The , often shortened to '''Indianapolis 500''' or '''Indy 500''', and historically known simply as "The 500," is an
American Automobile Race , held annually over the
Memorial Day weekend at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway in
Speedway, Indiana . The event lends its name to the "
IndyCar " class of
Formula , or
Open-wheel , race cars that have competed in it.
Dario Franchitti won the
2007 event.
The event, billed as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing", is one of the oldest and richest
Motorsport events in existence, with one of the largest attendances, and radio and television audiences, of any single-day sporting event worldwide. While the official attendance is not disclosed by Speedway management, news media estimate attendance in excess of 270,000
{Link without Title} .
The race has been broadcast live on radio by the
IMS Radio Network since 1952. It was televised live from 1949-1950 on
WFBM-TV . From 1965-1985,
ABC Sports broadcast the race via tape delay. Since 1986, ABC has televised the race live flag-to-flag (although live coverage is
Blacked Out in
The Indianapolis Market ). In
2007 , the race was first broadcast in
HD .
The 92
nd running is scheduled for Sunday
May 25 ,
2008 . It will mark the 63
rd consecutive year of uninterrupted occurrence.
The
Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex was built in 1909 as a gravel-and-tar track and hosted a smattering of small events before the promoters decided to focus on just one major event. The track was then paved with 3.2 million bricks, urged by principal owner
Carl G. Fisher after several deaths related to the unsteady racing surface. The creation of a 500 mile (804.672 km) race allowed the track to rapidly acquire a privileged status for automobile races. The
First "500" was held at the Speedway on
Memorial Day ,
May 30 ,
1911 , with
Ray Harroun piloting a
Marmon "Wasp" — outfitted with his invention, the
Rear-view Mirror — to victory. 80,200 spectators paid $1 admission, and an annual tradition had been established. Many considered Harroun to be a hazard during the race, as he was the only driver in the race driving without a riding mechanic, who checked the oil pressure and let the driver know when traffic was coming.
Although the first race was won by an American driver at the wheel of an American car, European makers such as the
Italian Fiat or
French Peugeot companies soon developed their own vehicles to try to win the event, which they did from 1913 to 1919. However, after
World War I , the native drivers and manufacturers regained their dominance of the race, with the engineer
Harry Arminius Miller setting himself up as the most competitive of the post-war builders. His technical developments allowed him to be indirectly connected to a history of success that would last into the mid-1970s.
In the early 1920s, Miller built his own 3.0 litre (183 in³) engine, inspired by the Peugeot
Grand Prix engine which had been serviced in his shop by
Fred Offenhauser in 1914, installing it in
Jimmy Murphy 's
Duesenberg and allowing him to win the 1922 edition of the race. Miller then created his own automobiles, which shared the 'Miller' designation, which, in turn, were powered by supercharged versions of his 2.0 and 1.5 liter (122 and 91 in³) engine single-seaters, winning four more races for the engine up to 1929 (two of them, 1926 and 1928, in Miller chassis). The engines then won another seven races until 1938 (again two of them, 1930 and 1932, in Miller-designated chassis), then ran at first with stock-type motors before later being adjusted to the international 3.0 liter formula.
However, in 1935, Miller's former employees, Fred Offenhauser and Leo Goosen, had already achieved their first win with the soon-to-become famous 4-cylinder
Offenhauser or "Offy" engine. This motor was forever connected with the Brickyard's history with a to-date record total of 27 wins, in both naturally-aspirated and supercharged form, and winning a likewise record-holding 18 consecutive years between 1947 and 1964.
The race was originally advertised as the "International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race" from 1911-1916. In 1919, the race was referred to as the "Liberty Sweepstakes" following
WWI . From 1920-1980, the race reverted to the "International Sweepstakes" name, or slight variations such as "International Sweepstakes Race, Distance 500 Miles." Following
WWII , the race was commonly recognized as "The 500", The 500-Mile Race," "Indianapolis 500," or "Indy 500," and usually the
Ordinal (e.g. "50th") preceded it. Oftentimes the race was also advertised on the radio as the "Annual Memorial Day race," or similar variations.
For the
1981 Race , the name "65th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race" was officially adopted, with all references as the "International Sweepstakes" dropped. Since 1981, the race has been advertised in this fashion, complete with a unique annual logo and the ordinal always included.
The
Borg-Warner Trophy , introduced in 1936, proclaims the event as the "Indianapolis 500-Mile Race," with no reference at all to the name "International Sweepstakes."
In the meantime, European manufacturers, gone from the Indianapolis 500 for nearly two decades, made a brief return just before
World War II , with the competitive
Maserati 8CM allowing
Wilbur Shaw to become the first driver to win consecutively at Indianapolis in 1941. With the 500 having been a part of the
World Drivers' Championship between 1950 and 1960,
Ferrari made a discreet appearance at the 1952 event with
Alberto Ascari , but European entries were few and far between during those days.
In fact, it wouldn't be until the Indianapolis 500 was removed from the calendar that entries with a European background made their return, with
Australia n
Jack Brabham driving his slightly modified F1
Cooper in the 1961 race. In 1963, technical innovator
Colin Chapman brought his
Team Lotus to Indianapolis for the first time, attracted by the large monetary prizes, far bigger than the usual at a European event. Racing a mid-engined car,
Scotsman Jim Clark was second in his first attempt in 1963, dominating in 1964 until suffering suspension failure on the 47th lap, and completely dominating the race in 1965, a victory which also interrupted the success of the Offy, and offering the 4.2 litre
Ford V8 its first success at the race. The following year, 1966, saw another British win, this time
Graham Hill in a
Lola -Ford.
Offenhauser too would join forces with a European maker,
McLaren , obtaining three wins for the chassis, one with the
Penske team in 1972 with driver
Mark Donohue , and two for the McLaren Works team in 1974 and 1976 with
Johnny Rutherford . This was also the last time the Offy would win a race, its competitiveness steadily decreasing until its final appearance in 1983. American drivers kept on filling the majority of entries at the Brickyard for the following years, but European technology had taken over. Starting from 1978, most chassis and engines were European, with the only American-based chassis to win during the CART era being the Wildcat and
Galmer (which was actually built in
Bicester , England) in 1982 and 1992 respectively. Ford and
Chevy engines were built in the UK by
Cosworth and
Ilmor , respectively.
After foreign cars became the norm, foreign drivers started showing up at the Indianapolis 500 on a regular basis, choosing the United States as their primary base for their motor racing activities. Brazilian
Emerson Fittipaldi , Italian
Teo Fabi and Colombian
Roberto Guerrero , were able to obtain good outings in the 80s. However, it wasn't until 1993 that reigning Formula One World Champion
Nigel Mansell shocked the racing world by moving to the United States, winning the
PPG CART IndyCar World Series title and only losing the 500 in his rookie year because of inexperience with green-flag restarts. Foreign-born or, at least, -bred drivers became a regular fixture of Indianapolis in the years to follow.
At the end of the 1995 season, the Indianapolis 500 was transferred to its fourth regulations ruling body since its inception. From 1911–1955, the race was organized under the auspices of the
AAA . Following the
1955 Le Mans Disaster , AAA ceased its auto racing division to concentrate on its membership program aimed at the general motoring public. IMS owner
Tony Hulman founded the
United States Automobile Club (USAC) in 1956, which took over sanctioning of the race.
From 1950–1960, the Indianapolis 500 also counted toward the World Driving Championship (now synonymous with
Formula 1 ), although most of the racers did not compete in the other races in the Championship.
Due to control issues of monetary prizes and regulation amendments in the 1970s, along with the death of Tony Hulman in 1977, and the loss of several key USAC officials in a 1978
Plane Crash , several key team owners banded together and formed
Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), which started organizing the Indycar World Series in 1978. However, the Indianapolis 500 remained with USAC for the next several years and became the only high-level race the body still sanctioned after its own series was discontinued after 1979. The race was temporarily removed from the CART calendar, although the same cars and drivers were in attendance. The stand-off was eventually diffused and the race became part of the CART calendar in 1983, though with race sanctioning remained the hands of USAC. Although the race only paid the same points as any of the other races it was by far the highest-profile event of the CART season, with the largest purse of the year.
Despite the CART/USAC divide, from 1983 to 1994 the race was run in relative harmony, with CART and USAC occasionally disagreeing over the technical regulations. However, in 1994, IMS owner
Tony George (Tony Hulman's grandson) announced that he planned to remove the race from the CART series and make it the centerpiece of a new series, to be called the
Indy Racing League (IRL). Opinions varied on his motivations, with his supporters sharing his disapproval of Indy's lack of status within CART when it was obvious that it was the series' flagship, the increasing number of foreign drivers with big bank accounts forcing professional American racing drivers away, and the decreasing number of oval-track races in the series; while his detractors accused George of throwing his weight around and playing politics with the race and its heritage just for a power play furthering his own interests at the expense of the sport overall. Some mention was made of the fact that the race purse had not gone up in a long time.
In its first season in 1996, the IRL attracted mainly little known and inexperienced drivers, smaller teams, older cars, and widespread ridicule as "replacement players." Both pundits and fans alike predicted success for CART and failure for the IRL, but the IRL played its
Hole Card , the "25/8" rule. George announced that 25 of the 33 starting positions at the
1996 Indianapolis 500 would be reserved for the top 25 cars in the IRL points standings, effectively leaving only eight entries for teams who had not competed in the first two IRL races. (This rule would be similar to NASCAR's exemption rules established in 2005.) CART's reaction to this move was to announce a competing race, the
U.S. 500 , to run on the same day as Indianapolis. Nevertheless, the showdown between the U.S. 500 and Indianapolis 500 ended unsettled. Relative unknown American
Buddy Lazier , a driver who had however qualified for three previous 500's (
1991 ,
1992 ,
1995 ), won a competitive but crash-filled race. The CART race had to be delayed when the front-row drivers collided at the start and triggered a massive pile-up, spoiling their carefully chosen public pose as the "stars and cars." The U.S. 500 never generated much in the way of fan interest or television ratings associated with a major event. For 1997, it was moved from being directly opposite the Indianapolis 500 to July, and cancelled altogether in 1999.
Since the IRL had decided that its crown jewel should be the climactic last race of the season, similar to the USAC Marlboro Championship Trail before the 1978 dispute, the in January,
Phoenix in March, and the Indianapolis 500 in May. The next race, at
New Hampshire in August, began the
1996-97 Season . However, this caused confusion for fans used to the traditional calendar-year based schedule used by almost all motorsports organizations. It also did not meet the needs of corporate sponsors, whose budget sheets ran on the fiscal year. Therefore, in September 1996, the IRL announced its season would revert to a calendar-year based schedule. Since the second season had already commenced, the two races held in late 1996 (
New Hampshire and
Las Vegas were included in a 17-month schedule. combined with all events held in 1997. This marathon season coming right after the three-race 1996 season did not help the league's image. By 1998, the IRL schedule fell into sync with the rest of the motorsports world.
In 1997 George made his next move and specified new technical rules for less expensive cars and "production based" engines that outlawed the CART-spec cars that had been the mainstay of the race since the late 1970s. For the next few years almost all of the CART teams and drivers did not compete in the race. While this situation allowed many American drivers to participate in an event they might otherwise have been unable to afford, the turbulent political situation and the absence of the many of the top IndyCar drivers, the big-name sponsors and faster CART-spec cars casting something of a shadow over the race; it was certainly arguable that to the average fan the replacement of at least fairly-well-known foreign drivers by almost-unknown American ones was not perceived as a real gain.
In 2000
Chip Ganassi , while still racing in the CART Series, made the decision to return to Indianapolis with his drivers, the 1996 CART champion
Jimmy Vasser , and the 1999 CART champion
Juan Pablo Montoya . On race day Montoya put on a dominating performance, leading 167 of the 200 laps to win. The defeat was somewhat humiliating for the IRL teams, with the Ganassi team's advantage primarily being pit stops that were frequently several seconds quicker than their main rivals. Yet the real winner was George, who had brought back one of the CART teams -- and its sponsor -- to race with the IRL cars. A year later, Roger Penske, historically CART and Indianapolis' most successful team owner, also came back to Indianapolis and won. For 2002, Penske and Ganassi became permanent entrants in the IRL, with many other former CART teams joining them in switching sides. In 2003
Honda and
Toyota switched their engine supply from CART to the IRL. CART went bankrupt shortly following, with its rights and infrastructure purchased by remaining car owners.
Between 1994 and 2005, a few
NASCAR drivers would be able to compete double duty racing the Indianapolis 500 and the
Coca-Cola 600 at
Lowe's Motor Speedway , which takes place the same day, just after the race. In order to make it on time, drivers usually caught a helicopter directly from the Speedway to take them to the
Indianapolis International Airport , flew into
Concord Regional Airport , and even then barely made it in time to race. Notable drivers include
Tony Stewart ,
Robby Gordon , and
John Andretti . Stewart competed double duty in 1999 and 2001, but contract limits restricted him from doing so in 2004. Gordon has done it the most number of times; in 2004 the rain caused him to have to hand over driving duties to fellow driver
Jaques Lazier . In 2000 Gordon missed the start of the Coca-Cola 600, which started pace laps when the Indianapolis 500 finished. Gordon, who was his own team owner, placed
P. J. Jones , an Indianapolis 500 veteran, in his NASCAR car while Gordon finished (and nearly won if for fuel issues) the Indianapolis 500. Jones received the driver's points but the owner's points were not affected.
Tony Stewart is the only driver to complete the full race distance (1100 miles {1770 km}) in both races on the same day.
For 2005, the start of Indianapolis was pushed back one hour from noon to 1 p.m. , nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears, said that car owner Chip Ganassi--who also presently runs a two-car IRL operation--was open to entering Mears if he won the 2006
Daytona 500 {Link without Title} ; he eventually finished 2nd.
Two winners of the Indianapolis 500 have also won NASCAR's premiere event, the in 1967, two years before triumphing at Indianapolis, and
A.J. Foyt becoming the second to do so in 1972, five years after his third 500 victory in 1967. Foyt is also the only driver to date to win the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, and the
24 Hours Of Le Mans (also in 1967).
Technical specifications for the Indianapolis 500 are currently specified by the Indy Racing League. Rules are the same as every other IRL IndyCar race except for special low-drag adjustable "Speedway" wings that are only used for the Indy 500. In the past, especially during the years when USAC sanctioned the race but CART was the dominant sanctioning body, rules between the race and the sanctioning body differed at times, resulting in legal cars and engines at Indy not being legal for other events that season. The most famous manifestation of that disparity was the
Ilmor -built
Mercedes-Benz 500I engine of
1994 .
Teams may enter up to two cars on a given car number. The second "backup" car is given that number followed by a "T". For example the two cars for the #2 team would be numbered #2 and #2T. Both cars may be practiced during the month, or even simultaneously. Additionally, as the month wears on a "T car" may be split off into its own entry with another number or sold to another team who may have lost its primary car and does not have a backup.
All cars must pass a rigorous technical inspection before receiving a sticker signifying that the car is eligible to practice. Prior to and following qualification attempts, cars must pass another inspection. The first inspection is focused on safety aspects while the second is largely to detect deviations from the performance guidelines set forth by the league.
Due to the longevity of the Indianapolis 500, a number of traditions have developed over the years. For many fans, these traditions are almost as important as the race itself, and they have often reacted quite negatively when the traditions are changed or broken.
- On the Friday before the race the "Last Row Party" has been held every year for charity since 1972. It serves as a Roast for the final three qualifiers in the 500, that will be starting on the eleventh and final row. They are usually, but not always, the slowest three cars in the field. Like Mr. Irrelevant , many of these drivers are often obscure, but six former or eventual race winners have participated in the honor at some time in their career.
- At 6 a.m., and in some years as early as 5 a.m., an explosive is set off to signal the opening of the gates.
- The Purdue University All-American Marching Band plays several pre-race songs, including " On The Banks Of The Wabash " and " Stars And Stripes Forever ."
- In remembrance of Memorial Day , " Taps " is played, and a U.S military aircraft does a Fly-by . In some years, multiple aircraft participate, executing the Missing Man Formation .
- In most years since the mid-1990s, the song " God Bless America " has been performed by Florence Henderson . Henderson, a native Hoosier, is a friend of the Hulman-George family. Her performance is followed by " The Star-Spangled Banner ," performed by a notable artist each year. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith is infamous for substituting the line "the home of the Indianapolis 500" for the traditional anthem ending of "the home of the brave" in 2001.
- The final and most traditional performance is the singing of " Back Home Again In Indiana " by Jim Nabors , accompanied by the Purdue Marching Band. Nabors has performed the song in most years since 1972. During the line ''"...the new mown hay..."'' thousands of multicolored balloons are released from an infield tent. This tradition has accompanied the race since 1946. In 2007, Nabors was too ill to sing, and fans were encouraged to sing along with the band.
- The call for the engines to start is made by stating "Gentlemen, start your engines!" When female drivers are competing, the call has been amended to "Lady and Gentlemen" or "Ladies and Gentlemen." Wilbur Shaw , President of the Speedway from 1946-1954, is not believed to have coined the phrase, but is widely accepted as the person who made it famous. Tony Hulman made the command eloquent and famous while he did it from 1955-1977. From 1978-1980 and 1982-1996, the call was made by his widow Mary Fendrich Hulman . Her daughter, Mari Hulman George recited the command in 1981, and has done so since 1997.
- On occasions when rain has forced delay or postponement of the race after either the race has begun or the initial command has been given (1967, 1973, 1986, 1997, 2004,2007), an amended command, "restart your engines," has been given. In 1986, this restart command was given by Tony George . In 2004, the restart of the race after a rain delay was given by public address announcer Tom Carnegie .
- The cars begin the race in a rolling start, traditionally in eleven rows of three, for a field of 33 cars. Most other automobile races have two cars in a row. This derives from a 1919 AAA mandate of one car for every 400 feet (120 m) of track. Early races, however, saw varying numbers of starters, from as low as 21, to as high as 42. Since 1933 there have been no fewer than 33 qualifiers. In 1941, Sam Hanks was injured in a practice crash the day before the race and withdrew. Then on the morning of the race, George Barringer's car was destroyed in a fire in the garage area, thus only 31 cars actually started the race. The only time since then that fewer than 33 cars qualified was 1947. In that year, a boycott over the purse led to only 30 qualifiers. In 1979, after a rules dispute over turbocharger inlets, and after controversy regarding the refusal of some entries from members of the CART series, a special fifth day of qualifying was added. However, only two cars ran sufficient speeds to be added to the field, and 35 cars started the race. In 1997, a controversial situation saw points-based, locked-in qualifiers bumping out other cars that had actually qualified with faster speeds. Two bumped cars were restored to the field to insure the 33 fastest entries qualifying, for a total of 35 starters. Ironically, on the pace lap, three of the cars crashed out, while two suffered mechanical problems, and only 30 cars took the green flag.
- Tom Carnegie announced on June 9 , 2006 that the previous month's race, would be his last as official track announcer. Having called the race since 1946 on the Public Address System , he is best known for his lines, "He's on it!" (signalling the start of a qualifying attempt), "It's a new track record!" (when a driver surpasses either a one- or four-lap track record in qualifications), and "He's slowing down on the backstretch!" or "Andretti's slowing down!" (The latter for the Andretti family's historical misfortune at Indianapolis.). Indianapolis television personality David Calabro became the second PA announcer in the Hulman-George era after Carnegie's retirement for the 2007 race.
- A long-standing tradition of the Indianapolis 500 is for the victor to drink a bottle of milk immediately after the race. This practice first began in 1936 after Victor Louis Meyer asked for a glass of buttermilk, something his mother had encouraged him to drink on hot days. Afterward it became a ritual as milk companies became sponsors of the race purse and handed a bottle of milk to the winner to promote their product. A Sponsorship of currently $10,000 now paid out by the American Dairy Association if the winner swigs the milk in victory lane. Among Indycar drivers, Emerson Fittipaldi is infamous for drinking Orange Juice instead after his 1993 victory, before he drank the customary milk. Fittipaldi owned citrus farms in Brazil, and wished to promote his industry.
- A Bas-relief sculpture of the winner's face, along with his name, average speed, and date of victory is added to the Borg-Warner Trophy . A smaller replica of this trophy has been officially presented to the winner after the race since 1988. Prior to that, winners received a replica mounted on a chestnut plaque.
- The winner has been awarded one of the Pace Car s, or a replica, almost every year since 1936. In 1941, there were only six copies of the special Chrysler Newport Phaeton, and no production models created. The co-winners did not receive it. In 1946, an Oil Painting and a trip to Italy was substituted as the award, but winner George Robson died in a motorsports accident before he received it. In 1991, the Dodge Viper was still a prototype vehicle, and only two were in existence. Winner Rick Mears was awarded instead a Dodge Stealth , which was to be the original pace car but after protests by the UAW (because the Stealth was a Captive Import built by Mitsubishi in Japan), they were instead used at the track for festival cars.
- The tradition of the winning driver and crew kissing the yard of bricks that mark the start/finish, started by Dale Jarrett at the Brickyard 400 , appears to have carried over to the Indy 500, starting with Gil De Ferran in 2003. {Link without Title}
Many people promote and share information about the Indy 500 and its memorabilia collecting.
The National Indy 500 Collectors Club is an independent active organization that has been dedicated to support such activities. The organization was established January 1, 1985 in Indianapolis by its founder John Blazier, and, includes an experienced membership available for discussion and advise on Indy 500 memorabilia trading and Indy 500 questions in general.
The Indianapolis 500 has been the subject of several films, and has experienced countless references in television, movies, and other media.
''
Indianapolis 500 Legends '', a
Wii and
DS game based on the race, is scheduled for release in late 2007.
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''See main article:
Indianapolis 500 In Film And Media ''
''Indy: The Race and Ritual of the Indianapolis 500, Second Edition'', Terry Reed, 2005
