When I was a kid back in the 80’s, I wrote him a fan letter. Many months later, I got an autographed picture, a team photo, and a couple of action driving pics too. The Gould Charge!
I met Rick & Roger at the Parker 400 in the early 80s, before they went Indy racing. Roger drove the Budweiser Jeep Honcho & Rick drove a lower class buggy spocered by Tracy's(Velenta) Party Ice. Both treated me like they'd known me forever. Also watched him race at the Phoenix Mile multiple times.
I worked at the IMS Motel in 1992 and I took laundry to his room that day, after that horrific crash. He was in bed and he started to get up to give me a tip! I told him absolutely not, stay in bed and I'd put them in the cabinet. He was super gracious and friendly, even in obvious pain. Great man and fantastic driver.
It was more than leg injuries: Mears pulverized his feet at Sanair in 1984 and I was surprised he ever walked again. I met him at the 1992 auto show in Toronto in the Chevrolet booth and he was gracious and a kind man. He signed his autograph the same he always did: Thanks! Rick Mears. He was thanking you for taking the time just to meet him.
He damn near lost his feet after that accident BUT Roger convinced the doctors to try and fix them & they did an amazing job. Rick rehabilitated and came back in 85 to win the Pocono 500, an amazing accomplishment. That feet injury however turned out to be the turning point in his career though, I truly believe had that not happened he wins more races than he did and at least one more CART PPG Cup...
After Rick has both his feet nearly ripped off, on the way under the ARMCO BARRIER, and again as the car spun back to the track. I remember a story, that TEAMMATE DANNY SULLIVAN VISITING QUICK RICK & TOLD HIM " REFUSE THE PAIN PILLS! I DIDN'T WHEN I INJURED MY BACK, AND YOU START ABUSING THEM AS SOON AS YOUR LAST SCRIPT RUNS OUT"!!! Thanks to THE SACKLER FAMILY for the info. 😉
@@vinewood8295 I think that hard hit at TURN 1, DURING INDY PRACTICE when the fuel started pouring out a loose fuel line causing Rick to slam the wall, get the car nearly upside down was probably the catalyst for THE OVAL MASTER to think about retirement.
One of my best memories of Rick was Indy 1992, my son wanted an autograph but Rick's wrists were all taped up and he was unable to sign autograph at the time. So he grabs the boy plops him on his lap and says how about a picture instead. My son still has that photo on his wall at home. Rick was always a class act.
Now here is a smart man. Watched his money throughly, analyzed his train of thought, wanted to retire on his terms with what he felt was right...etc etc. Rick Mears, you did it your way! I was extremely sad you climbed out of the car.....but myself and other's know exactly why now. Your a Legend!
I'm 54. Rick was my hero back in the early to mid 1980's. Now, 40 years later, I think I picked a pretty good guy to look up to. I don't regret or laugh at my choice, like so many of us do.
Mark Donahue is a Penske legend. I have heard that Mark's death (when he really had wanted to stop racing) was on Rick Mears' mind, too...stop now...don't do what Mark did...Mark was miserable at the end...and I also heard that Mark did not want to let Roger Penske and the team down, as Rick referred to. So, he kept racing and even came out of retirement. I am glad that Rick is still with us.
@@timheidel5849 I think it was published a couple of years before his death and after his successful Can-AM, Indy car, and Sports car career. There was no 'unfair advantage' at Penske F1.
Riverside CA 1976 Rick Mears came out of his trailer with all of his gear on helmet and all and with all the fans (a dozen of us I think) standing around gave a demonstration and speech of his entire uniform and he stripped down to his fire suit in front of all of us. I will never forget that day. The greatest race car driver to ever grace the sport of racing.
They're rare, and it can't be taught. The old tales of the original Bill Vukovich claim he had no ego, and coldly, calmly got the best out of the car possible; and I believe it. They are likely a few out there at any given moment, but they might not be given the same chances as 'louder' racers who make more waves.
This is the best insight to all motorsports. Stock car, Indy, F1, Dirt, motocross. The door is wide open for Dirty Mo. Hell they could bring in a go cart driver and I'm glued in! Racing history and stories never get old.
Rick could effect the stagger in the car (intentionally) by the way he turned in to the corner… he had methods figured out the other guys hadn’t even thought of …not just a brilliant driver but also a great technician
He could what?? No the stagger is the stagger he might of been making the car behave certain way by his input in ways others couldn't but the stagger remained the same
I wasn’t much of an IndyCar or CART follower growing up, but always watched the Indy 500 and rooted for either Mario or Michael Andretti, Rick Mears, and of course, A.J. Foyt. Those drivers WERE the sport to me! So it’s really great to see “Mr. Four Timer” still active in the sport - although from the outside looking in…
I damn near cried when Rick retired as I wanted to see him win that 5th Indy. And even if he wasn't 100% into it as he mentions, I'm sure he would have if he had struck around a few more years.
I'm 65 & a big And retro fan ,Rick was as good as ANY on the superspeedway.Sorry for you're loss.Rick & Michael trading passes in turn 1 Indy 30 yrs ago was as good as it gets!
I still remember Rick as the fresh faced kid in the early eighties.I'm only a few yrs younger & I'm thinking back to my grandmother telling me how fast the yrs go by.Thanks for the memories Rick.
So many things about Dale Jr. that make him so likeable and relatable. But these podcasts are just gold because he approaches them as a fan , 1st and foremost, who wants to better understand the mindset of the drivers he looked (looks?) up to. He's having the conversation most of us would LOVE the opportunity to have. So good.
I met him at the 2023 Indianapolis Induction gala a few days ago and had a 5 minute uninterrupted chat about the days the USAC guys came over to the UK in 1978 when I marshaled at Brands Hatch. A most pleasant and gracious man.
My friends and I would drive three hours to Indy to watch time trials on pole position weekend. That was when the Snake Pit still existed on the infield, and state troopers walked around in groups of ten or more. We got to watch all the legends qualify and chase the poll. Rick was always super fast. AJ Foyt, Al Unser Jr, The Andretti's, Aurie Luyendyk, Danny Sulivan, Emerson Fittipaldi, Gordon Johncock, Johnny Rutherford, Bobby Allison and Bobby Unser. We got to see them all. I never got to see a race in person, but pole qualifying day was still worth the trip!
Smart man. Love Rick Mears and will always remember him. Awesome person and a great part of automobile racing ! May he always stay a part of the sport !
3:30 The thought of Rick driving a PC23 with the Beast has never crossed my mind until now. And it’s a frightening thought. Rick was always so smooth and so technical, the thought he may have gotten more out of it than Little Al and Emmo did…..wow….
"Losing the desire". That was always my biggest concern growing up and choosing a profession. It's not always possible to just walk away once you decide. I give Rick a ton of credit and really miss that era when he raced.
Yeah Rick's feet were pulverized and if I remember it correctly the last time I saw him on pit road at the speedway he still walked with a limp..I was at the speedway that day he hit the turn two wall and got upside down...it was one of the nastiest hits I had ever seen at the speedway and I have seen alot of bad licks at the speedway... Rick is a great guy and a great champion 🏆🏆
Raced dirt bikes for 20 years. That is exactly how it happens. Just wasn't fun. You have to spend a huge amount time staying in shape and eventually that gets old too. Your body just can't do it anymore.
I was a diehard fan of Rick Mears back then so for me it was the saddest non-fatality day in my life as an IndyCar fan when I saw the announcement on Sportscenter that day in 1992 that Rick had announced his retirement. I felt like for sure he would keep going until at least the 95 or 96 season & I felt like that he was going to win that 5th 500 in one of those races. The race he's speaks of where he got out the car with it still running was the 1992 Michigan Marlboro 500 which was also his final CART start, he just pulled down pit road and got out & I think they said at the time that the car had handling issue's plus Rick was still nursing his damaged wrist as well. He had qualified that chassis pretty well that weekend towards the front with that bum wrist, a healthy Mears may have sat on the pole and won that race just like he did the year before when he won both the 500's. Paul Tracy & Al Unser Sr filled in for him for the remainder of the season. Had he not retired, he probably coulda won in 93 or 94, I remember when they mentioned something during one of the interviews that month about his thoughts on the BEAST & the minor quick thought of jumpin in one the cars and running that years 500, I really wish he had BUT respect his decision to retire when he did hell if I had been a pro racer I would probably have retired before my time as well IF I had a resume like his...
My Dad was racing Baja (Where The Mears Gang began) during Rick's heyday. We lived a few miles from Bakersfield and had mutual friends, so he was always my favorite as a kid. I remember him and his brother Roger showing up to the OffRoad World Championships and racing any class that someone would give them a car for and winning a bunch.
I saw Mr. Meats standing on top of his trailer in the Laguna Seca pits, in the early ‘90s. I shouted hello to him from the ground with my camera in my hand. He graciously waved back with a smile for a great photo. That’s a true gentleman racer.
Rick was one of the easiest drivers to run into in the pits at any race. I had a dozen encounters over a 15 years period. One of my all time favorites, I enjoyed every meeting.
RDP: OK, second, but at least I am going to mention what an awesome clip from the entire interview . . .had forgotten about that Indy 500 crash . . . love and admire these two racers . . . can't wait to see interview (NBC) of all four 4X Indy 500 Champs (Rick being one of them) this weekend before Indy GP.
The Mears Gang is a special group I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Rick & Roger’s Dad so I understand why those guys are as smart as they are!
I got to play a round of golf with Rick at Thorntree Country Club in DeSoto Texas back in the early 2000's. Aside from the sheer magnitude of his presence, what I came away with most were his stories about his feel for "the wall" ... on ovals (Indy in particular) he could feel how far from the wall he (his car) was ... and I mean with an inch-perfect tolerance. Damn. Amazing driver, amazing competitor, amazing man. That afternoon was a life changing highlight of my club professional career.
I remember that 92 crash like it was yesterday. I watched it live and swore that I just saw a man die, until he climbed out and walked away. Back in the day was one of my favorite drivers, a class act. I recall his wife making comments after that crash and then he retired not too long after.
I was at Indy for all 4 of Rocket’s wins. This man could drive like no one, except maybe Senna, that I’ve ever seen. He was a machine, it didn’t matter if it was a big oval, small oval or road course. He was as close to perfection in motion as it gets.
To this day I remember being a little kid on my big wheel in the front yard pretending to be Rick Mears racing in the Indy 500 and we won every single time on a last lap pass taking the double checkered flags to the adoration of the thousands in attendance. This fantasized achievement and to add a dramatic effect always came with a crash that would prove that the day would be an utter failure to any driver except for the great Rick Mears. Thank you Rick for being one of my heros.
Met Rick several years ago and asked him what his upside-down Indy crash was like. He said he remembered how quiet everything was, in the fraction of a second when he was upside down momentarily, until all heck broke loose.
LOVE the end of the clip with the voice of Indy, Tom Carnegie. I'm old enough to remember when Indy qualifying was a big deal and his booming voice would thunder, "Its a NEW track recooord". Chilling.
Love Rick !!! Be well. As I neared my retirement, I got a bagger motorcycle and had great fun for 10 years. Many great trips. One day I lifted that heavy bike off the kick stand.... and it hurt me a moderate amount. It clicked in my brain.... hey, I don't care to do this anymore. The fun, great great fun,,,,, was gone.
He may not drive any more, but Rick Mears is a racer's racer. Kind, professional, knowledgable.....and utterly ferocious behind the wheel. Never a dirty racer. He didn't have to be. I've always admired Rick Mears. Not so much for his prowess as a racer. He had the guts and forethought to say "I've had enough" and walk away when no one else really understood.
Saw Rick at Watkins Glenn for the first C.A.R.T. event back in 81, closed to spectators, as part of a SCCA F/F event. Team ran before CART boys went out. There was rick driving a Sugar Ripe sponsored yellow Indy car. Al Unser among a list of top shelf drivers, my neck was aching trying not to miss anything going on around the pits. Great memories...
Great interview! I had never heard why Rick Mears stopped racing in his early 40's while there were so many other drivers who raced in that 1992 Indy 500 who were in their 50's. But yeah, as much as we would love to watch our favorite athletes compete forever, there does indeed come a time when they should retire, some sooner than others.
I can't think of an IndyCar/oval driver I would place above Rick Mears (and I've been watching since boyhood). Furthermore, the self-insights he shares in this interview might be the best and most interesting I've ever heard in any conversation with a race car driver. I've gone through the same arc with a couple passions that I thought would last for a lifetime. At first it confused me and was bittersweet, but hearing it from others like Rick helps. It's been said that only God and people last forever, and I want to make them my life's chief priority.
I lost the desire as well. That's when I quit racing. Was still running decent, but started thinking of how much each part cost and just thinking to myself to bring it home in one piece. Just lost the desire.
Good, Fast, Cheap. Pick two. You can't have all three. Fast and Cheap won't be good. Cheap and Good won't be Fast. Fast and Good won't be Cheap. Once you realize this, you begin to lose the desire. The two concerns of a race car driver are: 1) If I go with this team can I win? and 2) If I go with this team and win, will I get paid ?
I saw 3 of his 4 wins at Indy and I have a black and white print and signed by Mears of his 1991 car number 3. It is right above my flat screen. I also have a color print of little AL and Fittipaldi contact when Fittipaldi won with a few laps to go. The last print and most expensive is little AL beating Goodyear at the finish line. Rick was one of my favorite drivers. Saw him at many Indy 500s, Mid Ohio and I think he was still racing when I went to Detroit GP.
