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Post by illeagle10 on Nov 3, 2011 19:17:27 GMT -5
Penske March 86c/22 There are some iconic cars that just fuel the imagination, like the Gulf/Wyer GT-40 #1075 winning the 24 hours of LeMans two years in a row, 1968 and 1969. I also think of the all conquering 94 Penske PC-23, Chassis #007. There are many more storied cars out there. I’m sure we all have a favorite car we’d like to mention. One of my favorites is the Penske owned March 86c/22 chassis. I’ve spent the last few months trying to dig up information on the car, making phone calls, going through many old magazines like Racer magazine, Indy year books and of course the internet. This is the short history that I could come up with. In 1986 Penske Racing purchased a number of 86 Marches for the upcoming CART season, while also working on his own chassis the PC-15, which eventually proved to be uncompetitive. One of those March chassis was chassis #22. At the first race of the year in April at Phoenix, Penske fielded two March 86c/Cosworths for Rick Mears and Danny Sullivan. Al Unser was left to develop the PC-15/Chevrolet. Sullivan would finish 4th on the day, Unser and Mears came in 18th and 19th respectively. The next race at Long Beach, April 13th, Sullivan would have a March 86c/Cosworth and Mears would drive the PC-15/Chevrolet. It is unknown if Chassis #22 was in the first two races. The first mention of chassis #22 would be in the month of May at Indy. Mears would qualify chassis #22 on the pole for the race and would end up in 3rd place in a fantastic duel with eventual race winner Rahal and Kogan. Mears would finish 3rd again in the next race at Milwaukee in chassis #22. At Portland Mears and Sullivan would both drive March 86cs, but no mention of chassis #22. Danny Sullivan would be the next driver for chassis #22 at the Meadowlands at the end of June and take home chassis #22’s first win. For the next two races at Cleveland and Toronto Mears and Sullivan would drive March 86cs. However, there was no mention if either of the cars were chassis #22. Sullivan would score a win at Cleveland and a 2nd at Toronto in his March 86c. Mears would finish 4th and 8th respectively in his March 86c. The next mention of chassis #22 came at Michigan in August. Mears would put chassis #22 on the pole and finish 12th. The last race for chassis #22 in 1986 would be the Pocono 500. Mears would finish 8th in the car. One other mention for chassis #22 came on August 1st, 1986. Rick Mears would set a closed course speed record at that time for a speed of 233.934mph at Michigan International Speedway, driving chassis #22 with an Illmor/Chevy engine. Danny Sullivan would finish 3rd in the point standings for 1986 and Mears would finish in 8th place. For the beginning of 1987 chassis #22 would find itself as a show car displayed in a Sheraton Hotel in Reading, Pa. As for Al Unser, Sr. he would find himself unemployed prior to the start of the 87 season. Al had been replaced on the Penske team for the Indy 500 by Danny Ongais. This would not last long. As fate would have it, Danny Ongais would crash on May 7th two days before the first weekend of qualifying and would be sidelined for the rest of the month. Al Unser would be called upon to join the Penske team to field the third car. Al was just about to return home to Albuquerque and decided to stay and help out Al, Jr. who was struggling with his 87 March. Also struggling was the Penkse team with their PC-16 chassis. Penske would eventually scrub his own chassis and bring in last year’s cars for his team the March 86c/Illmor-Chevrolets for Mears and Sullivan. Once called upon Al, Sr. was given the newly arrived March 86c-22/Cosworth. Al was relegated to a Cosworth power due to a shortage of spare parts for the Chevrolet engine according to team manager Derrick Walker. I believe we are all aware of the storybook ending of the 1987 Indianapolis 500 for Al Unser and chassis #22. This would be Al’s fourth Indy 500 victory, what a story for an out of work race car driver and a year old chassis.  Chassis #22 would sit for the next few races, not being used until the last four races of the year, being used exclusively by Rick Mears. Mears would finish 4th at Mid-Ohio and 3rd at Nazareth in Chassis #22 now using Chevy power during September. Mears again would finish 3rd at Laguna Seca in this car. Mears would finish off the season racing chassis #22 at Tamiami in the Nissan Indy Challenge finishing 5th. Mears would also finish 5th in the PPG Cup points standings and Sullivan would finish 9th for 1987.  Chassis #22 is now on permanent display in a place of honor at the Penske Racing Museum in Phoenix, Az., sitting near the 94 Penske PC-23, Chassis #007. According to my sources this is the real chassis #22 at Penske’s museum. There is also a replica of Al’s winning car in the Unser Museum in Albuquerque, NM. In the nine races that I have been able to document over two years that chassis #22 competed in, chassis #22 scored two 500 poles in 1986, added to 2 wins, four thirds, a fourth, a fifth and a twelfth place finish over its two year racing career, and all points paying positions in CART at that time. Not bad for a show car! Jim |
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Post by bicv8 on Nov 3, 2011 21:47:22 GMT -5
Very cool man!
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Post by Calvin on Nov 4, 2011 0:58:01 GMT -5
Great research! Thanks for the info!
Do you think Mears used #22 for his win at the 87 Pocono 500? Because he used a 86 March in that race to win.
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Post by illeagle10 on Nov 4, 2011 6:59:58 GMT -5
Great research! Thanks for the info! Do you think Mears used #22 for his win at the 87 Pocono 500? Because he used a 86 March in that race to win. I was hoping to find the same thing in my research, but unfortunately it did not run at Pocono for sure. That is one of the pointed questions that I had asked. I hope to build Mears' Pocono car in the future, along with Michael's winner from Michigan. I'm still trying to get the rear suspension to look right, since AMT used the rear suspension from the 88 March. Also, the Marches that Al and Danny had were not the car either. I was glad to hear that since Al had a mishap during Pocono and clouted the turn 3 wall! Jim |
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Post by stuboyle on Nov 4, 2011 9:42:16 GMT -5
Is the color of the car with Al, Sr different or is the photo off?
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Post by illeagle10 on Nov 4, 2011 11:33:43 GMT -5
Is the color of the car with Al, Sr different or is the photo off? Photos always vary in color, as you see here! My recollection when I actually saw the Pennzoil and Cummins car were almost a bright yellow. You could see them anywhere on the track. Like Mario's white Amaco car and Guerrero's True Value car were so bright, you had a hard time looking at them in the sunlight! I always got a kick out of guys being spot on with colors. If you're close and you're satisfied, it's good enough for me. Guys in the IPMS always use to argue over the same thing when it came to aircraft colors. One guy would show one photo and another guy would show another photo, same aircraft, slightly different colors. That could come from anywhere, lighting, exposure, aging, you name it! I just don't get too caught up in that argument, colors would have to be way off, because guys work to hard to create their creations and masterpieces! That's just one I area I hate to criticize anyone on. Jim |
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Post by 2lapsdown on Nov 4, 2011 11:57:40 GMT -5
Jim, I'm with you.
John
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Post by illeagle10 on Nov 4, 2011 12:35:11 GMT -5
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Post by Calvin on Nov 4, 2011 18:47:27 GMT -5
Wow! Is it me or is the side pods different? Sure looks like it. Since I've done a number of scratch builds, that is one of the first things I look at with a car from the 80's, is the side pods, because a lot of them have big openings on the left side compared to small on the right. ( for oval racing of course) |
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Post by illeagle10 on Nov 4, 2011 19:33:01 GMT -5
[/quote]
Wow! Is it me or is the side pods different? Sure looks like it.
Since I've done a number of scratch builds, that is one of the first things I look at with a car from the 80's, is the side pods, because a lot of them have big openings on the left side compared to small on the right. ( for oval racing of course) [/quote]
From what I recall, after 87 Indy 500 the Penske team eliminated the "kick-ups" in front of the rear tires for Speedway races. If you watch the 1987 M@r1b0r0 500 or the 1987 Quaker State 500 you'll see that they were deleted. I believe this makes the openings look bigger. You can also see on the picture of the engine cover that it looks like the vent holes are a little different than on the AMT kit.
Jim
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Post by oldphotos on Nov 4, 2011 21:35:41 GMT -5
Guerrero's car is an 87 March, that may be why they look differant.
old photos
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Post by illeagle10 on Nov 5, 2011 7:25:48 GMT -5
Guerrero's car is an 87 March, that may be why they look differant. old photos You're correct! Guerrero's car is an 87 March compared to the 86 Marches for that year. Thanks for pointing that out. I wanted to do that when I posted. That's why I wrote, "for contrast," but I guess old age is just setting in and lost my trend of thought. Jim |
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Post by gavkiwi on Nov 10, 2011 16:36:07 GMT -5
Thank you for this research, there is some really great information here, thanks again!
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Post by indy on Mar 16, 2017 14:55:28 GMT -5
Sorry, for bringing up an old one but Jim just linked to it again  Jim, do you think chassis #22 was always Pennzoil yellow? Would be interesting to know if the restoration shop found evidence of red/white. I know PPG was already a Penske sponsor by this time so the color could have changed easily considering the in-house paint shop at Penske Racing but aren't all the known runnings of chassis #22 in yellow? Sully ran it with Miller at Meadowlands - yellow Al Sr ran it multiple times with Cummins - yellow (AFAIK!?) Mears ran it multiple times with Pennzoil - yellow These cars were vinyl decals/lettering over paint, right? So, seems nothing yet to prove the base paint changed at all during 1986 or 1987, correct? Jordan |
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Post by alterrenner on Mar 16, 2017 20:28:58 GMT -5
So much information! An encyclopedia of #22!
Who was that masked man? (reference The Lone Ranger)
--Frank
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Post by clm1545 on Mar 16, 2017 22:56:58 GMT -5
Good stuff here. Shows how unreliable internet, and older colors can be. Maybe that Cooper really was red.  |
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Post by illeagle10 on Mar 17, 2017 20:31:17 GMT -5
Sorry, for bringing up an old one but Jim just linked to it again Jim, do you think chassis #22 was always Pennzoil yellow? Would be interesting to know if the restoration shop found evidence of red/white. I know PPG was already a Penske sponsor by this time so the color could have changed easily considering the in-house paint shop at Penske Racing but aren't all the known runnings of chassis #22 in yellow? Sully ran it with Miller at Meadowlands - yellow Al Sr ran it multiple times with Cummins - yellow (AFAIK!?) Mears ran it multiple times with Pennzoil - yellow These cars were vinyl decals/lettering over paint, right? So, seems nothing yet to prove the base paint changed at all during 1986 or 1987, correct? Jordan Jordan I just wanted you to know that I am not ignoring you. You have asked some interesting questions and I believe that your assumptions are correct. I have called and left a message with a friend within the Penske organization to see if I can get those questions answered. I have not heard back as yet, as soon as I do I will let you know. Jim |
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Post by indy on Mar 17, 2017 20:47:29 GMT -5
Jordan I just wanted you to know that I am not ignoring you. You have asked some interesting questions and I believe that your assumptions are correct. I have called and left a message with a friend within the Penske organization to see if I can get those questions answered. I have not heard back as yet, as soon as I do I will let you know. Jim No problems, Jim. I appreciate your work on the subject, it is fun to discuss it further. I, too, would love someday to see a March 86C Chevy A engine cover Jordan |
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Post by illeagle10 on Mar 24, 2017 17:42:14 GMT -5
Just an update, I finally heard back from my contact. I posed your question to him regarding the color of Chassis #22. I also asked him about a question that was posed some time ago about the rear engine cowling on Mear's car for the 1987 season. My contact did not have answers to those question at the time. He thought they were good questions and is attempting to the answers for us. I sent him a number of pictures along with with the links for the Open Wheel and Indy Car boards. He was quite interested in checking us out!
Jim
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