1994 USAC Gold Crown Series (Johnsonverse)

The 1994 USAC Marlboro Gold Crown Series season was the 39th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by USAC. The season consisted of 31 races. Al Unser Jr. was the national champion, his second USAC title, and the rookie of the year was Bryan Herta. Unser won the Indianapolis 500 from the pole position, his second career victory in that event.
Marlboro Team Penske dominated the 1994 USAC season, winning 14 of 31 events including the Indianapolis 500. The three-car team of Al Unser Jr. (8 wins), Emerson Fittipaldi (1 win), and Paul Tracy (3 wins) swept the top three spots in the final season points standings, and had five 1-2-3 finishes over the course of the season. The Penske Team also made headlines during the month of May, when they unveiled the new Ilmor Mercedes-Benz 500I engine. The secretly-built, 209 in3 (3.42 L) displacement purpose-built pushrod engine, which was capable of nearly 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) was constructed specifically for the Indy 500, and was promptly banned by USAC before it ever hit the track, as not only was it too powerful and risked sparking a "Horsepower War" (like the one that broke out in the NASCAR RCA Cup Series in 2008), it represented a massive safety risk to both drivers and spectators that USAC did not want to take following the death of Ayrton Senna at the beginning of May.
1994 saw the entrance of Reynard, Ford, and Riley & Scott as chassis constructors. The Ford F-194 proved to be a major challenge to Mopar's dominance on the restrictor-plate tracks. Despite this, the 1994 Constructors' Cup, in sharp contrast to the past few years, effectively ended in a no-contest, as the Penske PC-23 dominated the season; USAC had to introduce new rules in 1994 specifically targeted at Penske; although Roger Penske complained that his team was being targeted, many pointed out that it was no different than Formula One changing their own technical regulations when one team gets too big of an advantage (such as when it created new regulations in 2005 to curb Ferrari's dominance the past few years).
== Drivers and constructors ==
Team 	Chassis 	Engine(s) 	No.	Drivers 	Primary Sponsor
Newman/Haas Racing 	Lola T94/00 	Pontiac 	1 	Nigel Mansell 	Texaco-Havoline
Newman/Haas Racing 	Lola T94/00 	Pontiac 	6 	Mario Andretti 	Texaco-Havoline
Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske PC-23 	Chevrolet 	2 	Emerson Fittipaldi 	Marlboro
Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske PC-23 	Chevrolet 	3 	Paul Tracy 	Marlboro
Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske PC-23 	Chevrolet 	31 	Al Unser Jr. 	Marlboro
Rahal-Hogan Racing 	Rahal-Hogan RH-002 	Offenhauser	4 	Bobby Rahal 	Miller Genuine Draft
Rahal-Hogan Racing 	Rahal-Hogan RH-002 	Offenhauser	10 	Mike Groff 	Motorola
Dick Simon Racing 	Lola T94/00
Lola T93/00	Cosworth 	5 	Raul Boesel 	Duracell
Dick Simon Racing 	Lola T94/00
Lola T93/00	Cosworth 	22 	Hiro Matsushita 	Panasonic
Dick Simon Racing 	Lola T94/00
Lola T93/00	Cosworth 	79 	Dennis Vitolo 	Charter America
Dick Simon Racing 	Lola T94/00
Lola T93/00	Cosworth 	90 	Lyn St. James 	J.C. Penney
Dick Simon Racing 	Lola T94/00
Lola T93/00	Cosworth 	99 	Hideshi Matsuda 	Dick Simon Racing
Galles Racing 	Galmer 94 	Chevrolet 	7 	Adrián Fernández 	Tecate
Target Chip Ganassi Racing	Mopar M94 	Dodge 	8 	Michael Andretti 	Scotch
Target Chip Ganassi Racing	Mopar M94 	Dodge 	88 	Maurício Gugelmin 	Hollywood Cigarettes
Walker Racing 	March 94C 	Cosworth 	9 	Robby Gordon 	Valvoline
Walker Racing 	March 94C 	Cosworth 	15 	Mark Smith 	Craftsman Tools
Walker Racing 	March 94C 	Cosworth 	24 	Willy T. Ribbs 	Service Merchandise
Jim Hall/VDS Racing 	Toyota GR94 	Toyota 	11 	Teo Fabi 	Pennzoil
Forsythe/Green Racing 	Reynard 94I 	Cosworth 	12 	Jacques Villeneuve 	Player's
A. J. Foyt Enterprises 	Watson 94 	Offenhauser	14 	Eddie Cheever 	Copenhagen
A. J. Foyt Enterprises 	Watson 94 	Offenhauser	33 	John Andretti 	Bryant
Bettenhausen Motorsports 	Penske PC-22 	Chevrolet 	16 	Stefan Johansson 	Alumax
Bettenhausen Motorsports 	Penske PC-22 	Chevrolet 	61 	Gary Bettenhausen 	Alumax
Bettenhausen Motorsports 	Penske PC-22 	Chevrolet 	76 	Robbie Groff 	Condor
PacWest Racing 	Ford F-194 	Cosworth 	17 	Dominic Dobson 	PacWest
PacWest Racing 	Ford F-194 	Cosworth 	71 	Scott Sharp 	PacWest
Hayhoe Racing 	March 94C 	Offenhauser	18 	Jimmy Vasser 	Conseco
Payton/Coyne Racing 	Coyne DC-9 	Offenhauser	19 	Johnny Unser 	Mi-Jack
Payton/Coyne Racing 	Coyne DC-9 	Offenhauser	39 	Greg Moore 	AGFA
Pagan Racing 	Lola T92/00 	Buick 	21 	Roberto Guerrero 	Interstate Batteries
Leader Card Racing 	Lola T93/00 	Chevrolet 	23 	Buddy Lazier 	Financial World
Arciero Racing 	Tatuus US94 	Cosworth 	25 	Marco Greco 	Project Indy
Team Menard 	Dallara IR-94 	Menard 	27 	Eddie Cheever 	Quaker State
Team Menard 	Dallara IR-94 	Menard 	59 	Scott Brayton 	Glidden
Indy Regency Racing 	Lola T94/00 	Chevrolet 	28 	Arie Luyendyk 	Eurosport
Indy Regency Racing 	Lola T94/00 	Chevrolet 	29 	Franck Fréon 	Eurosport
McCormack Motorsports 	Lola T94/00 	Chevrolet 	30 	Claude Bourbonnais 	Player's
King Racing 	Ford F-194 	Cosworth 	40 	Scott Goodyear 	Budweiser
King Racing 	Ford F-194 	Cosworth 	60 	Andrea Montermini 	Budweiser
Greenfield Racing 	Lola T93/01 	Greenfield 	42 	Johnny Parsons 	Greenfield Racing
Arizona Motorsport 	Reynard 94I 	Cosworth 	44 	Tero Palmroth 	Arizona Motorsport
ProFormance Motorsports 	Reynard 94I 	Chevrolet 	46 	John Paul Jr. 	Cybergenics
Comptech Racing 	Reynard 94I 	Honda 	48 	Parker Johnstone 	Acura
Euromotorsport 	Ferrari I94 	Cosworth 	50 	Alessandro Zampedri 	Agip
Euromotorsport 	Ferrari I94 	Cosworth 	55 	Jeff Andretti 	Agip
Project Indy 	Lola T93/00 	Offenhauser	67 	Jeff Wood 	Marcelo Group
No-Touch
Riley & Scott 	Riley & Scott Mk II	Buick 	74 	Jim Crawford 	Riley & Scott
Hemelgarn Racing 	Dallara IR-94 	Cosworth 	91 	Stan Fox 	Delta Faucet
Hemelgarn Racing 	Dallara IR-94 	Buick 	94 	Jeff Andretti 	Hemelgarn Racing
Della Penna Motorsports 	March 94C 	Cosworth 	72 	Vinicio Salmi 	Skoal Bandit
Vollstedt Racing 	Vollstedt 94 	Oldsmobile 	52 	Keith Kauffman 	Mobil 1
Stacker & Associates 	Stacker 94B 	Buffalo 	56 	Guido Daccò 	McDonald's
Stacker & Associates 	Stacker 94B 	Buffalo 	57 	Bryan Herta 	McDonald's
Stacker & Associates 	Stacker 94B 	Buffalo 	58 	Brian Till 	McDonald's
Ferrari Racing 	Ferrari I95 	Ferrari 	53 	Christian Danner 	Shell
Ferrari Racing 	Ferrari I95 	Ferrari 	83 	Fredrik Ekblom 	Shell
Williams Indy Engineering 	Williams IW94 	Renault 	49 	Didier Theys 	Canon
Williams Indy Engineering 	Williams IW94 	Renault 	51 	Stéphan Grégoire 	Canon
McLaren-Moore 	McLaren M41 	Peugeot 	62 	Giovanni Lavaggi 	Sega
McLaren-Moore 	McLaren M41 	Peugeot 	64 	Ian Ashley 	Sega
Équipe Ligier 	Ligier JS40 	Renault 	89 	Andrea Montermini 	Gitanes
Équipe Ligier 	Ligier JS40 	Renault 	96 	Gary Brabham 	Gitanes
Team Tyrrell 	Tyrrell 23I 	Honda 	43 	David Kudrave 	Nokia
Team Tyrrell 	Tyrrell 23I 	Honda 	45 	Ted Prappas 	Nokia
Minardi Indy 	Minardi I194 	Cosworth 	65 	Domenico Schiattarella	Lucchini
Minardi Indy 	Minardi I194 	Cosworth 	66 	Geoff Brabham 	Lucchini
GM Performance Racing 	GM 94C 	Chevrolet 	3 	Kevin Cogan 	GM Goodwrench
GM Performance Racing 	GM 94C 	Chevrolet 	13 	Davy Jones 	GM Goodwrench
Dallara Racing 	Dallara IR-94 	Chevrolet 	78 	Pedro Chaves 	Izod
Dallara Racing 	Dallara IR-94 	Chevrolet 	82 	Nick Firestone 	Izod
Tatuus Racing 	Tatuus US94 	Chevrolet 	73 	Mauro Baldi 	Old Navy
Tatuus Racing 	Tatuus US94 	Chevrolet 	77 	Ross Bentley 	Old Navy
Mopar Racing 	Mopar M94 	Dodge 	75 	Jack Hewitt 	Dodge Dealers
Mopar Racing 	Mopar M94 	Dodge 	80 	Steve Butler 	Dodge Dealers
Toyota Gazoo Racing 	Toyota GR94 	Toyota 	54 	Davy Jones 	FedEx
Toyota Gazoo Racing 	Toyota GR94 	Toyota 	63 	Bruce Field 	FedEx
Ford-Roush Racing 	Ford F-194 	Cosworth 	20 	Robbie Buhl 	Valvoline
Ford-Roush Racing 	Ford F-194 	Cosworth 	26 	Giovanni Lavaggi 	Valvoline
== Schedule ==
No.	Race title 	Track 	Track Type 	Date
1 	Gilroy Garlic 500 	San Jose Motorplex, Gilroy, California 	Superspeedway (restricted) 	February 27
2 	Kansas Indy Grand Prix 	Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kansas 	Road course 	March 6
3 	Pennzoil 200 	Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia 	Short oval 	March 13
4 	Australian FAI IndyCar Grand Prix 	Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia	Street course 	March 20
5 	Mopar 200 	Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California 	Superspeedway (unrestricted)	April 3
6 	Slick 50 200 	Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Texas 	Mile-long oval 	April 10
7 	Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach 	Streets of Long Beach, California 	Street course 	April 17
8 	March Engineering 200 	Suzuka International Raceway, Suzuka, Kansai 	Road course 	April 24
9 	Indianapolis 500 	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana 	Superspeedway (unrestricted)	May 27
10 	Miller Genuine Draft 200 	Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wisconsin 	Mile-long oval 	June 5
11 	ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix 	The Raceway on Belle Isle Park, Detroit, Michigan 	Street course 	June 12
12 	Dallara 200 	Monza Circuit, Monza, Lombardy, Italy 	Superspeedway (restricted) 	June 19
13 	Texaco/Havoline Presents the Budweiser/G. I. Joe's 200 	Portland International Raceway, Portland, Oregon 	Road course 	June 26
14 	Coca-Cola 300 	Denver International Speedway, Denver, Colorado 	Superspeedway (restricted) 	July 3
15 	Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by Dairy Mart 	Burke Lakefront Airport, Cleveland, Ohio 	Road course 	July 10
16 	Molson Indy Toronto 	Exhibition Place, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 	Street course 	July 17
17 	Quaker State 500 	Pocono International Raceway, Long Pond, Pennsylvania 	Superspeedway (unrestricted)	July 24
18 	Marlboro 500 	Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan 	Superspeedway (unrestricted)	July 31
19 	Howard Johnson's 225 	Pikes Peak International Raceway, Fountain, Colorado 	Intermediate oval 	August 7
20 	Miller Genuine Draft 200 	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio 	Road course 	August 14
21 	Slick 50 200 	New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon, New Hampshire 	One-mile oval 	August 21
22 	Molson Indy Vancouver 	Streets of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 	Street course 	August 28
23 	California 500 	Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California 	Superspeedway (unrestricted)	September 4
24 	The Chicago Tribune Presents the Texaco/Havoline 200 	Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin 	Road course 	September 11
25 	Bosch Spark Plugs Grand Prix 	Nazareth Speedway, Nazareth, Pennsylvania 	One-mile oval 	September 18
26 	Molson 300 	Fuji Speedway, Fuji, Kanto 	Superspeedway (restricted) 	September 25
27 	Alabama 500K 	Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln, Alabama 	Superspeedway (restricted) 	October 2
28 	Toyota Grand Prix of Monterey Featuring the Bank of America 300	Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California 	Road course 	October 9
29 	Lola Cars 200 	Mallory Park, Leicestershire, United Kingdom 	One-mile oval 	October 16
30 	Reynard Motorsport 200 	Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom 	Road course 	October 23
31 	Florida Citrus Growers 500 	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida 	Superspeedway (restricted) 	November 13
== Results ==
No.	Race title 	Pole position 	Winner 	Team 	Chassis/Engine
1 	Gilroy Garlic 500 	Nigel Mansell 	Scott Goodyear 	King Racing 	Ford/Cosworth
2 	Kansas Indy Grand Prix 	Paul Tracy 	Emerson Fittipaldi	Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske/Chevrolet
3 	Pennzoil 200 	Robby Gordon 	Scott Brayton 	Team Menard 	Dallara/Menard
4 	Australian FAI IndyCar Grand Prix 	Nigel Mansell 	Michael Andretti 	Target Chip Ganassi Racing	Mopar/Dodge
5 	Mopar 200 	Scott Brayton 	Bryan Herta 	Stacker & Associates 	Stacker/Buffalo
6 	Slick 50 200 	Paul Tracy 	Emerson Fittipaldi	Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske/Chevrolet
7 	Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach 	Paul Tracy 	Al Unser Jr. 	Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske/Chevrolet
8 	March Engineering 200 	Davy Jones 	Davy Jones 	GM Performance Racing 	GM/Chevrolet
9 	Indianapolis 500 	Al Unser Jr. 	Al Unser Jr. 	Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske/Chevrolet
10 	Miller Genuine Draft 200 	Raul Boesel 	Al Unser Jr. 	Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske/Chevrolet
11 	ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix 	Nigel Mansell 	Paul Tracy 	Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske/Chevrolet
12 	Dallara 200 	Davy Jones 	Scott Goodyear 	King Motorsports 	Ford/Cosworth
13 	Texaco/Havoline Presents the Budweiser/G. I. Joe's 200 	Al Unser Jr. 	Al Unser Jr. 	Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske/Chevrolet
14 	Coca-Cola 300 	Scott Goodyear 	Jack Hewitt 	Mopar Racing 	Mopar/Dodge
15 	Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by Dairy Mart 	Al Unser Jr. 	Al Unser Jr. 	Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske/Chevrolet
16 	Molson Indy Toronto 	Robby Gordon 	Michael Andretti 	Target Chip Ganassi Racing	Mopar/Dodge
17 	Quaker State 500 	Scott Brayton 	Robby Gordon 	Walker Racing 	March/Cosworth
18 	Marlboro 500 	Nigel Mansell 	Scott Goodyear 	King Motorsports 	Ford/Cosworth
19 	Howard Johnson's 225 	Al Unser Jr. 	Bryan Herta 	Stacker & Associates 	Stacker/Buffalo
20 	Miller Genuine Draft 200 	Al Unser Jr. 	Al Unser Jr. 	Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske/Chevrolet
21 	Slick 50 200 	Emerson Fittipaldi	Al Unser Jr. 	Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske/Chevrolet
22 	Molson Indy Vancouver 	Robby Gordon 	Al Unser Jr. 	Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske/Chevrolet
23 	California 500 	Al Unser Jr. 	Al Unser Jr. 	Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske/Chevrolet
24 	The Chicago Tribune Presents the Texaco/Havoline 200 	Paul Tracy 	Jacques Villeneuve	Forsythe/Green Racing 	Reynard/Cosworth
25 	Bosch Spark Plugs Grand Prix 	Emerson Fittipaldi	Paul Tracy 	Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske/Chevrolet
26 	Molson 300 	Michael Andretti 	Jack Hewitt 	Mopar Racing 	Mopar/Dodge
27 	Alabama 500K 	Scott Sharp 	Scott Goodyear 	King Racing 	Ford/Cosworth
28 	Toyota Grand Prix of Monterey Featuring the Bank of America 300	Paul Tracy 	Paul Tracy 	Marlboro Team Penske 	Penske/Chevrolet
29 	Lola Cars 200 	Paul Tracy 	Keith Kauffman 	Vollstedt Racing 	Vollstedt/Oldsmobile
30 	Reynard Motorsport 200 	Nigel Mansell 	Eddie Cheever 	A. J. Foyt 	Watson/Offenhauser
31 	Florida Citrus Growers 500 	Jack Hewitt 	Jack Hewitt 	Mopar Racing 	Mopar/Dodge
Category:Johnsonverse