Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500

U.S. automobile race. It has been held annually since 1911 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 2.5-mi (4-km) asphalt oval with banked quarter-mile turns. The “Indy 500” is a 500-mi (805-km) race for top international competitors using specially designed race cars (open-wheel, open-cockpit, rear-engine vehicles). Traditionally held on or near Memorial Day, the race is one of the most prestigious on the international racing circuit, drawing large crowds (about 300,000) and offering substantial prizes (more than $1.5 million).

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Indianapolis 500

May, Sunday of Memorial Day weekend

The "Greatest Spectacle in Racing," popularly known as the Indy 500, is actually the culmination of a month-long event. It begins the first week in May with the Mayor's Breakfast and parade around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the two-and-a-half-mile oval track on which the race takes place. Then there are qualifying races to determine who will participate in the final Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, which is held on the Sunday before Memorial Day.
On the day before the big race, there is a 500 Festival Memorial Parade that draws more than 300,000 spectators to the streets of downtown Indianapolis and features floats, musical groups, and celebrities. The race itself, which has been held in Indianapolis since 1911, regularly attracts about 400,000 spectators to the 559-acre speedway, in addition to 4,000 media people and a nationwide television audience. The Indy 500 is said to be the largest one-day sporting event in the world.
The official track qualifying record belongs to Arie Luyendyk, whose one-lap speed in 1996 was 237.498 mph. He also holds the record for the fastest time to complete the 500-mile race, set in 1990 when he clocked in at 2:40:58.
The Indy racing car is fueled with a blend of fuels (such as methanol and nitromethane) and usually powered by a turbo-charged engine. Officially, the Indy 500 is a testing-ground for devices that will eventually be used in passenger cars. The annual race has been credited with such automotive improvements as the rearview mirror, balloon tires, and ethyl gasoline.

CONTACTS:
Indy Racing League
4565 W. 16th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46222
317-484-6526; fax: 317-484-6525
www.indycar.com

SOURCES:
AmerBkDays-2000, p. 389
GdUSFest-1984, p. 52
HolSymbols-2009, p. 406

Celebration days: May 29, 2011; May 27, 2012; May 26, 2013; May 25, 2014; May 24, 2015