1994 NIGEL MANSELL LAGUNA SECA INDYCAR GRAND PRIX

Round Sixteen: Laguna Seca

This race was the record 407th and final IndyCar race for the great Mario Andretti. He qualified twelfth, but for the pace laps was given honorary pole position. Former CART flagman Nick Fornoro came back to wave the green flag for Mario's last race.
Paul Tracy won back-to-back poles and showed the form he struggled to find in the early part of the year. He set a new track record of 1:10.058 seconds. Exiting Turn 2 (the hairpin) Al Unser, Jr. touched wheels with Robby Gordon and slid off the course. Michael Andretti outbraked Arie Luyendyk for eighth in Turn 3, but spun the rear wheels and spun out. Champions collided as four seconds later he was struck by an unfortunate Bobby Rahal, ending the day for both, and assuring Paul Tracy of third in the standings. Turn 3 and "The Corkscrew" (the Turn 8 downhill chicane complex which literally screws into itself) were the preferred places to pass behind Tracy. Robby Gordon spun twice, giving up a likely points finish. On Lap 82 Mario's career ended a few laps too early as he slowed with engine failure and ended 19th. Tracy took maximum points (22) ahead of Raul Boesel, who finished second for the fifth time in his IndyCar career. Jacques Villeneuve, Emerson Fittipaldi, Teo Fabi, Arie Luyendyk, and Adrian Fernandez were also in the lead lap. The final points went to Nigel Mansell, Andrea Montermini, Dominic Dobson, Willy T. Ribbs, and Stefan Johansson; all one lap down.
This race was also the last for Nigel Mansell. After the season he ran the final three races in Formula One that season for Williams as the only active World Champion, as Alain Prost retired after the 1993 season and Ayrton Senna was killed whilst leading at Imola in May. After having raced at Magny-Cours in June, Mansell spun off in Jerez, finished fourth in Suzuka, and after title contenders Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill collided, won the finale in Adelaide, Australia. In 1995 he defected to McLaren, soon leaving the team due to an uncompetitive car.
Also exiting the sport were the King Racing team owned by drag racing legend Kenny Bernstein. A year later he would also pull the plug on his NASCAR Winston Cup operation; both of which due to lack of competitiveness.