Rick Mears, of Bakersfield, Calif., is one of only three four-time winners of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, having won all four under the sanction of USAC. In 1984, 1988 and 1991 he was USAC’s Gold Crown Driving Champion. His six Indy 500 poles are the all-time record. He is also a three-time Indy Car World Series Champion (1979, 1981 and 1982). In 1978, he shared the Indianapolis 500 “Rookie of the Race” award with USAC Hall of Famer Larry Rice. In 1997, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the following year was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.