 | |||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | IndyCar | ||||
| Season | 2017 IndyCar season | ||||
| Date | May 28, 2017 | ||||
| Winner |  Takuma Sato | ||||
| Winning team | Andretti Autosport | ||||
| Average speed | 155.395 mph (250.084 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position |  Scott Dixon | ||||
| Pole speed | 232.164 mph (373.632 km/h) | ||||
| Fastest qualifier | Scott Dixon | ||||
| Rookie of the Year |  Fernando Alonso | ||||
| Most laps led |  Max Chilton (50) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Bebe Rexha[1] | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Cornelison[2] | ||||
| Starting command | Tony George | ||||
| Pace car | Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport | ||||
| Pace car driver | Jeffrey Dean Morgan | ||||
| Starter | Paul Blevin | ||||
| Honorary starter | Jake Gyllenhaal & Jeff Bauman[3] | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | ABC (blacked out locally) | ||||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick,Scott Goodyear,Eddie Cheever | ||||
| Nielsen ratings | 3.6 | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The2017 Indianapolis 500 (branded as the101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil for sponsorship reasons) was aVerizon IndyCar Series race held on Sunday May 28, 2017, at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway,Indiana,United States. The race was the premier event and the sixth race of the2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season.
Despite a threatening weather forecast in the days leading up to the event, the race ran its scheduled distance of 200 laps (500 miles) and was won by Japanese driverTakuma Sato ofAndretti Autosport. Sato, who also finished on thepodium at the2004 U.S. Grand Prix on the road course at Indianapolis, became the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500. Sato assumed the lead with six laps to go and held offHélio Castroneves over the final fifteen miles.
Two violent crashes occurred during the month, involvingSébastien Bourdais (during time trials) andScott Dixon (during the race), respectively. Bourdais suffered a broken pelvis and other injuries, forcing him to sit out the event, while Dixon suffered a minor ankle injury.
Alexander Rossi entered the race as thedefending champion. The event also featuredFernando Alonso, the first activeFormula One World Championship driver to contest the race sinceTeo Fabi in1984.[4] Alonso was votedRookie of the Year, having led 27 laps before retiring in the closing stages of the race.[5]
Themonth of May activities formally began on May 13 with the fourth running of theIndyCar Grand Prix on thecombined road course. Practice for the Indianapolis 500 began on May 15, andtime trials were held on May 20–21.Scott Dixon, the2008 winner, won the pole position, his third career Indy pole. Dixon's qualifying speed of 232.164 mph (373.632 km/h) was the fastest pole speed since1996. Carb Day—the traditional final day of practice, as well as the annualPit Stop Challenge andIndy LightsFreedom 100, were held on May 26. Support races featuring theRoad to Indy were also held during the month.
The 2017 race was the third and final year contested with theChevrolet andHonda aero kits outfitted to theDallara DW12 chassis. Beginning in 2018, allDW12 chassis were outfitted with a universal bodywork kit.[6] Furthermore, a development freeze was implemented for 2017, and all aero kits had to adhere to the established specifications carried over from2016.
Among the major offseason moves,Chip Ganassi Racing switched engine manufactures from Chevrolet to Honda. Conversely,A. J. Foyt Enterprises switched from Honda to Chevrolet.KV Racing Technology, who won the2013 race with driverTony Kanaan, was sold toJuncos Racing, an established team in the ladder system, scheduled to make its debut at the Indianapolis 500. After losing his seat at KV Racing,Sébastien Bourdais subsequently signed withDale Coyne Racing. Among the other high-profile moves,Josef Newgarden departedEd Carpenter Racing and joinedTeam Penske.
A series of procedural rule changes were implemented by the series for the2017 season, however, none of the rule changes significantly affected the Indianapolis 500.[7] TheIndyCar Grand Prix, which opens the on-track activities for the month, a three-day event, had only two days for the Verizon IndyCar Series. That mirrors similar changes made to other races event weekends on the schedule.
The 101st Indianapolis 500 was the sixth round of the2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season, and the 22nd sanctioned as part of theIndy Racing League/IndyCar Series. There were five different winners in the first five races leading up to the Indianapolis 500. The season began March 12 atSt. Petersburg, withSébastien Bourdais a surprise winner. Bourdais won from last place on the starting grid.[10]James Hinchcliffe won atLong Beach,[11] his first victory since suffering a near-fatal accident during practice for2015 Indianapolis 500.Josef Newgarden won atBarber,[12] anddefending series championSimon Pagenaud won atPhoenix.[13] TheIndyCar Grand Prix was won byWill Power, his second victory in the event.
Entering the month of May at Indy,Honda-powered teams were the prohibitive favorites over theChevys. As the week began, Honda teams were even being accused of "sandbagging."[14] However, each day saw a different driver lead the speed charts, split almost evenly between both manufacturers. Honda began experiencing multiple engine failures,[15] raising significant concerns around the garage area of their reliability.[15]
Former Indianapolis 500 winners that were entered includeHélio Castroneves,Juan Pablo Montoya,Buddy Lazier,Scott Dixon,Tony Kanaan,Ryan Hunter-Reay, andAlexander Rossi. FormerIndyCar Series champions that entered include Lazier, Dixon, Kanaan, Hunter-Reay,Will Power andSimon Pagenaud.[16] In addition, Juan Pablo Montoya is a formerCART series champion, andSébastien Bourdais is a four-time champion of theChamp Car World Series. Montoya, after three years in a full-time role atTeam Penske, went down to a part-time role for 2017, driving in theIndyCar Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500 only.[17]
On April 12, it was announced that two-timeFormula 1World ChampionFernando Alonso planned to drive aHonda with the support ofMcLaren forAndretti Autosport.[18][19] Alonso skipped the2017 Monaco Grand Prix in order to compete at Indianapolis.
Rookies that entered[16] included Alonso,Jack Harvey,[20]Ed Jones, andZach Veach. The official entry list was released on May 14.
|
|
A private manufacturers test forHonda teams was scheduled for Friday March 24. The test was moved up one day due to inclement weather predicted for Saturday.[21] Three Honda teams,Chip Ganassi Racing,Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, andSchmidt Peterson Motorsports, tested along with oneChevy team (Team Penske). A total of eleven drivers took to the track on a warm, but windy day. No incidents were reported.[22] Speeds were not reported. Attention during the test focused onGanassi taking their first laps at the Speedway with Honda power since2013, after a highly publicized switch from Chevrolet to Honda during the offseason.[23]
A private test conducted by Chevrolet teams was scheduled for Saturday April 1.[24] Cold temperatures postponed the test until Sunday April 2.[25] Three Chevrolet teams were scheduled to participate.[26] No incidents were reported.[27]
A private test was scheduled for May 3 involvingFernando Alonso.[28]Marco Andretti started the day off, shaking the car down shortly after 9:00 a.m. Alonso took to the track and passed all three phases of his rookie test.[29] Alonso completed 110 laps with a best lap of 222.548 mph. Due to rain approaching the area, the test schedule for the day was slightly compressed, in order to complete all three phases before the weather arrived.[30]The test was broadcast as a live stream through IndyCar's social media channels, with combined live viewership of the test was estimated to be in excess of 2 million.[31]
| No. | Driver | Team | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Fernando Alonso R | McLaren-Honda-Andretti | Honda |
The Rookie Orientation Program (ROP) was scheduled for Monday from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.[32] Four rookies were slated to participate in the session,Fernando Alonso,Jack Harvey,Ed Jones, andZach Veach. Track time for refresher tests was also available forJay Howard,Oriol Servià, andSebastián Saavedra. The three-phase rookie test requirements for 2017 consisted of ten laps at 205-210 mph, fifteen laps at 210-215 mph, and fifteen laps at over 215 mph. The two-phase refresher test consists of ten laps at 210-215 mph and fifteen laps at over 215 mph.[33]
Alonso had passed his rookie test previously on May 3,[33] but was permitted the additional track time during the session. Ed Jones passed his rookie test at 1:08 p.m.,[33] while Jack Harvey experienced gearbox trouble, which delayed him taking to the track for almost one hour. Harvey passed only the first phase of the test after fuel pressure issues sidelined him even further.[34] Veach made no attempt to complete his rookie program, turning in only three laps late in the session. Veterans Howard, Servià, and Saavedra all completed their refresher programs during this time.
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | Fernando Alonso R | McLaren-Honda-Andretti | Honda | 221.634 |
| 2 | 16 | Oriol Servià | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 220.759 |
| 3 | 19 |  Ed Jones R | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 219.288 |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | |||||
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 |  Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport with Yorrow | Honda | 226.338 |
| 2 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 225.296 |
| 3 | 20 | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 224.969 |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | |||||
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 |  Will Power | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 224.656 |
| 2 | 3 |  Hélio Castroneves | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 224.287 |
| 3 | 88 |  Gabby Chaves | Harding Racing | Chevrolet | 223.991 |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | |||||
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 222.894 |
| 2 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 222.599 |
| 3 | 21 | J. R. Hildebrand | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 220.553 |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | |||||
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77 | Jay Howard | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Honda | 226.744 |
| 2 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 225.826 |
| 3 | 27 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport with Yorrow | Honda | 225.709 |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | |||||
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 |  Sébastien Bourdais | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 233.116 |
| 2 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 232.132 |
| 3 | 26 | Takuma Sato | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 231.969 |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | |||||
The first day of time trials locks in the 33 cars that will comprise the starting field, and determines the nine cars eligible to participate in the Fast Nine Shootout for the pole position on Sunday. The start of qualifications was delayed until 4:01 p.m. due to a heavy thunderstorm. As a result of the delays, all drivers were given only one qualifying attempt.[43]
The day was marred by a heavy accident involvingSébastien Bourdais. After completing his first two laps at 231.472 mph and 231.595 mph (the two fastest laps of the day), Bourdais lost control and crashed nearly head-on into theSAFER Barrier in turn two and did a half-flip before coming to rest upright part-way down the backstretch. Bourdais was extracted from his car and immediately sent toIndiana University Health Methodist Hospital where he was diagnosed with multiplepelvic fractures and ahip fracture, rendering him unable to compete in the race.[44]
DespiteHonda's dominance in the speed charts during the week, it wasChevrolet driverEd Carpenter who turned the fastest attempt of the day, with a four lap average of 230.468 mph. Joining him in the Fast Nine wereTakuma Sato,Scott Dixon,J. R. Hildebrand,Alexander Rossi,Will Power,Fernando Alonso,Tony Kanaan, andMarco Andretti. RookieEd Jones was the first driver outside the Fast Nine.Team Penske was surprisingly lackluster during the session, with four of the team's five drivers failing to make the Fast Nine; Power being the lone exception.[45] RookieZach Veach made no attempt to qualify on the day due to damage from a crash in the previous day's practice.[46][47] The only other minor incident of the day involvedPippa Mann, the first car out to qualify on thegreen track. After a clean first lap, the car stepped out in turn three and nearly tagged the wall in the north short chute. Mann's last three laps dropped off substantially, but she completed the four-lap run 219.282 mph, the slowest car of the day.
Early showers slightly delayed the morning warm-up session, but the skies stayed clear for the rest of the day and qualifying was run as scheduled. Prior to qualifying,Dale Coyne Racing announced thatJames Davison would fill in for the injured Bourdais in the No. 18 car.[48]As Davison had not driven in a Verizon IndyCar Series race since 2015, he was prohibited from participating in Sunday's qualifying session under Rule 4.3.8.7, an Indianapolis 500-specific rule mandating a driver who had not participated in an oval race prior to the previous year's Indianapolis 500 pass the refresher test (the second and third phases of the rookie test). Furthermore, the backup #18 car needed to be converted from road course to oval trim.
The group from positions 10-33 began qualifying first at 2:45 p.m., running in the reverse order of how drivers qualified in the previous day's session.Zach Veach, having made no attempt on Saturday, was first on course. The day saw, for most drivers, faster speeds thanks to lower temperatures and more rubber on the track than the previous day.Ryan Hunter-Reay was fastest of the session with a four-lap average of 231.442 mph; nearly a full mph faster than anyone else in the first group. Alongside him in the 4th row wereEd Jones andOriol Servià.Team Penske once again struggled, withJuan Pablo Montoya in 18th being their highest qualifier in the group. No major incidents occurred during the session, though a few drivers, includingJack Harvey andCharlie Kimball, scraped the wall in turn 2 during their runs.
NOTE: Per INDYCAR Rule 8.4.9, Davison, who was ineligible to participate in qualifying, was classified by the Entrant Points of the #18 car during the current season.
Fast Nine qualifying began at 5:00 p.m., with each driver given one shot to reach pole position.Scott Dixon took the pole position with a four-lap average of 232.164 mph; the fastest four-lap average sinceArie Luyendyk's track record run in1996. In addition, his first lap of 232.565 mph was the fastest since Luyendyk's track-record 237.498 mph lap, also in 1996. The run was the third fastest pole speed in 500 history, behind onlyScott Brayton's 1996 run andRoberto Guerrero's1992 run. Joining Dixon on the front row wereEd Carpenter, the highest qualifiedChevrolet, and defending winnerAlexander Rossi.Fernando Alonso stunned during the session, qualifying fifth in his first ever start on an oval circuit.[49]
Alonso's day did not start out entirely smooth, as Honda officials ordered a last-minute engine change in the car. After examining data from the engine, it was decided to install a new engine, with only an hour and a half until the car was due to be in line for technical inspection. The team scrambled to finish the work, and got the car prepared with only minutes to spare.Takuma Sato had a potential front row starting position until his handling went away on his final two laps, and he subsequently brushed the wall in turn two.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firestone Fast Nine Shootout | |||||
| 1 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 232.164 |
| 2 | 20 | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 231.664 |
| 3 | 98 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Herta Autosport | Honda | 231.487 |
| 4 | 26 | Takuma Sato | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 231.365 |
| 5 | 29 | Fernando Alonso R | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 231.300 |
| 6 | 21 | J. R. Hildebrand | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 230.889 |
| 7 | 10 | Tony Kanaan | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 230.828 |
| 8 | 27 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport with Yarrow | Honda | 230.474 |
| 9 | 12 | Will Power | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 230.200 |
| Top practice speeds | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
| 1 | 8 | Max Chilton | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 228.592 |
| 2 | 19 | Ed Jones R | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 228.118 |
| 3 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 227.165 |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | |||||
| Top practice speeds | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | Speed |
| 1 | 3 | Hélio Castroneves | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 227.377 |
| 2 | 26 | Takuma Sato | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 226.802 |
| 3 | 10 | Tony Kanaan | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 226.757 |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | |||||
The 40th annualPit Stop Challenge was scheduled for Friday May 26. For the first time in event history, the finals were abest-of-three format.[51] In addition, the set up was revised such that both cars start the race on asphalt pavement. Previously, one lane wasasphalt and one wasconcrete, putting one lane at a grip disadvantage. Due to an earlier engine failure inJames Hinchcliffe's #5 car, Hinchcliffe droveJay Howard's #77 car for the Pit Stop Challenge.
| First Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| 77 | Schmidt Peterson (James Hinchcliffe) | 12.112 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Team Penske (Hélio Castroneves) | 13.658 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Team Penske (Hélio Castroneves) | 12.211 | |||||||||||||||||
| 24 | Dreyer & Reinbold (Sage Karam) | 14.149 | |||||||||||||||||
| 77 | Schmidt Peterson (James Hinchcliffe) | 12.297 | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Rahal Letterman (Graham Rahal) | 14.378 | |||||||||||||||||
| 20 | Ed Carpenter (Ed Carpenter) | 18.654 (+5) | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Rahal Letterman (Graham Rahal) | 14.635 | |||||||||||||||||
| 77 | Schmidt Peterson (James Hinchcliffe) | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Team Penske (Will Power) | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Team Penske (Will Power) | 12.138 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Schmidt Peterson (Mikhail Aleshin) | 14.108 | |||||||||||||||||
| 83 | Ganassi Racing (Charlie Kimball) | 13.722 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Schmidt Peterson (Mikhail Aleshin) | 13.294 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Team Penske (Will Power) | 11.955 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Ganassi Racing (Scott Dixon) | 12.476 | |||||||||||||||||
| 28 | Andretti Autosport (Ryan Hunter-Reay) | 16.284 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Ganassi Racing (Scott Dixon) | 12.692 | |||||||||||||||||
In the second quarterfinals heat,Ed Carpenter was assessed a 5-second penalty due to an unsecured lug nut on the left-front wheel. In the final round,Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (James Hinchcliffe) facedTeam Penske (Will Power) in a best two-out-of-three matchup. By virtue of the fastest individual time during the semifinals, Power was awarded lane choice for the first finals heats, and selected the left lane. The teams swapped for the second heat. Power had the best time from the first two finals heats, and was awarded lane choice for the third and final heat. He subsequently selected the left lane again. It was Team Penske's record 17th victory in the event.[52]
| Finals | ||||||
| 12 | Team Penske (Will Power) | 11.803 | 12.300 | 11.619 | ||
| 77 | Schmidt Peterson (James Hinchcliffe) | 12.843 | 12.017 | 13.223 | ||
(R) = Indianapolis 500 rookie; (W) = Former Indianapolis 500 winner
| Row | Inside | Middle | Outside | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Scott Dixon(W) | 20 | Ed Carpenter | 98 | Alexander Rossi(W) |
| 2 | 26 | Takuma Sato | 29 | Fernando Alonso(R) | 21 | J. R. Hildebrand |
| 3 | 10 | Tony Kanaan(W) | 27 | Marco Andretti | 12 | Will Power |
| 4 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay(W) | 19 | Ed Jones(R) | 16 | Oriol Servià |
| 5 | 7 |  Mikhail Aleshin | 15 | Graham Rahal | 8 | Max Chilton |
| 6 | 83 | Charlie Kimball | 5 |  James Hinchcliffe | 22 | Juan Pablo Montoya(W) |
| 7 | 3 | Hélio Castroneves(W) | 77 | Jay Howard | 24 | Sage Karam |
| 8 | 2 | Josef Newgarden | 1 | Simon Pagenaud | 14 | Carlos Muñoz |
| 9 | 88 | Gabby Chaves | 4 | Conor Daly | 50 | Jack Harvey(R) |
| 10 | 63 | Pippa Mann | 11 | Spencer Pigot | 44 | Buddy Lazier(W) |
| 11 | 17 | Sebastián Saavedra | 40 | Zach Veach(R) | 18 | James Davison |
Sébastien Bourdais (#18) — injured during a qualifying crash; replaced byJames DavisonRace day saw temperatures in the mid 70 °F (21 °C) range with partly cloudy skies. For the first time since2014, all 33 cars were able to take the green flag to start the race. At the start,Scott Dixon moved into the lead, whileWill Power managed to jump up to second from his ninth place start. However, he soon faded andTony Kanaan moved into second. On lap 6, Kanaan moved past his teammate Dixon for the lead, whileAlexander Rossi held third. Indy 500 rookieFernando Alonso made a slow start, but quickly began moving his way back up to sixth by lap 19. As pit stops neared, Dixon began to slip down the order, losing second to Rossi and third toEd Carpenter. The first round of stops came at lap 29, with Kanaan being the first of the leaders to pit. After the sequence, however, Carpenter had moved into the lead, with Rossi second, Alonso third, Kanaan fourth, andTakuma Sato fifth. During the cycle,Jay Howard ran out of fuel, placing him several laps off the pace.
TheAndretti Autosport teammates Rossi and Alonso soon dispatched Carpenter, and on lap 37 Alonso moved into the lead. The two dueled for the lead, with Rossi taking back the lead on lap 43, before Alonso returned the favor on lap 48.
On the 53rd lap of the race,Jay Howard drifted wide in turn 2 after being passed byRyan Hunter-Reay, sending him into the wall.[53] Howard's car drifted across the track after the impact and straight into the path ofScott Dixon.[54] Dixon's car was launched off the back of Howard's, sending Dixon into an airborne flip, before crashing down into the inside wall and piercing a hole in the catch fencing.[55] The force of the crash ripped nearly the entire rear assembly from Dixon's machine. Miraculously, neither Dixon nor Howard were injured in the incident. However, extensive repairs were needed for the catch fencing, forcing the race to be red flagged.[56] After 18 minutes of red flag time for the repairs, cars were fired back up and the race resumed under caution withFernando Alonso still in the lead after subsequent yellow flag pit stops. During the caution,Hélio Castroneves was forced to make repairs to his car after taking minor damage in his attempt to avoid Dixon's car, forcing him back to 22nd.
When racing finally resumed, Alonso held the lead over his teammates Rossi andTakuma Sato. On lap 61, Rossi returned to the lead, while Sato andRyan Hunter-Reay both moved past Alonso for position. On lap 65, Sato moved into the lead for the first time of the race. Two laps later came the race's second caution period, asConor Daly lost control of his car in turn 3 and crashed into the outside wall while trying to make a pass.[57] In the midst of the wreck,Jack Harvey spun attempting to avoid Daly's debris, sending him into the inside wall in the North "short-chute," taking him out of the race as well. During the caution, Castroneves was assessed a drive-through penalty for jumping the previous restart.
The next restart saw Rossi move back around Sato for the lead, while both Hunter-Reay andTony Kanaan moved around Sato in the following laps to move themselves into second and third respectively. This green flag run was short-lived, though, as caution flew once again on lap 81 as a winglet fromMarco Andretti's car broke off and landed on the course on the front straight. The majority of the field elected to pit during the caution, with Hunter-Reay leading Rossi and Alonso out of the pit lane. However,Will Power,Max Chilton, andHélio Castroneves elected to stay out having made pit stops only six laps earlier during the previous caution, thus placing the trio at the head of the race.
The restart saw Chilton immediately snag the lead away from Power, but by lap 86, those that had pitted during the caution returned to the head of the field. Power began to fall back, while Castroneves and Chilton remained toward the front end of the field. On lap 96, Castroneves moved into the lead of the race after passing Hunter-Reay, while Kanaan moved back into the top five after passing his teammate Chilton.
On lap 104, Castroneves, still off sequence from the previous caution, surrendered the lead to make a pit stop, opening up the cycle of green flag stops while handing the lead back to Hunter-Reay. The majority of the field came in around lap 110, with Hunter-Reay resuming the lead with a margin over three seconds to his teammate Rossi. Alonso, Castroneves, and Power rounded out the top five. The gaps were erased on lap 122, whenBuddy Lazier lost control of his car in turn 2 and hit the wall, bringing an end to the former winner's day. During the ensuing caution,Sage Karam's race came to an end when a dead battery caused him to grind to a halt on course.
Racing resumed on lap 129, with Hunter-Reay ahead of Alonso and Rossi. One lap later, though, Alonso moved back into the lead of the race. No sooner was the pass complete when caution waved again, this time for debris on the front straight. The brief caution ended on lap 135, with Alonso and Hunter-Reay switching the lead back and forth before Alonso won out on lap 136. However, pre-race concerns aboutHonda reliability came to fruition that same lap, as Hunter-Reay's engine suddenly began to smoke on the back straight before slowing and coming to a halt just before the pit entrance.[58] Caution once again waved. Most leaders pitted under this period, Alonso leading the field off pit lane. Rossi, however, suffered major fueling issues, dropping him down outside the top 20. Several drivers elected not to pit during the period, includingMax Chilton,Charlie Kimball,J. R. Hildebrand,James Davison, andEd Jones.
The restart saw Kimball grab the lead from Chilton, but caution waved near immediately, asEd Carpenter did a half spin and punched a hole in the sidepod ofMikhail Aleshin's car, breaking Carpenter's front wing and sending debris across the track in turn 1. Racing resumed on lap 147, with Chilton quickly moving back around Kimball. On lap 149,Graham Rahal's hope of Indy victory was dashed when a deflating tire forced him to pit under green.
With the race drawing to its closing stages,Hélio Castroneves began moving back up the field, and by lap 151 moved into fourth, whileJames Davison moved into second ahead of him. Further back,Takuma Sato began moving back toward the front, moving to eighth by the end of lap 163. On lap 166, Chilton made what would be his final pit stop, movingJames Davison to the lead. Davison, by leading a lap, became the first driver sinceAlex Tagliani in the2016 Indianapolis 500 to lead laps after starting last. Caution flew nearly immediately after this, asCharlie Kimball's engine gave up in similar fashion to Hunter-Reay's.[59] At the same time, rookieZach Veach rolled to a halt on the back straight, his day done as well. Nearly the entire field pitted during the caution, withEd Jones and Castroneves leading the charge off pit lane. However, having just made a green flag stop, Chilton resumed the lead of the race. The running order was now Chilton, Jones, Castroneves, Davison, and Sato.
Racing resumed with Chilton in control, but Castroneves began to duel with Jones for second. Behind them, Sato moved to fourth after passing Davison. Eventually, Sato managed to pass both Castroneves and Jones, allowing him to pursue Chilton ahead. Behind them, other Honda cars began attempting to move forward, but on lap 179,Fernando Alonso (then running 7th) fell out of the race as his engine failed (a recurring problem for Alonso in Formula 1 over the past two-plus seasons) coming down the front straight; the third Honda failure of the race.[60] Caution once again bunched up the field. Alonso's retirement meant that none of the three McLaren cars scheduled to race that weekend finished their respective races (as both Stoffel Vandoorne and Jenson Button, the latter subbing for Alonso, crashed out of the Monaco Grand Prix in separate incidents).
Racing resumed on lap 184, with Castroneves managing to take third away from Jones. Just behind, chaos erupted in the field when Davison andOriol Servià made contact in turn 1 triggering a multi-car pile-up that involved Davison, Servia,Will Power,James Hinchcliffe, andJosef Newgarden.[61] Of the five, only Newgarden was able to resume, but only after losing several laps.
Racing resumed with 11 laps to go with Chilton maintaining his lead over Sato. On lap 192, Castroneves was able to make a pass on Sato for second. One lap later, he managed to move around Chilton, placing the Brazilian in the lead of the race. However, Sato passed Chilton shortly thereafter and, one lap later, moved around Castroneves to take the lead. Castroneves made one last attempt to pass Sato with three laps to go, but was ultimately unable to catch back up to Sato.Takuma Sato took victory by just 0.2011 seconds over Castroneves, while Jones came across the line in third.[62] By taking the win, Sato became both the first driver fromJapan and the first driver fromAsia to take victory in the 500. Sato also became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 and finish on the podium in aUnited States Grand Prix hosted at Indianapolis, having finished third in2004. It also marked the first time since2011 that the winner of the race came from the first three rows. The victory was the third in four years for theAndretti Autosport team.
W Former Indianapolis 500 winner
R Indianapolis 500 Rookie
All entrants utilizedFirestone tires.
1 Points include qualification points fromTime Trials, 1 point for leading a lap, and 2 points for most laps led.
|
|
The race wastelevised live in the United States onABC.Allen Bestwick was the lead play-by-play announcer for the race, joined byScott Goodyear andEddie Cheever.[63] The race took place just after the highly publicized2017 ESPN layoffs, of which both Bestwick and Punch were identified as casualties. Both Bestwick and Punch, and presumably the remainder of the contracted on-air crew, was officially terminated a week later after ABC's coverage of theDetroit Grand Prix. However, on February 7, 2018, ESPN communications director Andy Hall announced that the full IndyCar broadcast team, Bestwick and Punch included, would return for the2018 season.[64]
The broadcast utilized 96 cameras, with 14 cars equipped with three in-car cameras each, and the introduction of Visor Cam, which featured live, first-person camera angles from cameras mounted on the helmets ofGraham Rahal andJosef Newgarden. Live in-car camera feeds were available online viaWatchESPN. ESPN also introduced a new "Race Strategist" feature, which featured predictive analysis based on various factors that could affect the race. As with all other IndyCar Series events,ESPN International produced a world feed broadcast for international markets.[65]
In the United States, the 2017 Indianapolis 500 was the least-watched edition of the race since the inception of live flag-to-flag coverage, with a 3.6 overnightNielsen rating (down from 4.1 in 2016). The tape delayed broadcast in Indianapolis (the live broadcast was, as is customary,blacked out byWRTV) saw a 16% increase in viewership over 2015 (the last time the race was blacked out in Indianapolis, since the 2016 edition had its blackout lifted).[66] By contrast, viewership in Spain was significantly high due to Fernando Alonso's debut, with 443,000 viewers and a 3.6% share, higher than the Formula OneMonaco Grand Prix that occurred earlier in the day.[67][68][69]
Carb Day, the final practice session, along with thePit Stop Challenge andFreedom 100, were carried onNBCSN. The booth announcers for NBCSN were Kevin Lee,Townsend Bell andPaul Tracy. The pit reporters were Marty Snider,Jon Beekhuis, Katie Hargitt, andRobin Miller. Lee was joined in the booth byAnders Krohn andEd Jones the Freedom 100 coverage segment.
| ABCTelevision | |
|---|---|
| Booth Announcers | Pit/garage reporters |
Host:Lindsay Czarniak | |
| Marty Smith (pre-race) | |
The race was carried live by theIMS Radio Network, part of the Advance Auto Parts IndyCar Radio Network. Mark Jaynes served as chief announcer for the second year. The crew for 2017 was largely the same from 2016. Once again, all living former chief announcers took part in the broadcast.Paul Page joined as a guest commentator in the booth, andBob Jenkins appeared during the pre-race in a pre-recorded segment recapping the 25th anniversary of the1992 race. Jenkins then served on the Speedway Public Address system team.Mike King also appeared during the pre-race coverage, narrating a pre-recorded segment recapping theIndyCar Grand Prix, andDave Wilson narrated a tribute toJohn Andretti (a former IMS Radio Network analyst for theBrickyard 400) who was battlingcolon cancer. During the race, Wilson interviewed vice presidentMike Pence, then reported from the track hospital. For the second straight year, Michael Young interviewed the winner in victory lane.
Among the guests in the booth wasGovernorEric Holcomb, Mark Reuss (GM), Matt Davis (Advance Auto Parts/Carquest), and James Verrier (BorgWarner). For the first time, the traditional commercial out-cue was recorded by a voice-over announcer instead of the chief announcer or drivers in the field. This was the final 500 in Turn 1 forJerry Baker as he would depart the crew for and join the public address crew for 2018 when it was decided that Turn 1 would not be used in 2018 but due to a new broadcast booth debuting in 2019 named after Sid Collins, Turn 1's broadcasting location would be reinstated.
According to a study from GfK Custom Research, the broadcast reached 20.5 million listeners, and averaged 8.8 million listeners per quarter hour. It represented a 75% increase in ratings over 2016, and the broadcast was carried on over 350 terrestrial radio affiliates, a 5% increase from 2016.[70]
1070 The Fan broadcast nightly beginning May 8 withTrackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee, followed byDonald Davidson'sThe Talk of Gasoline Alley.
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Booth Announcers | Turn Reporters | Pit/garage reporters | Color |
Chief Announcer: Mark Jaynes | Turn 1:Jerry Baker | Rob Howden (north pits) Dave Furst (north-center pits) Kevin Lee (south-center pits) Michael Young (south pits) | Commentary:Paul Page |
| Dave Wilson (Interviews/Hospital) | |||
| Previous race: 2017 IndyCar Grand Prix | Verizon IndyCar Series 2017 season | Next race: 2017 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 2016 Indianapolis 500 | Indianapolis 500 | Next race: 2018 Indianapolis 500 |
