Best Indycar season?

[PTRACER]

I am enjoying 1993 very much, but what should I watch after? I was thinking either 1997 or 1998. Help!

[Ruslan]

1986 or 1987. Have Mario, Fittipaldi, the CART kids (Unser Jr. and Andretti Jr.), Rahal, Sullivan, Rick Mears, Lone Star JR, the Gas Man, Unser Sr., and many others. It was kind of when the series was at its peak. It was almost as good as F1 back then.

[Cheeveer]

1986 or 1987. Have Mario, Fittipaldi, the CART kids (Unser Jr. and Andretti Jr.), Rahal, Sullivan, Rick Mears, Lone Star JR, the Gas Man, Unser Sr., and many others. It was kind of when the series was at its peak. It was almost as good as F1 back then.

I agree with these. Try '86 as the championship battle was closer, but '87 might've been more dramatic. Was a long time ago I watched these seasons though.

[Ruslan]

1986 or 1987. Have Mario, Fittipaldi, the CART kids (Unser Jr. and Andretti Jr.), Rahal, Sullivan, Rick Mears, Lone Star JR, the Gas Man, Unser Sr., and many others. It was kind of when the series was at its peak. It was almost as good as F1 back then.

I agree with these. Try '86 as the championship battle was closer, but '87 might've been more dramatic. Was a long time ago I watched these seasons though.

It was a unique mix of individuals, you had the old guard Indy drivers (Mears, Sneva, Rutherford, Unser Sr.), some old guard F1 drivers (Andretti, Fittipaldi), some F1 rejects (Rahal, Sullivan) and the CART kids. They also were developing cars as opposed to using spec racers (like they do now). It was sort of CART at its peak.

[MonteCristo]

96-99 was good in terms of them being sheer rocketships with a million cars on the grid. Also the best looking race cars ever.

But as others say, the mid 86s was peak in many other ways.

However, if you even go earlier to 82 or so, you'll see a variety of cars. It was F1 lite. Wildcat, March, Penske, Eagle, Longhorn (!), Chaparral (!), (Lightning (!), King (!), Rattlesnake (!). And Riverside was still around!

[Ruslan]

96-99 was good in terms of them being sheer rocketships with a million cars on the grid. Also the best looking race cars ever.

But as others say, the mid 86s was peak in many other ways.

However, if you even go earlier to 82 or so, you'll see a variety of cars. It was F1 lite. Wildcat, March, Penske, Eagle, Longhorn (!), Chaparral (!), (Lightning (!), King (!), Rattlesnake (!). And Riverside was still around!

Yea, I was starting to disengage from watching Indy Cars by then. I think the last full season I watched was 1999/2000. The show had been diluted by Tony George.

[Everso Biggyballies]

96-99 was good in terms of them being sheer rocketships with a million cars on the grid. Also the best looking race cars ever.

But as others say, the mid 86s was peak in many other ways.

However, if you even go earlier to 82 or so, you'll see a variety of cars. It was F1 lite. Wildcat, March, Penske, Eagle, Longhorn (!), Chaparral (!), (Lightning (!), King (!), Rattlesnake (!). And Riverside was still around!

The peoples favourite should have been there then.... Sting Ray Robb in the Rattlesnake / Wildcat / Longhorn (delete as applicable) at Riverside. Ooops I appear to be drooling.
*Grabs the paper towel roll from the kitchen*

[PTRACER]

96-99 was good in terms of them being sheer rocketships with a million cars on the grid. Also the best looking race cars ever.

But as others say, the mid 86s was peak in many other ways.

However, if you even go earlier to 82 or so, you'll see a variety of cars. It was F1 lite. Wildcat, March, Penske, Eagle, Longhorn (!), Chaparral (!), (Lightning (!), King (!), Rattlesnake (!). And Riverside was still around!

The peoples favourite should have been there then.... Sting Ray Robb in the Rattlesnake / Wildcat / Longhorn (delete as applicable) at Riverside. Ooops I appear to be drooling.
*Grabs the paper towel roll from the kitchen*

Isn't Sting Ray Robb a little too young to have raced at Riverside?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sting_Ray_Robb

[Everso Biggyballies]

96-99 was good in terms of them being sheer rocketships with a million cars on the grid. Also the best looking race cars ever.

But as others say, the mid 86s was peak in many other ways.

However, if you even go earlier to 82 or so, you'll see a variety of cars. It was F1 lite. Wildcat, March, Penske, Eagle, Longhorn (!), Chaparral (!), (Lightning (!), King (!), Rattlesnake (!). And Riverside was still around!

The peoples favourite should have been there then.... Sting Ray Robb in the Rattlesnake / Wildcat / Longhorn (delete as applicable) at Riverside. Ooops I appear to be drooling.
*Grabs the paper towel roll from the kitchen*

Isn't Sting Ray Robb a little too young to have raced at Riverside?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sting_Ray_Robb

Yeah I was in hypothetical mode... thats why I said he SHOULD have been there. He has a cool name and some of those car names were pretty cool, as Riverside was a cool circuit.

A bit like Kimi saying he wished he was racing back in the Hunt Lauda days.

[Vassago]

I'm biased but 1995-2000 was the best period for IndyCar which I saw on live TV so there are my three cents

[PTRACER]

So, perhaps the conclusion is either 1986 or 1987? If 1987 is more dramatic as a whole, I'd rather watch that, but let me know your thoughts.

I also want to watch at least one more season from the 1990s, preferably either 1997 or 1998. Which one of those two?

[Cheeveer]

1997 had more comer-and-goers over the season, in the championship battle. Some races were the stuff of legends, like Detroit, Portland and Cleveland, but there were more snoozers too. But 1998 probably had a better quality product on track.

Very hard to choose between the two! Go chronologically then.

[Matt]

To be honest I don't think going through each year sequentially from '94 through to about '99 is a terrible idea. They've all got great races packed in, and watching it all unfold in order will build up a better picture of the stories involved around the series at the time. I think they're all up on YouTube in decent quality too.

Hard for me to pick a favourite season out of that lot - don't think I'll even try. 1999 had a great deal of sadness and I was a huge Greg Moore fan so Fontana of that year is a race I have no intention of ever watching again.