Indy '88 "Honors System" Trivia

And by "Honors System" I mean NO LOOKING IT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you know it, you know it. If you have to look it up, please lay back until our resident "Donald Davidsons" throw in the towel!

First correct answer gets to post the next "no lookup" question.

(If the model skinners already looked this up, I ask them to let this one pass also.)

I was curious, so I did look this up.

Q: Johnny Parson's #36 March87c/Cosworth has the name "Harry Sauce" painted just aft of the cockpit where one would expect Parson's name to be. Parson's name is not on the car. Why?

(Fitch is not allowed to write a vaguely correct answer just to appear like he didn't look it up!)

Without looking anything up....yet.

 Harry Sauce was/is an Indianapolis area Attorney/Judge who was an avid SCCA racer for a time. He was entered into the 88 500 but he failed his Rookie test, or he didn't complete it, one of those two. I know he spun during the test at one point. I just can't remember if he gave up or they failed him. So I'm guessing he was the original driver for the car and they then brought in Parsons?

 Sauce is listed as one of the Worst IndyCar drivers ever, I'm not sure he ever even started an actual IndyCar race though, I know he ran in the American Racing Series in 86 or 87. The ARS was precursor to what became the Indy Lights series.

Didn't he also do some AIS (American Indycar Series) racing ? This series had so many bad drivers that it's hard to remember them all ! I watched one of their races on the Halifax street circuit on YT earlier this year it was quite pathetic

There are AIS races out there...Oh man, I gotta go find these...

I guess Fitchy wins the first round with his artfully vague answer to appear as he didn't look it up.

I mean, who knows this shit off the top of their head? But Frank did back him up, so the next question is Fitch's. Congratulations, Fitch!

Jason Fitch wrote:

There are AIS races out there...Oh man, I gotta go find these...

That's the one I watched : 1992 Moosehead Grand Prix. The mechanical diversity is quite nice, for one thing. Most cars have stock-block Chevy V8s, while series founder Bill Tempero has a Pontiac V6, but there are several different chassis of various age. The level of drivers, not so great ! One of them is adventurer Steve Fossett, who also did Le Mans one year. The 1991 edition is also available on YT.

Good idea this thread Scott

Wasn't that the series that Lazier boosted about being champion? I think that says it all  

Even the name sounded weird, where else did they ever race a full indycar series than in the US? 

Indeed it is, Buddy Lazier won it in 1988 and Jacques also competed in it. The Unser family was big backer of the AIS for many years, with the talently challenged members of the gang (Robby and Johnny) competing in it for a while too.

That was about the only thing the Series had going for it, was the Unser's.

The series was quite diverse with Chassis from about 86 March's up to and including some 1995 chassis, and then when the IRL was formed some Panoz/G-Force and Dallara chassis competing alongside those same chassis from the mid-late 80's. Most used either a 5.9L Chevy V8 or the Buick V6 in turbo and Normally Aspirated.

I found that 92 race last night, I got 25 minutes into before I turned it off, I was falling asleep, actually did doze off after lap 3.

I'll find a question later today and get it posted.

Ok,

 Due to the fact that It's been the sole chassis for most of the time since 1998 Dallara has the most wins for a Chassis. 

 So, again, without looking it up, Which Chassis Manufacturer has the 2nd Most wins at Indy, and for bonus points how many?

Jason Fitch wrote:

Ok,

 Due to the fact that It's been the sole chassis for most of the time since 1998 Dallara has the most wins for a Chassis. 

 So, again, without looking it up, Which Chassis Manufacturer has the 2nd Most wins at Indy, and for bonus points how many?

Not to be a wet blanket, but how does this count as 1988 Indy trivia?

My best guess for the 2nd most Indy wins by a chassis would be Penske with 7 wins.
If I'm right, it did win the '88 500.

Greg DellaCella wrote:

My best guess for the 2nd most Indy wins by a chassis would be Penske with 7 wins.
If I'm right, it did win the '88 500.

I looked it up and you're right, Greg. Even with the Penske chassis winning in '88, I have to agree with JW that Fitchmeister was stretching it kinda thin. But I guess you could call that our half-assed clue.

So Greg wins round two! The next question is yours, Greg.



FYI: For you old school fans, The Watson chassis has the 3rd most with six wins. (That would have been my guess.)

Without looking it up, of course, try to answer this little offering i dug up.
In 1988 race, there was a caution involving race winner Rick Mears and Al Unser, Sr.
What did they hit on the backstreach?
Bonus, what lap was on?

I believe they both hit wildlife, if I remember correctly in the form of a Rabbit.

I would guess it was around lap 110, can't get more specific than that...

Jonatan Acerclinth wrote:

I believe they both hit wildlife, if I remember correctly in the form of a Rabbit.

I would guess it was around lap 110, can't get more specific than that...

Rabbit is correct, close enough on the lap. It happened on lap 108, caution from 109 to 111. The floor recognizes Jonatan to offer the next trivia question.

BRAVO, Jonaton!

I was gonna say Janet Guthrie.

Without looking this up of course. 

On the very 1st lap of the 88 race, Scott Brayton had a loose moment on the painted line and collected Guerrero sending them both into the outside wall. A 3rd driver crashed on that lap, getting caught out the same way as Brayton. 

Who was that driver?

Tony Bettenhausen

Ok without looking up...

Green is traditionally considered unlucky at Indianapolis. Two green-trimmed cars had high-profile incidents on race day in 1988. One was Teo Fabi's car, which lost a wheel in the pits. Which was the other?

Only other green car I can remember now is the Andretti-lite entry 

Alberto Ibañez wrote:

Only other green car I can remember now is the Andretti-lite entry 

Green trimmed car

Jason White wrote:

Alberto Ibañez wrote:

Only other green car I can remember now is the Andretti-lite entry 

Green trimmed car

Are you talking about that teeny-tiny, eentsy-weentsy green stripe on Sullivan's car?

Whoooooo-boy, that's cutting thin! I wouldn't even know how to look that up.

Still without a car for the Indy 500 Scott? You are too distracted with these trivia, the rabbit season already opened for the remaining cars 

Scott Urick wrote:

Jason White wrote:

Alberto Ibañez wrote:

Only other green car I can remember now is the Andretti-lite entry 

Green trimmed car

Are you talking about that teeny-tiny, eentsy-weentsy green stripe on Sullivan's car?

Whoooooo-boy, that's cutting thin!  I wouldn't even know how to look that up.

Bingo