The 100th running of the Indy 500.
Race day images from the David Turner collection.
Sunday 29 May 2016
Saturday 28 May 2016
A.J.Foyt sees off 500 grid.
Legendary A.J. Foyt to salute the field of the 100th Indianapolis 500
Annouceed today Saturday, May 28, 2016 - As the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil has approached, the history of the race has been celebrated by countless numbers of fans and media.
That history cannot be told without a salute to A.J. Foyt.
On Race Day, the first four-time winner of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" will offer a salute of his own to the 33 drivers who will compete in the 100th Running. Foyt will be stationed at the front of the grid and instruct the Pace Car and Row 1 to pull away for the Parade Laps, and as those drivers pull away followed by 30 more, Foyt will salute each one.
"A.J. Foyt has always been my favorite driver and I know so many of our fans hold him in the same regard," Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles said. "The 100th Running is all about honoring our history and A.J. is such a significant part of that, we couldn't have this race without him being part of it for our fans and for each of our drivers! We're excited to have him salute the men and woman who will write our next chapter."
Foyt, born in 1935 in Houston, Texas, started his professional racing career in USAC midget car competition before racing in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in 1958. In 1961, he won his first Indy 500 in the No. 1 Bowes Seal Fast/Bignotti Trevis/Offy. Three years later, in 1964, he was a champion again.
Three years after that, in 1967, Foyt won again and this time in a rear-engined car, becoming the first and only man to win at Indy in both front- and rear-engine race cars. A decade later, in 1977, he became the first four-time winner, in the iconic No. 14 Coyote that he owned.
During his driving career, "Super Tex" also won the Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a resume claimed by no other driver. He was named co-driver of the 20th century by the Associated Press, one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers and he has been inducted into every major motorsports Hall of Fame.
Foyt also won the Indy 500 as a car owner in 1999 with Kenny Brack. This year, AJ Foyt Enterprises has three entries in the race, driven by Takuma Sato, Jack Hawksworth and Alex Tagliani.
The legend has always said that the Indianapolis 500 made A.J. Foyt, not the other way around. On Sunday, he'll salute the person who will become the next legend of the Indianapolis 500 - the winner of the 100th Running.
Carb Day Notes from Indy
Kanaan leads Carb Day practice for 100th Indy 500
He may be starting 18th in Sunday's 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, but Tony Kanaan believes he has a car that can win the historic race.
Kanaan, who will start on the outside of Row 6 in the No. 10 NTT Data Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing, was fastest in today's Miller Lite Carb Day practice with a best lap of 226.280 mph on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.
Carlos Munoz was second at 224.772 mph in the No. 26 United Fiber & Data Honda, just ahead of Kanaan's teammate, Scott Dixon, third at 224.606 mph in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet."I'm happy with my car," said Kanaan, the 2013 Indy 500 winner. "Obviously, I have to pass 17 people before I get really happy with my car. After the struggle in qualifying, we really focused - me and Dixon - on the race. And you can see both of us at the top there."If anybody counts us out (for Sunday's race), it will be a big mistake."
Scott Dixon during Carb Day running.
Munoz, who will start the race from the middle of the second row, said Carb Day practice confirmed the strength of his car."Today was just a check to see the car was running good," said Munoz, who finished second to Kanaan as an Indy 500 rookie in 2013. "Everything was running good. The conditions will be different on Sunday. Every practice and qualifying I've been on the top of the charts, but that doesn't matter."
Verizon IndyCar Series points leader Simon Pagenaud, riding a three-race winning streak, was 22nd in today's practice with a speed of 222.581 mph in the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevy.
Juan Pablo Montoya, the reigning Indianapolis 500 champion and two-time race winner, was 13th at 223.571 mph in the No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevy. Teammate Helio Castroneves, the three-time Indy 500 winner, was 10th at 223.959 mph. Will Power, runner-up to Montoya in last year's race, had the fourth-fastest speed (224.384 mph) in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Ryan Hunter-Reay was fifth (224.327 mph) in the No. 28 DHL Honda. Pole sitter James Hinchcliffe was 12th fastest at 223.925 mph in the No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda. More than 1,300 laps were turned in the 70-minute session, with Pagenaud and Charlie Kimball (No. 42 Tresiba Chevy) each logging 52.
The only incident of the session came when Pippa Mann spun and crashed in Turn 4, backing her No. 63 Susan G. Komen Honda into the SAFER Barrier. Mann was uninjured. "I'm absolutely fine," Mann said. "I just really feel sorry for the crew. I was trying to find some clean air in pack running there, got a little too low on the inside. Dropped the ball and gave them some work to do overnight. "The good news is the damage wasn't too bad," Mann added. "Hopefully it's the right rear corner, rear attenuator, rear wing and that's all we have to fix."
The 33 cars now sit idle until race day Sunday.
Carb Day Crowd topping 100,000
Stoneman wins Freedom 100 in closest IMS oval finish in history.
Dean Stoneman edged Ed Jones by 0.0024 of a second to win the Freedom 100 in the closest finish in Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval history, in the premier event on the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires schedule. Starting fifth, Stoneman pushed his way to second place by Lap 9 in the No. 27 Andretti Autosport Dallara IL-15. He passed pole sitter Jones for the lead on the next lap and, while Stoneman led 30 of the final 31 laps at the start-finish line, the pair swapped the point numerous times throughout the race.
Jones took the lead on the final restart, a one-lap shootout following a caution to retrieve the stopped car of Heamin Choi. Stoneman and Jones raced side by side heading into Turns 3 and 4 on the final lap, setting up a drag race down the frontstretch to the checkered flag. The margin of victory was a few inches. "It was an amazing race," said Stoneman, who collected his second straight Indy Lights win after capturing the second race of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis doubleheader May 14. "On that last lap it was pretty close. I knew in the race I was consistent and knew where to position my car to finish the race in the lead."
Afterward, Jones felt he should have taken the outside line for the race to the checkers. "I probably chose the wrong lane, it was my fault," Jones said. "I feel like if I had gone outside maybe I would have held momentum and been able to hold him off. Unfortunately, I made the wrong call. That's what cost us."
Castroneves' crew wins pit stop challenge record eighth time
Team Penske and driver Helio Castroneves won the TAG Heuer Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge, earning a $50,000 prize. Castroneves celebrated his eighth win in the contest by climbing the fence in front of the Tower Terrance grandstand.
Castroneves beat Mikhail Aleshin of Schmidt Peterson with Team Pelfrey in the final round. This is the 17th win for Team Penske in the annual competition for Indy 500 pit crews that started in 1977. The winner of the competition has gone on to win the Indianapolis 500 six times, most recently with Castroneves in 2009. "I went for it. I was able to stop really deep," Castroneves said. "I was able to slide in just perfect. The Pennzoil boys, the Team Penske boys, really. ... they are the fastest. All the credit to those guys. Very happy to be part of this organization."
The crew for Castroneves in the contest was made up of members from the cars of Castroneves and teammate Simon Pagenaud.
"This team has been outstanding in the pit stop competition," team owner Roger Penske said. "They work every day at the shop. We took our best guys and put them together on the two cars. ... This gives us momentum for Sunday."
Friday 27 May 2016
The final pratice for the 500
Final Practice.
In front of a 100,000+ crowd the final practice has been run.
In front of a 100,000+ crowd the final practice has been run.
Rookie of the year at Indy 2016.
Who wil be the 2016 Rookie of the Year?
Rookie contender Matt Brabham
From Jim Clark to Rick Mears and Helio Castroneves to Ryan Hunter-Reay, just to name a few, some of the best drivers in Indianapolis 500 history have been named Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
After the historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 this Sunday, one driver from a field of five "500" newcomers will become the 63rd winner of the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, along with its new trophy and $50,000 prize (that's in US dollors)
"We are thrilled to continue our sponsorship of the Sunoco Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award in 2016. The list of previous award winners is filled with iconic names like Andretti and Donohue, and we look forward to seeing another talented driver add their name to the history books this weekend," said Cynthia Archer, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Sunoco. "This year's rookies have shown their skill and strengths throughout the Month of May, and we look forward to recognizing one of them as the 2016 Sunoco Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year following the 100th Running of the 500.
Alexander Rossi qualified highest of the five rookies, landing in 11th on the grid in the No. 98 NAPA Auto Parts/Curb Honda. The native Californian, now an Indianapolis resident, made five starts in Formula One in 2015. This year, he's 17th in points in the Verizon IndyCar Series with a season-best 10th-place finish earlier this month at the Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the IMS road course.
The next rookie on the grid is Max Chilton, starting 22nd in the No. 8 Gallagher Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. The Englishman finished fifth in points in the 2015 Indy Lights season and is 16th this year in the Verizon IndyCar Series with top finish of seventh on the other oval race of the season to date, at Phoenix.
Matt Brabham will make history on Sunday when the Australian becomes the third third-generation driver at the Indianapolis 500, piloting the No. 61 PIRTEK Team Murray Chevrolet from the 27th starting spot. His grandfather, Jack Brabham, made four Indy starts with a high finish of ninth as a rookie in 1961, while father Geoff Brabham was a popular competitor with 10 starts including a high of fourth in 1983.
Spencer Pigot, starting 29th in the No. 16 Rahal Letterman Lanigan/Mi-Jack/Manitowoc Honda, won the Indy Lights title last year behind six wins, four poles and 10 podium finishes. The Florida native, now living in Indianapolis, finished 11th earlier this month at the Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
A fan favorite on Sunday is sure to be Englishman Stefan Wilson, starting 30th in the No. 25 Driven2SaveLives-KV Racing Technology Chevrolet. Stefan's late older brother, Justin, made eight "500" starts with three top-10 finishes.
The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is now just day away and the city is a buzz with the thousands of fans that are descending on the city and yesterday there was a heavy influx of people arriving via all forms of transport. There is clearly no question now this race will make history at the Brickyard. The city of Indy is Eady that's for sure.
The skyline of the city of Indy
Photos from the David Turner collection.
Like the look of Indy check out my book as well and get the true vibe for the race.
https://www.amazon.com/Mystique-Indy-Brickyard-David-Turner-ebook/dp/B01EEROF5U
Wednesday 25 May 2016
It's a sell out at Indy!
Historic sellout marks 100th Running of the Indy 500 and Local TV delay suspended for 2016.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials announced the first sellout in the history of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race today. All suites, reserved seating and infield General Admission tickets for the 100th Running of the Indy 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil are sold out.
"There's no event in the world like the Indy 500," said Hulman & Company CEO Mark Miles. "This sellout is a testament to the enduring legacy of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the thrilling racing of the Verizon IndyCar Series and the bright future for both."
"The Indy 500 is a uniquely Hoosier event," said Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles. "The community support for the this race has fueled excitement for the 100th Running and paves the way for the next century for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500."
In conjunction with the sellout, it was announced that the long-standing practice of delaying the television broadcast in Indianapolis will be suspended for 2016. This is only the third time the race will be broadcast live on Central Indiana television and the first time since the early 1950's.
"With no way to accommodate more fans at IMS, we are delighted to be able to suspend the television delay in Indianapolis, making it possible for those cannot be with us on Race Day to watch the 100th Running live. The traditional delayed coverage on WRTV will continue, so race fans who attend the race will be able to go home with their families and watch the broadcast on the Sunday evening.
On May 6, IMS officials announced a sellout of reserved seating for the race. This included all grandstand seating, suite hospitality and several temporary suites built in turns 1 and 2. General Admission tickets continued to be available for purchase via the IMS ticketing office. Steady and increased demand for GA tickets led to today's announcement. The Indy 500 Snake Pit presented by Coors Light is sold out as well. Tickets for Carb Day and Legends Day still remain.
While the Indianapolis Motor Speedway does not release official attendance numbers, the Indy 500 is the largest single day sporting event on the planet.
"What makes the Indianapolis 500 so special to our fans is the overall experience. It is more than just cars on track," said Boles. "As demand continued to increase following the reserved seating announcement, we reached a point where it became necessary to stop selling GA tickets to preserve the infield experience."
100th Running celebrations have been fueled by an action-packed 100 Day Countdown that began with a midnight party on the Yard of Bricks as the clock turned to FEb 19th. Festivities have been supported by the 100th Running Host Committee, a group of community volunteers and donors that have visited all 92 counties and activated several community programs to increase anticipation for the 100th Running.
Don't forget to check out my book before during and after the event.
Monday 23 May 2016
THe Grid for the Indy 500 100th Running
100th Running of the Indy 500 Starting Grid
Row 1
Row 2
Row 3
Row 4
Row 5
Row 6
Row 7
Row 8
Row 9
Row 10
Row 11
Alex Tagliani
Warmup: ---.---
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4 Lap Average: ---.---
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