It’s VM’s May/June issue and that means we always celebrate the Indianapolis 500 with several related feature stories.

Almost Immortal! That’s the title of our 7-page Salon feature. The 1981 Wildcat-Cosworth Indy car we focus on is the chassis Mario Andretti piloted to win the 1981 Indy 500…for 138 days. But then, after arguments over passing cars under the yellow, Bobby Unser was declared the winner, relegating this car and Mario to second place. It was not one of the Indy 500’s greatest moments.

In May of 1988, Penske Racing dominated the Indianapolis 500 with the formidable trio of Rick Mears, Danny Sullivan and Al Unser Sr. becoming the first team in Speedway annals to qualify for the entire front row. These three drivers talk about what made Penske’s “Work Ethic” so successful that year at the Speedway, with Mears the eventual winner.

Also in Indy 500 lore, imagine Earl De Vore’s colorful chrome and red Chromolite Special Indy 500 race cars, one of Harry A. Miller’s beauties, decaying on the floor of the Atlantic for almost a century. Read how it got there in “Down with the Ship.”

See more details of the issue, and how to get a copy or subscribe, at VintageMotorsport.com.