NTT IndyCar Series Race Preview: The 105th Running of The Indianapolis 500



High speeds, incredible action, all while staring danger in the face by going 230 miles an hour into turn one are some of the things that make the Indianapolis 500 one of the must watch races of the motorsports calander and the marque event of the NTT IndyCar Series season. Check out everything you need to know for the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500.

    Event History: Since 1911, fans have flocked to the hallowed grounds of Indianapolis Motor Speedway for "the greatest spectacle in racing", The Indianapolis 500. That first race in 1911 had an average speed of 74.59 MPH and took over six hours to complete. Since then, speeds have well excessed the 230-mile per hour mark, and a 500-mile race can be completed in a little under three hours. There are nine active drivers in this years race who have won the 500 before. The only three-time winner is Helio Castroneves. Tukuma Sato and Juan Pablo Montoya have won the event twice. Will Power, Simon Pagenaud, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alexander Rossi, Scott Dixon, and Tony Kanaan have won the race once. IndyCar great Arie Luyendyk holds the qualifying record with a lap time of 37.895 seconds. Or a blistering 237.496 MPH.

    Track Facts:  The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a 2.5 mile oval with four distinct corners. A layout that has remained relatively unchanged sine 1909. The main straights are 5/8 of a mile long. The short chutes in between the turns on each end of the race track measure 1/8th of a mile. Each corner is almost identical with banking between nine to eleven degrees of banking.

    Qualifying Results: Scott Dixon for Chip Ganassi Racing took pole position for the Indianapolis 500, joining him on the front row is Colton Herta and Rinus Veekay. Former 500 winner Will Power, qualified on the back row as he was relegated to bump day. This is the fastest field to ever qualify for the Indianapolis 500, as the entire field averaged 230.294 MPH.


    2020 Race: The 2020 Indianapolis 500 was the first time the event was held in the month of August with no one in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scott Dixon dominated the race last year but was passed late in the race by eventual winner, Takuma Sato.

2021 Prediction: It seems like everyone is already crowning Scott Dixon for being one of the fastest drivers in each season the car is on track. There are about ten drivers who can write their name into immortality when the checkered flag flies at the end of 500 miles. It will all come down to who can outduel the frontrunners the best. With that being said, I believe Sato takes his third 500 victory.


Where to watch: You can catch the race on your local NBC affiliate or listen live on IndyCar Radio on Sirius XM Radio.






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