1992 Indy 500: The 0.043-Second Finish That Stood 34 Years
The IndyCar season is over, so the Happy Hour Racing Monday recap goes back in the archive. This week we revisit the 1992 Indianapolis 500, the race that held the closest-finish record until this past May.
The Short Version
On May 24, 1992, Al Unser Jr. beat Scott Goodyear to the yard of bricks by 0.043 seconds. It was the closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history, and it stayed the closest for 34 years until Felix Rosenqvist edged David Malukas by 0.0233 seconds this past May. But the finish is only half the story. The 1992 race was the coldest and one of the most brutal 500s ever run. Only 12 of the 33 starters were still going at the end, and the man who dominated the day never saw the checkered flag.
The Coldest 500 Ever Run
A cold front rolled into Indianapolis the night before the race. Race morning came in at 48 degrees with winds gusting to 23 mph, which put the wind chill around 28. By the halfway point it had only climbed to 52. Slick racing tires need heat to grip, and in that air they never got it. Drivers were sliding on cold rubber all day, and it showed up on the scoring pylon immediately.
Pole sitter Roberto Guerrero never even took the green. He had qualified at a record 232.482 mph, then spun and hit the inside wall on the parade lap while weaving to warm his tires. He was credited with 33rd. He became only the third pole winner in Indy history to finish last.
The month had already been ugly before anyone lined up. Nelson Piquet wrecked in practice on May 7 and suffered serious injuries to both legs, which cost him nearly a year of rehab. On May 15, rookie Jovy Marcelo was killed in a practice crash, the first driver fatality at the Speedway in ten years.
Michael Andretti Had It Won
Michael Andretti was untouchable. He led 160 of the first 189 laps and set a race lap record of 229.118 mph on lap 166. With 11 laps to go he was up by nearly 30 seconds. Then the fuel pump on his Lola-Ford let go and he coasted to a stop. He was classified 13th, the first car not running at the finish.
It was the most laps led by a non-winner at Indy since his father Mario led 170 and lost in 1987. That was not even the worst part of the Andretti family's day. Mario crashed in turn four on lap 84 and broke toes in his foot. Then his son Jeff broke a right-rear wheel hub in turn two on lap 115 and hit hard enough that safety crews needed 18 minutes to get him out. Jeff suffered severe leg injuries, and his detached wheel struck Gary Bettenhausen. Writing about it later, Mario called it the worst day of his life.
The attrition never stopped. Rick Mears, Emerson Fittipaldi and Jim Crawford all went out in a turn one crash on lap 75. Stan Fox and Philippe Gache crashed there earlier. Jimmy Vasser hit the wall, Paul Tracy blew an engine, Arie Luyendyk crashed in turn four. The race ran 13 cautions for 85 caution laps. Between lap 62 and lap 122, only nine laps were run under green. The winning average speed of 134.477 mph was the slowest since 1958.
The Guy in Second Was Not Supposed to Be There
Scott Goodyear did not qualify for the 1992 Indianapolis 500. Ted Prappas bumped him out of the field by 0.089 seconds with six minutes left on Bump Day. Walker Racing then moved Goodyear into Mike Groff's car during race week, which meant he had to start dead last in 33rd.
He drove from 33rd to second. Only one other driver had ever gone 33rd to second at Indy, Tom Sneva in 1980. When Michael Andretti stopped, Unser Jr. inherited the lead with Goodyear right on him, and a late caution for Andretti's stalled car bunched them up for a short green-flag run to the end.
0.043 Seconds
Coming out of turn four on the last lap, Unser Jr. gave Goodyear a crack at it. "I almost took it a little too easy off Turn 4, and Scott got a run on me," Unser said afterward. Goodyear pulled alongside and ran out of room. "We just drove flat out," he said. "We just didn't have enough to get past him."
It was Unser Jr.'s 10th start at Indianapolis and his first win. He became the first second-generation Indy 500 winner and the third Unser to win the race, after his father Al and his uncle Bobby.
There is a footnote. Unser's Galmer carried its timing transponder in the nose of the car, while Goodyear's Lola had its transponder in the sidepod like everyone else. USAC officials later estimated the real gap at 0.0331 seconds. The record book kept the official 0.043.
Al Unser Sr. Finished Third at 52
Behind the two of them came Al Unser Sr., the winner's father, third in a Buick-powered Lola for Team Menard at 52 years old. He was the first driver ever to complete 500 miles on a Buick V6, and third place remains the best that engine ever managed at Indy. Eddie Cheever was fourth, Danny Sullivan fifth. A.J. Foyt finished ninth in what turned out to be the last of his Indianapolis 500 starts. Lyn St. James finished 11th and was voted Rookie of the Year, the only rookie still running at the end.
An icon and hero to racing fans around the world. A history-making and beloved member of the #IMS family. 4-time #Indy500 winner Al Unser has passed away at age 82. Godspeed, racer.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (@IMS) December 10, 2021
The Numbers
A record ten former Indy 500 winners started that race. By the end of the day it was eleven, because Unser Jr. joined the list. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears took the green together as four-time winners, the only time that ever happened.
What Came After
The Speedway responded to the carnage that summer. The apron at the bottom of the track was removed and replaced with a warm-up lane, and the outside retaining wall was rebuilt, both finished in time for 1993. Mears ran only a partial schedule the rest of 1992 and retired from driving that December. Foyt retired from the cockpit before the 1993 race.
The 0.043 stood for 34 years. It finally fell on May 24, 2026, the exact same calendar date, when Felix Rosenqvist beat David Malukas out of turn four by 0.0233 seconds in a race that also set a record with 70 lead changes. If you want to see how that season finished out and where everyone landed, check the IndyCar Series schedule and standings.
The Bottom Line
Everybody remembers 1992 for the half a car length at the line. The part worth remembering is what it cost to get there. Thirty-three cars started in 48-degree cold, twelve were still running at the end, one family lost three cars and two sons to the hospital and the garage, and the guy who beat them all had been bumped out of the field two weeks earlier. Records get broken. That day does not repeat.
IndyCar Gear
The offseason is long. Here is Indy gear that is in stock right now:
- Indianapolis 500 Back Home Again Tee
- Indianapolis 500 Snake Pit Tee
- Indianapolis 500 Car Flag Tee
- Indianapolis 500 Track Navy Tee
- IndyCar Checkered Flag Sublimated T-Shirt
- Colton Herta #26 Gainbridge 1:18 Diecast
Now settle an argument for us. Which one was the better Indy 500 finish, Unser Jr. and Goodyear in 1992 or Rosenqvist and Malukas this May? Tell us in the comments.
