To win the Indianapolis 500, a driver must weather months of preparation then two stressful weeks of hype leading into “The Greatest Spectacle In Racing.” When the race actually begins, every driver is tested on skill, talent, luck, strategy, endurance and perseverance. It’s one of the hardest races in the world to win, and those who have sipped the milk in victory lane treasure the Indy 500 more than any other event. To win the race once in itself is an amazing achievement, but to do it four times over 13 years, and with six pole positions to boot, takes a driver of premium quality, one that is truly deserving of being the subject of attention in today’s 500 countdown.

Born in Kansas, but moving to Bakersfield California by the age of four, Rick Mears grew up with motor racing firmly rooted in his veins. His father Bill had been a keen club competitor during the 1940s, using the funds gained from his family owned construction business to help fund his weekend racing activites. From an early age, Rick had begun to show signs of following his father into the world of auto racing, racing toy slot cars by the age of 11 and during his teen years turning his attention to off-road races in the California desert, firstly on a dirt bike before switching to an off-road quad built by his father. By the time he left high school Rick was one of the most feared competitors in the local dirt track scene, dominating events at the local Ascot Park course including winning 14 out of 15 races in a single season alongside elder brother Roger (who would later join Rick in competing at the Indianapolis 500 in 1982).

By the mid-seventies, Rick had shifted his attention to closed circuit racing, claiming victories in the Formula Vee and Super Vee SCCA championships on his way to being named as the USAC Rookie of the year for the 1976. Garnering high accolades from both his peers and the sport’s top brass, Rick soon began attracting attention from the top level of the sport, and in 1976 was offered his first Indycar opportunity driving an aging Eagle chassis for Bill Simpson at that season’s California 500, Mears finishing the race multiple laps down on the leaders in eighth place. For the following season, Rick agreed a deal to drive for car owner Art Sugai, but a lack of funding from the World War II veteran led to Mears languishing in the mid-pack during the early stages of the season, the situation coming to a head at that season’s Indy 500 when Rick failed to qualify his pink machine for the Memorial Day event. Choosing to leave the team following his Brickyard humbling, Rick found refuge driving for Theodore Racing, and immediately saw an upturn in form that saw him pick up four top ten finishes in six races, including a best ever finish of fifth at the Michigan 500. Although he only finished 20th in points, Rick’s promising performances in spite of his poor equipment saw him attract the attention of Roger Penske, who offered the 27-year-old a part-time drive for his team as a relief driver for Mario Andretti, who was continuing to split his time between Indycar racing and a full-time schedule in Formula One.

After an encouraging season which saw him pick up three wins in his 11 races with the team, Rick was offered a full time drive with Penske for the 1979, setting him on the path to a career that would see him become one of the all-time stars of the sport. In only his second Indianapolis 500, Rick was a foreboding presence, claiming his maiden 500 victory from pole position on his way to a first Indycar championship at the end of the season. Two more championships would follow in 1981 and 1982, where Rick continued to remain a threat when it came to the Brickyard; In 1981 he was in contention for the victory when a pit-stop fire left him with severe burns to his face and hands, while the following year saw him just miss out on the win to Gordon Johncock in what was at the time the closest finish in 500 history.

By the time of his second win at the Brickyard in 1984 Rick had cemented his place as a superstar of the sport, winning the race with an average speed of 163.612 mph and leaving his nearest rival, Roberto Guerrero, two laps behind in one of the most dominant 500 triumphs in years. With Rick beginning to enter his physical prime and Penske continuing to lead the way in technical innovation the stage looked set for the Bakesfield driver to establish his place at the head of the sport for the next decade. But with Mears at his peak, his career almost came to a crashing conclusion. During a practice run on Sept. 7, 1984, at the Sanair track outside Montreal, Mears clipped Bobby Rahal’s car and rammed into a guardrail, suffering two broken feet in the process. Initially, doctors’ reports went as far to suggest that Mears may have been forced to lose his right foot due to the damage sustained in the accident, but after three months of extensive rehabilitation and hospital visits Mears was able to return to the wheel of an Indycar in time for the 1985 Indy 500. Although his return to the track was greeted with much praise and respect from the paddock, the crash had a profound effect on Mears’ competitiveness on circuits that required heavy breaking, turning the Bakersfield driver into something of an oval specialist throughout the remainder of his career.

After three lackluster seasons by his own standards, fueled by his continued rehabilitation and a downturn in the fortunes of Penske, Rick returned to form with aplomb in 1988, claiming a record equalling fourth pole position before coming back from two laps down to take victory in the race itself, this coming after falling two laps behind early in the race due to an unscheduled pit-stop to relieve handling issues. It was in 1991 however that the Bakesfield native would achieve his finest triumph; following a rare accident in that year’s practice session, Mears bounced back to take a record breaking sixth pole position at the speedway, heading a Mount Rushmore front row of AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti at the drop of the green flag. After running with the lead pack for the majority of the race, an engine failure to Danny Sullivan saw Mears inherit the lead after leader Michael Andretti used the caution period to make a necessary pit-stop, and when the green flag resumed to restart the race Andretti used his fresher rubber to move around the outside of the Marlboro machine heading into turn one. Immediately after the pass Michael began to pull away, but Mears reeled him in turn 4. At the end of the main stretch, not to be upstaged, Mears pulled the same move, passing Michael on the outside of turn 1 to re-take the lead. And after Andretti’s handling started to fade Mears was able to ease into a comfortable position at the front of the field on his way to a record equaling fourth 500 triumph.

By 1992 however, a succession of heavy accidents combined with the lasting effects of his Sanair crash saw Rick announce his retirement from the sport at the comparatively young age of 41, moving into a senior position with Penske racing that he would hold on to for nearly two decades, during that time helping to nurture the careers of racing superstars including his Penske successor Paul Tracy. Despite his high levels of success Rick remained a humble and approachable figure throughout his racing career, and even though statistics can often be misleading when it comes to a sport like auto racing, there is an argument to make that he can be considered the greatest ever to grace the Brickyard.

In today’s video we showcase a feature on Rick Mears broadcast just before Rick’s final 500 in 1992. Sam Posey is our narrator: