1993 Penske PC-22

The Penske PC-18 raced during the 1989 CART Racing season and was fielded by Patrick Racing and Penske Racing. Eddie Cheever drove the PC-18 chassis for the newly formed Chip Ganassi Racing program during the 1990 season.

The Penske PC-18 was made famous by Rick Mears who qualified in pole position at the 1989 Indianapolis 500. Its place in history was cemented when Emerson Fittipaldi won the race itself, and would later win the 1989 CART championship driving the PC-18 chassis.

The Brazilian-born Emerson Fittipaldi enjoyed a very successful racing career in the Formula 1 competition. After just four F1 races, he took the checkered flag at the 1970 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. At the time he was just 24 years old which earned him the title of the youngest winner of a Formula 1 Grand Prix. He would hold that record for over two decades. During his F1 racing career, he would win two F1 World Championships. He left F1 after the 1980 season.

In 1984, Fittipaldi raced in the Long Beach Grand Prix Indy car race, and the Indianapolis 500. He qualified fifth in 1985 at Indianapolis and led four times for 11 laps, before finishing 13th. The following year, he finished seventh. In 1988, he came in second.

During the 1989 season, Fittipaldi won five races including the Indianapolis 500, earning him the CART IndyCar Championship. At Indy, he led 105 of the first 112 laps. Michael Andretti then challenged Fittipaldi for the lead. Andretti was leading on Lap 164 when his engine blew. Fittipaldi and Al Unser Jr. led traded places as the leader as they fought through lap traffic. On lap 198, while in Turn 3, Fittipaldi went low while Unser was blocked by slower traffic. When the PC18 driven by Fittipaldi couldn't hold the low line, it started to spin up the track. Fittipaldi and Unser's wheels touched, sending Unser's car spinning into the wall. Fittipaldi recovered but Unser's day had come to a close. The race ended under the waving yellow flag for Unser's accident, leaving Fittipaldi as the winner.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2018