1996 Michigan 500

"Rover Jackson...are you Rover Jackson?"
Robby Gordon, Brooklyn, MI, July 27, 1996

Photos by Earl Ma & Michael Smith

The Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, the fastest track on the CART-PPG IndyCar World Series schedule, played host to the 16th annual Michigan 500 on Sunday, July 28, 1996. The trackside announcers aptly described the race as one of the most exciting Indycar races they had ever witnessed, and for a long-time afficionado attending his very first Indycar race, that proved an added bonus.

With a CART/IndyCar record pole qualifying speed (234.665 mph by Jimmy Vasser), unusually low attrition, particularly for Michigan (helped considerably by the cool weather), and 16 lead changes among 7 drivers, the race weekend held plenty of thrills for those who saw Andre Ribeiro hold off Bryan Herta and Mauricio Gugelmin after 500 miles of close, competitive racing. The race did not have all the hoopla of the inaugural U.S. 500 in May, but it was arguably a better race overall (and it did not have a 13-car pileup at the start, either).

A whopping 42 key personalities in Indycar racing signed the infamous Rover Jackson commemorative banner, including 24 of the 26 drivers on the entry list. Much thanks to the following individuals who spared a few seconds of their time and added their names to the roster (in alphabetical order):

1. Mario Andretti
2. Michael Andretti
3. Jon Beekhuis
4. Tony Bettenhausen
5. Mark Blundell
6. Raul Boesel
7. Dale Coyne
8. Wally Dallenbach Sr.
9. Juan Manuel Fangio II
10. Adrian Fernandez
11. Gil de Ferran
12. Christian Fittipaldi
13. Chip Ganassi
14. Gary Gerould
15. Scott Goodyear
16. Robby Gordon
17. Barry Green
18. Mauricio Gugelmin
19. Dan Gurney
20. Jim Hall
21. Bryan Herta 

22. Carl Hogan
23. Stefan Johannson
24. Parker Johnstone
25. Davy Jones
26. P.J. Jones
27. Hiro Matsushita
28. Rick Mears
29. Roberto Moreno
30. Greg Moore
31. Pat Patrick
32. Walter Payton
33. Scott Pruett
34. Dr. Jerry Punch
35. Bobby Rahal
36. Andre Ribeiro 

37. Eliseo Salazar 
38. Dick Simon 
39. Jimmy Vasser
40. Derrick Walker
41. Al Unser Jr.
42. Alex Zanardi

Despite its size, Michigan has the distinction of providing spectators grandstand seats from which they can see the entire track (though, of course, binoculars help a lot). Thus, one had little difficulty visually following all the action on the track or in the pits, and unlike at many tracks, one could actually hear the announcers speak.

The tragic events in Toronto put somewhat of a damper on the weekend, with the American and Canadian flags flying at half staff in deference to Jeff Krosnoff and Gary Avrin, the Arciero-Wells garage coned off and vacant in the team's absence (except for a poster of Krosnoff), and the relatively subdued winners' podium eschewing the traditional spraying of champagne. The tent IndyCar set up as a temporary memorial to the pair quickly filled up with flowers and had a steady stream of visitors after Friday's services. All cars on Sunday carried tribute decals with Krosnoff's helmet on it.

Weather forecasts called for a 50 percent chance of rain on race day, and the clouds loomed during the entire event, but fortunately, they held off until about an hour after the checkered flag.

"You're not gonna sell that thing, are you?"
Jim Hall, Brooklyn, MI, July 27, 1996

A full length article on the Michigan 500 by Earl Ma can be found at SpeedCenter.