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>
April 14, 2021 | By Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Today’s question: What’s a defining moment in Indianapolis 500 history that few people bring up in such a discussion?
Curt Cavin: My answer is based on an event which people relatively new to the sport don’t know much about. Rodger Ward is celebrated as a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion – he won in 1959 and ’62 -- but convincing John Cooper, co-founder of England’s Cooper Car Company, to bring a rear-engine car like the one he drove in the 1959 U.S. Grand Prix at Sebring to Indianapolis Motor Speedway is arguably his greatest contribution to the event. Ward didn’t drive the T54 at IMS – that honor went to two-time-reigning Formula One champion Jack Brabham in the fall of 1960 – and then Brabham finished ninth with it in the ’61 race as a rookie. That small and nimble Cooper-Climax started a revolution that changed the sport.
Zach Horrall: When talking about the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we often talk about the importance of 1945 and the purchase of the run-down facility by Tony Hulman. But something I think gets overshadowed by that is the 1946 race and how the Indianapolis 500 came roaring back to life. Leading up to that May, there was genuine concern that interest in the race had diminished after a five-year hiatus, but massive crowds showed up that May, traffic jams ensued in the Town of Speedway, speed records were set, “Back Home Again in Indiana” became an Indy 500 tradition, George Robson won, and race fans proved this race was back and better than ever.
Paul Kelly: May 5, 2002 is a date that probably no Indianapolis 500 fan remembers or has circled. But to me, it remains one of the most important dates in the history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” That was the day that Robby McGehee earned the unwanted distinction of becoming the first driver to impact the revolutionary SAFER Barrier in the four turns at IMS. McGehee spun in Turn 3 during practice and backed into the SAFER Barrier with a massive hit. He suffered broken bones in his back and left leg, ending his participation that year at Indy. But McGehee insisted 15 years later that the outcome could have been much, much worse if he hit bare concrete instead of the new steel-and-foam energy-absorbing barrier. That was a huge initial real-world test of the safety innovation, and it passed. Oval tracks across America then followed the lead of IMS and INDYCAR – which also spearheaded development and funding of the barrier – and quickly began installation of the SAFER Barrier.