It’s May, and once more, the eyes of the motorsport world turn to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, for the Indianapolis 500. It’s the centrepiece of the IndyCar Series, a part of the fabled triple crown of motorsport – standing alongside the Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans – and whilst it’s mainstream popularity has undoubtedly taken a hit in recent years, the race is still the biggest single-day sporting event (in terms of attendance) globally.
The ninety-ninth running of the Indianapolis 500 takes place early Monday morning 25 May (Australian time). Green flag is at 2:00am AEST. Racing is so often a numbers game, so here are all the numbers you need to know ahead of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
1: the number of qualifying days washed out.
3: There are three Australians running in 2015. Defending IndyCar Series champion Will Power will start from the inside of the first row in his Team Penske Chevrolet, and will be joined on the grid by youngster James Davison, driving for Dale Coyne Racing, and Ryan Briscoe, subbing for James Hinchcliffe (see below).
4: Four drivers – defending pole-sitter Ed Carpenter, Josef Newgarden, three-time winner Helio Castroneves and James Hinchcliffe – have had huge accidents this month, flipping over and over in some cases, at over 340kmh. All but Hinchcliffe will take the green flag on Sunday.
5: The lengendary Texan A.J. Foyt has scored five wins as an owner/driver, the most in Indianapolis 500 history.
6: Since the opening of the Indianapolis 500, there have been just six years where no 500-mile race has been run on Memorial Day weekend. 1917-18 and 1942-45, due to the First and Second World Wars respectively.
7: Seven drivers have won on their first attempt: Jules Goux (1913), Rene Thomas (1914), Frank Lockhart (1926), George Souders (1927), Graham Hill (1966), Juan Pablo Montoya (2000) and Helio Castroneves (2001).
8: British-born drivers have recorded eight Indianapolis 500 wins, the most by any country other than the United States. New Zealand’s lone winner was Scott Dixon in 2008. Australia remains winless.
9: 2015 Indianapolis 500 pole-sitter Scott Dixon drives the No. 9 car for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
11: the number of rows on the Indianapolis 500 grid
15: 2000 Indianapolis 500 champion, Juan Pablo Montoya will start from fifteenth starting position. Coincidentally, fifteen is also the number of victories his team owner, Roger Penske, has at Indy.
17: As well as fifteen wins, Roger Penske’s drivers have amassed seventeen pole positions.
27: Offenhauser holds the record for the most Indianapolis 500 manufacturer wins.
28: The lowest starting position from which a driver has won the Indianapolis 500. It happened twice: Louis Meyer in 1936 and Ray Harroun in 1911.
33: Indy tradition sees thirty-three drivers contest each year’s race.
34: the number of drivers attempting to qualify in 2015. One driver – 1996 champion, Buddy Lazier – was bumped out of the field.
37.905 the fastest lap, in seconds, ever around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a record set by Arie Luyendyk in 1996, driving a Reynard/Ford Cosworth XB.
42: In ninety-eight previous Indianapolis 500-mile races, forty two winners have started on the front row.
200: The Indianapolis 500 is run over two hundred laps of the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
226.790: Dixon’s average speed in miles per hour when clocking pole last weekend.
805: the 500-mile race in kilometre distance.
257, 325: the estimated capacity of all grandstand seating at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
400,000: the estimated total capacity at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Join The Roar for live coverage of the 99th Indianapolis 500 from 1:30am AEST Monday morning!
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