blistering tires. By the halfway point in the race, it was essentially a two-horse race between Pruett and Unser while the rest of the field simply struggled to make it to the end. Points leader
Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve (; born 9 April 1971) is a Canadian former racing driver, who competed in IndyCar from 1994 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1994 to 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1995, and Formula One from to . Villeneuve won t ...
, despite spending extensive time on pit lane trying to diagnose an engine problem, managed to finish tenth and keep his substantial lead in the points standings.


Background

In 1994,
Tony George Anton Hulman "Tony" George (born December 30, 1959) is the former Chairman, President, and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hulman & Company, serving from 1989 to 2009. He was also formerly on the Board of Directors of both entities. ...
, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, founded the
Indy Racing League IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing Governing body, sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two Auto racing, racing series: the premier IndyCar Serie ...
(IRL), to begin competition in 1996. It would exist as a separate championship, and leveraged the fame of the Indianapolis 500, which was placed as its centerpiece. The majority of teams that raced in CART chose not to enter the new series, meaning 1995 was the final Michigan 500 with a unified Indy car. Firestone returned to IndyCar racing for the first time since 1974. Entering the Michigan 500, Goodyear had won every race in the 1995 CART season. After years of being defined by a bumpy surface, Michigan International Speedway was repaved in early 1995, for the first time since 1986. In order to keep speeds down, CART officials instituted aerodynamic restrictions and a reduction in turbocharger boost pressure from 45 inches to 40 inches. It was estimated these changes would reduce the power of the engines by about 70 horsepower.
Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve (; born 9 April 1971) is a Canadian former racing driver, who competed in IndyCar from 1994 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1994 to 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1995, and Formula One from to . Villeneuve won t ...
won the
1995 Indianapolis 500 The 79th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1995. Sanctioned by USAC, it was part of the 1995 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season. Jacques Villeneuve was victorious in his s ...
and entered the Michigan 500 with a 33 point lead in the series standings.
Scott Goodyear Donald Scott Goodyear (born December 20, 1959) is a Canadian retired racing driver. He competed in CART Championship cars and the Indy Racing League. Along with Michael Andretti, Goodyear is the only driver to have won the Michigan 500 more th ...
had won two of the last three Michigan 500s but was not entered in the 1995 race as his team was only running a part time schedule.


Practice and Time Trials

In Friday's opening practice session, rookie driver André Ribeiro had the fastest speed at 230.834 mph.
Paul Tracy Paul Anthony Tracy (born December 17, 1968) is a Canadian professional auto racing driver who participated in Champ Car World Series, the IndyCar Series, and the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). He started kart racing at age five and quick ...
was second fastest at 229.757 mph, followed by
Michael Andretti Michael Mario Andretti (born October 5, 1962) is an American former racing driver, and current team owner. Statistically one of the most successful drivers in the history of American open-wheel car racing, Andretti won the 1991 CART champions ...
at 229.144 mph. During practice
Robby Gordon Robert Wesley Gordon (born January 2, 1969) is an American semi-retired auto racing driver. He has raced in NASCAR, Championship Auto Racing Teams, CART, the IndyCar Series, the Trans-Am Series, International Motor Sports Association, IMSA, Inter ...
crashed hard in turn three, impacting the wall with the right side with a force of 116-Gs and was knocked unconscious. Team-owner Derrick Walker said the crash was caused by a left-rear wishbone failure. Gordon was hospitalized overnight with a concussion and returned to the track the following day. Despite getting approval from a neurologist to race, CART rules stated that anytime a driver lost consciousness, they were required to sit out for seven days. In his first race on an oval,
Parker Johnstone Parker Johnstone III (born March 27, 1961) is a former race car driver and motorsports announcer from Redmond, Oregon. An accomplished musician, he was the principal trumpet of the International Youth Orchestra, touring Europe, playing with Herb ...
won the pole with a speed of 230.458 mph. It was Johnstone's first pole, the first pole for Honda engines in Indy car, and the first for Firestone tires since 1974. Teo Fabi was second fastest at 228.526 mph. Michael Andretti completed the front row with a speed of 228.413 mph. On Saturday, the
International Race of Champions International Race of Champions (IROC) was a North American auto racing competition, created by Les Richter, Roger Penske and Mike Phelps, promoted as an American-motorsports equivalent of an all-star game. Despite its name, IROC was primarily ...
competed at Michigan. Al Unser Jr. won the 100 mile race. Unser and fourth-place finisher
Scott Pruett Scott Donald Pruett (born March 24, 1960) is an American former racing driver who has competed in numerous disciplines of the sport. In the 1980s, Pruett established himself as a top sports car racer, winning two IMSA GTO, and three Trans-Am ...
were the only two drivers to compete in IROC and the Michigan 500.


Qualifying

*
Robby Gordon Robert Wesley Gordon (born January 2, 1969) is an American semi-retired auto racing driver. He has raced in NASCAR, Championship Auto Racing Teams, CART, the IndyCar Series, the Trans-Am Series, International Motor Sports Association, IMSA, Inter ...
crashed during practice and was not cleared to participate in the rest of the weekend.


Race

An estimated 75,000 spectators were on hand for the Marlboro 500. Parker Johnstone brought the field slowly to the green flag and the start was waved off by CART officials. The field was not aligned well for the second time and the start was waved off again. When the race began, Johnstone established himself as the fastest car. The first caution of the day came out on lap six when rookie Carlos Guerrero crashed in turn four. When the race resumed, Johnstone maintained his lead. Outside of five laps during pit stop cycles, Johnstone led 52 of the first 57 laps. Johnstone's attempt to get his first win was ended while leading on lap 58 by a bad wheel bearing. He returned to the track 28 laps behind the leaders and retired for good after brake failure after breaking a right-rear upright. Johnstone's problems gave the lead to his teammate Andre Ribeiro. With the exception of green flag pit stops, Ribeiro led 68 of the next 72 laps. While leading on lap 129, Ribeiro was sidelined by electrical problems. After the departure of Johnstone and Ribeiro, Al Unser Jr. and Scott Pruett established themselves as the two fastest cars. Unser led for a total of 66 laps. On lap 194, Lyn St. James blew an engine and crashed in turn two.
Danny Sullivan Daniel John Sullivan III (born March 9, 1950), better known as Danny Sullivan, is an American former racing driver. He earned 17 wins in the CART Indy Car World Series, including the 1985 Indianapolis 500. Sullivan won the 1988 CART Champions ...
slid in the oil and both cars crashed into the wall. Sullivan suffered a broken pelvis and was airlifted to a local hospital. The race was ultimately, Sullivan's last career Indy car race. While leading on lap 230, Unser was forced to make a pit stop under green because of a blistered right-rear tire. That allowed Scott Pruett to re-take the lead. It appeared Pruett would take an easy victory with a 28 second over Unser. With 13 laps remaining,
Alessandro Zampedri Alessandro Zampedri (born 3 October 1969) is an Italian Auto racing, race car driver from Brescia. He started three Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis 500s (1995 Indianapolis 500, 1995, 1996 Indianapolis 500, 1996, and 1997 Indianapolis 500, 1997). ...
crashed in turn four and brought out the caution flag. That allowed Unser to catch up to Pruett for a final five-lap run to the finish. As the cars approached the final lap, Unser pulled to the outside and completed the pass on Pruett entering turn one. Down the backstretch, Pruett followed the draft of Unser and drove deep into turn three, pulling to the outside of Unser. The two cars came off turn four side-by-side before Pruett pulled ahead approaching the checkered flag. Pruett won by 0.056 seconds, the second closest margin of victory at a 500 mile Indy car race behind the
1992 Indianapolis 500 The 76th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday, May 24, 1992. The race is famous for the fierce battle in the closing laps, as race winner Al Unser Jr. held off second place Scott Goodyear f ...
. It was his first victory in 75 starts. It was the first win for Firestone in Indycar racing since 1974. It was also Patrick Racings first IndyCar victory since the 1989 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix at Nazareth Speedway with their former driver Emerson Fittipaldi.


Box score

;Notes *– Includes one bonus point for leading the most laps. *– Includes one bonus point for being the fastest qualifier. = Series rookie
= Former Marlboro 500 winner Tires: * = Goodyear * = Firestone


Broadcasting

The Michigan 500 was broadcast live on television by
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
.
Paul Page Paul Page (born November 25, 1945) is an American motorsports broadcaster who is best known for serving as the play-by-play commentator for the Indianapolis 500 for a total of 50 years across radio and television. Page was the radio ''Voice of th ...
was the lead announcer and was joined by
Bobby Unser Robert William Unser (February 20, 1934 – May 2, 2021) was an American automobile racer. At his induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994, he had the fourth most IndyCar Series wins at 35 (behind his brother Al Unser, Al, A ...
and
Sam Posey Samuel Felton Posey (born May 26, 1944) is an American former racing driver and sports broadcast journalist. Early life and driving career Posey's father, Lt. (j.g.) Samuel Felton Posey, was killed in the Battle of Okinawa when a kamikaze struck ...
as color commentators.1995 Michigan 500 Telecast: ABC-TV, July 30, 1995 Nielsen ratings stated that the 1995 Michigan 500 attracted the largest television audience for an IndyCar race that year behind the Indianapolis 500.


Race Statistics

*Lead changes: 18 among 8 drivers *Average Speed: 159.676 mph


Standings after the race

;Drivers' Championship standings * Note: Only the top five positions are included for the standings.


References

{{CART World Series race report, Name_of_race = Marlboro 500 , Year_of_race = 1995 , Previous_race_in_season = 1995 Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland , Next_race_in_season = 1995 Miller Genuine Draft 200 , Previous_year's_race = 1994 Marlboro 500 , Next_year's_race = 1996 U.S. 500 , Marlboro 500, 1995
Michigan 500 The Michigan 500 was an IndyCar Series race held at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Held from 1981 to 2001, the event was held in high prestige, constituting part of Indy car racing's 500-mile "Triple Crown". Between 19 ...
Michigan Indy 400