View source for Rick Mears

{{short description|American racing driver (born 1951)}}
{{Infobox racing driver
| name              = Rick Mears
| image             = Rick Mears (51222961956) (cropped).jpg
| caption           = Mears in 2021
| birth_name        = Richard Ravon Mears
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1951|12|03}}
| birth_place       = [[Wichita, Kansas]], U.S.
| death_date        = 
| death_place       = 
| titles            = [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]] [[Championship Car]] ([[1979 CART season|1979]], [[1981 CART season|1981]], [[1982 CART season|1982]]) <br/> '''Major victories''' <br/> [[Pikes Peak Hill Climb]] (1976) <br/> [[Indianapolis 500]] ([[1979 Indianapolis 500|1979]], [[1984 Indianapolis 500|1984]], [[1988 Indianapolis 500|1988]], [[1991 Indianapolis 500|1991]]) <br/> [[Pocono 500 (IndyCar)|Pocono 500]] ([[1982 Pocono 500|1982]], [[1985 Pocono 500|1985]], [[1987 Pocono 500|1987]]) <br/> [[Michigan 500]] ([[1991 Michigan 500|1991]])
| awards            = 
| module1 = 
  {{Infobox Champ Car driver|embed=yes
  | Total_Champ_Races = 203
  | Years_In_Champ    = 17
  | Best_Champ_Pos    = 1st ([[1979 CART season|1979 (CART)]], [[1981 CART season|1981]], [[1982 CART season|1982]])
  | First_Champ_Race  = [[1976 USAC Championship Car season|1976]] [[California 500 (IndyCar)|California 500]] ([[Ontario Motor Speedway|Ontario]])
  | Last_Champ_Race   = [[1992 CART season|1992]] [[1992 Michigan 500|Michigan 500]] ([[Michigan International Speedway|Michigan]])
  | First_Champ_Win   = [[1978 USAC Championship Car season|1978]] [[Rex Mays Classic]] ([[Milwaukee Mile|Milwaukee]])
  | Last_Champ_Win    = [[1991 CART season|1991]] [[1991 Michigan 500|Michigan 500]] ([[Michigan International Speedway|Michigan]])
  | Champ_Wins        = 29
  | Champ_Podiums     = 75
  | Champ_Poles       = 40
}}}}

'''Richard Ravon Mears'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rick Mears |url=http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/MearsRick.htm |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=www.champcarstats.com}}</ref> (born December 3, 1951) is an American former race car driver. He is one of four men to win the [[Indianapolis 500]] four times (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991) and is the current record-holder for [[pole position]]s in the race with six (1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991). Mears is also a three-time Indycar series/World Series champion (1979, 1981 and 1982).

==Biography==

===Early life===
Mears was born  in [[Wichita, Kansas]] and raised in [[Bakersfield, California]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=mgriffith@bakersfield.com |first=MiKE GRIFFITH Californian staff writer |date=2011-09-14 |title=Bakersfield native Rick Mears has remained true to IndyCar racing |url=https://www.bakersfield.com/sports/bakersfield-native-rick-mears-has-remained-true-to-indycar-racing/article_0c675fc4-5c02-5aef-8fb7-6235c991cabd.html |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=The Bakersfield Californian |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Pridgen |first=Andrew |title=The Calif. racing star who crashed his car and disappeared |url=https://www.sfgate.com/centralcoast/article/Indy-legend-Rick-Mears-disappeared-17200598.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205131636/https://www.sfgate.com/centralcoast/article/Indy-legend-Rick-Mears-disappeared-17200598.php |archive-date=2024-12-05 |access-date=2025-02-23 |work=SFGATE |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> He began his racing career in [[off-road racing]]. In 1976, he was recommended by a representative of [[Bill Simpson (racing driver)|Bill Simpson]]'s helmet company, and Simpson gave him a ride at the [[USAC Champ Car]]'s [[1976 California 500|California 500]] on an old Eagle-Offenhauser, finishing 8th. Simpson then sold the car to Art Sugai, on condition that Mears would continue driving it. In mid 1977 he switched to [[Theodore Racing]].

His speed attracted the attention of [[Roger Penske]]. Although at the time [[Penske Racing]] had the services of [[Mario Andretti]] and [[Tom Sneva]], Andretti was also racing in [[Formula One]] with [[Team Lotus|Lotus]], and Penske wanted another young driver who would focus exclusively on American racing. For 1978, Mears was offered a part-time ride in nine of the 18 championship races, filling in when Andretti was overseas. The arrangement also included a ride at the [[1978 Indianapolis 500|Indianapolis 500]].

In his rookie appearance at Indy, Mears qualified on the front row and was the first rookie to qualify over 200&nbsp;mph. When the race began, Mears discovered his helmet was not strapped on tight enough and he had to pit to get it safely secured. He did not lead a lap and retired at 104 laps with a blown engine. He ended up sharing "Rookie of the Year" honors with [[Larry Rice (racing driver)|Larry Rice]]. Two weeks later, the [[Rex Mays Classic]] at [[Milwaukee Mile|Milwaukee]], he won his first race. He added another win a month later at [[Atlanta 500 Classic|Atlanta]] and rounded off the year with his first road course win at [[Brands Hatch]]. Because of his terrific showing as a rookie, Mears was elevated to full-time status for 1979 after teammate and series champion Tom Sneva and Penske parted company.

===1979===
[[File:Indy500winningcar1979.JPG|thumb|Mears' winning car from the 1979 Indianapolis 500]]
In 1979 the National Championship sanction changed from the [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]] to [[Champ Car|CART]]. At Indianapolis he won his first "500", staying at the front of the field, taking advantage when [[Bobby Unser]] fell out of contention with mechanical trouble. Three wins and four second places in the eleven CART-eligible races won Mears his first championship. His worst finish in the season was seventh in Trenton's second heat.

===1980===
In 1980 the [[ground effect (cars)|ground effect]] [[Chaparral Cars|Chaparral]] was technologically more advanced than the other chassis, and [[Johnny Rutherford]] drove it to his 3rd [[Indianapolis 500]] win, going on to dominate the season. Mears finished in fourth place in the points with one win, scored at Mexico City.

In 1980 Mears was offered a [[Formula One]] test with [[Brabham]] by then team boss [[Bernie Eccelstone]]. Mears took interest in the test largely because of the ongoing split between CART and USAC and wanted other options in case CART fell apart. Mears tested with Brabham twice, once at [[Paul Ricard Circuit|Paul Ricard]] and once at [[Riverside International Raceway|Riverside]]. After adjusting his driving style to the [[Brabham BT49]] Mears posted lap times within half a second of future three time Formula One champion and then Brabham driver [[Nelson Piquet]] at the first test. During the second test Mears posted lap times faster than Piquet's.  Piquet was so impressed with Mears' driving and enjoyed their time spent together so much that he endorsed bringing Mears on as a second driver. Eccelstone offered Mears a contract with Brabham that Mears ultimately declined. Mears would later say in his memoir that although he felt that Brabham was a strong team and that he had the skill to compete for wins in Formula One he was unsure about moving to Europe and was still interested in [[oval racing]] as the main reasons for declining Eccelstone's offer.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kirby |first1=Gordon |title=Rick Mears's 1980 F1 tests with Brabham |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/rick-mears-s-1980-f1-tests-brabham |website=Motorsport.com |date=21 December 2015 |publisher=Motorsport Network |access-date=19 July 2021}}</ref>

===1981–1982===
The 1981 and 1982 seasons saw two more championships for Mears. Despite facial burns during a pit fire in the [[1981 Indianapolis 500]], Mears' ten race victories in the two-year span were enough for another two Indycar championship titles. At the [[1982 Indianapolis 500]] he came within 0.16 of a second of adding a second Indy win. With less than 20 laps to go, during Mears' final pit stop, the crew filled the entire tank rather than giving him only the amount he needed to finish. The delay left him more than 11 seconds behind [[Gordon Johncock]]. Mears made up the difference when Johncock suffered handling problems, but failed to secure the win. The photo finish stood for 10 years as the closest finish to an Indy 500. The photo-finish also muffled out the controversial pace-lap crash with teammate [[Kevin Cogan]] who appeared to have spun out for no apparent reason; fellow drivers such as [[Gordon Johncock]], [[Johnny Rutherford]], and [[Bobby Unser]], charged Mears with causing the crash by bringing the field down at a slow pace.

===1983–1984===
[[File:Indy500winningcar1984.JPG|thumb|Mears' winning car from the 1984 Indianapolis 500]]
For 1983 the Penske team acquired the [[Pennzoil]] sponsorship with its yellow paint scheme. Teammate [[Al Unser]] took that year's title. The team switched to the March chassis for the [[1984 Indianapolis 500]] after the Penske chassis proved unsuccessful in the first two races of the year. Mears scored his second Indy win that May but suffered severe leg injuries later in the year in a crash at [[Sanair Super Speedway]]. The March chassis, like most contemporary open-wheel racing cars, sat the driver far forward in the nose, with little protection for the legs and feet.

===1985–1987===
[[File:RickMears1987Indy.jpg|thumb|Mears in a [[Penske PC-16]] chassis during practice for the 1987 Indianapolis 500]]
After the Sanair crash, Mears was slowed by the injuries to his right foot that affected him throughout the remainder of his career. Over the next three seasons, he won only two races. He completed a comeback from his injuries by winning the [[1985 Pocono 500]]. In 1986, he won the pole position for the Indianapolis 500, but finished 3rd. He also won the [[1987 Pocono 500]].

===1988–1990===
[[File:Indy500winningcar1988.JPG|thumb|Mears' winning car from the 1988 Indianapolis 500]]
In 1988, after several years using the March chassis, the Penske team utilized a new car, the PC-17, with a [[Chevrolet]] racing engine. Mears used the new car to win the Indianapolis 500. A year later, he took a record-setting fifth pole position at Indy, but retired from the race with mechanical problems. [[Emerson Fittipaldi]] took the 500 and also beat Mears to the Championship in the last race at [[Laguna Seca Raceway]], despite Mears winning that race. Also, that last race of 1989 set Mears apart from all other Indycar racers as he broke a tie with Bobby Rahal for race wins and became the most successful Indycar racer of the 1980s. In his winner's circle interview, when asked about breaking his road course dry spell when his specialty has been ovals through the years, he replied to [[Jack Arute]], "Well, I guess there is hope for us old circle track drivers after all."

Fittipaldi joined Mears at Penske for 1990, but the year belonged to [[Al Unser Jr.]], who scored six wins. 1990 was Mears' last in the [[Pennzoil]] paint scheme as [[Marlboro (cigarette)|Marlboro]] took over as sponsor of the team, and [[Jim Hall (racing driver)|Jim Hall]] re-entered [[Indycar]].

===1991–1992===
[[File:Indy500winningcar1991.JPG|thumb|Mears' winning car from the 1991 Indianapolis 500]]
In 1991 during a practice session Mears hit the wall at Indianapolis for the first time in his career. The next day, he climbed into his backup car and claimed his record 6th career pole position. Twenty laps from the end of the 500, it looked like Mears was set to be the runner-up behind [[Michael Andretti]]. However, when a subsequent yellow flag period erased Andretti's 15-second lead, Mears gained the lead as Andretti opted to pit for fuel. It was a short-lived lead, as Andretti passed Mears around the outside into the first turn. A lap later Mears regained the lead, using the same move Andretti had. Turning up his turbocharger, he then pulled away to win a fourth Indy 500, becoming the third driver to do so. In August 1991, in the [[1991 Michigan 500|Michigan 500]], he won his last race.

At the 1992 Indianapolis 500 Mears broke a wrist in a crash during practice and then crashed out of the race for the first time in his career as he could not avoid [[Jim Crawford (driver)|Jim Crawford]]'s spinning car in turn 1. He raced only four more times in 1992 and then announced his retirement from racing at the Penske team's Christmas party. No one except Penske himself and Rick's wife, Chris, knew of his plans to retire. He had just turned 41 years old.

[[File:RickMearsMonterey1991.jpg|thumb|Mears' [[Penske PC-20]] at [[Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca|Laguna Seca]] in 1991]]

As of 2023, Rick Mears continues to work as a consultant and spotter for Penske Racing, the team with which he won all of his Indycar races. He has acted as a mentor for Penske drivers [[Helio Castroneves]], [[Will Power]], and [[Scott McLaughlin (racing driver)|Scott McLaughlin]].

==Personal life==
Mears is the brother of [[Roger Mears]], father of off-road and open-wheel racer [[Clint Mears]], and the uncle of part-time [[NASCAR]] [[NASCAR Cup Series|Cup Series]] driver [[Casey Mears]]. His marriage to his first wife Dina ended in divorce in 1983. He married Chris Bowen in 1986 whom he divorced in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/classic/s/add_mears_rick.html|title = ESPN Classic - Mears used high pass to beat Andretti}}</ref>

==Awards==
*In 1997, he was inducted into the [[International Motorsports Hall of Fame]].
*Mears was inducted into the [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum#Auto Racing Hall of Fame|Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame]] in 1998.
*He was inducted in the [[Motorsports Hall of Fame of America]] in 1998.<ref name=MSHoF>[http://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/rick-mears.html Rick Mears] at the [[Motorsports Hall of Fame of America]]</ref>
*Inducted into Team Penske Hall of Fame on May 25, 2017

==Motorsports career results==

===American Open-Wheel racing===

====USAC====

([[Template:American Open Wheel driver results legend|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year
! Team
! Chassis
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! 17
! 18
! Rank
! Points
|-
|rowspan=2| [[1976 USAC Championship Car season|1976]]
! [[Bill Simpson (racing driver)|Bill Simpson]] 
!rowspan=2| [[All American Racers|Eagle]] 72
!rowspan=2| [[Offenhauser]] [[Straight-4|L4]][[Turbocharger|t]]
| [[Phoenix International Raceway|PHX]]
| [[Trenton Speedway|TRE]]
| [[1976 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]
| [[Milwaukee Mile|MIL]]
| [[1976 Pocono 500|POC]]
| [[Michigan International Speedway|MCH]]
| [[Texas World Speedway|TWS]]
| [[Trenton Speedway|TRE]] 
| [[Milwaukee Mile|MIL]]
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[1976 California 500|ONT]]<br>{{small|8}}
| [[Michigan International Speedway|MCH]]
| 
| 
|
|
|
|
|
|rowspan=2 style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''16th'''
|rowspan=2 style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''390'''
|-
! [[All American Racers|Art Sugai]]
|
|
|
|
|
| 
|
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Texas World Speedway|TWS]]<br>{{small|9}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Phoenix International Raceway|PHX]]<br>{{small|9}}
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2| [[1977 USAC Championship Car season|1977]]
! [[All American Racers|Art Sugai]]
! [[All American Racers|Eagle]] 72
!rowspan=2| [[Offenhauser]] [[Straight-4|L4]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Ontario Motor Speedway|ONT]]<br>{{small|24}}
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[Phoenix International Raceway|PHX]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Texas World Speedway|TWS]]<br>{{small|15}}
| [[Trenton Speedway|TRE]]
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[1977 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
| [[Milwaukee Mile|MIL]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|rowspan=2 style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''19th'''
|rowspan=2 style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''555'''
|-
! [[Theodore Racing]]
! [[McLaren]] M16C/D
|
|
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1977 Pocono 500|POC]]<br>{{small|30}}
| [[Mosport International Raceway|MOS]]
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Michigan International Speedway|MCH]]<br>{{small|6}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Texas World Speedway|TWS]]<br>{{small|7}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Milwaukee Mile|MIL]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1977 California 500|ONT]]<br>{{small|26}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Michigan International Speedway|MCH]]<br>{{small|8}}
| [[Phoenix International Raceway|PHX]]
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[1978 USAC Championship Car season|1978]]
! [[Team Penske]]
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-6
! [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Phoenix International Raceway|PHX]]<br>{{small|5}}
| [[Ontario Motor Speedway|ONT]]
| [[Texas World Speedway|TWS]]
| [[Trenton Speedway|TRE]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1978 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br>{{small|23}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Mosport International Raceway|MOS]]<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Milwaukee Mile|MIL]]<br>{{small|1}}
| [[1978 Pocono 500|POC]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Michigan International Speedway|MCH]]<br>{{small|22}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Atlanta Motor Speedway|ATL]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Texas World Speedway|TWS]]<br>{{small|9}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Milwaukee Mile|MIL]]<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1978 California 500|ONT]]<br>{{small|9}}
| [[Michigan International Speedway|MCH]]
| [[Trenton Speedway|TRE]]
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Brands Hatch|BRH]]<br>{{small|1}}
| [[Phoenix International Raceway|PHX]]
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| '''9th'''
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| '''2171'''
|-
| [[1979 USAC Championship Car season|1979]]
!
!
!
| [[Ontario Motor Speedway|ONT]]<br />
| [[Texas World Speedway|TWS]]<br />
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1979 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br /><small>1</small>
| [[Milwaukee Mile|MIL]]<br />
| [[1979 Pocono 500|POC]]<br />
| [[Texas World Speedway|TWS]]<br />
| [[Milwaukee Mile|MIL]]<br />
|colspan=11|
!-
!0
|-
| [[1980 USAC Championship Car season|1980]]
!
!
!
|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | [[Ontario Motor Speedway|ONT]]<br><small>21</small>
|style="background:#dfffdf;" | [[1980 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br><small>5</small>
|style="background:#dfffdf;" | [[Milwaukee Mile|MIL]]<br><small>5</small>
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" | [[1980 Pocono 500|POC]]<br><small>12</small>
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | [[Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course|MOH]]<br><small>9</small>
| colspan=13|
!style="background:#CFEAFF;" | 7th
!style="background:#CFEAFF;" | 766
|-
| [[1981–82 USAC Championship Car season|1981-82]]
!
!
!
|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | [[1981 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br /><small>30</small>
| [[1981 Pocono 500|POC]]<br />
| [[Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack|ILL]]<br />
| [[DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack|DUQ]]<br />
| [[Indiana State Fair|ISF]]<br />
|style="background:#DFDFDF;" | [[1982 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br /><small>2</small>
| colspan=12|
!style="background:#CFEAFF;" | 7th
!style="background:#CFEAFF;" | 800
|-
| [[1982-83 USAC Championship Car season|1982-83]]
!
!
!
| [[Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack|SPR]]
| [[DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack|DUQ]]
| [[Firestone Indy 200|NAZ]]
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1983 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br /><small>3</small>
| colspan=14|
!style="background:#FFDF9F;"| 3rd
!style="background:#FFDF9F;"| 700
|-
| [[1983-84 USAC Championship Car season|1983-84]]
!
!
!
| [[DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack|DUQ]]<br />
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1984 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br /><small>1</small>
| colspan=16|
!style="background:#FFFFBF;"| 1st
!style="background:#FFFFBF;"| 1,000
|}

====CART Series====

([[Template:American Open Wheel driver results legend|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year
! Team
! Chassis
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! 17
! Rank
! Points
! Ref
|-
|rowspan=2| [[1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series|1979]]
!rowspan=2| [[Team Penske]]
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-7
!rowspan=2| [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[1979 Arizona Republic Jimmy/Bryan 150|PHX]]<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1979 Gould Twin Dixie 125|ATL]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[1979 Gould Twin Dixie 125|ATL]]<br>{{small|2}}
|
|
|
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Firestone Indy 400|MCH]]<br>{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Firestone Indy 400|MCH]]<br>{{small|5}}
|
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Trenton 150|TRE]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''[[1979 California 500|ONT]]'''<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Firestone Indy 400|MCH]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Atlanta 500 Classic|ATL]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]<br>{{small|3}}
|
|
|
|rowspan=2 style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1st'''
|rowspan=2 style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''4060'''
!rowspan=2| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/mearsri01/1979/R|title=Rick Mears – 1979 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-6
|
|
|
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[1979 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Trenton 150|TRE]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Trenton 150|TRE]]<br>{{small|7}}
|
|
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen|WGL]]<br>{{small|2}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2| [[1980 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1980]]
!rowspan=2| [[Team Penske]]
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-7
!rowspan=2| [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Ontario Motor Speedway|ONT]]<br>{{small|21}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|rowspan=2 style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''4th'''
|rowspan=2 style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''2866'''
!rowspan=2| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/mearsri01/1980/R|title=Rick Mears – 1980 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-9
|
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1980 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1980 Pocono 500|POC]]<br>{{small|12}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Honda Indy 200|MOH]]<br>{{small|9}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Firestone Indy 400|MCH]]<br>{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen|WGL]]<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1980 California 500|ONT]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Firestone Indy 400|MCH]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Gran Premio Tecate|MEX]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]<br>{{small|7}}
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[1981 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1981]]
! [[Team Penske]]
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-9B
! [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]<br>{{small|4}}
| [[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Atlanta 500 Classic|ATL]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[Atlanta 500 Classic|ATL]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Firestone Indy 400|MCH]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Riverside International Raceway|RIV]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[1981 Michigan 500|MCH]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen|WGL]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Gran Premio Tecate|MEX]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]<br>{{small|8}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1st'''
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''304'''
!<ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/mearsri01/1981/R|title=Rick Mears – 1981 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[1982 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1982]]
! [[Team Penske]]
! [[Penske PC-10]]
! [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[Atlanta 500 Classic|ATL]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|CLE]]<br>{{small|4}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[1982 Michigan 500|MCH]]'''<br>{{small|15}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]'''<br>{{small|12}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[1982 Pocono 500|POC]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Riverside International Raceway|RIV]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''[[Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America|ROA]]'''<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[Firestone Indy 400|MCH]]'''<br>{{small|25}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''[[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]'''<br>{{small|2}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1st'''
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''294'''
!<ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/mearsri01/1982/R|title=Rick Mears – 1982 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=2| [[1983 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1983]]
!rowspan=2| [[Team Penske]]
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-11
!rowspan=2| [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| '''[[Atlanta 500 Classic|ATL]]'''<br>{{small|8}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1983 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|CLE]]<br>{{small|7}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1983 Michigan 500|MCH]]<br>{{small|4}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America|ROA]]<br>{{small|17}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|rowspan=2 style="background:#CFEAFF;"| '''6th'''
|rowspan=2 style="background:#CFEAFF;"| '''92'''
!rowspan=2|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/mearsri01/1983/R|title=Rick Mears – 1983 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-10B
|
|
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1983 Pocono 500|POC]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Riverside International Raceway|RIV]]<br>{{small|19}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Honda Indy 200|MOH]]<br>{{small|9}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Firestone Indy 400|MCH]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[Caesars Palace Grand Prix|CPL]]<br>{{small|13}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Laguna Seca Raceway|LAG]]<br>{{small|21}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]<br>{{small|17}}
|
|
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2| [[1984 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1984]]
!rowspan=2| [[Team Penske]]
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-12
!rowspan=2| [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|LBH]]<br>{{small|21}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]<br>{{small|18}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|rowspan=2 style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''5th'''
|rowspan=2 style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''110'''
!rowspan=2| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/mearsri01/1984/R|title=Rick Mears – 1984 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
! [[March Engineering|March]] 84C
|
|
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1984 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''[[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]'''<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Portland|POR]]<br>{{small|10}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Meadowlands Grand Prix|MEA]]<br>{{small|10}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|CLE]]<br>{{small|4}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1984 Michigan 500|MCH]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America|ROA]]<br>{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''[[1984 Pocono 500|POC]]'''<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Honda Indy 200|MOH]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#DFC484;"| [[Grand Prix of Montreal|SAN]]<br>{{small|Wth}}
| [[Firestone Indy 400|MCH]]
| [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]
| [[Laguna Seca Raceway|LAG]]
| [[Caesars Palace Grand Prix|CPL]]
|
|-
| [[1985 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1985]]
! [[Team Penske]]
! [[March Engineering|March]] 85C
! [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
| [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|LBH]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1985 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br>{{small|21}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]<br>{{small|3}}
| [[Grand Prix of Portland|POR]]
| [[Meadowlands Grand Prix|MEA]]
| [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|CLE]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[1985 Michigan 500|MCH]]'''<br>{{small|30}}
| [[Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America|ROA]]
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[1985 Pocono 500|POC]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
| [[Honda Indy 200|MOH]]
| [[Grand Prix of Montreal|SAN]]
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Firestone Indy 400|MCH]]<br>{{small|2}}
| [[Laguna Seca Raceway|LAG]]
| [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]
| [[Tamiami Park|MIA]]
|
|
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| '''10th'''
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| '''51'''
!<ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/mearsri01/1985/R|title=Rick Mears – 1985 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=3| [[1986 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1986]]
!rowspan=3| [[Team Penske]]
! [[March Engineering|March]] 86C
! [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]<br>{{small|19}}
|
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| '''[[1986 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]'''<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Portland|POR]]<br>{{small|16}}
|
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|CLE]]<br>{{small|4}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Honda Indy Toronto|TOR]]<br>{{small|8}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[1986 Michigan 500|MCH]]'''<br>{{small|12}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[1986 Pocono 500|POC]]<br>{{small|8}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|rowspan=3 style="background:#CFEAFF;"| '''8th'''
|rowspan=3 style="background:#CFEAFF;"| '''89'''
!rowspan=3| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/mearsri01/1986/R|title=Rick Mears – 1986 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-15
!rowspan=2| [[Chevrolet]] [[Ilmor#The 265 V8|265A]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|LBH]]<br>{{small|20}}
|
|
|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Meadowlands Grand Prix|MEA]]<br>{{small|19}}
|
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[Grand Prix of Montreal|SAN]]'''<br>{{small|18}}
|
|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Laguna Seca Raceway|LAG]]<br>{{small|17}}
|
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Tamiami Park|MIA]]<br>{{small|3}}
|-
! [[March Engineering|March]] 86C
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Honda Indy 200|MOH]]<br>{{small|17}}
|
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| '''[[Firestone Indy 400|MCH]]'''<br>{{small|8}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America|ROA]]<br>{{small|3}}
|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]<br>{{small|20}}
|
|-
|rowspan=2| [[1987 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1987]]
!rowspan=2| [[Team Penske]]
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] [[Penske PC-16|PC-16]]
!rowspan=2| [[Chevrolet]] [[Ilmor#The 265 V8|265A]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|LBH]]<br>{{small|9}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]<br>{{small|20}}
|
|
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Grand Prix of Portland|POR]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Meadowlands Grand Prix|MEA]]<br>{{small|18}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|CLE]]<br>{{small|7}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Honda Indy Toronto|TOR]]<br>{{small|10}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|rowspan=2 style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''5th'''
|rowspan=2 style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''102'''
!rowspan=2| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/mearsri01/1987/R|title=Rick Mears – 1987 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
! [[March Engineering|March]] 86C
|
|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1987 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br>{{small|23}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]<br>{{small|21}}
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1987 Michigan 500|MCH]]<br>{{small|21}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1987 Pocono 500|POC]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America|ROA]]<br>{{small|9}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Honda Indy 200|MOH]]<br>{{small|4}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Firestone Indy 225|NAZ]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Laguna Seca Raceway|LAG]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Tamiami Park|MIA]]<br>{{small|5}}
|
|
|-
| [[1988 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1988]]
! [[Team Penske]]
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] [[Penske PC-17|PC-17]]
! [[Chevrolet]] [[Ilmor#The 265 V8|265A]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]'''<br>{{small|22}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|LBH]]<br>{{small|8}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[1988 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Portland|POR]]<br>{{small|6}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|CLE]]<br>{{small|23}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Honda Indy Toronto|TOR]]<br>{{small|6}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Meadowlands Grand Prix|MEA]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[1988 Michigan 500|MCH]]'''<br>{{small|13}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[1988 Pocono 500|POC]]'''<br>{{small|23}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Honda Indy 200|MOH]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America|ROA]]<br>{{small|12}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Firestone Indy 225|NAZ]]<br>{{small|7}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Laguna Seca Raceway|LAG]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Tamiami Park|MIA]]<br>{{small|2}}
|
|
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''4th'''
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''129'''
!<ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/mearsri01/1988/R|title=Rick Mears – 1988 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[1989 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1989]]
! [[Team Penske]]
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] [[Penske PC-18|PC-18]]
! [[Chevrolet]] [[Ilmor#The 265 V8|265A]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|LBH]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[1989 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]'''<br>{{small|23}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Detroit Indy Grand Prix|DET]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Portland|POR]]<br>{{small|8}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|CLE]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Meadowlands Grand Prix|MEA]]<br>{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Honda Indy Toronto|TOR]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[1989 Michigan 500|MCH]]<br>{{small|7}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[1989 Pocono 500|POC]]<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Honda Indy 200|MOH]]<br>{{small|6}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America|ROA]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''[[Firestone Indy 225|NAZ]]'''<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[Laguna Seca Raceway|LAG]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|
| 
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''2nd'''
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''186'''
!<ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/mearsri01/1989/R|title=Rick Mears – 1989 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[1990 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1990]]
! [[Team Penske]]
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] [[Penske PC-19|PC-19]]
! [[Chevrolet]] [[Ilmor#The 265 V8|265A]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|LBH]]<br>{{small|6}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1990 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''[[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]'''<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Detroit Indy Grand Prix|DET]]<br>{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Grand Prix of Portland|POR]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[Grand Prix of Cleveland|CLE]]'''<br>{{small|8}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Meadowlands Grand Prix|MEA]]<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[Honda Indy Toronto|TOR]]<br>{{small|12}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1990 Michigan 500|MCH]]<br>{{small|14}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver|DEN]]<br>{{small|7}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Molson Indy Vancouver|VAN]]<br>{{small|4}} 
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Honda Indy 200|MOH]]<br>{{small|7}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America|ROA]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Firestone Indy 225|NAZ]]<br>{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Laguna Seca Raceway|LAG]]<br>{{small|4}}
|
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| '''3rd'''
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| '''168'''
!<ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/mearsri01/1990/R|title=Rick Mears – 1990 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[1991 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1991]]
! [[Team Penske]]
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] [[Penske PC-20|PC-20]]
! [[Chevrolet]] [[Ilmor#The 265 V8|265A]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1991 Gold Coast IndyCar Grand Prix|SRF]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|LBH]]<br>{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''[[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]'''<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[1991 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]'''<br>{{small|15}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Detroit Indy Grand Prix|DET]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Portland|POR]]<br>{{small|6}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|CLE]]<br>{{small|17}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| '''[[Meadowlands Grand Prix|MEA]]'''<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Honda Indy Toronto|TOR]]<br>{{small|20}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[1991 Michigan 500|MCH]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver|DEN]]<br>{{small|8}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Molson Indy Vancouver|VAN]]<br>{{small|6}} 
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Honda Indy 200|MOH]]<br>{{small|6}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America|ROA]]<br>{{small|15}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[Firestone Indy 225|NAZ]]'''<br>{{small|15}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Laguna Seca Raceway|LAG]]<br>{{small|5}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''4th'''
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''145'''
!<ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/mearsri01/1991/R|title=Rick Mears – 1991 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[1992 PPG Indy Car World Series|1992]]
! [[Team Penske]]
! [[Penske Racing|Penske]] [[Penske PC-20|PC-21]]
! [[Chevrolet]] [[Ilmor#The 265 V8|265B]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[1992 Dailkyo IndyCar Grand Prix|SRF]]<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| ''[[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]''<br>{{small|8}}
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|LBH]]<br>{{small|6}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1992 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br>{{small|26}}
| [[Detroit Indy Grand Prix|DET]]
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Grand Prix of Portland|POR]]<br>{{small|7}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]<br>{{small|16}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[New England Indy 200|NHA]]<br>{{small|4}}
| [[Honda Indy Toronto|TOR]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1992 Michigan 500|MCH]]<br>{{small|16}}
| [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|CLE]]
| [[Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America|ROA]]
| [[Molson Indy Vancouver|VAN]] 
| [[Honda Indy 200|MOH]]
| [[Firestone Indy 225|NAZ]]
| [[Laguna Seca Raceway|LAG]]
|
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''13th'''
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''47'''
!<ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/mearsri01/1992/R|title=Rick Mears – 1992 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref>
|}

====Indianapolis 500 results====

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Year
! Chassis
! Engine
! Start
! Finish
! Note
! Team
|-
| [[1977 Indianapolis 500|1977]]
| [[All American Racers|Eagle]] 72
| [[Offenhauser]] [[Straight-4|L4]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|colspan=2 align=center style="background:#FFCFCF;"| DNQ
| Did not qualify
| [[Art Sugai]]
|-
| [[1978 Indianapolis 500|1978]]
| [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-6
| [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center style="background:#ffdf9f;"| 3
|align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"| 23
| Engine Failure
| [[Team Penske]]
|-
| [[1979 Indianapolis 500|1979]]
| [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-6
| [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1'''
|align=center style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1'''
| Running
| [[Team Penske]]
|-
| [[1980 Indianapolis 500|1980]]
| [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-9
| [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center| 6
|align=center style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 5
| Running
| [[Team Penske]]
|-
| [[1981 Indianapolis 500|1981]]
| [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-9B
| [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center| 22
|align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"| 30
| Pit lane fire
| [[Team Penske]]
|-
| [[1982 Indianapolis 500|1982]]
| [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-10
| [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1'''
|align=center style="background:#DFDFDF;"|2
| Running
| [[Team Penske]]
|-
| [[1983 Indianapolis 500|1983]]
| [[Penske Racing|Penske]] PC-11
| [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center style="background:#ffdf9f;"| 3
|align=center style="background:#ffdf9f;"| 3
| Running
| [[Team Penske]]
|-
| [[1984 Indianapolis 500|1984]] 
| [[March Engineering|March]] 84C
| [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center style="background:#ffdf9f;"| 3
|align=center style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1'''
| Running
| [[Team Penske]]
|-
| [[1985 Indianapolis 500|1985]]
| [[March Engineering|March]] 85C
| [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center| 10
|align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"| 21
| Gear linkage
| [[Team Penske]]
|-
| [[1986 Indianapolis 500|1986]]
| [[March Engineering|March]] 86C
| [[Cosworth]] [[Cosworth DFV#DFX|DFX]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1'''
|align=center style="background:#ffdf9f;"| 3
| Running
| [[Team Penske]]
|-
| [[1987 Indianapolis 500|1987]]
| [[March Engineering|March]] 86C
| [[Chevrolet]] [[Ilmor#The 265 V8|265A]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center style="background:#ffdf9f;"| 3
|align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"| 23
| Ignition
| [[Team Penske]]
|-
| [[1988 Indianapolis 500|1988]]
| [[Penske Racing|Penske]] [[Penske PC-17|PC-17]]
| [[Chevrolet]] [[Ilmor#The 265 V8|265A]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1'''
|align=center style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1'''
| Running
| [[Team Penske]]
|-
| [[1989 Indianapolis 500|1989]]
| [[Penske Racing|Penske]] [[Penske PC-18|PC-18]]
| [[Chevrolet]] [[Ilmor#The 265 V8|265A]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1'''
|align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"| 23
| Engine failure
| [[Team Penske]]
|-
| [[1990 Indianapolis 500|1990]]
| [[Penske Racing|Penske]] [[Penske PC-19|PC-19]]
| [[Chevrolet]] [[Ilmor#The 265 V8|265A]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center style="background:#DFDFDF;"|2
|align=center style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 5
| Running
| [[Team Penske]]
|-
| [[1991 Indianapolis 500|1991]]
| [[Penske Racing|Penske]] [[Penske PC-20|PC-20]]
| [[Chevrolet]] [[Ilmor#The 265 V8|265A]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1'''
|align=center style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1'''
| Running
| [[Team Penske]]
|-
| [[1992 Indianapolis 500|1992]]
| [[Penske Racing|Penske]] [[Penske PC-21|PC-21]]
| [[Chevrolet]] [[Ilmor#The 265 V8|265B]] [[V8 engine|V8]][[Turbocharger|t]]
|align=center| 9
|align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"| 26
| Crash
| [[Team Penske]]
|}

====Indy 500 qualifying results====

{| class="wikitable" 
|-
|  align=center | Year
|  align=center | Att #
|  align=center | Date
|  align=center | Time
|  align=center | Qual<br>Day
|  align=center | Car #
|  align=center | Laps
|  align=center | Qual<br>Time
|  align=center | Qual<br>Speed
|  align=center | Rank
|  align=center | Start
|  align=center | Comment
|- 
|rowspan="2" align=center|1977
|   align=center | 85
|   align=center | 05-22
|   align=center | 16:02
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center | 90
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | &mdash;
|   align=center | &mdash;
|   align=center | &mdash;
|   align=center | &mdash;
|   align=left | Incomplete run; pulled off
|- 
|   align=center | 96
|   align=center | 05-22
|   align=center | 17:21
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center | 90
|   align=center | 2
|   align=center | &mdash;
|   align=center | &mdash;
|   align=center | &mdash;
|   align=center | &mdash;
|   align=left | Incomplete run; waved off
|- 
|   align=center | 1978
|   align=center | 10
|   align=center | 05-20
|   align=center | 12:13
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 71
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  2:59.93
|   align=center | 200.078
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center | 3
|   align=left | &nbsp;
|- 
|   align=center | 1979
|   align=center | 34
|   align=center | 05-13
|   align=center | 16:39
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 9
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  3:05.82
|   align=center | 193.736
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 1
|   align=left | &nbsp;
|- 
|   align=center | 1980
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 05-10
|   align=center | 11:05
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  3:12.01
|   align=center | 187.490
|   align=center | 7
|   align=center | 6
|   align=left | &nbsp;
|- 
|rowspan="2" align=center|1981
|   align=center | 34
|   align=center | 05-16
|   align=center | 13:41
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 6
|   align=center | 2
|   align=center | &mdash;
|   align=center | &mdash;
|   align=center | &mdash;
|   align=center | &mdash;
|   align=left | Incomplete run; pulled off
|- 
|   align=center | 53
|   align=center | 05-16
|   align=center | 15:52
|   align=center | 2
|   align=center | 68
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  3:05.55
|   align=center | 194.018
|   align=center | 10
|   align=center | 22
|   align=left | &nbsp;
|- 
|   align=center | 1982
|   align=center | 2
|   align=center | 05-15
|   align=center | 11:09
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  2:53.91
|   align=center | 207.004
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 1
|   align=left |1 and 4 lap track records
|- 
|   align=center | 1983
|   align=center | 7
|   align=center | 05-21
|   align=center | 11:39
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 2
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  2:56.211
|   align=center | 204.301
|   align=center | 3
|   align=center | 3
|   align=left | &nbsp;
|- 
|   align=center | 1984
|   align=center | 2
|   align=center | 05-12
|   align=center | 12:25
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 6
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  2:53.204
|   align=center | 207.847
|   align=center | 3
|   align=center | 3
|   align=left | &nbsp;
|- 
|   align=center | 1985
|   align=center | 29
|   align=center | 05-11
|   align=center | 17:10
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  2:51.595
|   align=center | 209.796
|   align=center | 10
|   align=center | 10
|   align=left | &nbsp;
|- 
|   align=center | 1986
|   align=center | 9
|   align=center | 05-10
|   align=center | 12:40
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  2:46.030
|   align=center | 216.828
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 1
|   align=left |1 and 4 lap track records
|- 
|   align=center | 1987
|   align=center | 3
|   align=center | 05-09
|   align=center | 11:19
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 8T
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  2:50.239
|   align=center | 211.467
|   align=center | 3
|   align=center | 3
|   align=left | &nbsp;
|- 
|   align=center | 1988
|   align=center | 23
|   align=center | 05-14
|   align=center | 13:58
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 5
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  2:44.235
|   align=center | 219.198
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 1
|   align=left |1 and 4 lap track records
|- 
|   align=center | 1989
|   align=center | 20
|   align=center | 05-14
|   align=center | 14:09
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  2:40.797
|   align=center | 223.885
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 1
|   align=left |1 and 4 lap track records
|- 
|   align=center | 1990
|   align=center | 6
|   align=center | 05-13
|   align=center | 16:57
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 2
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  2:40.560
|   align=center | 224.215
|   align=center | 2
|   align=center | 2
|   align=left | &nbsp;
|- 
|   align=center | 1991
|   align=center | 16
|   align=center | 05-11
|   align=center | 12:51
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 3T
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  2:40.633
|   align=center | 224.113
|   align=center | 2
|   align=center | 1
|   align=left | &nbsp;
|- 
|   align=center | 1992
|   align=center | 21
|   align=center | 05-09
|   align=center | 17:48
|   align=center | 1
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center | 4
|   align=center |  2:40.289
|   align=center | 224.594
|   align=center | 10
|   align=center | 9
|   align=left | &nbsp;
|}

===International Race of Champions===
([[Template:American Open Wheel driver results legend|key]]) (<span style="font-size:85%">'''Bold'''&nbsp;– Pole position. *&nbsp;– Most laps led.</span>)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"
!colspan=12| [[International Race of Champions]] results
|-
! Season
! Make
! Q1
! Q2
! Q3
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! Pos.
! Points
! Ref
|-
! [[IROC VI|1978–79]]
! rowspan=2| [[Chevrolet|Chevy]]
| [[Michigan International Speedway|MCH]]
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Michigan International Speedway|MCH]]<br>{{small|7}}
| [[Riverside International Raceway|RSD]]
| [[Riverside International Raceway|RSD]]
| [[Atlanta Motor Speedway|ATL]]
| colspan=2|
! NA
! -
! <ref>{{cite web|title=Rick Mears – 1979 IROC Results|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/mearsri01/1979/I/|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 4, 2023}}</ref>
|-
! [[IROC VII|1979–80]]
| [[Michigan International Speedway|MCH]]
| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[Michigan International Speedway|MCH]]<br>{{small|3}}
| [[Riverside International Raceway|RSD]]
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[Riverside International Raceway|RSD]]<br>{{small|4}}
| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[Atlanta Motor Speedway|ATL]]<br>{{small|2}}
| colspan=2|
! 3rd
! 31
! <ref>{{cite web|title=Rick Mears – 1980 IROC Results|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/mearsri01/1980/I/|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 4, 2023}}</ref>
|-
! [[IROC X|1986]]
! [[Chevrolet|Chevy]]
| colspan=3|
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[Daytona International Speedway|DAY]]<br>{{small|9}}
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course|MOH]]<br>{{small|12}}
| style="background:#CFEAFF;"| '''[[Talladega Superspeedway|TAL]]'''<br>{{small|8}}
| style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Watkins Glen International|GLN]]<br>{{small|9}}
! 12th
! 25
! <ref>{{cite web|title=Rick Mears – 1986 IROC Results|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/mearsri01/1986/I/|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 4, 2023}}</ref>
|-
! [[IROC XIII|1989]]
! [[Chevrolet|Chevy]]
| colspan=3|
| style="background:#CFEAFF;"| '''[[Daytona International Speedway|DAY]]'''<br>{{small|8}}
| style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Nazareth Speedway|NZH]]<br>{{small|10}}
| style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Michigan International Speedway|MCH]]<br>{{small|9}}
| style="background:#CFEAFF;"| [[Watkins Glen International|GLN]]<br>{{small|9}}
! 11th
! 24
! <ref>{{cite web|title=Rick Mears – 1989 IROC Results|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/driver-season-stats/mearsri01/1989/I/|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=August 4, 2023}}</ref>
|}

==Books==
*{{cite book| last = Tremayne
  | first = David
  | title = Racers Apart: Memories of motorsport heroes
  | publisher = Motor Racing Publications Ltd
  | year = 1991
  | location = UK
  | pages = 293
  | isbn = 0-947981-58-6 }}
*{{cite book| last = Kirby
  | first = Gordon
  | title = Rick Mears * Thanks: The Story of Rick Mears and the Mears Gang
  | publisher = Crash Media Group
  | year = 2008
  | location = US
  | pages = 264
  | isbn = 978-1-905334-30-8}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Racing-Reference driver|Rick_Mears}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110724044601/http://www.thegreatest33.com/default.aspx#selecteddrivers?s=rick_mears The Greatest 33]

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box | title = [[Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year|Indianapolis 500]]<br>[[Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year|Rookie of the Year]]| years = [[1978 Indianapolis 500|1978]]<br/>[[Larry Rice (racing driver)|With Larry Rice]] | before = [[Jerry Sneva]] | after = [[Howdy Holmes]]}}
{{succession box|before=[[Al Unser]]|title=[[List of Indianapolis 500 winners|Indianapolis 500]]<br>Winner |years=[[1979 Indianapolis 500|1979]]|after=[[Johnny Rutherford]]}}
{{succession box|before=[[Tom Sneva]]|title=[[List of Indianapolis 500 winners|Indianapolis 500]]<br>Winner |years=[[1984 Indianapolis 500|1984]]|after=[[Danny Sullivan]]}}
{{succession box|before=[[Al Unser]]|title=[[List of Indianapolis 500 winners|Indianapolis 500]]<br>Winner |years=[[1988 Indianapolis 500|1988]]|after=[[Emerson Fittipaldi]]}}
{{succession box|before=[[Arie Luyendyk]]|title=[[List of Indianapolis 500 winners|Indianapolis 500]]<br>Winner |years=[[1991 Indianapolis 500|1991]]|after=[[Al Unser Jr.]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[PPG Indycar World Series]] <br>Champion |before=None|after= [[Johnny Rutherford]]|years=[[1979 IndyCar season|1979]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[PPG Indycar World Series]]<br>Champion  |before=[[Johnny Rutherford]]|after= [[Al Unser]]|years=[[1981 IndyCar season|1981]]-[[1982 IndyCar season|1982]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{CART/CCWS Drivers' Champions}}
{{American open-wheel car racing champions}}
{{Indy 500 winners}}
{{Pikes Peak International Hill Climb winners}}
{{Team Penske}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mears, Rick}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:Champ Car champions]]
[[Category:Champ Car drivers]]
[[Category:Indianapolis 500 drivers]]
[[Category:Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year]]
[[Category:Indianapolis 500 polesitters]]
[[Category:Indianapolis 500 winners]]
[[Category:International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:International Race of Champions drivers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Racing drivers from Bakersfield, California]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Wichita, Kansas]]
[[Category:Racing drivers from Kansas]]
[[Category:Team Penske drivers]]
[[Category:USAC Gold Crown champions]]