Mike Chandler
| 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
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
Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
- ^ 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.
 | This biographical article related to United States auto racing is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
