1982 Michigan 500

August 2023 The 1982 Michigan 500, the second running of the event, was held at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, on Sunday, July 18, 1982. Branded as the 1982 Norton Michigan 500 for sponsorship reasons, the event was race number 5 of 11 in the 1982 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. The race was won by Gordon Johncock, two months after his victory in the 1982 Indianapolis 500, giving him wins in the first two legs of Indy car's Triple Crown. 42 03 58.68 N 84 14 29.18 W type:landmark title United States Michigan 500 Michigan International Speedway track map.png July 18 1982 1982 Norton Michigan 500 5 11 CART Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan, United States Permanent racing facility 2.000 3.219 250 500.000 804.672 Cloudy with temperatures up to 82 F C; wind speeds reaching up to 10 mph km/hWeather information for the 1982 Norton Michigan 500 at Wunderground USA Mario Andretti Patrick Racing 205.233 mph km/h on USA Gordon Johncock Patrick Racing USA Mario Andretti Patrick Racing USA Bobby Rahal Truesports Background In the 1981 Michigan 500, A. J. Foyt suffered serious arm injuries when he crashed into the guardrail in turn two. In response, Michigan International Speedway replaced its metal guardrails with concrete walls around the race track, with the exception of the backstretch which retained its guardrail.https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-1982-michigan-500-safety/127250324/ Chicago Tribune Illinois Associated Press Safety First at Michigan Speedway July 18, 1982 42 Practice and Time Trials Mario Andretti led the opening day of practice on Wednesday, July 14. Andretti's speed of 206.3 mph was followed by Rick Mears at 205.7 mph and Al Unser at 204.5 mph.https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-1982-michigan-500-1st/127252154/ Detroit Free Press Michigan Associated Press Andretti Sets Pace at MIS July 15, 1982 115 Mario Andretti won the pole on Thursday with a speed of 205.233 mph. Joining Andretti on the front row was Rick Mears at 203.816 mph and Gordon Johncock at 202.572 mph. The fourth-fastest qualifier, Don Whittington, was the only other car to qualify at over 200 mph with a speed of 202.350 mph.https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-tigers-score-11/33887111/ Detroit Free Press Michigan Associated Press Andretti Captures Norton 500 Pole July 16, 1982 41 Friday's practice session was marked by numerous on track incidents. George Snider spun but hit nothing. Josele Garza and Ken Hamilton crashed, with Garza needing to use a backup car. Scott Brayton spun and lightly hit the wall. Johnny Rutherford suffered damage to his car when his left front wheel fell off and he was able to avoid the wall. George Snider recovered from his practice spin to post the fastest speed in Friday's qualifying session. At 196.942 mph, Snider earned the 22nd starting spot. During the final day of practice on Saturday, Andretti crashed his pole-winning car in turn two. The car spun around and impacted the concrete wall with the left side. Andretti was unhurt, but the car could not be repaired in time for the race the following day. Andretti quickly got in the team's backup car and continued practicing, reaching speeds of 199 mph. Because he was no longer racing the car he qualified with, Andretti had to start from the last position.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-herald-1982-michigan-500-andre/127249712/ Times Herald Michigan Associated Press Andretti Has More Bad Luck July 18, 1982 28 Roger Penske exercised the "promoter's option" and added Ken Hamilton to the field as the 34th starter.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-herald-1982-michigan-500-andre/127249712/ Times Herald Michigan Associated Press Andretti Has More Bad Luck July 18, 1982 28 Race From his starting spot in the middle of row one, Gordon Johncock took the lead from Rick Mears entering turn one. The first caution came out on lap eight when Herm Johnson, Josele Garza, and Tony Bettenhausen spun in turn four. Only Johnson was unable to continue.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-1982-michigan-500/4630109/ Indianapolis Star Indiana Associated Press Johncock, Andretti 1-2 at Michigan July 19, 1982 18 Rick Mears passed Johncock to take the lead on lap 20. The caution came out again on lap 23 when Tom Sneva suffered an engine failure. Mario Andretti had climbed from his 33rd starting position to the seventh spot by lap 30 and was running third by lap 37. Mario's progress was slowed when he lost a lap in the pits after stalling the engine.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-1982-michigan-500/4630109/ Indianapolis Star Indiana Associated Press Johncock, Andretti 1-2 at Michigan July 19, 1982 18 On lap 54, the caution came out when Mike Mosley's car lost a side pod and it landed on the backstretch. Tom Bigelow spun on lap 97 but recovered to finish fifth. With 143 laps complete, Josele Garza brought out a caution when he spun in turn four. Garza was able to continue but retired shortly thereafter with engine failure. On the restart following the Garza spin, Hector Rebaque, running 80 laps behind the leaders, spun in avoidance of the Spike Gehlhausen car that had mechanical problems. He spun across the track directly in front of A. J. Foyt. The cars collided with great force, with Foyt then being thrown into the outside wall. Foyt was carried to a stretcher and brought the infield hospital. He was treated for a puncture wound in his left leg and released. "I feel pretty good," Foyt said, "but I think I got the same hole in my leg I had last year."https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-1982-michigan-500/4630109/ Indianapolis Star Indiana Associated Press Johncock, Andretti 1-2 at Michigan July 19, 1982 18 The race evolved into a battle between Patrick Racing teammates Gordon Johncock and Mario Andretti. Running third on lap 182, Rick Mears hit debris and cut a tire in turn two. The car drifted up the track and hit the wall, sustaining relatively minor damage but ending his race. Mears had led 80 laps. Johncock took the lead for the final time on lap 194.https://www.champcarstats.com/races/198205.htm 1982 Norton Michigan 500 Results During a caution for debris on lap 218, Andretti entered the pits hoping to make a front wing adjustment. Carrying too much speed, he overshot his pit stall and had to return to the track without the adjustment. Andretti was unable to catch his faster teammate and Johncock won by over 24 seconds. Bobby Rahal finished third, five laps behind the Patrick cars. Johncock led 117 laps and won $89,371 in prize money. The victory allowed Johncock to pass Mears for the Indycar points lead. It also gave Johncock the ability to become only the second man in Indy car racing to sweep the Triple Crown of 500 mile races if he could win Pocono a month later, something he did not do. Similar to the inaugural race in 1981, attrition was high and only 12 of the 34 starters were running at the finish. 11 cautions slowed the field to an average speed of 153.925 mph.https://www.champcarstats.com/races/198205.htm 1982 Norton Michigan 500 Results Box score FinishGridNo Car numberNameEntrantChassisEngineLapsTime/StatusLed Laps ledPoints 1 2 20 USA Gordon Johncock Patrick Racing Wildcat Mk8B Cosworth 250 3:14:54.000 117 63 2 3 40 USA Mario Andretti Patrick Racing Wildcat Mk8B Cosworth 250 +24.720 35 51 3 9 19 USA Bobby Rahal Truesports March 82C Cosworth 245 +5 Laps 0 42 4 12 10 USA Al Unser Longhorn Racing Longhorn LR03 Cosworth 245 +5 Laps 0 36 5 19 72 USA Tom Bigelow HBK Racing Eagle 81 Chevrolet 241 +9 Laps 0 30 6 21 56 USA Gary Bettenhausen Gohr Racing Penske PC-7 Chevrolet 241 +9 Laps 0 24 7 13 21 AUS Geoff Brabham Bignotti-Cotter Racing March 82C Cosworth 241 +9 Laps 0 18 8 10 18 USA Mike Mosley Kraco Racing March 82C Cosworth 239 +11 Laps 0 15 9 20 42 USA Jim Hickman Rattlesnake Racing March 82C Cosworth 236 +14 Laps 0 12 10 24 6 USA Tony Bettenhausen Jr. Bettenhausen Motorsports March 82C Cosworth 234 +16 Laps 0 9 11 31 37 USA Scott Brayton Brayton Racing Penske PC-7 Cosworth 225 Stalled 0 6 12 18 30 USA Howdy Holmes Doug Shierson Racing March 82C Cosworth 218 +32 Laps 0 3 13 28 2 USA Bill Alsup Alsup Racing Penske PC-9C Cosworth 213 +37 Laps 0 3 14 7 4 USA Kevin Cogan Penske Racing Penske PC-10 Cosworth 191 Water leak 0 3 15 1 1 USA Rick Mears Penske Racing Penske PC-10 Cosworth 184 Crash 80 3 16 23 34 USA Johnny Parsons Wysard Motor Co. March 82C Cosworth 184 Engine 0 3 17 16 31 USA Roger Mears Machinists Union Racing Penske PC-7 Cosworth 165 Engine 0 3 18 6 3 USA Pancho Carter Alex Morales Motorsports March 82C Cosworth 159 Wheel bearing 9 3 19 22 35 USA George Snider Fletcher Racing Team March 82C Cosworth 148 Gearbox 0 3 20 8 14 USA A. J. Foyt A. J. Foyt Enterprises March 82C Cosworth 147 Crash 6 3 21 30 22 USA Dick Simon Leader Card Racers Watson Cosworth 138 Piston 0 0 22 25 55 MEX Josele Garza Garza Racing March 81C Cosworth 130 Engine 0 0 23 15 49 USA Spike Gehlhausen Spike Gehlhausen Eagle 81 Cosworth 127 Shift lever 0 0 24 26 46 USA Jerry Karl McCray Racing Penske PC-7 Cosworth 103 Gearbox 0 0 25 29 32 MEX Héctor Rebaque Forsythe Racing March 82C Cosworth 67 Crash 0 0 26 4 91 USA Don Whittington Whittington Racing March 82C Cosworth 63 Engine 3 0 27 34 17 USA Ken Hamilton Hamilton Racing Vollstedt Offenhauser 55 Oil pressure 0 0 28 11 5 USA Johnny Rutherford Chaparral Racing March 82C Cosworth 54 Piston 0 0 29 27 36 USA Patrick Bedard Brayton Racing Wildcat Mk8 Cosworth 49 Engine 0 0 30 33 65 USA Phil Krueger Luxury Racers King Chevrolet 48 Fueling 0 0 31 17 12 USA Chip Ganassi Rhoades Racing Wildcat Mk8 Cosworth 37 Engine 0 0 32 5 7 USA Tom Sneva Bignotti-Cotter Racing March 82C Cosworth 23 Engine 0 0 33 32 77 USA Tom Frantz Tom Frantz Coyote 80 Chevrolet 20 Vibration 0 0 34 14 28 USA Herm Johnson Team Menard Eagle 82 Chevrolet 7 Crash 0 0 Source:1982 Norton Michigan 5001982 Michigan 500 - Round 5 Race Statistics Average Speed: 153.925 mph km/h on Lead changes: 28 among 6 drivers Lap Leaders FromLap ToLap TotalLaps Leader 1 19 19 Gordon Johncock 20 22 3 Rick Mears 23 25 3 Don Whittington 26 28 3 Rick Mears 29 31 3 Gordon Johncock 32 41 10 Rick Mears 42 45 4 A.J. Foyt 46 50 5 Pancho Carter 51 57 7 Rick Mears 58 60 3 Gordon Johncock 61 78 18 Rick Mears 79 83 5 Gordon Johncock 84 87 4 Pancho Carter 88 98 11 Rick Mears 99 101 3 Gordon Johncock 102 113 12 Rick Mears 114 138 25 Mario Andretti 139 141 3 Rick Mears 142 143 2 A.J. Foyt 144 156 13 Rick Mears 157 160 4 Mario Andretti 161 175 15 Gordon Johncock 176 176 1 Mario Andretti 177 179 3 Gordon Johncock 180 183 4 Mario Andretti 184 192 9 Gordon Johncock 193 193 1 Mario Andretti 194 250 57 Gordon Johncock Standings after the race Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 US Gordon Johncock 157 2 US Mario Andretti 123 3 US Rick Mears 119 4 US Bobby Rahal 104 5 US Al Unser 89 Broadcasting For the second straight year, the Michigan 500 was broadcast live by NBC. Paul Page and Charlie Jones did the play-by-play coverage in the broadcast booth. Gary Gerould and Bruce Jenner served as pit reporters.1982 Michigan 500 Telecast: NBC-TV, July 18, 1982 References 2 Michigan 500 Michigan 500 Category:Michigan Indy 400