1996 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix

1996 Nazareth
Race details
Race 5 of 16 in the 1996 PPG Indy Car World Series season
Map of Nazareth Speedway
DateApril 28, 1996
Official nameBosch Spark Plug Grand Prix
LocationNazareth, Pennsylvania, United States
CourseOval
1.000 mi / 1.609 km
Distance200 laps
200.000 mi / 321.869 km
Pole position
Driver Paul Tracy (Marlboro Team Penske)
Time18.874
Fastest lap
Driver Emerson Fittipaldi (Hogan-Penske Racing)
Time20.388 (on lap 2 of 200)
Podium
First Michael Andretti (Newman/Haas Racing)
Second Greg Moore (Forsythe Racing)
Third Al Unser Jr. (Marlboro Team Penske)

The 1996 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix was a CART race which happened at the Nazareth Speedway on April 28, 1996. It was the 5th round of the 1996 PPG Indy Car World Series season.

Qualifying

Penske Racing driver Paul Tracy set the a mph speed of 190.737 mph, and also, the pole. It was a New Track Record.

Race

Start - Lap 95

At lap 15, the first caution came out as Hiro Matsushita collided with Juan Manuel Fangio II. The restart came out at lap 22. The top ten at lap 25 were: Paul Tracy, Emerson Fittipaldi, Scott Pruett, Michael Andretti, Jimmy Vasser, Al Unser Jr., Bobby Rahal, Robby Gordon, Greg Moore and Christian Fittipaldi. At lap 53, Hiro Matsushita was the first driver to retire. At lap 79, Andretti stalled his car after a 13.4 pitstop. He continued in the race. At the following lap, the race leader Paul Tracy hit three mechanics in one move then after that he was able to stop his car in his pit stall. The mechanics were not badly injured, but were taken to the hospital. At lap 89, Paul Tracy received a black flag penalty because of the incident with his mechanics. The top six at lap 95 was: Michael Andretti, Al Unser Jr., Greg Moore, Emerson Fittipaldi, Bobby Rahal and Christian Fittipaldi.

Lap 115- Lap 141

At lap 115, the second caution came out, as Roberto Moreno lost one of his rear wheels. At the following lap, Gil de Ferran retired after having suspension problems due to colliding with Adrian Fernandez in the pits. The restart came out at lap 128. At lap 141, the top twelve was: Michael Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Unser Jr., Greg Moore, Bobby Rahal, Jimmy Vasser, Paul Tracy, Scott Pruett, Christian Fittipaldi, Raul Boesel, Robby Gordon and Adrian Fernandez.

Closing stages. 33 laps to go

With 33 laps to go, the third caution came out as Robby Gordon hit the wall at turn one. He retired. When the restart would come out, Raul Boesel's engine blew up. The restart came out with 23 laps to go. Andretti's lead was growing and no problems happened to him as he won the race.

Box score

Finish Grid No Name Team Chassis Engine Tire Laps Time/Status Led Points
1 5 6 Michael Andretti Newman/Haas Racing Lola T96/00 Ford G 200 1:25:08.074 113 21
2 13 99 Greg Moore Forsythe Racing Reynard 96I Mercedes-Benz F 200 +12.213 0 16
3 6 2 Al Unser Jr. Marlboro Team Penske Penske PC-25 Mercedes-Benz G 200 +15.044 0 14
4 2 9 Emerson Fittipaldi Hogan-Penske Racing Penske PC-25 Mercedes-Benz G 200 +15.144 0 12
5 1 3 Paul Tracy Marlboro Team Penske Penske PC-25 Mercedes-Benz G 199 +1 Lap 87 11
6 8 18 Bobby Rahal Team Rahal Reynard 96I Mercedes-Benz G 199 +1 Lap 0 8
7 3 12 Jimmy Vasser Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard 96I Honda F 199 +1 Lap 0 6
8 4 20 Scott Pruett Patrick Racing Lola T96/00 Ford F 198 +2 Laps 0 5
9 10 11 Christian Fittipaldi Newman/Haas Racing Lola T96/00 Ford G 197 +3 Laps 0 4
10 18 32 Adrián Fernández Tasman Motorsports Lola T96/00 Honda F 196 +4 Laps 0 3
11 12 28 Bryan Herta Team Rahal Reynard 96I Mercedes-Benz G 196 +4 Laps 0 2
12 15 31 André Ribeiro Tasman Motorsports Lola T96/00 Honda F 196 +4 Laps 0 1
13 9 4 Alex Zanardi Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard 96I Honda F 193 +7 Laps 0 0
14 20 15 Mike Groff Walker Racing Reynard 96I Ford G 192 +8 Laps 0 0
15 16 17 Maurício Gugelmin PacWest Racing Reynard 96I Ford G 190 +10 Laps 0 0
16 19 21 Teo Fabi PacWest Racing Reynard 96I Ford G 188 +12 Laps 0 0
17 21 10 Eddie Lawson Galles Racing Lola T96/00 Mercedes-Benz G 186 +14 Laps 0 0
18 23 25 Jeff Krosnoff Arciero-Wells Racing Reynard 96I Toyota F 186 +14 Laps 0 0
19 14 16 Stefan Johansson Bettenhausen Motorsports Reynard 96I Mercedes-Benz G 184 +16 Laps 0 0
20 22 49 Parker Johnstone Brix Comptech Racing Reynard 96I Honda F 180 +20 Laps 0 0
21 11 1 Raul Boesel Brahma Sports Team Reynard 96I Ford G 167 Engine 0 0
22 7 5 Robby Gordon Walker Racing Reynard 96I Ford G 164 Crash 0 0
23 17 8 Gil de Ferran Hall Racing Reynard 96I Honda G 116 Crash 0 0
24 24 34 Roberto Moreno Payton-Coyne Racing Lola T96/00 Ford F 102 Crash 0 0
25 25 36 Juan Manuel Fangio II All American Racers Eagle Mk-V Toyota G 59 Engine 0 0
26 26 19 Hiro Matsushita Payton-Coyne Racing Lola T96/00 Ford F 19 Suspension 0 0
Source:[1][2]

Race statistics

Points Standings after 5 races

  1. Jimmy Vasser 73 points
  2. Al Unser Jr. 53 points
  3. Scott Pruett 49 points
  4. Greg Moore 36 points
  5. Gil de Ferran 33 points
  6. Christian Fittipaldi 32 points

Notes

  1. Last race - Teo Fabi
  2. After this race, Mark Blundell, who broke his foot in Brazil was cleared by CART officials to race in the next round: The US 500.
  3. For the last time CART decided to run a 200 lap race in Nazareth Speedway. For 1997 until 2002 when CART had its final race there, it was a 225 lap race. After 2002, the race went to Indy Racing League, but it was still a 225 lap race.

References

  1. ^ https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/1996_Bosch_Spark_Plug_Grand_Prix/R 1996 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix 1996 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix]
  2. ^ 1996 Nazareth Champ Cars