California racer Justin Grant earned $20,039 for the victory Saturday night at The Dirt Track at IMS after winning his preliminary feature Friday night. Read More>
Justin Grant won the 30-lap feature, while Zach Daum captured the 25-lap Stoops Pursuit on Friday during the second night of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 at The Dirt Track at IMS. Read More>
California racer Thomas Meseraull fulfilled a lifelong dream by winning Thursday night at IMS. Read More>
Photos from the 2nd night of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. View Photos>
Pictures from Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks. View Photos>
Images from Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks. View Photos>
How do we go from a 2.5-mile oval to a 2.439-mile road course and back again? We're here to show you on this episode of Behind the Bricks! It includes 48 barriers, 576,000 pounds of concrete and about 15 hours of work for a full conversion. Watch Video>
Is it a tradition, or is it a fact of life at the Indianapolis 500? Every year when you show up for Race Day, pit lane is lined with stencils signifying each driver's pit box. On this episode of Behind the Bricks, Doug Boles investigates the origins of the stencil work and shows you how we bring this to life each and every May. Watch Video>
In this continued episode of Behind the Bricks, IMS President Doug Boles continues to give you a behind the scenes look at pre-race ceremonies for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. You'll see how Jewel prepared for the National Anthem, how we time the flyover just perfectly, and which pre-race song made Boles get emotional minutes before the largest single-day sporting event on the planet. Watch Video>
May 12, 2021 | By Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Today’s question: Which driver on the Indianapolis 500 entry list who isn’t full time in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES do you think has the best chance of winning the race this year, and why?
Curt Cavin: This is easy for me: Juan Pablo Montoya. With the strength Arrow McLaren SP has shown in the early part of the season, particularly on the oval at Texas Motor Speedway, and the vast experience of Montoya and engineer Craig Hampson, I think this is a Tier 1 pick to win the “500.”
Zach Horrall: Hear me out: Santino Ferrucci. The 22-year-old (who turns 23 the day after the “500”) has proven to have quite a knack for oval racing, especially at Indianapolis. He won Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 with a seventh-place drive and backed it up with a fourth-place finish last August. Let’s add in the fact that this May he is driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, which finished first and third, respectively, last year with Takuma Sato and Graham Rahal. It feels like a winning combination to me. And I’ll leave you with this statistical trend: seven minus three is four, and four minus three is one.
Paul Kelly: Zach’s pick made me pause to think. But again, the old dudes stick together. I agree with Curt: It has to be Montoya. JPM put on the most dominant performance I’ve seen in my 20-plus years of working at IMS and INDYCAR when he obliterated the 2000 field as a rookie, leading 167 laps. That was the most laps led in a single “500” since Mario Andretti was out front for 170 trips in 1987, and no one has led that many since. Plus, The Monster earned his second victory 15 years later in a completely different chassis and engine, showing his incredible versatility. But here’s the main stat why Montoya is the pick: He has two victories in just five starts in the race. That’s a 40 percent strike rate.