The Escort Radar Warning 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 1986 proved to be the turning point of the CART season and a welcome homecoming for Bobby Rahal.
Rahal was fresh off his only Indianapolis 500 win three months before, in an emotional year that saw team owner Jim Trueman pass away within a month after the Indy triumph.
Entering the Mid-Ohio race weekend, Rahal was sixth in the point standings, 30 behind leader Mario Andretti -- who qualified on the pole at Mid-Ohio and led the first 12 laps before an exhaust problem on the No. 5 Newman/Haas Racing Lola/Cosworth ended his day. Danny Sullivan led 61 laps after that until Rahal, in the No. 3 Budweiser Truesports March/Cosworth, charged ahead with 10 laps to go and never relinquished the lead.
It was Rahal's second straight win on his home track and moved him into fourth place in the standings, just 11 points behind Andretti. Rahal went on to win three of the next six races to collect the first of his three Indy car championships.
Watch the 1986 ESPN broadcast of the Mid-Ohio race here.