The 1985 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 7th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 15 races. Al Unser Sr. was the national champion, and the rookie of the year was Arie Luyendyk. The 1985 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Danny Sullivan won the Indy 500, in dramatic fashion, a race that became known as the "Spin and Win."

In September 1984, Rick Mears suffered serious leg injuries in a crash at Sanair. Mears drove only a part-time schedule in 1985, racing at Indianapolis, and subsequently on ovals only. Al Unser Sr. took Mears' full-time seat at Penske Racing as a substitute for the season. Unser had one win, ten top fives, and one other top ten, en route to the championship, a battle that climaxed in dramatic fashion in the final race of the season.

Season summary Defending series champion Mario Andretti won the season opener, finished second at the Indy 500, and won the next two races, jumping out to the early points lead. A mid-season slump, however, saw him achieve only one top five finish the remainder of the year. He then broke his collarbone in a crash at Michigan, and was forced to sit out one race. The driver of the season became Al Unser Jr., who won the next two races (Meadowlands and Cleveland), and finished the year with nine finishes in the top 4.

At the midpoint of the season, Mario Andretti's points lead had dwindled, while Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Unser Sr., and Al Unser Jr. were all closing in. At the Pocono 500, Rick Mears triumphantly returned to victory lane after his leg injuries. Finishing second and third were Al Jr. and Al Sr., respectively, with Al Sr. now taking the points lead. Unser Jr. ate away at the points lead over the next four races, and the Unsers were neck-and-neck approaching the season finale. Meanwhile, Bobby Rahal was making a championship run of his own, winning 3 out of 4 races, and four poles in a row during a stretch in September–October. He almost won four races in row, but was taken out while leading at Sanair with only 13 laps to go. Rahal closed to within 13 points of the championship lead.

With two races to go, Unser Jr. led Unser Sr. by only 3 points. Father and son finished 1st and 2nd at Phoenix, and the standings were flipped. Al Sr. led Al Jr. by 3 points going into the finale at Miami. Rahal finished a distant 6th at Phoenix, and was mathematically eliminated from the championship.

The season finale at Tamiami Park ended in dramatic fashion. Danny Sullivan and Bobby Rahal finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, but the attention of the day was focused on the two Unsers. Late in the race, Al Unser Jr. was running third, and Al Unser Sr. was running 5th. At the moment, Al Jr. was leading the hypothetical championship standings by 1 point.

In the closing laps, Al Unser Sr. chased down and passed Roberto Moreno for 4th place. He held on to finish fourth, and thus won the championship by 1 point over his son. Unser Sr. afterwards expressed some regret about snatching the championship title from his son, but felt it was his responsibility to his own team and his own sponsors to race to his ability all the way to the end. It was also in the best interests of sportsmanship to all competitors not to give favor to his son. Unser Sr. also knew his days were numbered as a competitive driver on the circuit, while he knew Unser Jr. had many years ahead to have another chance at the title (Al Unser Jr. would indeed win the championship twice - 1990 and 1994).

The 1985 season saw two controversies at two separate races. The Michigan 500 had to be postponed for a week due to tire issues. In September, the race at Sanair came to a bizarre conclusion when the safety car, leading the field on the final lap under caution, suddenly veered into the pits on the final turn. Leader Johnny Rutherford was not informed, and second place Pancho Carter accelerated past him and beat him to the finish line. Officials initially awarded the victory to Carter, and Rutherford protested. After review, Rutherford was eventually restored the victory. (In many motorsport codes, the safety car exits to pit lane on the final lap; in most North American codes, the safety car remains on the circuit towards the finish line.)

Sanair finish controversy

Drivers and teams The following teams and drivers competed in the 1985 Indy Car World Series season. All cars used Goodyear tires. Team Chassis Engine No* Drivers Rounds Team Penske March 85C Cosworth DFX 4 (5) Danny SullivanAll 5 (1) Rick Mears 2–3, 7, 9, 12 Al Unser 11All except 3 Doug Shierson Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX 30 Al Unser Jr.All Truesports Co. March 85C Cosworth DFX 3 (10) Bobby RahalAll 8 Ludwig Heimrath Jr. 10 Newman/Haas Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX 1 (3) Mario Andretti All except 8 Alan Jones8 Patrick Racing March 85C Cosworth DFX 20 Bruno Giacomelli 1, 4–6, 8, 10–11, 13, 15 Sammy Swindell7, 9 Don Whittington2-3, 12, 14 40 Emerson FittipaldiAll 60 Rich Vogler 2All American RacersEagle 85GC (All except 4, 11, and 13–14) Lola T900 (4, 11, 13–14)Cosworth DFX 2 Tom Sneva AllLola T900 97 Tony Bettenhausen Jr. 2 Eagle 85GC (All except 3, 6) Lola T900 (3) 98 Ed Pimm All except 6 Kraco Racing March 85C Cosworth DFX 18 Kevin CoganAll 99 Michael AndrettiAll Alex Morales Motorsports March 85C Cosworth DFX 21 Johnny RutherfordAll Machinists Union Racing March 85C Cosworth DFX 55 Josele GarzaAll 59 Pete Halsmer 2–6, 12 Rupert Keegan10, 13, 15 Chip Ganassi7 Galles Racing March 85C Buick V-6 (1-2)Cosworth DFX (3-15) 6 Pancho Carter 2–4, 6–7, 9, 11–12, 14 Roberto Moreno5, 8, 10, 13, 15 Cosworth DFX 7 Geoff BrabhamAll Team Cotter March 85C Cosworth DFX 9 Roberto Guerrero All Forsythe Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX 32/33 Howdy Holmes 1-12 Jan Lammers13-15 Pace Racing March 84C (1-6) Lola T900 (7-15) Cosworth DFX 36 Dennis Firestone 1-13 Jim Crawford14-15Dick Simon RacingMarch 85CCosworth DFX 22 Raul Boesel 1, 4–6, 8, 10, 13, 15 Dick Simon2-3, 7, 9, 11–12, 1423 Raul Boesel2, 7 Dick Simon5 Leader Card RacingMarch 84C (1, 5) March 85C (4)Cosworth DFX 24 Rocky Moran 1, 4-5 March 84C (7) March 85C (2-3, 9) Tom Bigelow 2–3, 7, 9 March 84C Phil Krueger 6 March 85C Herm Johnson 8, 10 March 85C Gary Bettenhausen 11–12, 14March 85C Dominic Dobson 13, 15Canadian Tire RacingMarch 85CCosworth DFX 67 Jim Crawford 11 76 Jacques Villeneuve Sr. All except 2, 7, 9, and 12 Johnny Parsons2 Provimi RacingLola T900Cosworth DFX 61 Arie Luyendyk All except 9-10Arciero RacingLola T900 (All other races) March 85C (12, 15)Cosworth DFX 12 Bill Whittington All except 7, 9, 11, and 14 Randy Lanier14 Lola T900 57 1–2, 4–6, 8, 10, 13, 15Dale Coyne Racing Lola T800Chevy 19 Dale Coyne All except 1 and 11 Gohr Racing March 85C Chevy 56 Steve Chassey All except 1 and 11 Hemelgarn Racing Lola T900 (All other races) March 85C (11) Cosworth DFX 71 Michael Roe 1–2, 4-6 Spike Gehlhausen3, 7 Enrique Mansilla8, 10-11 Scott Brayton13-15Part-time entries Wysard Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX 34 Jim Crawford 1–3, 5-6 Darin Brassfield15 Brayton Racing March 85C Cosworth DFX/Buick V-6 37 Scott Brayton 1–7, 9, 12 Interscope Racing March 85C Cosworth DFX 25 Danny Ongais 1–2, 6–7, 9, 12, 14-15 AMI Racing March 85C Cosworth DFX 43 John Paul Jr. 2, 6 Jan Lammers4-5 Circle Bar Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX 38 Chet Fillip 2–3, 6-7 Menard Cashway Lumber March 85C Cosworth DFX 8 Herm Johnson 2 Tom Hess Racing Lola T800 Cosworth DFX 27 (29) Dick Ferguson 1 Lola T900 Derek Daly 2 Jeff Wood 6 Ian Ashley 15 Purcell Racing March 83C Cosworth DFX 50 Tom Bigelow 2 51 Phil Krueger2Gilmore RacingMarch 85C (All other races) Lola T900 (11)Cosworth DFX 14 A. J. Foyt 2, 5–7, 9, 11, 14-15 March 84C 41 Mike Nish 2, 14 March 85C Chevy 44 George Snider 2Cosworth DFX 84 Chip Ganassi 2 Theodore RacingTheodoreCosworth DFX 15 Chico Serra 4

* The number in parentheses is the number the car used at the Indianapolis 500, if a different number was used.

Notable team and driver changes

Rick Mears was sidelined due to injuries for much of the season. Danny Sullivan left Doug Shierson Racing to join Team Penske. Al Unser Jr. left Galles Racing to replace Sullivan at Doug Shierson Racing. He was replaced at Galles Racing by Geoff Brabham, who previously drove for Kraco Racing. Mayer Motor Racing, which ran 1984 with drivers Tom Sneva and Howdy Holmes, did not run in 1985. Tom Sneva moved to All American Racers, which expanded to a two car team, while Howdy Holmes moved to Forsythe Racing, who had run 1984 without a steady driver. Galles Racing expanded to a two car team. Joining Geoff Brabham, the second car was run by Pancho Carter on the ovals and rookie Roberto Moreno on the road courses. Bignotti-Cotter Racing changed its name to Team Cotter, continuing to field a car for Roberto Guerrero. Bill Whittington, who did not have a ride in 1984, joined Arciero Racing, replacing Pete Halsmer. Halsmer only ran a few races that year. Rookie Arie Luyendyk ran his first full season, driving for Provimi Veal Racing. He replaced Derek Daly, who was left without a full-time ride. Geoff Brabham was replaced at Kraco Racing by Kevin Cogan. Gordon Johncock retired just before pole day for the 1985 Indianapolis 500. Already scaled back to doing just ovals, while Bruno Giacomelli handled road and street courses, he was replaced by both Don Whittington and Sammy Swindell. Johnny Rutherford returned to full-time driving, replacing Al Holbert at Alex Morales Motorsports. Holbert returned to sports cars. Dick Simon scaled back to part-time driving. His ride at Dick Simon Racing was split with Raul Boesel. Stan Fox, who ran full-time in 1984, did not run in 1985. A variety of drivers are ran at Leader Card Racing. Interscope Racing and driver Danny Ongais only ran part-time in 1985. Tom Hess Racing, which drove most of 1984 with Dick Ferguson, also scaled back to part-time.

Schedule Icon Legend Oval/Speedway Road course Street circuit

+RdDateNameCircuitLocation1April 14 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Streets of Long BeachLong Beach, California2May 26 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayIndianapolis, Indiana3June 2 Miller American 200 in Honor of Rex Mays Milwaukee MileWest Allis, Wisconsin4June 16 Stroh's/G.I. Joe's 200 Portland International RacewayPortland, Oregon5June 30 U.S. Grand Prix at the Meadowlands Meadowlands Sports ComplexEast Rutherford, New Jersey6July 7 Budweiser Cleveland Grand Prix Burke Lakefront AirportCleveland, Ohio7July 28** Michigan 500 Michigan International SpeedwayBrooklyn, Michigan8August 4 Provimi Veal 200 Road AmericaElkhart Lake, Wisconsin9August 18 Domino's Pizza 500 Pocono International RacewayLong Pond, Pennsylvania10September 1 Escort Radar Warning 200 Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseLexington, Ohio11September 8 Molson Indy 300 Sanair Super SpeedwaySaint-Pie, Quebec12September 22 Detroit News 200 Michigan International SpeedwayBrooklyn, Michigan13October 6 Stroh's 300k Laguna Seca RacewayMonterey, California14October 13* Dana 150 Phoenix International RacewayAvondale, Arizona15November 9 Beatrice Indy Challenge Tamiami ParkMiami, Florida

* The Dana 150 was scheduled for March 31, but postponed on March 13 due to track damage sustained over winter testing. On August 6, it was rescheduled for an October 13 date.

** The Michigan 500 was scheduled for July 21, but postponed a week due to tire concerns. NBC did not return to televise the race.

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