The Michigan 500 was an IndyCar Series race held at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Held from 1981 to 2001, the event was held in high prestige, constituting part of Indy car racing's 500-mile "Triple Crown". Between 1968 and 2007, Michigan International Speedway hosted a total of 55 Indy car races, across USAC, CART, and Indy Racing League sanctioning. The first event was a 250-mile USAC race won by Ronnie Bucknum. Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, the facility typically hosted two events per season, one race during the summer, and one race during the fall. In 1981, the summer race was expanded to 500 miles, and the Inaugural Michigan 500 was won by Pancho Carter. A total of twenty-two 500-mile Indy car races were held at Michigan, including 21 annual editions of the Michigan 500, plus the 1996 U.S. 500. After 1986, the fall race was dropped. In 2002, the lone summer race switched to the Indy Racing League, and the distance was shortened to 400 miles. The final Indy car race (as of 2023) was held in 2007. The races at Michigan gained a reputation for high speeds, being rough on equipment, high attrition, and for devastating crashes. The 1990 race, won by Al Unser Jr. (189.727 mph) was the fastest 500-mile race in history at the time, a record that stood until 2002. Two drivers (Michael Andretti and Scott Goodyear) won the Michigan 500 twice, while Tony Kanaan won a 500-mile race and a 400-mile race. In addition, the track has produced many surprise winners, owing much to the frequently high attrition. Twelve drivers have scored their first – and in some cases only – Indy car race win at Michigan.

Race history

USAC

In 1968, American open wheel racing debuted at the circuit with a 200 mi USAC Championship Car event. In 1970, USAC returned with what would become a traditional July race date. Indy car owner and promoter Roger Penske purchased the track in 1972, and it became a mainstay on the Indy/Championship Car calendar. In 1973, a second race was added to the USAC Championship Car schedule, a fall race usually held in September. Through 1980, all events were either 200 or 250 miles in length, with some events consisting of twin 125-mile races. On multiple occasions, the USAC Championship Car races at Michigan were held as part of a doubleheader with the USAC Stock Car series.

CART

In 1979, both the summer race and the fall race at Michigan switched to CART sanctioning. At the end of the 1980 season, Ontario Motor Speedway closed. As a result, Indy car racing's "triple crown" (Indianapolis, Pocono, Ontario) lost one of its prestigious 500-mile races. For 1981, the summer race at Michigan was expanded to 500 miles, effectively replacing Ontario. NBC agreed to broadcast the race live, making it the first 500-mile Indy car race to be broadcast live. During a private test session in November 1986, Rick Mears set an Indy car closed-course speed record driving a March 86C/Ilmor-Chevrolet with a lap of 233.934 mph. The lap was an Indy car speed record that would stand for a decade. In 1987, the Michigan 500 secured the sponsorship of Marlboro and became known as the Marlboro 500. On network television, however due to tobacco regulations, the race was still advertised as the "Michigan 500." From 1988 to 1991 the race was part of the Marlboro Million, a cash prize awarded to any driver who won the Marlboro Grand Prix, the Marlboro 500, and the Marlboro Challenge All-Star event in the same year. The prize was never won. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the Michigan 500 was traditionally held in late July or early August. In 1994, the Brickyard 400 was scheduled for the first weekend in August, creating a conflict. The Michigan 500 was shifted to the last weekend in July for 1994 and beyond. In several seasons (1987–1995, 1997), IROC was held as a support race to the Michigan 500. The Indy Lights series initially did not race at Michigan, but eventually made its first appearance in 1996. Roger Penske sold the track to International Speedway Corporation in 1999. Over the next couple of seasons, attendance sharply declined for the CART-sanctioned race. In addition, the fast speeds were again raising safety concerns. The track had expanded its seating capacity (namely for its two NASCAR races) and the typical CART crowds of 50,000 spectators looked visibly unspectacular. Despite some of the most competitive CART events in the track's history, largely due to the use of the Hanford Device, fans continued to stay away. Series officials and track management were able to put together a deal to hold the 2001 race, but talks ceased and the contract was not renewed for 2002.

Indy Racing League / IndyCar

Starting in 2002, the race became an Indy Racing League/IndyCar Series event. In addition, the race distance was reduced from 500 miles to 400 miles. The race featured wheel-to-wheel racing, albeit at slower speeds than the CART-sanctioned events. In 2002, Sarah Fisher became the first female driver to pass for the lead under green flag conditions in an Indy-style race. In 2007, the race had to switch dates once again. The Brickyard 400 was moved by ESPN up one week. The scheduling shuffle saw the Michigan race placed on the first weekend in August. The race was hampered by rain, and suffered a huge pileup. There were now three races in close proximity (Mid-Ohio, Michigan, and Detroit) within six weeks of each other. Citing low attendance, and an undesirable date, track management removed the race from the schedule in 2008 and beyond. In addition, a twin 200-mile race format was requested, which was rejected by the series officials. As of 2023, the race has not been revived.

Second race

Fall race

From 1973 to 1986, Michigan International Speedway hosted two Indy car races annually. A fall (autumn) race was usually held in mid-to-late September, about two months after the summer race. The length of the fall race varied over the years, but was always shorter that the more prominent 500-mile race held during the summer. The final running (1986) was scheduled for 250 miles. Following the 1986 CART season, the fall race was dropped from the schedule, leaving the Michigan 500 (in July or August) as the track's lone Indy car event.

U.S. 500

In 1996, as a protest to the formation of the rival IRL (and specifically the reservation of starting spots in the 1996 Indianapolis 500 to IRL-based entries), the CART series scheduled a competing race on the same day as the Indy 500. Dubbed the U.S. 500, it was held at Michigan International Speedway on May 26, 1996. It marked the first and only time that two 500-mile races were held at Michigan in the same season. Jimmy Vasser won the 1996 edition, but it was discontinued after only one running. The U.S. 500 moniker, however, would be reused for a few years - used for the traditional July 500-mile race. The name "Marlboro 500" subsequently was switched to the new 500-mile race at Fontana.

Safety concerns

Safety was always a concern at Michigan, primarily due to the high speeds and Armco barriers. The steep banking and rough pavement was treacherous on equipment, leading to frequent suspension failures, tire failures, blown engines, and crashes, many severe. Attrition in races at Michigan was always high, particularly in the 500-mile events. Crashes at Michigan ended – or effectively led to the end of – the driving careers of Chip Ganassi, Emerson Fittipaldi, Héctor Rebaque and Danny Sullivan. Likewise Merle Bettenhausen, Derek Daly, A. J. Foyt, Al Unser Jr., Al Unser Sr., Gordon Johncock, Mario Andretti and Bobby Rahal, among others, all suffered injuries from crashes. After a horrendous crash in 1980 which split his car in two, Tim Richmond soon after quit Indy car racing and switched to the NASCAR circuit. In 1987, a dogleg chicane was hastily built in the middle of the backstretch to slow the cars down, but it was never used in competition. After a couple of practice runs, it was deemed unsuitable, partially due to fear of gearbox failure, being too abrupt, and not necessarily serving its intended purpose. But it was also scrapped due to concern over fans' negative reactions. Instead, officials decided to reduce turbocharger boost for the race. Despite the numerous serious crashes, no Indy car drivers have ever been killed as a result of crashes at Michigan. In the late 1980s and early 1990, safety upgrades were made the facility. The remaining Armco barriers were replaced with concrete walls, and the track was repaved in 1995. Though the track was still hard on equipment, the number of serious injuries to drivers noticeably declined. In the mid-2000s, SAFER Barriers were installed in the turns. In addition to crashes that damaged or ended the careers of drivers, three spectators were killed in a 1998 CART racing incident. The 1998 U.S. 500 Presented by Toyota was marred by a crash on lap 175. Adrián Fernández slammed into the outside wall in the fourth turn. His right front wheel was torn off and hurled over the fence into the stands, killing three spectators (Kenneth Fox, Sheryl Laster, and Michael Tautkus) and injuring six others. Despite improvements made to the catch fencing, subsequent attendance declined greatly over the next few years.

First wins and best-career results

Due to the demanding nature of the course and high attrition, particularly in the 500-mile races, Michigan produced numerous surprise winners and was the site of several first-time winners on the Indy car circuit. During the USAC era, Michigan was site of the only championship car wins for Ronnie Bucknum and Bill Vukovich II, as well as the first career wins for Tom Sneva and Danny Ongais. In the CART era, the Michigan 500 was the site of the first career wins for Pancho Carter (only career win), John Paul Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi, Scott Goodyear, Scott Pruett, Tony Kanaan, and Patrick Carpentier. Tomas Scheckter notched his first career IndyCar win while the race was under IRL sanctioning. Other "surprise" wins include Johnny Rutherford's 1986 Michigan 500 triumph – his final career victory, and Scott Goodyear's 1994 win, the lone win for King Racing in Indy car racing. Along with the first-time winners, a number of other drivers on the Indy car circuit achieved their career-best finishes at Michigan. Drivers include Dominic Dobson, Mark Smith, and Hiro Matsushita, who finished 3rd, 5th, and 6th, respectively in the 1994 race. Derek Daly, who suffered a devastating crash at Michigan in 1984, scored his final career top five at Michigan in 1989. Two-time Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk finished second twice at the Michigan 500 (1991, 1994). Notably, both instances were with fledgling teams. His second place in the 1994 race marked the only top-three ever achieved by the Indy Regency Racing team. The two drivers that won the Michigan 500 twice in their careers (Michael Andretti and Scott Goodyear), have a similar footnote in that neither ever won the Indianapolis 500. Goodyear finished second twice at Indy, and likewise Andretti's best finish was only second place.

Past winners

500-mile race / Summer race

Fall race

Indy Lights winners

Race summaries

USAC

Norton / Michigan 500

Marlboro 500

U.S. 500

Michigan / Harrah's 500 Presented by Toyota

Firestone Indy 400