The 1991 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 13th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 17 races, and one non-points exhibition event. Michael Andretti was the national champion, and the rookie of the year was his younger brother Jeff Andretti.
The 1991 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Rick Mears won the Indy 500, his record-tying fourth victory in the event.
Michael Andretti won a total of eight races, eight pole positions, and led more than half of the laps during the season, but the championship battle still went down to the final race of the season. Bobby Rahal won only one race, but had 11 podium finishes and 13 top tens. Rahal's consistent season put him in position to challenge Andretti for the title in the season finale at Laguna Seca. Andretti got off to a slow start to the season, dropping out of the first two races, and finished a heartbreaking second at Indianapolis. But after Indy, he shot to the top of the standings. He won four of the last five races of the season, and needed to finish 6th or better at Laguna Seca to clinch the title. When Bobby Rahal dropped out at Laguna Seca with overheating problems, Andretti cruised to the title.
Drivers and constructors
The following teams and drivers competed for the 1991 Indy Car World Series.
Results
Races
| Rnd |
Date |
Race Name |
Circuit |
City/Location |
TV Network |
Pole position |
Winning driver |
Winning team |
Report |
| 1 |
17 March |
 Gold Coast IndyCar Grand Prix |
Surfers Paradise Street Circuit |
Surfers Paradise, Australia |
ESPN |
 Michael Andretti |
John Andretti |
Hall-VDS Racing |
Report |
| 2 |
14 April |
Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix |
Streets of Long Beach |
Long Beach, California |
ABC |
Michael Andretti |
Al Unser, Jr. |
Galles-Kraco Racing |
Report |
| 3 |
21 April |
Valvoline 200 |
Phoenix International Raceway |
Phoenix, Arizona |
ABC |
Rick Mears |
 Arie Luyendyk |
Granatelli Racing Team |
Report |
| 4 |
26 May |
75th Indianapolis 500 |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Speedway, Indiana |
ABC |
Rick Mears |
Rick Mears |
Marlboro Team Penske |
Report |
| 5 |
2 June |
Miller Genuine Draft 200 |
Milwaukee Mile |
West Allis, Wisconsin |
ABC |
Rick Mears |
Michael Andretti |
Newman/Haas Racing |
Report |
| 6 |
16 June |
Valvoline Grand Prix of Detroit |
Streets of Detroit |
Detroit, Michigan |
CBS |
Michael Andretti |
23x15px Emerson Fittipaldi |
Marlboro Team Penske |
Report |
| 7 |
23 June |
Budweiser/G.I.Joe´s 200 |
Portland International Raceway |
Portland, Oregon |
ESPN |
23x15px Emerson Fittipaldi |
Michael Andretti |
Newman/Haas Racing |
Report |
| 8 |
7 July |
Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland |
Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport |
Cleveland, Ohio |
ESPN |
23x15px Emerson Fittipaldi |
Michael Andretti |
Newman/Haas Racing |
Report |
| 9 |
14 July |
Marlboro Grand Prix Meadowlands |
Meadowlands Sports Complex |
East Rutherford, New Jersey |
ESPN |
Rick Mears |
Bobby Rahal |
Galles-Kraco Racing |
Report |
| 10 |
21 July |
 Molson Indy Toronto |
Exhibition Place |
Toronto, Ontario |
ESPN |
Michael Andretti |
Michael Andretti |
Newman/Haas Racing |
Report |
| 11 |
4 August |
Marlboro 500 |
Michigan International Speedway |
Brooklyn, Michigan |
ABC |
Rick Mears |
Rick Mears |
Marlboro Team Penske |
Report |
| 12 |
25 August |
Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Denver |
Streets of Denver |
Denver, Colorado |
ABC |
Michael Andretti |
Al Unser, Jr. |
Galles-Kraco Racing |
Report |
| 13 |
1 September |
Molson Indy Vancouver |
Streets of Vancouver |
Vancouver, British Columbia |
ESPN |
Michael Andretti |
Michael Andretti |
Newman/Haas Racing |
Report |
| 14 |
15 September |
Pioneer Electronics 200 |
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course |
Lexington, Ohio |
ESPN |
Michael Andretti |
Michael Andretti |
Newman/Haas Racing |
Report |
| 15 |
22 September |
Texaco/Havoline 200 |
Road America |
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin |
ESPN |
Bobby Rahal |
Michael Andretti |
Newman/Haas Racing |
Report |
| 16 |
6 October |
Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix |
Nazareth Speedway |
Nazareth, Pennsylvania |
ESPN |
Rick Mears |
Arie Luyendyk |
Granatelli Racing Team |
Report |
| NC |
19 October |
Marlboro Challenge |
Laguna Seca Raceway |
Monterey, California |
ESPN |
Michael Andretti |
Michael Andretti |
Newman/Haas Racing |
Report |
| 17 |
20 October |
Toyota Monterey Grand Prix |
Laguna Seca Raceway |
Monterey, California |
ESPN |
Michael Andretti |
Michael Andretti |
Newman/Haas Racing |
Report |
Oval/Speedway
Road Course/Street Circuit
Non-championship race
- Indianapolis was USAC-sanctioned but counted towards the CART title.
Full Series Results
Final driver standings
|
|
| Color |
Result |
| Gold |
Winner |
| Silver |
2nd place |
| Bronze |
3rd place |
| Green |
4th & 5th place |
| Light Blue |
6th-10th place |
| Dark Blue |
Finished
(Outside Top 10) |
| Purple |
Did not finish |
| Red |
Did not qualify
(DNQ) |
| Brown |
Withdrawn
(Wth) |
| Black |
Disqualified
(DSQ) |
| White |
Did not start
(DNS) |
| Blank |
Did not
participate
(DNP) |
| Not competing |
|
| In-line notation |
| Bold |
Pole position |
| * |
Led most race laps |
| Rookie of the Year |
| Rookie |
|
|
Point Scoring System:
- Points are awarded based on each driver's resulting place (regardless of whether the car is running at the end of the race):
| Position |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
| Points |
20 |
16 |
14 |
12 |
10 |
8 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Bonus Points:
- 1 For Pole Position
- 1 For Leading The Most Laps Of The Race
Nation's Cup
- Top result per race counts towards Nation's Cup.
Chassis Constructor's Cup
Engine Manufacturer's Cup
References
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See also
Lola
Brazil
Japan
Belgium
Italy
Colombia
Mexico
Finland
Scotland
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