Biography

Early years

Mears was raised in Bakersfield, California, and began his racing career in off-road racing. He switched to Indy Car racing in the late 1970s, making his debut for the small Art Sugai team, driving an Eagle-Offenhauser. His speed attracted the attention of Roger Penske. Although at the time Penske Racing had the services of Mario Andretti and Tom Sneva. Andretti was also racing in Formula One with Lotus at the time but Penske wanted another young driver who would focus exclusively on American racing. For 1978, Mears was offered a part-time ride in nine of the 18 championship races, filling in when Andretti was overseas. The arrangement also included a ride at the Indianapolis 500.

In his rookie appearance at Indy, Mears qualified on the front row, and was the first rookie to qualify over 200 mph. When the race began, Mears discovered his helmet was not strapped on tight enough and he had to pit to get it safely secured. He did not lead a lap and retired at 104 laps with a blown engine. He ended up sharing "Rookie of the Year" honors with Larry Rice. Two weeks later, at the Rex Mays 150, he won his first race. He added another win a month later at Atlanta and rounded off the year with his first road course win at Brands Hatch.

1979

In 1979 the National Championship sanction changed from the USAC to CART. At Indianapolis he won his first "500", staying at the front of the field, taking advantage when Bobby Unser fell out of contention with mechanical trouble. Three wins and four second places in the eleven CART-eligible races won Mears his first championship. His worst finish in the season was seventh in Trenton's second heat.

1980

In 1980 the ground effect Chaparral was technologically more advanced than the other chassis. Mears finished in fourth place in the points with one win, scored at Mexico City.

In 1980 Mears had tested a Formula One Brabham and he declined an offer.

1981-1982

The 1981 and 1982 seasons saw two more championships for Mears. Despite facial burns during a pit fire in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, Mears' ten race victories in the two-year span were enough for another two Indycar championship titles. At the 1982 Indianapolis 500 he came within 0.16 of a second of adding a second Indy win. With less than 20 laps to go, during Mears' final pit stop, the crew filled the entire tank rather than giving him only the amount he needed to finish. The delay left him more than 11 seconds behind Gordon Johncock. Mears made up the difference when Johncock suffered handling problems, but failed to secure the win. The photo-finish would stand for 10 years as the closest finish to an Indy 500. The photo-finish also muffled out the controversial pace-lap crash with teammate Kevin Cogan who appeared to have spun out for no apparent reason; fellow drivers such as Gordon Johncock, Johnny Rutherford, and Bobby Unser, charged Mears with causing the crash by bringing the field down at a slow pace.

1983-1984

For 1983 the Penske team would acquire the Pennzoil sponsorship with its yellow paint scheme. Teammate Al Unser took that year's title. The team switched to the March chassis for the 1984 Indianapolis 500 after the Penske chassis proved unsuccessful in the first two races of the year. Mears scored his second Indy win that May but suffered severe leg injuries later in the year in a crash at Sanair. The March chassis, like most contemporary open-wheel racing cars, sat the driver far forward in the nose, with little protection for the legs and feet.

1985-1987

After the Sanair crash, Mears was slowed by the injuries to his right foot that affected him throughout the remainder of his career. Over the next three seasons, he won only two races. He completed a comeback from his injuries by winning the 1985 Pocono 500. In 1986, he won the pole position for the Indy 500, but finished only 3rd. He also won the 1987 Pocono 500.

1988-1990

In 1988, after several years using the March chassis, the Penske team utilized a new car, the PC-17, with a Chevrolet racing engine. Mears used the new car to win the Indy 500. A year later, he took a record-setting fifth pole position at Indy, but retired from the race with mechanical problems. Emerson Fittipaldi took the 500 and also beat Mears to the Championship in the last race at Laguna Seca Raceway, despite Mears winning that race. Also, that last race of 1989 set Mears apart from all other Indycar racers as he broke a tie with Bobby Rahal for race wins and became the most successful Indycar racer of the 1980s.

Fittipaldi joined Mears at Penske for 1990, but the year belonged to Al Unser, Jr., who scored six wins. 1990 would be Mears' last in the Pennzoil paint scheme as Marlboro took over as sponsor of the team.

1991-1992

In 1991, for the first time in his career, Mears hit the wall at Indianapolis during a practice session. The next day, he climbed into his backup car and claimed his record 6th career pole position. Twenty laps from the end of the 500, it looked like Mears was set to be the runner-up behind Michael Andretti. However, when a subsequent yellow flag period erased Andretti's 15-second lead, Mears gained the lead as Andretti opted to pit for fuel. It would be a short-lived lead as Andretti passed Mears around the outside into the first turn. A lap later Mears regained the lead, using the same move Andretti had. Turning up his turbocharger, he then pulled away to win a fourth Indy 500, making him one of only three individuals to do so. In August 1991, at Michigan, he won his last race. At the 1992 Indy 500 Mears broke a wrist in a crash during practice and then crashed out of the race for the first time in his career as he could not avoid Jim Crawford's spinning car in turn 1. He raced only four more times in 1992, and then announced his retirement from racing Indycars at the Penske team's Christmas party. No one except Penske himself and Rick's wife, Chris, knew of his plans to retire. He had just turned 41 years old.

As of 2010, Rick Mears continues to work as a consultant to Penske Racing, the team with which he won all of his Indycar races.

He is the brother of Roger Mears, father of off-road racer, Clint Mears, and the uncle of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Casey Mears, also born in Bakersfield.

Awards

• In 1997, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
• He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1998.

Trivia

• Mears has seven of the top ten best Indianapolis 500 five-year qualifying streaks in the 200 mph (320 km/h) era.
• Mears has the top six best Indianapolis 500 ten-year qualifying streaks in the 200 mph (320 km/h) era.
• Mears is one of only two drivers (Bobby Unser) to win the Indianapolis 500 in 3 different decades (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991)

Motorsports career results

American Open-Wheel racing

USAC

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Rank	Points
1976	Bill Simpson	Eagle 72	Offenhauser L4t	PHX	TRE	INDY	MIL	POC	MCH	TWS	TRE	MIL	ONT	MCH								16th	390
	Art Sugai														TWS	PHX
1977	Art Sugai	Eagle 72	Offenhauser L4t	ONT	PHX	TWS	TRE	INDY	MIL													20th	555
	Theodore Racing	McLaren M16C/D								POC	MOS	MCH	TWS	MIL	ONT	MCH	PHX
1978	Team Penske	Penske PC-6	Cosworth DFX V8t	PHX	ONT	TWS	TRE	INDY	MOS	MIL	POC	MCH	ATL	TWS	MIL	ONT	MCH	TRE	SIL	BRH	PHX	9th	2171

CART Series

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Rank	Points
1979	Team Penske	Penske PC-7	Cosworth DFX V8t	PHX	ATL	ATL				MCH	MCH		TRE	ONT	MCH	ATL	PHX				1st	4060
		Penske PC-6					INDY	TRE	TRE			WGL
1980	Team Penske	Penske PC-7	Cosworth DFX V8t	ONT																	4th	2866
		Penske PC-9			INDY	MIL	POC	MDO	MCH	WGL	MIL	ONT	MCH	MEX	PHX
1981	Team Penske	Penske PC-9B	Cosworth DFX V8t	PHX	MIL	ATL	ATL	MCH	RIV	MIL	MCH	WGL	MEX	PHX							1st	304
1982	Team Penske	Penske PC-10	Cosworth DFX V8t	PHX	ATL	MIL	CLE	MCH	MIL	POC	RIV	ROA	MCH	PHX							1st	294
1983	Team Penske	Penske PC-11	Cosworth DFX V8t	ATL	INDY	MIL	CLE	MCH	ROA												6th	92
		Penske PC-10B								POC	RIV	MDO	MCH	CPL	LAG	PHX
1984	Team Penske	Penske PC-12	Cosworth DFX V8t	LBH	PHX																5th	110
		March 84C				INDY	MIL	POR	MEA	CLE	MCH	ROA	POC	MDO	SAN	MCH	PHX	LAG	CPL
1985	Team Penske	March 85C	Cosworth DFX V8t	LBH	INDY	MIL	POR	MEA	CLE	MCH	ROA	POC	MDO	SAN	MCH	LAG	PHX	MIA			10th	51
1986	Team Penske	March 86C	Cosworth DFX V8t	PHX		INDY	MIL	POR		CLE	TOR	MCH	POC								8th	89
		Penske PC-15	Chevrolet 265A V8t		LBH				MEA						SAN			LAG		MIA
		March 86C												MDO		MCH	ROA		PHX
1987	Team Penske	Penske PC-16	Chevrolet 265A V8t	LBH	PHX			POR	MEA	CLE	TOR										5th	102
		March 86C				INDY	MIL					MCH	POC	ROA	MDO	NAZ	LAG	MIA
1988	Team Penske	Penske PC-17	Chevrolet 265A V8t	PHX	LBH	INDY	MIL	POR	CLE	TOR	MEA	MCH	POC	MDO	ROA	NAZ	LAG	MIA			4th	129
1989	Team Penske	Penske PC-18	Chevrolet 265A V8t	PHX	LBH	INDY	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	MEA	TOR	MCH	POC	MDO	ROA	NAZ	LAG			2nd	186
1990	Team Penske	Penske PC-19	Chevrolet 265A V8t	PHX	LBH	INDY	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	MEA	TOR	MCH	DEN	VAN	MDO	ROA	NAZ	LAG		3rd	168
1991	Team Penske	Penske PC-20	Chevrolet 265A V8t	SRF	LBH	PHX	INDY	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	MEA	TOR	MCH	DEN	VAN	MDO	ROA	NAZ	LAG	4th	145
1992	Team Penske	Penske PC-21	Chevrolet 265B V8t	SRF	PHX	LBH	INDY	DET	POR	MIL	NHA	TOR	MCH	CLE	ROA	VAN	MDO	NAZ	LAG		13th	47

Indianapolis 500 results

Year	Chassis	Engine	Start	Finish	Note	Team
1977	Eagle 72	Offenhauser L4t	DNQ		Did not qualify	Art Sugai
1978	Penske PC-6	Cosworth DFX V8t	3	23	Engine Failure	Team Penske
1979	Penske PC-6	Cosworth DFX V8t	1	1	Running	Team Penske
1980	Penske PC-9	Cosworth DFX V8t	6	5	Running	Team Penske
1981	Penske PC-9B	Cosworth DFX V8t	22	30	Pit lane fire	Team Penske
1982	Penske PC-10	Cosworth DFX V8t	1	2	Running	Team Penske
1983	Penske PC-11	Cosworth DFX V8t	3	3	Running	Team Penske
1984	March 84C	Cosworth DFX V8t	3	1	Running	Team Penske
1985	March 85C	Cosworth DFX V8t	10	21	Gear linkage	Team Penske
1986	March 86C	Cosworth DFX V8t	1	3	Running	Team Penske
1987	March 86C	Chevrolet 265A V8t	3	23	Ignition	Team Penske
1988	Penske PC-17	Chevrolet 265A V8t	1	1	Running	Team Penske
1989	Penske PC-18	Chevrolet 265A V8t	1	23	Engine failure	Team Penske
1990	Penske PC-19	Chevrolet 265A V8t	2	5	Running	Team Penske
1991	Penske PC-20	Chevrolet 265A V8t	1	1	Running	Team Penske
1992	Penske PC-21	Chevrolet 265B V8t	9	26	Crash	Team Penske

Indy 500 qualifying results

Year	Att #	Date	Time	Qual Day	Car #	Laps	Qual Time	Qual Speed	Rank	Start	Comment
1977	85	05-22	16:02	4	90	1	—	—	—	—	Incomplete run; pulled off
	96	05-22	17:21	4	90	2	—	—	—	—	Incomplete run; waved off
1978	10	05-20	12:13	1	71	4	2:59.93	200.078	4	3
1979	34	05-13	16:39	1	9	4	3:05.82	193.736	1	1
1980	1	05-10	11:05	1	1	4	3:12.01	187.490	7	6
1981	34	05-16	13:41	1	6	2	—	—	—	—	Incomplete run; pulled off
	53	05-16	15:52	2	68	4	3:05.55	194.018	10	22
1982	2	05-15	11:09	1	1	4	2:53.91	207.004	1	1	1 and 4 lap track records
1983	7	05-21	11:39	1	2	4	2:56.211	204.301	3	3
1984	2	05-12	12:25	1	6	4	2:53.204	207.847	3	3
1985	29	05-11	17:10	1	1	4	2:51.595	209.796	10	10
1986	9	05-10	12:40	1	4	4	2:46.030	216.828	1	1	1 and 4 lap track records
1987	3	05-09	11:19	1	81T	4	2:50.239	211.467	3	3
1988	23	05-14	13:58	1	5	4	2:44.235	219.198	1	1	1 and 4 lap track records
1989	20	05-14	14:09	1	4	4	2:40.797	223.885	1	1	1 and 4 lap track records
1990	6	05-13	16:57	1	2	4	2:40.560	224.215	2	2
1991	16	05-11	12:51	1	3T	4	2:40.633	224.113	2	1
1992	21	05-09	17:48	1	4	4	2:40.289	224.594	10	9

International Race of Champions

(key) (Bold - Pole position. * - Most laps led.)

International Race of Champions results
Season	Make	Q1	Q2	Q3	1	2	3	4	Pos.	Points
1978-79	Chevy	MCH	MCH	RSD	RSD	ATL			NA	-
1979-80		MCH	MCH	RSD	RSD	ATL			3rd	31
1986	Chevy				DAY	MOH	TAL	GLN	12th	25
1989	Chevy				DAY	NZH	MCH	GLN	11th	24

Books

• Tremayne, David (1991). Racers Apart: Memories of motorsport heroes. UK: Motor Racing Publications Ltd. p. 293. ISBN 0-947981-58-6.
• Kirby, Gordon (2008). Rick Mears * Thanks: The Story of Rick Mears and the Mears Gang. US: Crash Media Group. p. 264. ISBN 1-905334-30-3.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]