Two departure times provide more flexibility for fans who want to commute to the track on their bike on Race Day. Read More>
This partnership represents the first time a major athlete's sponsorship has been decided by a vote using blockchain technology. Read More>
e.l.f. is believed to be the first beauty brand to serve as a primary sponsor for an entry in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” as Legge will drive the No. 51 e.l.f. Honda on Sunday, May 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Read More>
View images from the shortened first day of the Indianapolis 500 Open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. View Photos>
View images from the once-in-a-lifetime Total Solar Eclipse event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. View Photos>
Josef Newgarden unveils the 2024 Indianapolis 500 Ticket View Photos>
On this episode of Behind the Bricks, IMS President Doug Boles truly goes behind the bricks of the IMS Museum and checks in on the renovation progress. He also gets an exclusive look at the vision of the refreshed Museum, which opens a year from this week. The Museum is a separate entity from IMS and is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Consider supporting the Museum by visiting imsmuseum.org Watch Video>
On this episode of Doug and Drivers, 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi talks his chances to win "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" again, adjusting to Arrow McLaren, getting married over the offseason and so much more. Watch Video>
On this episode of Doug and Drivers, IMS President Doug Boles sits down with four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves. The modern legend discusses his historic Drive for Five, his transition to an ownership role within Meyer Shank Racing, the loss of his dear friend Gil de Ferran, and more. Watch Video>
July 17, 2017 | By Paul Kelly, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Jimmie Johnson has made 562 NASCAR Cup Series starts since his debut in 2001, winning 83 races and a record-tying seven season championships for Hendrick Motorsports. With that deep well of experience, he probably could drive nearly every track on the schedule with his eyes closed. Yet even though he has completed more than 160,000 race laps in the Cup Series during his legendary career, Johnson still takes turns in the sophisticated simulator at Hendrick Motorsports to try to unlock more setup secrets for his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet. “It’s really the starting point of it all,” Johnson said about simulator work. “With the limited test sessions and limited opportunities for data on the car, the simulator is really our only test bed.” That extra seat time – even if it’s in the virtual world – is an important building block for Johnson as he aims for his record-breaking eighth Cup championship in 2017 and record-tying fifth victory in the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 on July 23 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hendrick test driver Alex Bowman does the heaviest lifting for Hendrick in the simulator, pounding out endless virtual laps in between the limited number of test sessions NASCAR allows teams. That extensive simulator work paid off for Bowman and the team last season when Bowman filled in for injured Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 10 races. He ran as high as eighth at New Hampshire in his first fill-in role for Earnhardt. Later in the year, Bowman won the pole in Phoenix in the No. 88 Chevrolet and ended up sixth in the race, his best performances in qualifying and a race of the year. “When I look at how he stepped in seamlessly, it was really impressive,” Johnson said about Bowman. “We are counting on him so much with the simulator information that he does. The start of our data originates with him in the car. We put a lot on him from a wide variety of angles. “If you look at his role, he has more input from that point than any driver at Hendrick, from the simulator time. Just by the numbers alone, he has more chance to capture real data than even I do right now. That’s our only data point we have to start from.” Johnson still likes to climb into the simulator to try to translate setup tweaks from the virtual world to what he feels in the seat of his pants on track strapped into his Chevrolet, and vice-versa. Johnson admits there are very few eureka moments in the simulator, but the precise, highly technical equipment still is valuable in the long run. “It’s a tool,” Johnson said. “There are takeaways. But you usually don’t find the takeaways until you’ve been in the simulator, go to the track and then go back in the simulator. There are things you feel on the car. It’s a process, for sure.” The Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 will start at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, July 23, featuring all of the stars of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Visit IMS.com to purchase tickets for all 2017 IMS events, including the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 and Lilly Diabetes 250 on July 21-23, and for more information on all events.