zlinedavid Rick Mears has said that if he couldn’t have won the race that day then he was very happy Johncock won. He said that Gordy felt cheated in 73.

Yes I heard from Swede Savage's daughter he didn't celebrate in 73 he had a hamburger and went straight to the hospital where Swede was in bad shape. 82 was a 500 he could really sink his victory celebration teeth into. I was there this day my first Indy 500 and it was pure magic in that place that day One of the best days of my life.

But 82 was tainted by the death of Gordon Smiley. Worse single car wreck I ever seen

@@robertbrook8552 literally is the worst.

Great line

While the commentators had passion for the race, the director (selecting camera shots) must have had passion for Mrs Mears.

I think Intermedics struck a deal with Patrick racing after Gordon died if i am not mistaken.

The Johncock/Mears duel from laps 160 - 185, which was the lead in to the final Mears charge, was also pretty epic.

Agree 82 was spectacular

And of course, the legendary line by Foyt: “Coogin!”

Unfortunately, it also had death, as Gordon Smiley died during a warmup lap on Pole Day

True. For my part, I was referring to the race itself, not the entire month of May. The month itself was terrible, as Gilles Villeneuve also died in a F1 practice crash.

one of the greatest to ever race at Indy

He used to live right by me in Michigan. His family used to build motors for my Grandfather's drag cars. Great people.

Greatest finish in the history of the 500. There may have been closer, but never any better, than a finish that is currently impossible via their Socialist rules package.

Well, we won't have to worry about nascar or the idiots of the France family. Nascar is dead, short track stock car racing is dead, tracks are being bulldozed everyday all thanks to the greed of the idiot france family. Disney is buying nascar and after all, what a fitting place for MICKEY MOUSE.

@@libertarianlife3651 Moron

Mauri Rose's move from outside the third row past eight cars to the lead on the first lap of 1946 was a pretty good pure driving job.

Yes Gordon had tremendous understeer. The way he dove to an early apex below the paint and just slipped all the way up to the wall was balls out racing at its best.

Shredboy1 It's a shame Johncock is never around any IndyCar events. I have seen and met Mears a few times around the Penske garage, but I have never saw Johncock close up. He was great.

You met Mears? Cool..Was he a good guy?

Quentin Raffensperger Yeah, Mears was great... a very friendly guy. I actually saw him yesterday, by coincidence, in Gasoline Alley, but I was behind a fence. The day before the Indy 500 they has a veteran driver autograph signing and Danny Sullivan was there...someone who I had never seen up-close before. While I was getting his autograph I mentioned that I remember him on a "Miami Vice" episode and he said "Yeah, that was 29 years ago, but who's counting?" (ha-ha!) It is just so great just to see these guys are so instilled in my memory from years ago.

Cool, next year the 100 th...I hope they do it up nice...Bring back the greats or something, they gotta go big for the 100th Anniversary.

I had a similar experience with Mears. At Indy, along a fence and swamped with people, but took the time to say Hello to everyone and answer quick questions people were shooting at him. From all accounts I've heard, Johncock is very down to earth; a bit more reserved than Mears, but still very approachable. The reason you don't see him around racing nowadays is due to his current business. He owns and operates a sawmill in Michigan.

When scott Goodyear lost by. .043 of a second was the best 500 1992 indy 500

Someone was literally blown up in 82 indy 500

​@@jamescook6564 No it wasn't. Not even close. An aging Gordon Johncock in a Wildcat beat out a young Rick Mears in a Penske PC-17. Mears (& Penske) had the advantage THAT DAY on sheer speed. Johncock/Wildcat beat them down solidly on pit strategy alone - along with GJ's ability to hold Mears off. The BEST driver/team won that day despite all the odds going against them. The Unser/Goodyear event pales in comparison to this 500.

​@@jamescook65641992 was a downer because Michael Andretti was wiping the floor with everybody else until his car died late in the race .

Not crowd. Mears wife.

@@kg0173 yes yes. I was talking about the British Grand Prix where they cut to the crowd

acho até que há chegadas melhores, 92, 2006 são excelentes Jim McKay narrou muito bem mesmo. Mas talvez não com as circunstâncias do Gordon, tendo que defender a posição por fora, quase na sujeira mesmo, com pneus mais gastos e virando dezenas de milhas mais lento que Rick Mears, por si um gigante da prova.

Listening to McKay and Sam Posey incredulous at the racing gives me goosebumps.

no doubt... Gordy had a car getting tighter by the lap, worn tyres... Ricky was dozens of miles faster by that time with a car that, in the naked eye, had no problems. Another lap he would've passed and won by quite some margin. But regardless of it, Gordy's defense in turn 1 is the stuff of legends

Rocket 🚀 Rick was the best !

Just saying, Mears never really completed the pass, otherwise Johncock would have wrecked when he blocked. So, you weren't missing much in hindsight.

Niles Yensel That's not the point. We never got to see Mears make his move to begin with.

dsfddsgh Yeah you do. You see him start to pass at about 2:18.

Niles Yensel Yeah but then for about 4 important seconds we see Mears wife instead of the race.

dsfddsgh I see what you mean.

It takes skill to do it

Wash6970 Perfectly fine to show emotion in the right setting, Auto Racing moves fast, directors don't.

Johncock gave a clinic on how to defend a position and tame a car (with the troubles he faced, he was taming a car not driving, thing was a raged bull)

Also, two of my all-time favorite race drivers involved, which makes this great moment even greater.

In the 1991 official race program, in a section asking long-time announcers what their greatest memory was in the years leading up to the 75th running, McKay picked the 1982 finish.

A mentally arthritic director cheated the viewers out of the best moment of the race. The following year, she became the EX-Mrs. Mears.

@luey Hewis he had. I called "mother" because it was the first super close finish in Indy. Before that, the closest was 2 and a ½ seconds I think. Al vs Scott Goodyear in 92 was closer actually

Good to know 👍

Rubber and wheel were one already

The engines were 2.65L V-8 turbo engines. Hearing these live was something else.

They were divorced the following year.

Monaco has been a snoozefest for decades. It shouldn't even be on the calendar.

Actually you did that same year. Last two laps and it could have been about six different winners.