CNN
–
Here’s a look at the Indianapolis 500, known as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
May 29, 2022 – Marcus Ericsson wins the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500. It is his first win at the track.
May 30, 2021 – Helio Castroneves wins the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 in front of approximately 135,000 fans, about 40% of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s capacity. It is Castroneves’ record-tying fourth career win at the track.
Known as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
During the race, the cars attempt to complete 200 laps around the 2.5-mile track, equaling 500 miles.
The track’s current dimensions are much the same as when it was constructed in 1909.
The race is among the world’s best-attended single-day sporting events. It drew crowds of over 400,000 during the 1990s.
Currently 33 cars start the race in rows of three. In the past there have been as few as 21 (1916) and as many as 42 (1933).
With 35 starts, AJ Foyt Jr. has the most starts of any driver.
Four drivers have won the race four times: Foyt Jr. in 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977; Al Unser Sr. in 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987; Rick Mears in 1979, 1984, 1988 and 1991; Helio Castroneves in 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2021.
The youngest winner is Troy Ruttman. He was 22 years and 80 days old when he won in 1952.
The oldest winner is Unser Sr. He was 47 years and 360 days old when he won in 1987.
Since 1936, tradition holds that the winners of the race celebrate with a bottle of milk (with the exception of 1947-1955).
Race record time (200 laps / 500 miles) – Tony Kanaan, May 26, 2013; 2 hours, 40 minutes and 3.4181 seconds; average speed was 187,433 mph.
1906 – The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was founded by Carl Fisher.
February 9, 1909 – The Indianapolis Motor Speedway track is built when 328 acres of farmland northwest of downtown Indianapolis are purchased by Fisher and his partners Jim Allison, Frank Wheeler and Arthur Newby.
August 19, 1909 – The first automobile race takes place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Twelve thousand people are in attendance.
1911 – The first Indianapolis 500 takes place, with Ray Harroun winning in 6 hours, 42 minutes and 8 seconds. The race has been held annually since 1911, except for the war years 1917-18 and 1942-45.
[1945- The track is sold to Anton Hulman Jr.
1994 – A new open-wheel racing championship series, called the Indy Racing League, has been launched, and includes the Indy 500 as the signature race. The first races are scheduled for 1996.
March 26, 2020 – It is announced that the Indianapolis 500, originally scheduled for May 24, has been rescheduled to August 23 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
August 4, 2020 – The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announces via Twitter that the race will take place without fans present.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
© 2017, Walt Kuhn / IndyCar Series
Fernando Alonso is looking to join the Indy 500 greats with victory next Sunday.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
Robert Laberge / Getty Images North America / Getty Images
Huge crowds congregate for the 2016 Indy 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
Jamie Squire / Getty Images North America / Getty Images
Racers compete over 200 laps (500 miles) in a race that forms part of motorsport’s “Triple Crown” – the Indy 500, the Monaco Grand Prix, and the Le Mans 24-hour race.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
Robert Laberge / Getty Images North America / Getty Images
Organizers estimate around 300,000 spectators attend the race which is full of incident and drama.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
Archive Photos / Archive Photos / Getty Images
Cars take to the start line for the first ever Indy 500 in 1911. May 28 marks the 101st edition of the event.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
Chris Graythen / Getty Images North America / Getty Images
Victory begins to sink in for last year’s winner, Alexander Rossi. A former F1 driver, Rossi won the race as a rookie despite starting from 11th place on the grid. The American has since signed a long-term contract with Andretti and is competing again this year.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
Chris Graythen / Getty Images North America / Getty Images
The race usually lasts around three hours, with Brazil’s Tony Kanaan holding the record after clocking an average speed of 187,433 mph (301,644 km / h) over the 200 laps in 2013.
Chris Graythen / Getty Images North America / Getty Images
The Borg-Warner trophy is one of the most magnificent and unusual in sports, with a three-dimensional portrait of each winner’s face carved on the surface.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images North America / Getty Images
Scottish driver Dario Franchitti, who won the Indy 500 on three occasions, poses with the trophy at the Brickyard in 2010.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
Chris Graythen / Getty Images North America / Getty Images
The race is rich with tradition. A bottle of milk has been presented to the winner ever since Louis Meyer, who won three titles between 1928-1936, requested a glass following his triumph in 1936. Here, Rossi douses himself after his 2016 victory.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
DAVE MAXWELL / AFP / AFP / Getty Images
Driver Helio Castroneves, a three-time Indy 500 winner, climbed the fence with his team after winning in 2001. He made a habit of it throughout his career, and gained the nickname “Spiderman.”
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
Jamie Squire / Getty Images North America / Getty Images
Winners traditionally kiss the bricks on the finish line of the track, as seen with 2014 champion Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
Chris Graythen / Getty Images North America / Getty Images
Since 1976, Jeanetta Holder, a long-time fan of the Indy 500, has produced a custom-made quilt for the winner, earning her title “Quilt Lady.” Here, 2013 champion Tony Kanaan snuggles up in his prize blanket.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
Topical Press Agency / Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Early editions of the event are a relic of a bygone era in motorsport. In 1913, Norway’s Gil Andersen drove alongside his mechanic.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
Chris Graythen / Getty Images North America / Getty Images
As is the requirement in Indy Car Racing, cars have an open-wheel formula.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
Donald Miralle / Getty Images North America / Getty Images
Pit crews direct their drivers at the 2008 Indy 500.
Photos & colon; Step inside the Indy 500
Donald Miralle / Getty Images North America / Getty Images
Drivers and their teams fill the track for the US national anthem in 2008.
.
