A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
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| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | IndyCar | ||||
| Season | 2019 IndyCar Season | ||||
| Date | May 26, 2019 | ||||
| Winner |  Simon Pagenaud | ||||
| Winning team | Team Penske | ||||
| Average speed | 175.794 mph (282.913 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | Simon Pagenaud | ||||
| Pole speed | 229.992 mph (370.136 km/h) | ||||
| Fastest qualifier |  Spencer Pigot | ||||
| Rookie of the Year | Santino Ferrucci | ||||
| Most laps led | Simon Pagenaud (116) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Kelly Clarkson | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Cornelison | ||||
| Starting command | Tony George | ||||
| Pace car | Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport | ||||
| Pace car driver | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||||
| Starter | Paul Blevin | ||||
| Honorary starter | Christian Bale & Matt Damon | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | NBC | ||||
| Announcers | Lap-by-lap: Leigh Diffey Driver analyst: Townsend Bell Driver analyst: Paul Tracy | ||||
| Nielsen ratings | 3.4 (5.4 million viewers)[1] | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
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The 2019 Indianapolis 500 (branded as the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge for sponsorship reasons) was an IndyCar Series event held on Sunday, May 26, 2019, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.[2] The premier event of the 2019 IndyCar Series, the event ran 500 miles (200 laps). Simon Pagenaud won the race from the pole position, earning Team Penske's record-extending 18th Indy 500 victory. Pagenaud led 116 laps, taking the lead for the final time with just over one lap to go from 2016 winner Alexander Rossi. He became the first French-born winner since Gaston Chevrolet in 1920, and the first pole-sitter to win the race since 2009.
The month of May activities formally began on May 11 with the IndyCar Grand Prix on the combined road course. Practice for the Indianapolis 500 began on Tuesday, May 14, and time trials were held May 18–19. Carb Day, the traditional final day of practice, as well as the annual Pit Stop Challenge and Indy Lights Freedom 100, were held May 24. Simon Pagenaud became the second driver in a row to sweep both the IndyCar Grand Prix and the Indy 500 in the same year. Pagenaud also won the pole position, the record-extending 18th Indy 500 pole for Team Penske.
Will Power, the winner in 2018, entered the race as the defending champion. During the Last Row Shootout on May 19, former Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso, attempting his second Indy 500, was bumped from the field, and failed to qualify.
This would be the final Indianapolis 500 held under the ownership of the Hulman/George family. On November 3, 2019, it was announced that Penske Entertainment Corp., a subsidiary of the Penske Corporation, owned by Roger Penske, had purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the IndyCar Series, and IMS Productions.[3] The sale was finalized in January 2020.
Race background
Rule changes
- Cars will be permitted one of two optional Gurney flaps atop the rear wing to increase downforce. A 3⁄8 inch tall flap, either 13.2 inches (34 cm) wide or 24.5 inches (62 cm) wide, can be affixed to generate 50-100 pounds of downforce.[4]
- Marathon Petroleum replaces Sunoco as the official fuel provider beginning in 2019, using the Speedway brand.[5]
- All cars will be fitted with the Advanced Frontal Protection (AFP) device for cockpit protection. The AFP is a vertical, titanium device measuring 3 inches (76 mm) by 0.75 inches (19 mm), resembling a fin, mounted to the leading edge of the cockpit.[6]
Track changes
A recycled polyethylene (RPE) binding agent was applied to the oval track surface; six drivers participated in an aero and tire test at the track in October 2018 following the application.[7]
Qualifying changes
A revised qualifying procedure was announced, modifying the Two-day format utilized from 2014 to 2018. Qualifying will continue to be held over two days (Saturday, May 18 & Sunday, May 19), but bumping will be moved back to Sunday. Both the familiar Fast Nine Shootout and a new Last Row Shootout will be held Sunday.[8] Cars will continue to use the traditional four-lap qualifying attempts.
On Saturday, the procedure will be as follows:
- Qualifying will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. All cars entered will be guaranteed at least one attempt. Additional attempts are allowed, time/weather permitting.
- Positions 1–9 will advance to the Fast Nine Shootout.
- Positions 10–30 will be locked-in, and will not re-qualify.
- Positions 31 and lower will be entered into the Last Row Shootout.
On Sunday, time trials will conclude as follows:
- At 12:15 p.m. the Last Row Shootout will be held. Entries that finished 31st and lower on Saturday will have one attempt to qualify. Times from Saturday will be erased. Starting positions 31–33 will be filled. All other cars from 34th and lower will fail to qualify.
- At 1:15 p.m., the Fast Nine Shootout will determine starting positions 1–9, including the pole position. Times from Saturday will be erased, and cars will have one attempt to re-qualify. Championship points (9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1) will be awarded based on the results of the Fast Nine Shootout.
- After qualifying is concluded, a 2-hour, 45-minute practice session will be held. Furthermore, the Monday post-qualifying practice session will be trimmed from 31⁄2 hours down to 2 hours.
2019 IndyCar Series
Five different drivers won the first five races of the 2019 IndyCar Series season. Josef Newgarden won the season-opening race at St. Petersburg. Series rookie Colton Herta won the inaugural race at Circuit of the Americas, in doing so became the youngest driver ever to win an Indy car race. Takuma Sato then won the race at Birmingham, and Alexander Rossi won at Long Beach. The month of May opened with Simon Pagenaud winning the IndyCar Grand Prix, his first win since 2017 and third win in the event. Entering the Indianapolis 500, Josef Newgarden led the championship points standings.
For the first time since 2015, no oval races were held prior to Indianapolis.
Sponsorship
On January 31, 2019, it was announced that the online financial services company Gainbridge would become the new presenting sponsor of the 500 under a four-year deal.[9][2]
Pre-race ceremonies
- Kelly Clarkson performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" for the second year in a row.
- Tony George recites the starting command for the final time before Roger Penske purchases the Speedway from the Hulman-George family in November 2019.
Entry list
The official entry list was released with 36 car/driver combinations. All chassis are Dallara IR12 utilizing the Universal Aero Kit, with Firestone tires.
- On November 10, it was announced that Fernando Alonso would return for his second Indianapolis 500 attempt, driving for McLaren, however he failed to qualify for the race.[10] For 2019, the team utilized Chevrolet Engines.[11] Alonso utilized car #66, the number that was carried by Mark Donohue who won the 1972 race driving a McLaren chassis for Penske Racing.[12] On April 9, Alonso took part in a private test at Texas Motor Speedway, in order to re-acclimate himself to Indy cars, and to adapt to the UAK18 aero kit.[13]
- 2018 Indy 500 and IndyCar Rookie of the Year Robert Wickens suffered a violent crash on August 19, 2018 at the ABC Supply Pocono 500, which would cause him to require extensive rehabilitation to regain use of his legs.[14][15] Schmidt Peterson Motorsports announced that Wickens' IndyCar career is on hiatus until "he wants to and is able to return."[16] For legal purposes regarding INDYCAR's Leader's Circle financial bonus, Marcus Ericsson replaced Wickens in the car, which was renumbered from No. 6 to No. 7.
- Marco Andretti drove a "throwback" paint scheme celebrating the 50th anniversary of Mario Andretti's 1969 victory. The livery was unveiled on NBC's Today.[17]
- Colton Herta was the first driver entered in Indy history to be born in the 2000s.[18][19]
- W Former Indianapolis 500 winner
- R Indianapolis 500 Rookie
Schedule
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An open test on the oval was scheduled for and held April 24, 2019[20] followed by a private manufacturer's test on the combined road course on April 29.[21]