2012 Indianapolis 500

Last updated
96th Indianapolis 500
2012indianapolis500logo.png
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body IndyCar
Season 2012 IndyCar season
DateMay 27, 2012
Winner Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dario Franchitti [1]
Winning team Chip Ganassi Racing
Average speed167.734 mph (269.942 km/h)
Pole position Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ryan Briscoe
Pole speed226.484 mph (364.491 km/h)
Fastest qualifier Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ryan Briscoe
Rookie of the Year Flag of Brazil.svg Rubens Barrichello
Most laps led Flag of the United States.svg 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]
StarterPaul Blevin
Honorary starter Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels [5]
Estimated attendance300,000+ (est.)
TV in the United States
Network ABC
Announcers Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, and Eddie Cheever
Nielsen ratings 4.34 [6]
Chronology
PreviousNext
2011 2013

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.

Contents

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.

Event background

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the race track where the race was held. Indianapolis Oval 2007-2013.svg
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the race track where the race was held.

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.

Rule changes

Schedule

Race schedule — May 2012
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
29
São Paulo
30
 
1
 
2
 
3
 
4
 
5
Mini-Marathon
6
 
7
Oval test
8
 
9
 
10
ROP
11
Indy Lights
12
Practice
13
Practice
14
Practice
15
Practice
16
Practice
17
Practice
18
Practice
19
Pole Day
20
Bump Day
21
 
22
 
23
Comm. Day
24
Indy Lights
25
Carb Day
26
Legends Day
27
Indy 500
28
Memorial Day
29
 
30
 
31
 
  
ColorNotes
GreenPractice
Dark BlueTime trials
SilverRace day
RedRained out*
BlankNo track activity

*Includes days where track activity
was significantly limited due to rain

ROP — denotes Rookie Orientation Program

Comm. Day — denotes 500 Festival Community Day

Other scheduled events included: [16]

Entry list

See Team and driver chart for more information

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.

Testing and rookie orientation

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.

Open test — Wednesday, April 4

Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
126 Flag of the United States.svg Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 218.625
211 Flag of Brazil.svg Tony Kanaan KV Racing Technology Chevrolet 218.439
310 Flag of New Zealand.svg Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 218.094
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-24 at the Wayback Machine

Texas Motor Speedway Test — Monday, May 7

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.

Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
19 Flag of New Zealand.svg Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 212.371
283 Flag of the United States.svg Charlie Kimball Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 211.330
310 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 210.525
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-23 at the Wayback Machine

Rookie orientation program — Thursday, May 10

Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
119 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg James Jakes  R  Dale Coyne Racing Honda 218.268
239 Flag of the United States.svg Bryan Clauson  R  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda 217.046
367 Flag of the United States.svg Josef Newgarden  R  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda 216.573
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-23 at the Wayback Machine

Practice

Opening Day — Saturday, May 12

Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
167 Flag of the United States.svg Josef Newgarden  R  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda 220.250
24 Flag of the United States.svg J. R. Hildebrand Panther Racing Chevrolet 219.693
339 Flag of the United States.svg Bryan Clauson  R  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda 219.632
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-26 at the Wayback Machine

Open practice — Sunday, May 13

Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
117 Flag of Colombia.svg Sebastián Saavedra AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 221.526
239 Flag of the United States.svg Bryan Clauson  R  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda 221.173
367 Flag of the United States.svg Josef Newgarden  R  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda 221.158
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-26 at the Wayback Machine

Open practice — Monday, May 14

Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
167 Flag of the United States.svg Josef Newgarden  R  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda 222.486
228 Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 221.639
326 Flag of the United States.svg Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 221.519
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-23 at the Wayback Machine

Open practice — Tuesday, May 15

Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
126 Flag of the United States.svg Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 223.676
23 Flag of Brazil.svg Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Chevrolet 222.025
327 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 221.864
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2020-09-23 at the Wayback Machine

Open practice — Wednesday, May 16

Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
167 Flag of the United States.svg Josef Newgarden  R  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda 222.785
226 Flag of the United States.svg Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 222.108
328 Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 221.763
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-26 at the Wayback Machine

Open practice — Thursday, May 17

Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
19 Flag of New Zealand.svg Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 223.088
267 Flag of the United States.svg Josef Newgarden  R  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda 222.709
338 Flag of the United States.svg Graham Rahal Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 222.080
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-23 at the Wayback Machine

Fast Friday practice — Friday, May 18

Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
126 Flag of the United States.svg Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 227.540
22 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ryan Briscoe Team Penske Chevrolet 226.835
33 Flag of Brazil.svg Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Chevrolet 226.716
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-22 at the Wayback Machine

Time Trials

Saturday May 19 – Pole Day

Practice

  • Practice summary:
Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
13 Flag of Brazil.svg Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Chevrolet 227.744
225 Flag of Brazil.svg Ana Beatriz Andretti Autosport/Conquest Racing Chevrolet 226.187
32 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ryan Briscoe Team Penske Chevrolet 226.027
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2021-09-28 at the Wayback Machine

Qualifying

Ryan Briscoe makes his pole-winning qualification run. Briscoe 2012 Indianapolis 500 qualification.jpg
Ryan Briscoe makes his pole-winning qualification run.
Front-row qualifiers (L to R): James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Briscoe, and Ryan Hunter-Reay. Front row 2012 Indianapolis 500.jpg
Front-row qualifiers (L to R): James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Briscoe, and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
  • Qualifying draw: Results Archived 2012-05-26 at the Wayback Machine
  • First segment summary: Tony Kanaan was the first driver out on the track, but his time was later disallowed after it was discovered he was missing a ballast on the rear view mirror. He would re-qualify later in the day. Mike Conway also had his time disallowed after inspection, as the car was found to be underweight. Bryan Clauson wrecked on his fourth qualifying lap, but despite a lot of damage to the car, the team was not planning on going to a backup car. Oriol Servià spun exiting turn four on his final warmup lap, hitting the inside wall and the pit wall. Ed Carpenter was bumped from the field and crashed heavily on his attempt to re-enter the field. Wade Cunningham, Mike Conway and Sébastien Bourdais were also bumped from the field of 24. Sebastián Saavedra started his qualifying run as the gun sounded, after Conway's crew changed the tires after going through technical inspection. Katherine Legge's run was waved off because her team was not in place to give the starter instructions. The nine drivers to advance to the fast nine were James Hinchcliffe, Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Hélio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe, Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, Josef Newgarden and E. J. Viso.
  • Fast Nine Shootout summary: Viso and Kanaan waved off their runs, and neither returned to the track for the session. Newgarden pulled his car from the line shortly afterward; he returned later and, in light of his team-mate's crash, set a conservative run of 224.037 mph. Ryan Briscoe set down an early quick time of 226.484 mph, as the second driver to complete a full qualifying run. Only James Hinchcliffe came close to topping his time on their first run, falling short by a scant .003 miles per hour. Castroneves made an attempt at a second run, but it was much slower and was waved off after the first lap. Power also made a second attempt, but waved it off after three laps. Hinchcliffe's second run was waved off by race control after it became clear he would not go faster on his second run. Ryan Hunter-Reay was the only car that picked up speed on a second run, but did not gain any positions. Ryan Briscoe held on to take the pole position, by the closest margin in Indianapolis 500 history.
Pole Day – Saturday, May 19, 2012
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeedPts
Fast Nine Shootout (positions 1–9)
12 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ryan Briscoe Team Penske Chevrolet 226.48415
227 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 226.48113
328 Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 226.24012
426 Flag of the United States.svg Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 225.45611
512 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Will Power Team Penske Chevrolet 225.42210
63 Flag of Brazil.svg Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Chevrolet 225.1729
767 Flag of the United States.svg Josef Newgarden  R  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda 224.0378
811 Flag of Brazil.svg Tony Kanaan KV Racing Technology Chevrolet 224.751 Q17
95 Flag of Venezuela.svg E. J. Viso KV Racing Technology Chevrolet 224.422 Q16
Positions 10–24
108 Flag of Brazil.svg Rubens Barrichello  R  KV Racing Technology Chevrolet 224.2644
1198 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Alex Tagliani Team Barracuda – BHA Honda 224.0004
1238 Flag of the United States.svg Graham Rahal Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 223.9594
1325 Flag of Brazil.svg Ana Beatriz Andretti Autosport/Conquest Racing Chevrolet 223.9204
1483 Flag of the United States.svg Charlie Kimball Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 223.8684
159 Flag of New Zealand.svg Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 223.6844
1650 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 223.5824
1719 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg James Jakes  R  Dale Coyne Racing Honda 223.4824
184 Flag of the United States.svg J. R. Hildebrand Panther Racing Chevrolet 223.4224
1915 Flag of Japan.svg Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 223.3924
2099 Flag of the United States.svg Townsend Bell Schmidt–Hamilton Motorsports Honda 223.1344
2118 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing Honda 222.9294
2230 Flag of Mexico.svg Michel Jourdain Jr. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 222.8934
2377 Flag of France.svg Simon Pagenaud  R  Schmidt–Hamilton Motorsports Honda 222.8914
2417 Flag of Colombia.svg Sebastián Saavedra Andretti Autosport/AFS Racing Chevrolet 222.8114
Other Attempts
41 Flag of New Zealand.svg Wade Cunningham  R  A. J. Foyt Enterprises Honda 222.689
14 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mike Conway A. J. Foyt Enterprises Honda 222.434
7 Flag of France.svg Sébastien Bourdais Dragon Racing Chevrolet 222.415
39 Flag of the United States.svg Bryan Clauson  R  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda Crashed
20 Flag of the United States.svg Ed Carpenter Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet Crashed
6 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Katherine Legge  R  Dragon Racing Chevrolet Waved Off
22 Flag of Spain.svg Oriol Servià Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet Crashed
78 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Simona de Silvestro HVM Racing Lotus N/A
64 Flag of France.svg Jean Alesi  R  Fan Force United LotusN/A
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-23 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.

Sunday May 20 – Bump Day

Practice

  • Practice summary:
Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
122 Flag of Spain.svg Oriol Servià Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet 223.752
27 Flag of France.svg Sébastien Bourdais Dragon Racing Chevrolet 223.479
320T Flag of the United States.svg Ed Carpenter Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet 222.886
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2012-05-26 at the Wayback Machine

Qualifying

  • Bump Day summary: Before the opening of the track, Jay Howard [33] and Pippa Mann [34] announced they would not make attempts to qualify for the field, with Howard citing an engine deal that had fallen apart. There had been some rumors that IndyCar had stopped last minute deals from coming together, with Mann and Howard's deals falling apart at the last moments, though Randy Bernard stated on his Twitter account that this was not the case. [35]
Bump Day – Sunday, May 20, 2012
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeedPts
257 Flag of France.svg Sébastien Bourdais Dragon Racing Chevrolet 223.7603
2641 Flag of New Zealand.svg Wade Cunningham  R  A. J. Foyt Enterprises Honda 223.2583
2722 Flag of Spain.svg Oriol Servià Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet 222.3933
2820T Flag of the United States.svg Ed Carpenter Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet 222.3243
2914 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mike Conway A. J. Foyt Enterprises Honda 222.3193
306 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Katherine Legge  R  Dragon Racing Chevrolet 221.6243
3139 Flag of the United States.svg Bryan Clauson  R  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda 214.4553
3278 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Simona de Silvestro HVM Racing Lotus214.3933
3364 Flag of France.svg Jean Alesi  R  Fan Force United Lotus 210.0943
OFFICIAL REPORT

Carb Day

Final practice — Friday, May 25

Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
150 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 222.360
29 Flag of New Zealand.svg Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 222.274
326 Flag of the United States.svg Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 221.702
OFFICIAL REPORT

Pit Stop Challenge

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
            
9Scott Dixon
(Chip Ganassi Racing)
13.941
38 Graham Rahal
(Chip Ganassi Racing)
17.166
27 James Hinchcliffe
(Andretti Autosport)
38Graham Rahal
(Chip Ganassi Racing)
9Scott Dixon
(Chip Ganassi Racing)
13.385
12 Will Power
(Team Penske)
13.695
2 Ryan Briscoe
(Team Penske)
12Will Power
(Team Penske)
4 J. R. Hildebrand
(Panther Racing)
12Will Power
(Team Penske)
9Scott Dixon
(Chip Ganassi Racing)
13.769
22 Oriol Servia
(Dreyer & Reinbold)
17.194
3 Helio Castroneves
(Team Penske)
22Oriol Servia
(Dreyer & Reinbold)
14 Mike Conway
(A. J. Foyt Racing)
22Oriol Servia
(Dreyer & Reinbold)
50 Dario Franchitti
(Chip Ganassi Racing)
22Oriol Servia
(Dreyer & Reinbold)
50Dario Franchitti
(Chip Ganassi Racing)
28 Ryan Hunter-Reay
(Andretti Autosport)
26 Marco Andretti
(Andretti Autosport)
28Ryan Hunter-Reay
(Andretti Autosport)

Source: Daily Trackside Report [ permanent dead link ]

Starting grid

RowInsideMiddleOutside
12 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ryan Briscoe 27 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg James Hinchcliffe 28 Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Hunter-Reay
226 Flag of the United States.svg Marco Andretti 12 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Will Power 3 Flag of Brazil.svg Hélio Castroneves  W 
367 Flag of the United States.svg Josef Newgarden  R 11 Flag of Brazil.svg Tony Kanaan 5 Flag of Venezuela.svg E. J. Viso
48 Flag of Brazil.svg Rubens Barrichello  R 98 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Alex Tagliani 38 Flag of the United States.svg Graham Rahal
525 Flag of Brazil.svg Ana Beatriz 83 Flag of the United States.svg Charlie Kimball 9 Flag of New Zealand.svg Scott Dixon  W 
650 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dario Franchitti  W 19 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg James Jakes  R 4 Flag of the United States.svg J. R. Hildebrand
715 Flag of Japan.svg Takuma Sato 99 Flag of the United States.svg Townsend Bell 18 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Justin Wilson
830 Flag of Mexico.svg Michel Jourdain Jr. 77 Flag of France.svg Simon Pagenaud  R 17 Flag of Colombia.svg Sebastián Saavedra
97 Flag of France.svg Sébastien Bourdais 41 Flag of New Zealand.svg Wade Cunningham  R 22 Flag of Spain.svg Oriol Servià
1020 Flag of the United States.svg Ed Carpenter 14 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mike Conway 6 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Katherine Legge  R 
1139 Flag of the United States.svg Bryan Clauson  R 78 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Simona de Silvestro 64 Flag of France.svg Jean Alesi  R 

 W  = Former Indianapolis 500 winner

 R  = Indianapolis 500 rookie

Race summary

Start

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]

First half

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]

Second half

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]

Finish

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.

Box score

PosNo.DriverTeamChassisEngineLapsStatusGridPoints
150 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dario Franchitti  W  Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara DW12 Honda 2002:58:51.25321654
29 Flag of New Zealand.svg Scott Dixon  W  Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara DW12 Honda 200+ 0.02951544
311 Flag of Brazil.svg Tony Kanaan KV Racing Technology Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 200+ 0.0677842
422 Flag of Spain.svg Oriol Servià Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 200+ 2.91662738
52 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ryan Briscoe Team Penske Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 200+ 3.6721145
627 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 200+ 4.0962241
718 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing Dallara DW12 Honda 200+ 4.24302130
883 Flag of the United States.svg Charlie Kimball Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara DW12 Honda 200+ 4.60561428
999 Flag of the United States.svg Townsend Bell Schmidt–Hamilton Motorsports Dallara DW12 Honda 200+ 5.61682026
103 Flag of Brazil.svg Hélio Castroneves  W  Team Penske Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 200+ 7.6352629
118 Flag of Brazil.svg Rubens Barrichello  R  KV Racing Technology Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 200+ 7.92401023
1298 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Alex Tagliani Team Barracuda – BHA Dallara DW12 Honda 200+ 8.25431122
1338 Flag of the United States.svg Graham Rahal Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara DW12 Honda 200+ 8.75391221
144 Flag of the United States.svg J. R. Hildebrand Panther Racing Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 200+ 11.34231820
1519 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg James Jakes  R  Dale Coyne Racing Dallara DW12 Honda 200+ 13.44941719
1677 Flag of France.svg Simon Pagenaud  R  Schmidt–Hamilton Motorsports Dallara DW12 Honda 200+ 14.13822318
1715 Flag of Japan.svg Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara DW12 Honda 199Crash T11917
185 Flag of Venezuela.svg E. J. Viso KV Racing Technology Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 199+ 1 lap918
1930 Flag of Mexico.svg Michel Jourdain Jr. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara DW12 Honda 199+ 1 lap2216
207 Flag of France.svg Sébastien Bourdais Dragon Racing Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 199+ 1 lap2515
2120 Flag of the United States.svg Ed Carpenter Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 199+ 1 lap2815
226 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Katherine Legge  R  Dragon Racing Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 199+ 1 lap3015
2325 Flag of Brazil.svg Ana Beatriz Andretti Autosport/Conquest Racing Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 190+ 10 laps1316
2426 Flag of the United States.svg Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 187Contact423
2567 Flag of the United States.svg Josef Newgarden  R  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dallara DW12 Honda 161Mechanical718
2617 Flag of Colombia.svg Sebastián Saavedra Andretti Autosport/AFS Racing Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 143Electrical2414
2728 Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 123Suspension322
2812 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Will Power Team Penske Dallara DW12 Chevrolet 79Contact520
2914 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mike Conway A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara DW12 Honda 78Contact2913
3039 Flag of the United States.svg Bryan Clauson  R  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dallara DW12 Honda 46Mechanical3113
3141 Flag of New Zealand.svg Wade Cunningham  R  A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara DW12 Honda 42Electrical2613
3278 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Simona de Silvestro HVM Racing Dallara DW12 Lotus 10Black Flagged3213
3364 Flag of France.svg Jean Alesi  R  Fan Force United Dallara DW12 Lotus 9Black Flagged3313

 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.

Race statistics

Broadcasting

Television

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.

ABC Television
Booth Announcers Pit/garage reporters

Host: Brent Musburger
Announcer: Marty Reid
Color: Scott Goodyear
Color: Eddie Cheever

Jerry Punch
Vince Welch
Jamie Little
Rick DeBruhl

Radio

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.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
Booth AnnouncersTurn Reporters Pit/garage reporters

Chief Announcer: Mike King
Driver expert: Davey Hamilton
Color: Paul Page
Historian: Donald Davidson
Analyst: Jerry Baker

Turn 1: not used
Turn 2: Jake Query
Turn 3: Mark Jaynes
Turn 4: Chris Denari

Kevin Lee (north/center pits)
Michael Young (center pits)
Nick Yeoman (south pits)
Dave Wilson (garages)

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