Indianapolis 500

Billed as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," the event 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 has frequently shared a date. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar Series are majority-owned by Penske Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Penske Corporation, which is owned by Roger Penske.

The inaugural race was held in 1911 and won by Ray Harroun. The event celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011, and the 100th running was held in 2016. It 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 the race was part of FIA World Championships: the World Manufacturers' Championship between 1925 and 1928, and the World Drivers' Championship between 1950 and 1960.

Álex Palou, the winner in 2025, is the reigning champion. The most successful drivers all-time are A. J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr., Rick Mears, and Hélio Castroneves, each of whom has won the race four times; Castroneves is the active driver with the most victories. Rick Mears holds the record for most career pole positions with six, and Scott Dixon holds the record for most career laps led. The most successful car owner is Roger Penske, whose Team Penske has 20 total wins and 19 poles; Penske also has five wins at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, held on the combined road course.

The event is steeped in tradition: the 33-car starting grid lined up in rows of three, the annual singing of the chorus of "Back Home Again in Indiana," and the victory-lane bottle of milk. Qualifying requires the driver to complete four timed laps rather than one, and the time trials are conducted on a separate weekend. Official attendance is not disclosed by Speedway management, but permanent seating capacity is roughly 235,000, and infield patrons raise typical race-day attendance to between 350,000 and 400,000.

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 a Buick. The breakup of the track surface led to two fatal accidents in the first two long-distance events.

The fact 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 the track with 3.2 million bricks; he also added a 33-inch-tall 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, and Ray Harroun won the 200-mile Wheeler-Schebler Trophy in a Marmon.

The crowds grew progressively smaller for the rest of the season, so the track owners chose to focus on a single race. They considered a 24-hour contest in the fashion of Le Mans, or a one-thousand-mile event, before deciding on 500 miles — the estimated distance a race car could run before dark descended on the track — and a spectacular purse of $25,000. The combination allowed the track to rapidly acquire a privileged status for automobile races.

The first "500" was held at the Speedway in 1911 on Decoration Day, May 30, run to a 600-cubic-inch 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, 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 a hazard during the race, as he was the only driver competing without a riding mechanic, who checked the oil pressure and warned the driver of approaching traffic.

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 in an American car, European makers such as Italy's Fiat or France's Peugeot soon developed their vehicles to win the event, which they did from 1912 to 1919. The 1913 event introduced a 450-cubic-inch maximum engine size. After World War I, native drivers and manufacturers regained their dominance, and engineer Harry Miller set himself up as the most competitive of the post-war builders.

For musical entertainment before the start, 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 when asked to do so on the spur of the moment by Speedway president Tony Hulman. The tradition continued through the years, notably by actor and singer Jim Nabors from 1972 until 2014. After Nabors' retirement the singing was done on a rotating basis — including by Straight No Chaser in 2015 and Josh Kaufman in 2016 — before the Speedway returned to a standard singer with Jim Cornelison from 2017.

Following European trends, engine sizes were limited to 183 cubic inches during 1920–1922, 122 cubic inches for 1923–1925, and 91 cubic inches in 1926–1929. The 1920 race was won by Gaston Chevrolet in a Frontenac, prepared by his brothers and powered by the first eight-cylinder engine to win the 500. For 1923, riding mechanics were no longer required. A supercharged car first won the race in 1924. In 1925, Pete DePaolo was the first to win at an average over 100 mph, with a speed of 101.13 mph.

In the early 1920s, Miller built his 3.0-liter engine, inspired by the Peugeot Grand Prix engine that 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. Miller then created his own automobiles, powered by supercharged versions of his 2.0- and 1.5-liter engines, winning four more races for the engine up to 1929. The engines powered another seven winners until 1938.

After purchasing the Speedway in 1927, Eddie Rickenbacker prohibited supercharging and increased the displacement limit to 366 cubic inches, while re-introducing the riding mechanic. In 1935, Miller's former employees Fred Offenhauser and Leo Goossen 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 a likewise record-holding 18 consecutive years between 1947 and 1964.

European manufacturers, gone from 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. As of 2025, these remain the only Indy 500 victories obtained by fully Italian cars.

With the 500 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. Among the Formula One drivers who did drive at the speedway was one-time world champion Italian Giuseppe Farina, who failed to qualify for the 1956 and 1957 races, and five-time world champion Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio, who failed to qualify for the 1958 race.

It was not until the Indianapolis 500 was removed from the World Championship calendar that European entries returned. In 1963, technical innovator Colin Chapman brought his Team Lotus to Indianapolis for the first time, attracted by the large monetary prizes. 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 that also interrupted the success of the Offy and gave the 4.2-liter Ford V8 its first success. The following year, 1966, saw another British win, this time Graham Hill in a Lola-Ford.

The Offenhauser engine was also paired with 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 the last time the Offy would win, its competitiveness steadily decreasing until its final appearance in 1983. American drivers continued to fill the majority of entries, but European technology had taken over. Starting in 1978, most chassis and engines were European; the only American-based chassis to win during the CART era were the Wildcat and Galmer (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 2025, 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 while competing in F1 since Teo Fabi in 1984.

After foreign cars became the norm, foreign drivers began competing regularly, choosing the United States as their primary base for motor racing. Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi, Italian Teo Fabi, and Colombian Roberto Guerrero obtained good outings in the 1980s, as did Dutchman Arie Luyendyk. In 1993, reigning Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell shocked the racing world by leaving Formula One for CART; he came in third in the 500 but won the 1993 CART championship. Despite the increase in foreign drivers commonly being associated with 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 "Centennial Era" to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the track (1909) and the 100th anniversary of the first Indy 500 (1911). Tickets for the 2009 race carried the moniker "93rd 500 Mile International Sweepstakes," the first time since 1980 that the "Sweepstakes" title had been used. Because the race was not held during the United States' participation in the two World Wars, the Centennial Era occurred during the 93rd to 95th runnings. In 2014 the road course became part of the race meeting for the first time. 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 Centennial Era events.

In 2020, the race was delayed for the first time from its usual Memorial Day running to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with no audience in attendance. In 2024, the race was delayed for over four hours due to heavy rain and thunderstorms.

The race was originally advertised as the "International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race" from 1911 to 1916, though from its inception it was widely known as the Indianapolis 500 or simply "the 500." In 1919 it was referred to as the "Liberty Sweepstakes" following World War I. From 1920 to 1980 it officially reverted to the "International Sweepstakes" moniker, with slight variations. By the late 20th century the term "Indy 500" had emerged as the most common name, and since 2016 the official race logo has used it. For the 1981 race the name "65th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race" was officially adopted, with all references to "International Sweepstakes" dropped; around the 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.

For nearly a century the race eschewed any naming rights or title sponsor, a tradition that ended in 2016 when PennGrade was added as a presenting sponsor. The Borg-Warner Trophy, introduced in 1936, proclaims the event as the "Indianapolis 500-Mile Race," with no reference to the name "International Sweepstakes."

The Indianapolis 500 is held at the 2.5-mile oval circuit, a rounded rectangle with four distinct turns of identical dimensions connected by four straightaways (two long straightaways and two "short chutes"). The field consists of 33 starters aligned in eleven rows of three cars apiece. Drivers race 200 laps, counter-clockwise, for a distance of 500 miles. Since 1974 the race has been specifically scheduled for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, widely considered one of the most important days on the motorsports calendar — also the day of the Coca-Cola 600 and, in numerous cases, the Monaco Grand Prix.

The race is the most prestigious event of the IndyCar calendar and has been reported to be the largest single-day sporting event in the world. The total purse exceeded $13 million in 2011, with over $2.5 million awarded to the winner. Similar to NASCAR's Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500 is typically held early in the IndyCar Series season, currently the sixth event of the 17-race schedule. Due to its high prestige — rivaling or surpassing the season championship — some teams and drivers focus heavily on preparing for that race during the early part of the season.

Due to safety issues such as aquaplaning, the race is not held in wet conditions. Officials can end the race and declare the results official if more than half the scheduled distance (101 laps) has been completed. A primary limiting factor is available daylight, as the track does not have lighting. The race does not utilize the green–white–checker finish and can be (and has at times) finished under caution, though officials may call for a late-race red flag to provide an opportunity for a green-flag finish, an option used in 2014, 2019, 2022, and 2023.

The event 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 use 2.2L V6 twin-turbocharged engines tuned to produce 550–750 horsepower. Chevrolet and Honda are the current engine manufacturers, Dallara is the sole chassis supplier, and Firestone — with a history dating to the first 500 — is the exclusive tire provider. The traditional 33-car field is larger than at other IndyCar races, typically consisting of all full-time IndyCar Series entries (roughly 20–22 cars) along with roughly 10–15 part-time or "Indy-only" entries, also known as "one-offs." Roughly 12,500 personnel are mobilized during the Indianapolis 500 weekend to support broadcast operations, safety and medical services, crowd management, and other logistical functions.

Technical specifications are currently written by IndyCar, generally the same as every other IndyCar race. In the past, particularly during the era in which USAC sanctioned the Indy 500 but CART sanctioned the other Indy car races, rules at Indy slightly differed at times. The most famous manifestation was the Ilmor-built Mercedes-Benz 500I engine fielded by Roger Penske in 1994. Teams may enter up to two machines under a given car number — the "primary" car and a "backup" car, identified by the letter "T" — though due to engine lease rules they must share the same engine. All cars must pass rigorous technical inspection before practice, and again before and after qualification attempts. Teams are not allowed to change engines, and since 1933 a rule has prohibited adding oil once the race has begun.

The race has used several different qualifying procedures. The current four-lap (ten-mile) qualifying distance was first introduced in 1920 and used every year since 1939. Qualifying presently occurs over two days following Fast Friday practice, with a blind draw for the qualifying order. On Saturday, all entries are guaranteed at least one attempt; the fastest twelve advance to a "shootout" the next day to determine pole position and the first four rows. On Sunday a second round determines the top positions, with the top six advancing to the Firestone Fast Six, and the fastest driver winning pole. For each attempt, cars are allowed two warm-up laps, and an attempt can be waved off during any of the four laps. Weather can and often does affect qualifying.

From 1911 to 1955 the race was organized under the auspices of the AAA Contest Board. Following the 1955 Le Mans disaster, AAA dissolved the Contest Board, and Speedway owner Tony Hulman founded USAC in 1956, which took over sanctioning. From 1950 to 1960 the Indianapolis 500 also counted toward the FIA's World Championship of Drivers, though few drivers participated in the other races of that series; Alberto Ascari's 1952 appearance in a Ferrari was the only time a Ferrari has ever appeared in the race, and Juan Manuel Fangio practiced at the track in 1958 but declined to race.

By 1983 an agreement was made for the USAC-sanctioned Indy 500 to be recognized on the CART calendar and awarded points toward the CART championship. From 1983 to 1995 the race was run in relative harmony despite the CART/USAC divide. In 1994, Speedway owner Tony George announced plans for a new series, the Indy Racing League, with the Indy 500 as its centerpiece. In response to schedule conflicts with CART's 1996 schedule, George reserved 25 of the 33 starting positions for the top 25 cars in IRL points; CART boycotted the race and staged a competing event, the U.S. 500, at Michigan on the same day. Veteran Buddy Lazier won the crash-filled 1996 Indy 500.

For 1997, new rules for less expensive cars and "production-based" engines made IRL equipment incompatible with CART; no CART-based teams entered the Indy 500 for three years. In 2000, Target Chip Ganassi Racing returned, and Juan Pablo Montoya dominated, leading 167 of 200 laps. In 2001 Penske Racing returned and won with Hélio Castroneves, repeating in 2002. By 2003, Ganassi, Penske, and Andretti Green defected to the IRL permanently. CART went bankrupt later that year and became the Champ Car World Series. In early 2008 the two series unified to create a single open-wheel championship known as the IndyCar Series.

In the 1960s and early 1970s the Indy 500 and the World 600 (now the Coca-Cola 600) at Charlotte Motor Speedway were held on different days, and a handful of NASCAR regulars participated in both events in the same year. From 1974 to 1992 the two events were scheduled for the same day and time, making participation in both impossible. Since 1993 the Coca-Cola 600 has been scheduled in the evening of the same day as the Indy 500, allowing several NASCAR drivers to compete in both as an effort known as "Double Duty." After the Indy 500, drivers would catch a helicopter from the Speedway, fly to Concord Regional Airport, and ride a helicopter to the NASCAR race. John Andretti, Tony Stewart, and Robby Gordon attempted the feat, with Kyle Larson being the latest in 2024 and 2025. In 2001, Tony Stewart became the first and to date only driver to complete the full race distance (1,100 miles) in both races on the same day.

Two drivers, Mario Andretti and A. J. Foyt, have won both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. Foyt also won the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans (in 1967, about one month after winning his third Indy 500). Andretti won the 1978 Formula One World Championship and is a three-time Sebring winner. In 2010, Chip Ganassi became the first car owner to win the Daytona and Indianapolis 500s in the same year, with Jamie McMurray winning the Daytona 500 and Dario Franchitti winning the Indianapolis 500. In 2010, Bruton Smith offered $20 million to any driver who could win both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day starting in 2011. Kurt Busch completed all 500 miles at Indy in 2014 to finish sixth but dropped out of the 600 with a blown engine. Kyle Larson won the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship, becoming the first driver to start that year's Indianapolis 500 and win the Cup Series title.

Louis Meyer requested a glass of buttermilk after winning his second Indy 500 in 1933. After winning his third title in 1936 he requested another glass but received a bottle, and was photographed swigging from it while holding up three fingers. A local dairy company executive recognized the marketing opportunity and, being unaware Meyer was drinking buttermilk, offered a bottle of milk to future winners. Milk has been presented each year since, apart from 1947 to 1955; modern drivers are offered a choice of whole, 2%, and skim. At the 1993 Indianapolis 500, winner Emerson Fittipaldi — who owned an orange grove — notoriously drank orange juice instead of milk during the televised winner's interview, leading to him being booed at the next race at the Milwaukee Mile, with some continuing to boo him as late as 2008.

Female participation of any sort at Indianapolis was discouraged and essentially banned throughout the first several decades, and female reporters were not even allowed in the pit area until 1971. There have been nine female drivers to qualify, starting with Janet Guthrie in 1977. Sarah Fisher has competed nine times, the most of any woman. Danica Patrick holds the best finish (3rd) for a woman and is the only woman to have led laps during the race. Katherine Legge is the most recent woman to have competed (2024) and holds the fastest one-lap and four-lap qualification speeds for a woman in the history of the race.

Radio coverage of the race dates back to 1922, and the race has been broadcast live on radio in its entirety by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network since 1953. The Hulmans did not allow live television coverage until 1986, largely to maximize gate attendance, though it was briefly televised live in 1949 and 1950 and shown on closed-circuit television in theaters from 1964 to 1970. From 1986 through 2018, ABC televised the race live in its entirety, with the Indianapolis affiliate required to black out the national broadcast and carry it on tape delay to encourage local attendance. In 2016, the IMS declared a sell-out for the 100th running, allowing the local affiliate to air the race live for the first time since 1950. In 2019, coverage moved to NBC as part of a new three-year contract, ending ABC's 54-year tenure. Fox Sports took over rights to IndyCar, including the Indianapolis 500, beginning in 2025.

This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.