Sullivan’s Miraculous ‘Spin and Win’ Will Live Forever in Indianapolis 500 Lore
May 01, 2020 | By Zach Horrall, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
“Yellow,” the No. 5 Miller American crew radioed to its driver Danny Sullivan on the 120th lap of the 1985 Indianapolis 500.
“Yes, I know,” Sullivan replied. “It’s me.”
The incident that occurred 35 years ago came during a time when technology was nowhere near the capabilities of today. The Penske Racing crew had just missed its driver make one of the most miraculous saves in the history of the “500.”
However, the Penske team had a front row seat to what became one of the greatest comeback stories in the history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” – Sullivan’s iconic “Spin and Win.”
The 69th Indianapolis 500 was shaping up to be a “David vs. Goliath” battle of sorts. Sullivan was making just his third Indy 500 start, and the legendary Mario Andretti was making his 20th start.
Andretti was the dominant driver of the day, having led 76 of the first 100 laps. As the race passed the halfway point of the 200-lap event, the 35-year-old Sullivan got stronger, and he was hounding the 45-year-old Andretti for the lead.
Finally, on Lap 120, Sullivan caught Andretti and was ready to make his move. Looking to lead the race for the second time that day, he got a run off Turn 4 and raced alongside Andretti down the frontstretch.
Going into Turn 1, Sullivan entered the corner low with all four tires going below the racing line and onto the apron. As he made it through the apex of the corner, Sullivan cleared Andretti.
Then, his car bobbled.
He exited the corner onto the south short chute, his car got loose and did a 360-degree spin and then some. Miraculously, Sullivan hit nothing. He saved the car, gathered it and continued as the caution flag flew.
“Whatever it was, whether it was the white line that they paint a lot, or a camber change or whatever, when I came back up, it just tripped the car and got it moving just a little,” Sullivan recalled in an IMS Centennial Era Moment video. “It just started sliding. I tried to correct it, and it started to bite in the front. I turned it back and lost the car.
“I finally get the lead in the Indianapolis 500, I’m going to hit the wall, I’m thinking. I’m mad. What a dumb mistake. And the smoke cleared, and I was facing the Turn 2 Suites.”
Equally impressive was Andretti’s evasive action. As Sullivan spun in front of Andretti and his No. 3 Beatrice Foods Newman/Haas Racing entry, Andretti’s impressive reflexes kicked in. With a cloud of smoke obscuring his view of the spinning race car in front of him, he flicked the wheel to the left, avoided the spinning No. 5 car and emerged from the cloud of smoke as the race leader once again.
“Danny spins, and I see just a big cloud, and I just made that decision to just go to the left and it proved, obviously, to be the correct one,” Andretti recalled in the same video. “It was not skill that avoided that collision. Just a lot of luck.”
Immediately, the caution flag flew, and the leaders, including Andretti and Sullivan, drove to pit road. To everyone’s disbelief, Sullivan included, he managed to avoid flat-spotting the tires during the spin and remained in second position.
After the caution, the race resumed on Lap 122 with Andretti in the lead. Sullivan was not far behind, as the shocking spin didn’t deter him at all. For the next 20 laps, he was right behind Andretti, waiting for the right opportunity to strike and make a successful pass for the lead.
Sullivan’s next opportunity came on Lap 140. And again, it was in Turn 1. Just like 20 laps prior, Sullivan made a move to the inside of Andretti.
This time, the move stuck. And Sullivan was gone.
Sullivan led the final 61 laps, survived three more caution periods and held off 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Andretti by 2.477 seconds to earn his only victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”