1994 Indy 500 Dick Simon

[Chris Paff]

I was cutting the lawn yesterday and was listening to Bump Day from 1994..

They detailed a dispute between Dick Simon and Mo Nunn.. Said Dick gave setup info to another team and that pissed Mo Nunn off..

Anyone remember this? Any idea who the other team was or the details behind this.. Was this the reason Boesel jumped to Rahal in 1995?

[Doctorindy]

Dick Simon had apparently arranged a deal to give Arizona Motorsports (Tero Palmroth) set-up information, which understandably angered Morris Nunn. Arizona was the team that Al Unser Sr. had been with to start the month...it was a very underfunded outfit, and very much off the pace. Al quit the team (and retired for good) after the first weekend of time trials. They filled the seat with Palmroth, who made one attempt - a wave off - and still wasn't up to speed. Car didn't qualify, so whatever setup info they got didn't help anyway.

After hearing about the deal, Nunn reportedly walked out and was thought to have quit the team. But they reconciled a couple days later, and were back together in time for race day. The race went sideways though. Boesel started on the front row, was blown off at the start, and dropped out with overheating. The whole team had a lackluster showing that day. A few weeks after the race, Nunn quit for good and went back to Ganassi.


As for Boesel...he had been with Dick Simon on and off for a number of seasons. Should have won the 1993 race, almost won the 1994 Michigan 500. A couple poles and a few second places. They just couldn't win. Had to be maddening. I think he was frustrated about the lack of a testing budget, and probably how Simon would spread his team so thin (he had 5 cars in the 1993 race and 6 cars in the 1994 race). They were always juggling sponsor deals, Dick was getting older and had some health problems. He probably grew weary and didn't see a future there.

Of course Boesel's brief tenure at Rahal was unspectacular as well. In the end, Simon sold his team to Andy Evans (Scandia) for 1996. I still wonder how things would have been different (for everybody) had Boesel not incurred those stupid pit penalties and managed to win the 1993 race.

[Automotive]

Awesome info doctor!

[HatsOffToEmNow]

I thought of making this a topic once, but I'll ask it here, has anyone else ever wondered if Mario baited Raul into that penalty in '93? If he didn't come out a little slow, or check up just a bit knowing Raul was coming with a head of steam and adrenaline, and was going to fly right by him? According to the broadcast Mario complained about the pass when it happened. He was 53 years old at that time and had a bag full of tricks.

[Doctorindy]

I thought of making this a topic once, but I'll ask it here, has anyone else ever wondered if Mario baited Raul into that penalty in '93? If he didn't come out a little slow, or check up just a bit knowing Raul was coming with a head of steam and adrenaline, and was going to fly right by him? According to the broadcast Mario complained about the pass when it happened. He was 53 years old at that time and had a bag full of tricks.

I believe to this day it was USAC not knowing how to enforce their own rules. I don't think Mario did anything intentional. USAC had just adopted the "pit closed at onset of yellow" rule. NASCAR had used it for a number of years already, and already had worked out the kinks in observing/policing and enforcing it. USAC evidently hadn't done any homework and I think were out lunch on that one.

Before the days of electronic scoring, NASCAR painted a blend line (at the exit of the pits, as we're accustomed to), and would position an official at the blend line to keep track of the order the cars as they exited the pits. They even started using a video camera which could be quickly checked to make sure the cars came out in the right order. After that, they would check the order behind the pace car, and if necessary, radio to the field to correct the running order before they went back to green.

Under that early yellow, as Boesel and Mario were both exiting the pits, Mario actually crossed the blend line first, but was going a bit slower (likely because Mario was pitting further to the south...he wasn't up to speed yet). Boesel slipped by him and they entered the warm-up lane...and they re-joined the field. USAC did nothing to inform Boesel or his crew (or anybody else for that matter) that Mario was supposed to be ahead of him as they lined up behind the pace car. They did not correct the running order behind the pace car, and they went back to green as if everything was normal. A few moments later, they charged Boesel with "passing under the yellow". He got a draconian stop-and-go penalty, and had to play catch-up the rest of the day. Miraculously he worked his way back up to 4th.

The officials I think are to blame for that one. It was on USAC to monitor the blend line and check the running order behind the pace car before they went back to green - and correct the order if necessary. That's considered standard practice now (and as mentioned, NASCAR had already figured that out back then). All they had to do was radio and say "No. 9 get behind No. 6" before they went back to green.


Back to the Mario angle for a second...Mario pulling out of the pits kind of slow was sort of characteristic of him back then. He said he was always careful to take it easy on the clutch - especially very early in the race - because those clutches were easy to damage.

[DaveL]

I was at Booble Day in '94. Duane Sweeny came from the flag stand to sit in the grandstands because he had nothing better to do and we had a nice long chat. He was as foul mouthed as they came, but he was a great guy and willing to talk to lil' ol' me, just a fan he was meeting for the first time.