95th running of the Indianapolis 500
The
95th Indianapolis 500
was held at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
in
Speedway, Indiana
on Sunday May 29, 2011. The race was part of the
2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season
. The track opened for practice on May 14 and time trials were held from May 21 to 22.
Alex Tagliani
won the pole position, and the race was won by
Dan Wheldon
. It was his second Indy 500 win after the
2005 race
, and the last win of his racing career. It was the first of two Indy victories for car owner
Bryan Herta
.
Differing strategies from the frontrunners led to one of the wildest finishes in race history. American rookie
J. R. Hildebrand
of
Panther Racing
took the lead with two laps to go. As the leaders were cycling through pit stops, Hildebrand was nursing a car very low on fuel. He was attempting to stretch his tank to the finish line and hold on for an unexpected victory. It would have been the first Indy 500 win for Panther Racing, after three consecutive runner-up finishes, and two series championships. On the final turn of the final lap, Hildebrand went high to pass the slow car of
Charlie Kimball
. He drifted wide and crashed into the outside wall. As his wrecked car coasted down the front straight, Wheldon slipped by in the final 1,000 feet to take the victory. Hildebrand slid across the finish line to finish second. It was the second Indianapolis 500 that ended in a last lap pass after the
2006 race
, and the only time to date that the race winner led only the final lap. Four months later, Wheldon was killed in a crash in the
IZOD IndyCar World Championship
at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
, driving the car Tagliani had qualified on the pole in.
[6]
The race was the culmination of the three-year-long Centennial era, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening of the
track
(1909) and the 100th anniversary of the
inaugural race in 1911
. Throughout May, the race was advertised as the
100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500
and the
Centennial Indianapolis 500
. Since the race was suspended during
World War I
and
World War II
, the
100th running
of the 500 would not be held until 2016.
Event news
[
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]
- On February 21, the Speedway announced the start time for the race would be 12 noon
EDT
(
UTC?04
), one hour earlier that it had been scheduled from 2006 to 2010.
[7]
- The 100th anniversary Indy 500 Celebration of Automobiles was held the weekend of opening day. It was a
classic
/
antique
car show
and contest featuring automobiles linked to race and to the city of Indianapolis from 1911 to 1961.
[8]
- Staind
headlined the annual Carb Day concert on Friday May 27, with special guest
Papa Roach
.
[9]
- On April 5,
Donald Trump
[10]
was named the driver of the
Chevrolet Camaro SS
pace car.
[11]
However, after mounting
criticism
of Trump, and a Facebook campaign to oust him from the position,
[12]
he announced he was stepping down from the honor due to business and time constraints.
[13]
He was replaced by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner
A. J. Foyt
.
[3]
- On the morning of the race, a special auto
stunt
was performed in the infield. For "IZOD Presents Hot Wheels Fearless at the 500", a mystery
stunt driver
(later to be revealed as
Tanner Foust
) from Team
Hot Wheels
sped down a 90-foot ramp, suspended on a 10-story high door and jumped across the track's infield inside the fourth turn.
[14]
- The
national anthem
was performed by
Seal
and
Kelly Clarkson
, accompanied by
David Foster
on piano.
[15]
- All of the 269 living Indy 500 veteran drivers were invited to attend the race. At least 161 attended during race weekend (including the 28 veteran drivers that qualified for the race)
[16]
and upwards of 175 attended throughout the entire month of May.
[17]
A total of 21 of the 27 living
winners of the Indianapolis 500
attended the race.
[
citation needed
]
Those in attendance included:
- Dario Franchitti
,
Helio Castroneves
,
Scott Dixon
,
Dan Wheldon
, and
Buddy Rice
who drove in the race
- A. J. Foyt
,
Bobby Rahal
,
Rick Mears
,
Arie Luyendyk
, and
Mario Andretti
who were team owners or had team-related duties
- Johnny Rutherford
and
Al Unser Jr.
who worked as officials
- Eddie Cheever
and
Kenny Brack
who worked in broadcasting
- Gil de Ferran
,
Buddy Lazier
,
Emerson Fittipaldi
,
Tom Sneva
,
Bobby Unser
,
Al Unser
, and
Parnelli Jones
also attended, taking part in various special pre-race activities.
- Danny Sullivan
made an appearance at the track during May but had to leave prior to race day due to a previous commitment.
[18]
- Those not attending included
Juan Pablo Montoya
, who was at
Charlotte
for the
Coca-Cola 600
,
Sam Hornish Jr.
, who was also in Charlotte for the
Nationwide Series
race;
Jim Rathmann
, who was in poor health and could not travel;
Gordon Johncock
and
Jacques Villeneuve
.
- In the days leading up to the race, a special list entitled
The Greatest 33
was compiled from a panel of experts and fan voting, to establish the best drivers of the first century of the event.
Rule changes
[
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]
- For the first time, double-file restarts were used. At the conclusion of yellow caution periods, the pace car would pull off in turn one, and the field would align in rows of two down the backstretch. The race leader paced the restart, and the entrance to turn four was the designated restart zone. Passing prior to the start/finish line was allowed if the green flag was waving, except on the first lap.
[19]
- The Honda overtake assist system ("Push-to-pass") was utilized. Each car was permitted 15 presses (18 seconds in duration) with a 10-second recharge time.
[19]
Schedule
[
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]
Race schedule ? May 2011
Sun
|
Mon
|
Tue
|
Wed
|
Thu
|
Fri
|
Sat
|
1
Sao Paulo
|
2
Sao Paulo
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
Mini-Marathon
|
8
|
9
Testing
|
10
|
11
|
12
ROP
|
13
|
14
Practice
|
15
Practice
|
16
Practice
|
17
Practice
|
18
Practice
|
19
Practice
|
20
Practice
|
21
Pole Day
|
22
Bump Day
|
23
|
24
|
25
Comm. Day
|
26
|
27
Carb Day
|
28
Parade
|
29
Indy 500
|
30
Memorial Day
|
31
|
|
|
|
|
|
Color
|
Notes
|
Green
|
Practice
|
Dark Blue
|
Time trials
|
Silver
|
Race day
|
Red
|
Rained out*
|
Blank
|
No track activity
|
*
Includes days where track activity
was significantly limited due to rain
ROP ? denotes Rookie Orientation Program
Comm. Day ? denotes 500 Festival Community Day
|
|
Other events
[
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]
- May 7 ? Hot-air balloon festival / Emerging Technologies Day
- May 13 ?
Freedom 100
testing
- May 14 ? 100th Anniversary Indy 500 Celebration of Automobiles
- May 26 ?
Freedom 100
practice and time trials
- May 27 ?
Freedom 100
race, Carb Day concert
- May 28 ? Public Drivers Meeting, Memorabilia Show, Autograph sessions,
500 Festival Parade
Entry list
[
edit
]
See
Team and driver chart
for more information
On April 15, 2011, the
Official Entry List
was released, featuring 83 cars for 42 entries. As of April 15, thirty-five car/driver combinations had been announced.
[20]
On May 9, a revised version of the entry list was released. The entry from China Racing was withdrawn. The final list includes 79 cars for 41 entries.
Confirmed former winners entered include
Dario Franchitti
,
Helio Castroneves
,
Scott Dixon
,
Dan Wheldon
, and
Buddy Rice
.
Rookie orientation
[
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]
Pre-Indy oval testing
[
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]
Since the Indy 500 was the first
oval race
of the
2011 season
, per IndyCar regulations, rookies who have not competed on an oval were required to take part in Pre-Indy Oval testing.
Scott Speed
and
Ho-Pin Tung
, along with
Wade Cunningham
(who didn't race Indy but participated at
Texas
) completed the test at
Chicagoland Speedway
on May 9.
[21]
Speed
was legally exempt from this test because of previous high-speed oval experience in
ARCA
and
NASCAR
, but chose to test with his teammate to learn the car.
Thursday, May 12 ? Rookie Orientation Program
[
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]
- Weather
: 83 °F (28 °C), overcast
- Practice summary
: Seven rookies participated in the rookie orientation program. For 2011, the session was open to rookies only in order to pass the four-part rookie test. There would not be any refresher tests (phases three and four) for part-time veteran drivers as had been in years past. The drivers included:
J. R. Hildebrand
,
James Hinchcliffe
,
James Jakes
,
Charlie Kimball
,
Ho-Pin Tung
,
Pippa Mann
and
Scott Speed
.
[22]
Six drivers completed all four phases, while Jakes completed three. Jakes can complete the fourth and final phase at any time prior to time trials on May 21.
J. R. Hildebrand
(221.533 mph (356.523 km/h)) turned the fastest lap of the day, and no incidents were reported.
[23]
An eighth Indy 500 rookie is entered,
Jay Howard
, who is an IndyCar Series veteran (four starts in 2010). He failed to qualify for the Indy 500 in 2010, however since he passed all four phases of the rookie test, and has other oval experience from 2010, he was exempted from participating.
Practice
[
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]
Saturday, May 14 ? Opening Day
[
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]
- Weather
: 67 °F (19 °C), overcast/ rain
- Practice summary
: On opening day, 32 cars took to the track, completing 669 laps with no incidents reported.
Ed Carpenter
led the speed chart at 224.786 mph (361.758 km/h). Around 3 p.m., rain halted the session, but the track dried, and practice resumed for a short time. At 5:30 p.m., rain returned and the session came to a close.
[24]
Sunday, May 15
[
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]
- Weather
: 56 °F (13 °C), rain
- Practice summary
: Rain washed out practice for the entire day.
[25]
Monday, May 16
[
edit
]
- Weather
: 58 °F (14 °C), partly cloudy/ overcast
- Practice summary
: In the first full practice for the 2011 Indianapolis 500 (1,379 total laps run),
Alex Tagliani
of
Sam Schmidt Motorsports
ran the fastest lap of the day, and of the month so far, at 225.878. The top three rounded out with former winner
Scott Dixon
coming in second and
Graham Rahal
finishing third on the day. A total of 39 drivers took to the track, on a cool, windy afternoon. No incidents were reported.
[26]
Tuesday, May 17
[
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]
- Weather
: 51 °F (11 °C), overcast/ rain
- Practice summary
: Cold temperatures delayed the start of practice until 1:12 p.m.
Firestone
requires the ambient and track temperature to be over 50 °F (10 °C) before cars are allowed to enter the track.
[27]
Only two drivers (teammates
Marco Andretti
and
Mike Conway
) managed to take laps, and few teams left the garage area. Lingering moisture kept the yellow light on most of the afternoon, and the track closed officially for the day at 4:05 p.m.
Wednesday, May 18
[
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]
- Weather
: 57 °F (14 °C), overcast/ rain
- Practice summary
: Rain washed out practice for the entire day.
Thursday, May 19
[
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]
- Weather
: 72 °F (22 °C), partly cloudy
- Practice summary
: After two consecutive
rainouts
(and three overall), the cars took to the track for a full day of practice. At 12:25 p.m.,
Simona de Silvestro
's car lost control in the north chute after leaking fluid, causing her to spin and flip up into the
catch fence
. The car came to a rest upside-down, with flames coming from the sides, but she climbed from the car and walked to the safety truck. She was transported to
Methodist Hospital
with second degree burns on her right hand.
[28]
Following the accident, practice resumed uninterrupted for the rest of the day with
Will Power
taking the top position, putting up the fastest speed of the month to date. Power was followed by
Alex Tagliani
and teammate
Ryan Briscoe
in the top speed charts.
[29]
Friday, May 20 ? Fast Friday
[
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]
- Weather
: 84 °F (29 °C), sunny/ partly cloudy
- Practice summary
: Fast Friday saw the second consecutive day of full practice.
Alex Tagliani
was atop the leader board for most of the day, like many of the practice sessions before, breaking the record speed during the month at over 228 mph (367 km/h). However, later in the day, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner
Helio Castroneves
took to the top five in practice for the first time this month, running a best 228.611 mph (367.914 km/h). Castroneves stayed in first position for the rest of the day with Tagliani finishing second, who has finished in the top three on all three full practices of the year. The 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner,
Scott Dixon
finished third on the day with a speed over 228 mph (367 km/h).
Late in the day, reports surfaced that
Scott Speed
had quit
Dragon Racing
, after having trouble getting up to speed. The rumor was denied.
[30]
Time Trials
[
edit
]
Saturday May 21 ? Pole Day
[
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]
- Weather
: 78 °F (26 °C), partly cloudy/ periodic rain
Practice
[
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]
- Practice summary
: The final practice before Pole Day commenced at 8:00 AM EDT with the first group taking the track for 30 minutes of practice. In the first session,
Ryan Briscoe
crashed his car coming out on turn two and was forced to practice the rest of the day with his back-up car. After the green flag came back out there were no more interruptions during the practice with the second group finishing their 30 minutes of practice and the remainder of the time given to all the cars for practice. After the two hours session, it was
Alex Tagliani
who held the top position, with
Buddy Rice
making his first appearance in the "fast five", and
Will Power
rounding out the top three.
Qualifying
[
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]
- First segment summary
: The first segment was scheduled from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. All drivers in the qualifying order were guaranteed at least one opportunity to make a qualifying attempt. The top 24 would make up the provisional starting field. The top nine would advance to the pole position "shootout".
Alex Tagliani
set the pace early, with a run of 226.954 mph (365.247 km/h). Other drivers putting in top 9 speeds included
Dan Wheldon
,
Townsend Bell
, and
Will Power
. The day was headlined by several part-time IndyCar teams, while several full-time contenders struggled mightily.
Penske
failed to get all three of their cars in the top 9; after his morning practice crash,
Ryan Briscoe
failed to make the top 24.
Helio Castroneves
, trying to become the first driver to win three consecutive Indy poles, missed the top 9. All five cars of
Andretti Autosport
struggled, with
John Andretti
the only driver to crack the top 24.
Ed Carpenter
was one of the final drivers to make an attempt, and qualified with an impressive 226.171 mph (363.987 km/h), good enough for 6th fastest for
Sarah Fisher Racing
. After being burned in a crash on Thursday,
Simona de Silvestro
made three qualifying attempts, and on her third attempt, managed to qualify 24th. The only crash of the session was by
Ho-Pin Tung
, who wrecked on his final lap and suffered a concussion. A short rain shower ended the session about 25 minutes early.
- Fast Nine Shootout summary
: Rain delayed the start of the Fast Nine "shootout", therefore each of the nine participants were allowed only one attempt at the pole position. The top nine drivers from the earlier segment took to the track in reverse order of speed.
Oriol Servia
set the pace early with a run of 227.168 mph (365.591 km/h).
Dario Franchitti
was running fast enough to clinch a front row position, but he ran out of fuel on the final lap and dropped to ninth.
Scott Dixon
was the second to last driver to make an attempt. He took over the provisional pole position from Servia, and he himself ran out of fuel in the last few seconds of his run.
Alex Tagliani
was the final driver to go out. His run of 227.472 mph (366.081 km/h) secured the pole position for
Sam Schmidt Motorsports
.
Sunday May 22 ? Bump Day
[
edit
]
Practice
[
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]
- Practice summary
:
Patrick Carpentier
took over for
Scott Speed
in the
Dragon Racing
entry, and took several shake down laps in the morning session. However, his effort ended when he crashed in turn 1. Around noon,
Dragon Racing
announced they were withdrawing, and would not attempt to qualify.
Charlie Kimball
topped the speed chart with a lap of 226.822 mph (365.035 km/h).
Qualifying
[
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]
- Bump Day summary ? First segment
: Qualifying began at noon, with thunderstorms approaching. Only two cars (
Ana Beatriz
and
Graham Rahal
) made it onto the track before heavy rains fell at the track. Track crews dried the racing surface, and the track re-opened for qualifying at 2:30 p.m.
- Second segment
: A hectic period of qualifying saw the field filled to 33 cars, and bumping began.
Paul Tracy
took to the track, with weather once again threatening. He completed his run in light misty rain, and bumped his way into the field with the fastest run of the day.
Danica Patrick
was the next car in line at 3:15 p.m., and the only car that had not yet made an attempt Sunday. However, the rain returned, and halted track activity. There was considerable concern that Patrick may not get an opportunity to qualify, if the rain continued the remainder of the day.
- Third segment
: Crews dried the track, and it re-opened at 4:45 p.m.
Danica Patrick
was the first car out, and bumped her way in comfortably. The rest of the
Andretti Autosport
team, however, was struggling with speed.
Mike Conway
made three attempts, and was too slow to qualify. In the final fifteen minutes,
Marco Andretti
was on the bubble, and his teammate
Ryan Hunter-Reay
was the second slowest.
Alex Lloyd
took to track, and bumped out
Marco Andretti
in the final five minutes. Andretti hurried to get back in the qualifying line, but was beaten by
James Jakes
. Jakes was waved off after two slow laps, which gave Andretti one final chance to bump his way back in. With 55 seconds left before the 6 o'clock gun, Andretti pulled away from the pits. His qualifying run of 224.628 mph (361.504 km/h) bumped
Ryan Hunter-Reay
from the field.
Carb Day
[
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]
Indianapolis 500 Final Practice ? Friday May 27
[
edit
]
- Weather
: 61 °F (16 °C), partly cloudy
- Practice summary
: The final practice before the 2011 Indianapolis 500 saw all 33 qualified cars take to the track during the hour. Former winner
Scott Dixon
saw the fastest time of the session while pole-sitter,
Alex Tagliani
, who had been very fast for most of the month, came into second with a lap speed of 224.739 mph (361.682 km/h). Former winner
Dario Franchitti
closed out the top three for the day, a day when over 1,000 laps were run by all cars in the preparation for the race.
Pit Stop Challenge
[
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]
| First Round
| | | Quarterfinals
| | | Semifinals
| | | Finals
| |
|
|
|
| | |
|
|
| | |
|
|
| | |
|
|
| |
| | | | 12
| Will Power
|
| | | |
|
| |
| | | 28
| Ryan Hunter-Reay
|
| |
| 3
| Helio Castroneves
|
| |
| |
| 28
| Ryan Hunter-Reay
|
| |
| | 12
| Will Power
|
| |
|
| |
| | | 10
| Dario Franchitti
|
| |
| | | |
| |
| | |
| | 10
| Dario Franchitti
|
| |
|
| |
| | | 19
| Alex Lloyd
|
| |
| 19
| Alex Lloyd
|
| |
| |
| 06
| James Hinchcliffe
|
| |
| | 10
| Dario Franchitti
| 8.481
| |
|
| |
| | | 6
| Ryan Briscoe
| 7.882
| |
| | | | |
| |
| | |
| | 9
| Scott Dixon
|
| |
|
| |
| | | 82
| Tony Kanaan
|
| |
| 82
| Tony Kanaan
|
| |
| |
| 26
| Marco Andretti
|
| |
| | 82
| Tony Kanaan
|
| |
|
| |
| | | 6
| Ryan Briscoe
| 7.568
| |
| | | |
| |
| | |
| | 6
| Ryan Briscoe
| 7.788
| |
|
| |
| | | 22
| Justin Wilson
|
| |
| 5
| Takuma Sato
|
| |
| |
| 22
| Justin Wilson
|
| |
Source:
[1]
Starting grid
[
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]
W
= Former Indianapolis 500 winner;
R
= Indianapolis 500 rookie
Post-qualifying changes
- 1
On Monday, May 23,
Andretti Autosport
and
A. J. Foyt Enterprises
reached an agreement for
Ryan Hunter-Reay
to replace
Bruno Junqueira
as driver of the #41 car. Per race rules, the car, which had originally qualified for the 19th starting position, was moved to the end of the field.
[31]
Failed to qualify
Race
[
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]
Summary
[
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]
First half
[
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]
The 95th running of the Indianapolis 500 began at 12:00 PM EDT on a hot, muggy day, shortly after the traditional pre-race ceremonies of the invocation, national anthem, and the singing
Back Home Again in Indiana
by
Jim Nabors
.
Mari Hulman George
gave the starting command around 12:05 PM, as the cars took two parade laps and one pace lap, led by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner
A. J. Foyt
, who was driving the pace car. The green flag came out to see
Scott Dixon
pass by pole-sitter
Alex Tagliani
to take the early lead in the race. The first 20 laps of the race saw a relatively smooth pace set in. Unlike past years there was no accident in the first two laps, with the first caution coming out on Lap 21 when
Takuma Sato
made contact with the wall. During the first caution period many team made pit-stops including
Will Power
who left the pit area and drove a lap without a left-rear tire, which all but eliminated the IndyCar points leader from having an opportunity to win the race.
Shortly following the green flag restart (which was changed to a two-car abreast start during the drivers meetings) Sato's teammate,
E. J. Viso
was turned heading into turn 1 by James Hinchcliffe and was the next driver to make contact with the wall and eliminate himself from the race. Following the cleanup and restart after Viso's crash saw the field taking shape and aligning themselves for the long 400+ miles remaining.
Simona de Silvestro
, who was burned in a crash earlier in the month, was not able to pick up speed in her back-up car and quickly fell from 23rd position, to last. On lap 44, it was clear that the car would not be able to keep up with the field, she was called into the pits and her day was over.
Defending winner
Dario Franchitti
, along with Scott Dixon, Alex Tagliani, and
Oriol Servia
all began to take their places at the top of the field with each of them leading more than 10 laps in the race respectively. Later accidents occurred with rookies
Jay Howard
and
James Hinchcliffe
. Howard lost a right-rear wheel on lap 61, while Hinchcliffe slid high in turn 3 and bounced off the wall at the halfway mark.
Second half
[
edit
]
Following James Hinchcliffe's crash on lap 101, the green flag remained out for over 40 laps as many different drivers shared the lead and got in position for the shootout in the final 10. On lap 148, it was the pole-sitter Alex Tagliani who would be called into pit lane after making slight contact with the wall. Tagliani, who had not had a good day, started in first, fell all the way down to 12th before the crash, was finished for the day, with his final finish position being 28th. One of the few multi-car crashes of the day occurred on lap 158 between
Ryan Briscoe
and
Townsend Bell
. Up to that point in the day,
Team Penske
had been running slow and really did not have a good shot at any of their drivers winning the race, and with the crash and elimination of
Ryan Briscoe
all hope seemed gone as
Helio Castroneves
and Will Power were both down due to bad pit stops and slow cars. With no more lengthy cautions the remainder of the race it turned into a fight for the lead as the laps dwindled down.
As the race prepared to go back to green on lap 164, a handful of drivers ducked into the pit area to top off their fuel, in hopes of going the distance without another pit stop.
Dario Franchitti
and
J. R. Hildebrand
were among those who gave up their track position, and topped off their fuel.
For the first time in his Indy career, Graham Rahal took the lead of the race and held it for six laps. However, he lost a battle to Scott Dixon and was forced to a pit stop which dropped out of the top five. However, he was able to finish the race in third place. Tony Kanaan also saw his flirt with Indy glory as he made his way all from the middle of the pack to second place at one point, but was forced as well to drop on a pit stop with less than 20 laps to go. As the race came to down to its final 15 laps, it was still Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti, two Chip Ganassi Racing cars and former winners, who looked like they would win the race. However, late in the race after a series of pit stops by most in the lead, it was an unlikely Bertrand Baguette who would lead the race as the action came to it climax. Baguette was expected to pit again but as the laps dwindled down and he did not come in, it became increasingly likely that this new face would win the race.
The final 10 laps became a battle between Baguette, Franchitti, and rookie
J. R. Hildebrand
(all of whom were all trying to stretch their fuel to the finish), as well as Dixon and
Dan Wheldon
behind but good to the finish having recently pitted. With three laps to go, Baguette pitted for fuel and Franchitti continued to slow to conserve fuel. This gave the lead to Hildebrand while Franchitti continued to fade, falling behind Dixon and the charging Wheldon. As the field was given the white flag, it seemed all but certain a rookie would win the 500 for the first time since Castroneves won it in 2001. Hildebrand moved his way down into the north short chute and down into turn four. Coming in on the front stretch, Hildebrand went high to avoid the slower car of
Charlie Kimball
, who was on the inside line, and collided with the wall. Without steering and on only three wheels, the car slid down the frontstretch towards the finish line.
Dan Wheldon
, who was second, skirted by in the final 1,000 feet, and crossed the line to win the race.
[32]
Hildebrand continued to slide, and crossed the finish line in second.
Post-race
[
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]
Dan Wheldon
became the 18th person to win two or more Indianapolis 500's, his first coming in 2005. The 200th lap was the only one he led in the race, breaking
Joe Dawson
's 99-year-old record for the fewest laps led by an Indy winner. As he took to victory lane, he celebrated with the traditional ceremonies of the wreath, glass of milk, and the presentation of the
Borg Warner Trophy
. As the celebration was occurring, his former team
Panther Racing
considered filing for a review, stating that Wheldon made an illegal pass during the yellow on Hildebrand's car. In the end, video showed that the yellow did not come out until after Wheldon had passed, and even if it would have come out before the pass, the president of competition ruled that Hildebrand's car was a "wounded car", and was therefore allowed to be passed in the race.
[33]
Wheldon's average speed of 170.265 mph (274.015 km/h) was the fourth-fastest Indy 500 in history, and was the first Indy 500 completed in less than three hours since
Juan Pablo Montoya
won in
2000
.
Box score
[
edit
]
W
Former Indianapolis 500 winner
R
Indianapolis 500 Rookie
All entrants utilized
Firestone
tires.
Note: Unofficially
Oriol Servia
finished 5th, 8.8757 seconds behind the leader, with
Scott Dixon
placing 6th. When the official results were posted, it was determined that Servia passed Dixon on the final lap while the yellow caution light was illuminated. Officials re-instated Dixon to 5th, and dropped Servia to 6th in the final standings.
Race statistics
[
edit
]
Awards
[
edit
]
Race winner
Dan Wheldon
received
$
2,567,255 in cash prizes and designated awards.
Typically, the presentation of the
Borg-Warner Trophy
replicas ("Baby Borg") for the driver and owner takes place in January in Detroit during the
North American International Auto Show
, but Wheldon was killed at
Las Vegas
in October. Car owners
Bryan Herta
and Steve Newey, along with Wheldon's widow Susie, were presented in Detroit with their trophies.
[34]
The Indianapolis 500-winning car, Dallara IR3007, was the seventh chassis made by Dallara Automobili from the 2003 specifications. Originally a Panther Racing car, it was sold to Adrian Fernandez and later Marty Roth, before FAZZT bought the car in 2010, which became Sam Schmidt Motorsports' car in 2011 when it was used to win the Indianapolis 500. It was raced the next race at
Texas Motor Speedway
as a Sam Schmidt Motorsports #99 for
Wade Cunningham
, who crashed it in the first of the Twin 275 km races. The car has been rebuilt and restored in 2011 Indianapolis 500 condition as part of a Wheldon tribute. (
Andretti Autosport
owns the other Wheldon winner, and is restoring that car too in 2005 Indianapolis 500 race-winning trim.)
Broadcasting
[
edit
]
Television
[
edit
]
The race was televised in
high definition
in the
United States
on
ABC
,
[35]
[36]
the 47th consecutive year on that network.
Marty Reid
served as anchor. The telecast utilized the
Side-by-Side
format for commercial breaks. In the
Indianapolis market
, the live broadcast was
blacked out
on
WRTV
, and shown
same-day tape delay
in prime time. In some markets in northern Indiana, the final 15 laps of the race were not shown due to a weather bulletin.
The race received a 4.3 overnight rating on
ABC
,
[37]
up 7% over 2010.
[38]
The top local markets included
Indianapolis
(14.5),
Dayton
(10.5), and
Fort Myers
/
Naples
(8.5).
[39]
The final rating was 4.0 with 6.711 million viewers, up 11% in ratings and 16% in viewership compared to 2010.
[40]
Time trials and Carb Day were covered live in the United States on
Versus
.
[35]
The announcing team consisted of
Bob Jenkins
,
Jon Beekhuis
and
Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Pit reporters included
Lindy Thackston
, Marty Snider, and Kevin Lee.
Robin Miller
serves as analyst and "insider".
[41]
Daily practice was streamed live over the internet.
[42]
Radio
[
edit
]
The race was broadcast on radio by the
IMS Radio Network
.
Mike King
served as anchor. The broadcast reached approximately 400
affiliates
, as well as
AFN
, the
LeSEA
broadcasting network, and
World Harvest Radio
. The broadcast was carried on
XM
channel 145 and on
Sirius
channel 212 through the "Best of XM" package.
After eliminating the position for 2010, the turn one location was brought back for the broadcast.
Jerry Baker
reprised his role in turn 1. The position was brought back in response to the league adopting double-wide restarts.
Kenny Brack
returned as "driver expert", joining the booth in-progress after participating in various pre-race festivities.
WFNI
broadcast nightly from the track with
Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee
, followed by
Donald Davidson
's
The Talk of Gasoline Alley
.
In 2010, drivers from the starting field were used to recite the famous out-cue
"Stay tuned for the greatest spectacle in racing."
For 2011, in celebration of the Centennial Era, the out-cues for each commercial break were recordings of previous renditions by the former "Voices of the 500". Each commercial break would feature a different chief announcer, rotating through
Sid Collins
,
Paul Page
,
Lou Palmer
,
Bob Jenkins
, and Mike King. This format was also used in 2009.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Surber, Tom (May 30, 2011).
"Wheldon Earns $2.56 Million For 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Victory"
.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
. IMS Group
. Retrieved
May 31,
2011
.
- ^
"Jim Nabors will sing Back Home Again in Indiana at the 2011 Indianapolis 500"
. JimNabors.com. Archived from
the original
on January 13, 2018
. Retrieved
May 6,
2011
.
- ^
a
b
Kelly, Paul (May 6, 2011).
"Legend Foyt To Drive 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Pace Car"
.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
. IMS Group
. Retrieved
May 6,
2011
.
- ^
Surber, Tom (May 19, 2011).
"Medal Of Honor Winner Crandall To Serve As Honorary Starter"
.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
. IMS Group
. Retrieved
May 19,
2011
.
- ^
"IIndianapolis 500 Hits Three-Year Viewership High"
.
Sports Media Watch
. Sports Media Watch. June 3, 2011. Archived from
the original
on March 11, 2012
. Retrieved
June 3,
2011
.
- ^
"Dan Wheldon dies after IndyCar crash"
.
ESPN.com
. October 17, 2011
. Retrieved
October 17,
2011
.
- ^
"2011 Indy 500 start time moved to noon"
.
IndyStar.com
. February 21, 2011
. Retrieved
February 22,
2011
.
- ^
"100th Anniversary Indy 500 Celebration of Automobiles"
.
IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com
. Archived from
the original
on October 15, 2010
. Retrieved
October 14,
2010
.
- ^
Kelley, Paul (April 1, 2011).
"Staind To Headline Miller Lite Carb Day Concert With Special Guest Papa Roach May 27 At IMS"
.
IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com
. Retrieved
April 4,
2011
.
- ^
Kelley, Paul (April 5, 2011).
"Global Icon Trump To Drive 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Pace Car"
.
IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com
. Retrieved
April 6,
2011
.
- ^
Kelly, Paul (January 20, 2011).
"Winning Bidder Will Drive 2011 Indy 500 Pace Car On Parade Lap"
.
Indy500.com
.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
. Retrieved
January 21,
2011
.
- ^
"Protest aims to bump Trump from Indy 500 pace car"
.
Forbes.com
. May 4, 2011
. Retrieved
May 6,
2011
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"Donald Trump steps down as Indianapolis 500 pace car driver"
.
WISHTV.com
.
WISH
. May 5, 2011. Archived from
the original
on May 8, 2011
. Retrieved
May 5,
2011
.
- ^
Kelley, Paul (April 12, 2011).
"New Ticket Package Provides Great View Of Hot Wheels Stunt"
.
IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com
. Retrieved
April 6,
2011
.
- ^
Kightlinger, Cathy (May 11, 2011).
"Seal, Kelly Clarkson to sing national anthem for Indy 500"
.
IndyStar.com
. Retrieved
May 11,
2011
.
- ^
"The Talk of Gasoline Alley" - May 3, 2012
- ^
"The Talk of Gasoline Alley" - May 5, 2012
- ^
Donald Davidson (May 7, 2011).
"The Talk of Gasoline Alley"
.
The Talk of Gasoline Alley
.
Speedway, Indiana
.
WFNI
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
a
b
"2011 Indianapolis 500 Daily Trackside Reports and Daily News Articles"
(PDF)
.
Pages 109 & 112
. IZOD IndyCar Series
. Retrieved
June 1,
2020
.
- ^
Kelley, "Paul (April 14, 2011).
"Four Winners, 42 Entries In 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Field"
.
IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com
. Retrieved
April 15,
2010
.
- ^
Lewandowski, Dave (May 9, 2011).
"Speed, Tung get in pre-Indy oval testing"
.
IndyCar.com
. Archived from
the original
on May 27, 2011
. Retrieved
May 10,
2011
.
- ^
Lewandowski, Dave (May 5, 2011).
"First step to qualifying: On-track program"
.
IndyCar.com
. Archived from
the original
on May 7, 2011
. Retrieved
May 9,
2011
.
- ^
Lewandowski, Dave (May 12, 2011).
"Indy only the first step for Mann"
.
IndyCar.com
. Retrieved
May 12,
2011
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Lewandowski, Dave (May 14, 2011).
"Quick start to 100th anniversary Indy 500"
.
IndyCar.com
. Archived from
the original
on May 17, 2011
. Retrieved
May 14,
2011
.
- ^
Lewandowski, Dave (May 15, 2011).
"Passing the time on a rainy Sunday"
.
IndyCar.com
. Archived from
the original
on May 17, 2011
. Retrieved
May 15,
2011
.
- ^
Lewandowski, Dave (May 16, 2011).
"Tagliani Jumps To Top Of Speed Chart At 225.8"
.
IndyCar.com
. Retrieved
May 16,
2011
.
- ^
Ballard, Steve (May 17, 2011).
"Cold temperatures delay start of Indy 500 practice"
.
IndyStar.com
. Retrieved
May 17,
2011
.
- ^
Graves, Gary (May 19, 2011).
"Simona de Silvestro burned in crash at Indy Motor Speedway"
.
USA Today
. Retrieved
May 19,
2011
.
- ^
Lewandowski, Dave (May 19, 2011).
"Power Puts Penske On Top At 227.7 As Speeds Climb"
.
IndyCar.com
. Archived from
the original
on May 20, 2011
. Retrieved
May 19,
2011
.
- ^
Spencer, Lee (May 20, 2011).
"Speed denies rift with Indy 500 team"
.
FoxSports.com
. Archived from
the original
on May 24, 2011
. Retrieved
May 23,
2011
.
- ^
Cavin, Curt (May 23, 2011).
"Ryan Hunter-Reay back in Indy 500 at expense of Bruno Junqueira"
.
The Indianapolis Star
. Retrieved
May 23,
2011
.
- ^
"2021 - IRL Indy Car Results - ESPN"
.
- ^
"Indianapolis 500: J.R. Hildebrand Contends Yellow Flag Came out Before Wreck | Bleacher Report"
.
Bleacher Report
. Archived from
the original
on June 3, 2011
. Retrieved
June 1,
2011
.
- ^
Kelly, Paul (January 11, 2012).
"Wheldon's Memory, '500' Win Honored In 'Baby Borg' Presentation"
.
News/Blogs
.
IMS.com
. Retrieved
January 12,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
Lewandowski, Dave (February 22, 2011).
"ABC telecasts bookend 17-event schedule"
.
IndyCar.com
. Retrieved
May 6,
2011
.
- ^
"ABC, IMS Extend Indianapolis 500 Partnership Through 2012"
.
IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com
. August 7, 2008
. Retrieved
May 6,
2011
.
- ^
"Indianapolis 500 ratings increase over 2010"
.
IndyCar.com
. June 1, 2011. Archived from
the original
on June 3, 2011
. Retrieved
June 2,
2011
.
- ^
"Indy 500 Overnight Up Slightly"
. Sports Media Watch. May 31, 2011
. Retrieved
June 2,
2011
.
- ^
"Milwaukee among the top markets for Indy 500 ratings"
. JS Online. June 1, 2011
. Retrieved
June 2,
2011
.
- ^
"Indianapolis 500 Hits Three-Year Viewership High"
. Sports Media Watch. June 3, 2011
. Retrieved
June 4,
2011
.
- ^
"VERSUS Announces Lineup"
. Pressdog.com. March 21, 2011
. Retrieved
May 6,
2011
.
- ^
Cavin, Curt (May 12, 2011).
"May 12: On streaming this month at Indy"
.
IndyStar.com
. Archived from
the original
on May 16, 2011
. Retrieved
May 18,
2011
.
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[
edit
]
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