87th Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	Indy Racing League
Season	2003 IndyCar season
Date	May 25, 2003
Winner	Gil de Ferran
Winning team	Penske Racing
Average speed	156.291 mph
Pole position	Hélio Castroneves
Pole speed	231.725 mph
Fastest qualifier	Hélio Castroneves
Rookie of the Year	Tora Takagi
Most laps led	Tomas Scheckter (63)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthem	Daniel Rodriguez
"Back Home Again in Indiana"	Jim Nabors
Starting command	Mari Hulman George
Pace car	Chevrolet SSR
Pace car driver	Herb Fishel
Starter	Bryan Howard
Estimated attendance	300,000 (estimated)
TV in the United States
Network	ABC
Announcers	Paul Page,Scott Goodyear
Nielsen ratings	4.6 / 14
Chronology
Previous Next 2002 2004

The87th Indianapolis 500 was held at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway inSpeedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 25, 2003. Two-time defending championHélio Castroneves won thepole position and was trying to become the first driver in Indy history to winthree in a row. With 31 laps to go, however, Castroneves was passed by hisPenske teammateGil de Ferran, and the duo finished 1st–2nd, with de Ferran winning his first Indy 500. The race was sanctioned by theIndy Racing League and was part of the2003 IndyCar Series season.

For the 2003 season, the series adopted a new chassis package and saw the introduction ofToyota andHonda to the field. It was Honda's third period of involvement at Indy. They partnered with theJudd program in the1987 race, and was an engine provider inCART in 1990s, entering at Indy in 1994–1995. Toyota, previously an engine provider in CART, however, was making their first-ever attempt at Indy.

Due to cost issues, and a shortage of engines and drivers, there was considerable concern going into the month of May that the field might fall short of thetraditional 33 starters.^[1] On the final day of qualifying, the field was filled, avoiding aPR "black eye".^[2][3] No cars were bumped from the field for the first time since1947.

FormerpresidentsGeorge H. W. Bush andBill Clinton were in attendance, the first time in Indy history that two former presidents were at the race.^[4] It was the elder Bush's second visit to the Speedway; he previously presided over the opening ceremonies of the1987 Pan American Games, which was held at the track. RookieA. J. Foyt IV, racing on his 19th birthday, became the youngest driver ever to compete in the race.^[4]

For the first time since the 1970s,^[5] the race was not announced as a sell-out.^[6] Since 1985, the race was usually sold out by July of the previous year.^[5]

As of 2025, the 2003 race was the first and only Indy 500 victory forToyota. It also marked the first Indy 500 win for aJapanese and/or Asian engine manufacturer.

The biggest interest story going into the race was the impending retirement of popular veteranMichael Andretti. Andretti announced that the 2003 Indy 500 would be his final race, and that he would retire from driving immediately after, to focus on team ownership.^[7] (Note thatAndretti came out of retirement and returned to drive at Indy in2006–2007.)

Theopen wheel "Split" continued into what was now its eighth year. However, nearly all of the top teams and drivers fromCART entered at Indy for 2003. It was the fourth consecutive year that CART-based teams entered the Indy 500, and each successive year had seen an increased number of participants "crossing over". The 2003 season was a turning point in the "Split", as several teams, includingPenske,Andretti Green,Ganassi, andRahal pulled out of CART and defected permanently to theIndy Racing League full-time. One of the few holdouts in 2003 wasNewman/Haas Racing.Paul Tracy, a key fixture in the controversial2002 race (who was driving forForsythe), also did not enter.

During the springDario Franchitti ofAndretti Green Racing was injured in amotorcycle accident, which sidelined him for most of the season.^[8][9]Robby Gordon replaced him in the car at Indy, and Gordon planned to attempt the Indy-Charlotte "Double Duty".

After changes in the rules,Greg Ray entered and qualified a car carrying thenumber 13. It was the first time #13 appeared on a car at the Indy 500 sinceGeorge Mason in1914. From 1926 to 2002, usage of #13 was not permitted, and throughout the entire history of the race, was generallyavoided by competitors due tosuperstitions.^[10]

For the first time ever, asupport race was scheduled for the month of May at Indy. TheMenards Infiniti Pro Series arrived at the Speedway for the inauguralFreedom 100. The race was scheduled for the Saturday of Bump Day weekend.

Andretti-Green Racing driver,Tony Kanaan, suffered a radial fracture of his arm on April 15 in a crash atMotegi. On April 23, the1969 Indianapolis 500 winnerMario Andretti took over Kanaan's car for a test session.^[11] Andretti retired in1994, and this was the first time in nine years he had driven a majoropen-wheel car. If Kanaan was not cleared to drive in enough time, tentative plans were being prepared for Andretti to qualify the car for him.^[11] He would then turn the car over to Kanaan on race day. No firm plans had yet been made though for Andretti to actually drive in the race.^[12]

During Andretti's test session, it was noted by many observers that despite his lack of experience in modern Indy cars (which had changed substantially since his retirement in1994) and his advanced age (63), he quickly reached competitive speed. During the morning session, he turned a lap of 212.509 mph,^[11] and looked "as if he had never been away." Later in the day, he upped his speed to over 223 mph.^[11] The success of the test created a stir, and speculation grew during the afternoon that Andretti may even attempt to qualify for the race.

With only two minutes left in the session,Kenny Bräck crashed in turn one, and the yellow light came on. Andretti entered turn one at full speed, and struck debris on the track from Bräck's crash. The object, identified by some as the rear wing, or possibly a piece of foam from the impactedSAFER barrier, pitched the nose of Andretti's car upward, and the car became airborne. The car then went into a rapid double-reverse somersault flip at speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour.^[13] Television footage from theWTHR helicopter-cam showed that the car clipped the top of the debris fence, and was nearly high enough to go over it. The car fell back to the racing surface, slowed by its mid-air tumble, and slid to a stop upright. Andretti walked away from the crash with very minor injuries.^[14]

Andretti initially shrugged off the accident, and still contemplated returning to qualify the car in May. A day later, however, he reconsidered.^[15]

Practice opened on Sunday May 4, with roughly 29 car/driver combinations named to the field. That was short of the traditional 33 starters for the race, and there was ongoing speculation around the garage area on who would potentially fill the four open spots. At the onset, drivers were flirting with the 230 mph barrier.

On Tuesday May 6, rookieDan Wheldon (231.108 mph) became the first driver to break the 230 mph barrier. A day later,Kenny Bräck (231.039 mph) also broke 231 mph. Wheldon set the fastest lap of the month on Thursday May 8 at 232.202 mph, the fastest lap run at the Speedway since1996.

On "Fast Friday" May 9,Arie Luyendyk spun exiting turn one, and hit the outside wall with the back end of the car. The car slid down the track, and hit the outside wall in turn 2 also. Luyendyk suffered a back injury, and soreness in his neck and shoulders. Ultimately, Luyendyk decided to sit out the race, and retired from driving permanently.

Pole qualifying was originally scheduled for Saturday May 10. During the morning practice sessionBilly Boat spun coming out of turn four, and made heavy contact with the safety attenuator at the north end of the pit wall. The car hit with the back end, flew up into the air momentarily, and came to rest against the outside wall on the mainstretch. The energy-absorbing barrier was demolished, but officials stated that the barrier withstood the impact, and worked effectively.^[4] Boat was transferred toMethodist Hospital for observation, but was eventually released and cleared to drive.^[4] Before the track crews could replace the damaged barrier, rain began to fall. A violent thunderstorm swept through the area, and washed out qualifying for the afternoon.^[4]

Pole qualifying was rescheduled for Sunday May 11. The weather was cool and windy.Robbie Buhl was the first car to make an attempt, and he put his car the field with a safe run of 224.369 mph. At 12:30 p.m., rookieScott Dixon (230.099 mph) was the first car over 230 mph. At 12:45 p.m.,Robby Gordon (230.205 mph) took over the provisional pole position.

At 12:55 p.m., rookieA. J. Foyt IV was attempting to become the youngest driver ever to qualify for the Indy 500. On his first lap, he spun exiting turn 2, did not hit the wall, and slid backwards down nearly the entire length of the backstretch. He was uninjured.

The first trip through the qualifying line was completed at about 1:45 p.m. Several drivers had pulled out of line, waiting for better conditions. At 2:41 p.m.,Tony Kanaan took over the top spot with a run of 231.006 mph.

At 4:36 p.m., two-time defending race winnerHélio Castroneves (231.725 mph) secured the pole position. Tony Kanaan was bumped to the middle of the front row, and Robby Gordon held on to the outside of the front row. The day ended with A. J. Foyt IV completing a run, andGil de Ferran, the last car with a realistic shot of the front row, turning in a somewhat-disappointing 228.633 mph, good enough only for 10th starting position.

The track closed for two days and practice resumed on Wednesday May 14. The final day of time trials was scheduled for Sunday May 18.Alex Barron was named to replaceArie Luyendyk atMo Nunn Racing. Only 32 car/driver combinations had materialized, leaving concerns about the prospects of filling the field to thetraditional 33 starters.Airton Daré andVítor Meira were named to rides on Sunday morning, meaning there were now nine cars preparing to qualify. Among the fastest drivers who had yet to qualify wereJimmy Vasser (228.275 mph) and Alex Barron (227.714 mph). Vasser missed the first weekend of time trials due to his participation in theChamp CarGerman 500.

Qualifying opened with nine spots open in the field. Time trials opened at 12:30 p.m., withJimmy Kite the first car out. After two fast laps, however, the car stalled with an electrical problem. In the first half-hour, three cars qualified, led byJimmy Vasser, and the field was up to 27 cars.

Jimmy Kite returned to the track, this time qualifying without incident.Airton Daré stalled several times trying to leave the pits, but after repairs, he qualified to fill the field to 29 cars. Just before 2 p.m.,Alex Barron andRichie Hearn completed runs, and the field was up to 31 cars. Hearn's team acquired a Penske back-up car, and he was safely in the field.

At 3 p.m., there were two spots left in the field. Only two cars remained on the sidelines,Robby McGehee andVítor Meira. No other teams were planning on qualifying, although a rumor circulated around the garage area thatGanassi was considering on wheeling out a backup car forJeff Ward. McGehee (224.493 mph) completed his qualifying attempt at 3:30 p.m., leaving only one spot open in the grid. At 4:05 p.m., Meira (227.158 mph) filled the field to 33 cars. At that point, the track was opened for practice, and the track officially closed at 6 o'clock without any other qualifiers.

The series avoided the embarrassment^{[clarification needed]} of not filling the field to the traditional 33 cars. The race had not failed to do so since1947, when several drivers that were members of ASPAR (the American Society of Professional Auto Racing) threatened to boycott the race over the purse size.^[16] Nonetheless, some members of the media chastised the effort, later nicknaming the afternoon "Fill Day" rather than the traditionalBump Day. During the television coverage,Bob Jenkins andJack Arute passionately defended the event from its detractors.^[17] Despite pointing out the lack of drama on the final day of time trials,Robin Miller was among those who suggested that the 2003 field was the deepest talent-wise since theopen-wheel "split".

The final practice was scheduled for Thursday May 22. A total of 32 of the 33 cars took laps.Robby McGehee did not participate as the crew was working on mechanical problems. The green flag came out at 11 a.m. On his first lap out of the pits,Buddy Rice suffered a brake lock-up, which caused him to spin in turn four. The car was not damaged, and he was able to return to the track about ten minutes later.Shinji Nakano stalled on the track out of fuel, andSam Hornish Jr. suffered a minor engine fire.

Kenny Bräck (228.707 mph) was the fastest of the day.Robby Gordon, who was attemptingDouble Duty, stayed for the first half hour. He turned a lap of 227.850 mph, which proved to be the second fastest of the day. Then at approximately 11:30 a.m., he got out of the car and departed forCharlotte.

The 27th annualCheckers and Rally'sPit Stop Challenge was held Thursday May 22. Twelve teams competed in a single-elimination bracket. Seven participants were named to the event based on their pit stop performance at IRL/IndyCar Series races since the previous year's Indy 500 and three spots were filled by entrant points. The final two berths were up for grabs during a last-chance qualifying session on May 14.Tony Kanaan andMichael Andretti (both ofAndretti Green) along withScott Dixon (Ganassi) got in based on points.Robbie Buhl (Dreyer & Reinbold) andTomas Scheckter (Ganassi) earned the final two spots during the last-chance qualifying session.

The bracket was determined by a blind draw. Four teams received byes for the first round. During the quarterfinal matches,Michael Andretti suffered a throttle problem, and forfeited, allowingBuddy Rice to win the heat without posting a time.Sam Hornish Jr. was penalized 5 seconds for a loose lug nut, butAl Unser Jr. still would have won the heat anyway. The finals pittedPenske (Hélio Castroneves) versusRed Bull Cheever Racing (Buddy Rice). The crew of Rice won, the first victory in the event for Cheever, and first of back-to-back wins individually for Rice.

Row	Inside		Middle		Outside
1	3	Hélio Castroneves(W)	11	Tony Kanaan	27	Robby Gordon
2	9	Scott Dixon(R)	26	Dan Wheldon(R)	15	Kenny Bräck(W)
3	12	Tora Takagi(R)	32	Tony Renna(R)	8	Scott Sharp
4	6	Gil de Ferran	55	Roger Yasukawa(R)	10	Tomas Scheckter
5	7	Michael Andretti	13	Greg Ray	54	Shinji Nakano(R)
6	21	Felipe Giaffone	31	Al Unser Jr.(W)	4	Sam Hornish Jr.
7	52	Buddy Rice(R)	2	Jaques Lazier	91	Buddy Lazier(W)
8	24	Robbie Buhl	14	A. J. Foyt IV(R)	23	Sarah Fisher
9	20	Alex Barron	22	Vítor Meira(R)	19	Jimmy Vasser
10	99	Richie Hearn	98	Billy Boat	5	Shigeaki Hattori
11	44	Robby McGehee	18	Jimmy Kite	41	Airton Daré

• Scott Mayer(R) (#18) – Failed rookie orientation (replaced by Jimmy Kite)
• Arie Luyendyk(W) (#20) – Injured in practice crash (replaced by Alex Barron)

The controversy of filling the field the previous weekend fizzled as race day arrived.Mari Hulman George gave the command to start engines at 10:47 a.m. EST, and all 33 cars pulled away from the starting grid. It would be the final time that the race would begin at the traditional 11 a.m. EST start time.

PolesitterHélio Castroneves took the lead at the start, and led for the first 16 laps. The first yellow came out on lap 9 whenBilly Boat stalled in turn two. After the restart on lap 15,Sarah Fisher spun in turn three, hitting the outside wall. After pit stops,Scott Dixon took the lead on lap 17.

Michael Andretti led 28 laps in the first half, but during a pit stop on lap 98, the car quit with the broken throttle linkage.

On lap 61,Richie Hearn got up in the "marbles" in turn two, hitting the outside wall.Jaques Lazier spun to avoid the crash and came to rest on the inside of the track. Both drivers were uninjured.

The lead changed several times in the first half, withTomas Scheckter,Tony Kanaan, andJimmy Vasser each taking turns in the lead.Hélio Castroneves andGil de Ferran were running in the top 5 most of the way.

Tomas Scheckter led from laps 101–128, withHélio Castroneves close behind in second. On lap 127,Airton Dare crashed in turn 2, bringing out the caution, and the leaders all made pit stops. Castroneves beat Scheckter out of the pits and took the lead.Gil de Ferran was in third. On lap 135 restart, de Ferran passed Scheckter for second place.

At lap 150, Penske teammates Castroneves and de Ferran were still running 1st–2nd. Castroneves was looking to put himself in position to win his third "500" in a row. The leaders made their final pit stops on laps 165–168. After the sequence of green flag stops, Castroneves and de Ferran were again running 1st–2nd.

On lap 169, leader Castroneves was hung up behind the lapped car ofA. J. Foyt IV down the backstretch. While it was not captured by TV cameras, earlier in the race Foyt had come down and made contact with Castroneves while being lapped in turn 2. This perhaps led to Castroneves following Foyt through the 2nd turn allowing de Ferran to make the pass for the lead going into turn 3.

On lap 172,Robby Gordon stopped on the track with a broken gearbox. The yellow came out, but none of the leaders pitted. Gordon immediately departed the grounds, and flew to Charlotte for theCoca-Cola 600.

With 25 laps to go, the green came back out with de Ferran leading, and Castroneves in second.

On lap 182,Scott Sharp brushed the wall in turn 4, then crashed in turn 1. After the cleanup, the green came back out on lap 186. One lap later, however,Dan Wheldon spun in turn three, hit the outside wall, then the car flipped over and landed upside-down. Wheldon was not injured.

During the caution for the Wheldon crash,Scott Dixon, who was running in the top ten, was weaving back and forth on the mainstretch to warm up his tires. He began to do it too vigorously, and brushed the inside wall. The car was too damaged to continue.

The green came out with six laps to go.Gil de Ferran held offHélio Castroneves by 0.2290 seconds to win his first Indianapolis 500. After the race, Castroneves coaxed de Ferran to climb the catch fence on the mainstretch, mimicking his own traditional post-race victory celebration. de Ferran ended up retiring at season's end, becoming the fourth Indy 500 winner to retire as a reigning "500" champion.

The "curse of the Indy three-peat" prevailed again as Castroneves failed to achieve victory. His three-race career record of 1st–1st–2nd, however, established an Indy record for a driver's first three starts. Castroneves' second place tiedAl Unser's 1970–1971–1972 effort of 1st–1st–2nd.

Finish	Start	No	Name	Qual	Chassis	Engine	Laps	Status	Entrant
1	10	6	Gil de Ferran	228.633	Panoz G-Force	Toyota	200	156.291 mph	Team Penske
2	1	3	Hélio Castroneves W	231.725	DallaraIR-03	Toyota	200	+0.2990	Team Penske
3	2	11	Tony Kanaan	231.006	DallaraIR-03	Honda	200	+1.2475	Andretti Green Racing
4	12	10	Tomas Scheckter	227.768	Panoz G-Force	Toyota	200	+1.6845	Chip Ganassi Racing
5	7	12	Tora Takagi R	229.358	Panoz G-Force	Toyota	200	+1.9606	Mo Nunn Racing
6	25	20	Alex Barron	227.274	Panoz G-Force	Toyota	200	+6.0037	Mo Nunn Racing
7	8	32	Tony Renna R	228.765	DallaraIR-03	Toyota	200	+7.4882	Kelley Racing
8	14	13	Greg Ray	227.288	Panoz G-Force	Honda	200	+11.5666	Access Motorsports
9	17	31	Al Unser Jr. W	226.285	DallaraIR-03	Toyota	200	+17.4161	Kelley Racing
10	11	55	Roger Yasukawa R	228.577	DallaraIR-03	Honda	199	-1 Lap	Super Aguri Fernandez Racing
11	19	52	Buddy Rice R	226.213	DallaraIR-03	Chevrolet	199	-1 Lap	Team Cheever
12	26	22	Vítor Meira R	227.158	DallaraIR-03	Chevrolet	199	-1 Lap	Team Menard
13	32	18	Jimmy Kite	224.195	DallaraIR-03	Chevrolet	197	-3 Laps	PDM Racing
14	15	54	Shinji Nakano R	227.222	DallaraIR-03	Honda	196	-4 Laps	Beck Motorsports
15	18	4	Sam Hornish Jr.	226.225	DallaraIR-03	Chevrolet	195	Engine	Panther Racing
16	6	15	Kenny Bräck W	229.509	DallaraIR-03	Honda	195	-5 Laps	Team Rahal
17	4	9	Scott Dixon R	230.099	Panoz G-Force	Toyota	191	Accident	Chip Ganassi Racing
18	23	14	A. J. Foyt IV R	224.177	DallaraIR-03	Toyota	189	Running	A. J. Foyt Enterprises
19	5	26	Dan Wheldon R	229.958	DallaraIR-03	Honda	186	Accident	Andretti Green Racing
20	9	8	Scott Sharp	228.756	DallaraIR-03	Toyota	181	Accident	Kelley Racing
21	21	91	Buddy Lazier W	224.910	DallaraIR-03	Chevrolet	171	Engine	Hemelgarn Racing
22	3	27	Robby Gordon	230.205	DallaraIR-03	Honda	169	Gearbox	Andretti Green Racing
23	22	24	Robbie Buhl	224.369	DallaraIR-03	Chevrolet	147	Engine	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
24	33	41	Airton Daré	223.609	Panoz G-Force	Toyota	125	Accident	A. J. Foyt Enterprises
25	31	44	Robby McGehee	224.493	DallaraIR-03	Chevrolet	125	Steering	Panther Racing
26	27	19	Jimmy Vasser	226.872	DallaraIR-03	Honda	102	Gearbox	Team Rahal
27	13	7	Michael Andretti	227.739	DallaraIR-03	Honda	94	Throttle Linkage	Andretti Green Racing
28	28	99	Richie Hearn	225.864	Panoz G-Force	Toyota	61	Accident	Sam Schmidt Motorsports
29	20	2	Jaques Lazier	225.975	DallaraIR-03	Chevrolet	61	Accident	Team Menard
30	30	5	Shigeaki Hattori	224.589	DallaraIR-03	Toyota	19	Fuel System	A. J. Foyt Enterprises
31	24	23	Sarah Fisher	224.170	DallaraIR-03	Chevrolet	14	Engine	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
32	29	98	Billy Boat	225.598	DallaraIR-03	Chevrolet	7	Engine	Panther Racing
33	16	21	Felipe Giaffone	227.210	Panoz G-Force	Toyota	6	Electrical	Mo Nunn Racing

 W  Former Indianapolis 500 winner

 R  Indianapolis 500 Rookie

All entrants utilizedFirestone tires.

The race was carried live on theIndy Racing Radio Network.Mike King served as chief announcer. The booth crew had a new look for 2003. Longtime driver expertJohnny Rutherford left the crew to take over the position of pace car driver during caution periods. Joining King in the booth were two newcomers,Dave Wilson who served as color commentator, and new "driver expert"Davey Hamilton. Hamilton was on a hiatus from driving after his serious crash at Texas in 2001. The broadcast was heard on 555 affiliates.

The 2003 race saw all four turn reporters return to their assigned posts from the previous year. The three pit reporters remained the same, although they swapped their locations along pit road. The 2003 race would be the final 500 on the radio for longtime members Howdy Bell and Chuck Marlowe. Bell once again had the limited role of reporting from the track hospital, while Marlowe covered the garage area as he had since 1989.

Sponsor guests interviewed in the booth included Tim Manganello (BorgWarner), Keith Sirios (Checkers and Rally's), and Chevrolet pace car driver Herb Fishel. Other guests interviewed in the pits included Jim Campbell (Chevrolet) andWynonna Judd.

The race was carried live flag-to-flag coverage in the United States onABC Sports. The on-air crew remained the same from the previous year, withBob Jenkins returning as host, andPaul Page handling the play-by-play duties. It would ultimately be the final 500 on television forBob Jenkins.

For the first time, the race broadcast featured a presenting sponsor. The race was billed as the "Indianapolis 500 Presented by 7-Eleven". The crew called the race for the final time from the booth on top of the Paddock grandstand, for starting in 2004, they would move to the newer television studio inside the Pagoda.

On Sunday May 18, the final day of time trials, when there was some question of whether the field would be filled to the traditional 33 cars, television reportersBob Jenkins andJack Arute passionately defended the event from its detractors on air.^[17] Afterwards, Jenkins received criticism, mostly for a lack ofjournalistic professionalism andobjectivity. His statements were considered biased in favor of theIRL/IMS, and that he allowed his personal opinions enter his reporting.

DuringABC coverage of time trials,Vítor Meira filled the field to 33 cars. Arute opened his interview with Meira at 5:17 p.m. EDT by stating:^[18]

And to all the naysayers who predicted that there wouldNOT be 33 cars in the field of this year's Indy 500, allow me to introduce you toVítor Meira.

A minute later, Jenkins replied with:^[18]

The naysayers have been proven wrong, there is a 33-car field set for the 500.

As the day was coming to a close, the television coverage switched toESPN for the final hour. Jenkins closed the broadcast with the following commentary at 6:56 p.m. EDT:^[19]

I want to again say how disappointed I am in some of the journalists inthis city and in other cities who have questioned the 33-car starting lineup this year. I think they forgot one thing. And this is really what they've been trying to put down all this time. Thisis the Indianapolis 500. It was 50 years ago, it is today, and it will be next year and in years to come.

A minute later, Arute followed:^[19]

I want to echo what Bob Jenkins said. From the beginning of the month of May here at Indianapolis, misguided people have said that this race wasn't going to have a field of 33.Hello! Not only are the field of 33 full but it's also going to be the most competitive Indy 500 in most recent memory. I want to go back to the thoughts of oneJim Mora (localNFL coach) who once said to misguided media,ya think ya know, but ya just don't know.

Jenkins was released from ABC/ESPN at the end of the 2003 season. After a very brief stint coveringCART onSpike TV in 2004, and after a single race at ESPN in 2008, he joined Versus (now known as theNBC Sports Network) in 2009. It was never announced if the on-air comments were a factor in his release, and Jenkins contends he was never informed if that was the case. Following the 2012 season, Jenkins reduced his schedule to a reserve role that includes Carb Day coverage.

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• 2003 Indianapolis 500 Daily Trackside Report for the Media
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