Indy 500

18 Stories

'Miracle' No One Is Hurt During Indy 500 Crash

Tire flew off Kyle Kirkwood's car before it flipped during race, barely missing crowd

(Newser) - "Talk about a miracle." That was one take after a terrifying crash and car flip during the Indianapolis 500 auto race that sent a tire from one of the competitors' cars sailing over spectators' heads. Fox News reports there were fewer than 20 laps left in Sunday's...

COVID-Weary Fans Scoop Up All 135K Tix to Indy 500
Indy 500 Sells Out
All 135K Tickets
May 28, 2021 10:10 AM CDT

Indy 500 Sells Out All 135K Tickets

Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be at 40% capacity for Sunday's race

(Newser) - If anyone was worried that COVID safety protocols would keep fans away from the Indy 500, they needn't have been. Fox News reports that every one of the 135,000 tickets that was up for grabs for Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been scooped up, meaning...

An Auto Racing Legend Is Gone
An Auto Racing Legend Is Gone
obituary
May 3, 2021 12:16 PM CDT

An Auto Racing Legend Is Gone

Three-time Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser dead at 87

(Newser) - Bobby Unser, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and part of the only pair of brothers to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” has died at age 87, per the AP . He died Sunday at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, of natural causes, the Indianapolis Speedway said Monday. Unser...

135K Set to Attend Biggest Sporting Event Since Pandemic

Indy 500 is set for Memorial Day weekend, with 40% of venue capacity allowed to attend

(Newser) - The Indianapolis 500 is set to be the largest sporting event in the world since the start of the pandemic, with 135,000 spectators permitted to attend the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" next month. Indianapolis Motor Speedway said Wednesday it worked with the Marion County Public Health Department to...

Indy 500 Rescheduled for First Time Ever

Race will honor health workers on new date

(Newser) - The Indianapolis 500 was postponed Thursday and won't run on Memorial Day weekend for the first time since 1945. The race will instead be held Aug. 23, three months later than its May 24 scheduled date, the AP reports. "The month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway...

Big Name in Racing Charged With Drunk Driving

Al Unser Jr. won Indy 500 twice, but he has long battled alcohol problems

(Newser) - A big name in auto racing is making headlines for the wrong reasons. Two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr. was charged with drunk driving early Monday, reports the Indianapolis Star . Unser, 57, is now retired from racing, but he won the Indy 500 in 1992 and 1994 and competed...

Sportswriter Out of Job After Tweet About Indy 500 Champ

Japanese driver's victory made him 'very uncomfortable,' wrote Terry Frei

(Newser) - The Denver Post has parted ways with a prize-winning sportswriter who tweeted that he was dismayed a driver from Japan won the the Indy 500. "Nothing specifically personal, but I am very uncomfortable with a Japanese driver winning the Indianapolis 500 during Memorial Day weekend," Terry Frei tweeted...

The Indy 500 Has Its First Official Poet in 90 Years

Adam Henze chosen for 100th running

(Newser) - An Indiana University student who is a poet and a performer has been named the Indianapolis 500's first official poet since the early 20th century. Adam Henze of Bloomington beat out more than 200 others who submitted Indy 500-themed poems for the contest co-sponsored by Indiana Humanities, reports the...

After Heartbreak, Tony Kanaan Finally Wins Indy 500

Ended 12 years of frustration today

(Newser) - Popular Brazilian Tony Kanaan ended 12 years of heartbreak and frustration and won the Indianapolis 500 today on a day that saw a record 68 lead changes and a record average speed of 187.433mph. It was also the coolest day in a decade at the speedway, but it didn'...

C'mon, Danica, Women Deserve Better

Patrick's sexist commercials are a step backward for women drivers: Laura Helmuth

(Newser) - The thing that Laura Helmuth loves best about auto racing is that it's the one sport in which women get to compete against men as equals. Which is why Danica Patrick's decision to become a "GoDaddy Girl" and make a "series of stupid, sexist ads"—...

IndyCar CEO Had Promised More 'Carnage'

IndyCar had purposely been upping danger to add excitement

(Newser) - In a June interview that seems eerily prescient in light of Dan Wheldon’s death , IndyCar Chief Executive Randy Bernard promised more “carnage and wrecks” in the upcoming races. IndyCar, struggling to compete with the more popular NASCAR, was attempting to make its races more exciting by increasing the...

Dan Wheldon Scored Major Andretti Deal Hours Before Death
 Wheldon Scored 
 Big Deal Hours 
 Before Death 
racing tragedy
Oct 17, 2011 10:29 AM CDT

Wheldon Scored Big Deal Hours Before Death

Plus, drivers worried about safety before fatal race

(Newser) - Hours before he was killed in a 15-car pileup , Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon had signed a major, multiyear racing team deal. Wheldon had scored the spot Danica Patrick is vacating, behind the wheel of Andretti Autosport's car No. 7, ESPN reports. He had been part of the team'...

Indy Winner Dan Wheldon Killed in Vegas Crash

Drivers had expressed fears about track, super-fast speeds

(Newser) - Two-time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon died yesterday in a horrific 15-car crash in Las Vegas. The fiery accident, which sent three other drivers to the hospital, occurred just days after the 33-year-old British father of two and others expressed fears about crowded conditions and super-fast speeds of up to...

Franchitti Wins 2nd Indy 500
 Franchitti Wins 2nd Indy 500 
May 30, 2010 3:34 PM CDT

Franchitti Wins 2nd Indy 500

Mr Ashley Judd denies Helio Castroneves his 4th

(Newser) - Dario Franchitti has won the Indianapolis 500, beating Dan Wheldon to help Chip Ganassi become the first car owner to win at Indy and the Daytona 500 in the same year. Franchitti's victory today was his second at the Indy 500 in four years and denied Helio Castroneves a chance...

Castroneves Wins 3rd Indy 500
 Castroneves Wins 3rd Indy 500 
May 24, 2009 3:58 PM CDT

Castroneves Wins 3rd Indy 500

(Newser) - Helio Castroneves won his third Indianapolis 500 today, beating 2005 winner Dan Wheldon by 1.981 seconds and leaving Danica Patrick in third, the best finish by a woman at Indianapolis. With 10 laps to go, Castroneves' lead was 1.38 seconds, and he continued widening the gap the rest...

Indy Driver Raises Profile—on Dance Floor

Castroneves' popularity surges after stint with stars

(Newser) - Six months ago, few beyond IndyCar fans recognized the name Helio Castroneves. Thanks to "Dancing with the Stars," however, Helio’s celebrity-status has skyrocketed. The Indy Racing League is enjoying the ride—the racer’s surge in popularity has been tremendous for the sport.  "It's interesting...

'Danica Rule' Is Confusing, Controversial

Does move intended to even out drivers' weights even do that?

(Newser) - Danica Patrick will carry 35 pounds of ballast in her car in this weekend's Indianapolis 500 to make up for her tiny, 100-pound body. But even those who agree that ballasting is the fair way to account for differences in racers' body sizes aren't sure the IndyCar system is entirely...

Danica Ready to Make History at Indy 500

Racer 'really' likes her odds (and car) in next week's big race

(Newser) - No longer just a pretty face, Danica Patrick finally has a win, a winning team, and the fastest car she's ever raced. “I really, really like my chances" in next weekend's Indy 500, she tells Sports Illustrated. "And man, how huge would it be if I could win...

18 Stories