Italy's Teo Fabi, driving for Forsythe Racing won his first pole since Denver in 1990 for the Porsche team. The start was aborted after an improper field alignment, but the start was clean on Lap 2. On Lap 7 Michael Andretti touched Robby Gordon's left rear tire with his right front wing; the contact was dramatic but harmless. Fabi led the first 27 laps until Al Unser Jr. (looking to put the DNQ at Indy behind him) overtook him in traffic. Behind him, Paul Tracy was making bold passes on the outside in the same traffic. Fabi was the first to make a pit stop at Lap 63, followed by Unser at Lap 65. Tracy came in ten laps later, followed by his teammate Andretti, who stalled exiting his pit and lost several seconds before continuing. Unser reclaimed the lead after the first round of stops. At Lap 124 the first real yellow of the day (the aborted start counting as the first) came when Chilean rookie Eliseo Salazar spun in Turn 4. Emerson Fittipaldi attempted to sneak into the pits for his final stop, but after he slowed to avoid Salazar he collected marbles on his tires which, adding to his oversteer condition, caused him to spin into the pitlane and he nudged the inside wall with the right rear. He was done for the day. Under the yellow the leaders made their second and final pit stops, and Tracy beat Unser out of the pits. Al Jr. retook the lead from Tracy on Lap 144, and as they sliced through lapped traffic Tracy took the lead with 22 laps to go. A few laps later, Tracy tried to pass a group of cars (trailed by Alessandro Zampedri) on the outside, and he lost traction momentarily but continued without further incident. Fuel concerns were eminent in both the Penske and Newman-Haas pits, but Tracy took the checkered flag ahead of a fast-closing Unser by less than one second.