Everything You Need To Know To Watch The Indianapolis 500

The rising popularity of Formula 1 in the United States has garnered an unprecedented amount of interest in all forms of motorsport — but if you’ve made the transition from Netflix’s Drive to Survive to live racing and are hunting for more, it can be a little intimidating to hop into a new series. So, if you’ve been looking to hop on the IndyCar train but only know about Formula 1, never fear: We at Jalopnik are here to give you the basic rundown of everything you need to know to tune into your first race — and there’s no better first race to watch than the Indianapolis 500.

With this year signaling over 100 runnings of the iconic Indianapolis 500, it would be more than fair to say the race has had a chance to accumulate its fair share of traditions and superstitions along the way. Some of these traditions might seem totally strange to new fans — but we here at Jalopnik are here to break down 20 of the strangest Indy 500 traditions so you can better appreciate some of the weirder aspects of the race.

I’ve been fielding questions from first-time Indy 500 viewers for the past few days, and one of the big questions has been: why are there 33 cars? And I’ll be honest: for a long time, I didn’t know, I just shrugged it off as the kind of arbitrary tradition that tends to come along with the 500 (you know, that “we did this one way 50 years ago and now we’ve never done anything different”)—and while, yes, it’s kind of arbitrary in the modern era, there actually is a reason for the 33 car field.

Each year, the winner of the Indianapolis 500 is awarded, among other prizes, a chance to celebrate with the iconic Borg-Warner trophy. If you look closely at any photo of this trophy, you might notice something: It’s almost exclusively photographed from the rear. That’s because the little man on the top is completely nude.

We’ve finally arrived: It’s the Month of May, and that means the motorsport world is gearing up for the Indianapolis 500, also fondly known as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. This year marks the 107th running of the iconic oval race, and as you can imagine, the cutthroat nature of the race over the years has created a mad dash between entrants to develop faster, lighter, and more powerful cars with features that push the boundaries of innovation. Today, we’re looking at those innovations.

The rising popularity of Formula 1 in the United States has garnered an unprecedented amount of interest in all forms of motorsport — but if you’ve made the transition from Netflix’s Drive to Survive to live racing and are hunting for more, it can be a little intimidating to hop into a new series. So, if you’ve been looking to hop on the IndyCar train but only know about Formula 1, never fear: We at Jalopnik are here to give you the basic rundown of everything you need to know to tune into your first race.

It is May once again. Since its inaugural running in 1911, the Indianapolis 500 has been one of the world’s most prestigious motorsports events. Despite the 500-mile race producing iconic moments throughout its history, the contest didn’t have particularly close finishes until the 1980s. Technical advances created increasingly faster cars year after year but also contributed to lower rates of attrition.

Drivers at the Indianapolis 500 regularly hit mind-blowing speeds that we mere mortals of the highway can’t even comprehend — but that doesn’t mean that every race has been a particularly fast one. Back in 1911, the average speed of the race was just under 75 mph, and we’ve only recently started regularly hitting 170 mph or higher.

With its 107-year history and coveted status as one of the greatest races in the world, the Indianapolis 500 has seen entries — and winners — from all across the globe. Today, we’re taking a walk through history to recall the winners who took their first 500 win for their country.

The Indy 500 took place this past weekend, as it has more or less continuously since 1911, when Ray Harroun won the first race in his Marmon Wasp. Or did he?

After his record-setting pole run during time trials last Sunday, Scott Dixon finds himself in the perfect position to move up into second place on the all-time laps led list for the Indianapolis 500. To overtake Ralph DePalma for second on the list, Dixon just needs to lead 43 laps in the 200-lap race later today. Surpassing DePalma would be a landmark career achievement for the six-time IndyCar champion.

The 1913 Indianapolis 500 was the third running of the race. Frenchman Jules Goux and his riding mechanic Emil Begin were driving a Peugeot. And during every pitstop they drank champagne to stay hydrated. Yeah. It’s said they drank six bottles. Must have been thirsty. But is it true?

To me, Indy isn’t Indy without an Andretti racing. Mario Andretti’s grandson Marco’s debut in 2006 and it was so cool, as a teen, seeing someone that young racing at the “Greatest Spectacle In Racing.”

In 1986, everyone knew Randy Lanier was fast. He’d just won a sportscar championship and shattered an Andretti record to become the Indy 500 rookie of the year. What most people didn’t know is he paid for his racing dreams by smuggling massive quantities of marijuana past the feds.

The general consensus is that driving on an oval is easy. After all, it’s just a big wide circle where the driver only turns left. How hard can it be? And why would you want to race on something so simplistic in the first place, when you have amazing road courses like Laguna Seca and the Watkins Glen at your disposal?

Because ovals are not easy.

Stories are told about how drivers change when the helmet goes on, the visor slams shut and the engines roar to life. Some say the “nice guy” demeanor is replaced by a wild, savage creature desperate for success, no matter the consequences.

But what really goes through the mind when you’re embarking on a voyage filled with excitement, expectation, stress, immense speed and of course, ultimate danger?

The Indianapolis 500 — America’s premier racing event — used to be a Formula 1 race. Yes, you read that right: For 11 whole years, the Indy 500 was a points-paying race on the F1 calendar. As we approach the 106th running of the iconic race, which is running in tandem with a meteoric rise of American interest in F1, it’s time to look back on the period in history where these two paths crossed.

May 11, 1974 is an iconic date in Indianapolis 500 history. This date doesn’t mark a fascinating win or a pole position speed record. No; on May 11, 1974, a horde of naked, drunk race fans took to the track surface of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during a rain-delayed qualifying session. It was one of the finest moments in motorsport history.

Imagine a racing program kept so silent that not even motorsport’s most inquiring minds would be able to figure it out. No leaked information, no teasers, no slip-of-the-lip. Dead silence until one month before the biggest racing event of the year. That could never happen in this modern era. But Penske, Ilmor, and Mercedes pulled it off in the early 90s in order to produce one of the most unprecedented Indianapolis 500 entries of all time.

The Indianapolis 500 may be the pinnacle of American open-wheel racing, but if you’re making the trip, you might want to experience a little more of what Indianapolis has to offer — especially since the event’s nonstandard format leaves plenty of free time between on-track activities. If you need a little something else to keep you occupied, we’ve got you covered.

The Indiana Pacers—it’s a sporty enough name, and it fits well for a basketball team. Without outside knowledge or a strange knack for putting two and two together, there wouldn’t be any reason to question it. But, as far removed as the two sports are, the Pacers actually got their name from the Indianapolis 500.

It’s probably safe to say more women are involved in the world of motorsports than ever, but starting grids are still largely dominated by male racers. Pippa Mann, currently an IndyCar racer and one who finished 17th in last year’s Indy 500, is actively seeking to change that by building a community for female drivers through a scholarship at the Lucas Oil School of Racing.

In the Indianapolis 500's 106-year history, only 10 women have entered the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Only nine have started the race, out of a grand total of almost 800 starters. Today, we’re going to take a look back through history to celebrate the 10 women who have entered the Indy 500.

This weekend, history is going to be made at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Paretta Autosport is set to become the first-ever female-forward No. 16 race team to attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. But the history of female participation in American open-wheel racing is a fascinating one, and it’s part of what paved the way for this team to compete.

In 1996, the Indianapolis 500 was a very different affair than it had in the past. About 230 miles northeast, at Michigan International Speedway, a rival race was set to take place, and it was called the U.S. 500.

Coke Lot. Longtime attendees of the Indianapolis 500 know the name and shudder. The campground, named for its proximity to a nearby Coca-Cola factory, is one of the easiest places to pitch a tent during the weekend of the 500 — and often the scene of Indy’s most wanton chaos. If you happen to have tickets for this particular lot, godspeed. It’s time to start preparing.

Attending a racing event comes at a cost — and the bigger the event, the bigger hit to your bank account. As the premier motorsport event in America, the Indianapolis 500 can get very pricey if you’re not ready for it. But as I, a certified poor kid, can attest, it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, you can attend the Indy 500 on a pretty tight budget, so long as you know what you’re doing.

The 2022 Indianapolis 500 won’t include “Bump Day” in its qualifying weekend — with 33 cars in this year’s field, there’s no need for last-chance qualifying to compete for a spot on the grid. Without the stressful excitement of Bump Day, we can afford to look back in history at some of the best racing drivers in the world who failed to qualify for the Indy 500.

How does a race go down in history as iconic? It might come down to a certain number of passes, a first-time winner, or a close finish. Whatever the case, the Indianapolis 500 has seen plenty of exceptional races, many of which have come down to those final few laps. Today, we’re going to look at some of the very best finishes the Indy 500 has ever seen.