1984 INDIANAPOLIS 500

[@Tim4706]

I'm from Reading,Pa When Rick would buy his RC cars and Airplanes he would go to Haynes Hobby Shop on 6th Street now called Iron Horse Hobby Shop. Rick lived in Flying Hills only 5 minutes away from the Penske Racing Shop He's a great guy my Aunt went to school with Chris Bowen his wife at the time. I met Ricks mom and dad too. My Dad worked for the Reading Eagle newspaper occasionally I would get a chance to visit the shop I miss the days with the Penske Racing shop on Riverfront Drive it was great as a kid growing up around the IndyCars it was awesome I miss those good old days. 🏁

[@hoopsheavenpa]

It’s mind boggling this was not broadcasted live. This was the best era of Indy Car racing in my opinion.

[@roadgeek09]

hoopsheavenpa Indy wouldn’t let it air live because they thought it would affect the ticket sales.

[@roadgeek09]

It was still blacked out in Indianapolis until 2 or 3 years ago

[@cjs83172]

That was a decision by ABC chief Roone Arledge, because it wouldn't be until after he left that ABC would ever telecast a 500-mile race live from start-to-finish. The higher-ups at ABC back then didn't think that fans would sit for a live 500-mile race from start-to-finish. In fact, that may have been the very reason why ABC lost the rights to the Daytona 500 after the 1978 race, because CBS, noting the popularity of it's Super Sunday sports programming prior to Super Bowl XII, bought the rights to Daytona 500 three months after the 1978 race. But with the exception of a few events, such as MLB, Monday Night Football, and beginning in 1977, the final round of the U.S. Open, ABC never had a live sporting event on for more than two or two and a half hours. But with a change in management came a welcome change for racing fans, as ABC broadcast it's first live 500-mile race in March of 1986 with that year's Motorcraft 500 from Atlanta. But they didn't want someone of McKay's age doing a live racing broadcast (he also had a major stuttering problem), so they inserted Jim Lampley, who had done NASCAR races on Wide World going as far back as 1980, as the lap-by-lap broadcaster for that race and the debut of live coverage of the Indianapolis 500, which was marred by rain, another reason why ABC was hesitant to go with live coverage of the Indianapolis 500. Then after Lampley left ABC in 1987, they brought in Paul Page, although Keith Jackson could also have been used (and in fact, was used for the 1987 and 1988 NASCAR All-Star Races, the 1987 Firecracker 400, and the 1988 Motorcraft 500, his only live 500-mile race broadcast).

[@NotSteveCook]

ABC also felt that a prime time broadcast would get better ratings.

[@anthonygibbo1881]

The little piece sir Jackie Stewart did about the pit crews likening them to bally dancers was so cool 👍🏽 thanks again for the upload

[@sk8terboi10003]

I really miss these old abc sportscasters there was just something special about them

[@jefff.1618]

Growing up, I didn't fully appreciate the booth tandem of McKay and Posey. Their call of Bedard's wreck evoked Joe Starkey's classic "the BAND is out on the FIELD" freakout at the end of the Cal vs. Stanford game in 1982. I had just mastered our family's first VCR and got the thing on VHS- I remember my buddies and I watching this sequence over and over, transfixed. Easily makes my all-time top 10 sports memories.

[@NotSteveCook]

Young "Jackie" Arute!

[@ChambanaWags86]

I was born into a world where Jackie Stewart had to convince Americans to wear seat belts. Makes me feel really old and I'm not.

[@bodhibrian3820]

I realize Im quite off topic but does anybody know of a good website to watch newly released tv shows online?

[@piercechance1085]

@Bodhi Brian meh atm I've been using flixportal. you can find it thru google :P -pierce

[@bodhibrian3820]

@Pierce Chance thanks, signed up and it seems to work =) I really appreciate it !!

[@piercechance1085]

@Bodhi Brian No problem =)

[@kyleschaeding5661]

Greatest race in the world.

[@stephaneblais9149]

Hands down

[@mark6310]

The sound of those old March cars,they were awesome.

[@Tamburello_1994]

@2:13:21 That makes it worth the price of admission right there. Awesome stuff.

[@altfactor]

The reason Jim McKay's introduction to the telecast was done live at night was because the race was broadcast on tape that evening, and that the commentary of McKay and Sam Posey during the middle of the race was done as the edited tape was bring broadcast. But their call of the start, the first few laps, the last few laps, and the finish were done as those events occurred. Since ABC's presentation had gone up to three hours by 1984 (it had been two hours for most of the 1970's), it's possible that McKay and Posey called about a half-hour at both the start and finish live, and the rest being described as the tape was being shown. For various reasons (perhaps to avoid having McKay and Posey mention something "earlier" that had been edited out), it was easier to do it this way.

[@FlatOutRacingBets]

altfactor

[@dtexas2964]

We know.

[@asianoramaagain2269]

Jackie Stewart was incorrect when he said Sneva's experience caused him to feel something was wrong with the car on Lap 168.According to the 1984 Indy 500 Yearbook (and supported) by videotape,Al Holbert was driving directly behind Sneva under the yellow and saw sparks coming from Sneva's suspension area.He drove up next to Sneva and frantically pointed at the back of Tom's car.Tom gassed the engine and felt the car jerk a little.Obviously something wrong so he just pitted.As Tom said,thankfully it was under yellow.I was 12 years old that day and I remember so much clearly.Sneva spent much of the second half of the race dialing his car in and getting ready for the finish.No question he was closing in on Mears when he went out.The 400,000 fans were robbed of a colossal shootout between what may have been,at the time,the two best drivers in Indy Car Racing.

[@dtexas2964]

I don't think Jackie had the book with him dick.

[@asianoramaagain2269]

I just said he was incorrect.

[@Pannieforever]

Great post Andrew! I notice this video has about 30 more minutes of footage than any previous on you tube from the 1984 race.

[@jefff.1618]

46:11 ". . . as you come out of turn TWO-" "A crash . . . we can't . . . we can't pick it up yet . . . I can't see who it is- where the- parts everywhere . . . yellow flag out . . ." "OH . . . OHH . . ." "This . . . this could be a very bad- aww this is terrible OOHHH . . . OHH . . . OHH" "This . . . could be . . . the worst crash . . . we've seen in years . . . at Indy, Jim . . ." "Aww this is terrible" CLASSIC

[@sk8terboi10003]

Wow look at little Al looks so young

[@theofilos_neophytous]

When I first saw Patrick Bedard's accident video, I thought he was dead.

[@HenryFrederick]

What could have been had Sneva not had bad luck with the rear end going on him...

[@healthyone100]

Henry Frederick I THINK HE WOULD HAVE WON, SMART DRIVER JUST LIKE MEARS.

[@DiegoOspina86]

the first Indy 500 running for Roberto Guerrero.

[@raymonddionne5088]

+asopher1 especially when you consider he spun the car

[@cjs83172]

Which is yet another example of why George Bignotti is in a league of his own, as far as IndyCar crew chiefs come in. Guerrero drove for Bignotti in his first three Indianapolis 500s, and came home second, third, and fourth, even making up laps in two of those three races. And Guerrero was actually involved in two incidents, his spin in turn two, and let's not forget that, on the caution for Pat Bedard's terrible crash, Danny Sullivan ran over the left side of Guerrero's car in a chain reaction incident. Sullivan could have very easily have gone over the top of Guerrero's car. So Guerrero might very well have finished second with a damaged car, making his run that much more impressive.

[@tonywittrien2330]

As strange as it is for me to think about, in a way, I miss the old tape delayed broadcasts sometimes....It gave the producers a chance to really add to the drama of the moment (because they could just go back and add in additional, and timely, commentary), but also because of the ability to "cut the fat" by putting in "technology demonstration" segments during the times of the race where there was nothing else going on but cars going in circles. I do wonder how they would handle the 500 today, if they were to ever tape delay the thing again...

[@riverbandit58]

Not possible in today's world. Too much media.

[@dac3790]

Ray Gandolf? Wow they really rolled out the whole ABC Sports crew in 1984!

[@justinsanders3940]

Derek Cardwell re

[@almostfm]

Re: Johncock's ignition problem. Ask any British motorist about Lucas electronics. For their work with car lighting systems, they earned the name "The Prince of Darkness"

[@jerrymorgan2769]

Ya they was nice pop riveted unsured engineered basic thrash exsplosion very possible junk cars. That's My Jackie Stewart

[@jerrymorgan2769]

Lol pop riveted thrash lol

[@bertmustin]

Holbert finished 4th.

[@LB1973]

Its quite obvious that one announcer was trying to give off the impression that they were commentating live while the other went oh that's Pat Bedard giving the game away. Short of being psychic there is no way anyone knew who that was on first viewing. Amazing that he survived that though and is 75 now. Believe he broke his jaw and suffered concussion and didn't race again concentrating on writing

[@jefff.1618]

And of course, we're glad Pat survived and was able to go back to writing reviews of the Toyota MR2 for Car and Driver.

[@johncalla2151]

It sounded like the name was announced on the PA system before Posey mentioned it. It could also have come across a radio (not sure if the broadcast team had access to that back in 1984).

[@tscooter22]

I hope Sam Posey put money on Al Holbert. ;-)

[@kennethkenney3965]

Man what if Sneva didn't have the rear destroy on him. He'd beat a Penske car two consecutive years

[@asianoramaagain2269]

Your'e right.Sneva cut a 14-second Mears lead down to 4 seconds between around Lap 145 to Lap 160.The yellow allowed Sneva to close up right behind him.Then the CV joint broke.I don't think Mears could have handled him.

[@cjs83172]

Hard to say what would have happened, because Mears and Sneva were actually the same kind of driver, in that they never showed everything they had until they had to show it, and it's possible that Mears was not running as hard as he could have when he had that lead, so he could have something left if he had to have a shootout with Sneva. Al Unser, Jr., who ran with Sneva and Mears until he fell out, believed that Mears was not running as hard as he could have, so he probably had something for Sneva at the end, had Sneva's CV joint not failed. Another question was, how would Mario have fared if not for his exhaust problem that cost him significant speed and put him in position to be taken out when he ran into the back of Garza coming into the pits on the caution prior to the one which which Sneva's CV joint failed. I say that because prior to that, Mario might have had the best car there, and of course, later that year, Mario would win the Michigan 500 over Sneva in what was really a precursor to the battle for the national championship, also decided in Andretti's favor.

[@NotSteveCook]

@@cjs83172 Tom and Rick seemed to be polar opposite drivers to me. Tom was a charger, perhaps the type of driver Derek Daly describes as having an "instinct-reflex" style, more prone to carrying the car and taking chances in traffic to make the difference. Rick has talked many times about letting the car and the race come to him, and working with his chief mechanic to perfect the setup, indicative of the "feel-sensitive" style. More simply put, Sneva's driving personality was more like Ayrton Senna, and Mears' more like Alain Prost. But I was only 3 years old when they each retired.

[@cjs83172]

@@NotSteveCook And yet, they both approached the Indianapolis 500 in exactly the same way. Neither of them were ever known for charging early in the race. In fact, this race marked one of only two times Mears ever led the opening lap (the other one being in 1991), despite winning the pole position a record six times, and the earliest lap number Sneva ever led, despite his qualifying prowess was lap 13 (in 1978). In fact, not charging in the early stages of the race may have cost Sneva the victory at least one of the two times he won the pole for Penske. I don't think Sneva became a more aggressive driver at Indy until he was fired by Penske (he only won three races in the four years he raced for Penske, despite winning two national championships), though in his prime, nobody was better getting in and out of the pits. Where they really differed was on road courses, before Mears' terrible crash at Sanair later that year (1984). Sneva never really was that good on road courses, while Mears won his three championships, in large part, due to his road racing prowess. As for Sneva, the later his career got, the more he overdrove, causing more and more crashes, to the point where he crashed out of the Indianapolis 500 a record seven times, and four consecutive years from 1985-'88.

[@de-fault_de-fault]

2:00 spoilers courtesy of the scoring pylon and the boards on the control tower...if you knew the car numbers at least.

[@cjs83172]

But that looked like the starting grid, because what they showed on that shot looked a lot like what the starting grid for the race was.

[@charleshanes2112]

The baddest driver to ever race the speedway...RICK MEARS

[@thechad7171]

first indy 500 I watch 30 years ago mears won

[@charleshanes2112]

chad haynes ...Cool...

[@tnitron9750]

Smart driver yes with very good equipment. AJ was a bad A$$ and still is at 84 years young.

[@adamUDavies]

Tom Sneva would have beat Penske again , but it just wasn't the outcome.

[@grahamkeeton6643]

Yes the baddest driver as in bad attitude Most racing drivers are arrogant they have to be

[@fahhhque2255]

Rocket Rick!

[@jerrymorgan2769]

Looking to purchase a Kentucky tool box

[@raymonddionne6143]

I'm just glad that Ray Gandolf didn't say You shall not pass!

[@gagemcpherson4454]

This was my dad's 1st 500 him and his boss drove from Wichita KS the night before and got in and my dad has been every year since and I've been going since I was 8 back in 2002

[@jefff.1618]

"The engine . . . GONE" "Engine gone . . . front gone . . ." *sob*

[@adamUDavies]

Seems like every caution they would put Rick Mears out front , I can remember my Dad always upset I about how they did scoring back then.

[@mrjasonwhite73]

Great clarity

[@raymonddionne5088]

I'm just glad Ray Gandalf didn't say You shall not pass!!!!!!!!!

[@StFidjnr]

@ 13:44 larry nuber will look at the indycars that are NOT capable of the 500 mile challenge

[@randydubin7118]

LOL at Gomer's sweater!

[@skyhigh335]

2:05:16 Casey Mears

[@Patrick_B687-3]

9:32 ABC Could only afford one mic back then. 🎤

[@amjan]

No, that has nothing to do with money. Operating two microphones at the same time close together was difficult technically, could also cause audio feedback etc. Also, there was no need to have two there.

[@Patrick_B687-3]

@@amjan Just a little sarcasm there amjan, take it easy there. Have a good summer!

[@sanguine111]

wish they'd sho sum comercials...just sum..

[@toddhogg9500]

My money is on RIck Mears! Oh that's is right he does win!

[@josephbevacqua9217]

+Todd Hogg why

[@toddhogg9500]

Cause Mears won the 500 and I was being a wisenheimer!

[@josephbevacqua9217]

Todd Hogg tell me about jim mckay

[@floridapmi]

Don't get me wrong, I love these old Indy 500's, but for those who say these races were better back then than now, you are crazy. Mears wins this by 2 laps, last year's race had 17 on the lead lap at the finish.

[@johncalla2151]

Well there was definitely a lot more interest back then than today, so something must've been different.

[@floridapmi]

@@johncalla2151 The 500 was pretty much the only race that was of any interest or televised of the cart schedule. There was only 3 channels back then.

[@NotSteveCook]

Emerson Fittipaldi won by 2 laps in 1989. Was that race boring?

[@floridapmi]

@@NotSteveCook Yes, he took the lead in the first turn and ran away from the field.

[@MrRiddick225]

I wish Jackie Stewart had minded his own business and left you Americans alone!

[@Zoomer30]

So is Jim colorblind? Somehow in his world "yellow is blue". Andrettis car looked nothing like the one that came into the pits 😂

[@dtexas2964]

They both yellow and blue fucktard.

[@grahamkeeton6643]

I so dislike sam posie In fact I never have liked any of the ABC commentry I also don't like the inbetween stuff I don't think it's needed Its indy and more concentration should be done about the actual race