Emmo didn't refuse the milk in 1993. He drank the OJ and then he drank the milk, but nobody ever shows him with the milk. I really don't think people hated Emmo, he was always a fan favorite.
I was there....in turn 3. Those Penske Mercedes engines just dominated all day, no one could touch them. My favorite memory though, was the sound of the Menard Buick V-6's. They were wicked sounding machines. Too bad they had reliability issues.
Yes. The Ilmor-Merc used in the 1994 500 used a push rod 2 valve per cylinder design. They took advantage of a loophole in the rule book that allowed more boost for OHV engines. It was not a fair fight. Emo had a lap on the whole field before he crashed.
Gotta love a loophole. Its one thing I miss, innovation and who can build a better mousetrap. This stuff with IndyCar and ChampCar with the spec motors kinda ruins that part.
Wow listen to the crowd! People hated Emmo back then all because he drank orange juice before the milk in Victory Lane. I was 8 at this race, and it was my first one. Haven't missed one since. Still have the top row in good old stand G in turn 2.
@taybo20 Me too 89 made me cry (I was 7 or 8) 94 was redemption. Well 92 was really redemption but so many people got hurt it was hard to enjoy. This was pure bliss tho.
They started on 209 design right after the last race of 1993. In the spring they were running it till it blew looking for 500 miles. They cleared the snow from Nazareth speedway to test. People could hear it, but could not figure out what it was. Paul Tracy wore a snowmobile suit it was so cold. To get parts from England, where the motor was made, they flew them on a seat on the Concord. THIS was racing. Redline was 7,000, it roared, not a screamer like an overhead cam motor. I was there, I heard them.
Emerson was hated in our stand, specifically because of the OJ. Someone absolutely dominating the race was something that had happened plenty of times, going WAY back. 1980, 1984, 1989 by Fittipaldi himself before Little Al made his move; domination is a part of how good a driver can be. Emmo was hated for breaking Indy VL tradition.
This was one of the few times EVER I've witnessed at the Speedway of people cheering a crash. The people were still bitter about the orange juice from 1993. Emmo apologised though, and made amends...he was very happy to return to drive the pace car in 2008.
So he brought his best to the Race, and it was way better than others'...just like what happens so often these days, too, with basically the same equipment as everyone else. *Shrugs* They dominated every aspect in '94. Weren't fast enough to even qualify, in '95.
so Emerson Fittipaldi crashed out - so that his leading team mate could stretch his fuel supplies to the finish line....? this pretty much sounds like the 2008 Singapore crash gate.
TheColinChapman No. Fittipaldi was trying too hard to put Al Jr. a lap down so he could win the race all alone on the lead lap but Emerson somehow went too low and hit some rumble strips that pitched him toward the wall. Emerson was trying for his third 500 win so he wouldn’t do anything to intentionally lose it.
i was sick to my stomach when that happened....i was a huge emmo fan, didnt become a lil al fan 'til later(after livingin albuquerque for years), still wish emmo had won that one
I was on the inside of turn 4 and saw Emmo hit the wall. I can remember the crowd cheering because he crashed. Everyone was still mad at him for pushing the milk away and drinking juice. I look back on it now and it's not really a big deal anymore. I like Emmo
@jcwebb45 Add to that they treated it like it was a Buick...like the Buick the Mercedes got 55 inches of boost, instead of just 45 like the Ford and Ilmor
Este accidente ocurrio en la vuelta 184, luego se relanzo la carrera y en la vuelta 197 ocurrio el accidente de Stan Fox y por eso la competencia finalizó bajo bandera amarilla.
That year wasn't even a race. Penske was gonna get that no matter which car it was. That Mercedes Benz motor was more dominant than the Buick's John Menard came to race with... Except Penske made them live. Damn him.
This is why they ripped out the "rumble strips" for the 1996 Indy 500, just imagine how worse that worse that race could of been with those still in play with 17 rookies.
