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The 78th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 29, 1994. Al Unser, Jr. won from the pole position, his second Indy 500 victory. Much to the surprise of competitors, media, and fans, Marlboro Team Penske arrived at the Speedway with a brand new, secretly-built 209 in³ (3.42 L) displacement Mercedes-Benz pushrod engine, which was capable of nearly . Despite reliability issues with the engine〔 and handling difficulties with the chassis,〔 the three-car Penske team (Unser, Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy) dominated most of the month, and practically the entire race. Though Al Unser, Jr. won the pole position, it was Emerson Fittipaldi who dominated most of the race, leading a total of 145 laps. On lap 185, Fittipaldi was leading the race, and was looking to put Unser, Jr. (who was running second) a lap down. Fittipaldi was in reach of his his second-consecutive Indy 500 victory, and third overall. Shockingly, Fittipaldi tagged the wall in turn 4, handing the lead to Unser, Jr. with 15 laps to go. Little Al was able to stretch his fuel and cruise to victory over rookie Jacques Villeneuve. Al Unser, Jr. joined his father Al Sr. and uncle Bobby as winners of multiple 500s at Indy. The race marked the final Indy 500 for Mario Andretti, who retired after the 1994 season. Indy veterans Al Unser, Sr. and Johnny Rutherford also retired in the days leading up the race. John Andretti, who had left CART and moved to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, became the first driver to race in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day, an effort that has become known as "Double Duty." This was also the second and final Indy 500 for Nigel Mansell, who was knocked out of the race in a bizarre crash with Dennis Vitolo. It was not known at the time, but when Emerson Fittipaldi hit the wall on lap 185, it would conclude his final competitive lap in the Indy 500. The race was sanctioned by USAC, and was included as part of the 1994 PPG IndyCar World Series. For the second year in a row, weather was nay a factor during the month. Only one practice day was lost to rain, and pole day was only partially halted due to scattered showers. Warm, sunny skies greeted race day. ==Background== Nigel Mansell went on to win the 1993 CART championship, with 1993 Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi finishing second in points. Mansell returned to team up again with Mario Andretti at Newman Haas. Andretti embarked on a yearlong ''Arrivederci Mario'' tour, announcing he would retire after 1994. The 1994 race would be his 29th and final start at Indy. Fittipaldi remained at Penske Racing, which expanded to a three-car effort for 1994, including Al Unser, Jr. and Paul Tracy. Unser, Jr. left Galles after a six-year stint, and was replaced there with rookie Adrián Fernández. After a dismal season in Formula One, Michael Andretti returned to Indycar racing for 1994, signing with Ganassi. Andretti won the season opening Australian Grand Prix at Surfers Paradise. It was the first Indycar win for Ganassi, as well as the first win for the Reynard chassis (in its IndyCar debut). Rahal-Hogan Racing, with drivers Bobby Rahal and Mike Groff, debuted the first Honda Indycar engine, the Honda HRX Indy V-8. Chevrolet dropped its support of the Ilmor engine program at Indy after 1993. For 1994, the 265C, the 265 C+, and 265D V-8 powerplants were badged the "Ilmor Indy V8." After Michael Andretti won the season opener, Marlboro Team Penske won the next two races before Indy. Emerson Fittipaldi and Al Unser, Jr. finished 1-2 at Phoenix, then Al Unser, Jr. won at Long Beach. Jim Nabors returned to sing the traditional "Back Home Again in Indiana" just months after receiving a liver transplant. Nabors had suffered a near-fatal case of Hepatitis B, which caused liver failure. Initially it was not expected that he would be able to attend the race in person. Six days before opening day, the worldwide motorsports community was shaken by the death of Ayrton Senna at San Marino. Indy drivers Emerson Fittipaldi, Raul Boesel, and Maurício Gugelmin, were among those in attendance at the funeral, all three serving as pall-bearers. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1994 Indianapolis 500」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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