With eight laps to go in the 1986 running of the Indianapolis 500 Race….as called by ABC’s Jim Lampley and Sam Posey….was truly exciting and anybody’s race between Kevin Cogan….who was leading at the start of this video…..along with Bobby Rahal….who was gaining ground rapidly….and Rick Mears….who had the fastest car in the race and running a same lap 3rd.
Nearly the entire race unfolded as a three-way battle between pole sitter Rick Mears, Bobby Rahal, and Kevin Cogan…..when Cogan, who was a key fixture in the controversial crash on the opening lap of the 1982 race, took the lead in dramatic fashion with 13 laps to go….and appeared to be on his way to victory and career redemption….but his lead evaporated when a caution came out on lap 194….and then again with two laps to go….and that is when 2nd place Bobby Rahal got the jump on the restart and grabbed the lead…..while pulling away to win the race….as his car owner Jim Trueman….who was stricken with cancer….cheered him on to victory from in the pit area…..as it seemed like God was with Rahal and Trueman on this dramatic finish to the greatest auto race in the world….just eleven days before Jim Trueman passed away.
