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128-410: During a caution period, the safety car (which generally consists of an aptly modified high-performance production car) enters the track ahead of the leader. Depending on the regulations in effect, competitors are not normally allowed to pass the safety car or other competitors during a caution period, and the safety car leads the field at a predetermined safe speed, which may vary by series and circuit. At

256-403: A BMW i8 plug-in hybrid was used. Starting with the 2021 Rome ePrix , a Mini Electric was used, and a Porsche Taycan has been used since 2022. Formula E also includes a rule from 2022 which states that if the safety car is used in a race, extra time will be added in order to compensate for the missed racing time due to the safety car. The first use of a pace car in automobile racing was at

384-411: A Buick . The breakup of the track surface led to two fatal accidents in the first two long-distance events (a 250 mi (400 km) and 300 mi (480 km), which was shortened to 235 mi (378 km) after two severe wrecks). That these spectacles had attracted 15,000 paying customers (and crowds of up to 40,000) persuaded principal owner Carl G. Fisher to spend $ 155,000 on repaving

512-585: A Lola - Ford . The Offenhauser engine was also paired with a European maker, McLaren , obtaining three wins for the chassis, one with the Penske team in 1972 with driver Mark Donohue , and two for the McLaren works team in 1974 and 1976 with Johnny Rutherford . This was also the last time the Offy would win a race, its competitiveness steadily decreasing until its final appearance in 1983. American drivers continued to fill

640-458: A "safety car" period, which would see marshals wave yellow flags and hold "SC" boards, pending the car in question entering the track. From 2007, all Formula One cars must have LEDs and/or displays fitted to the steering wheel or cockpit, which inform the driver which flags are being waved. A yellow LED is illuminated when the safety car is deployed. The safety car is driven by a professional driver (since 2000, by Bernd Mayländer ), accompanied by

768-407: A blind draw for the qualifying order. For each attempt, cars are allowed two warm-up laps. At that time, a member of the team is stationed at the north end of the main stretch. He or she must wave a green flag, signaling an attempt, or else the car will be waved off. The attempt can be waved off during any of the four laps by the team, driver, or race officials. (The series will wave off the run if it

896-401: A car during the parade laps. Depending on the driver's skill, some drivers are allowed to pace the field right up to the dropping of the green flag. Some famous drivers have been Jay Leno , Richard Hammond , Luke Wilson , Rob Gronkowski , Guy Fieri and many others. The beneficiary rule (informally known as the "lucky dog" rule) states once the safety car is deployed, the first car not on

1024-404: A car is on the track and a minimum lap time it should take the car to get to the pits. Cars that enter the pits before this time limit has expired are penalised. When the safety car and the drivers behind it are on the start/finish straight, there is a red light at the exit of the pit lane. Drivers who go past the red light are disqualified from the race. This has happened to several drivers during

1152-415: A century, the race eschewed any sort of naming rights or title sponsor , a move, though uncommon in the modern sports world, that was well received by fans. This tradition finally ended in 2016 when a presenting sponsor, PennGrade, was added for the first time. In the 21st century, the facility has also slowly added sponsorship ads on the retaining walls and infield grass. The ESPN-produced ABC telecast of

1280-466: A co-driver to assist with operations and communications. The safety car has both orange and green lights mounted on its roof in the form of a light bar . The green lights are used to signal that it is possible to overtake the safety car; this is only done until the race leader is immediately behind the safety car and at the head of the queue of race cars following. From 2015, the safety car is not required to wait until all backmarkers have caught back up to

1408-481: A controversial start when the pace car did not return to the pits when the green lights came on. The front running LMPs slowed down but some of the GT cars could not react fast enough, resulting in collisions and heavy damage to all three GTE Pro class Porsches which caused them to retire. The GTE Am class IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche and GTE Pro JOTA Aston Martin were also caught up in the carnage. An accident occurred during

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1536-423: A flying start of the race. Furthermore, two other rule changes have been implemented. Since 2000, with one lap to go before going back to green, the pace car pulls off the track in turn one rather than in turn four. The current leader of the race is then assigned the task of pacing the field back to the green flag. After much consideration, this rule was added to prevent a situation much like the one that happened in

1664-415: A given car number—the "primary" car and a "backup" car. The backup car is identified by the letter "T". For example, the two cars for the #2 team would be numbered #2 and #2T. Both cars may be practiced during the month, but due to engine lease rules, they must share the same engine. It is not uncommon for teams to prefer their backup car, if it is deemed faster, or for other strategic reasons. Additionally, as

1792-418: A local dealer or association of regional dealerships-provided Safety car. Tracks that use Toyota safety cars will use a Toyota Camry Hybrid, while Ford tracks will use a Ford Mustang , while Chevrolet tracks use a Chevrolet Camaro and most Dodge tracks use a Dodge Challenger . If a manufacturer is promoting a new vehicle, they will often use the new car instead of the standard-specification safety car. For

1920-399: A part-time team altogether that does not enter any of the other races, or enters only a few selected races. The "Indy-only" drivers may come from a wide range of pedigrees but are usually experienced Indy car competitors who either lack a full-time ride, are former full-time drivers who have elected to drop down to part-time status, or occasional one-off drivers from other racing disciplines. It

2048-476: A privileged status for automobile races. The first "500" was held at the Speedway in 1911 on Decoration Day , May 30, (as it was known from its inception in 1868 to 1967, when federal law made "Memorial Day" the official name), run to a 600-cubic-inch (9,800 cc) maximum engine size formula. It saw a field of 40 starters, with Harroun piloting a Marmon Model 32-based Wasp racer—outfitted with his invention,

2176-479: A safety car in Formula One is reported to have taken place at the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix , where a yellow Porsche 914 was called for duty following various incidents under treacherous weather conditions. Controversially, on that occasion, it took several hours after the race to figure out the winner and final results since the safety car driver had placed his car in front of the wrong competitor thus causing part of

2304-399: A single race, and considered a 24-hour contest, in the fashion of Le Mans , or a one-thousand-mile (1,600 km) event. They decided on 500 miles (800 km), the estimated distance a race car could run before dark descended on the track, and a spectacular purse of $ 25,000, equivalent to 82.93 pounds (37.62 kg) of pure gold . The combination allowed the track to rapidly acquire

2432-422: A strategic advantage since any scheduled refueling, tire change or maintenance may be carried out while other competitors are lapping at lower speed, and the drivers who pit then simply rejoin a queue of cars all running together. During normal racing conditions, such interventions would typically involve losing significant terrain over those drivers that remain on-track. Another notable effect of safety car periods

2560-405: Is a rounded rectangle, with four distinct turns of identical dimensions, connected by four straightaways (two long straightaways and two "short chutes"). Traditionally , the field consists of 33 starters, aligned in a starting grid of eleven rows of three cars apiece. Drivers race 200 laps, counter-clockwise around the circuit, for a distance of 500 miles (800 km). Since its inception in 1911 ,

2688-584: Is considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix , with which it typically shares a date. The inaugural race was held in 1911 and was won by Ray Harroun . The event celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011 , and the 100th running was held in 2016 . The event was put on hiatus twice, from 1917 to 1918 due to World War I and from 1942 to 1945 due to World War II . In two different periods,

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2816-415: Is contested by "Indy cars" , a formula of professional -level, single-seat, open cockpit , open-wheel , purpose-built race cars. As of 2020 , all entrants utilize 2.2 L V6 , twin- turbocharged engines, tuned to produce a range of 550–750 horsepower (410–560 kW). Chevrolet and Honda are the current engine manufacturers involved in the sport. Dallara is at present the sole chassis supplier to

2944-427: Is deployed for debris , collision , or weather reasons. Since 1993, upon the waving of the yellow flag, pit road is closed until the pace car picks up the leader and passes the pit entrance the first time, unless track blockage forces the field to drive through pit lane. Another duty of the pace car is to lead the field around the course on parade laps prior to the start of the race. These increase in speed, allowing for

3072-431: Is focused on safety aspects and is done on the pit lane qualifying queue. It is relatively brief, due to the time constraints of the qualifying procedure. The post-qualifying inspection is much more stringent and lengthy, taking place in the garage area. It is to detect deviations from the performance guidelines set forth by the league, and cars can and have been fined or outright disqualified if they fail inspection. During

3200-469: Is not uncommon for some drivers (particularly former Indy 500 winners) to quit full-time driving during the season, but race solely at Indy for numerous years afterward before entering full retirement. Technical specifications for the Indianapolis 500 are currently written by IndyCar . Rules are generally the same as every other IndyCar race. In the past, particularly during the era in which USAC sanctioned

3328-403: Is obvious the run will not be fast enough to qualify and it is getting late in the day.) If an attempt is waved off after the run starts, the attempt counts and the previous time is still forfeited unless race officials waved off the attempt because of weather. Weather can and often does affect qualifying and can result in last-minute format changes. From 1911 to 1955, the race was organized under

3456-465: Is that racing cars consume less fuel until full race resumption, which can allow competitors to run longer distances on a tank of fuel than would otherwise have been possible and/or reduce the number of pitstops required for the duration of the race. In Formula One if an accident or inclement weather (typically, heavy rain) prevents normal racing from continuing safely, the Race Director will call for

3584-575: Is traditionally held over Memorial Day weekend, usually the last weekend of May. It is contested as part of the IndyCar Series , the top level of American open-wheel car racing , a formula colloquially known as "Indy car racing". The track itself is nicknamed the "Brickyard", as the racing surface was first paved in brick in the fall of 1909. One yard of brick remains exposed at the start/finish line. The event, billed as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing ,

3712-414: Is upwards of 250,000, and infield patrons raise the total race-day attendance to a range of approximately 300,000–350,000. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex was built in 1909 as a gravel-and-tar track and hosted a smattering of small events, including ones for motorcycles . The first long-distance event, in "fearful conditions", was the 100-lap Prest-O-Lite Trophy in 1909, won by Bob Burman in

3840-590: Is usually used for the start of the race only. In the last 50 years, the Pontiac Trans Am , Chevrolet Camaro , Chevrolet Corvette , Oldsmobile Cutlass , and Ford Mustang are the only models that have been selected as pace cars three or more times. During the IndyCar Series season, however, Johnny Rutherford , Sarah Fisher , and Oriol Servià are the normal drivers of the IRL pace car for all events. The pace car

3968-451: The 1995 Indianapolis 500 , when Scott Goodyear passed the pace car going back to green. In 2002, a "wave-around" rule was added, where the pace car waves by all competitors (if there are any) between the pace car and the actual leader of the race. This allows the leader to control the restart without any lapped cars in front of them. It also creates a strategy for cars to gain laps back, loosely resembling NASCAR's " Lucky dog " rule. However,

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4096-467: The 2009 FIA WTCC Race of France in Pau , France . A succession of first-lap accidents caused the safety car to be placed on standby, with yellow flags waving on the start-finish section of the track. The safety car driver - a local politician - then proceeded to drive onto the track at slow speed, without official approval, moving across the pit exit line immediately after exiting the pits, instead of confining to

4224-583: The Alboreto corner of the Monza Circuit on the Thursday of the 2024 Italian Grand Prix . Both the passenger and the driver, Bernd Mayländer , were safe, and no interruptions were reported as there was another safety car at the site if needed. The race itself went on without any safety car deployments, extending a streak of such that started after the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix . The high amount of caution laps during

4352-581: The Aston Martin Vantage and the Mercedes-AMG GT R that was already used in previous seasons. Since 2022 , Mercedes provides a Black Series variant of the GT. Following an accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix , which saw driver Jules Bianchi suffer a serious head injury which led to his death, the FIA established an "accident panel" to investigate the dynamics of the accident and ways to minimize

4480-610: The Monaco Grand Prix in the 1980s, or the Lamborghini Diablo for the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix to the more mundane Fiat Tempra used at the rain-affected 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix , and the high performance version of the Opel Vectra used at the infamous 1994 San Marino Grand Prix . In particular, the Opel Vectra was criticized as it had a low top speed, which was insufficient to keep the competitors' tyre temperatures high, and

4608-597: The NASCAR weekend permanently in 2021 ), and the support races on the road course moved to its own September weekend. As races were cancelled because of local restrictions, the Speedway added two more road course races in October as part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge meeting, where attendance was capped to 10,000 per event. In 2024, the race was delayed for over four hours due to heavy rain and thunderstorms in

4736-544: The Peugeot Grand Prix engine which had been serviced in his shop by Fred Offenhauser in 1914, installing it in Jimmy Murphy 's Duesenberg and allowing him to win the 1922 edition of the race. Miller then created his own automobiles, which shared the 'Miller' designation, which, in turn, were powered by supercharged versions of his 2.0- and 1.5-liter (122 and 91 in ) engine single-seaters, winning four more races for

4864-582: The Silverstone Circuit . The Full Course Yellow condition is the Formula E version of the Virtual Safety Car. In this condition, all marshal posts will wave yellow flags, accompanied by a sign that says "FCY" with a yellow background. This condition is often decided by the Race Director whether it is appropriate to implement it or not. The fans (if they are watching the race on TV) and drivers can hear

4992-569: The Truck Series , which races pickup trucks instead of cars, the safety "car" is often a pickup. Tracks affiliated with a local or regional Chevrolet dealership will use a Chevrolet Silverado , while Chrysler dealership-affiliated tracks will use a Ram 1500 . Ford-affiliated tracks will often use the F-Series, but Toyota-affiliated tracks are less likely to use the Toyota Tundra , but prefer marketing

5120-428: The green–white–checker finish in case of a late-race yellow. The race can be (and has at times) finished under caution. However, officials may call for a late-race red flag (in lieu of a lengthy yellow) to provide an opportunity for a green-flag finish, an option that was used in 2014 , 2019 , 2022 , and 2023 . The circuit lacks lights, therefore lateness can become a factor in the cases of lengthy delays. The event

5248-411: The rear-view mirror . Harroun (with relief from Cyrus Patschke ) was declared the winner, although Ralph Mulford protested the official result. Eighty thousand spectators were in attendance, and an annual tradition had been established. Many considered Harroun to be a hazard during the race, as he was the only driver in the race driving without a riding mechanic , who checked the oil pressure and let

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5376-416: The "International Sweepstakes" dropped. Since 1981, the race has been formally advertised in this fashion, complete with a unique annual logo with the ordinal almost always included. Around that same time, in the wake of the 1979 entry controversy, and the formation of CART , the race changed to an invitational event, rather than an Open , rendering the " sweepstakes " description inappropriate. For nearly

5504-579: The 100th race. Harold Hefner (Allison), Tom Harrison (Fisher), Jeff Angel (Wheeler), and Matthew Allen (Newby). In 2020, the race was delayed for the first time from its usual Memorial Day running to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic . There was no audience in attendance, so as to comply with pandemic guidelines. The road course race was moved to the NASCAR weekend in July (which led to an IndyCar road course race added to

5632-523: The 1970s. Soon after the death of Tony Hulman in 1977, and the loss of several key USAC officials in a 1978 plane crash, several key team owners banded together and formed CART in late 1978 to sanction the sport of Indy car racing . The Indianapolis 500 itself, however, remained under the sanctioning control of USAC. It became the lone top-level race the body still sanctioned, as it ultimately dropped all other Indy car races (as well as their stock car division ) to concentrate on sprints and midgets . For

5760-407: The 1980s, as was Dutchman Arie Luyendyk . In 1993, reigning Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell shocked the racing world by leaving Formula One for CART . While he came in only third in the 500 , he won the 1993 CART championship . Foreign-born drivers became a regular fixture of Indianapolis in the years to follow. Despite the increase in foreign drivers commonly being associated with

5888-530: The 2023 IndyCar Monterey Grand Prix resulted in extended use of the Honda Civic pace car. This eventually led to the pace car almost running out of fuel. The Civic was then shown being refuelled by hand. During the opening pace laps of the 2018 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix IndyCar race (the second race of a doubleheader weekend at the Belle Isle street circuit), a 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 pace car leading

6016-463: The 33-car field lining up three-wide for the start, the annual singing of the chorus of " Back Home Again in Indiana ", and the victory lane bottle of milk. Also unique is that qualifying requires the driver to complete four, rather than one, timed laps, and the time trials are conducted on a separate weekend. The official attendance is not disclosed by Speedway management, but the permanent seating capacity

6144-495: The BMW into a number of rolls. The safety car was sent off the track into the Armco safety barrier at great speed. In the chaos, a Marcos LM600 coming around turn 11 locked up its brakes and spun into the wet grass on the inside of the track. Sliding back onto the track, it was hit from the side by a BMW Z3 . Furthermore, two E46 BMW M3 GTRs were damaged: one on the outside line hit the rear of

6272-528: The CART era, three of the first six Indianapolis 500 winners were non-American drivers. In 2009, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway began a three-year-long "Centennial Era" to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the track (1909), and the 100th anniversary of the first Indy 500 (1911). As a gesture to the nostalgic Centennial Era celebration (2009–2011), tickets for the 2009 race donned

6400-533: The Camry Hybrid. However, Ford and Toyota manufacturer sponsored tracks will prefer the Mustang and Camry, respectively, instead of a truck, and occasionally, pickup trucks have been used as pace vehicles for Cup Series and Xfinity races. Since NASCAR does not allow speedometers or electronic speed limiting devices, the pace car circles the track at pit road speed during the warm-up laps . This allows each driver to note

6528-525: The Formula One drivers who did drive at the speedway was five-time world champion Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio , though he failed to qualify for the 1958 race. It was not until the Indianapolis 500 was removed from the World Championship calendar that European entries made their return. In 1963, technical innovator Colin Chapman brought his Team Lotus to Indianapolis for the first time, attracted by

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6656-536: The Indianapolis 500 for nearly two decades, made a brief return just before World War II , with the competitive Maserati 8CTF allowing Wilbur Shaw to become the first driver to win consecutively at Indianapolis, in 1939 and 1940. With the 500 having been a part of the World Drivers' Championship between 1950 and 1960, Ferrari made a discreet appearance at the 1952 event with Alberto Ascari , but European entries were few and far between during those days. Among

6784-593: The Indy 500 (but CART sanctioned the other Indy car races), rules at Indy slightly differed at times. The result, for example, would be a particular chassis or engine configuration being legal at Indy, but not so at the CART-sanctioned events. This was rather commonplace in the 1980s and early 1990s, when "stock-block" engines (namely the V-6 Buick) were allotted an increased level of turbocharger boost by USAC at Indy, compared to

6912-531: The Marcos, and the other, on the inside line, slightly damaged its front right. The second M3 continued around the track, while the first slid into the grass before turn 12. The race was stopped, and there were no serious injuries to any of the drivers. On lap 57, ARCA driver Joe Cooksey ran into the back of the Pontiac Grand Prix pace car driven by Jack Wallace totaling the pace car, to quote Cooksey: "It might be

7040-538: The RPM at which pit road speed is maintained. Drivers exceeding that speed on pit road will be penalized, typically a "drive-through" or "stop and go" penalty, costing them valuable track position. Since mid-2004, NASCAR official Brett Bodine has driven the vehicle during official race functions during Cup Series races. Other famous NASCAR pace car drivers include Robert "Buster" Auton and Elmo Langley . At many races, NASCAR has an honorary pace car driver that actually drives

7168-466: The Race Director declare the FCY on the radio. Once the FCY is implemented, all drivers must activate the FCY limiter, which, similar to the pit speed limiter, keeps the car under FCY speeds despite the throttle being flat to the floor. Overtaking is not allowed under FCY conditions, but if a driver does overtake another driver, like when Jean-Éric Vergne overtook António Félix da Costa at the 2019 Rome ePrix ,

7296-403: The Speedway (typically Corvette at the 500 and Impala at the 400). The pace car is selected two months before the race runs, allowing the manufacturer of the selected pace car to produce replicas of that year's car, which sell at a marked premium to collectors and race fans. Pace car replicas are often seen on the streets of Indianapolis weeks before the race is actually held, and a celebrity driver

7424-514: The United States' participation in the two World Wars (1917–1918, 1942–1945), the advertised Centennial Era occurred during the 93rd to 95th runnings. To avoid confusion between the 100th anniversary, and the actual number of times the race has been run, references to the ordinal during the Centennial Era were curtailed. In the 2014 meeting, the road course became part of the race meeting for

7552-536: The Vectra's brakes faded on the first lap causing its driver to go slowly. Since 1996 , in order to standardize the safety car type/performance and also as part of promotional arrangements, the main supplier of safety cars has been Mercedes-Benz , with Aston Martin sharing the duties with them from 2021 onward. From 2007 , new procedures were applied for the first time during the Bahrain Grand Prix . The pit lane

7680-404: The affected sector, a "VSC" icon would appear trackside and on the drivers' steering displays, obliging drivers to not exceed the posted speed limit, thus resulting in a 35% speed reduction. All drivers are informed of their delta time (the difference between their speed and the current speed limit) on their dashboard display, and must keep their delta times positive, meaning they must be slower than

7808-401: The area. The race was originally advertised as the "International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race" from 1911 to 1916. However, from its inception, the race has been widely known as the Indianapolis 500 or, more simply "the 500", as for many years, it was the only noteworthy auto race of such distance. In 1919, the race was referred to as the "Liberty Sweepstakes" following WWI . From 1920 to 1980,

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7936-621: The auspices of the AAA Contest Board . Following the 1955 Le Mans disaster , AAA dissolved the Contest Board to concentrate on its membership program aimed at the general motoring public. Speedway owner Tony Hulman founded USAC in 1956, which took over sanctioning of the race and the sport of Championship racing . From 1950 to 1960, the Indianapolis 500 also counted toward the FIA 's World Championship of Drivers (now synonymous with Formula One ), although few drivers participated in

8064-415: The car. When race officials are ready to open pit lane, a green light will come on in the rear window of the safety car. One lap before a green flag, the pace car will shut off its lights to signal drivers to line up double file. Unlike most series in motorsport, owing to NASCAR's short-track roots, each track usually offers its own safety car, typically from the manufacturer, but in recent years, it has been

8192-409: The cars who get waved around are not allowed to pit until the green flag restarts the race (so they do not get the advantage of getting their lap back AND a free pit stop). In all NASCAR series, if the caution is out for debris, accident, or inclement weather, the flagman will display the yellow caution flag and the pace car will pull out of the pits and turn on the yellow strobes on top and/or behind

8320-437: The case on Sunday, the original scheduled start time of the race. The entire incident took about two hours to clean up before the last 40 (later extended to 42 due to a Green-white-checkered finish ) laps were able to be completed. NASCAR subsequently added the use of the second safety car (used during race start situations) to protect the last jet dryer in other safety car situations. The 2011 6 Hours of Castellet got off to

8448-461: The crash causing a puncture (though no damage to his car or tires was done). Approximately 20 minutes after the crash, the cars that were still on the track had their engines re-fired and were directed to drive to pit road in order to reset the starting grid for the race start. An identical back-up pace car of the same make and model was brought out to pace the field, this time driven by former IndyCar driver and official Oriol Servià who regularly drove

8576-491: The crews. More lengthy repairs are allowed, and since 1998 teams are permitted to return to the garage area to make repairs. However, there are limitations to the extent of repair work allowed and the practicality of such work. Teams are not allowed to change engines, and since 1933 a rule has been in place where teams are not allowed to add oil . In addition, the officials designate a certain lap after which off-track cars being serviced/repaired are no longer permitted to return to

8704-409: The distance has been completed, the race must be resumed and achieve at least the 101-lap distance in order to be official. A primary limiting factor is available daylight, as the track does not have lighting. If the race is halted and cannot be resumed before sunset, the resumption will be scheduled for the next possible day. The Indianapolis 500, as well as other IndyCar Series races, does not utilize

8832-542: The driver know when traffic was coming. In 1912, the purse was raised to $ 50,000, the field was limited to 33 (where it remains), and a riding mechanic was made mandatory. This second event was won by Joe Dawson in a National , after Ralph DePalma 's Mercedes broke. Although the first race was won by an American driver at the wheel of an American car, European makers such as the Italian Fiat or French Peugeot companies soon developed their vehicles to try to win

8960-428: The driver who overtook the other driver can be penalised. For season 6 of Formula E , when there is an FCY period, everyone is no longer allowed to activate Attack Mode. For every minute spent under FCY conditions, 1kWh of energy kept in reserve by the drivers will be subtracted, giving more energy saving tactics to the drivers and teams alike. Like Formula One, Formula E also has a safety car condition. From 2014 to 2021,

9088-406: The end of the caution period, the safety car leaves the track and the competitors resume normal racing. The first reliance on this safety measure occurred with the deployment of a pace car during the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911. The use of a safety car has the effect of bunching competitors together, such as to eliminate any time and distance advantage that a leading driver may have had over

9216-521: The engine up to 1929 (two of them, 1926 and 1928, in Miller chassis). The engines powered another seven winners until 1938 (two of them, 1930 and 1932, in Miller chassis), then ran at first with stock-type motors before later being adjusted to the international 3.0-liter formula. After purchasing the Speedway in 1927, Eddie Rickenbacker prohibited supercharging and increased the displacement limit to 366 cu in (6,000 cc), while also re-introducing

9344-478: The event did not recognize this sponsorship and instead had Firestone Tires as its presenting sponsorship. The Borg-Warner Trophy , introduced in 1936, proclaims the event as the "Indianapolis 500-Mile Race", with no reference at all to the name "International Sweepstakes". The Indianapolis 500 is held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway , a 2.5-mile (4 km) oval circuit . The track

9472-433: The event, which they did from 1912 to 1919. The 1913 event saw a change to a 450-cubic-inch (7,400 cc) maximum engine size. After World War I , the native drivers and manufacturers regained their dominance of the race, and engineer Harry Miller set himself up as the most competitive of the post-war builders. His technical developments allowed him to be indirectly connected to a history of success that would last into

9600-402: The field and being driven by General Motors executive Mark Reuss lost control and crashed head-on into the left-hand retaining wall coming out of the exit of turn two of the track, shortly after leaving pit road. Neither Reuss nor Mark Sandy, an IndyCar official who was a passenger in the car, were injured in the crash and were able to exit the vehicle after the crash. The cars participating in

9728-473: The field to be one lap down incorrectly. Formula One officially introduced safety cars in 1993 , after trials were conducted at both the French and British Grands Prix during the preceding 1992 season. From 1993 through 1995 , this saw cars of different brands being used as the safety car throughout the season and depending on the track visited; for example, they included the exotic Lamborghini Countach for

9856-429: The first three laps, the safety car also has an advantage over the traditional red flag; with a red flag, it would take a minimum of fifteen minutes to restart the race, and the two-hour limit would not start until the cars were ready for a second formation lap. With regards to the time limit, the race is being scored and the time is also counting while the safety car is on the track, and the race resumes. The first use of

9984-454: The first time in history the pace car has been wiped out." After Footwork Arrows driver Taki Inoue retired due to an engine failure, he attempted to assist the marshals in extinguishing the engine fire, but he was hit by the Tatra 623 safety car. The incident injured his leg, though he would recover in time for the following Belgian Grand Prix. Before the start of the race, a drunken fan stole

10112-512: The first time. The GMR Grand Prix road course event, and the three upper tiers of Road to Indy , participated in road course events at the Speedway during the first week of activities. Six years later, in 2016 , the race celebrated its 100th running with about 350,000 in attendance. Four local actors were hired to portray the Founding Four of James Allison, Carl Fisher, Frank Wheeler, and Arthur Newby during multiple Centennial Era events and

10240-404: The inaugural Indy 500 in 1911. The officials at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been selecting a pace car and its driver for the Indy 500 each year since that first race. The first pace car was a Stoddard-Dayton driven by Carl G. Fisher . In recent years Chevrolet models have been chosen as the official pace car, owing to the ability for them to be used at both major automobile races at

10368-469: The inside of it until the line ended. Race leader Franz Engstler came through the kink on the start-finish straight and was unable to avoid hitting the side of the pace car. Engstler commented "I saw the safety car coming out from the right and realized that I had no chance to brake... I really do not understand why he was going out of the pits". After this incident, the Portuguese Bruno Correia

10496-512: The jet dryer trailer and left driver's side of the truck. Montoya was treated at the infield care center and released unhurt. The driver of the Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab, Duane Barnes, was taken to a local hospital for observation and was resting comfortably. He was an employee at Michigan International Speedway , a sister track of Daytona . The tracks often share jet dryer equipment on race weekends to help in case of rain such as

10624-474: The large monetary prizes, far bigger than the usual at a European event. Racing a mid-engined car, Scotsman Jim Clark was second in his first attempt in 1963, dominated in 1964 until suffering suspension failure on lap 47, and completely dominated the race in 1965, a victory which also interrupted the success of the Offy, and giving the 4.2-liter Ford V8 its first success at the race. The following year, 1966, saw another British win, this time Graham Hill in

10752-500: The lead lap will regain a lap. The Beneficiary will regain his lap once pit road opens. Bodine will signal that car to pass him through radio contact between NASCAR and that team. The free pass car must pit with the lapped cars. After previous being trialed at the NASCAR All-Star Race, at the 2009 Pocono 500 , NASCAR introduced a new "Double-file restart" rule that lines the field two cars on each row on every restart, similar to

10880-645: The majority of entries at the Brickyard in the following years, but European technology had taken over. Starting in 1978, most chassis and engines were European, with the only American-based chassis to win during the CART era being the Wildcat and Galmer (which was technically built in Bicester , England) in 1982 and 1992, respectively. Ford and Chevrolet engines were built in the UK by Cosworth and Ilmor , respectively. As of 2023,

11008-580: The mid-1970s. For musical entertainment before the start of the race, the Purdue All-American Marching Band has been the host band of the race since 1919. In 1946, American operatic tenor and car enthusiast James Melton started the tradition of singing " Back Home Again in Indiana " with the Purdue Band before the race when asked to do so on the spur of the moment by Speedway president Tony Hulman . This tradition has continued through

11136-414: The moniker "93rd 500 Mile International Sweepstakes". It is the first time since 1980 that the "Sweepstakes" title has been used. In May 2009, the ordinal (93rd) was used very sparingly, and for the first time since 1981, was not identified on the annual logo. Instead, in most instances in print, television, and radio, the race was referred to as the "2009 Indianapolis 500". Since the race was not held during

11264-465: The month wears on, a "T car" may be split off into a separate entry, and reassigned a new number, or be sold to another team. All cars must pass a rigorous technical inspection before receiving a sticker signifying that the car is eligible to practice. Various criteria include minimum weight, dimensions, and approved parts, particularly safety equipment. Before and after qualification attempts, cars must pass another inspection. The pre-qualifying inspection

11392-518: The most recent active Formula One driver to have entered the 500 is Fernando Alonso , who drove in the 2017 race. Alonso was the first Formula One driver to enter the 500 since Teo Fabi in 1984 . After foreign cars became the norm, foreign drivers began competing in the Indianapolis 500 regularly, choosing the United States as their primary base for their motor racing activities. Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi , Italian Teo Fabi , and Colombian Roberto Guerrero were able to obtain good outings in

11520-564: The most victories is Castroneves. Rick Mears holds the record for most career pole positions with six. The most successful car owner is Roger Penske , owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Team Penske , which has 20 total wins and 18 poles. Penske also has five wins at the IndyCar Grand Prix , held on the combined road course . The event is steeped in tradition , in pre-race ceremonies, post-race celebrations, and race procedure. The most noteworthy and most popular traditions are

11648-626: The next three years, the race was not officially recognized on the CART calendar, but the CART teams and drivers comprised the field. By 1983, an agreement was made for the USAC-sanctioned Indy 500 to be recognized on the CART calendar and the race awarded points towards the CART championship. 1992 Formula One World Championship Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include

11776-439: The other races of that series. Italian driver Alberto Ascari was the only European-based driver to race in the 500 during its World Championship years. His appearance in 1952 in a Ferrari was also the only time a Ferrari has ever appeared in the race. Juan Manuel Fangio practiced at the track in 1958 but declined an offer to race. Control issues of monetary prizes and squabbles over technical regulations caused conflict in

11904-411: The pace car and drove a lap around Talladega Superspeedway . Local police quickly pursued the fan around the track, setting up a roadblock at the exit of Turn 4 that led to his arrest. The pace car of the 1971 Indianapolis 500 , an orange Dodge Challenger driven by local auto dealer Eldon Palmer, crashed at the start of the race. As Palmer drove the car off into the pit lane to let the race cars begin

12032-531: The pace car during caution periods. The incident delayed the start of the race by over 30 minutes from its scheduled start time of 3:50pm local time. The race eventually went green sometime past 4:20pm. Before the start of the final segment of the Sprint Cup Series ' Sprint Unlimited exhibition race at Daytona , the Chevrolet SS pace car caught fire and stopped off the track, delaying the restart. The fire

12160-530: The purpose-built V-8 quad-cam engines. While the "stock block" engines were technically legal in CART competition, they were not given the increased boost advantage, which effectively rendered them uncompetitive, and precluded their use by teams. The most famous manifestation of the USAC rules disparity was the Ilmor -built Mercedes-Benz 500I engine fielded by Roger Penske in 1994 . Teams may enter up to two machines under

12288-526: The queue. When the safety car is ready to leave the circuit, it will turn off its orange lights to indicate that it will enter the pit lane at the end of the lap. Drivers must continue in formation until they cross the first safety car line, where circuit green lights and flags will indicate they are free to race again. The safety car must maintain a reasonable speed so as to ensure that the competitors' tyres are as close as possible to operating temperature and their engines do not overheat. For incidents during

12416-513: The race has always been scheduled on or around Memorial Day . Since 1974 , the race has been specifically scheduled for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. The Sunday of Memorial Day weekend is widely considered one of the most important days on the motorsports calendar, as it is the day of the Indianapolis 500, the Coca-Cola 600 , and (usually) the Monaco Grand Prix . Practice and time trials are held in

12544-429: The race is not held in wet conditions. In the event of a rain delay , the race will be postponed until rain showers cease, and the track is sufficiently dried. If rain falls during the race itself, officials will halt the race (red flag) and await safe conditions. The officials can end the race and declare the results official if more than half of the scheduled distance (i.e., 101 laps) has been completed. If less than half

12672-418: The race officially reverted to the "International Sweepstakes" moniker, as printed on the tickets and other paraphernalia, with slight variations over the years. Following WWII , the race was commonly recognized as "The 500", "The 500-Mile Race", "Indianapolis 500-Mile Race", "Indianapolis 500", or the simple form "Indy 500". Usually the ordinal (e.g. "50th") preceded it. Often the race was also advertised on

12800-484: The race was part of FIA World Championships ; between 1925 and 1928 , the World Manufacturers' Championship and between 1950 and 1960 , the World Drivers' Championship . Josef Newgarden , the winner in 2023 – 2024 , is the reigning champion. The most successful drivers are A. J. Foyt , Al Unser Sr. , Rick Mears and Hélio Castroneves , each of whom has won the race four times. The active driver with

12928-464: The race, except one driven by Alexander Rossi , stopped on the track behind the wrecked car as safety crews and track workers cleaned up debris from the accident and removed the damaged vehicle. Rossi, who was to start the race from the pole position and was directly behind the pace car when the incident occurred, was the only driver to drive past the crash and returned to pit road afterwards, causing concern to his crew that he may have run over debris from

13056-582: The race, he lost control of the car and crashed into a photographer stand. There were no fatalities, and the number of people reported injured has ranged from 18 to 29. Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500 , formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race , and commonly shortened to Indy 500 , is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana , United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis . The event

13184-425: The race, work on the car is permitted, but it is usually limited to routine pit stop work (changing tires and refueling) and minor adjustments (wing angles, etc.) Pit stop activity is rigorously rehearsed by the crews and in modern times, routine pits stops are regularly completed in under ten seconds. Other more involved work, such as replacing damaged bodywork (wings, nose cones, etc.), can also be completed quickly by

13312-451: The race. Throughout the years, the race has used several different qualifying procedures. The current four-lap (ten-mile) qualifying distance was first introduced in 1920 and has been used every year since 1939. Presently, qualifying occurs on over two days. On Day 1, positions 13–30 (or 13–33 if there are only 33 entries) have their position set with all other positions set on Day 2. Following Fast Friday practice, all cars are entered into

13440-399: The radio as the "Annual Memorial Day race", or similar variations. By the late 20th century, the term "Indy 500" had slowly emerged as the most common and most popularly used moniker. As such, since 2016, the official race logo has used the contemporary and colloquial term "Indy 500". For the 1981 race , the name "65th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race" was officially adopted, with all references as

13568-486: The reference time. The system was similar to the Electro-PACER lights used in the Indianapolis 500 races from 1972 until 1978 , except that engine control units (ECU) were involved and could enforce speed limits under the current system. The VSC was tested over the course of the final three races of the 2014 season, during parts of free practice sessions. The system was evolved taking into account drivers' feedback and

13696-405: The remaining field of competitors. This effect can make racing more competitive upon full race resumption; conversely, it has also contributed to faster leading drivers being negated just rewards for their efforts prior to the caution period. Subject to the racing regulations in force, it is not uncommon for drivers to be allowed to make pitstops during safety car periods. This situation may provide

13824-489: The riding mechanic. In 1935, Miller's former employees, Fred Offenhauser and Leo Goossen , had already achieved their first win with the soon-to-become famous 4-cylinder Offenhauser or "Offy" engine. This motor was forever connected with the Brickyard's history with a to-date record total of 27 wins, in both naturally aspirated and supercharged form, and winning a likewise record-holding 18 consecutive years between 1947 and 1964. Meanwhile, European manufacturers, gone from

13952-486: The risk of a crash during similar circumstances that do not warrant the deployment of a safety car and cannot be simply managed with yellow flags . The accident panel recommended the implementation of a "virtual safety car", based on the " slow zone " system used in Le Mans racing. Compared to the former, the safety car does not actually appear on the track. On top of not being allowed to overtake under yellow flag conditions in

14080-450: The safety car was instructed to slow down and let the entire field pass. As the safety car was exiting turn 11, an approaching Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 drastically reduced its speed in response to the unusually slow safety car. However, a BMW a few seconds behind came around the blind turn at speed, colliding with the Gallardo and safety car. The collision destroyed the Gallardo and sent

14208-418: The safety car, lapped cars were no longer allowed to unlap themselves before the race was restarted. This rule was abandoned from the 2012 season onwards, with cars now allowed to unlap themselves before the race resumes. However, since 2015 , the safety car does not need to wait for the backmarkers to catch up with the leading pack before returning to the pits. The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix infamously became

14336-522: The series. Firestone , which has a deep history in the sport, dating back to the first 500, is currently the exclusive tire provider. The traditional 33-car starting field at Indianapolis is larger than the fields at the other IndyCar races. The field at Indy typically consists of all of the full-time IndyCar Series entries (roughly 20–22 cars), along with roughly 10–15 part-time or "Indy-only" entries. The "Indy-only" entries, also known as "One-offs", may be an extra car added to an existing full-time team, or

14464-499: The shortest race in Formula One World Championship history and the first (and so far only) World Championship Grand Prix in history to be run entirely behind the safety car with no running taking place under green flag conditions, with two full laps completed behind the safety car before the race was red flagged on lap 3 and not restarted thereafter with results taken from the end of lap 1 with Max Verstappen declared

14592-470: The start of the race, instead of lead-lap cars on the outside and lapped cars on the inside. Also, the "wave-around" rule, similar to what is enforced in racing series sanctioned by IndyCar , was adopted to ensure the first car on the restart is the leader, and ensure there are no lapped cars ahead of the leader. During a reconnaissance lap, a 2024 Aston Martin Vantage safety car spun out and crashed heavily at

14720-432: The track with 3.2 million bricks; he also added a 33-inch (0.84 m) concrete wall around the track's circumference. During the 1910 Decoration Day weekend, the first events on the newly paved circuit drew 60,000 spectators; Ray Harroun won the 200-mile (320 km) Wheeler-Schebler Trophy in a Marmon . The crowds grew progressively smaller for the rest of the season, however, so the track owners chose to focus on

14848-574: The two weeks leading up to the race, while miscellaneous preliminary testing is held as early as April. The race is the most prestigious event of the IndyCar calendar, and one of the oldest and most important automobile races. It has been reported to be the largest single-day sporting event in the world. Likewise, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway itself is regarded as the world's largest sporting facility in terms of capacity. The total purse exceeded $ 13 million in 2011 , with over $ 2.5 million awarded to

14976-480: The winner of the event and half points awarded to the top 10 classified drivers. In response to the controversial safety car restart at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , the FIA reworked the safety car restart procedure: instead of waiting for the last lapped car to unlap itself, the safety car will now be withdrawn one lap after the instruction to unlap is received. Since 2021 , F1 has featured two official safety cars, both

15104-400: The winner, making it one of the richest cash prize funds in sports. Similar to NASCAR 's Daytona 500 , the Indianapolis 500 is typically held early in the IndyCar Series season. That is unique to most sports where major events are usually at the end of the respective season. Currently, the Indy 500 is the sixth event of the 17-race IndyCar schedule. From the 1970s to the 1990s, Indianapolis

15232-407: The years, notably by actor and singer Jim Nabors from 1972 until 2014. Nabors announced in 2014, citing health-related reasons, that the 2014 Indy 500 would be the last at which he would sing the song. In 2015, the a cappella group Straight No Chaser sang the song before the race, and in the two races held after Nabors' retirement (and before he became the regular singer), the singing of the song

15360-409: The years, such as Juan Pablo Montoya at the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix and Giancarlo Fisichella and Felipe Massa in the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix . At the same race a year later , Lewis Hamilton failed to notice the red light and slammed into the back of the car of Kimi Räikkönen , who was waiting at the end of the pit lane alongside Robert Kubica . From 2010 , once cars were lined up behind

15488-454: Was appointed as the official safety car driver. A safety car caused a crash during the 2008 Dutch Supercar Challenge race at Spa Francorchamps . The Seat Leon was released too late, allowing the leading Marcos LM600 to pass while erroneously identifying the Audi TT DTM in 2nd and Mosler MT900R GT3 in 3rd as 'the leading pack.' Race officials immediately realized their mistake, and

15616-445: Was believed to have started in a trunk-mounted battery pack powering the lights. During a safety car situation on Lap 160 of the 2012 Daytona 500 , Earnhardt Ganassi Racing driver Juan Pablo Montoya 's car had a suspension part failure, and it lost control on turn 3, sharply veering into a safety truck and jet dryer trailer and causing a giant fireball. Sparks were seen emanating from Montoya's car right before its hard collision with

15744-430: Was closed immediately upon the deployment of the safety car. No car could enter the pits until all cars on the track had formed up in a line behind the safety car, they passed the pit entrance, and the message "pit lane open" was given. A ten-second stop/go penalty (which must be taken when the race is resumed) was imposed on any driver who entered the pit lane before the pit lane open message is given. However, any car which

15872-545: Was done on a rotating basis, with the Spring 2014 winner of The Voice Josh Kaufman performing in 2016. However, the Speedway has returned to a standard singer with Jim Cornelison doing it since 2017. Following the European trends, engine sizes were limited to 183 cu in (3,000 cc) during 1920–1922, 122 cu in (2,000 cc) for 1923–1925, and 91 cu in (1,490 cc) in 1926–1929. The 1920 race

16000-503: Was in the pit entry or pit lane when the safety car was deployed would not incur a penalty. This was infamously exploited during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix when Nelson Piquet, Jr. wrecked his Renault shortly after teammate Fernando Alonso had exited the pits in what was later discovered to be an intentional crash designed to trigger a safety car and subsequent closure of the pit lane. From 2009 , however, this procedure has been dropped, and replaced by software that calculates where

16128-525: Was officially introduced for the 2015 season following ratification by the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC). The VSC was officially used for the first time, and for a brief period prior to the deployment of the actual safety car, at the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix , following a 30G crash involving Max Verstappen . The system saw its first extended deployment at the 2015 British Grand Prix after Carlos Sainz Jr. 's power unit failed at Club Corner of

16256-473: Was often the second or third race of the season, and as late as the 1950s, it was sometimes the first championship event of the year. Due to the high prestige of the Indianapolis 500—rivaling or even surpassing the season championship—it is not uncommon for some teams and drivers to focus heavily on preparing for that race during the early part of the season, and not focus fully on the championship battle until after Indy. Due to safety issues such as aquaplaning ,

16384-467: Was won by Gaston Chevrolet in a Frontenac , prepared by his brothers, powered by the first eight-cylinder engine to win the 500. For 1923, riding mechanics were no longer required. A supercharged car, ID, first won the race in 1924. In 1925, Pete DePaolo was the first to win at an average over 100 mph (160 km/h), with a speed of 101.13 mph (162.75 km/h). In the early 1920s, Miller built his 3.0-liter (183 in ) engine, inspired by

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