1986 IndyCar season

The 1986 IndyCar season, the eighth in the CART era of U.S. open-wheel racing, consisted of 17 races, beginning in Avondale, Arizona on April 6 and concluding in Miami, Florida on November 11. The PPG Indy Car World Series Drivers' Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Bobby Rahal. Rookie of the Year was Chip Robinson. The 70th Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by the USAC, but counted in the CART points standings.

Drivers and Teams
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1986 Indy Car World Series season. All cars used Goodyear tires.


 * - The number in parenthesis is the number the car used at the Indianapolis 500, if a different number was used.

Race winners
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 * Indianapolis was USAC-sanctioned but counted towards the CART title.

Drivers
Point Scoring System:
 * Points are awarded based on each driver's resulting place (regardless of whether the car is running at the end of the race):

Bonus Points:
 * 1 For Pole Position
 * 1 For Leading The Most Laps Of The Race