John Paul Jr. (racing driver)
| John Paul, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  United States |
| Retired | 2001 |
| Related to | John Paul, Sr. (father) |
| Indy Racing League IndyCar Series | |
| Years active | 1996-2001 |
| Teams | PDM Racing Team Pelfrey Byrd-Cunningham Racing McCormack Motorsports |
| Starts | 24 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Best finish | 11th in 1998 |
| Previous series | |
| 1982-1986, 1989-1994 1981-1984 | CART IMSA GT |
| Championship titles | |
| 1982 | IMSA GTP Champion |
| Awards | |
| 1997 | Scott Brayton Trophy |
John Lee Paul, Jr. (born February 19, 1960 in Muncie, Indiana) is a former race car driver in CART and the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series and winner of the 1982 12 Hours of Sebring while co-driving with his father John Paul, Sr.
After becoming the youngest ever IMSA champion, he made 21 CART starts from 1982 to 1985 with a win at Michigan International Speedway and 8th position in points in 1983. Paul also finished 2nd in the 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans with Jean Rondeau in a Porsche 956. Paul's racing career was interrupted in 1986 when he was incarcerated for his involvement in a drug trafficking ring with his father and subsequent refusal to testify against him.[1] He would return to the series in 1989, but only drove in the Indianapolis 500 from 1990 to 1994. Respectable performances with obsolete race cars characterized this period of his career.
The formation of the Indy Racing League gave Paul a second shot at a competitive career. Despite driving a two-year-old car for a new team, he led 22 laps in that year's Las Vegas 500K before finishing 15th. In 1997, he competed with a contemporary IndyCar for the first time since 1985, and promptly finished 15th in the points. The next year, he started the season with PDM Racing and Team Pelfrey before landing a competitive ride with Byrd-Cunningham Racing. He broke through to win the 1998 Lone Star 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and finished an IRL career best 11th in points.
In his seven Indy 500 starts he has a best finish of 7th in 1998. He made his last IRL start in 1999 and retired from racing after failing to qualify for the 2001 Indy 500.
He retired from professional racing in 2001 after noticing that the telemetry of the Corvette GT-1 he was testing did not match what he thought his feet were doing in the car. A subsequent medical evaluation confirmed he had Parkinson's Disease. John Paul, Jr. currently lives in the Las Vegas area and works as a driving coach.[2]
Indy 500 results
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Penske | Cosworth | Practice Crash | |
| 1984 | Penske | Cosworth | Practice Crash | |
| 1985 | March | Cosworth | 24th | 15th |
| 1986 | March | Buick | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1989 | March | Cosworth | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1990 | Lola | Buick | 32nd | 16th |
| 1991 | Lola | Buick | 25th | 25th |
| 1992 | Lola | Buick | 19th | 10th |
| 1993 | Lola | Buick | Qualifying Crash | |
| 1994 | Lola | Ilmor | 30th | 25th |
| 1996 | Lola | Menard-Buick | 17th | 31st |
| 1997 | Dallara | Oldsmobile | Practice Crash | |
| 1998 | Dallara | Oldsmobile | 16th | 7th |
| 1999 | G-Force | Oldsmobile | Practice Crash | |
| 2001 | G-Force | Oldsmobile | Failed to Qualify |
References
- ^ SPORTS PEOPLE; Driver Gets 5 Years New York Times, May 8, 1986.
- ^ Where are they now?: Shadow figures AutoWeek, December 31, 2008