Auto racing shockers: was '82 Indy start crash rigged?

**OntarioVanMan** · 10-09-2009, 10:27 AM

Waking up on a Wednesday morning and finding out:

– That Robert Kubica has signed to drive for Renault in 2010. Gee, didn’t Toyota’s manager John Howett say that Kubica and Kimi Raikkonen were going to drive for them?

Oh, and Toyota driver Jarno Trulli is going to test a NASCAR Sprint Cup car for Michael Waltrip Racing in November. And second driver Timo Glock is free to talk to other teams.

Anybody still think that Toyota will be on the grid in 2010?

– That not only is Nelson Piquet Jr. going to test a NASCAR pickup truck for Red Horse Racing but so is Vitor Meira, the Indy car driver who was injured at the Indianapolis 500.

I know Meira is a fellow Brazilian but, if I was him, I wouldn't be going anywhere near Nelson Piquet Jr. There's an old saying that goes like this: You're known by the company you keep.

Stay away, Vitor.

– Speaking of Foyt, he shocked 60-plus years of naivite out of me last Sunday night when he appeared on the TV show Wind Tunnel.

I’ve always thought car racing was pretty much a pure sport, that 99 per cent of the time things were on the up-and-up. (The other 1 per cent is the team orders thing and I really don’t get too worked up about that.)

So, you can imagine my surprise when it was absolutely proved beyond a shadow of a doubt in recent weeks that three people had actually conspired to fix the results of a Formula One race (Singapore, ’08) and had gotten away with it. For a year, anyway.

So Sunday night, I just about fall off my couch when Foyt tells the following little story. (The quotes are paraphrased.)

INTERVIEWER ROBIN MILLER:"So when Kevin Cogan ran into you before the start at Indy in ’82, you got real mad and called him ‘that **** Coogan.’ "

FOYT: "Well, I was mad because he did damage to my car but also because some friends of mine had some big money bet on me to beat the Penske cars on the first lap. They were betting I would lead the first lap."

Okay, so hold it right there.

1. A.J. Foyt says that big money is bet that he will lead the Penske cars on the first lap of the Indy 500.

2. Kevin Cogan drives for Penske.

3.Coming down to the green flag, Cogan turns sharply right and hits Foyt. Cogan says it isn't his fault. You decide, because the video is right here. Listen particularly to the part where colour commentator Sam Posey suggests Cogan turned right intentionally.

4. Foyt manages to get his car repaired (it wasn’t that badly damaged; the steering was out of whack) and eventually leads the first lap after the restart.

FOYT (paraphrase again): "So it ended okay after all. All my friends made a lot of money."

Translation: somebody also lost (or stood to lose) a lot of money.

Hmmmmm.

In light of what Foyt said Sunday, and what we know today about the Grand Prix of Singapore in 2008, I now think there was something really fishy about what happened at Indianapolis in 1982.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxXFsI03X9Q

**Doggie Daddy** · 10-09-2009, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by OntarioVanMan

In light of what Foyt said Sunday, and what we know today about the Grand Prix of Singapore in 2008, I now think there was something really fishy about what happened at Indianapolis in 1982.

YouTube - The start of the 1982 Indy 500

I don't know if the '82 Indy race was fishy or not, but I do know that Kevin Cogan was a lucky man that A.J. never got his hands on him.

**LDB** · 10-09-2009, 10:47 AM

I remember watching the 82 race and thinking at the time there was no way that was an accident. At that time Foyt's Houston race shop was about 3 miles from my house. When it wasn't a crazy time like prior to Indy I'd go over and spend a few minutes seeing all the cool stuff. They didn't care as long as they weren't too busy. I always wanted Foyt to win since he was another Houstonian and J.R. was another favorite. I'm sure racing isn't totally pure but like to think it's better than most sports.

**Doggie Daddy** · 10-09-2009, 12:02 PM

Originally Posted by LDB

I'm sure racing isn't totally pure but like to think it's better than most sports.

Auto racing of any kind is definitely not pure, and where there are multi car teams involved racing results can be altered by the actions of these teams, it happens all the time.

**muttly** · 10-22-2009, 12:36 PM

The crash was intentional. Incredibly bizarre crash coupled with a motive to make money by taking Foyt out leads to the conclusion that it was done on purpose.

**usaf6186** · 11-05-2009, 06:56 AM

Ken You were right. Toyota just annonced they are pulling out of F1 along with Honda and BMW. Jerry Lee
Toyota Pulling Out Of Formula One -- FanHouse

**Jack_Berry** · 11-05-2009, 10:51 PM

hey toyota....welcome back to sportscar racing....where you belonged. f-1 is insane. ferrari is the only mfg still in f-1. when they leave it collapses .

toyo leaving f-1 was no secret.

piqiet jr had only nastycar to turn to for a driving future after going states evidence on the accident he had last yeat that gave kimmy the championship.

i would be more interested in the 1965 accident on lap one. the one that left 15 yo me in the open stands for 4.5 hrs while it was cleaned up.