Vince Granatelli Racing was an American auto racing team that competed in the
CART PPG IndyCar World Series between
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
and
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
.
The team's greatest success came in their first and final seasons, as each year, their driver (
Roberto Guerrero
Roberto José Guerrero Isaza (born 16 November 1958) is a Colombian-American former race driver. He participated in 29 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 23 January 1982, becoming the first Colombian to start a Formula One Grand Prix.
Wi ...
in the former and
Arie Luyendyk
Arie Luijendijk (anglicised as Arie Luyendyk; born 21 September 1953), nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman," is a Dutch former auto racing driver, and winner of the 1990 and 1997 Indianapolis 500 races. He was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Sp ...
in the latter) each won two races during the season.
For all of the team's existence, the cars were painted in a dayglow red livery meant to be a tribute to
Andy Granatelli
Anthony "Andy" Granatelli (March 18, 1923 – December 29, 2013) was an American businessman, most prominent as the CEO of STP as well as a major figure in automobile racing events.
Granatelli was born in Dallas, Texas. Along with his brot ...
's
STP
STP may refer to:
Places
* São Tomé and Príncipe (ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code, IOC country code, and FIFA country code STP)
* St Pancras railway station, London St Pancras (Domestic) railway station (National Rail code STP)
* St. Paul Downtown Air ...
-sponsored Indy cars.
Background
Vince Granatelli was the son of former car owner
Andy Granatelli
Anthony "Andy" Granatelli (March 18, 1923 – December 29, 2013) was an American businessman, most prominent as the CEO of STP as well as a major figure in automobile racing events.
Granatelli was born in Dallas, Texas. Along with his brot ...
, whose cars had won the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
in
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
with
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, t ...
and
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
with
Gordon Johncock
Gordon Johncock (born August 5, 1936) is an American former racing driver. He won the Indianapolis 500 twice, and was the 1976 USAC Marlboro Championship Trail champion.
Early career
Johncock began racing at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan. J ...
. In the latter year, Vince Granatelli served as the crew chief for teammate
Graham McRae
Graham McRae (5 March 1940 – 4 August 2021) was a racing driver from New Zealand. He achieved considerable success in Formula 5000 racing, winning the Tasman Series each year from 1971 to 1973, and also the 1972 L&M Continental 5000 Champion ...
's car.
Vince Granatelli would start competing in racing as a car owner after Team Cotter from
Dan Cotter, then owner of
True Value
In statistics, as opposed to its general use in mathematics, a parameter is any measured quantity of a statistical population that summarises or describes an aspect of the population, such as a mean or a standard deviation. If a population exa ...
hardware stores.
On 22 January 2022, he died from complications of pneumonia and
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
at the age of 79.
History
1987
![RobertoGuerrero87MarchatSVRA2016a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/RobertoGuerrero87MarchatSVRA2016a.jpg)
The team would make their debut in
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
with
Roberto Guerrero
Roberto José Guerrero Isaza (born 16 November 1958) is a Colombian-American former race driver. He participated in 29 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 23 January 1982, becoming the first Colombian to start a Formula One Grand Prix.
Wi ...
, who had previously driven for Cotter, serving as the driver. Guerrero would drive the #4
True Value
In statistics, as opposed to its general use in mathematics, a parameter is any measured quantity of a statistical population that summarises or describes an aspect of the population, such as a mean or a standard deviation. If a population exa ...
/
STP
STP may refer to:
Places
* São Tomé and Príncipe (ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code, IOC country code, and FIFA country code STP)
* St Pancras railway station, London St Pancras (Domestic) railway station (National Rail code STP)
* St. Paul Downtown Air ...
March
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...
87C-
Cosworth DFX. At the season-opening
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
The Grand Prix of Long Beach (known as Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach since 2019 for naming rights reasons) is an IndyCar Series race held on a street circuit in downtown Long Beach, California. Christopher Pook is the founder of the event. It wa ...
on the
Streets of Long Beach, Guerrero qualified in 2nd place, but finished 12th due to an engine fire after completing 88 of 95 laps.
At the second race, the
Checker 200 at
Phoenix International Raceway, Guerrero qualified in the second row. The car was found to be 2.5 pounds underweight and he was moved to 22nd (last) place. Guerrero first took the lead on lap 87 and ultimately led 96 of 200 laps on his way to his first victory.
![RobertoGuerrero87MarchatSVRA2016b](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/RobertoGuerrero87MarchatSVRA2016b.jpg)
At the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
, Guerrero entered as a favorite alongside,
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, t ...
and
Bobby Rahal
Robert Woodward Rahal (born January 10, 1953) is an American former auto racing driver and team owner. As a driver he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500. He also won the 2004 ...
. Guerrero qualified in 5th place and ran at the front of the field all race. On lap 130,
Tony Bettenhausen Jr. lost a wheel and it was punted into the air by Guerrero's car. The wheel ended up landing in the top row of the grandstands in the south chute (between turns 3 and 4) and hit spectator Lyle Kurtenbach, who was killed instantly. When Andretti suffered electrical issues on lap 177, Guerrero took the lead and made his final pit stop on lap 182, as he was nearly one lap ahead of 2nd place
Al Unser
Alfred Unser (May 29, 1939 – December 9, 2021) was an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr. He was the second of four men ( A. J. Foyt, himself, Rick ...
After the pit stop, Guerrero stalled his engine, then stalled it again after his pit crew managed to push start it. Guerrero's
brake master cylinder
In automotive engineering, the master cylinder is a control device that converts force (commonly from a driver's foot) into hydraulic pressure. This device controls slave cylinders located at the other end of the hydraulic brake system.
A ...
and
clutch had been damaged in the incident with Bettenhausen. During this time, Guerrero lost one lap to Unser, who was now leading, but he would unlap himself with nine laps to go. Despite a late race caution for Andretti, Guerrero would lose the race to Unser, who won a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500.
Guerrero would then qualify on the pole position for three of the next four races. However, in these races he failed to finish better than 5th at the
Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland at
Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport
Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport is a public airport on the shore of Lake Erie, in the northeast part of downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It's classified as a general aviation airport and is an FAA designated reliever to Cleveland Ho ...
.
He would then finish in the top 10 in five of the next six races.
This included a win after qualifying 1st at the
Escort Radar Warning 200 at
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Following the race, Guerrero was ranked 3rd place in the standings, 40 points behind leader Rahal
Four days after the Mid-Ohio win, Guerrero was severely injured in a crash while testing at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On the final lap of the session, Guerrero's suspension failed and he hit the turn 2 wall. In the process, the right front tire came up and struck Guerrero knocking him unconscious for one week. Guerrero would miss the remainder of the season.
Al Unser, whom Guerrero lost the Indianapolis 500 to, drove for the team at the
Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix at
Pennsylvania International Raceway. He would start and finish in 10th place due to a crash with six laps to go.
Raul Boesel
Raul de Mesquita Boesel (, born 4 December 1957) is a Brazilian former racing driver who raced for the March and Ligier Formula One teams and later raced in Champ Car and the Indy Racing League.
He won the 1987 World Sportscar Championship and t ...
then drove the final two races of the season and got a best finish of 6th at the season-ending
Nissan Indy Challenge at
Tamiami Park
Tamiami Park is a public urban park in metropolitan Miami, just south of the Modesto Maidique campus of Florida International University.
Background
The park was built in the late 1960s on the site of the former ''Tamiami Airport'', which was re ...
. Additionally, Boesel qualified on the pole position at the exhibition race
Marlboro Challenge The Marlboro Challenge was an all-star race in the CART series race held from 1987–1992, sponsored by cigarette brand Marlboro. After 1992, the race was discontinued, in part because Phillip Morris reorganized its race sponsorship after the Marl ...
at the same track and ultimately finished 3rd.
Despite missing the final three races of the season, Guerrero was able to finish in 4th place in the final standings with 106 points.
1988
Guerrero would return with the team in
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
and would drive the #2
STP
STP may refer to:
Places
* São Tomé and Príncipe (ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code, IOC country code, and FIFA country code STP)
* St Pancras railway station, London St Pancras (Domestic) railway station (National Rail code STP)
* St. Paul Downtown Air ...
Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lola ...
T88/00-
Cosworth DFX. In his first CART race back since he was injured, Guerrero started and finished 2nd at the
Checker 200 at
Phoenix International Raceway.
The team then received additional sponsorship from ''
Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health'' after it was rejected by
Team Penske
Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the IndyCar Series, NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona ...
.
Afterwards, Guerrero began to struggle for results. At the
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
The Grand Prix of Long Beach (known as Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach since 2019 for naming rights reasons) is an IndyCar Series race held on a street circuit in downtown Long Beach, California. Christopher Pook is the founder of the event. It wa ...
on the
Streets of Long Beach, he suffered an engine failure after 41 laps and finished 19th.
At the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
, the team entered a second car for
Gordon Johncock
Gordon Johncock (born August 5, 1936) is an American former racing driver. He won the Indianapolis 500 twice, and was the 1976 USAC Marlboro Championship Trail champion.
Early career
Johncock began racing at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan. J ...
, the #60
STP
STP may refer to:
Places
* São Tomé and Príncipe (ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code, IOC country code, and FIFA country code STP)
* St Pancras railway station, London St Pancras (Domestic) railway station (National Rail code STP)
* St. Paul Downtown Air ...
/
Diamond Head Ranch March
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...
87C-
Cosworth DFX. While Guerrero qualified in 12th place, Johncock failed to qualify.
In the race, Guerrero was collected in a crash with
Scott Brayton
Scott Everts Brayton (February 20, 1959 – May 17, 1996) was an American race car driver on the American open-wheel circuit. He competed in 14 Indianapolis 500s, beginning with the 1981 event. Brayton was killed in practice after qualifying ...
on the first lap in turn 2, resulting in a 32nd place finish for Guerrero.
During practice for the following race, the
Miller High Life 200 at
Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway, Guerrero crashed in a practice and the team withdrew. Representatives from The
Church of Scientology (the group behind ''Dianetics'') speculated that Guerrero was having a mental issue with turn 2, as his 1987 crash at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway and his 1988 crashes at Indianapolis and Milwaukee were in turn 2. As a result, they wanted Guerrero and his family to undergo a Scientology ritual to remove this issue. Afterwards, Granatelli ended the sponsorship, despite the group offering $500,000 per race for the remainder of the season.
Guerrero struggled as the season went on, as he only finished in the top 10 twice. The better of these results was a 3rd at the
Quaker State 500 at
Pocono International Raceway
Pocono Raceway (formerly Pocono International Raceway), also known as ''The Tricky Triangle'', is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. It is the site of three NASCAR national series races and an ARCA ...
. During this time, the team began to alternate between using #2 and #4 and using a
March
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...
87C as the chassis in select races.
Al Unser
Alfred Unser (May 29, 1939 – December 9, 2021) was an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr. He was the second of four men ( A. J. Foyt, himself, Rick ...
returned to the team as a replacement for Guerrero when he was benched for the
Molson Indy Toronto
The Grand Prix of Toronto (known for sponsorship reasons as the Honda Indy Toronto) is an annual Indy Car race, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally known as the Molson Indy Toronto, it was part of the Champ Car World Series from 1986 t ...
at
Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place is a publicly owned mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The site includes exhibit, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments ...
, finishing 9th in a Lola and the
Marlboro Grand Prix at the Meadowlands at
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a sports complex located in East Rutherford, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The facility is owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA).
The complex currently con ...
, finishing 19th in a March.
Guerrero would finish 12th in points with 40 points. Following the season, he left the team for
Morales Motorsports.
After the season, Granatelli was critical of CART for making Cosworth engines uncompetitive by lowering their boost from 48 inches to 45 inches and he threatened to withdraw from the series.
1989
For
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
, the team fielded the #9
STP
STP may refer to:
Places
* São Tomé and Príncipe (ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code, IOC country code, and FIFA country code STP)
* St Pancras railway station, London St Pancras (Domestic) railway station (National Rail code STP)
* St. Paul Downtown Air ...
Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lola ...
T88/00-
Buick 3300 V6 with
Tom Sneva
Thomas E. Sneva (born June 1, 1948) is a retired American race car driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1983. He primarily raced in Indy cars, and was named to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2005.
A former math teacher from Spokane, ...
starting off as the regular driver.
Sneva would crash in practice for the season-opening
Checker Autoworks 200 at
Phoenix International Raceway and would fail to qualify as a result. For the second race, the
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
The Grand Prix of Long Beach (known as Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach since 2019 for naming rights reasons) is an IndyCar Series race held on a street circuit in downtown Long Beach, California. Christopher Pook is the founder of the event. It wa ...
at the
Streets of Long Beach, an older
March
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...
86C was used as a replacement and Sneva finished in 10th place, albeit five laps down.
At the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
, Sneva's car was renumbered to #7 (due to
USAC sanctioning the race) and
John Andretti
John Andrew Andretti (March 12, 1963January 30, 2020) was an American race car driver. He won individual races in CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series, and NASCAR during his career. He was the son of Aldo Andretti, older brother of racer Adam ...
drove a second car, the #70
STP
STP may refer to:
Places
* São Tomé and Príncipe (ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code, IOC country code, and FIFA country code STP)
* St Pancras railway station, London St Pancras (Domestic) railway station (National Rail code STP)
* St. Paul Downtown Air ...
/
Tuneup Masters Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lola ...
T88/00-
Buick 3300 V6. The team considered entering a third for Guerrero, as
Morales Motorsports was unable to have their
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...
engine ready in time, but were unable to due to Guerrero's contract. Andretti started 12th, but finished 25th due to an engine failure after 61 laps and Sneva started 22nd and finished 27th due to a pit fire after completing 55 laps.
Sneva struggled with the team as he retired from each of the following five races. During this time, the team used a
Cosworth DFX in the March at the
Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 at
Portland International Raceway
Portland International Raceway (PIR) is a motorsport facility in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is part of the Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River. It lies west of the Delta Park/Vanpo ...
and the Buick engine in the March at the
Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland at
Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport
Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport is a public airport on the shore of Lake Erie, in the northeast part of downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It's classified as a general aviation airport and is an FAA designated reliever to Cleveland Ho ...
.
Andretti was then brought back to the team to replace Sneva and bring alternate input on the car for races that did not conflict with his
IMSA
The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is a North American sports car racing sanctioning body based in Daytona Beach, Florida under the jurisdiction of the ACCUS arm of the FIA. It was started by John Bishop, a former executive direc ...
FT Championship commitments. He would fail to finish better than 17th at the
Pocono 500
The Pocono Organics CBD 325 was a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held annually at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The race was the first of two NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway, with the other being the Pocono 350, held th ...
at
Pocono International Raceway
Pocono Raceway (formerly Pocono International Raceway), also known as ''The Tricky Triangle'', is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. It is the site of three NASCAR national series races and an ARCA ...
.
Didier Theys
Didier Theys (born 19 October 1956) is a Belgian sports car driver. He is a two-time overall winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona (1998 and 2002); a winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring (1998); the Sports Racing Prototype driver champion of the Grand ...
then drove the final four races in the main car.
He would finish 11th at both the
Red Roof Inns 200 at
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and the
Road America 200
The Grand Prix of Road America, also known as the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America for sponsorship reasons, is an IndyCar Series race held at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. For twenty-five years, the event was part of the CART series ...
at
Road America.
Granatelli would also enter the second car for Andretti at the final two races of the season.
He would finish 12th at the
Champion Spark Plug 300K at
Laguna Seca Raceway
Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) is a paved road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, built in 1957 near both Salinas and ...
.
Theys would finish 21st in points with nine points (he also drove for
Arciero Racing and
Hemelgarn Racing
Hemelgarn Racing is an American auto racing team owned by Ron Hemelgarn. The team debuted in 1985, and competed in the CART and Indy Racing League ranks until the team originally shut down in 2010. The team returned to competition in 2015, and cur ...
earlier in the year
), Sneva would finish 28th with three points and Andretti 31st with one point.
1990
In
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...
, Theys returned to drive the #9
Tuneup Masters Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lola ...
T88/00-
Buick 3300 V6 for the team in a part-time season. He would finish 11th at the
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
The Grand Prix of Long Beach (known as Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach since 2019 for naming rights reasons) is an IndyCar Series race held on a street circuit in downtown Long Beach, California. Christopher Pook is the founder of the event. It wa ...
on the
Streets of Long Beach.
At the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
, Sneva returned to the team to drive the #9
RCA
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
Penske
Penske Corporation, Inc. () is an American diversified transportation services company based in Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan. Roger Penske is the chairman of the privately held company, and Rob Kurnick is the president.
Holding ...
PC17-
Buick 3300 V6,
Kevin Cogan
John Kevin Cogan (born in Culver City, California on March 31, 1956) is a former race car driver who drove in Formula One from to . Driving a RAM Williams in the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix, he failed to qualify, suffering the same result driving f ...
drove the #11
Tuneup Masters Penske
Penske Corporation, Inc. () is an American diversified transportation services company based in Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan. Roger Penske is the chairman of the privately held company, and Rob Kurnick is the president.
Holding ...
PC17-
Buick 3300 V6 and Theys drove the #70
Tuneup Masters Penske
Penske Corporation, Inc. () is an American diversified transportation services company based in Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan. Roger Penske is the chairman of the privately held company, and Rob Kurnick is the president.
Holding ...
PC17-
Buick 3300 V6. On the first day of practice, Sneva was the fastest driver with a top speed of 215.646 miles per hour. Cogan would qualify 15th, Theys 20th and Sneva 25th.
In the race, Sneva suffered a cv joint failure after 48 laps and finished 30th, while Theys finished 11th, 10 laps down, and Cogan was 9th, nine laps down.
For the rest of the season, Theys returned to the main car and got a best finish of 7th place at the
Molson Indy Toronto
The Grand Prix of Toronto (known for sponsorship reasons as the Honda Indy Toronto) is an annual Indy Car race, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally known as the Molson Indy Toronto, it was part of the Champ Car World Series from 1986 t ...
at
Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place is a publicly owned mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The site includes exhibit, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments ...
.
Theys finished 18th in points with 15 points, Cogan finished 23rd with four points and Sneva was 34th with no points.
Granatelli would admit that in regards to the season and the team's recent fortunes, "It was no fun to be running for 10th place every race, with no hope of finishing much higher."
1991
Prior to the
1991 season, Granatelli merged his team with
Doug Shierson Racing, which
Bob Tezak, founder of
International Games, had recently purchased. The newly merged team competed as Uno/Granatelli Racing.
Arie Luyendyk
Arie Luijendijk (anglicised as Arie Luyendyk; born 21 September 1953), nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman," is a Dutch former auto racing driver, and winner of the 1990 and 1997 Indianapolis 500 races. He was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Sp ...
, who had been driving for Shierson, drove for the team in the #9
Uno Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lola ...
T91/00-
Chevrolet Indy V8 265A. The team was effectively running unsponsored as Uno was at the time a product of International Games.
At the season-opening
Gold Coast IndyCar Grand Prix at the
Surfers Paradise Street Circuit
The Surfers Paradise Street Circuit is a temporary street circuit in Surfers Paradise, in Queensland, Australia. The beach-side track has several fast sections and two chicanes, having been shortened from an original length in 2010. It is the ...
, Luyendyk
started 8th and finished 9th, one lap down. He then finished 5th at the
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
The Grand Prix of Long Beach (known as Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach since 2019 for naming rights reasons) is an IndyCar Series race held on a street circuit in downtown Long Beach, California. Christopher Pook is the founder of the event. It wa ...
on the
Streets of Long Beach.
Luyendyk would then win the
Valvoline 200 at
Phoenix International Raceway after leading 129 of 200 laps.
At the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
, Luyendyk's car number became #1 (as the race was sanctioned by
USAC and Luyendyk had won the race the
previous year). The team would receive sponsorship from
RCA
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
. The team intended to field a second car with
Al Unser
Alfred Unser (May 29, 1939 – December 9, 2021) was an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr. He was the second of four men ( A. J. Foyt, himself, Rick ...
as the driver, but the team ultimately decided to not take away focus from Luyendyk, despite the engine lease being waived. Luyendyk was the 3rd fastest qualifier, but would ultimately start in 14th place, due to being a second day qualify and starting behind the Pole Day qualifiers. In the race, Luyendyk finished in 3rd place, one lap down.
Following Indianapolis, the team struggled for sponsorship, with Luyendyk failing to receive his share of the prize money for Indianapolis from Tezak (Luyendyk successfully sued Tezak for the money).
During the weekend of the
Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 at
Portland International Raceway
Portland International Raceway (PIR) is a motorsport facility in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is part of the Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River. It lies west of the Delta Park/Vanpo ...
, where Luyendyk finished 7th, Tezak announced he was pulling funding from the team, meaning Granatelli had to start funding the car with his own money. Then during the weekend of the
Marlboro Grand Prix Meadowlands at
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a sports complex located in East Rutherford, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The facility is owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA).
The complex currently con ...
, where Luyendyk finished 18th due to gearbox issues,
Granatelli announced that the team may not compete past the
Marlboro 500 at
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is a moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than approximately south of the village of Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track ...
due to sponsorship issues, despite Luyendyk being ranked 6th in points at the time.
At Michigan, Tezak tried to prevent the team from competing, as they had removed the Uno sponsorship by this point. However, Granatelli received an injunction to compete.
Luyendyk qualified at a speed of 222.910 miles per hour, the 7th fastest. However, because he did not qualify on the first qualifying day, he started 20th out of 21 cars.
In the race, he led 52 of 250 laps, but received a stop-and-go-penalty for passing under caution. Despite this, Luyendyk finished 2nd.
In spite of having no sponsor, the team competed in each race that season. Luyendyk would manage to win the
Bosch Spark Plugs Grand Prix at
Pennsylvania International Raceway.
Luyendyk would ultimately finish in 6th place in the final standings with 134 points.
Despite the team's success, Granatelli shut it down due to a lack of funding.
IndyCar wins
References
{{Champ Car teams
1987 establishments in Arizona
1991 disestablishments in Arizona
American auto racing teams
Champ Car teams
Auto racing teams established in 1987
Sports clubs disestablished in 1991