Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
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Indianapolis 500 | |||||
Sanctioning body | IndyCar | ||||
Season | 2012 IndyCar season | ||||
Date | May 27, 2012 | ||||
Winner | Dario Franchitti [1] | ||||
Winning team | Chip Ganassi Racing | ||||
Average speed | 167.734 mph (269.942 km/h) | ||||
Pole position | Ryan Briscoe | ||||
Pole speed | 226.484 mph (364.491 km/h) | ||||
Fastest qualifier | Ryan Briscoe | ||||
Rookie of the Year | Rubens Barrichello | ||||
Most laps led | Marco Andretti (59) | ||||
Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
National anthem | Martina McBride [2] | ||||
"Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Nabors (video) [3] | ||||
Starting command | Mari Hulman George | ||||
Pace car | Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 | ||||
Pace car driver | Guy Fieri [4] | ||||
Starter | Paul Blevin | ||||
Honorary starter | Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels [5] | ||||
Estimated attendance | 300,000+ (est.) | ||||
TV in the United States | |||||
Network | ABC | ||||
Announcers | Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, and Eddie Cheever | ||||
Nielsen ratings | 4.34 [6] | ||||
Chronology | |||||
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The 96th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday May 27, 2012. It was the premier event of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season. For the first time since 1996 all entries featured turbocharged engines, [7] [8] and all entries were brand new model-year chassis, [9] as part of the ICONIC Project. This was the first time since 2003, and only the fourth time since 1985, that all cars were a new model-year chassis.
The track opened for practice on Saturday May 12. Time trials were held May 19–20. Ryan Briscoe of Penske Racing qualified for the pole position. The final practice, traditionally dubbed "Carb Day", was held Friday May 25.
Dario Franchitti, who previously won the race in 2007 and 2010, won the event, becoming a three-time Indy 500 champion. [10] On the final lap, second place Takuma Sato challenged Franchitti for the lead in turn one, but Franchitti maintained a low line, forcing Sato's left tires on or over the white line marking the edge of the course. [11] As the two cars were side by side, Sato spun and crashed into the outside wall. Sato finished in 17th, while Franchitti went on to take the victory. [12] Franchitti's teammate Scott Dixon finished second, sweeping a 1-2 finish for Chip Ganassi Racing. The race set an all-time record with 34 lead changes. [13] Franchitti's win represented the ninth consecutive Indy victory for Honda, despite the presence of multiple engine manufacturers for the first time since 2005.
Dario Franchitti won his first Indianapolis 500 with Brembo-equipped brakes. This was the last win of Dario Franchitti's 12 season career. In the penultimate race of the 2013 IndyCar Series in Houston, Franchitti would be involved in a multi-car accident that would prematurely end his career.
For the first time since 1947, the previous year's race winner had been killed in a racing crash in the time between races. Defending race winner Dan Wheldon [14] was killed in a horrific crash during the 2011 season finale, the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Several winners have missed the following year due to either retirements, injuries, or racing in a different series. The last time the defending champion did not participate in the race due to injury or death was 2004 race winner Buddy Rice, who suffered a concussion during practice, and sat out the 2005 race (also won by Wheldon). The last time a defending Indianapolis 500 champion did not participate in the race under any circumstances was 2007 race winner Dario Franchitti, who was injured in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2008 and had a full-time racing schedule in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2008.
Jim Nabors, who has traditionally sung "Back Home Again in Indiana" during the pre-race ceremonies in most years since 1972, was not able to attend the race for health reasons. [15] The Speedway sent a film crew to record a video of him performing the song at his home in Hawaii, and aired it on video boards on race morning. [3]
Going into the month, there was growing concern about filling the field to the traditional 33 cars. This was due in part to the struggles of Lotus, and lease issues in the first year of the new engine package, namely involving Dragon Racing. However, on Bump Day, the field was filled to exactly 33 cars, with no cars bumped, a similar situation to 2003.
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Other scheduled events included: [16]
On April 18, 2012, the official entry list of thirty-four car/driver combinations was released. Former winners entered include Dario Franchitti, Hélio Castroneves and Scott Dixon. In an unusual move, Chip Ganassi Racing sponsor Target changed Franchitti's car number for the month. While Franchitti was legally entitled to using #1, the team decided instead to keep the team's #10 identity for the season, but to celebrate Target's fifty years in business, the car carried #50 for the race. The stylised #50 utilised the Target logo.
Former Formula One driver Jean Alesi was listed as an entry for Newman Haas Racing, [17] but the car was later withdrawn. Lotus continued to find a team for Alesi, and struck a deal with Indy Lights team Fan Force United to run a car. [18] Rubens Barrichello, winner of the 2002 U.S. Grand Prix at Indy was the first former winner of that event to attempt to qualify for the Indy 500. [19]
Michel Jourdain Jr., who had last raced at Indy sixteen years earlier in 1996, was named to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Jourdain would be the only driver in the field from the 1990s. With John Andretti not entered, not a single driver from the 1980s was in the field.
With the introduction of the new chassis and engine package, testing was conducted at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the offseason. The first phase of testing involved Dan Wheldon, and testing was conducted on the USGP road course at Indianapolis on September 1, [20] and on the oval in late September. [21] [22] Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan tested at Indianapolis in early November for Honda and Chevrolet. [23] Test results were mixed at the Speedway, [23] [24] with drivers complaining of weight imbalance issues, [23] [24] and speeds (208–216 mph [23] [24] ) were down from what was expected.
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 26 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | 218.625 |
2 | 11 | Tony Kanaan | KV Racing Technology | Chevrolet | 218.439 |
3 | 10 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 218.094 |
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-24 at the Wayback Machine |
For the second year in a row, IndyCar held an official pre-Indy oval test. Since the Indy 500 will be the first oval race of the 2012 season, the league hosted a test for rookies to assimilate with ovals, and to test out an updated aero kit package for Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile 24-degree banked oval which has been a type of circuit that was questionable in light of the Las Vegas tragedy. The aero kit package at Texas was not used for Indianapolis or Fontana. Indianapolis and Fontana, home of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar World Championship, used the same superspeedway aero and rules package. The test also saw Rubens Barrichello take his first competitive laps on an oval on Monday May 7.
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 212.371 |
2 | 83 | Charlie Kimball | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 211.330 |
3 | 10 | Dario Franchitti | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 210.525 |
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-23 at the Wayback Machine |
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 | James Jakes R | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 218.268 |
2 | 39 | Bryan Clauson R | Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | Honda | 217.046 |
3 | 67 | Josef Newgarden R | Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | Honda | 216.573 |
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-23 at the Wayback Machine |
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 67 | Josef Newgarden R | Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | Honda | 220.250 |
2 | 4 | J. R. Hildebrand | Panther Racing | Chevrolet | 219.693 |
3 | 39 | Bryan Clauson R | Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | Honda | 219.632 |
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-26 at the Wayback Machine |
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 17 | Sebastián Saavedra | AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | 221.526 |
2 | 39 | Bryan Clauson R | Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | Honda | 221.173 |
3 | 67 | Josef Newgarden R | Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | Honda | 221.158 |
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-26 at the Wayback Machine |
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 67 | Josef Newgarden R | Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | Honda | 222.486 |
2 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | 221.639 |
3 | 26 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | 221.519 |
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-23 at the Wayback Machine |
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 26 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | 223.676 |
2 | 3 | Hélio Castroneves | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 222.025 |
3 | 27 | James Hinchcliffe | Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | 221.864 |
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2020-09-23 at the Wayback Machine |
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
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1 | 67 | Josef Newgarden R | Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | Honda | 222.785 |
2 | 26 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | 222.108 |
3 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | 221.763 |
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-26 at the Wayback Machine |
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 223.088 |
2 | 67 | Josef Newgarden R | Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | Honda | 222.709 |
3 | 38 | Graham Rahal | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 222.080 |
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-23 at the Wayback Machine |
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
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1 | 26 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | 227.540 |
2 | 2 | Ryan Briscoe | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 226.835 |
3 | 3 | Hélio Castroneves | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 226.716 |
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-22 at the Wayback Machine |
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
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1 | 3 | Hélio Castroneves | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 227.744 |
2 | 25 | Ana Beatriz | Andretti Autosport/Conquest Racing | Chevrolet | 226.187 |
3 | 2 | Ryan Briscoe | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 226.027 |
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2021-09-28 at the Wayback Machine |
Q1 The driver waved off and did not make an attempt during Q2. Per INDYCAR rules, Q1 times determine positions after the drivers who completed Q2.
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 22 | Oriol Servià | Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Chevrolet | 223.752 |
2 | 7 | Sébastien Bourdais | Dragon Racing | Chevrolet | 223.479 |
3 | 20T | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 222.886 |
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-26 at the Wayback Machine |
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed | Pts |
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25 | 7 | Sébastien Bourdais | Dragon Racing | Chevrolet | 223.760 | 3 |
26 | 41 | Wade Cunningham R | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Honda | 223.258 | 3 |
27 | 22 | Oriol Servià | Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Chevrolet | 222.393 | 3 |
28 | 20T | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 222.324 | 3 |
29 | 14 | Mike Conway | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Honda | 222.319 | 3 |
30 | 6 | Katherine Legge R | Dragon Racing | Chevrolet | 221.624 | 3 |
31 | 39 | Bryan Clauson R | Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | Honda | 214.455 | 3 |
32 | 78 | Simona de Silvestro | HVM Racing | Lotus | 214.393 | 3 |
33 | 64 | Jean Alesi R | Fan Force United | Lotus | 210.094 | 3 |
OFFICIAL REPORT |
Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
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1 | 50 | Dario Franchitti | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 222.360 |
2 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 222.274 |
3 | 26 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | 221.702 |
OFFICIAL REPORT |
The 34th annual Pit Stop Challenge was held on Friday May 27. The competition featured twelve participants in a single-elimination bracket-style match-up. Four teams received byes, while eight teams competed in the first round. A total purse of $100,000 was at stake, with $50,000 going to the winning team. The format has two cars competing in a layout that resembles a drag race. The cars race from a standing start and drive into the pit box, change four tires, simulate a refueling, and race to a finish line a few hundred feet down the pit lane.
Chip Ganassi Racing won the pit stop competition for the first time, with driver Scott Dixon.
First Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||
9 | Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) | 13.941 | |||||||||||||||||
38 | Graham Rahal (Chip Ganassi Racing) | 17.166 | |||||||||||||||||
27 | James Hinchcliffe (Andretti Autosport) | ||||||||||||||||||
38 | Graham Rahal (Chip Ganassi Racing) | ||||||||||||||||||
9 | Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) | 13.385 | |||||||||||||||||
12 | Will Power (Team Penske) | 13.695 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske) | ||||||||||||||||||
12 | Will Power (Team Penske) | ||||||||||||||||||
4 | J. R. Hildebrand (Panther Racing) | ||||||||||||||||||
12 | Will Power (Team Penske) | ||||||||||||||||||
9 | Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) | 13.769 | |||||||||||||||||
22 | Oriol Servia (Dreyer & Reinbold) | 17.194 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Helio Castroneves (Team Penske) | ||||||||||||||||||
22 | Oriol Servia (Dreyer & Reinbold) | ||||||||||||||||||
14 | Mike Conway (A. J. Foyt Racing) | ||||||||||||||||||
22 | Oriol Servia (Dreyer & Reinbold) | ||||||||||||||||||
50 | Dario Franchitti (Chip Ganassi Racing) | ||||||||||||||||||
22 | Oriol Servia (Dreyer & Reinbold) | ||||||||||||||||||
50 | Dario Franchitti (Chip Ganassi Racing) | ||||||||||||||||||
28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport) | ||||||||||||||||||
26 | Marco Andretti (Andretti Autosport) | ||||||||||||||||||
28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport) |
Source: Daily Trackside Report [ permanent dead link ]
Row | Inside | Middle | Outside | |||
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1 | 2 | Ryan Briscoe | 27 | James Hinchcliffe | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay |
2 | 26 | Marco Andretti | 12 | Will Power | 3 | Hélio Castroneves W |
3 | 67 | Josef Newgarden R | 11 | Tony Kanaan | 5 | E. J. Viso |
4 | 8 | Rubens Barrichello R | 98 | Alex Tagliani | 38 | Graham Rahal |
5 | 25 | Ana Beatriz | 83 | Charlie Kimball | 9 | Scott Dixon W |
6 | 50 | Dario Franchitti W | 19 | James Jakes R | 4 | J. R. Hildebrand |
7 | 15 | Takuma Sato | 99 | Townsend Bell | 18 | Justin Wilson |
8 | 30 | Michel Jourdain Jr. | 77 | Simon Pagenaud R | 17 | Sebastián Saavedra |
9 | 7 | Sébastien Bourdais | 41 | Wade Cunningham R | 22 | Oriol Servià |
10 | 20 | Ed Carpenter | 14 | Mike Conway | 6 | Katherine Legge R |
11 | 39 | Bryan Clauson R | 78 | Simona de Silvestro | 64 | Jean Alesi R |
W = Former Indianapolis 500 winner
R = Indianapolis 500 rookie
Ryan Briscoe led from the start, was drafted and overtaken by James Hinchcliffe, who led at the end of the first lap. The pair swapped the lead again by the end of lap two. There were no accidents at the start and the green flag was given at the first attempt to start the race. [36]
Ryan Hunter-Reay overtook Marco Andretti before Bryan Clauson spun exiting turn one, akin to Danny Sullivan's spin in 1985, and brought out a caution period. [36] Under caution many drivers chose to enter pit lane. Josef Newgarden stalled in the pits, was restarted and rejoined the race. 2007 and 2010 winner Dario Franchitti spun at his pit box, due to being hit from behind by E. J. Viso, but like Newgarden lost less time as the safety car was deployed. [36] Jean Alesi and Simona de Silvestro were black flagged for failing to run within 105% of the front pace and duly retired. Upon the restart, which was intended to be single file, cars were seen on the pit straight before entering turn one as many as five abreast. At 32 laps Marco Andretti led from James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Briscoe. [36] On lap 33 the stewards declared that Viso would not be penalised for the pit lane incident. No driver was able to pull away a substantial lead over the driver behind and cars behind appeared to face an aerodynamic advantage over those ahead. Takuma Sato then started to set fastest laps by lap 37 and Marco Andretti had led most laps with 15. [36]
At the end of lap 46 the pitstops occurred for fuel and tires with Hinchcliffe and Castroneves pitting. [36] Castroneves' pitstop was delayed due to a tire fitting problem. Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti stopped a lap later. Josef Newgarden stalled again at his second stop, unable to put the car in gear. The Ganassis of Dixon and Franchitti had been setting the fastest pace. By lap 50, one quarter distance, and after the first full pits, Marco Andretti led. There had been six leaders and twelve changes of lead. [36]
At the end of lap 75 James Hinchcliffe pitted, then all three Penske cars pitted simultaneously, and Castroneves almost stalled, making it his second flawed pitstop. [36] Pit stops left Dixon leading with Franchitti second some 11 second behind. [36] On lap 79 Mike Conway was given a drive through penalty for hitting a crew member in the pits and breaking his front wing. [36] Conway collided with Will Power and caused a caution, the second of the race, on lap 81. [36] Conway was driving slower than Power, having just left the pits, and slid. The rear of the car lost grip and Conway slid backwards into the wall, and Power hit Conway's spinning car with nowhere left to go as he caught Conway's car on the exit of the turn. The safety car remained out until the end of lap 88. [36] Ana Beatriz spun on the exit of turn one and hit the wall, bringing out another full course caution with her car stopping in the middle of the track. Cars pitted under caution including Hinchcliffe. Dixon and Franchitti led. [36]
At the half distance point the leaderboard was Dixon, Franchitti, Hunter-Reay, Rahal, Wilson, Sato, Kimball, Hildebrand, Bell. [36] On lap 110 Briscoe had a gearbox issue and ran more slowly for a lap and put the car into an emergency gearbox setting whilst running seventeenth. [36] Hunter-Reay stopped for fuel and tires on lap 113. This left all of the top six runners being Honda powered, in contrast to pre-race predictions on relative engine performance and economy. On lap 115 Hildebrand pitted from sixteenth. Rahal pitted afterwards. [36] On lap 119 Franchitti pit stopped from second place with no adjustments made to the car and the following lap Dixon pitted from the lead having led for a total of 37 laps by that stage. This left Sato leading, the eighteenth leader of the day. Andretti ran second. [36] Sato pitted from the lead on lap 124. [36] On lap 125 Hinchcliffe pitted and Barrichello who had led for one lap pitted. [36] On lap 126 Sato lead, with Franchitti behind. [36] On lap 128 Ryan Hunter-Reay retired with a failure of an upright on the car's suspension. On lap 134 the leaderboard stood as Sato, Franchitti, Andretti, Dixon, Rahal. On lap 145 Andretti pitted having complained about a vibration on the car and replaced the tires. Rahal also pitted just before. [36] The caution was issued on lap 146 when Saavedra stopped on the exit of the pitlane. [36] Starting lap 147 under caution the majority of the lead drivers stopped including Sato, Franchitti, Dixon, Rahal, Hinchcliffe and more. Following such pitstops, by lap 150 Sato led followed by Franchitti, Dixon, Hinchcliffe, Wilson, Kimball, Briscoe, Kanaan and Castroneves. On lap 153 the restart occurred and Franchiti passed Sato on the backstraight of the circuit and at the start of lap 154 Dixon passed Sato for second into turn one. [36] On lap 160 Dixon started to pressure Franchitti and had come under pressure from Sato behind. Dixon passed for the lead but starting lap 161 Dario Franchitti retook the lead at turn one. On lap 163 Josef Newgarden stopped due to engine problems, pulling over to the left hand area of grass on the inside of the track on the backstraight between turns two and three, bringing out the safety car and another full course caution. Sato, Franchitti and Dixon pitted under caution, along with Hinchcliffe and others. Hinchcliffe stopped for a longer period than the others and appeared to run over some pit equipment upon exiting. Prior to the restart Dixon led from Franchiti and Sato. On lap 171 the race restarted. Wilson passed Sato upon the restart. Franchitti repassed Dixon. [36] Starting lap 173 Wilson was repassed by Sato and soon was passed by Carpenter, Kanaan and Kimball having run high on the exit of the turn when passed by Sato and lost speed. By lap 176, 28 lead changes had taken place, one fewer than the 1960 record of 29 changes in one Indianapolis 500 race. Starting lap 178 when Franchitti overtook Dixon this broke the record. [36] The leading Ganassi pair of Franchitti and Dixon appeared to express concern over fuel consumption and speed. On lap 180 Carpenter spun but did not hit the wall, spinning across the track and coming to a halt, then gesticulating at marshals to help turn the car around. This caused a full course caution and seemingly eliminated the need for the leaders to need to refuel. Carpenter then continued. [36] On lap 187 Andretti overcalculated and drove into the wall, sliding across the track and coming to a halt. [36]
Tony Kanaan led the race during the caution, but when the green flag waved he soon fell to fourth behind Franchitti, Dixon and Sato. [36] Teammates Franchitti and Dixon traded the lead several times until the start of lap 199, when Franchitti took the lead from Dixon and Sato followed him through into second place. On the final lap, Sato attempted a pass on Franchitti in turn one but spun and hit the turn 1 wall. Franchitti won the race, with Dixon second and Kanaan third. Under the final caution flag of the day, the three friends lined up to cross the finish line side by side. [36]
In Victory Lane, Franchitti dedicated his win to the memory of 2005 and 2011 champion Dan Wheldon. When asked about the final-lap incident, he said that he had moved up the track to give Sato room on the inside. Sato had a different view, claiming that Franchitti had forced him nearly into the grass and caused him to lose control. Race officials ruled it a racing incident and confirmed Franchitti as the winner. [36]
Owing to the newly-introduced engine formula, Dario Franchitti earned the distinction of the first driver to win in both a normally aspirated and turbocharged engine since Arie Luyendyk (1990 and 1997). Franchitti's victories in 2007 and 2010 came while the series was utilizing normally aspirated engines. Franchitti also became the first driver to win the race with a V-6 engine since George Robson in 1946.
W Former Indianapolis 500 winner
R Indianapolis 500 Rookie
All entrants utilized Firestone tires.
Jean Alesi was penalized 2 laps for ignoring the black flag, which dropped him to last as he had been in front of Simona de Silvestro when they were both black flagged under the 105% rule.
Time trials and Carb Day were covered live in the United States on NBC Sports Network. [37] The on-air crew consisted of Bob Jenkins, Jon Beekhuis, and Wally Dallenbach Jr. Pit reporters included Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Derek Daly, and Townsend Bell (who also qualified for the race). Robin Miller served as a reporter and "insider". During the Carb Day broadcast Bob Jenkins announced that he would retire from race broadcasting following the season finale in Fontana on September 15 to spend more time with his at the time ailing wife Pam who was diagnosed with brain cancer. Pam would pass away on October 25.
The 2012 Indianapolis 500 (race day) was broadcast live in high definition in the United States on ABC. [37] ESPN3 simulcast the race with an alternate feed of twelve in-car cameras. The overnight television rating for the race was 4.1, and 1.9 for the pre-race. The Fast National rating of 4.34 [6] and 6.9 million viewers marked the highest ratings since 2008.
Booth Announcers | Pit/garage reporters |
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Host: Brent Musburger | Jerry Punch Vince Welch Jamie Little Rick DeBruhl |
The IMS Radio Network broadcast the race live on approximately 400 affiliates, as well as AFN, the LeSEA broadcasting network, and World Harvest Radio. The broadcast was carried on XM channel 94 and Sirius channel 212. Mike King served as chief announcer for the 14th year (18th year overall with the crew). Davey Hamilton, who did not secure a ride for the race (the first time since 2006), returned to the booth and served as "driver expert".
For 2012, the commercial out-cues used were both renditions by the former "Voices of the 500" and those recited by drivers in the starting field.
1070 The Fan broadcast nightly with Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee, followed by Donald Davidson's The Talk of Gasoline Alley.
Booth Announcers | Turn Reporters | Pit/garage reporters |
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Chief Announcer: Mike King | Turn 1: not used | Kevin Lee (north/center pits) Michael Young (center pits) Nick Yeoman (south pits) Dave Wilson (garages) |
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.
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The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series was the 18th season of the IndyCar Series and the 102nd season of American open wheel racing. Its premier event was the 97th Indianapolis 500 held on Sunday, May 26. The 2013 season was the second to feature the Dallara DW12 chassis. Ryan Hunter-Reay entered the season as the defending drivers' champion. Chevrolet entered as the defending Manufacturers' Cup champion.
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 98th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 25, 2014. It is the premier event of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season. Tony Kanaan entered the race as the defending champion. Ed Carpenter won the pole position, his second consecutive pole at Indy. The race was won by Ryan Hunter-Reay, the first American-born winner since Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006. Hunter-Reay held off second place Hélio Castroneves by a margin of 0.0600 seconds, the second-closest finish in race history. At an average speed of 186.563 mph (300.244 km/h), it was also the second-fastest 500 in history. Marco Andretti, Carlos Muñoz, and Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top five. Kurt Busch, in sixth position, claimed Rookie of the Year honors.
The 2013 Milwaukee IndyFest was an IndyCar Series race held on June 15, 2013 at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin. The race was the ninth in the 2013 IndyCar Series season, and was won by Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport.
The 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series was the 19th season of the IndyCar Series and the 103rd season of American open wheel racing. Its premier event was the 98th Indianapolis 500, held on Sunday, May 25. Scott Dixon entered the season as the defending IndyCar Champion, while Chevrolet entered as the reigning Manufacturers' champion.
The 2013 Pocono IndyCar 400 fueled by Sunoco, the twentieth running of the event, was an IndyCar Series race held on July 7, 2013, at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The race was the eleventh in the 2013 IndyCar Series season. The event made a return to the IndyCar schedule after a 23-year hiatus. Marco Andretti of Andretti Autosport won the pole position, while Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon won the race.
The 2013 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, the 35th running of the event, was an IndyCar Series race held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 4, 2013. It was the 14th race in the 2013 IndyCar Series season. The pole position was held by Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport, while Chip Ganassi Racing's Charlie Kimball won the race.
The 2013 GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma was an IndyCar Series race held on August 25, 2013 at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. The race was the fifteenth of the 2013 IndyCar Series season, and was won by Will Power of Team Penske.
The 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series was the 20th season of the IndyCar Series and the 104th season of American open wheel racing. Its premier event was the 99th Indianapolis 500, which was held on May 24. Will Power returned as the reigning champion, while Ryan Hunter-Reay was the defending Indy 500 champion. Chevrolet entered the season as the reigning Manufacturers' champion. Indianapolis 500 and the season finale counted for double points.
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. 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 2017 Indianapolis 500 was a Verizon IndyCar Series race held on Sunday May 28, 2017, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States. The race was the premier event and the sixth race of the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season.
The 2018 Indianapolis 500 was a Verizon IndyCar Series held on Sunday, May 27, 2018, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. It was the premier event of the 2018 IndyCar Series. The race was won by Australian Will Power of Team Penske. Car owner Roger Penske collected his record extending 17th Indianapolis 500 victory. Chevrolet swept nine of the top eleven spots during qualifying, and finished 1st-2nd, Chevy's first Indy victory since 2015, and tenth overall. However, despite entering the month as prohibitive favorites to dominate the race, Chevy managed to place only two other cars in the top ten.
The 2017 Rainguard Water Sealers 600 was the ninth round of the 2017 IndyCar Series season, contested over 248 laps at the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Charlie Kimball started from the pole position, the first of his career. Will Power of Team Penske won the race, leading 180 of the 248 laps. The race was marred by numerous crashes that left only six undamaged cars and by issues with blistering tires that forced the series to call for competition cautions and mandatory tire stops every 30 laps in the latter stages of the race.