I just hate that we never got to see Greg Moore or Alex Zanardi compete in this race. Could you imagine what the races in 96,97 and so on would have been like with those guys in the champ cars. Missed some epic racing due to this split.
@@skyhigh335 don’t forget that Andretti could have had some good chances to break the cruse. When that is mentioned next time the years he missed should been mentioned.
As a 6 year old kid, I remember in 1995 that I always rooted for Paul Tracy to win because red and 3 was my favorite color and number. The next year in 1996 I was so confused to find out why there are so many different drivers and why drivers like Tracy, Andretti, Unser Jr. and several others are not racing in the Indy 500. I did remember watching the U.S. 500 on that same day.
I have binge-watched every Indy 500 on RU-vid between 1982 and 1996. But I think I'm gonna stop there. It's no fun any more without all the old timers. Foyt, Andretti, Al Sr., etc.
Had a ton of boost added and helped by a new surface in the very first year of the IRL to get it off the ground and then they switched to the slower NA power plants in 1997 that were horrible for Indy looking back at it now.
Have to say I have never seen this race I was busy watching the CART races and very much took their side of the argument. Going to watch all of this race, but by the 2nd lap you realise what a mess this was and the whole spilt in the open wheel racing was. Will enjoy this race as I love racing, but this is so sad, that the series split. I still feel Tony George was an idiot for doing what he did. There were too many teams and drivers who just were not competent enough to run this race.
the whole concept of the IRL seemed interesting and cool as they advertised it.... there are examples of such in all forms of motorsports on each and every level, even at the karting level. There are plenty of cost-cutting available.... This was obviously not the soul reason though. It was honestly a dick move on Tony George's part. It took a great organization like CART and caused them to resort to drastic measures, just to keep its head above water. The IRL was honestly the demise of CART. When CART went bankrupt in the early 2000s, it was the beginning of the end. The IRL grew tremendously when Ganassi and Penske jumped ship. Newman-Haas and Player's were Champ Car's only hope. I hate to see something that was once so good get abandoned. The CART/Champ Car cars ALWAYS looked amazing, and it's a shame that something so great had to have a hole punched in its sail.
These IRL drivers back than were a bunch of amateurs next to the high talented CART drivers back then. They wouldn't stand a chance if , Zanardi, De Ferran, Fittipaldi, Andreti's, Andre Ribeiro and Villeneuve to just name a few, were competing with them.
I was at this race sitting in Stand H between turn 4 and the pit entrance. This crash happened right in front of me and for a while I figured that Zampedri was dead. Thankfully he survived.
However IMS lost so much money with the IRL. Tony George was trying to act like he was the savior he had the money given to him but blew it all up and never should have let his personal feelings against CART get in the way. IMS didn’t need the IRL IMS needed CART they were so dumb in Indy it should have not been put on him to run the IRL but have a voting board like CART did. If CART didn’t run the US 500 then both sides could have resolved things then the IRL would have been put on hold and Tony George would have let CART run at Indy a few more years. IMS should have just stayed with CART a few more years 1996 wasn’t the time to start it up then.
I remember going to the 07 Cleveland Grand Prix (maybe 06?) It was the Champ Car series...I remember telling my dad that they were Indycar and my dad told me all about the split...honestly? I can appreciate the IRL...I like open wheels on an oval...but I also like the occasional road course. So it's all a matter of opinion I guess. Racing is racing.
Tony Geoge aside, this wasn't a bad race... Tony Stewart turning 234 lap. Then he's out. Surproised no mention of Scott Brayton killed in practice run nor any mention of Stan Fox with closed-head injury in first lap of 1995 race... Would have been classy to get an update. Brayton, I believe was pole-sitter in 1995 race or at least on the front row...
Henry Frederick If you watch asopher1's version of this race that he just UL'ed, they pay tribute to Scotty throughout the entire pre-race that was cut out of here for some reason.
He qualified on the second day because his car was underweight on the first day. Because he qualified on the second day he was out of contention for pole and all that so the best he coulda qualified was 21st.
+Randy Dubin Other thing that viewers should notice is that in my oppinion is that Davy had the race under his belt if not for that idiot move from Salazar..
Like USAC was so good in their minds but they wanted a Jeff Gordon like guy who was in USAC system but went to nascar and so did Tony Stewart both from Indiana to try to make them like Aj Foyt Indycar superstars to make Indycar like it was back in the 60s and 70s before the first split in 1979 but IMS should not have tried tried to mess with tradition with the 25/8 rule.
And Harrington's near accident on Lap 2 clearly showed his and over half the field's inexperience.....I totally Agree Anthony ! This race was a joke as Zanardi would have MOPPED the track with Lazier and some of the others....Ganassi won 4 STRAIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS those years and would have dominated had they not been barred from the 500 with George's ridiculous series and car specs
They were not "barred" from this race. And as for what happened on this day, all I have to point is to the joke that happened in Michigan where all the "experienced" drivers couldn't get to the start-line but then in a move typical of the loopholes CART had in looking out for the interests of Fat Cat elite teams, the guy who crashed was able to put a backup car in his original position and win which is something that can NEVER happen at Indy (see Guerrero, 1992). Jimmy Vasser has the most tainted victory in a 500 mile race of any driver in the history of open wheel car racing and proved exactly why CART was an arrogant, snotty organization that dug its own grave by refusing to recognize that (1) It had allowed costs to skyrocket out of control (2) It gave too much power to elite teams (3) It was abandoning the history and tradition of oval track racing by giving us street parades aimed at appeasing international corporate sponsors and never mind the fact that street racing is the most boring form of racing competition known to man.
Shame on everyone who was in the grandstands that day. This stupid side show shit hold would have folded within 5 years if the fans boycotted this shit, if this happened at long beach nobody would have supported this bullshit because we knew what real racing was.
Michael don’t forget nascar was making a shit ton of money for IMS from 1994-2007 with sellouts during all those year’s and that revenue went into the IRL budget. Also F1 was huge for its first couple of years and made a ton of money as well. Happy Roger Penske bought the track and this Hulman George crippling agenda is gone.
"Real racing" like that farce at Michigan that took place the same day where a guy who crashed his car before the start was somehow able to still win the race? (something you CAN'T do at Indy).
