1986 IndyCar season
| 1986 CART season | |
|---|---|
| PPG Indy Car World Series | |
 Bobby Rahal |
|
| Season | |
| Races | 17 |
| Start date | April 6 |
| End date | November 11 |
| Awards | |
| Drivers' champion |
 Bobby Rahal
|
| Constructors' Cup |
 March
|
| Manufacturers' Cup |
Cosworth
|
| Nations' Cup |
United States
|
| Rookie of the Year |
Chip Robinson
|
| Indianapolis 500 winner |
Bobby Rahal
|
The 1986 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 8th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 17 races, and one non-points exhibition event. Bobby Rahal was the national champion, and the rookie of the year was Chip Robinson. The 1986 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Bobby Rahal won the Indy 500, and would later become the first driver since 1980 to win Indy and the CART championship in the same season.
The first two races of the season were won by Kevin Cogan (Phoenix) and Michael Andretti (Long Beach), respectively, the first career wins for both drivers on the CART circuit. Rain delayed the Indianapolis 500, postponing it for six days. Bobby Rahal, driving for Truesports, passed Kevin Cogan with two laps to go, and won for car owner Jim Trueman, who was stricken with cancer. Trueman died less than two weeks later.
The season would shape up as a two-man battle between Rahal and Michael Andretti. Andretti won at Milwaukee, which put him in the points lead for the first time. On Father's Day, Andretti was leading on the final lap at Portland. His car ran out of fuel on the final turn of the final lap, and his father Mario beat him to the finish line by 0.07 seconds. It would go down in lore as one of the most shocking finishes in Indy car history, as well as the closest finish in Indy car history on a road course (until 1997).
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