1980sABCAuto RacingIndy 500Interviews

Auto Racing 1986 Indy 500 Larry Nuber Interview With Runner Up Kevin Cogan

Kevin Cogan is a former race car driver who drove in Formula One in 1980 and 1981…..while driving a RAM Williams in the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix….and driving for Tyrrell at the 1981 US GP West…..when he moved to Indy cars in 1982…..where in 1986 at the Indy 500….Kevin Cogan came in 2nd…..but his career was cut short by a series of accidents.

For the 1986 Indy 500, Kevin Cogan joined Patrick Racing to drive the No. 7….which was 7-Eleven March 86C-Cosworth DFX….and at the season opening Dana 200 for Special Olympics at Phoenix International Raceway….he scored his first Indycar win….while leading 2nd place Tom Sneva by a lap. It was also the first time Cogan led the CART standings in his career….then with 13 laps to go in the Indianapolis 500….Cogan made a bold move to pass Rick Mears and Bobby Rahal in less than a lap when both were held up by the slower car of Randy Lanier…..and despite his car conspicuously over-steering in the turns, he pulled away to a 3-second lead before a caution came out on lap 195 for a crash by Arie Luyendyk in turn four….which resulted in Cogan not getting a good restart on lap 198 and was passed by Bobby Rahal and eventually finishing in 2nd place. Cogan still led the standings after Indianapolis but suffered retirements in seven of the fourteen remaining races and fell to 6th in the championship.

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