1984 USAC Gold Crown Series (Johnsonverse)

The 1984 USAC Marlboro Gold Crown Series season was the 29th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by USAC. The season consisted of 23 races, beginning in Long Beach, California on March 31 and concluding in College Station, Texas on November 10. The Marlboro Gold Crown Series Drivers' Champion was Mario Andretti and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Rick Mears. Rookie of the Year was Emerson Fittipaldi.
This season saw a change in name from the Indy Car World Series; it was rebranded into the Gold Crown Series.
1984 was notable for seeing a massive increase in the number of Formula One teams running USAC entries. This resulted in the most-competitive season since 1979, with March, Lola, and Ferrari in a heated battle for the Constructors' Cup; March ultimately prevailed, but it proved that F1 teams could make the jump to USAC and field competitive cars.
Starting this year, all pre-1983 chassis were banned due to Johnson no longer rebuilding them to implement the safety cell and Stacker device introduced in 1983, and thus they were considered "death traps". This meant that the Watson 79 and Lightning 80 could no longer compete in Gold Crown racing.
== Drivers and constructors ==
=== Chassis constructors ===
Constructor 	Chassis 	First year
Roger Penske 	Penske PC-12 	1984
Roger Penske 	Penske PC-11/83	1983
March Engineering 	March 84C 	1984
Lola Cars 	Lola T800 	1984
VDS Racing 	VDS 	1984
Arciero Racing 	Arciero 	1984
VDS Racing 	VDS 	1984
All-American Racers 	Eagle 84C 	1984
Lotus Cars 	Lotus 95I 	1984
Équipe Ligier 	Ligier IS23 	1984
Rolla Vollstedt 	Vollstedt 84 	1984
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers	IAM 004 	1984
Patrick Racing 	Wildcat MK10 	1984
Groupe Renault 	Renault RI50 	1984
Williams Grand Prix Engineering 	Williams IW84 	1984
McLaren Racing Limited 	McLaren M31 	1984
Theodore Racing 	Theodore T84 	1984
Theodore Racing 	Theodore T83 	1983
Doug Shierson 	DSR-1 	1984
ATS 	ATS I7 	1984
Motor Racing Developments Ltd. 	Brabham IT53 	1984
RAM Racing 	RAM 02B 	1984
=== Engine manufacturers ===
Manufacturer 	Marquee 	Type
Cosworth 	Cosworth 	V6
General Motors 	Chevrolet 	V8
General Motors 	Oldsmobile 	V6
General Motors 	Pontiac 	V6
General Motors 	Buick 	V8
Offenhauser 	Offenhauser	V8
Ferrari S.p.A. 	Ferrari 	V6
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG	BMW 	V6
Groupe Renault 	Renault 	V6
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG	Porsche 	V6
Chrysler Corporation 	Dodge 	V8
Lotus Cars 	Lotus 	V6
=== Drivers and teams ===
The following teams and drivers competed for the 1984 USAC Gold Crown Series.
Team 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	# 	Drivers 	Sponsor
Team Penske 	Penske-CosworthMarch-Cosworth 	Penske PC-12
March 84C	Cosworth 	1 	Al Unser 	Miller High Life
Team Penske 	Penske-CosworthMarch-Cosworth 	Penske PC-12
March 84C	Cosworth 	6 	Rick Mears 	Pennzoil Z-7
Newman/Haas Racing 	Lola-Pontiac 	Lola T800 	Pontiac 	3 	Mario Andretti 	Budweiser
Mayer Racing 	March-Offenhauser 	March 84C 	Offenhauser 	4 	Tom Sneva 	Texaco
Mayer Racing 	March-Offenhauser 	March 84C 	Offenhauser 	41	Howdy Holmes 	Jiffy Mixes
Gilmore Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	14	A. J. Foyt 	Greer-Gilmore
Gilmore Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	92	George Snider 	Calumet Farms
Gilmore Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	97	Johnny Rutherford 	Foyt-Gilmore
Truesports 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	5 	Bobby Rahal 	7-Eleven/Red Roof Inns
Galles Racing 	March-Offenhauser 	March 84C 	Offenhauser 	7 	Al Unser Jr. 	Coors Light
Galles Racing 	March-Offenhauser 	March 84C 	Offenhauser 	77	Tom Gloy 	Simoniz Finish
VDS Racing 	VDS-Cosworth 	VDS 	Cosworth 	8 	John Paul Jr. 	Circle Bar Truck Corral
VDS Racing 	VDS-Cosworth 	VDS 	Cosworth 	38	Chet Fillip 	Circle Bar Truck Corral
Bignotti-Cotter Racing 	March-Offenhauser 	March 84C 	Offenhauser 	9 	Roberto Guerrero 	Master Mechanic
American Dream Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	10	Pancho Carter 	American Dream
American Dream Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	69	Phil Caliva 	Howard Johnson's
American Dream Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	70	Roger Mears 	Wolff Properties
Arciero Racing 	Penske-OffenhauserMarch-OffenhauserArciero-Offenhauser	Penske PC-11/83
March 83C
Arciero	Offenhauser 	11	Pete Halsmer 	Arciero Racing
Team Lotus 	Lotus-Renault 	Lotus 95I 	Renault 	12	Teo Fabi 	John Plover Special
Team Lotus 	Lotus-Renault 	Lotus 95I 	Renault 	13	Gary Bettenhausen 	John Plover Special
Alsup Racing 	March-Chevrolet 	March 83C 	Chevrolet 	15	Bill Tempero 	Alsup Racing
Alsup Racing 	March-Chevrolet 	March 83C 	Chevrolet 	27	Bill Alsup 	Alsup Racing
Provimi Veal Racing 	March-Dodge 	March 84C 	Dodge 	16	Tony Bettenhausen Jr. 	Provimi Veal
Provimi Veal Racing 	March-Dodge 	March 84C 	Dodge 	17	Chuck Gurney 	Provimi Veal
Kraco Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	18	Geoff Brabham 	Kraco Car Stereo
Kraco Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	99	Michael Andretti 	Electrolux/Kraco Stereo
Patrick Racing 	March-CosworthPatrick-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	20	Gordon Johncock 	STP
Patrick Racing 	March-CosworthPatrick-Cosworth 	March 84C
Wildcat Mk10	Cosworth 	40	Chip Ganassi 	Old Milwaukee
Alex Morales Motorsports	March-Offenhauser 	March 83C 	Offenhauser 	21	Al Holbert 	CRC Chemicals/Red Roof Inns
Alex Morales Motorsports	March-Offenhauser 	March 83C 	Offenhauser 	71	Rich Vogler 	???
Dick Simon Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	22	Dick Simon 	Break Free
Dick Simon Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	23	Bill Puterbaugh 	Bosch Spark Plugs
Leader Card Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	24	Stan Fox 	Pabst Racing
Interscope Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	25	Danny Ongais 	Interscope Racing
Renault 	Renault 	Renault RI50 	Renault 	26	Bill Vukovich II 	Renault
Renault 	Renault 	Renault RI50 	Renault 	27	Kevin Cogan 	Renault
Menard Racing 	Ligier-Cosworth 	Ligier IS23 	Cosworth 	28	Herm Johnson 	Menards/Cashway Lumber
McElreath Racing 	Ligier-Cosworth 	Ligier IS23 	Cosworth 	29	Jim McElreath 	???
Doug Shierson Racing 	Shierson-OffenhauserLola-Offenhauser 	DSR-1
Lola T800	Offenhauser 	30	Danny Sullivan 	Domino's Pizza
Doug Shierson Racing 	Shierson-OffenhauserLola-Offenhauser 	DSR-1
Lola T800	Offenhauser 	80	Willy T. Ribbs 	RCA
Hess Racing 	Eagle-PontiacMarch-Pontiac 	Eagle 84C
March 84C	Pontiac 	31	Dick Ferguson 	Hess Racing
Forsythe Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	33	Kramer Williamson 	Skoal Bandit
Wysard Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	34	Desiré Wilson 	Winston
Wysard Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	54	Price Cobb 	Wrangler
Brayton Racing 	March-BuickMarch-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Buick 	35	Patrick Bedard 	Escort Radar Detectors
Brayton Racing 	March-BuickMarch-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Buick
Cosworth 	37	Scott Brayton 	Buick Dealers
Pace Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	36	Chuck Ciprich 	Pace Electronics
Theodore Racing 	Theodore-Cosworth 	Theodore T84 	Cosworth 	44	Bruno Giacomelli 	American Airlines
Theodore Racing 	Theodore-Cosworth 	Theodore T84 	Cosworth 	49	Jorge Koechlin 	Payless Shoes
AMI Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 83C 	Cosworth 	44	Greg Leffler 	unsponsored
Dale Coyne Racing 	Eagle-Chevrolet 	Eagle 84C 	Chevrolet 	45	Dale Coyne 	Dale Coyne Racing
ATS 	ATS-BMW 	ATS I7 	BMW 	46	Graham McRae 	ATS
ATS 	ATS-BMW 	ATS I7 	BMW 	51	Mike Nish 	ATS
GTS Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	47	José Romero 	W.I.T. Productions
GTS Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	86	Al Loquasto 	unsponsored
Williams Indy 	Williams-Cosworth 	Williams IW84	Cosworth 	48	Drake Olson 	TAG
Williams Indy 	Williams-Cosworth 	Williams IW84	Cosworth 	49	Kenny Acheson 	TAG
Purcell Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	50	Dennis Firestone 	Hoosier Transportation
Vollstedt Racing 	Vollstedt-Oldsmobile 	Vollstedt 84 	Oldsmobile 	52	Keith Kauffman 	Folgers
Machinists Union Racing 	IAM-Cosworth 	IAM 004 	Cosworth 	55	Josele Garza 	Machinists Union
Gohr Racing 	Eagle-ChevroletMarch-Chevrolet 	Eagle 84C
March 84C	Chevrolet 	56	Steve Chassey 	Genesee Beer
Indy Auto Racing 	March-Offenhauser 	March 84C 	Offenhauser 	57	Spike Gehlhausen 	Little Kings
Ellme Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 83C 	Cosworth 	58	Phil Krueger 	Esteban's Mexican
McCray Racing 	Penske-Cosworth 	Penske PC-12 	Cosworth 	59	Johnny Parsons 	McCray Plastering
McLaren-Bud Moore 	McLaren-Porsche 	McLaren M31 	Porsche 	60	Tom Bigelow 	Marlboro
McLaren-Bud Moore 	McLaren-Porsche 	McLaren M31 	Porsche 	61	Mike Thackwell 	Marlboro
Renaissance Racing 	Wildcat-CosworthMarch-Cosworth 	Wildcat Mk10
March 84C	Cosworth 	62	Jerry Karl 	Line Renaissance
Brabham 	Brabham-BMW 	Brabham IT53 	BMW 	63	Corrado Fabi 	Parmalat
Brabham 	Brabham-BMW 	Brabham IT53 	BMW 	71	Peter Kuhn 	Parmalat
Jet Engineering 	March-CosworthMarch-ChevroletEagle-Chevrolet 	March 84C 	Cosworth
Chevrolet	64	Ed Pimm 	Copenhagen
Jet Engineering 	March-CosworthMarch-ChevroletEagle-Chevrolet 	Eagle 84C 	Chevrolet 	65	John Morton 	Centerline Wheels
Timberwood Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	66	Jerry Sneva 	unsponsored
Rhoades Racing 	Patrick-Offenhauser 	Wildcat Mk10 	Offenhauser 	70	Steve Hostetler 	Esteban's Restaurant
Primus Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	72	Chris Kneifel 	SPA*Erobics
Baer Concrete 	March-Cosworth 	March 84C 	Cosworth 	75	Tom Bigelow 	Baer Concrete
Canadian Tire Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 83C 	Cosworth 	76	Jacques Villeneuve Sr.	Canadian Tire
Ed Wachs Motor Sports 	Theodore-Cosworth 	Theodore T83 	Cosworth 	78	Jim Crawford 	United Breweries
Rattlesnake Racing 	Rattlesnake-Offenhauser 	Rattlesnake 	Offenhauser 	81	Larry Cannon 	Rattlesnake Racing
HR Racing 	March-Cosworth 	March 83C 	Cosworth 	82	Rickey Hood 	unsponsored
Scuderia Ferrari 	Ferrari 	Ferrari 126I2	Ferrari 	83	Tom Bagley 	Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari 	Ferrari 	Ferrari 126I2	Ferrari 	84	Emerson Fittipaldi 	Ferrari
Center Line Racing 	Eagle-Chevrolet 	Eagle 84C 	Chevrolet 	87	Steve Krisiloff 	unsponsored
Ligier-Curb 	Ligier-Cosworth 	Ligier IS23 	Cosworth 	98	Randy Lewis 	Camel
Curb-All American Racers	Eagle-PontiacEagle-Chevrolet 	Eagle 84C 	PontiacChevrolet	88	Mike Chandler 	Curb Records
RAM Racing 	RAM-Offenhauser 	RAM 02B 	Offenhauser 	95	Jim Crawford 	Newsweek
RAM Racing 	RAM-Offenhauser 	RAM 02B 	Offenhauser 	99	Ludwig Heimrath Jr. 	Newsweek
=== Notable team and driver changes ===
* 1984 saw an expanded presence of Formula One teams in USAC. Ligier, Brabham, McLaren, ATS, RAM, Lotus, and Renault all established USAC Gold Crown programs, in addition to their F1 programs (in the next few years ATS and RAM would switch to running in USAC full-time). Ligier, partnered with newly-minted NASCAR team Curb Racing, utilized the venerable Cosworth engine, while the rest used the same engines as in Formula One (with the necessary modifications to ensure they wouldn't be overpowered compared to the Cosworth and Offenhauser engines, namely removing the turbochargers, which were banned in USAC in 1979), bringing BMW, Renault, Lotus, and Porsche engines to USAC. The proliferation of F1 teams in USAC raised concerns that costs would spiral and push out the smaller teams, but Johnson implemented strict spending limits and left engine development out of the teams' hands. The amount of new chassis being fielded led March and Eagle to greatly cut prices on their chassis just to remain competitive, keeping costs under control.
* Aside from the incoming F1 engines, Buick quietly returned to USAC.
== Rule changes ==
Starting in 1984, all drivers ran full-time schedules. This meant 86 drivers were now trying to enter each race. Know that qualifying sessions were going to become highly-contested, and that it could lead to teams leaving the sport entirely, USAC changed qualifying procedures for all races except the Indianapolis 500:
* Qualifying begins with single-car runs. These do not set the field for the race itself, but rather, set the field for a series of heat races adopted from the Bronze Crown Series; qualifying heats had previously been used for the Trentonian 200 from 1973 to 1974, and the California 500 from 1973 to 1975. The first and second-fastest cars are locked into the pole and outside pole, and are not be required to participate in the heats (though they almost always do in order to get more seat time; where the front-row starts finish in the heats does not affect their starting position in the main race).
* At most races, the field was capped at 28 cars (teams with multiple cars are allowed to use a single pit stall for all of their cars, which led to interesting pit strategies being implemented), with 33 cars at Indianapolis, Ontario, Michigan, Pocono, and Texas World, and 42 at Daytona, Talladega, and Fuji. The amount of heats is based on the race:
** At most races, there are two heats with 28 cars each. The top-12 finishers in Heat 1 form the inside row, while the top-12 finishers of Heat 2 form the inside row (the amount of cars in each heat, and the amount of transfer positions, has varied from year-to-year based on how many cars are competing; the numbers shown here are based on 1984 car numbers).
** The bottom-14 finishers of the two heats go on to the Last-Chance Race, where the top-four finishers make it into the main race, and fifth place receives a cash prize that is half of the main race's purse.
** For Ontario, Michigan, Pocono, and Texas World, there are three heat races of 21 cars each. The top-10 finishers of each race advances to the main race, with the remaining cars being in the Last-Chance Race, where the top-3 advances to the main race, while fourth place receives a cash prize that is half the main race's winner's purse.
** For Daytona, Talladega, and Fuji, there are two heat races of 42 cars each (the same field size as the race itself). The top-20 finishers in both races advance to the main race, while the remaining 44 cars race in a Consolation Race where the winner's purse is 3/4ths of the main race's purse
* At the request of the Hulman family, who saw qualifying heats as a breach of tradition, the Indianapolis 500 is the only race where the field is still decided only by single-car time trials over two separate days, plus Bump Day.
It should be noted that, prior to adopting Bronze Crown-style heats, USAC had considered adopting the same pre-qualifying procedures as Formula One.
== Schedule ==
The 1984 schedule was expanded compared to the 1983 schedule, up from 18 races to 23. New additions to the schedule included the Streets of Long Beach (which from 1976 to 1983 was a Formula One race), Portland International Raceway, the newly-built Pikes Peak International Raceway (with the USAC race serving as the first event at the facility), Fuji Speedway (hosting its first USAC event since a non-points race in 1966), and Sanair Super Speedway. Riverside International Raceway was removed from the schedule.
No.	Race title 	Track 	Track Type 	Date
1 	Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach	Streets of Long Beach, Long Beach, California 	Street course 	April 1
2 	Datsun Twin 200 	Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California 	Superspeedway (unrestricted)	April 8
3 	Dana Jimmy Bryan 150 	Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Arizona 	One-mile oval 	April 15
4 	Indianapolis 500 	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana 	Superspeedway (unrestricted)	May 27
5 	Dana Rex Mays Classic 	Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wisconsin 	One-mile oval 	June 3
6 	Domino's Pizza 500 	Pocono International Raceway, Long Pond, Pennsylvania 	Superspeedway (unrestricted)	June 10
7 	Stroh's/G.I. Joe's 200 	Portland International Raceway, Portland, Oregon 	Road course 	June 17
8 	March Engineering 200 	Suzuka International Circuit, Suzuka, Kansai 	Road course 	June 24
9 	Dana Dixie 200 	Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton, Georgia 	Intermediate oval 	July 1
10 	Budweiser Cleveland Grand Prix 	Burke Lakefront Airport, Cleveland, Ohio 	Road course 	July 8
11 	Howard Johnson 200 	Pikes Peak International Raceway, Fountain, Colorado 	Intermediate oval 	July 15
12 	Michigan 500 	Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan 	Superspeedway (unrestricted)	July 22
13 	Provimi Veal 200 	Road America, Lake Elkhart, Wisconsin 	Road course 	August 5
14 	Molson 200 	Fuji Speedway, Fuji, Kanto 	Superspeedway (restricted) 	August 12
15 	California 500 	Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California 	Superspeedway (unrestricted)	August 19
16 	Alabama 500K 	Alabama International Motor Speedway, Lincoln, Alabama	Superspeedway (restricted) 	August 26
17 	Escort Radar Warning 200 	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio 	Road course 	September 2
18 	Molson Indy 300 	Sanair Super Speedway, Saint-Pie, Quebec, Canada 	Short oval 	September 9
19 	Florida Citrus Growers 500 	Daytona International Speeway, Daytona Beach, Florida 	Superspeedway (restricted) 	September 16
20 	Detroit News Grand Prix 	Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan 	Superspeedway (unrestricted)	September 24 *
21 	Stroh's 150/Bobby Ball Memorial	Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Arizona 	One-mile oval 	October 14
22 	Quinn's Cooler 300k 	Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California 	Road course 	October 21
23 	Texas Grand Prix 	Texas World Speedway, College Station, Texas 	Superspeedway (unrestricted)	November 11
== Results ==
No.	Race title 	Pole position 	Winner 	Team 	Chassis/Engine
1 	Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach	Mario Andretti 	Mario Andretti 	Newman/Haas Racing 	Lola/Pontiac
2 	Datsun Twin 200 	Al Unser 	Emerson Fittipaldi	Scuderia Ferrari 	Ferrari/Ferrari
3 	Dana Jimmy Bryan 150 	Tom Sneva 	Tom Sneva 	Mayer Racing 	March/Offenhauser
4 	Indianapolis 500 	Tom Sneva 	Rick Mears 	Team Penske 	Penske/Cosworth
5 	Dana Rex Mays Classic 	Rick Mears 	Tom Sneva 	Mayer Racing 	March/Offenhauser
6 	Domino's Pizza 500 	Rick Mears 	Danny Sullivan 	Doug Shierson Racing 	DGR/Offenhauser
7 	Stroh's/G.I. Joe's 200 	Mario Andretti 	Al Unser Jr. 	Galles Racing 	March/Cosworth
8 	March Engineering 200 	Roger Mears 	Keith Kauffman 	Vollstedt Racing 	Vollstedt/Oldsmobile
9 	Dana Dixie 200 	Mario Andretti 	Emerson Fittipaldi	Scuderia Ferrari 	Ferrari/Ferrari
10 	Budweiser Cleveland Grand Prix 	Mario Andretti 	Danny Sullivan 	Doug Shierson Racing 	DGR/Offenhauser
11 	Howard Johnson 200 	Johnny Parsons 	Mike Thackwell 	McLaren-Bud Moore 	McLaren/Porsche
12 	Michigan 500 	Mario Andretti 	Drake Olson 	Williams Indy 	Williams/Cosworth
13 	Provimi Veal 200 	Mario Andretti 	Mario Andretti 	Newman/Haas Racing 	Lola/Pontiac
14 	Molson 200 	Al Unser 	Teo Fabi 	Team Lotus 	Lotus/Renault
15 	California 500 	Tom Sneva 	Teo Fabi 	Team Lotus 	Lotus/Renault
16 	Alabama 500K 	Rick Mears 	Emerson Fittipaldi	Scuderia Ferrari 	Ferrari/Ferrari
17 	Escort Radar Warning 200 	Mario Andretti 	Mario Andretti 	Newman/Haas Racing 	Lola/Pontiac
18 	Molson Indy 300 	Bobby Rahal 	Danny Sullivan 	Doug Shierson Racing 	DGR/Offenhauser
19 	Florida Citrus Growers 500 	Kevin Cogan 	Gordon Johncock 	Patrick Racing 	March/Cosworth
20 	Detroit News Grand Prix 	Johnny Rutherford 	Mario Andretti 	Newman/Haas Racing 	Lola/Pontiac
21 	Stroh's 150/Bobby Ball Memorial	Jacques Villeneuve Sr.	Bobby Rahal 	Truesports 	March/Cosworth
22 	Quinn's Cooler 300k 	Mario Andretti 	Bobby Rahal 	Truesports 	March/Cosworth
23 	Texas Grand Prix 	Emerson Fittipaldi 	Roberto Guererro 	Bignotti-Cotter Racing	March/Offenhauser
Category:Johnsonverse