Click image for larger view
For 1994 USAC had developed a new engine formula to encourage the development of purposebuilt pushrod engines. In almost total secrecy, Roger Penske commissioned Mercedes Benz to build an engine to those specs, in spite of the fact that the engine would only be able to race at Indianapolis. His plan worked. The Penske cars dominated the month of May and captured the pole position and Penske drivers Emmerson Fittipaldi and Al Unser Jr. Led 193 of the races 200 laps. The only other leader was rookie and following year winner Jacques Villeneuve. Fittipaldi primarily dominated leading 145 laps and appearing headed toward a second consecutive victory, but on lap 185 while attempting to lap Unser, he lost control coming off turn four and crashed.
This was Penskes tenth Indianapolis 500 victory, but it would be the teams last Indy 500 appearance until 2001, when they scored their eleventh victory with popular Helio Castroneves at the wheel.
Ironically the Mercedes pushrod engine may have been too good. Story has it that team Penske's failure to qualify in 1995 had to do with the fact that the Mercedes powered car was so fast that it hid a handling problem inherent in the Penske chassis and was not changed for the 1995 chassis.
