Indy 500 is one of the most famous automobile races. And also is the world’s oldest one!
So let’s dive into some trivia and facts!
- The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race is the world’s oldest major automobile race
- Better known as the Indy 500 or the Indianapolis 500
- It is held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States
- An enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana
- The event is held over Memorial Day weekend in late May
- It is contested as part of the IndyCar Series
- The top level of American Championship Car racing
- An open-wheel open-cockpit formula colloquially known as “Indy Car Racing”
- The name of the race is often shortened to Indy 500
- And the track itself is nicknamed “the Brickyard”
- As the racing surfacing was paved in brick in the fall of 1909
- With the sole remaining bricks serving as the finish line
- The event, billed as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, is considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport
- Which comprises three of the most prestigious motorsports events in the world
- Also including the Monaco Grand Prix
- And the 24 Hours of Le Mans
- The official attendance is not disclosed by Speedway management
- But the permanent seating capacity is upwards of 250,000
- And infield patrons raise the race-day attendance to approximately 300,000
- It also shares dates with NASCAR’s 600-mile event at Charlotte
- With drivers having completed both events in one day before in a so-called Double Duty
- 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
- Simon Pagenaud is the current champion
- The most successful drivers are A. J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr., and Rick Mears
- Each of whom have won the race four times
- The active driver with the most victories is Hélio Castroneves
- With three
- Rick Mears holds the record for most career pole positions
- With six
- The most successful car owner is Roger Penske
- Owner of Team Penske
- Which has 18 total wins and 19 poles
- The event is steeped in tradition, in pre-race ceremonies, post-race celebrations, and race procedure
- The most noteworthy and most popular traditions are the 33-car field lining up three-wide for the start
- The annual singing 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 lap
- And qualifying itself having its own weekend
- In 2019, coverage of the Indianapolis 500 moved to NBC
- As part of a new three-year contract that unifies the IndyCar Series’ television rights with NBC Sports
- The parent division of IndyCar’s current cable partner NBCSN
- And replaces the package of five races broadcast by ABC
- With an eight-race package on NBC
- The Indianapolis 500 is one of the eight races
- This contract ended ABC’s 54-year tenure as broadcaster of the race
- WTHR will be the local broadcaster of the race under this contract
- The existing blackout policy is expected to continue
