Kevin Cogan
Kevin Cogan | |||||||
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Nationality | Phoenix ) | ||||||
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Formula One World Championship career | |
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Active years | 1980 – 1981 |
Teams | RAM, Tyrrell |
Entries | 2 (0 starts) |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 0 |
Career points | 0 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 0 |
First entry | 1980 Canadian Grand Prix |
Last entry | 1981 United States Grand Prix West |
John Kevin Cogan
Racing career
Cogan made his Indycar debut at the
In
1982 Indianapolis 500 controversy
During qualifying, Cogan set a new one-lap track record of 204.638 mph (329.333 km/h) and a record four-lap average of 204.082 mph (328.438 km/h). He was beaten only by his teammate, Mears.
Cogan started from the middle of the front row, next to pole-sitter Mears, and A. J. Foyt. As the field approached the start-finish line to start the race, Cogan suddenly swerved right, touching and bouncing off Foyt's car, and directly into the path of and collecting Mario Andretti. The cars of Dale Whittington and Roger Mears, deeper in the field, were also damaged due to the field checking up. Bobby Rahal also reported getting hit from behind, but was undamaged. The race was immediately red-flagged.
Cogan's shocking accident took out four cars, including himself and Andretti. Foyt's team was able to make repairs and pushed his car out for the restart attempt. Meanwhile, Andretti and Foyt were furious and outspoken about their displeasure with Cogan. Andretti shunned Cogan's attempts to explain himself with a light shove.
Andretti on live radio and television[2] said, [3] "This is what happens when you have children doing a man's job up front." Back in the garage area, Andretti complained about Cogan's abilities, claiming that Cogan was "looking for trouble", that he "couldn't handle the responsibilities of the front row" and that the Penske car he was driving was "too good for him".[4]
The commonly outspoken Foyt also chimed in during comments to ABC's Chris Economaki with,[2] "...he ran right square into my goddamned left front...'Coogin'." Later, Foyt said back in the garage area, [4][5] of the crash and of Cogan that "It was a stupid deal. The guy had his head up his ass."
Gordon Johncock, Johnny Rutherford[4] and Bobby Unser[2] later placed some blame for the accident on the polesitter Rick Mears, for bringing the field down at such a slow pace. Johncock, who went on to win the 1982 race, pointed out that Andretti had jumped the start, and could have avoided the spinning car of Cogan had he been lined up properly in the second row.[5] Foyt wrote a memoir of his career in 1983 and when mentioning the crash, in a more analytic form, assigned some blame on Mears for the slow start, while assigning Cogan the rest of the responsibility.
At the end of the USAC Gold Crown season, Cogan finished 47th in points. The reason was that Cogan ran the 1981 race without a USAC Class I license and received no points for his 4th-place finish.
Aftermath
Cogan quickly fell out of favor following the humiliation stemming from the accident. It was followed by a noticeable "
Cogan never managed to win a race in 1982, and was possibly fired by Roger Penske because of it and replaced by Al Unser in 1983.[7]
The accident was never explained by the Penske team, however, several experts had differing opinions.
1983–1993
In
For
In
For
For
In
For
In
In
Original television footage was inconclusive, and Cogan firmly assessed the blame on Guerrero, claiming that Guerrero cut down on him. An amateur home video shot from the grandstands surfaced, however,
For
Cogan would retire from racing at the end of 1993 with 6th place in 1982 and 1986 being his best finish in the CART standings and his win at Phoenix in 1986 being his only win.
Personal life
Since leaving IndyCar, Cogan has distanced himself from racing to concentrate on a real estate business in Los Angeles, Palos Verdes Estates LLC. Cogan declined invitations to be interviewed for the centennial era of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2009) in which many IndyCar legends and IndyCar drivers were interviewed by ESPN. Cogan also refused invitations to participate in Indianapolis 500 festivities during the 100th anniversary of the race in 2011.(9)
In 1988, ESPN reporter Jack Arute reported that Cogan was married, to Tracy, and had a son. The couple has since been divorced since 2004. In a 2015 interview with a news reporter, it was revealed that Cogan has 2 more children, a daughter and a son, since his retirement.
Racing record
SCCA National Championship Runoffs
Year | Track | Car | Engine | Class | Finish | Start | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1977 | Road Atlanta | Ralt RT1 | Ford | Formula B |
1 | 1 | Running |
Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results
Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Pos | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1978 | Ralt American Ltd. | PIR1
|
TRE1
|
MOS
|
MIL1
|
TEX | MIL2 3 |
OMS1 | OMS2 | TRE2
|
PIR2 1 |
11th | 340 |
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | WDC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1980 | RAM / Rainbow Jeans Racing | Williams FW07B
|
Cosworth V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | USW | BEL | MON | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | CAN DNQ |
USA | NC | 0 | |
1981
|
Tyrrell Racing | Tyrrell 010 | Cosworth V8 | USW DNQ |
BRA | ARG | SMR | BEL | MON | ESP | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | CAN | CPL | NC | 0 |
American open-wheel racing
(key)
CART
Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981
|
Jerry O'Connell Racing | PHX | MIL 2 |
ATL1 16 |
ATL2 | MIS 28 |
RIV 11 |
MIL2 23 |
MIS2 | WGL | MEX | PHX2 | 23rd | 23 | [12] | ||||||
1982
|
Team Penske | PHX 3 |
ATL 18 |
MIL 5 |
CLE 10 |
MIS 14 |
MIL2 5 |
POC 2 |
RIV 10 |
ROA 25 |
MIS2 22 |
PHX2 4 |
6th | 136 | [13] | ||||||
1983
|
Bignotti-Cotter Racing | ATL 15 |
INDY 5 |
MIL 20 |
CLE 25 |
MIS 27 |
ROA 19 |
POC 15 |
RIV 21 |
MDO 6 |
MIS2 20 |
CEA 16 |
LS 22 |
PHX 6 |
15th | 26 | [14] | ||||
1984
|
Curb Racing | LBH 28 |
INDY DNQ |
24th | 17 | [15] | |||||||||||||||
All American Racers | PHX 8 |
||||||||||||||||||||
Curb-All American Racers | INDY 20 |
MIL 9 |
POR 18 |
MEA 20 |
CLE 22 |
||||||||||||||||
Forsythe Racing
|
MIS 8 |
ROA 10 |
POC Wth |
MDO Inj |
SAN Inj |
MIS2 Inj |
PHX2 Inj |
LS Inj |
CEA Inj |
||||||||||||
1985
|
Kraco Racing
|
LBH 23 |
INDY 11 |
MIL 16 |
POR 5 |
MEA 7 |
CLE 9 |
MIS 7 |
ROA 25 |
POC 17 |
MDO 21 |
SAN 9 |
MIS2 4 |
LS 17 |
PHX 22 |
MIA 24 |
14th | 44 | [16] | ||
1986
|
Patrick Racing | PHX 1 |
LBH 17 |
INDY 2 |
MIL 12 |
POR 14 |
MEA 21 |
CLE 23 |
TOR 5 |
MIS 22 |
POC 2 |
MDO 4 |
SAN 4 |
MIS2 4 |
ROA 20 |
LS 9 |
PHX2 14 |
MIA 4 |
6th | 115 | [17] |
1987
|
Patrick Racing | LBH 18 |
PHX 21 |
INDY 31 |
MIL 18 |
POR | MEA 12 |
CLE 21 |
TOR 13 |
MIS 27 |
POC 9 |
ROA 19 |
MDO 5 |
NAZ 5 |
LS 18 |
MIA 21 |
16th | 25 | [18] | ||
1988
|
Machinists Union Racing | PHX 8 |
LBH 3 |
INDY 11 |
MIL 22 |
POR 20 |
CLE 10 |
TOR 24 |
MEA Inj |
MIS Inj |
POC Inj |
MDO Inj |
ROA 24 |
NAZ 15 |
LS 9 |
MIA 4 |
13th | 40 | [19] | ||
1989
|
Machinists Union Racing | PHX 10 |
LBH 26 |
INDY 32 |
MIL 19 |
DET 17 |
POR 24 |
CLE 11 |
MEA 12 |
TOR 9 |
MIS 25 |
POC 22 |
MDO 10 |
ROA 18 |
NAZ | LS 8 |
14th | 18 | [20] | ||
1990
|
Vince Granatelli Racing | PHX | LBH | INDY 9 |
MIL | DET | POR | CLE | MEA | TOR | 23rd | 4 | [21] | ||||||||
Stoops Racing | MIS 20 |
DEN | VAN | MDO | ROA | NAZ | LS | ||||||||||||||
1991
|
Team Menard | SRF | LBH | PHX | INDY 29 |
MIL Inj |
DET Inj |
POR Inj |
CLE Inj |
MEA Inj |
TOR Inj |
MIS Inj |
DEN Inj |
VAN Inj |
MDO Inj |
ROA Inj |
NAZ Inj |
LS Inj |
51st | 0 | [22] |
1993
|
Galles-Kraco Racing | SRF | PHX | LBH | INDY 14 |
MIL | DET | POR 27 |
CLE 13 |
TOR 15 |
MIS | NHM | ROA | VAN | MDO | NAZ | LS | 35th | 0 | [23] |
Indianapolis 500
Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Entrant |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981 | Phoenix PR-01 | Cosworth DFX | 12 | 4 | Jerry O'Connell Racing |
1982 | Penske PC-10 | Cosworth DFX | 2 | 30 | Team Penske |
1983 | March 83C | Cosworth DFX | 22 | 5 | Bignotti-Cotter Racing |
1984 | Eagle 84SB | Pontiac V8 | 27 | 20 | Curb-All American Racers |
1985 | March 85C | Cosworth DFX | 32 | 11 | Kraco Racing
|
1986 | March 86C | Cosworth DFX | 6 | 2 | Patrick Racing |
1987 | March 87C | Ilmor-Chevrolet Indy V8 265A
|
24 | 31 | Patrick Racing |
1988 | March 88C | Cosworth DFX | 13 | 11 | Machinist Union Racing |
1989 | March 88C | Cosworth DFX | 27 | 32 | Machinist Union Racing |
1990 | Penske PC-18 | Buick V6 | 15 | 9 | Vince Granatelli Racing |
1991 | Lola T91/00 | Buick V6 | 16 | 29 | Team Menard |
1993 | Lola T93/00 | Ilmor-Chevrolet Indy V8 265A
|
14 | 14 | Galles-Kraco Racing |
24 Hours of Le Mans
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1988 | Silk Cut Jaguar | Derek Daly Larry Perkins |
Jaguar XJR-9LM | C1 | 383 | 4th | 4th |
References
- ^ a b "Drivers/Riders". Motor Sport. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d e 1982 Indianapolis 500 television broadcast, ABC Sports, May 30, 1982
- ^ "'82 Crash Turned Promising young Driver into 500 Pariah". Indy Star. May 20, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
- ^ a b c "1982 Indianapolis 500 Daily Trackside Report" (PDF). Indianapolis Motor Speedway. May 30, 1982. Retrieved July 23, 2008.[dead link]
- ^ a b 1982 Indianapolis 500 broadcast, ESPN Classic, May 2006
- ^ Cavin, Curt (May 21, 2015). "'82 crash turned promising young driver into 500 pariah". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^ Bob Varsha, on WindTunnel with Dave Despain, 10 June 2007
- ^ 1982 Indianapolis 500 radio broadcast, May 30, 1982
- ^ "Cogan Not Bluffing". LA Times. August 16, 1991. Retrieved April 21, 2024 – via LATimes.com.
- ^ 1992 Indianapolis 500 television broadcast, May 24, 1992
- ^ "Kevin Cogan – 1981 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kevin Cogan – 1982 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kevin Cogan – 1983 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kevin Cogan – 1984 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kevin Cogan – 1985 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kevin Cogan – 1986 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kevin Cogan – 1987 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kevin Cogan – 1988 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kevin Cogan – 1989 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kevin Cogan – 1990 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kevin Cogan – 1991 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Kevin Cogan – 1993 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.