Kevin Cogan

John "Kevin" Cogan (born in Culver City, California, March 31, 1956) is a former racecar driver who drove in Formula One from 1980 to 1981. Driving a RAM Williams in the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix, he failed to qualify, suffering the same result driving for Tyrrell at the 1981 US GP West. He then moved over to Indy cars in 1982 but his career was cut short by a series of accidents.

Racing career

Cogan made his Indycar debut at the 1981 Indianapolis 500, driving the #32 Sugaripe Prunes Phoenix PR-01-Cosworth DFX for Jerry O'Connell Racing, as part of the USAC Gold Crown Championship. Cogan qualified in 12th place and finished the race in 4th place with 197 laps complete. Despite this Cogan lost the Rookie of the Year award to Josele Garza. Cogan then competed in the rival CART/PPG World Series for O'Connell. In his debut, the Gould Rex Mays Classic at the Milwaukee Mile Cogan qualified in 7th place and finished in 2nd place. After the race Cogan was ranked 5th place in points. Cogan participated in four more races that season but his best finish was at the Los Angeles Times 500 at Riverside International Raceway. Cogan finished his debut CART season 23rd in points.

In 1982 Cogan joined Team Penske to drive the #4 Norton Spirit Penske PC-10-Cosworth DFX. At the season-opening Kraco Car Stereos 150 at Phoenix International Raceway Cogan qualified and finished in 3rd place. The remainder of Cogan's season proved to be inconsistent, highlighted by a 2nd-place finish at the Domino's Pizza Pocono 500 at Pocono International Raceway to teammate Rick Mears. Cogan also scored a pair of pole positions at the Budweiser Cleveland 500 at Burke Lakefront Airport and the AirCal 500 at Riverside International Raceway. At the end of the season Cogan finished 6th in points while Mears won the championship. Penske released Cogan at the end of the season.

1982 Indianapolis 500 controversy

During qualifying, he 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 made the comment:

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."

The commonly outspoken Foyt also chimed in during comments to ABC's Chris Economaki with:

Later Foyt said back in the garage area of the crash and of Cogan that:

Gordon Johncock, Johnny Rutherford and Bobby Unser later placed some blame of the accident on the polesitter Rick Mears, for bringing the field down at such a slow pace. Gordon 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. 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 got 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 "blacklisting" by fans and press. Cogan nearly had the dubious distinction of taking out two of the most famous American auto racing legends (Foyt and Andretti) in one move in the biggest race of the season. The incident also further rehashed a standing feud between Team Penske and Patrick Racing. A year earlier, Penske and Patrick were the key fixtures in the controversial 1981 race.

Cogan never managed to win a race in 1982, and was possibly fired by Roger Penske because of it.

The accident was never explained by the Penske team, however, several experts had differing opinions. Rodger Ward, working for the IMS Radio Network immediately believed the rear brakes locked up. It was a common practice for drivers in the turbocharged era to "ride the brakes" during warm up laps in order to engage the turbocharger. Others theorized it may have happened due to a broken CV joint. Some feel that Sam Posey on ABC-TV inadvertently may have added to the controversy when he proclaimed "absolutely no idea" to the question of how it could have happened, and saying "it was as if he turned the wheel intentionally." The comments led many to conclude that the accident may have been entirely of Cogan's doing. As soon as he climbed from the car, Cogan was observed looking at the rear end axle, suggesting that he thought something broke.

1983–1993

In 1983 Cogan began driving for Bignotti-Cotter Racing in the #6 Master Mechanic/Caesar's Palace March 83C-Cosworth DFX (numbered 16 at Indianapolis only). During the season results were hard to come by for Cogan with his best finish being a 5th place at the Indianapolis 500 where teammate Tom Sneva won. Helping neither Cogan nor Sneva was that Bignotti-Cotter began to develop the Theodore 83 rather than continue to use the proven March 83C. At the end of the season Cogan finished 15th in the CART standings and 6th in the USAC standings. At the end of the season Cogan and Bignotti-Cotter parted ways.

For 1984 Cogan was originally going to drive the #98 Dubonnet/Curb Records Ligier LC02-Cosworth DFX for Curb Racing and the #98 Dubonnet Eagle 84SB-Pontiac V8 for All American Racers each in select races. At the season-opening Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on the Streets of Long Beach Cogan would start 21st and finish in 28th place in the Ligier. At the Dana Jimmy Bryan 150 at Phoenix International Raceway Cogan would finish in 8th place aboard the Eagle. Then at the Indianapolis 500 Cogan returned to the Ligier. The car was off the pace at the beginning of practice and Cogan faced the possibility of failing to qualify. Cogan would eventually qualify for the race after Ligier and Curb parted ways and when Michael Chandler suffered career-ending injuries in the Eagle. During this time Mike Curb and Dan Gurney merged their teams to form Curb-All American Racers. In the race Cogan qualified in 27th place, setting a new speed record for stock block engines at Indianapolis. In the race Cogan retired to 20th place after suffering a frozen wheel after 137 laps. Cogan would leave Curb-All American Racers after the Budweiser Cleveland Grand Prix at Burke Lakefront Airport. Cogan would then start driving for Forsythe Racing in the #33 Skoal Bandit March 84C-Cosworth DFX. Initially results were good as Cogan was able to start 5th and finish 8th in his debut for the team at the Michigan 500 at Michigan International Speedway and would follow it up with a 10th-place finish at the Provimi Veal 200 at Road America. During practice for the Domino's Pizza 500 at Pocono International Raceway Cogan would suffer season-ending injuries. Cogan would finish 24th in points.

In 1985 Cogan would begin to drive for Kraco Racing in the #18 Kraco Car Stereo/Wolff Systems March 85C-Cosworth DFX. The season had its ups and downs uch as Cogan nearly failing to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, eventually starting in 32nd place and finishing 11th. Cogan would also get a 4th-place finish at the Detroit News 200 at Michigan International Speedway and a 5th-place finish at the Stroh's/G.I. Joe's 200 at Portland International Raceway to get a 14th-place finish in points.

For 1986 Cogan would join Patrick Racing to drive the #7 7-Eleven March 86C-Cosworth DFX. At the season opening Dana 200 for Special Olympics at Phoenix International Raceway Cogan would get his first indy car win, leading 2nd place Tom Sneva by a lap. It was also the first time Cogan led the CART standings in his career. At the Indianapolis 500 Cogan began to battle with Rick Mears and Bobby Rahal. Eventually Rahal passed Mears for the lead on lap 187 after the former was getting held up by the slower traffic of Randy Lanier and Cogan would then follow Rahal and take the lead on the following lap. Cogan then began to gradually move away from Rahal and Mears when a caution came out for a crash by Arie Luyendyk in turn four on lap 195. On the restart on lap 198 Cogan did not get a good start and was passed by Rahal for the lead and would eventually finish in 2nd place. Despite this Cogan led the standings after Indianapolis. After Indianapolis Cogan would retire in seven of fourteen remaining races (although Cogan would still get a 12th-place finish and with it one point at the Miller American 200 in Honor of Rex Mays at the Milwaukee Mile in one of those retirements). As a result, Cogan would finish 6th in points.

For 1987 Cogan would return with Patrick, making it the first team Cogan drove for in consecutive years, driving the #7 Marlboro March 87C-Ilmor-Chevrolet Indy V8 265A. The season would turn out to be a disappointment as Cogan got a best finish of 5th at the Escort Radar Warning 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and the Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix at Nazareth Speedway to get a 16th-place finish in points.

In 1988 Cogan would begin to drive for Machinists Union Racing in the #11 Schaefer Beer/Playboy Fashions March 88C-Cosworth DFX (although an 87C was used at the Miller High Life 200 at the Milwaukee Mile). The season started off well as Cogan got a 3rd-place finish at the Toyota Grand Prixc of Long Beach on the Streets of Long Beach. After seven rounds Cogan was ranked 11th in points when he was injured while competing at the Molson Indy Toronto at Exhibition Place. Cogan would miss four races but would still finish 13th in points on the strength of a 4th-place finish at the Nissan Indy Challenge at Tamiami Park.

For 1989 Cogan returned with the Machinists Union driving the #11 Schaefer Beer/Playboy Fashions March 88C-Cosworth DFX. The season was nowhere near as successful as 1988 as Cogan could only get a best finish of 8th at the Champion Spark Plug 300K at Laguna Seca Raceway. Cogan would still manage to finish 14th in points. Cogan's season was also highlighted by a major crash at the Indianapolis 500 where Cogan spun in turn four on the third lap and hit the entrance to the pit lane, breaking the car in half, causing Cogan's car to slide down the pit lane. Despite what was a serious crash Cogan would immediately come from his destroyed car unharmed.

In 1990 Cogan could only get a drive for Indianapolis only for Vince Granatelli Racing in the #11 Tuneup Masters Penske PC18-Buick V6. In the race Cogan qualified in 15th place and finished in 9th place. Cogan would later get a second race at the Marlboro 500 at Michigan International Speedway for Stoops Racing in the #17 Conseco Lola T9000-Cosorth DFS starting 13th and finishing 20th. Cogan would finish out the season 23rd in points.

In 1991 Cogan would join Team Menard to drive the #9 Glidden/Menards Lola T9100-Buick V6 at the Indianapolis 500. During qualifying Cogan was unable to make an attempt due to rain and would have to wait for the second day. Cogan would easily qualify for the race in 16th place with a speed that would have placed him easily in the top ten along with other drivers, such as teammate Gary Bettenhausen, Arie Luyendyk, Emerson Fittipaldi and Stan Fox. In the race Cogan was involved in a crash with Roberto Guerrero on lap 25. In the wreck Cogan broke his arm and leg. Original video footage was inconclusive, and it appeared perhaps that Guerrero was to blame. An amateur home video shot from the grandstands, however, surfaced, clearly showing that Cogan was at fault for the crash. As a result of the crash Cogan missed the remainder of the year (Menard wasn't going to do anymore races) and the next year. Cogan scored no points during the season.

For 1993 Cogan would drive for Galles-Kraco Racing in the #11 Conseco Lola T9300-Ilmor-Chevrolet Indy V8 265A in a part-time schedule. At Cogan's debut for the year, the Indianapolis 500 Cogan was on the bubble on Bump Day and was nearly bumped by, ironically, Bobby Rahal. Rahal was not successful and Cogan started in 14th place and would lead for four laps during pit stops, eventually finishing in 14th place. Cogan would drive in three more races for Galles-Kraco, getting a best finish of 13th at the Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland at Burke Lakefront Airport. Cogan would again score no points towards the championship.

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.

In 1988, ESPN reporter Jack Arute reported that Cogan was married, to Tracy, and had a son.

Racing record

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results

Complete Formula One World Championship results

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American open-wheel racing

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CART

Indianapolis 500