2005 Indianapolis 500

89th running of the Indianapolis 500 February 2025 89th Indianapolis 500 2005 Indianapolis 500.svg Indy Racing League 2005 IndyCar season Andretti-Green Racing May 29, 2005 GBR Dan Wheldon Mike Horvath2011 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Official Media Guide Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation/IMS Public Relations 2011 Statistics 176 English https://doctorindy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2011-Indy-500-Media-Guide.pdf 3:10:21.0769 157.603 mph on BRA Tony Kanaan 227.566 mph on SWE Kenny Bräck 227.598 mph on USA Danica Patrick USA Sam Hornish Jr. (77) Members of United States Armed Forces Jim Nabors Mari Hulman George Chevrolet Corvette Colin Powell Bryan Howard Reggie Miller 250,000 (estimated) ABC Todd Harris, Scott Goodyear 6.5 (9.7 million viewers) 18 2004 2006 The 89th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 29, 2005. It was the premier event of the 2005 IndyCar Series season and the tenth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. Dan Wheldon won the race, his first of two Indy victories (2005 and 2011). http://www.indy500.com/news/4710/Wheldon_Wins_89th_Indianapolis_500 Wheldon Wins 89th Indianapolis 500 Indy500.com 2005-05-28 2009-04-22 2012-02-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20120216000714/http://www.indy500.com/news/4710/Wheldon_Wins_89th_Indianapolis_500 dead Wheldon became the first British-born winner since Graham Hill in 1966.https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/30/sports/othersports/29cnd-indy.html?hp Dan Wheldon Wins Indy 500; Patrick Finishes in 4th Place New York Times 2005-05-30 2009-04-22 Dave Caldwell It was the second consecutive Indy victory for Honda, and the first victory for the Dallara chassis since 2002. It was also the long-awaited first Indianapolis 500 victory for car owner Michael Andretti of Andretti-Green Racing. After many years of failing to win the race as a driver (contributing to the perception of the so-called Andretti Curse), Andretti finally achieved victory at Indianapolis as an owner. Rookie Danica Patrick, who qualified and finished 4th, became the first female driver in Indy history to lead laps during the race. She led three times for a total of 19 laps and won the Rookie of the Year award.http://www.indy500.com/news/4740/Wheldon_Earns__1_5_Million_From_Record_Purse__Patrick_Top_Rookie Wheldon Earns $1.5 Million From Record Purse; Patrick Top Rookie Indy500.com 2005-05-30 2009-04-22 2012-02-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20120216000722/http://www.indy500.com/news/4740/Wheldon_Earns__1_5_Million_From_Record_Purse__Patrick_Top_Rookie dead Considerable media hype and attention were focused on the race and on Patrick in particular during the month,https://money.cnn.com/2005/05/27/commentary/column_sportsbiz/sportsbiz/index.htm At Indy, Danica won race for media buzz CNNMoney.com 2005-05-30 2009-04-22May 2026 medicmedichttps://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4669584 Danica Patrick Aims to Make Indy 500 History NPR 2005-05-27 2009-04-22 giving birth to the term "Danica Mania".http://www.indy500.com/news/4781/_Danica_Mania__Drives_Brisk_Merchandise_Sales_At_Indy 'Danica Mania' Drives Brisk Merchandise Sales At Indy Indy500.com 2005-06-07 2009-04-22 2008-07-05 https://web.archive.org/web/20080705235605/http://www.indy500.com/news/4781/_Danica_Mania__Drives_Brisk_Merchandise_Sales_At_Indy deadhttps://www.espn.com/racing/news/story?series=irl&id=2197410 'Danica mania' stole Wheldon's thunder ESPN.com 2005-10-20 2009-04-22http://www.sptimes.com/2005/11/26/news_pf/Sports/Top_10_Autos_stories_.shtml Top 10 Autos stories of 2005 St. Petersburg Times 2005-11-26 2009-04-22 Her 4th place starting position broke the record set by Lyn St. James (6th in 1994) and her 4th-place finishing position broke the record set by Janet Guthrie (9th in 1978). The increased attention going into the race helped register a 6.5 Nielsen rating, the highest since 1996.http://www.indy500.com/news/5036/Indianapolis_500_TV_Broadcast_Scores_In_Major_U_S__Markets Indianapolis 500 TV Broadcast Scores In Major U.S. Markets Indy500.com 2005-07-14 2009-04-22 2008-07-06 https://web.archive.org/web/20080706195443/http://www.indy500.com/news/5036/Indianapolis_500_TV_Broadcast_Scores_In_Major_U_S__Markets dead Also making headlines during the month of May was the return of 1999 winner Kenny Bräck. After suffering a violent crash in Texas in October 2003, Bräck sat out the 2004 season, recovering from serious injuries. In what would be his final IndyCar race, he drove in substitution for Buddy Rice. Rice, the 2004 winner suffered a concussion in a practice crash on May 11, and was forced to sit out the event. Bräck was the overall fastest qualifier during time trials but dropped out of the race near the halfway point due to mechanical problems. Background Over the offseason, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was milled and repaved in asphalt. Selective diamond grinding was done in an effort to smooth out bumps in the turns. On April 5, 2005, a private test session saw four teams (AGR, Ganassi, Rahal, and Panther) test for Firestone. The session was canceled, however, when the inconsistent pavement in the turns created an unsuitable dual level of grip in the corners. A week later, the entire track was diamond ground to cure the problem. The schedule for the Month of May was slightly retooled for 2005. The annual rookie orientation program was moved to opening day, as well as the 2nd day of official activity. Previously, in most cases, rookie orientation was held prior to the traditional "opening day" of practice, often in April. Veteran practice would commence on Tuesday, the 3rd day overall. Carb Day, the traditional last day of practice before the race, was moved from its familiar Thursday slot to Friday of the race weekend. After 4 years of having 3 days of time trials scheduled (2001–2004), time trials reverted to 4 days, and a new format (dubbed "11/11/11") was introduced. After they were first allowed in 2004, single-point refueling rigs were made mandatory for 2005.http://www.tracksideonline.com/news/story.php?id=6204 Single Point Fueling to Be Mandatory in 2005 Trackside Online 2004-09-07 2014-02-04 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140222015010/http://www.tracksideonline.com/news/story.php?id=6204 2014-02-22 After several decades of the race traditionally starting at 11:00 a.m. local time (EST), the start time was moved to 12:00 p.m. EST (1:00 p.m. EDT). Team and driver changes Among the numerous team/driver changes for 2005 included Rahal Letterman Racing. Defending Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice returned, and was joined by rookie Danica Patrick. Newman/Haas Racing returned to the Indy 500, entering Sébastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira. Two-time winner Al Unser Jr. took a brief retirement from driving in 2005 and did not enter. With him along with others such as Michael Andretti and Arie Luyendyk on the sidelines, no participants from the 1980s would qualify for the field, the first time ever. Race schedule Race schedule – May 2005SunMonTueWedThuFriSat 1  2  3  4  5  6  7Mini-Marathon 8ROP 9ROP10Practice11Practice12Practice13Practice14Time Trials15Time Trials16 17 18Practice19Practice20Practice21Time Trials22Bump Day23 24 25 26 27Carb Day28Parade29Indy 50030Memorial Day31      Color Notes Green Practice Dark Blue Time trials Silver Race day Red Rained out* Blank No track activity * Includes days where track activitywas significantly limited due to rain ROP – denotes Rookie Orientation Program Practice (week 1) Sunday May 8 Opening day of practice focused on rookie orientation. The coveted 1st driver on the track was Danica Patrick.http://www.indy500.com/images/stats/pdfs/dtr/2005.pdf 2005 Indianapolis 500 Daily Trackside Report Indy500.com 2005 2009-04-22 2008-05-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20080515204414/http://www.indy500.com/images/stats/pdfs/dtr/2005.pdf dead Among the top drivers of the day were Patrick at 221.463 mph on, Ryan Briscoe, and Patrick Carpentier. 7 out of the 9 drivers participating completed their required rookie test. Monday May 9 The 2nd day of rookie orientation saw Danica Patrick again set the pace. She set the fastest lap of the month thus far at 222.741 mph on. Sébastien Bourdais completed his rookie test, while Jeff Ward completed a refresher test. Tuesday May 10 The 1st full day of veteran practice saw heavy activity. Dan Wheldon led the speed chart at 226.808 mph on, and no incidents were reported. Wednesday May 11 Defending Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice suffered a significant crash at 12:16 p.m. The car spun in Turn 2 and made heavy contact to the rear of the car. Kosuke Matsuura spun to avoid the crash, but received minimal damage. Rice was transported to Methodist Hospital with a concussion. Rain ended the day about a half hour early, with Tony Kanaan fastest of the day, and fastest of the month thus far, at 227.453 mph on. Thursday May 12 Darren Manning and Paul Dana both suffered single-car crashes during the session, but neither were seriously injured. Tony Kanaan led the pace early over 227 mph on, but late in the day, Danica Patrick upped the speed to 227.633 mph on. It marked the fastest lap thus far during the month, and the 1st time a female driver had led the speed chart on a full day of practice (without a rain delay) since 1977. Friday May 13 "Fast Friday" practice saw cloudy skies, and warm temperatures. Paul Dana wrecked his backup car, crashing for the 2nd day in a row. Exiting Turn 2, Dana spun and hit the outside wall, and slid down the back stretch. Sam Hornish Jr. hit a piece of debris from the wreck on the back stretch, and did a full flip. The car came down upright, but continued to spin and came to a rest overturned. Hornish was uninjured, but Dana was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. Tomas Scheckter turned the fastest lap thus far around 1 p.m., at 227.804 mph on. Rain began to fall shortly after 2 p.m., and closed the track for the day. Time trials (weekend 1) Saturday May 14 Rain fell overnight and into the morning, preventing any track activity. A new qualifying format was put into place for 2005, providing that only the top 11 cars would secure positions on Pole Day, and bumping would then occur. Track officials decided to cancel activities for the day at 12:15 p.m., and postpone Pole Qualifying until Sunday. Shortly after the official postponement, the rain stopped and blue skies emerged.https://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/irl/2005-05-14-indy-qualifying_x.htm?POE=SPOISVA Rain gives Indy qualifying double-or-nothing Sunday USA Today 2005-05-14 2009-04-23 Gary Graves Some complained that qualifying could have been held after all, but head official Brian Barnhart still felt there would not be sufficient time to finish the qualifying order. Sunday May 15 (Pole Day) Cool temperatures in the mid-50s were observed for morning practice. Danica Patrick set the fastest lap of the entire month during the morning session at 229.880 mph on. The lap made her a favorite for the front row. Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan were close behind on the speed chart. Due to the rainout on Saturday, 22 positions were to be filled on Sunday. After the field filled to 22 cars, bumping would begin. At noon, Scott Sharp was the 1st car to make a qualifying attempt. He placed himself in the field with a speed of 227.126 mph on. Moments later, Tony Kanaan put himself on the provisional pole position with a speed of 227.566 mph on. At 12:45 p.m. Eastern time, Danica Patrick took to the track. On her 1st lap, midway through Turn 1, the back end of the car wiggled a bit, and slowed her exit from the turn. The 1st lap was a disappointing 224.920 mph on. The 2nd lap, however, increased to 227.638 mph on. Her 4th and final lap was run at 227.860 mph on, the fastest single lap of the day. The final 4-lap average of 227.004 mph on put her in the 4th starting position. Many feel that if not for the mistake on the 1st lap, her speed would have been sufficient to secure the pole position. Later in the day, Sam Hornish Jr. bumped his way onto the front row. Hélio Castroneves withdrew his earlier speed, but ended up losing a position when he re-qualified. The field filled to 22 cars, and the day ended as Jaques Lazier was "bumped". Practice (week 2) Wednesday May 18 Rahal Letterman Racing named Kenny Bräck as the replacement for injured Buddy Rice. Brack was the 1999 winner, but sat out the 2004 season recovering from a massive crash in October 2003 at Texas. Nearly 2,500 laps were run during the afternoon, with Dan Wheldon fastest at 227.320 mph on. The fastest non-qualified car was Kenny Bräck, already up to 225.774 mph on. Thursday May 19 Rain washed out all practice for the day. Friday May 20 Another busy day of practice saw 2,228 laps completed incident-free. Dan Wheldon remained on top of the speech chart at 226.399 mph on, until Tony Kanaan, at 226.490 mph on, bumped him off in the final hour. Arie Luyendyk Jr., attempting to complete his rookie test, suffered gearbox trouble, then later blew an engine. Time trials (weekend 2) Saturday May 21 The 3rd day of time trials saw the field fill to 32 cars. In the 1st hour, Ryan Briscoe, Marty Roth and Kenny Bräck completed runs. Bräck qualified at 227.598 mph on, the fastest qualifier in the field. Though he qualified faster than polesitter Tony Kanaan, as a 3rd day qualifier, Bräck would be required to start 23rd. After blowing an engine earlier, A. J. Foyt IV put a car in the field, and the field finished the day with 1 grid position open. Sunday May 22 (Bump day) With 1 position open, very few teams in the garage area were prepared to make a qualifying attempt. Most teams used the morning and afternoon sessions for practice. Arie Luyendyk Jr. was the only entry going into the day confirming an intent to qualify. At 3:10 p.m., Luyendyk Jr. completed a run at 215.039 mph on, and filled the field to 33 cars. Luyendyk Jr. was the slowest car in the field, and on the bubble. However, it appeared that Luyendyk would be safe, with no other teams preparing to qualify. Shortly after the run, A. J. Foyt Racing announced that they had signed veteran Felipe Giaffone, and he would attempt to qualify. Giaffone had been shopping with his wife at Babies "Я" Us when he got a telephone call to run over to the Speedway.http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/news/4648/Giaffone_Bumps_Arie_Jr___Field_Of_33_Set Giaffone Bumps Arie Jr.; Field Of 33 Set Indy500.com 2005-05-22 2009-04-23September 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes Within 2 hours of being at the store, Giaffone was suited up and ready to drive. In less than 45 minutes, he was up to speed and ready to qualify. At 5:36 p.m., with less than 25 minutes left in the day, Giaffone took to the track and easily bumped Luyendyk Jr. from the field. Luyendyk's team quickly scrambled his car to go out 1 final time. With 1 minute remaining before the 6 o'clock gun, Luyendyk entered the track. His speed was slow, and he fell more than 7 mph on shy of bumping his way into the field. Starting grid RowInsideMiddleOutside1 11BRA Tony Kanaan 6USA Sam Hornish Jr. 8USA Scott Sharp2 16USA Danica Patrick orange R silver 3BRA Hélio Castroneves gold W silver 27GBR Dario Franchitti3 17BRA Vítor Meira 55JPN Kosuke Matsuura 95USA Buddy Lazier gold W silver4 2CZE Tomáš Enge orange R silver 4ZAF Tomas Scheckter 36BRA Bruno Junqueira5 9NZL Scott Dixon 5MEX Adrián Fernández 37FRA Sébastien Bourdais orange R silver6 26GBR Dan Wheldon 24USA Roger Yasukawa 7USA Bryan Herta7 10GBR Darren Manning 70USA Richie Hearn 44USA Jeff Bucknum orange R silver8 51USA Alex Barron 15SWE Kenny Bräck gold W silver 33AUS Ryan Briscoe orange R silver9 83CAN Patrick Carpentier orange R silver 20USA Ed Carpenter 21USA Jaques Lazier10 14USA A. J. Foyt IV 25CAN Marty Roth 41USA Larry Foyt11 22USA Jeff Ward 91USA Jimmy Kite 48BRA Felipe GiaffoneOfficial reportStarting Grid for the 2005 Indianapolis 500 http://www.indy500.com/stats/grids.php?raceyear=2005 2005 2007-05-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20080615050222/http://www.indy500.com/stats/grids.php?raceyear=2005 2008-06-15 live gold W silver = former Indianapolis 500 winner; orange R silver = Indianapolis 500 rookie Alternate First alternate: NLD Arie Luyendyk Jr. orange R silver (#98) – bumped Failed to qualify USA Paul Dana orange R silver (#91) – injured during a practice crash; replaced by Jimmy Kite USA Buddy Rice gold W silver (#15) – injured during a practice crash; replaced by Kenny Bräck USA Scott Mayer orange R silver (#48) – failed to complete rookie orientation; replaced by Felipe Giaffone Carb Day For the first time in modern scheduling, Carb Day was moved to the Friday before the race (May 27). It was previously held on a Thursday. The final practice session was also trimmed back to 1 hour. All 33 qualified cars took to the track. 9 minutes into the session, Buddy Lazier wrecked coming out of Turn 4, sliding along the outside wall down the front stretch. Lazier was not seriously injured, but the car would have to be repaired before Sunday. Danica Patrick led the speed chart at 225.597 mph on, and no other serious issues were reported. Pit Stop Challenge The 29th annual Checkers and Rally's Pit Stop Challenge was held Friday May 27. Twelve teams competed in a single-elimination bracket. Eleven participants were named to the event. On May 18, a last-chance qualifying session was held, and Dario Franchitti advanced to fill the final spot. The bracket was determined by a blind draw. Four teams received byes for the first round. During the first round matches, Dan Wheldon was issued a 3-second penalty for a tire out-of-bounds, but he would have lost either way. Scott Sharp lost to Bryan Herta due to a 5-second penalty for a missing lug nut. The matchup between Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti was re-run due to a timing and scoring malfunction. During the quarterfinals, a rain shower halted the event for about 25 minutes. The finals pitted Penske versus Andretti Green, with the crew of Sam Hornish Jr. defeating Bryan Herta. It was the first and only victory in the event for Hornish, and the eighth overall for Penske. First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals 6 Sam Hornish Jr.(Team Penske) 8.7665 27 Dario Franchitti(Andretti Green) 9.2941 11 Tony Kanaan(Andretti Green) 7.7859 26 Dan Wheldon(Andretti Green) 12.4300 7 Bryan Herta(Andretti Green) 10.8687 8 Scott Sharp(Fernández Racing) 13.7873 51 Alex Barron(Cheever Racing) 9.3210 4 Tomas Scheckter(Panther Racing) 9.5880 6 Sam Hornish Jr.(Team Penske) 8.0835 3 Hélio Castroneves(Team Penske) 8.2602 9 Scott Dixon(Chip Ganassi Racing) 9.4347 11 Tony Kanaan(Andretti Green) 10.2589 7 Bryan Herta(Andretti Green) 10.0612 17 Vítor Meira(Rahal Letterman) no time 15 Kenny Bräck(Rahal Letterman) 8.9887 51 Alex Barron(Cheever Racing) 10.6689 6 Sam Hornish Jr.(Team Penske) 8.4064 9 Scott Dixon(Chip Ganassi Racing) 9.3444 7 Bryan Herta(Andretti Green) 10.1662 15 Kenny Bräck(Rahal Letterman) no time 6 Sam Hornish Jr.(Team Penske) 8.9704 7 Bryan Herta(Andretti Green) 9.9170 Race summary thumb|225px|right|Honorary starter Reggie Miller in the starter's stand Start Race day emerged warm and sunny, with temperatures in the mid 70s (°F), and no chance of rain. Speedway chairperson Mari Hulman George gave the command to start engines at 11:58 a.m. (EST). The field assembled for 2 parade laps and 1 pace lap behind the Chevrolet Corvette C6 pace car, driven by Colin Powell. At the start, a very well-aligned field saw polesitter Tony Kanaan take the lead into Turn 1. The field circulated safely through the 1st lap. In Turn 3, Sam Hornish Jr. passed Kanaan for the lead, and led the 1st lap. Kanaan re-took the lead on lap 3. The duo traded the lead once more before Larry Foyt crashed on lap 18, bringing out the first caution. Foyt would be hospitalized by the crash.2005-05-29 Larry Foyt injured in Indy 500 crash https://www.wthr.com/article/sports/larry-foyt-injured-in-indy-500-crash/531-90de76e5-7d14-4039-a875-8ad185a9378a 2025-09-10 wthr.com en-US Most of the leaders pitted under the yellow, and Kanaan won the race off the pit road. First half Sam Hornish Jr. took the lead on lap 38, and the race began to settle into a pace. On lap 55, a series of green flag pit stops shuffled the field momentarily. Hornish ducked into the pits first, followed by Kanaan. The shuffle brought Danica Patrick to the lead on lap 56. It marked the 1st time in Indy 500 history that a female driver led a lap in competition. She pitted the next time around, and Hornish emerged once again as the leader. On lap 78, Bruno Junqueira went to pass the lap car of A. J. Foyt IV in turn 2. The two cars touched, and Junqueira crashed hard into the outside wall. He suffered a concussion and fractured vertebrae. The previous week, Junqueira had taken the points lead in the Champ Car World Series championship, and his injuries would force him to miss the rest of the season. Kenny Bräck headed for the pits on lap 82 with mechanical trouble. The car eventually dropped out due to a broken wishbone suspension. As they approached the halfway point, Hornish and Kanaan again battled back and forth for the lead. Second half On lap 114, Richie Hearn and Scott Dixon tangled and crashed in Turn 1. On the restart, Kanaan and Dario Franchitti passed Hornish on the front stretch, and pulled away from the field. On lap 147, Sam Hornish Jr. went to pass Sébastien Bourdais on the outside of Turn 1. He slid high, and smacked the outside wall. The leaders pitted on lap 149, which meant that only 1 more fuel stop would be required for each car. Exiting the pits, Bryan Herta was penalized for speeding on pit road, and was moved to the rear of the field for the upcoming restart. On 155, the field prepared to go back to green. Accelerating in the north short chute, Danica Patrick, running 8th, did a half-spin, and tagged Tomáš Enge. Tomas Scheckter spun to avoid the crash, and wrecked into the inside wall. Jeff Bucknum, Patrick Carpentier, and Jaques Lazier also got caught up in the melee. Patrick damaged her nosecone and left front wing, and ducked immediately into the pits. The team replaced the nose of the car, then a second pit stop (lap 159) saw her change tires and top off the fuel. Patrick dropped to 11th, the last car on the lead lap. Just before the restart on lap 161, Bryan Herta ducked into the pits, and topped off the fuel. The team intended to go the distance without another pit stop. Finish With 30 laps to go, Dan Wheldon led Vitor Meira. Roger Yasukawa brought out the yellow when his car blew its engine down the front stretch. All of the leaders except Patrick and Herta went to the pits. Staying out, Patrick and Herta shuffled up to the front of the field. Patrick took the lead for the 2nd time of the day on lap 172, and led Herta on the lap 173 restart. To the delight of the crowd, Patrick pulled out to a 1-second lead. Her crew instructed her to dial down the fuel mixture (in an effort to make it to the finish), and her lead began to dwindle. Dan Wheldon caught her on lap 186, and took the lead. At the same time, Kosuke Matsuura hit the wall in the exit of Turn 4. With 10 laps to go, the green flag came back out. Patrick darted around Wheldon, and took the lead into Turn 1. She held the lead for 3 laps. With 7 laps to go, Wheldon passed her once again, and pulled out to a lead. With less than 3 laps to go, Vítor Meira and Bryan Herta managed to get by Patrick, while Wheldon continued to pull away. Down the back stretch with less than 1½ laps to go, Buddy Lazier passed Sébastien Bourdais on the outside for 5th place. Bourdais got loose in Turn 3, and crashed into the outside wall. The yellow and white flags were displayed, and 1 lap later, Dan Wheldon won the race under caution. Bryan Herta's fuel strategy worked out, and he came home 3rd. Danica Patrick held on to 4th place, beating Janet Guthrie's Indy 500 record (9th place in 1978) for the best finish by a female driver. Buddy Lazier finished a strong 5th, despite nursing a broken front wing after contact by Scott Sharp. Box score FinishStartCarNo.DriverChassisEngineQualLapsStatusTeam11626GBR Dan WheldonDallaraHonda224.308200 157.603 mphAndretti Green Racing2717BRA Vítor MeiraPanozHonda226.848200 +0.1302Rahal Letterman Racing3187USA Bryan HertaDallaraHonda223.972200 +0.2061Andretti Green Racing4416USA Danica Patrick orange R silverPanozHonda227.004200 +4.5515Rahal Letterman Racing5995USA Buddy Lazier gold W silverDallaraChevrolet226.353200 +4.8047Panther Racing6627GBR Dario FranchittiDallaraHonda226.873200 +5.1450Andretti Green Racing738USA Scott SharpPanozHonda227.126200 +5.5795Fernandez Racing8111BRA Tony KanaanDallaraHonda227.566200 +6.3527Andretti Green Racing953BRA Hélio Castroneves gold W silverDallaraToyota226.927200 +7.7687Team Penske102433AUS Ryan Briscoe orange R silverPanozToyota224.080199 -1 LapChip Ganassi Racing112620USA Ed CarpenterDallaraToyota221.439199 -1 LapVision Racing121537FRA Sébastien Bourdais orange R silverPanozHonda224.955198Crash T3Newman/Haas Racing132251USA Alex BarronDallaraToyota221.053197 -3 LapsTeam Cheever14145MEX Adrián FernándezPanozHonda225.120197 -3 LapsFernandez Racing153348BRA Felipe GiaffonePanozToyota217.645194 -6 LapsA. J. Foyt Enterprises162721USA Jaques LazierPanozToyota221.228189 -11 LapsPlaya Del Racing17855JPN Kosuke MatsuuraPanozHonda226.397186Crash T4Super Aguri Fernandez Racing181724USA Roger YasukawaDallaraHonda224.131167MechanicalDreyer & Reinbold Racing19102CZE Tomáš Enge orange R silverDallaraChevrolet226.107155Crash T4Panther Racing20114ZAF Tomas ScheckterDallaraChevrolet226.031154Crash T4Panther Racing212583CAN Patrick Carpentier orange R silverDallaraToyota222.803153MechanicalTeam Cheever222144USA Jeff Bucknum orange R silverDallaraHonda221.521150Crash T4Dreyer & Reinbold Racing2326USA Sam Hornish Jr.DallaraToyota227.273146Crash T1Team Penske24139NZL Scott DixonPanozToyota225.215113Crash T1Chip Ganassi Racing252070USA Richie HearnPanozChevrolet222.707112Crash T1Sam Schmidt Motorsports262315SWE Kenny Bräck gold W silverPanozHonda227.59892MechanicalRahal Letterman Racing273122USA Jeff WardDallaraToyota218.71492HandlingVision Racing282814USA A. J. Foyt IVDallaraToyota220.44284HandlingA. J. Foyt Enterprises291910GBR Darren ManningPanozToyota223.94382MechanicalChip Ganassi Racing301236BRA Bruno JunqueiraPanozHonda225.70476Crash T2Newman/Haas Racing312925CAN Marty RothDallaraChevrolet219.49747HandlingRoth Racing323291USA Jimmy KiteDallaraToyota218.56547HandlingHemelgarn Racing333041USA Larry FoytDallaraToyota219.39614Crash T2A. J. Foyt Enterprises gold W silver Former Indianapolis 500 winner orange R silver Indianapolis 500 Rookie All entrants utilized Firestone tires. Race statistics 7 drivers led the race, with a total of 27 lead changes.Official Box Score http://www.indy500.com/stats/box_scoreHTML.php?year=2005 2005-05-29 2007-05-10 2007-10-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20071010050405/http://www.indy500.com/stats/box_scoreHTML.php?year=2005 dead Lap Leaders Laps Leader 1–2 Sam Hornish Jr. 3 Tony Kanaan 4–7 Sam Hornish Jr. 8–25 Tony Kanaan 26 Dario Franchitti 27–37 Tony Kanaan 38–54 Sam Hornish Jr. 55 Dario Franchitti 56 Danica Patrick 57–58 Bruno Junqueira 59–97 Sam Hornish Jr. 98–100 Tony Kanaan 101–111 Sam Hornish Jr. 112–115 Tony Kanaan 116–119 Sam Hornish Jr. 120–122 Tony Kanaan 123 Dario Franchitti 124–135 Tony Kanaan 136–143 Dario Franchitti 144–145 Tony Kanaan 146–149 Dario Franchitti 150–161 Dan Wheldon 162–164 Vítor Meira 165–171 Dan Wheldon 172–185 Danica Patrick 186–189 Dan Wheldon 190–193 Danica Patrick 194–200 Dan Wheldon Total laps led Driver LapsSam Hornish Jr. 77Tony Kanaan 54Dan Wheldon 30Danica Patrick 19Dario Franchitti 15Vítor Meira 3Bruno Junqueira 2 Cautions: 8 for 46 laps Laps Reason18–24 Larry Foyt crash in turn 277–86 Bruno Junqueira, A. J. Foyt IV crash in turn 2114–119 Scott Dixon, Richie Hearn crash in turn 1147–154 Sam Hornish Jr. crash in turn 1155–161 Enge, Scheckter, Patrick, Bucknum crash in northchute171–173 Roger Yasukawa car smoking187–189 Kosuke Matsuura crash in turn 4199–200 Sébastien Bourdais crash in turn 3 Aftermath The massive media attention going into the race delivered a high television rating, and brought the IndyCar Series back into the limelight after several slumping years. Dan Wheldon rode the wave of success to six total victories in 2005, and clinched the 2005 IndyCar Series championship. Danica Patrick, however, emerged from the race as the biggest star.http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/sections/sports/motorsports/article_540677.php Wheldon feeling his victory OCRegister.com 2005-05-31 2009-04-22 2015-06-20 https://web.archive.org/web/20150620135839/http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/sections/sports/motorsports/article_540677.php dead She was interviewed on Good Morning America the morning after the race, and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Patrick became a household name nearly overnight,http://www.autoracingdaily.com/news/latest-racing-news/danica-patrick-this-reaches-outside-racing/ Water Cooler column Auto Racing Daily 2008-04-23 2009-04-22 https://web.archive.org/web/20110707194001/http://www.autoracingdaily.com/news/latest-racing-news/danica-patrick-this-reaches-outside-racing/ 2011-07-07 dead and became a "watercooler" topic.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=N4oNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6647,8076657&dq=2005+danica+patrick+watercooler Danica Patrick: "This Reaches Outside Racing" Pittsburgh Gazette 2005-05-30 2009-04-22April 2023 InternetArchiveBot yes 2 weeks after the race, other drivers in the series started to embrace and make light of the attention. Race winner Dan Wheldon wore a t shirt stating "I actually 'won' the Indy 500." Buddy Rice, the 2004 Indy 500 winner sported a shirt saying "Danica's teammate," while Vítor Meira, who finished 2nd wore a shirt with "Danica's other teammate."https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7D71E38F930A25755C0A9639C8B63 AUTO RACING; Humbled, Patrick Steers Focus to Veterans New York Times 2005-06-13 2009-04-22 Viv Bernstein Broadcasting Radio The race was carried live on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. Mike King served as chief announcer. Pancho Carter served as "driver expert", a role he also participated as in 1988. The four turn reporters remained the same from the previous year. In the pit area Kim Morris and Jim Murphy departed. Joining the crew were Nicole Manske and USAC Midget champion Kevin Olson. During the pre-race, Olson interviewed David Letterman, a segment of the broadcast that would become a fixture in subsequent years. Among the special guests interviewed in the booth were former Secretary of State Colin Powell and the recently elected Governor of Indiana Mitch Daniels. Sponsor guests interviewed in the booth included Tim Manganello (BorgWarner), Keith Sirios (Checkers and Rally's), Al Spire (Firestone), John Middlebrook (GM), and Keith Newman (Jim Beam). Indy Racing Radio Network Booth AnnouncersTurn ReportersPit/garage reportersChief Announcer: Mike King Driver expert: Pancho Carter Historian: Donald Davidson Color analyst: Dave Wilson Commentary: Chris EconomakiTurn 1: Jerry Baker Turn 2: Adam Alexander Turn 3: Mark Jaynes Turn 4: Chris DenariDave Argabright (north pits)Nicole Manske (center pits)Kevin Lee (south pits)Kevin Olson (garages/hospital) Television For 2005, ABC Sports replaced veteran announcer Paul Page with Todd Harris.https://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2005-05-26-hiestand-indy_x.htm ABC hopes Patrick sparks Indy interest USAToday.com 2005-05-27 2009-04-22 Harris had previously covered the World's Strongest Man competitions, and worked as a sideline–pit reporter. However, he was inexperienced in anchoring live sports, and did not personally pursue the role.http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/01/Sports/New_team_sees_rising_.shtml New team sees rising tide TampaBay.com 2005-04-01 2009-04-22 Harris was joined by analyst Scott Goodyear in the booth. Gone from the broadcast was veteran Paul Page, who had covered the 500 on television or radio dating back to 1974. Also new to the broadcast was Brent Musburger, who took over the host role. The "Wide World of Sports" telecast opened with the pre-race billed as "Firestone Race Day". The opening teaser entitled "Speed City", created by Brice Bowman of Earshot Audio Post, would eventually earn a Sports Emmy for "Outstanding post-produced audio/sound". ABC Television (blacked out locally)Booth AnnouncersPit/garage reportersHost: Brent Musburger Announcer: Todd Harris Color: Scott Goodyear Jack AruteVince WelchDr. Jerry PunchJamie LittlePenn Holderness Controversy Going into the race broadcast, one of the most significant stories of the month was Danica Patrick qualifying 4th, and having a legitimate chance to win the race. ABC Sports planned to focus considerably on Patrick during the pre-race and race running.http://www.sptimes.com/2005/05/27/Sports/ABC_leans_on_Patrick.shtml ABC leans on Patrick TampaBay.com 2005-05-27 2009-04-22 Many felt that ABC was ignoring the other drivers, including polesitter Tony Kanaan and eventual winner Dan Wheldon.https://holycoast.blogspot.com/2005/05/danica-third-loser-abcirl-threaten.html Danica Third Loser; ABC/IRL Threaten Suicide HolyCoast.com 2005-05-29 2009-04-22 In the days after the race, ABC, and Harris in particular, were largely criticised by columnists and bloggers for poor coverage, and for biased and subjective coverage of Patrick.https://hadleyblog.blogspot.com/2005/05/mh-abc-comes-in-last-at-500.html MH - ABC Comes in Last at the 500 Our Word 2005-05-30 2009-04-22 It was pointed out that despite the close attention, neither Harris nor Goodyear noticed that Patrick had taken the lead during a sequence of pit stops on lap 56.http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/sections/sports/sports_columns/article_539926.php ABC needed some directions for Indy OCRegister.com 2005-05-30 2009-04-22 2015-06-20 https://web.archive.org/web/20150620140236/http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/sections/sports/sports_columns/article_539926.php deadhttp://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_340541.html ABC's coverage hit the wall TribLive 2005-06-03 2009-04-22September 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes Nine laps later, as ABC returned from commercial, Harris mentioned Patrick having taken the lead for the first time. 89th Indianapolis 500 Live Telecast - May 28, 2005 List of Indianapolis 500 broadcasters ABC Sports ESPN on ABC His comments were criticised as he said she "...turned the trick..." (usually a sexual reference), and that "Fifty years from now you will remember where you were when Danica Patrick made not only motorsports history, but she joined the likes of Amelia Earhart and Sally Ride in a barrier-breaking performance..."http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20050603-9999-1s3media.html 'Yeah!' he said it and no, there's no rift SignOnSanDiego.com 2005-06-03 2009-04-22 Of which Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel wrote "I seriously doubt it, Todd."http://www.orlandosentinel.com Jerry Greene - The Cheap Seats Orlando Sentinel 2005-05-30 22 April 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090420130313/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/ 20 April 2009 live Greene also wrote that Harris "said many stupid things Sunday because of Ms. Patrick's efforts." Richard Sandomir wrote that Harris and Goodyear faltered in three distinct instances late in the race.http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20050603-9999-1s3media.html TV SPORTS; At Just the Wrong Times, Indy Coverage Falls Short New York Times 2005-05-30 2009-04-22 With 13 laps to go, they closely examined Dan Wheldon taking the lead by the nose of the car at the line repeatedly when a caution came out. It was portrayed as if they were racing back to the caution. However, such was not allowed under Indy Racing League rules. It was later observed that the caution light did not turn on until the cars were in turn 1 (well after Wheldon had completed the pass), and the attention focused at the start–finish line was misguided, misleading, and irrelevant. Three laps later, Harris awkwardly waited ten seconds before noting that Patrick had re-taken the lead on the restart. When Wheldon took the lead for good on lap 193, Harris again hesitated, and waited 20 seconds to report the move, and another 30 seconds to report that Patrick had dropped to 4th place. Sandomir also criticized a perceived "softball" post-race interview of Patrick by Jerry Punch. Houston Chronicle writer David Barron said during the pre-race show and the race's first 90 minutes, he "counted an average of one Patrick reference every five minutes, and each reference went on for some time." Others blogged that ABC was intentionally bringing attention to Patrick's looks, at the same time trying to downplay them.https://holycoast.blogspot.com/2005_05_01_archive.html America's Obsession With the Babe HolyCoast.com 2005-05-31 2009-04-22 With all the hoopla regarding Danica Patrick it was also seen as interesting by some that the song that was played during the closing credits of the broadcast was a song by the title "Luckiest Man Alive" by the Finn Brothers. Some felt that while jumping on the Danica hype for all it was worth this pointed to ABC never really taking the idea seriously that she might actually win. Of course there could've been another version of the closing credits with another song available if she had won but no one at ABC has ever commented on it. At the end of the 2005 season, Todd Harris was removed from the booth, and replaced with veteran Marty Reid. Gallery Notes References Works cited 2005 Indianapolis 500 Daily Trackside Report for the Media Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats - Official Site 2004 Buddy Rice 2005 Dan Wheldon 2006 Sam Hornish Jr. Category:Indianapolis 500 races Category:2005 in IndyCar Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500