Michael Chandler (born April 21, 1958) is an American former driver in the Indianapolis 500 from 1981 to 1983.Jenkins, Richard, Where are they now?, OldRacingCars.com, February 21, 2004. Retrieved August 23, 2025. Serious injuries from a crash in 1984 effectively ended his racing career.
Chandler drove in the CART Championship Car series. In the 1980–1984 seasons, he had nine career starts,9 starts do not include the 1981 or 1982 Indy 500, as it was not a CART race that year. and started in the Indianapolis 500 in 1981–1983.
A near head-on crash in practice for the 1984 race left Chandler in a coma for several days and prematurely ended his career. He finished in the top-ten twice, with his best finish in fourth 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 Lieutenant Governor Mike Curb.
Racing record
Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pos Points 1979 TEX1 IRP MIL1 POC TEX2 MIL2 MIN1 MIN2 2nd 903 1980 Championship Racing Stables MIL POC MOH MIN1 MIN2 ONT 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 PontiacPractice Crash
24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 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 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