1996 U.S. 500
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Race 6 of 16 in the 1996 IndyCar season | |
| Date | May 26, 1996 |
| Official name | U.S. 500 |
| Location | Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan, United States |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.000 mi / 3.219 km |
| Distance | 250 laps 500.000 mi / 804.672 km |
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 63 °F (17 °C); wind speeds up to 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h) |
| Pole position | |
| Driver | Jimmy Vasser (Chip Ganassi Racing) |
| Time | 31.031 |
| Fastest lap | |
| Driver | Alex Zanardi (Chip Ganassi Racing) |
| Time | 30.836 (on lap of 250) |
| Podium | |
| First | Jimmy Vasser (Chip Ganassi Racing) |
| Second | Maurício Gugelmin (PacWest Racing) |
| Third | Roberto Moreno (Payton/Coyne Racing) |
The 1996 U.S. 500 was a CART race at the Michigan International Speedway on May 26, 1996. It was the sixth round of the 1996 IndyCar season, and ran on the same day as the 1996 Indianapolis 500, which was the premier event on the 1996 Indy Racing League calendar.
On December 18, 1995, CART teams, convinced that they were being deliberately locked out from the 1996 Indy 500, and the victims of a "power grab" by Tony George, announced their intentions to boycott the event. They jointly announced plans for a new race, the Inaugural U.S. 500, to be held at Michigan International Speedway the same day.
The official reaction from IMS/IRL was one of disappointment and dismay, suggesting that CART was preparing to do considerable damage to Indy car racing. CART participants were convinced of the opposite.
Jimmy Vasser had a time of 31.031 seconds and the pole. Adrian Fernandez and Bryan Herta started alongside him at the first row.
At turn 4, a major crash happened, as Jimmy Vasser started a major pileup after colliding with Fernandez and Herta. Other drivers like Eddie Lawson, André Ribeiro, Gil de Ferran, Maurício Gugelmin, Parker Johnstone and Fredrik Ekblom were involved. The red flag was out, all the drivers who were involved, except Fernandez, took their spare cars. The Mexican driver did not restart.
...
Wikipedia