 |
| Mike Chandler | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | April 21, 1958 San Marino, California, U.S. |
| Related to | Otis Chandler (father) |
| Statistics up to date as of January 22, 2014. | |
Michael Chandler (born April 21, 1958) is an American former driver in the Indianapolis 500 from 1981 to 1983.[1] Serious injuries from a crash in 1984 effectively ended his racing career.[1]
Chandler drove in the CART Championship Car series. In the 1980–1984 seasons, he had nine career starts,[2] and started in the Indianapolis 500 in 1981–1983.
A near head-on crash in practice for the 1984 race left him in a coma for several days and prematurely ended his career. He finished in the top ten twice, with his best finish in 4th position in 1981 at Riverside.
Sponsors
[edit]Chandler's early sponsors included his father, Los Angeles Times publisher Otis Chandler; businessman Warner Hodgdon, owner of National Engineering; and California Lieutenan Governor Mike Curb.[3]
Racing record
[edit]Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results
[edit]| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | TEX1 3 |
IRP 4 |
MIL1 6 |
POC 7 |
TEX2 1 |
MIL2 3 |
MIN1 2 |
MIN2 22 |
2nd | 903 | |
| 1980 | Championship Racing Stables | MIL 18 |
POC 4 |
MOH 3 |
MIN1 | MIN2 | ONT 4 |
7th | 384 |
Indianapolis 500 results
[edit]| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Penske | Cosworth | 25th | 12th |
| 1982 | Eagle | Chevrolet | 22nd | 17th |
| 1983 | Rattlesnake | Cosworth | 30th | 16th |
| 1984 | Eagle | Pontiac | Practice Crash | |
24 Hours of Le Mans results
[edit]| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 |  Thunderbird Swap Shop
|
Preston Henn Marcel Mignot
|
Porsche 935-K3/80 | IMSA GTX | 45 | DNF | DNF |
24 Hours of Daytona results
[edit]| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | All American Racers
|
Dennis Aase Al Unser Jr.
|
Toyota Celica Mk. III | GTU | 130 | DNF | DNF |
| 1984 | All American Racers
|
Dennis Aase Wally Dallenbach Jr.
|
Toyota Celica Mk. III | GTU | 49 | DNF | DNF |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Jenkins, Richard, Where are they now?, OldRacingCars.com, February 21, 2004. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
- ^ 9 starts do not include the 1981 or 1982 Indy 500, as it was not a CART race that year.
- ^ Schulte, Jim (August 31, 1980). "A driver with the right connections". The San Bernardino County Sun. Retrieved 2025-08-23 – via Newspapers.com.
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