The 1992 PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 14th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART (d.b.a "IndyCar"). The season consisted of 16 races. Bobby Rahal was the national champion, his third and final career CART title. Stefan Johansson was named the Rookie of the Year. The 1992 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Al Unser Jr. won the Indy 500 in the closest finish in the history of that event.
| 1992 CART season | |
|---|---|
| PPG Indy Car World Series | |
 Bobby Rahal | |
| Season | |
| Races | 17 |
| Start date | March 22 |
| End date | October 18 |
| Awards | |
| Drivers' champion |  Bobby Rahal |
| Constructors' Cup |  Lola |
| Manufacturers' Cup | Chevrolet |
| Nations' Cup | United States |
| Rookie of the Year |  Stefan Johansson |
| Indianapolis 500 winner | Al Unser Jr. |
Starting in 1992, and continuing through 1996, the CART organization began operating under the name IndyCar. The term IndyCar was a registered trademark of IMS, Inc., and was licensed to CART from 1992 to 1996. The use of the term "CART" was curtailed in the series and in the media in favor of IndyCar during this period.
The circuit welcomed a new venue in 1992, New Hampshire International Speedway.
Bobby Rahal, who was in his first season as an owner/driver, won four races and three poles en route to the title. Rahal's three oval wins included a dominating wire-to-wire victory at Phoenix, where he led all 200 laps. Rahal fielded the "tried and true" Lola/Ilmor Chevrolet "A" combination. It was the final championship for the Ilmor Chevy A engine. Rahal managed to outperform the newer engines that joined the series in 1992, the Ford/Cosworth XB, as well as the Ilmor Chevy "B" engine, which was used by the Penske team. For the third time, Michael Andretti finished runner-up to Rahal in the points. Andretti promptly left Indy car racing the following year to race in Formula One.
A bevy of crashes, some serious, at the 1992 Indianapolis 500 injured several drivers, and shook up the driver lineup during parts of the season. Jovy Marcelo was fatally injured in a practice crash, while Nelson Piquet suffered devastating leg injures in another practice crash. Hiro Matsushita suffered a fractured leg and missed several races over the summer. Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, and Jimmy Vasser all sat out the race at Detroit while they recovered from injuries. In July, Mears dropped out of the Michigan 500 with nagging injuries, and ultimately sat out the rest of the season. Mears then unexpectedly retired from racing in December.
Drivers and constructors
editAll entries utilized Goodyear tires. The following teams and drivers competed in the 1992 Indy Car World Series season.
Schedule
edit
O Oval/Speedway
R Road/Street course
Non-championship event
- Indianapolis was USAC-sanctioned but counted towards the PPG Indy Car title.
Race results
edit
Championship Results
editFinal driver standings
edit
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Note: 1 Jovy Marcelo was killed in practice for the 1992 Indianapolis 500. He was 27 years old.
| Pos | Chassis | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lola T9200/T9100/T9000
|
311 |
| 2 | Penske PC-21/PC-20
|
218 |
| 3 | Galmer G92
|
170 |
| 4 | Truesports 92C/91C
|
68 |
| Pos | Chassis | Pts |
| Pos | Engine | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet A/B
|
472 |
| 2 | Ford XB
|
232 |
| 3 | Buick
|
24 |
| 4 | Judd
|
8 |
| 5 | Cosworth DFS
|
2 |
| Pos | Engine | Pts |
Footnotes
edit- ^ Used by Mario Andretti at round 1, and by Michael Andretti at rounds 1-2.
- ^ Entry run by P.I.G. Racing
- ^ Used by Al Unser Jr. at round 15.
- ^ Driver and car were assigned after qualifying. Car provided by Leader Card Racing.
- ^ Used by Scott Brayton at round 4 (Indianapolis 500).
- ^ Used at rounds 13–16
- ^ Used at round 4 (Indianapolis 500).
- ^ Team run by Hemelgarn Racing from round 9 onwards.
- ^ Used at rounds 4, 8, 10, 12–13 and 15–16
References
edit- "1992 CART Results". racing-reference.info. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- "1992 CART PPG IndyCar World Series standings". race-database.com. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- Åberg, Andreas. "PPG Indy Car World Series 1992". Driver Database. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- "1992 PPG Indy Car World Series". Champ Car Stats. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- "Official Box Score: 76th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- "Standings after Laguna Seca". Champ Car World Series. Archived from the original on October 22, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2009.