Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Indianapolis 500 | |||||
Sanctioning body | Indy Racing League | ||||
Season | 2004 IndyCar season | ||||
Date | May 30, 2004 | ||||
Winner | Buddy Rice (450 miles due to rain) | ||||
Winning team | Rahal Letterman Racing | ||||
Average speed | 138.518 mph | ||||
Pole position | Buddy Rice | ||||
Pole speed | 222.024 mph | ||||
Fastest qualifier | Rice | ||||
Rookie of the Year | Kosuke Matsuura | ||||
Most laps led | Buddy Rice (91) | ||||
Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
National anthem | Jessica Simpson | ||||
"Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Nabors | ||||
Starting command | Mari Hulman George | ||||
Pace car | Chevrolet Corvette | ||||
Pace car driver | Morgan Freeman | ||||
Starter | Bryan Howard | ||||
Honorary starter | Nick Lachey | ||||
Estimated attendance | 300,000 (estimated) | ||||
TV in the United States | |||||
Network | ABC | ||||
Announcers | Paul Page, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute | ||||
Nielsen ratings | 4.7 / 11 | ||||
Chronology | |||||
|
The 88th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 30, 2004. It was part of the 2004 IndyCar Series season and the ninth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. Buddy Rice won the pole position, the pit stop contest, led the most laps, and won the race for team owners Bobby Rahal and David Letterman.
The race began about two hours behind schedule due to a morning rain delay. After 27 laps had been completed, rain began to fall again and threatened to wash out the rest of the day. About two hours later, the rain had ceased, and the track was dried. The race resumed on lap 28, and cruised beyond the halfway point to make the race official. At the 150-lap mark, the race had been very competitive up to that point, but was destined to come down to the final round of pit stops to decide the winner. Moreover, dark skies were looming, and inclement weather was moving back into the area. The race appeared to be turning into a weather battle. Some leaders headed for the pits for their final pit stops. At the same time, a handful of teams gambled by staying out, in hopes that they could stretch their fuel and be leading the race when the approaching rain arrived.
Despite desperate attempts to prevail over the approaching rain storm, all of the leaders ultimately were forced to cycle through their final round of pit stops. Nobody was able to stretch their fuel long enough to beat the rain. Buddy Rice, who had led the most laps thus far, re-emerged as the leader. The race was ended after 450 miles (180 laps), just 50 miles (20 laps) short of the scheduled distance. A severe thunderstorm, which eventually produced an F2 tornado, formed in the area of the speedway, shutting the track down, and sending the spectators and competitors for cover. Buddy Rice was declared the winner, his first victory in championship-level competition.
|
|
Rules changes were implemented before the start of the season, which reduced engine displacement from 3.5 L down to 3.0 L. In addition, on-board capacity of fuel was reduced from 35 gallons down to 30. The changes were made in an effort to curtail speeds, which had crept up into the low 230 mph range in 2003. It was also in the wake of a fatal accident at the Speedway. On October 22, 2003, during an off-season tire test, Tony Renna was killed in a crash. On a cool 50 degree morning, Renna spun in turn three, became airborne, and crashed into the outside wall and catch fence. The car was heavily damaged, and Renna died of massive internal trauma.
For the first time, single-point refueling rigs were allowed. [1] During pit stops, teams were now allowed to utilize a single combined fuel/vent hose assembly. This eliminated the need for a separate vent hose and dedicated vent hose operator, improving safety. [2]
Rookie orientation was held April 26, with seven drivers participating. Newcomers Ed Carpenter, Kosuke Matsuura, Mark Taylor, and Luis Díaz passed all four phases of the rookie tests. Jeff Simmons and Marty Roth passed three phases, and can pass the fourth phase during routine practice.
Larry Foyt participated, but due to previous high-speed oval experience, was exempted from needing to pass the four-phase test. [3] [4]
Carpenter led the speed chart at 215.584 mph. Though Díaz passed the rookie test, he did not return with Ganassi for practice come May.
Scott Dixon led the speed chart with a lap of 219.760 mph on opening day. No incidents were reported.
Track remained closed most of the afternoon, due to thunder storms. The track re-opened just before 5 p.m. and Hélio Castroneves set the fastest lap of the month at 220.300 mph. Late in the day, Robby Gordon spun and hit the outside wall in turn 2 but was uninjured.
Felipe Giaffone brushed the wall in the north chute, then slid along the wall to the entrance to the pits. He was uninjured. Adrián Fernández became the first driver of the month to break the 221 mph barrier but Kosuke Matsuura (221.857 mph) ended up with the fastest lap of the day.
Tony Kanaan drove the fastest lap of the month, at 222.668 mph.
Rain kept the track closed until 3 p.m. The session was ended about 10 minutes early when Scott Sharp crashed in turn 1. Hélio Castroneves turned the fastest lap of the day (221.156 mph). Buddy Rice was among the top five for the first time all week.
The track opened at 11 a.m. but lasted only four minutes, as rain began falling and closed the track for the day. During the brief session, only four cars had entered the track with Sarah Fisher (212.616 mph) the only car to run a single lap at speed.
Pole day dawned cool and damp. Overnight rain kept the track closed until shortly after 12 noon. During the first practice session, Tony Kanaan reached 223.224 mph, the fastest lap of the month.
Pole qualifying began at 2:15 p.m. Roger Yasukawa earned the distinction as the first driver in the field. Shortly after, Robby Gordon qualified his car and immediately boarded a plane to Richmond to participate in the NASCAR event that evening. At 3:06 p.m., Dan Wheldon placed himself on the provisional pole position after a qualifying run of 221.524 mph. Several wave offs and two wrecks (Bryan Herta and Felipe Giaffone) characterized the early attempts.
At 4:14 p.m., Buddy Rice took over the pole position with a run of 222.024 mph. Rice held off late runs by Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan to secure his first Indy 500 pole. At the end of the day, the field was filled to 22 cars.
Four cars completed attempts to fill the field to 26 cars. After wrecking the day before, both Bryan Herta and Felipe Giaffone put their cars safely in the field. Herta was the fastest qualifier of the afternoon.
Mark Taylor brushed the wall in turn 2, but suffered only minor damage. Scott Dixon led all drivers at 220.576 mph, while Marty Roth was the fastest of the non-qualified cars (212.292 mph).
A. J. Foyt IV spun in turn 3 and brushed the inside wall, suffering minor damage. Kosuke Matsuura was the fastest of the day (220.784 mph). Marty Roth once again led the non-qualified cars (212.352 mph).
Adrián Fernández topped the speed chart at 218.257 mph. Meanwhile, Buddy Lazier joined DRR to drive the #24 car (which later became #91 in a joint entry with Hemelgarn). On his first day of track activity, Lazier led non-qualified cars at 215.513 mph.
The final full day of practice saw heavy activity. P. J. Jones took to the track for the first time but only managed 208 mph. Buddy Lazier led the non-qualified car at over 214 mph.
The final day of qualifying saw seven positions open in the field. P. J. Jones was the first car to qualify (213.355 mph), followed by Marty Roth and others. At 1:45 p.m., Greg Ray filled the field to 33 cars with a run of 216.641 mph; the fastest attempt of the afternoon.
A brief rain shower followed, with Robby McGehee sitting on the bubble as the slowest qualifier (211.631 mph). At that point, it did not appear that any additional drivers would make an attempt to qualify. The only driver left on the sidelines was Jaques Lazier, who briefly practiced during the week for Foyt. However, the ride fizzled. Nevertheless, the track was re-opened after the shower as track crews were able to dry the circuit.
During the afternoon, Tony Stewart visited the track. He was running full-time in NASCAR, and had raced in the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge the night prior. A. J. Foyt reportedly called Stewart while he was at the track and invited him to practice in one of his back-up cars. Stewart quickly passed his physical and went to the pit area to prepare for a possible qualifying attempt. With little else going on during the afternoon, the rumors quickly buzzed around the track and throngs of media surrounded Stewart to cover the breaking story.
With about an hour left in the day, a car was prepared for Stewart and fired up on pit lane. Stewart had yet to climb into the car but was suited up in his driving uniform. At 5:36 p.m., however, Stewart left the pits on foot and announced he would not make an attempt to qualify. Stewart's contracts with Joe Gibbs Racing, Home Depot, and Chevrolet precluded him from driving Foyt's Toyota Indy car.
The final practice was held Thursday May 26. Rahal Letterman Racing with driver Buddy Rice and chief mechanic Ricardo Nault won the Checkers/Rally's Pit Stop Challenge
Row | Inside | Middle | Outside | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 15 | Buddy Rice | 26 | Dan Wheldon | 27 | Dario Franchitti |
2 | 36 | Bruno Junqueira | 11 | Tony Kanaan | 5 | Adrian Fernandez |
3 | 17 | Vítor Meira | 3 | Hélio Castroneves (W) | 55 | Kosuke Matsuura (R) |
4 | 4 | Tomas Scheckter | 6 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 16 | Roger Yasukawa |
5 | 1 | Scott Dixon | 2 | Mark Taylor (R) | 10 | Darren Manning (R) |
6 | 52 | Ed Carpenter (R) | 20 | Al Unser Jr. (W) | 70 | Robby Gordon |
7 | 39 | Sarah Fisher | 8 | Scott Sharp | 14 | A. J. Foyt IV |
8 | 41 | Larry Foyt (R) | 51 | Alex Barron | 7 | Bryan Herta |
9 | 24 | Felipe Giaffone | 12 | Tora Takagi | 13 | Greg Ray |
10 | 91 | Buddy Lazier (W) | 21 | Jeff Simmons (R) | 33 | Richie Hearn |
11 | 98 | P. J. Jones (R) | 25 | Marty Roth (R) | 18 | Robby McGehee |
Rain fell early in the morning between 6:00-6:20 a.m. Rain resumed at 9:18 a.m. and continued intermittently until about 10:30 a.m. Track drying efforts began and the start of the race was delayed by a little over two hours. Mari Hulman George gave the traditional command to start engines at 1:02 p.m.
At 1:07 p.m., the field pulled away for the pace laps, about two hours and fifteen minutes behind schedule. At the start, Buddy Rice took the lead from the pole position. Rice led Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, Dan Wheldon, and Hélio Castroneves.
On lap 10, A. J. Foyt IV brushed the wall in turn four and spun and crashed in turn 1. Foyt was uninjured. Several of the leaders pitted under the caution. Bryan Herta led the field back to green on lap 16. Three laps later, Wheldon took the lead but on lap 22, rain began to fall again and the caution was out again. The field circulated under yellow for several laps and, on lap 28, the red flag came out. Rain was falling hard and the cars were parked in the pits. Many believed the resumption would have to be delayed until Monday.
After a delay of 1 hour and 47 minutes, the race was ready to resume. Robby Gordon, who was attempting to race in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600, departed the grounds and flew to Charlotte. Jaques Lazier was standing by, and climbed in the car to drive relief.
Shortly after 3:30 p.m., the race continued. Dan Wheldon led at the green, but Buddy Rice quickly assumed the lead. An intense segment of racing saw several changes in position amongst the top 10 and the leaders racing closely together. On lap 56, Larry Foyt wrecked in turn two guaranteeing the Foyt team would finish 32nd-33rd.
Buddy Rice continued to lead during the next stretch of green flag racing. Dan Wheldon and Sam Hornish Jr. ran 2nd-3rd.
The third crash of the day involved Ed Carpenter and Mark Taylor on lap 64.
As the race approached the halfway point, Rice still led and Wheldon and Hornish continued to battle for 2nd and 3rd. The top five were still within seconds of each other.
On lap 94, P. J. Jones made contact with the wall exiting turn 2. Jaques Lazier dropped out with a broken axle and leader Buddy Rice stalled exiting the pits. Dan Wheldon took over the lead with Hélio Castroneves now second and Rice dropping down to 8th.
As the race completed the 101st lap, it was scored official and would not need to carry over into a second day. On lap 105, Darren Manning and Greg Ray got together, crashing in turn four and collecting Sam Hornish Jr. The three cars slid into the end of the pit wall and came to rest at the entrance of the pits. Tony Kanaan now led with Rice still mired back in 8th.
Kanaan and Wheldon traded the lead a couple times until Marty Roth brought out the next caution by crashing in turn 4. Buddy Rice worked his way up to 5th for the restart. Meanwhile, Bruno Junqueira stayed out while the leaders pitted and took over the lead. Junquiera was gambling that his fuel would outlast the leaders in case rain were to resume.
At lap 150, Bruno Junqueira led Buddy Rice and Tony Kanaan. Approaching rain and one final round of pit stops for the leaders was looming and threatened to turn the result into a crap shoot. The first driver to go was Junqueira, who pitted for fuel and tires on lap 151.
The lead went back to Buddy Rice, who was followed closely by Tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon. Kanaan ducked into the pits for fuel on lap 164 and Wheldon pitted on lap 165. Two laps later, Rice was in the pits, handing the lead over to Bryan Herta. Rain was fast approaching the Speedway and the race was not expected to reach the full distance before the rain fell. More of the leaders cycled into the pits.
Herta gave up the lead on lap 169 in order to pit for fuel. That handed the race lead to Adrian Fernandez as slight moisture was being reported around the track. Fernandez made it to lap 171 but significant rain was not falling yet and green flag conditions still prevailed. Fernandez made a quick 9-second pit stop but lost the lead. After the hectic sequence of pit stops, Buddy Rice was back into the lead.
With Rice leading, Kanaan second, and Wheldon back to third, rain started falling on lap 174. The yellow came out with Rice the certain winner. A severe thunderstorm approached the area and the race was halted after the completion of lap 180 (450 miles (720 km)), 20 laps short of the finish. Lightning forced the victory celebration indoors to the Pagoda.
Rice became the first American winner since Eddie Cheever in 1998. It was also the first rain-shortened 500 since 1976. An F2 tornado missed the Speedway and its quarter-million spectators by six miles as it raked across the south central portion of Indianapolis. The tornado caused widespread damage.
On race day, May 30, precipitation in Indianapolis totaled 3.80 inches; a record single-day amount for that date, and any date during the month since records had been kept. [5]
Finish | Start | No | Name | Qual | Rank | C | E | Laps | Led | Status | Entrant |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 15 | Buddy Rice | 222.024 | 1 | P | H | 180 | 91 | Running | Rahal Letterman Racing |
2 | 5 | 11 | Tony Kanaan | 221.200 | 5 | D | H | 180 | 28 | Running | Andretti Green Racing |
3 | 2 | 26 | Dan Wheldon | 221.524 | 2 | D | H | 180 | 26 | Running | Andretti Green Racing |
4 | 23 | 7 | Bryan Herta | 219.871 | 13 | D | H | 180 | 3 | Running | Andretti Green Racing |
5 | 4 | 36 | Bruno Junqueira | 221.379 | 4 | P | H | 180 | 16 | Running | Newman/Haas Racing |
6 | 7 | 17 | Vítor Meira | 220.958 | 7 | P | H | 180 | 0 | Running | Rahal Letterman Racing |
7 | 6 | 5 | Adrian Fernández | 220.999 | 6 | P | H | 180 | 3 | Running | Fernandez Racing |
8 | 13 | 1 | Scott Dixon | 219.319 | 14 | P | T | 180 | 0 | Running | Chip Ganassi Racing |
9 | 8 | 3 | Hélio Castroneves (W) | 220.882 | 8 | D | T | 180 | 0 | Running | Team Penske |
10 | 12 | 16 | Roger Yasukawa | 220.030 | 12 | P | H | 180 | 0 | Running | Rahal Letterman Racing |
11 | 9 | 55 | Kosuke Matsuura (R) | 220.740 | 9 | P | H | 180 | 0 | Running | Super Aguri Fernandez Racing |
12 | 24 | 51 | Alex Barron | 218.836 | 17 | D | C | 180 | 3 | Running | Team Cheever |
13 | 20 | 8 | Scott Sharp | 215.635 | 24 | D | T | 180 | 0 | Running | Kelley Racing |
14 | 3 | 27 | Dario Franchitti | 221.471 | 3 | D | H | 180 | 1 | Running | Andretti Green Racing |
15 | 25 | 24 | Felipe Giaffone | 216.259 | 22 | D | C | 179 | 0 | Running | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
16 | 29 | 21 | Jeff Simmons (R) | 214.783 | 26 | D | T | 179 | 0 | Running | Mo Nunn Racing |
17 | 17 | 20 | Al Unser Jr. (W) | 217.966 | 19 | D | C | 179 | 0 | Running | Patrick Racing |
18 | 10 | 4 | Tomas Scheckter | 220.417 | 10 | D | C | 179 | 0 | Running | Panther Racing |
19 | 26 | 12 | Tora Takagi | 214.364 | 27 | D | T | 179 | 0 | Running | Mo Nunn Racing |
20 | 30 | 33 | Richie Hearn | 213.715 | 29 | P | T | 178 | 0 | Running | Sam Schmidt Motorsports |
21 | 19 | 39 | Sarah Fisher | 215.771 | 23 | D | T | 177 | 0 | Running | Kelley Racing |
22 | 33 | 18 | Robby McGehee | 211.631 | 33 | D | C | 177 | 0 | Running | PDM Racing |
23 | 28 | 91 | Buddy Lazier (W) | 215.110 | 25 | D | C | 164 | 0 | Fuel System | Hemelgarn Racing |
24 | 32 | 25 | Marty Roth (R) | 211.974 | 32 | D | T | 128 | 0 | Accident FS | Roth Racing |
25 | 15 | 10 | Darren Manning (R) | 219.271 | 16 | P | T | 104 | 0 | Accident T4 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
26 | 11 | 6 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 220.180 | 11 | D | T | 104 | 9 | Accident T4 | Team Penske |
27 | 27 | 13 | Greg Ray | 216.641 | 20 | P | H | 98 | 0 | Accident T4 | Access Motorsports |
28 | 31 | 98 | P. J. Jones (R) | 213.355 | 30 | D | C | 92 | 0 | Accident BS | CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports |
29 | 18 | 70 | Robby Gordon (relieved by Jaques Lazier laps 28-88) | 216.522 | 21 | D | C | 88 | 0 | Mechanical | Robby Gordon Motorsports |
30 | 14 | 2 | Mark Taylor (R) | 219.282 | 15 | D | C | 62 | 0 | Accident T3 | Panther Racing |
31 | 16 | 52 | Ed Carpenter (R) | 218.590 | 18 | D | C | 62 | 0 | Accident T3 | Team Cheever |
32 | 22 | 41 | Larry Foyt (R) | 213.277 | 31 | P | T | 54 | 0 | Accident T2 | A. J. Foyt Enterprises |
33 | 21 | 14 | A. J. Foyt IV | 214.256 | 28 | D | T | 26 | 0 | Handling | A. J. Foyt Enterprises |
W = Former Indianapolis 500 winner; R = Indianapolis 500 rookie
*C Chassis: D=Dallara, P=Panoz
*E Engine: C=Chevrolet, H=Honda, T=Toyota
All cars in the 2004 Indianapolis 500 used Firestone tires.
Notes: Race halted on lap 27 due to rain. The race was resumed and when rain pelted the Speedway again late in the race, officials waved the checkered flag 15 minutes after the traditional 6 PM closing time. It was only the second time in IMS history racing went past the traditional 6 PM EST closing time; in 1995, the Brickyard 400 raced into 7 PM EST (8 PM EDT) because of rain delays. Since the state's adoption of Daylight Saving Time, there have been years where Indianapolis 500 qualifying has passed 6 PM, and the Brickyard 400 has reached past that time on occasion. It is the only Indianapolis 500 to have reached 7 PM EDT. Two races, the 1995 Brickyard 400 (8:07 PM EDT) and the 2017 Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 (8:57 PM EDT), have reached the 8 PM EDT hour.
During the rain delay, Robby Gordon flew to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600, which prompted the team to put Jaques Lazier in the car, but a mechanical failure forced the car not to finish.
The race was carried live on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. Mike King served as chief announcer. Kenny Bräck served as "driver expert" up until the rain delay. Bräck sat out the 2004 IndyCar season due to a major crash suffered at Texas in October 2003. This was the only time, other than 2011, that Bräck served as the driver expert on an American broadcast, however, he would serve in later years on international broadcasts.
Departing from the broadcast team were two longtime members, Howdy Bell and Chuck Marlowe. Donald Davidson celebrated his 40th year as a member of the crew, while Jerry Baker reached his milestone 30th race.
Kevin Lee moved from turn two to the pit area. Adam Alexander moved from the pits to the turn two location. This was Dave Argabright's first year on the network. This was the last year for both Jim Murphy and Kim Morris.
Indy Racing Radio Network | ||
---|---|---|
Booth Announcers | Turn Reporters | Pit/garage reporters |
Chief Announcer: Mike King | Turn 1: Jerry Baker | Kevin Lee Kim Morris Jim Murphy Dave Argabright |
The race was carried live flag-to-flag coverage in the United States on ABC Sports. The broadcast was billed as the Indianapolis 500 Presented by 7-Eleven . The broadcasting crew moved to a new booth, located in the Pit Road Suites next to the Pagoda. Several innovations were introduced, including the first 180-degree on-board rotating camera, and a Skycam along the mainstretch. The network celebrated its 40th anniversary covering the Indianapolis 500.
Bob Jenkins was released from ABC and ESPN after 2003, and his position as "host" was taken by Terry Gannon. Paul Page continued as play-by-play, along with Scott Goodyear. Jack Arute, who had been in the pit area from 1984 to 1998 and 2000-2003, moved into the booth as analyst for the 2004 race. Joining the crew for the first time were Todd Harris and Jamie Little, both as pit reporters.
Despite a lengthy rain delay throughout the afternoon, ABC stayed on-air all day with coverage, and filled the downtime with highlights and interviews. The marathon broadcast totaled 8 hours and 22 minutes.
The introduction, titled "The Chase", featuring Henry Rollins, would earn a Sports Emmy nomination for outstanding post produced audio/sound.
ABC Television | |
---|---|
Booth Announcers | Pit/garage reporters |
Host: Terry Gannon | Vince Welch Dr. Jerry Punch Gary Gerould Todd Harris Jamie Little |
Antoine Rizkallah "Tony" Kanaan Filho, nicknamed TK, is a Brazilian racing driver. He is best known for competing in Indy car racing, racing in Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) from 1998–2002, and the IndyCar Series from 2002–2023. He is the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner and the 2004 IndyCar Series champion. Kanaan remains active as a driver, competing full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, driving the No. 6 Toyota Corolla E210 for Full Time Bassani.
The 2005 IRL IndyCar Series began on Sunday, March 6 and ended on Sunday, October 16. The season, which consisted of 17 races, was the 10th season of the IRL IndyCar Series since it split from CART in 1995.
The 2006 IRL IndyCar Series began on March 26 and concluded on September 10. Sam Hornish Jr. won his third IndyCar Series championship. Hornish also won the 90th Indianapolis 500, passing rookie Marco Andretti on the final lap less than 500 feet (150 m) from the finish line. The title chase was very dramatic between Penske drivers Hornish and Hélio Castroneves battling Ganassi drivers Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon. The four drivers occupied the first four positions in the final race at Chicagoland Speedway, with Wheldon leading Dixon home for a Ganassi 1–2, but Hornish finishing third, edging out reigning champion Wheldon on a tiebreak. Third would have been enough to catapult fourth-place finisher Castroneves to take the title, but he instead ended up two points behind Hornish and Wheldon. Dixon was also in strong title contention, finishing a mere 15 points adrift of the championship.
The 2004 IRL IndyCar Series was dominated by two teams, Andretti Green Racing and Rahal Letterman Racing. While there was great parity in 2003 between Honda and Toyota powered teams, in 2004 Honda began to outshine Toyota bringing their teams Penske Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing down with it, leaving Scott Dixon winless and in 10th place in his attempt to defend his 2003 championship.
The 2003 IRL IndyCar Series brought some of the biggest changes in its history. The league adopted the name IndyCar Series, after a settlement with CART prohibiting its use had expired. Several former CART teams brought their full operations to the IRL, most notably major squads Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Green Racing, as well as former CART engine manufacturers Toyota and Honda, replacing Infiniti who shifted its efforts to the new feeder series Infiniti Pro Series. Many of the IRL's old guard including Robbie Buhl, Greg Ray, and Buddy Lazier had difficulty competing in this new manufacturer-driven landscape. The league also added its first international race this year, taking over the CART date at Twin Ring Motegi.
The 89th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 29, 2005. It was the premier event of the 2005 IndyCar Series season and the tenth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. Dan Wheldon won the race, his first of two Indy victories. Wheldon became the first British-born winner since Graham Hill in 1966. It was the second consecutive Indy victory for Honda, and the first victory for the Dallara chassis since 2002. It was also the long-awaited first Indianapolis 500 victory for car owner Michael Andretti of Andretti-Green Racing. After many years of failing to win the race as a driver, Andretti finally achieved victory at Indianapolis as an owner. As of 2022, it is the first of his five Indy victories as an owner.
The 87th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 25, 2003. Two-time defending champion Hélio Castroneves won the pole position and was trying to become the first driver in Indy history to win three in a row. With 31 laps to go, however, Castroneves was passed by his Penske teammate Gil de Ferran, and the duo finished 1st–2nd, with de Ferran winning his first Indy 500. The race was sanctioned by the Indy Racing League and was part of the 2003 IndyCar Series season.
The 84th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 2000. The race was sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and was part of the 2000 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series season. After four years of an ongoing organizational dispute and "split" in Indy car racing, Chip Ganassi Racing became the first major CART-based team to compete at the race since 1995. The Ganassi team of Jimmy Vasser and Juan Pablo Montoya competed as a one-off entry, and were well received by fans and fellow competitors. Both drivers were quickly up to speed with the IRL regulars, and were expected to be favorites in both qualifying and on race day. Also making a heralded return to Indianapolis was two-time winner Al Unser Jr. who had switched full-time to the IRL in 2000.
The 90th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 28, 2006. Sam Hornish Jr. won from the pole position. It was Hornish's first and only win at Indianapolis, and the record fourteenth Indy victory for Penske Racing. Hornish would later win the IndyCar Series championship, the second driver in a row to sweep the Indy 500 and season championship in the same season.
The 91st Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 27, 2007. It was the twelfth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and marked the fifth race of the 2007 IndyCar Series season. Hélio Castroneves started the race on the pole position.
The 2007 IRL IndyCar Series began with a night race on Saturday March 24 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The season's premiere event, the 91st Indianapolis 500 was held on May 27. The season finale was held at Chicagoland Speedway on September 9. Dario Franchitti won four races during the season, including the Indy 500, clinched the 2007 IndyCar Series championship after he won the final race of the season at Chicagoland Speedway, after points leader Scott Dixon ran out of fuel in turn 3 of the final lap.
The 2008 IndyCar Series was the 13th season of the IndyCar Series. It was the 97th recognized season of top-level American open wheel racing. On February 26, 2008, the managements of Indy Racing League and Champ Car came to an agreement to become a single entity, ending a twelve-year split and resulting in the cancellation of the 2008 Champ Car World Series.
The 92nd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 25, 2008. Scott Dixon of New Zealand won the race from the pole position.
The 93rd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 24, 2009. It was the 14th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and the premier event of the 2009 IndyCar Series season.
The 94th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 30, 2010. It was the 15th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and was the premier event of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season. The race was won by Dario Franchitti, ahead of Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti. Tony Kanaan, who had started in the final position, ran as high as second during the race before finishing eleventh.
The 95th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 29, 2011. The race was part of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season. The track opened for practice on May 14 and time trials were held from May 21 to 22. Alex Tagliani won the pole position, and the race was won by Dan Wheldon. It was his second Indy 500 win after the 2005 race, and the last win of his racing career. It was the first of two Indy victories for car owner Bryan Herta.
The 97th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 26, 2013. It was the premier event of the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season. Tony Kanaan, a native of Brazil, was victorious on a record-setting day. Kanaan became the fourth Brazilian driver to win the Indianapolis 500 joined by Emerson Fittipaldi, Helio Castroneves, and Gil de Ferran.
The 2015 Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 24, 2015. It was the premier event of the 2015 season of the Verizon IndyCar Series. Juan Pablo Montoya won his second Indianapolis 500, followed in the finish by Will Power, Charlie Kimball, polesitter Scott Dixon, and Graham Rahal.
The 2016 Indianapolis 500 took place on Sunday, May 29, 2016, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. It was the premier event of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season. In a shocking finish, 24 year-old rookie Alexander Rossi of Andretti Herta Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian won the race on fuel mileage over Carlos Muñoz and Josef Newgarden. Two-time winner Juan Pablo Montoya entered the race as the defending champion.
The 2021 Indianapolis 500 was a 500-mile race in the 2021 IndyCar Series, held on May 30, 2021, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The month of May activities formally began on May 15 with the GMR Grand Prix on the combined road course. Practice for the Indianapolis 500 began on May 18, and time trials were held May 22–23. Carb Day, the traditional final day of practice, took place on May 28.