1987 CART PPG Indy Car World Series
The 1987 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 9th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 16 races, and one non-points exhibition event. Bobby Rahal was the national champion, winning his second-consecutive title. The rookie of the year was Fabrizio Barbazza. The 1987 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Al Unser, Sr. won the Indy 500, his record-tying fourth victory at Indy.
Defending series champion and defending Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal and his Truesports team made a highly publicized switch from the March chassis to the up-and-coming Lola chassis. Truesports, however, stayed with the proven Cosworth engine. For 1987, the Ilmor Chevrolet Indy V-8 expanded its participation, fielding cars with Penske Racing, Newman/Haas and Patrick. Mario Andretti scored the engine's first Indy car victory in the season opener at Long Beach. Also joining the series full-time was the Judd AV V-8, and later in the season Porsche made their Indy car debut. Penske resumed their in-house chassis program, but after dismal results with the PC-16, the cars were parked during practice at Indy in favor of the March 86C.
Roberto Guerrero won the second race of the season, starting from last position on the grid. Mario Andretti dominated the Indianapolis 500, leading 171 of the first 177 laps, but dropped out with engine failure with only 23 laps to go. Guerrero took the lead, but stalled during his final pit stop. Al Unser, Sr. led the final 18 laps to win, one of the biggest upsets in Indy 500 history. Though Guerrero faltered at Indy, he would be a factor through most of the season. After winning at Mid-Ohio in September, however, he was sidelined with head injuries due to a testing crash. He was third in points at the time.
For the second year in a row, the championship battle came down to Bobby Rahal and Michael Andretti. Rahal took the points lead after back-to-back wins at Portland and the Meadowlands. Andretti won the Michigan 500, and drew within 9 points of Rahal. At Mid-Ohio, Rahal was dominating until he tangled with a backmarker. Andretti had a chance to make up ground in the points, but blew his engine two laps later.
Michael Andretti rebounded, winning in dominating fashion at Nazareth. But Rahal charged to finish second, and with two races left, held a 25-point lead. In the next-to-last race of the season at Laguna Seca, Andretti dropped out with alternator trouble, and Rahal mathematically clinched the championship. It was Rahal's second-consecutive CART title, and Michael Andretti finished runner-up in points for the second year in a row.
Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1987 Indy Car World Series season. All cars used Goodyear tires.| Team | Chassis | Engine | No. | Driver | Rounds | Notes |
| A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Lola T8700 | Cosworth DFX | 14 |  A. J. Foyt | 3-4, 9-10, 13, 15 | |
| A. J. Foyt Enterprises | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 41 | Stan Fox | 3 | |
| A. J. Foyt Enterprises | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 41 | Davy Jones | 9, 13, 15 | |
| A. J. Foyt Enterprises | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 44 | Davy Jones | 3 | |
| A. J. Foyt Enterprises | March 86C | Chevy V-6 | 84 | George Snider | 3 | |
| Alex Morales Motorsports | March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 21 | Johnny Rutherford | All | |
| American Racing | March 86C | Buick V-6 | 2 |  Jim Crawford | 3 | |
| American Racing | March 86C | Buick V-6 | 2 | Gordon Johncock | 3 | |
| Arciero Racing | March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 12 |  Fabrizio Barbazza | 1-13, 15 | |
| Arciero Racing | March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 12 |  Ludwig Heimrath, Jr. | 14-15 | |
| Arciero Racing | March 85C | Cosworth DFX | 12 | Ludwig Heimrath, Jr. | 14-15 | |
| Arciero Racing | March 85C | Cosworth DFX | 12 |  Graham McRae | 15 | |
| Bettenhausen Motorsports | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 16 | Tony Bettenhausen, Jr. | 1-5, 7-12 | |
| Centerline Wheels | March | Pontiac | 59 | Sammy Swindell | 3 | |
| Curb | March 87C March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 33 | Tom Sneva | 1-9 | |
| Curb | March 87C March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 33 | John Andretti | 10-15 | |
| Curb | March 87C March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 98 | Ed Pimm | 3, 9 | |
| Dale Coyne Racing | March 86C | Chevy Cosworth DFX | 19 | Dale Coyne | 1-2, 4-15 | |
| Dick Simon Racing | Lola T8700 | Cosworth DFX | 22 | Dick Simon | 1-10, 13 | |
| Dick Simon Racing | Lola T8700 | Cosworth DFX | 22 | Wally Dallenbach, Jr. | 11 | |
| Dick Simon Racing | Lola T8700 | Cosworth DFX | 22 | Ludwig Heimrath, Jr. | 12 | |
| Dick Simon Racing | Lola T8700 | Cosworth DFX | 22 | John Richards | 14 | |
| Dick Simon Racing | Lola T8700 | Cosworth DFX | 22 | Jeff Wood | 15 | |
| Dick Simon Racing | Lola T8700 | Cosworth DFX | 23 | Ludwig Heimrath, Jr. | 1-10 | |
| Dick Simon Racing | Lola T8700 | Cosworth DFX | 23 | Jeff Wood | 11-14 | |
| Dick Simon Racing | Lola T8700 | Cosworth DFX | 23 | Fulvio Ballabio | 15 | |
| Dick Simon Racing | Lola T8600 Lola T8700 | Cosworth DFX | 27 | John Richards | 5-8 | |
| Dick Simon Racing | Lola T8600 | Cosworth DFX | 27 |  Ian Ashley | 15 | |
| Doug Shierson Racing | March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 30 | Al Unser, Jr. | All | |
| Galles Racing | March 87C Lola T8700 | Judd Cosworth DFX | 11 | Jeff MacPherson | All | |
| Galles Racing | March 87C | Judd | 15 |  Geoff Brabham | All | |
| Gohr Racing | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 56 | Rocky Moran | 1 | |
| Gohr Racing | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 56 | Gary Bettenhausen | 2-4, 9-10 | |
| Gohr Racing | March 87C March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 56 | Scott Goodyear | 6-8, 11-12, 14-15 | |
| Granatelli Racing | March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 4 |  Roberto Guerrero | 1-12 | |
| Granatelli Racing | March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 4 | Al Unser | 13 | |
| Granatelli Racing | March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 4 |  Raul Boesel | 14-15 | |
| Hemelgarn Racing | March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 71 |  Arie Luyendyk | All | |
| Hemelgarn Racing | March 87C | Buick V-6 | 81 | Rich Vogler | 3 | |
| Hemelgarn Racing | March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 91 | Scott Brayton | 3, 5-6, 9-10 | |
| Hemelgarn Racing | March 86C | Buick V-6 | 91 | Johnny Parsons | 3 | |
| Interscope Racing | Penske PC-16 March 86C | Chevy 265A Cosworth DFX | 25 | Danny Ongais | 3, 9, 13, 15 | |
| Intersport | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 17 |  Dominic Dobson | 3 | |
| JP Racing | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 35 | Spike Gehlhausen | 3 | |
| Kraco Racing | March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 18 | Michael Andretti | All | |
| Leader Cards Racing | March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 24 | Randy Lewis | All | |
| Los Angeles Drywall | March 85C | Cosworth DFX | 19 | Dick Ferguson | 3 | |
| Los Angeles Drywall | March 85C | Cosworth DFX | 27 | Dick Ferguson | 9 | |
| Machinists Union Racing | March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 29 | Pancho Carter | 3, 9-15 | |
| Machinists Union Racing | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 44 | Chip Robinson | 1, 6, 13 | |
| Machinists Union Racing | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 44 | Tom Sneva | 15 | |
| Machinists Union Racing | March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 55 |  Josele Garza | All | |
| Machinists Union Racing | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 59 | Mike Nish | 1-2 | |
| Machinists Union Racing | March 86C March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 59 | Rick Miaskiewicz | 5, 7-8, 12 | |
| Newman Teamworks | Lola T8600 | Cosworth DFX | 51 |  Didier Theys | 1, 11 | |
| Newman Teamworks | Lola T8600 | Cosworth DFX | 51 | Davy Jones | 12 | |
| Newman/Haas Racing | Lola T8700 | Chevy 265A | 5 | Mario Andretti | All | |
| NFW Racing | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 36 | Graham McRae | 11-12 | |
| Pace Racing | March 87C | Buick V-6 | 77 |  Derek Daly | 3 | |
| Patrick Racing | March 87C | Chevy 265A | 7 | Kevin Cogan | 1-4, 6-15 | |
| Patrick Racing | March 87C | Chevy 265A | 20 | Emerson Fittipaldi | All | |
| Penske Racing | Penske PC-16 March 86C | Chevy 265A | 3 | Danny Sullivan | All | |
| Penske Racing | Penske PC-16 March 86C | Chevy 265A | 8 | Rick Mears | All | |
| Penske Racing | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 6 | Al Unser | 9-10 | |
| Penske Racing | Penske PC-16 | Chevy 265A | 9 | Al Unser | 15 | |
| Penske Racing | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 25 | Al Unser | 3 | |
| Porsche | Porsche | Porsche | 6 | Al Unser | 14 | |
| Porsche | Porsche | Porsche | 6 | Al Holbert | 15 | |
| Raynor | Lola T8700 | Cosworth DFX | 10 | Dennis Firestone | 1-3 | |
| Raynor | Lola T8600 | Cosworth DFX | 10 | Phil Krueger | 3 | |
| Raynor | Lola T8700 | Cosworth DFX | 10 | Derek Daly | 4-15 | |
| Truesports | Lola T8700 | Cosworth DFX | 1 | Bobby Rahal | All | |
| Truesports | Lola T8700 | Cosworth DFX | 2 | Didier Theys | 15 | |
| United Oil | March 87C | Cosworth DFX | 87 | Steve Chassey | 3 | |
| Walther | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 76 | Rocky Moran | 3 | |
| WENS | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 97 | Rick Miaskiewicz | 3 |
;Notes
– Rookie
Season Summary
Schedule
One notable change is that there would only be one race at Phoenix International Raceway from this season forward.| Rd | Date | Race Name | Track | City |
| 1 | April 5 | Grand Prix of Long Beach | Long Beach Street Circuit | Long Beach, California |
| 2 | April 12 | Checker 200 | Phoenix International Raceway | Phoenix, Arizona |
| 3 | May 24 | Indianapolis 500 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, Indiana |
| 4 | May 31 | Miller American 200 | Milwaukee Mile | West Allis, Wisconsin |
| 5 | June 14 | Budweiser/G.I.Joe's 200 | Portland International Raceway | Portland, Oregon |
| 6 | June 28 | Meadowlands Grand Prix | Meadowlands Street Circuit | East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| 7 | July 5 | Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland | Burke Lakefront Airport | Cleveland, Ohio |
| 8 | July 19 | Molson Indy Toronto | Exhibition Place | Toronto, Ontario |
| 9 | August 2 | Marlboro 500 | Michigan International Speedway | Brooklyn, Michigan |
| 10 | August 16 | Quaker State 500 | Pocono International Raceway | Long Pond, Pennsylvania |
| 11 | August 30 | Living Well-Provimi 200 | Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin |
| 12 | September 6 | Escort Radar Warning 200 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio |
| 13 | September 20 | Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix | Nazareth Speedway | Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania |
| 14 | October 11 | Champion Spark Plug 300k | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | Monterey, California |
| NC | October 31 | Marlboro Challenge | Tamiami Park | Miami, Florida |
| 15 | November 1 | Nissan Indy Challenge | Tamiami Park | Miami, Florida |
- Miami was supposed to run for 200 miles but was shortened due to rain.
Oval/Speedway
Dedicated road course
Temporary street circuit
NC Non-championship event
- Indianapolis was USAC-sanctioned but counted towards the CART title.
Race summaries
Long Beach
started on the pole position and dominated the Long Beach Grand Prix, his third win in four years at the circuit. It marked the first-ever victory in Indy car competition for the Ilmor Chevrolet Indy V-8 engine. Emerson Fittipaldi was a close second until he dropped out with turbocharger failure.Phoenix
qualified third, but failed post-qualifying inspection for being 2.5 pounds underweight. He was forced to start last on the grid. Guerrero quickly charged through the field, and was in the top five by lap 46. He dueled with Bobby Rahal for the lead on lap 62, and dominated the second half. Even a stop-and-go penalty for hitting a tire in the pits did not slow Guerrero's run.Guerrero won by 8 seconds over Rahal, becoming only the fourth driver in modern Indy car history to win a race from the last starting position.
Indianapolis 500">1987 Indianapolis 500">Indianapolis 500
dominated the entire month of May at Indy. He ran the fastest practice laps, won the pole position, the pit stop contest, and led 170 of the first 177 laps. With only 23 laps to go, Andretti suddenly slowed with a broken valve spring which led to fueling and engine failure. Roberto Guerrero, the winner at Phoenix, stalled in the pits while leading due to a failing clutch, and came home second while Al Unser, Sr., who had entered the month without a ride took the lead with 18 laps to go, and recorded one of the biggest upsets in Indy history.Milwaukee
While leading the race on lap 149, Mario Andretti broke a rear wing, sending the car hard into the outside and inside walls. He was taken to the hospital with relatively minor injuries. Mario's son Michael Andretti took the lead after the accident, locked in a duel with Roberto Guerrero.On lap 177, Guerrero suddenly blew his engine, leaving Michael Andretti in the lead. A late-race caution allowed Bobby Rahal to close the gap, but Michael held on for the victory. Rahal finished second.
Portland
won his first race of the season, passing Michael Andretti for the lead on lap 70 of 104. Rahal built up a 22-second lead late in the race, but slowed to conserve fuel over the final 10 laps. Andretti closed to within 6 seconds, but managed only second place.Meadowlands
made it back-to-back victories, winning for the second time of the season at the Meadowlands. Rahal also took over the points lead.Cleveland
and Bobby Rahal pitted for the final time on lap 53, both hoping to stretch their fuel to the finish. Fittipaldi pulled out to an 18-second lead, and despite the fuel light flashing over the final five laps, held on to win his first race of the season.Rahal finished a strong second, and increased his lead in the points standings.
Toronto
looked to win his second race in a row, but a final lap mishap almost cost him the race. With Danny Sullivan running second on the final lap, Fittipaldi led by about 4 seconds at the white flag. Down the Lake Shore Drive backstretch on the final lap, however, Fittipaldi became mired in traffic. Through the hairpin, the track was essentially blocked by three backmarkers, which allowed Sullivan to dramatically close the gap. With two turns to go, Sullivan dove below Fittipaldi for the lead, but the two cars touched wheels. Fittipaldi's car stayed straight, but Sullivan spun out.Fittipaldi went on to win, while Sullivan limped across the finish line to hold on to second. Bobby Rahal came home third and padded his championship lead.
Michigan 500
Just as at Indianapolis, Mario Andretti dominated the race. Taking the lead on lap 43, he led the next 114 laps and had a 1 lap lead on his son Michael, in second place, and a 2 lap lead on the rest of the field. But, just as at Indianapolis, his engine blew on lap 156, ending his day.With 8 laps to go, Michael Andretti led Indy 500 winner Al Unser, Sr. and Bobby Rahal. Andretti needed to make his final pit stop, but a faulty clutch nearly cost him dearly. Andretti's car sputtered and nearly stalled as he pulled away, and he lost several seconds.
Back on the track, Michael maintained a 9-second lead to the finish, with Unser finishing second. Third place Rahal maintained a 9-point advantage over Michael in the points championship.
Pocono 500
started from the pole and led 22 laps, but gets too low in turn one on lap 89, and crashed hard into the outside wall. He suffers a separated shoulder, his second injury of the season. The rough apron of turn one was stained by lime, which caused Andretti's car to lose traction.Rick Mears, who had not won a race in two years, led Geoff Brabham late in the race, but was low on fuel. Mears' car sputtered on the final lap, but he crossed the line under power to take the victory. It was the first 500-mile race victory for the Ilmor Chevy Indy V-8 engine. Brabham, meanwhile, scored a career-best second place, and the best finish yet for the new Brabham-Honda engine. Roberto Guerrero, who led with 17 laps to go, dropped to third when he was forced to pit for fuel five laps from the end.
Points leader Bobby Rahal came home 5th, and maintained a championship lead of 14 points over Michael Andretti.
Road America
After four months of disappointments and injuries, Mario Andretti finally found the winner's circle for the first time since the season opener. Despite recovering from a separated shoulder, Andretti won the pole and dominated the race wire-to-wire, leading all 50 laps. Geoff Brabham scored his second runner-up finish in a row.The top two drivers in the points standings, Bobby Rahal and Michael Andretti, both finished out of the points.
Mid-Ohio
was leading by half a lap and looking for his third consecutive victory at Mid-Ohio. With about 12 laps to go, however, Rahal tangled with the lapped car of Rick Miaskiewicz, forcing him to pit with a punctured tire.Roberto Guerrero blew by the limping car of Rahal to take the lead on lap 74, and Michael Andretti swept into second. Andretti had a golden opportunity to make up ground in the championship hunt, but a few laps later, blew his engine. Rahal climbed back up to second, while Guerrero won his second race of the season.
Four days later, Guerrero would be injured during a tire test at Indianapolis. He was struck in the head by a tire, leaving him in a coma, and sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Nazareth
CART made its debut at the newly reconstructed Pennsylvania International Raceway in Nazareth. Hometown driver Michael Andretti led 150 laps, looking to make up as much ground as possible in the championship hunt against Bobby Rahal.Al Unser, Sr. drove substitution for the injured Roberto Guerrero, charging to as high as second place late in the race. With seven laps to go, Unser touched wheels with Jeff MacPherson, and smacked the outside wall coming out of turn 4. Rahal, who had lost a lap after nearly stalling in the pits, moved up to second at the checkered flag. With two races remaining, Rahal held a 25-point lead.
Laguna Seca
With the championship down to two drivers, Bobby Rahal and Michael Andretti, Rahal needed to finish the final two races to hold on to his second-consecutive CART title. Rahal had won the Laguna Seca event three years in a row, going for four.When Michael Andretti dropped out on lap 36 with alternator trouble, Rahal clinched the championship title, regardless of his finish at the final race in Miami. Later in the race, Mario Andretti dropped out, enabling Rahal to take the lead and win at Laguna Seca for a record fourth year in a row. Rahal celebrated in victory lane both the race win and the CART championship title.
Also making news at Laguna Seca was the debut of the Porsche Indy car team led by Al Holbert. A week after substituting for Roberto Guerrero, Al Unser Sr. was back on the track in another car, this time behind the wheel of the new Porsche. The effort started out on a sour note, however. The car was slow and dropped out after only seven laps with a broken water pump. It would be Unser's lone race with the team, and the only event the chassis would race. The following year the Porsche team would switch to March chassis.
Tamiami Park
With the championship title already decided, Michael Andretti dominated en route to victory, but still finished second in the points standings.Rahal, who had won the exhibition Marlboro Challenge a day earlier, finished 7th.
Race results
| Rd | Name | Pole Position | Fastest Lap | Winning driver | Winning team | Race time | Report |
| 1 | Grand Prix of Long Beach | Mario Andretti | 1:05.886 | Mario Andretti | Newman/Haas Racing | 1:51:33 | |
| 2 | Checker 200 | Mario Andretti | 21.832 |  Roberto Guerrero | Vince Granatelli Racing | 1:26:26 | |
| 3 | Indianapolis 500 | Mario Andretti | 2:47.139 | Al Unser | Penske Racing | 3:04:59 | Report |
| 4 | Miller American 200 | Roberto Guerrero | 23.544 | Michael Andretti | Kraco Racing | 1:47:17 | |
| 5 | Budweiser/G.I.Joe's 200 | Roberto Guerrero | 59.207 | Bobby Rahal | Truesports | 1:50:02 | |
| 6 | Meadowlands Grand Prix | Mario Andretti | 1:01.097 | Bobby Rahal | Truesports | 1:57:18 | |
| 7 | Cleveland Grand Prix | Roberto Guerrero | 1:05.509 |  Emerson Fittipaldi | Patrick Racing | 1:32:40 | |
| 8 | Molson Indy Toronto | Bobby Rahal | Emerson Fittipaldi | Patrick Racing | 1:54:35 | ||
| 9 | Marlboro 500 | Michael Andretti | 33.406 | Michael Andretti | Kraco Racing | 2:54:56 | |
| 10 | Quaker State 500 | Mario Andretti | 44.795 | Rick Mears | Penske Racing | 3:11:50 | |
| 11 | Provimi Veal 200 | Mario Andretti | 1:52.687 | Mario Andretti | Newman/Haas Racing | 1:39:52 | |
| 12 | Escort Radar Warning 200 | Roberto Guerrero | 1:15.585 | Roberto Guerrero | Vince Granatelli Racing | 1:51:58 | |
| 13 | Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix | Michael Andretti | 21.926 | Michael Andretti | Kraco Racing | 1:33:02 | |
| 14 | Champion Spark Plugs 300k | Mario Andretti | 52.926 | Bobby Rahal | Truesports | 1:33:58 | |
| NC | Marlboro Challenge | Raul Boesel | Bobby Rahal | Truesports | 0:41:20 | ||
| 15 | Miami Indy Challenge | Mario Andretti | 1:54.630 | Michael Andretti | Kraco Racing | 1:56:12 |