The 2018 Indianapolis 500 (branded as the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil for sponsorship reasons) was a

Verizon IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices o ...

held on Sunday, May 27, 2018, at the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United Sta ...

Speedway, Indiana Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 11,812 at the 2010 U.S. Census. Speedway, which is an enclave of Indianapolis, is the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. History Speedway was ...

. It was the premier event of the 2018 IndyCar Series. The race was won by Australian

Will Power William "Will" Steven Power (born 1 March 1981) is an Australian motorsports driver who currently competes in the IndyCar Series, driving for Team Penske. He is the 2014 and 2022 IndyCar Series champion and the 2018 Indianapolis 500 champion. ...

Team Penske Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the IndyCar Series, NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona ...

. Car owner

Roger Penske Roger Searle Penske (born February 20, 1937) is an American businessman and entrepreneur involved in professional auto racing and a retired professional auto racing driver. He is most famous for his ownership of Team Penske, DJR Team Penske, t ...

collected his record extending 17th

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

victory.

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

swept nine of the top eleven spots during qualifying, and finished 1st-2nd, Chevy's first Indy victory since

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, and tenth overall. However, despite entering the month as prohibitive favorites to dominate the race, Chevy managed to place only two other cars in the top ten. Much of the race was led by

and Ed Carpenter, a race that was considered generally less-competitive that the previous few years, attributed largely to a newly-introduced aero kit package. Late in the race, pit strategy and a timely caution flag factored in. On a restart on lap 194,

Oriol Servià Oriol Servià i Imbers (born 13 July 1974) is a Spanish racing driver who competes part-time in the IndyCar Series. He raced for Dragon Racing in the 2014–15 Formula E season, and left the series prior to the 2015 Miami ePrix to become man ...

, Stefan Wilson, and Jack Harvey were all attempting to stretch their fuel to the finish, gambling on a late caution, and a possible surprise victory. However, with four laps to go, both Wilson and Harvey were forced to pit for fuel, as was Servià a lap later.

took the lead and cruised to victory, having led 59 laps. Polesitter Ed Carpenter led 65 laps and finished second, his best-career Indy finish. 2016 winner

Alexander Rossi Alexander Michael Rossi (born September 25, 1991) is an American professional racing driver and podcast host. He currently competes full-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren SP. Rossi is best known for winning ...

had an outstanding charge from 32nd to 4th, leading one lap during the race. Power became the first driver to win both the

IndyCar Grand Prix The IndyCar Series hosts two races a year on the combined road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The first, the GMR Grand Prix is held in early May with an inaugural running in 2014. The second race, the Gallagher G ...

and the

, as well as the first driver to sweep both races in the same year. Later in the year,

also won the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

Brickyard 400 The Brickyard 400 was an annual NASCAR Cup Series points race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The inaugural race was held in 1994 and was the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 to be held at the Indianapolis Moto ...

, becoming the second team in history to sweep both the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year. The month of May activities formally began on May 12 with the fifth running of the

on the combined road course. Practice for the Indianapolis 500 began on Tuesday May 15, and time trials was held May 19–20. Ed Carpenter won the pole position, his third career Indy pole. Carb Day—the traditional final day of practice, as well as the annual

Pit Stop Challenge The Pit Stop Challenge is a single elimination, pit stop competition that has been held on the Carb Day of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1977. Pit crews face each other head-to-head in single round eliminations fo ...

and

Indy Lights Indy NXT, previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as Firestone Indy NXT Series for sponsorship reasons. Indy Lights is the highest step on the Road to Indy, a program ...

Freedom 100 The Freedom 100 was an automobile race held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, as part of the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires. The event was a support race for the IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500, and since 2 ...

, were held Friday May 25.

Race background

IR18 car

The 2017 race was the third and final year contested with the

and

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

aero kits outfitted to the

Dallara DW12 The Dallara DW12 (formally named the Dallara IR-12) is an open-wheel formula racing car developed and produced by Italian manufacturer Dallara for use in the IndyCar Series. It was developed for use in the 2012 IndyCar Series season, replacing t ...

chassis. Beginning in 2018, all DW12 Safety Cell chassis were fitted with a universal bodywork kit. Digital renderings for the common bodywork kit, referred to as the 'IR18' car, were released in early May 2017. The car was officially unveiled in late July, and the universal aero kit became known as the UAK18 bodywork. The bodywork is inspired by

CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people. It is different from the flatbed tr ...

's 1990s and 2000s livery. For the first time since

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

, the cars in the Indy 500 had a roll hoop without an airbox.

Rule changes

*The practice session on the Monday after the IndyCar Grand Prix was eliminated. The track and garage area were both closed on Sunday May 13 in honor of

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the ...

. The teams used Monday May 14 to convert the cars from road course to oval configuration. The first day of on-track practice for the Indy 500 was scheduled for Tuesday May 15. In order to make up for some of the lost practice time, the start time for practice days was moved up to 11:00. Previously, practice opened daily at 12 noon. The track still closes at 18:00 daily. *The minimum car weight was increased by – to for superspeedways due to safety features added with the new universal aero kits. *Championship points earned during Indy 500 qualifying were revamped. The top nine qualifiers received points. The pole position winner received 9 points, down to 1 point for the ninth qualifier (9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1). Previously, all 33 starters had received points on a higher scale. The points earned for the race finishing positions were unchanged.

Track improvements

*The pit boxes were resurfaced with new concrete. The previous pit boxes had been used since the 1994 reconstruction of pit lane for NASCAR, INDYCAR, SVRA, and SCCA events in both directions.

2018 IndyCar Series

The 102nd Indianapolis 500 was the sixth race of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season, and 23rd sanctioned as part of the Indy Racing League/IndyCar Series. There were four different winners in the first five races of the season. For the second year in a row,

Sébastien Bourdais Sébastien Olivier Bourdais (born 28 February 1979) is a French professional racing driver. He is one of the most successful drivers in the history of American open-wheel car racing, having won 37 races. He won four successive championships ...

won the season opener at

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. Once again, Bourdais won in surprising fashion, taking the lead after the leaders collided on a late-race restart. It was also Bourdais' first victory since suffering injuries in a crash during qualifying for the 2017 Indy 500.

Josef Newgarden Josef Nicolai Newgarden (born December 22, 1990) is an American race car driver who competes in the IndyCar Series full-time for Team Penske. He is the 2017 and 2019 IndyCar Series Champion and 2011 Indy Lights champion. Career Karting Newga ...

won at

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

won at

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, and Newgarden won again at

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. To begin the month of May,

won the

, his third win in the event. Offseason changes included

Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing, LLC (CGR), also sometimes branded as Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, is an American auto racing organization with teams competing in the IndyCar Series, NTT IndyCar Series, International Motor Sports Association, IMSA WeatherTech ...

, which dropped down to two cars only (

Scott Dixon Scott Ronald Dixon (born 22 July 1980) is a professional racing driver from New Zealand, who competes in the NTT IndyCar Series for Chip Ganassi Racing. Dixon has won the IndyCar championship six times: in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 202 ...

and Ed Jones).

also dropped down from four full-time cars to three.

Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He has won the Indianapolis 500 a record-equalling four times: in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021. He won the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona with Wa ...

switched to the

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMS ...

, and raced at Indianapolis only. Two-time Indy 500 winner

Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán (; born September 20, 1975) is a Colombian racing driver. He won the International F3000 championship in 1998, the CART FedEx Championship Series in 1999 in his debut year in the series, and the IMSA WeatherTech S ...

, however, was left out of a ride for the 2018 race.

Entry list

:''See 2018 IndyCar Series § Teams and drivers for further information.'' *The entry list was released on May 1 with 35 cars entered. *Defending Indianapolis 500 winner

Takuma Sato , nicknamed "Taku", is a Japanese professional racing driver. Sato is a two time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the event in 2017 and 2020. He was the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500, and the twentieth driver to win th ...

switched from

Andretti Autosport Andretti Autosport is an auto racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series, Indy Lights, Indy Pro 2000, and Formula E. The team also has a 37.5% ownership stake in the Australian Supercars Championship touring car team, Walkinshaw Andretti ...

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is an auto racing team that has participated in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IndyCar Series. Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana and Hilliard, Ohio, it is co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 win ...

. Sato previously drove for Rahal in 2012. *Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner

would switch to the

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMS ...

for 2018 onward, but would race for Penske at the

and Indianapolis 500. * Stefan Wilson would join

for the Indy 500. * Danica Patrick would compete in her first Indianapolis 500 since

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

and her final professional race as a full-time competitor, driving a

GoDaddy GoDaddy Inc. is an American publicly traded Internet domain registrar and web hosting company headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, and incorporated in Delaware. , GoDaddy has more than 21 million customers and over 6,600 employees worldwide. The co ...

-sponsored entry for Ed Carpenter Racing. Patrick drove at the

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

in February, her final start in NASCAR. *A rumored 36th entry for

winner

Buddy Lazier Robert Buddy Lazier (born October 31, 1967) is an American auto racing driver, best known for winning the 1996 Indianapolis 500 and the 2000 Indy Racing League season championship. Lazier began his career in the 1980s by competing in such s ...

(

Lazier Partners Racing Lazier Partners Racing was an American racing team in the IndyCar Series. The team is owned by former driver Bob Lazier, father of Buddy Lazier and Jaques Lazier, along with Corbet Krause, Chris Nielsen, Jason Peters, and others. History Initial ...

) did not materialize. *

Pietro Fittipaldi Pietro Fittipaldi da Cruz (born 25 June 1996) is a Brazilian-American racing driver, the grandson of two-time Formula One world champion Emerson Fittipaldi and brother of racing driver Enzo Fittipaldi. Fittipaldi is racing in European Le Mans S ...

was initially assigned to the #19

Dale Coyne Racing Dale Coyne Racing (DCR) is an American professional open-wheel racing team that currently competes in the IndyCar Series. The team was founded in 1984 and is owned by former driver Dale Coyne. From 1995 to 2000, the team was known as Payton-Coyn ...

entry. However, on May 4 he crashed during a qualifying session at the WEC 6 Hours of Spa, and fractured both legs. Fittipaldi was withdrawn from the entry, and replaced by

Zachary Claman DeMelo Zachary Claman DeMelo (born April 20, 1998) is a Canadian professional race car driver from Montreal, Quebec. He has competed in Formula Renault 2.0, the IndyCar Series and other open-wheel series, most recently competing for Belardi Auto Racing ...

. * Former Indianapolis 500 winner * Indianapolis 500 Rookie

Schedule

Four days of testing were scheduled at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway prior to the official opening of the track. On March 23, manufacturer testing was conducted on the road course for

. Testing on the oval was scheduled for March 27–29, but was postponed due to inclement weather in the forecast. A full-field, league-sponsored open test was held on the oval April 30, followed by the Rookie Orientation Program and Refresher tests on May 1. On May 2, track activity continued with a private manufacturers test involving both Honda and Chevrolet. *''Sources:'
2018 Indianapolis 500 Event Schedule
/small>

Testing and rookie orientation

Testing — July 2017

On July 25, 2017 the first official test for the universal bodywork kit was conducted at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. Two teams, one each representing

and

, attended.

with driver

tested for Chevy, and

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports The IndyCar Series operation of McLaren Racing competes under the banner of Arrow McLaren SP. This entry is based in Indianapolis and was founded by former driver Sam Schmidt as Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Fellow ex-driver Davey Hamilton joined a ...

with driver

tested for Honda. The tests were considered successful, and no incidents were reported.

Testing — October 2017

Following the conclusion of the 2017 IndyCar Series season, each manufacturer was allocated five days of aero kit testing through December 17. The league stipulated one test for each manufacturer, leaving four dates to the manufacturer's discretion.

elected to use one of their four dates at Indianapolis on October 26.

James Hinchcliffe James Douglas Meredith Hinchcliffe (born December 5, 1986) is a Canadian race car driver and commentator best known for competing in the IndyCar Series. Hinchcliffe won six races for Andretti Autosport and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. In 2015, ...

( Schmidt Peterson) and

( Ganassi) each completed more than 130 laps without incident. Cool temperatures delayed the start of the test until the afternoon, and testing concluded at 6 p.m. Speeds were not reported.

Open test — Monday April 30

*Weather: , sunny and clear *Summary: An open test was scheduled for Monday April 30, 2018. The test was open to full-time IndyCar teams and drivers, and 21 drivers participated. Rookie drivers and drivers requiring refresher tests were not permitted to participate on Monday. Sunny blue skies greeted the teams at the test, which had been originally scheduled for March, but was postponed due to bad weather.

Tony Kanaan Antoine Rizkallah "Tony" Kanaan Filho (born 31 December 1974), nicknamed TK, is a Brazilian racing driver. He currently competes full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, driving the No. 6 Toyota Corolla E210 for Full Time Bassani a ...

(226.181 mph) set the fastest lap of the day, as well as the fastest no-tow lap at 223.240 mph. The test was split into two session, with

Marco Andretti Marco Michael Andretti (born March 13, 1987) is an American auto racing driver who drives the No. 98 car for Bryan Herta Autosport, Andretti Herta Autosport part-time in the IndyCar Series. He is the third generation of the famous Andretti racin ...

(223.997 mph) leading the morning session, and Kanaan leading the afternoon session. The 21 drivers completed 1,820 laps without incident. Late in the day,

conducted an evaluation test with a windscreen, the first such test on a superspeedway. Since the test took place one day prior to May 1 and the traditional month of May, it was affectionately referred to as "May 0".

Rookie Orientation Program / Refresher tests — Tuesday May 1

*Weather: , Sunny and clear *Summary: The Rookie Orientation Program and veteran Refresher tests are scheduled for Tuesday May 1, 2018. Four drivers were scheduled to participate in rookie orientation:

( Coyne),

Kyle Kaiser Kyle Kaiser (born March 5, 1996) is an American racing driver from Santa Clara, California, and won the 2017 Indy Lights Championship with Juncos Racing. He is also currently enrolled in classes part-time at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, ...

( Juncos),

Matheus Leist Matheus Tobias Leist (born September 8, 1998) is a Brazilian racing driver for JDC-Miller MotorSports in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Career Karting Leist began karting in 2009 at the age of eleven. In 2013, he finished as runner-u ...

( Foyt), and

Robert Wickens Robert Tyler Wickens (born March 13, 1989) is a Canadian racing driver from Guelph, Ontario, driving in the Michelin Pilot Challenge for Bryan Herta Autosport. In 2009 he finished in second place in the FIA Formula Two Championship, and in 2010 ...

( SPM). Three drivers were schedule to take refresher tests:

Jay Howard Jay Howard (born 16 February 1981) is a British professional race car driver who competes in the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 and resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. Howard was the 2005 US Formula Ford Zetec champion (now known as the Coop ...

( SPM),

Sage Karam Sage Rennie Karam (born March 5, 1995) is an American professional racing driver who competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the Nos. 43 and 45 Chevrolet Camaros for Alpha Prime Racing and part-time in the IndyCar Series, drivi ...

( D&R), and Danica Patrick (

Carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...

). The rookie test consisted of three phases. Phase 1 was ten laps at 205 mph, Phase 2 was ten laps at 210 mph, and Phase 3 was ten laps at 215 mph. During the three-hour morning session (10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.), Kaiser, Leist, and Wickens passed all three phases of the rookie test.

, however, did not participate due to commitments at the 6 Hours of Spa, opting instead to partake in rookie orientation later in the month. Three days later, however, Fittipaldi withdrew after suffering injuries in a crash at Spa. The afternoon session, lasting from 2:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m., saw the three participants in the refresher program take to the track. The refresher test consisted of two phases, equivalent to phases 2 and 3 of the rookie test. Howard, Patrick, and Karam all passed their program before the session concluded.

was fastest of the six drivers of the day, setting a speed of 220.111 mph while piloting his teammate

's car following gearbox issues with his own. Danica Patrick took to the track for an installation lap right at 2:00 p.m., but had to return to the garage area due to minor overheating issues. About an hour later, the team returned, and Patrick was able to complete her refresher test. It was Patrick's first laps at Indianapolis in an Indy car since

. The six drivers completed 355 laps without any incidents, although

nearly tagged the wall at the exit of turn two during a practice run. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" , - , + Top Practice Speeds , - ! !! !! Driver !! Team !! Engine !! , - ! 1 , style="text-align:center;" , 5 , {align="left",

, 220.111 , - ! 2 , style="text-align:center;" , 4 , align="left",

A. J. Foyt Enterprises A. J. Foyt Racing, officially and historically known as A. J. Foyt Enterprises, is an American racing team in the IndyCar Series and formerly NASCAR. It is owned by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, 1972 Daytona 500 winner, 1967 24 Hours of Le ...

, 220.073 , - ! 3 , style="text-align:center;" , 5 , align="left",

, 219.684 , - !colspan=6
OFFICIAL REPORT

Testing — Wednesday May 2

*Weather: , Sunny and windy *Practice summary: A private manufacturers test for

and

was scheduled for Wednesday May 2, 2018. Windy conditions hampered running during the day, but teams were able to do some running early on.

led the time charts, setting a speed of 226.680 mph, ahead of Ed Carpenter and

Gabby Chaves Gabriel "Gabby" Chaves (born 7 July 1993) is a Colombian-American racing driver, currently competing in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the Michelin Pilot Challenge. He raced in the IndyCar Series and is the 2014 Indy Lights Champion. ...

(223.7 mph) was the fastest

entry. The other participants included

Charlie Kimball Charles Newton Kimball (born February 20, 1985) is an American race car driver currently competing in the IndyCar Series with A. J. Foyt Enterprises He has scored a win, six podiums, and 13 top 5s. His best season result was ninth in 2013 and 201 ...

, Danica Patrick,

, Ed Jones,

, and

Max Chilton Maximilian Alexander Chilton (born 21 April 1991) is a British racing driver who last competed for Carlin Motorsport in the IndyCar Series, before announcing his retirement from IndyCar in February 2022. Prior to IndyCar, he competed in Formula ...

. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" , - , + Top Practice Speeds , - ! !! !! Driver !! Team !! Engine !! , - ! 1 , style="text-align:center;" , 14 , align="left",

, 226.680 , - ! 2 , style="text-align:center;" , 20 , align="left", Ed Carpenter , Ed Carpenter Racing ,

, 224.466 , - ! 3 , style="text-align:center;" , 88 , align="left",

Harding Racing Harding Racing logo prior to partnership Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport was an auto racing team that competed in the IndyCar Series. Founded as Harding Racing in 2017 by businessman Mike Harding, the team would form partnerships in 2019 ...

, 223.658 , - !colspan=6, OFFICIAL REPORT

Practice

Tuesday May 15

Simon Pagenaud Le Mans drivers parade 2011 crop

*Weather: , Scattered showers, thunderstorms late *Practice summary: The opening day of practice consisted of three sessions: The first from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. reserved for veteran drivers, the second from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. serving as the rookie and refresher period for those unable to partake in the May 1 session, and the final session from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. open to all cars. During the rookie/refresher period,

(replacing Fittipaldi) completed his rookie orientation testing, while

James Davison James D. Davison (born 28 August 1986) is an Australian professional racing driver who drives an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the Blancpain GT World Challenge America. He has also competed in the NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, and NASCA ...

successfully completed his refresher test.

and Stefan Wilson began their refresher tests during the period, but completed them during the open session later in the day. The third session of the day was interrupted by a passing thunderstorm just before 4:00 p.m., but the session was resumed after roughly an hour's wait. The fastest time of the day was set by

Simon Pagenaud Simon Pagenaud (born 18 May 1984) is a French professional racing driver. He is contracted to drive the No. 60 Honda for Meyer Shank Racing in the IndyCar Series. After a successful career in sports car racing that saw him taking the top class ...

with a speed of 225.787 mph set in the first session. The fastest "no-tow" speed of the day went to Ed Carpenter, turning a lap at 221.512 mph without the aid of drafting. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" , - , + Top Practice Speeds , - ! !! !! Driver !! Team !! Engine !! , - ! 1 , style="text-align:center;" , 22 , align="left",

, 225.787 , - ! 2 , style="text-align:center;" , 3 , align="left",

, 224.665 , - ! 3 , style="text-align:center;" , 20 , align="left", Ed Carpenter , Ed Carpenter Racing ,

, 224.523 , - !colspan=6
OFFICIAL REPORT

Wednesday May 16

*Weather: , Mostly overcast, sunny late *Practice summary: The second day of practice ran smoothly and without interruption from rain. Only one minor incident occurred during the session when

came to a halt on the backstretch at 4:02 p.m. with a failed throttle sensor.

driver

set the fastest time of the day, being the first driver to eclipse 227 mph with his speed of 227.053 mph. Despite the issues with his car, Tony Kanaan set the fastest "no-tow" speed of the day with a lap at 223.048 mph. All 35 cars entered took laps during the day, completing 3,349 laps, the busiest single practice day in over a decade. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" , - , + Top Practice Speeds , - ! !! !! Driver !! Team !! Engine !! , - ! 1 , style="text-align:center;" , 98 , align="left",

, Andretti Herta Autosport ,

, 227.053 , - ! 2 , style="text-align:center;" , 9 , align="left",

, 226.329 , - ! 3 , style="text-align:center;" , 30 , align="left",

, 226.108 , - !colspan=6
OFFICIAL REPORT

Thursday May 17

*Weather: , Sunny *Practice summary: Sunny skies greeted teams and drivers for the Thursday session of practice. The first incident of the month occurred with roughly 20 minutes left in the session, when J. R. Hildebrand drifted wide coming out of turn 3 and hit the wall, then slid against it through turn four before finally coming to a halt just before pit entry.

Graham Rahal Graham Robert Rahal (born January 4, 1989) is an American race car driver and small business owner. He currently participates in the IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team partially owned by his father Bobby Rahal, the winner ...

set the fastest speed of the day, turning a lap at 226.047 mph.

ran the fastest "no-tow" lap at 223.971 mph. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" , - , + Top Practice Speeds , - ! !! !! Driver !! Team !! Engine !! , - ! 1 , style="text-align:center;" , 15 , align="left",

, 226.047 , - ! 2 , style="text-align:center;" , 14 , align="left",

, 225.896 , - ! 3 , style="text-align:center;" , 98 , align="left",

, Andretti Herta Autosport ,

, 225.584 , - !colspan=6
OFFICIAL REPORT

Fast Friday — Friday May 18

*Weather: , Scattered showers. *Practice summary: The threat of rain loomed for the entirety of "Fast Friday," but only brought about a brief stoppage to the session in the afternoon. Increased boost levels in preparation for qualifying saw speeds greatly increase, with

setting the fastest speed of the month with a time at 231.802 mph.

set the fastest "no-tow" lap of the day at 229.780 mph. One major incident occurred during the day when

lost control of his car in turn 2, spun around and impacted the outside wall. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" , - , + Top Practice Speeds , - ! !! !! Driver !! Team !! Engine !! , - ! 1 , style="text-align:center;" , 98 , align="left",

, Andretti Herta Autosport ,

, 231.802 , - ! 2 , style="text-align:center;" , 6 , align="left",

, 231.732 , - ! 3 , style="text-align:center;" , 20 , align="left", Ed Carpenter , Ed Carpenter Racing ,

, 231.066 , - !colspan=6
OFFICIAL REPORT

Time trials

Bump Day — Saturday, May 19

*Weather: , Scattered showers. Bump Day was held on May 19. The 33 cars that would comprise the starting lineup would be determined, as well as the nine cars eligible for the "Fast 9" shoot-out to be held on Sunday to determine pole position. Two periods of rain caused delays during the course of the day, but all 35 entries were able to make attempts.

set the fastest speed of the day with a four-lap average of 228.919 mph, besting Ed Carpenter and

. Completing the Fast Nine were

Spencer Pigot Spencer James Pigot (born September 29, 1993) is an American racing driver who currently drives in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. Personal life Pigot was born in Los Angeles and raised Pasadena, California, and Orlando where he graduated from ...

, and Danica Patrick. At the opposite end of the field, several entries struggled to find the speed necessary to make the starting lineup. The three cars of

(

, and

in particular) all had difficulties, but all three held on to make the field. Servià made three attempts, and finally made the field safely with about 35 minutes left in the day. Other drivers facing difficulty included

Conor Daly Conor J. Daly (born December 15, 1991) is an American professional racing driver who competes in the NTT IndyCar Series, driving the No. 20 Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing, and part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 50 Chevrolet Ca ...

and

Pippa Mann Pippa Mann (born 11 August 1983) is a British racing car driver, who competes in the IndyCar Series. She was born in London, United Kingdom. Career Formula Renault Mann began her career in 2003, after signing a three-race contract with Ma ...

. Daly would make the field, but despite being the last qualifier of the day, Mann failed to qualify. The most shocking story of day, however, was

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

pole sitter, and three-time front row starter,

, who was bumped from the field. Hinchcliffe's first qualifying attempt came after the first rain delay, with less than ideal chassis setups. Hinchcliffe steadily slipped down the standings, and was bumped from the field in the final half hour. The team quickly got the car into the qualifying line, and Hinchcliffe pulled away for his second attempt with less than fifteen minutes left in the day. On his warm-up lap, he detected a bad vibration, and had to abort the run and return to the pits. A tire pressure sensor inside one of the wheels had come loose, and was ricocheting inside the tire. The crew desperately scrambled to diagnose the problem, change tires, and get back into the qualifying line. However, the gun went off at 5:50 p.m. to close qualifying, with Hinchcliffe still waiting in line. After his crash during practice on Friday, and after his crew worked late into the night to make repairs,

ended the day on the bubble. Davison posted the 33rd-fastest speed Saturday, and held on to make the field. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" , - ! !! !! Driver !! Team !! Engine !! , - ! scope="row" colspan=6 , Fast Nine Qualifiers , - ! scope="row" , 1 , style="text-align:center;" , 3 , align="left",

, 228.919 , - ! scope="row", 2 , style="text-align:center;" , 20 , align="left", Ed Carpenter , Ed Carpenter Racing ,

, 228.692 , - ! scope="row", 3 , style="text-align:center;" , 22 , align="left",

, 228.304 , - ! scope="row", 4 , style="text-align:center;" , 12 , align="left",

, 228.194 , - ! scope="row", 5 , style="text-align:center;" , 18 , align="left",

, Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan ,

, 228.090 , - ! scope="row", 6 , style="text-align:center;" , 21 , align="left",

, Ed Carpenter Racing ,

, 228.052 , - ! scope="row", 7 , style="text-align:center;" , 1 , align="left",

, 228.049 , - ! scope="row", 8 , style="text-align:center;" , 9 , align="left",

, 227.782 , - ! scope="row", 9 , style="text-align:center;" , 13 , align="left", Danica Patrick , Ed Carpenter Racing ,

, 227.610 , - ! scope="row" colspan=6 , Positions 10–33 , - ! scope="row", 10 , style="text-align:center;" , 27 , align="left",

, 227.561 , - ! scope="row", 11 , style="text-align:center;" , 14 , align="left",

, 227.508 , - ! scope="row", 12 , style="text-align:center;" , 4 , align="left",

, 227.441 , - ! scope="row", 13 , style="text-align:center;" , 10 , align="left", Ed Jones ,

, 226.995 , - ! scope="row", 14 , style="text-align:center;" , 28 , align="left",

Ryan Hunter-Reay Ryan Christopher Hunter-Reay (born December 17, 1980) is a professional American racing driver best known as a winner of both the Indianapolis 500 (2014) and the IndyCar Series championship in 2012. In each accomplishment, Hunter-Reay became th ...

, 226.952 , - ! scope="row", 15 , style="text-align:center;" , 29 , align="left", Carlos Muñoz ,

, 226.600 , - ! scope="row", 16 , style="text-align:center;" , 66 , align="left", J. R. Hildebrand ,

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is an automotive racing organization that competes in the IndyCar Series and Nitro Rallycross. The team is owned by Indianapolis BMW, Infiniti, Volkswagen, Mini, and Subaru dealer Dennis Reinbold. Off the track, Dreyer ...

, 226.499 , - ! scope="row", 17 , style="text-align:center;" , 98 , align="left",

, Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian ,

, 226.154 , -4 ! scope="row", 18 , style="text-align:center;" , 7 , align="left",

, SPM /

AFS Racing AFS Racing is a professional racing team participating in the IndyCar Series and previously the Firestone Indy Lights series. It is owned by Gary Peterson, the founder of Automatic Fire Sprinklers for which it is named, and is based in Huntington ...

, 226.098 , - ! scope="row", 19 , style="text-align:center;" , 24 , align="left",

, 226.065 , - ! scope="row", 20 , style="text-align:center;" , 6 , align="left",

, 225.955 , - ! scope="row", 21 , style="text-align:center;" , 32 , align="left",

Juncos Racing Juncos Hollinger Racing, formerly Juncos Racing, is an Argentine-American racing team competing in the NTT IndyCar Series, Indy Lights and Indy Pro 2000 Championship series in the Road to Indy ladder for IndyCar. Owned by Ricardo Juncos, who form ...

, 225.934 , - ! scope="row", 22 , style="text-align:center;" , 25 , align="left", Stefan Wilson ,

, 225.909 , - ! scope="row", 23 , style="text-align:center;" , 88 , align="left",

, 225.808 , - ! scope="row", 24 , style="text-align:center;" , 26 , align="left",

Zach Veach Zachary E. Veach (born December 9, 1994) is an American auto racing driver who competes full time in the IMSA SportsCar Championship GT3 class for Vasser Sullivan. Veach was named to CNN's list of "Intriguing People" in May 2010, is the national ...

, 225.805 , - ! scope="row", 25 , style="text-align:center;" , 23 , align="left",

, Carlin ,

, 225.752 , - ! scope="row", 26 , style="text-align:center;" , 19 , align="left",

, 225.722 , - ! scope="row", 27 , style="text-align:center;" , 60 , align="left", Jack Harvey , Meyer Shank Racing with Schmidt Peterson ,

, 225.720 , - ! scope="row", 28 , style="text-align:center;" , 59 , align="left",

, Carlin ,

, 225.666 , - ! scope="row", 29 , style="text-align:center;" , 30 , align="left",

, 225.513 , - ! scope="row", 30 , style="text-align:center;" , 15 , align="left",

, 225.407 , - ! scope="row", 31 , style="text-align:center;" , 64 , align="left",

, Scuderia Corsa with RLL ,

, 225.007 , - ! scope="row", 32 , style="text-align:center;" , 17 , align="left",

dba Thom Burns Racing ,

, 224.874 , - ! scope="row", 33 , style="text-align:center;" , 33 , align="left",

, Foyt with

Byrd Byrd commonly refers to: * William Byrd (c. 1540 – 1623), an English composer of the Renaissance * Richard E. Byrd (1888–1957), an American naval officer and explorer Byrd or Byrds may also refer to: Other people * Byrd (surname), includin ...

/ Hollinger / Belardi ,

, 224.798 , - ! scope="row" colspan=6 , Failed To Qualify , - ! scope="row", 34 , style="text-align:center;" , 63 , align="left",

, 223.343 , - ! scope="row", 35 , style="text-align:center;" , 5 , align="left",

, ''Time Withdrawn'' , - ! scope="row" colspan=6
OFFICIAL REPORT
, -

Pole Day — Sunday, May 20

*Weather: , Showers early, mostly sunny in the afternoon.

Positions 10-33

Sunny skies meant no interruptions to qualifying during Sunday qualifications. The opening session determined positions 10-33 on the starting grid, with drivers taking to the track in reverse order of their ranking from their Bump Day runs.

went fastest in the group, besting his teammate

, who ended the day as the fastest rookie qualifier. Several favorites struggled to find speed during the day, including 2016 winner

, who slipped to 32nd after fighting an ill-handling car during his run. Big gainers for the day included

, who improved from 33rd on Saturday to 19th on Sunday. Defending race winner

also went from 29th on Saturday to 16th on Sunday. Sato's teammate

, however, ended the day in the same position as the day before (30th). {, class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" , - ! !! !! Driver !! Team !! Engine !! , - ! scope="row" colspan=6 , Positions 10-33 , - ! scope="row" , 10 , style="text-align:center;" , 14 , align="left",

, 227.664 , - ! scope="row", 11 , style="text-align:center;" , 4 , align="left",

, 227.571 , - ! scope="row", 12 , style="text-align:center;" , 98 , align="left",

, Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian ,

, 227.288 , - ! scope="row", 13 , style="text-align:center;" , 19 , align="left",

, 226.999 , - ! scope="row", 14 , style="text-align:center;" , 28 , align="left",

, 226.788 , - ! scope="row", 15 , style="text-align:center;" , 23 , align="left",

, Carlin ,

, 226.657 , - ! scope="row", 16 , style="text-align:center;" , 30 , align="left",

, 226.557 , - ! scope="row", 17 , style="text-align:center;" , 32 , align="left",

, 226.398 , - ! scope="row", 18 , style="text-align:center;" , 6 , align="left",

, 226.296 , - ! scope="row", 19 , style="text-align:center;" , 33 , align="left",

, Foyt with

/ Hollinger / Belardi ,

, 226.255 , - ! scope="row", 20 , style="text-align:center;" , 59 , align="left",

, Carlin ,

, 226.212 , - ! scope="row", 21 , style="text-align:center;" , 29 , align="left", Carlos Muñoz ,

, 226.048 , - ! scope="row", 22 , style="text-align:center;" , 88 , align="left",

, 226.007 , - ! scope="row", 23 , style="text-align:center;" , 25 , align="left", Stefan Wilson ,

, 225.863 , - ! scope="row", 24 , style="text-align:center;" , 24 , align="left",

, 225.823 , - ! scope="row", 25 , style="text-align:center;" , 26 , align="left",

, 225.748 , - ! scope="row", 26 , style="text-align:center;" , 64 , align="left",

, Scuderia Corsa with RLL ,

, 225.699 , - ! scope="row", 27 , style="text-align:center;" , 66 , align="left", J. R. Hildebrand ,

, 225.418 , - ! scope="row", 28 , style="text-align:center;" , 7 , align="left",

, SPM /

, 225.388 , - ! scope="row", 29 , style="text-align:center;" , 10 , align="left", Ed Jones ,

, 225.362 , - ! scope="row", 30 , style="text-align:center;" , 15 , align="left",

, 225.327 , - ! scope="row", 31 , style="text-align:center;" , 60 , align="left", Jack Harvey ,

Meyer Shank Racing Meyer Shank Racing (formerly Michael Shank Racing) is an American auto racing organization that competes in the IndyCar Series and IMSA SportsCar Championship. History Atlantic Championship Michael Shank as an owner of Michael Shank Racing, he ...

with Schmidt Peterson ,

, 225.254 , - ! scope="row", 32 , style="text-align:center;" , 27 , align="left",

, 224.935 , - ! scope="row", 33 , style="text-align:center;" , 17 , align="left",

dba Thom Burns Racing ,

, 224.429 , - ! colspan="6"
OFFICIAL REPORT
, -

Firestone Fast Nine

"Fast Nine" qualifications began at 5:00 p.m., with drivers who qualified in the top nine the previous day taking to the track in reverse order in their bid to win pole position. For the third time in his career, Ed Carpenter secured pole position for the race, posting a four-lap average at 229.618 mph.

teammates

and

completed the front row. Danica Patrick placed 7th in her return qualification at the course. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" , - ! !! !! Driver !! Team !! Engine !! , - ! scope="row" colspan=6 , Firestone Fast Nine Shootout , - ! scope="row" , 1 , style="text-align:center;" , 20 , align="left", Ed Carpenter , Ed Carpenter Racing ,

, 229.618 , - ! scope="row", 2 , style="text-align:center;" , 22 , align="left",

, 228.761 , - ! scope="row", 3 , style="text-align:center;" , 12 , align="left",

, 228.607 , - ! scope="row", 4 , style="text-align:center;" , 1 , align="left",

, 228.405 , - ! scope="row", 5 , style="text-align:center;" , 18 , align="left",

, Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan ,

, 228.142 , - ! scope="row", 6 , style="text-align:center;" , 21 , align="left",

, Ed Carpenter Racing ,

, 228.107 , - ! scope="row", 7 , style="text-align:center;" , 13 , align="left", Danica Patrick , Ed Carpenter Racing ,

, 228.090 , - ! scope="row", 8 , style="text-align:center;" , 3 , align="left",

, 227.859 , - ! scope="row", 9 , style="text-align:center;" , 9 , align="left",

, 227.262 , -

Post-qualifying practice

Post-qualifying practice — Monday May 21

*Weather: , Showers early, mostly sunny in afternoon *Practice summary: Post-qualifying practice ran from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the session ending earlier than previous day to allow testing for

later in the day. Practice was briefly delayed by a passing shower, but was not a factor for the rest of the day. The session saw one major incident when rookie

drifted wide and brushed the outside wall in turn 2. The brush bent the right side suspension of Wickens' car, causing it to veer sharply to the right halfway down the backstretch and hit the outside wall, causing significant damage to the No. 6 car. Wickens emerged uninjured.

set the fastest speed of the day at 226.461 mph, besting

and

. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" , - , + Top Practice Speeds , - ! !! !! Driver !! Team !! Engine !! , - ! 1 , style="text-align:center;" , 24 , align="left",

, 226.461 , - ! 2 , style="text-align:center;" , 14 , align="left",

, 225.123 , - ! 3 , style="text-align:center;" , 28 , align="left",

, 224.820 , - !colspan=6
OFFICIAL REPORT

Carb Day — Friday May 25

*Weather: , Mostly sunny *Practice summary: The final, hour-long practice session before the race saw no major incidents as drivers attempted to make any necessary last minute adjustments to their cars. The session also saw the hottest weather of all practice sessions.

led the speed charts in the session, posting a lap at 227.791 mph. Danica Patrick's car suffered electrical issues, and had to be wheeled back to the garage for repairs. However, the team hustled to get the car back out on the track, and she completed 15 laps, posting the 8th-best speed of the day. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" , - , + Top Practice Speeds , - ! !! !! Driver !! Team !! Engine !! , - ! 1 , style="text-align:center;" , 14 , align="left",

, 227.791 , - ! 2 , style="text-align:center;" , 9 , align="left",

, 225.684 , - ! 3 , style="text-align:center;" , 98 , align="left",

, Andretti Herta Autosport ,

, 225.220 , - !colspan=6
OFFICIAL REPORT

Pit Stop Challenge

The

was held on Friday May 25. Because of rules that qualification included pit stop performance during the season,

was part of the event although he did not qualify for the race. Schmidt Peterson Motorsports had three entries for the Indianapolis 500, with two full-time teams (No. 5 and No. 6) and a third team for the Indianapolis 500 only, the No. 7 team. After the No. 5 failed to qualify, the team subsequently assigned the No. 5 pit crew to pit the No. 7 driven by

for the race, and advanced all the way to the finals. Hinchcliffe battled

in a best-of-three finals, with Dixon's team taking the victory. ''NOTE: Since the No. 5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports car failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 race, the pit crew was assigned to the No. 7 car for the race. The crew was registered by the Speedway as the No. 7 crew as it would be that team during the race, even though it used its regular driver during the competition.''

Starting grid

= Indianapolis 500 rookie; = Former Indianapolis 500 winner {, class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" !Row !colspan=2 width="195", Inside !colspan=2 width="195", Middle !colspan=2 width="195", Outside , - ! 1 , align="center" width="20", 20 , Ed Carpenter , align="center" width="20", 22 ,

, align="center" width="20", 12 ,

, - ! 2 , align="center" width="20", 1 ,

, align="center" width="20", 18 ,

, align="center" width="20", 21 ,

, - ! 3 , align="center" width="20", 13 , Danica Patrick , align="center" width="20", 3 ,

(W) , align="center" width="20", 9 ,

(W) , - ! 4 , align="center" width="20", 14 ,

(W) , align="center" width="20", 4 ,

(R) , align="center" width="20", 98 ,

, - ! 5 , align="center" width="20", 19 ,

(R) , align="center" width="20", 28 ,

(W) , align="center" width="20", 23 ,

, - ! 6 , align="center" width="20", 30 ,

(W) , align="center" width="20", 32 ,

(R) , align="center" width="20", 6 ,

(R) , - ! 7 , align="center" width="20", 33 ,

, align="center" width="20", 59 ,

, align="center" width="20", 29 , Carlos Muñoz , - ! 8 , align="center" width="20", 88 ,

, align="center" width="20", 25 , Stefan Wilson , align="center" width="20", 24 ,

, - ! 9 , align="center" width="20", 26 ,

, align="center" width="20", 64 ,

, align="center" width="20", 66 , J. R. Hildebrand , - ! 10 , align="center" width="20", 7 ,

, align="center" width="20", 10 , Ed Jones , align="center" width="20", 15 ,

, - ! 11 , align="center" width="20", 60 , Jack Harvey , align="center" width="20", 27 ,

(W) , align="center" width="20", 17 ,

, - Failed to qualify {, class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" , - !width="20", !!Driver!!Team!!Reason , - , style="text-align:center", 5 ,

, Withdrew first attempt. Second qualification attempt aborted due to left rear wheel vibration. , - , style="text-align:center", 63 ,

, Bumped from field. Too slow on third attempt.

Race

First half

With temperatures flirting with the race day record of , drivers and teams were forced to figure out how the new aero kits would react to extreme heat. The race began with Ed Carpenter pulling ahead of the field, with

jumping up into second place ahead of

. Further back,

managed an excellent start, jumping up to sixth position from his tenth place starting spot. One lap later, Pagenaud moved back into second place. From there, the field began to spread out; the new aero kit and high heat removed much of the slingshot drafting that defined the last several 500s, thus allowing Carpenter to pull out a roughly two second advantage by the time the first pit stops came. The opening round of stops came around lap 30, with Carpenter maintaining his lead, but Kanaan and

jumped up to second and third respectively after slightly earlier stops gave the duo an advantage of fresher tires for a few laps. Pagenaud,

, and Power rounded up the top six after the first stops were done. The first caution period of the race came at lap 47 when

came up on backmarker

. Davison, who had been running significantly slower than the rest of the field for several laps, tried to remain high through turn 3 to keep out of the way, but with such speed differential, Sato was unable to avoid Davison's car and collided with Davison's left-rear wheel. Davison's car spun around and continued sliding until it impacted the turn 4 wall, while Sato was able to guide his car to rest in the grass on the inside of turn 4. During the caution, most of the field pitted with Carpenter, Kanaan, and Power emerging first from pit lane. The lead moved to

, who elected not to pit during the caution. Racing resumed at lap 56, with Carpenter and Kanaan passing DeMelo almost as soon as the green flag waved. The green flag period was short lived, though, as, on lap 58, Ed Jones lost control of his car in turn 2, spun around, and impacted the outside wall. Jones emerged from the car under his own power, but was later transported to hospital after complaining of head and neck pain. As the caution flew again, the running order was Carpenter, Kanaan, Newgarden, Pagenaud, DeMelo, Power. Racing once again resumed at lap 64, with Kanaan getting the jump on Carpenter and taking the lead into turn 1. The next lap, the lead switched back, as Carpenter made his way back around Kanaan into turn one to resume first place. Once again, the green flag stint proved to be short; on lap 68, Danica Patrick lost control of her car in turn 2 in similar fashion to Jones, spinning around and impacting the outside wall before sliding back across the track and impacting the inside wall. Patrick's final 500 resulted in a lowly 30th-place finish. Few drivers elected to pit during the caution, with Newgarden, DeMelo, and

the only major takers. The next restart came on lap 73, with Kanaan once again passing Carpenter for the lead heading into turn 1, while Power moved into third place after passing Pagenaud. This running order remained unchanged until pit stops came again around lap 90. During the sequence, Power jumped both Kanaan and Carpenter and moved into the lead when cars running out-of-sequence on pit strategy all pitted by lap 106. On lap 99, Kanaan's chances of picking up a second Indy victory were dashed when he picked up a puncture, forcing him back to the pit lane and placing him one lap down.

Second half

Shortly after halfway, rookie

dropped out of the race with mechanical issues, the only rookie to retire from the race. Up front, Power held a commanding 4.7 second lead of Carpenter, but the gap would close back down to just over a second when Stefan Wilson managed to un-lap himself on lap 121. By lap 127, pit stops once again came, with Power maintaining his place ahead of Carpenter. On lap 138, the fourth caution period of the day came, when

lost control of his car coming off of turn 3 while running close behind

. Bourdais attempted to save his car in the north short-chute, but spun around completely and impacted the turn 4 wall. With the field bunched back up again and drivers off-sequence pitting during the yellow, the running order ran Power, Carpenter, Pagenaud,

, and Castroneves. The restart came at lap 145, with Power quickly pulling away. Green flag conditions lasted for less than a lap, as coming off of turn 4, Castroneves spun, slid across the track and impacted the inside wall before sliding to a halt on the pit lane. The caution simplified pit stop strategy for most, as it ensured that only one more stop would be necessary during the race. Racing once again resumed on lap 154 with Power once again opening up his lead. Further back, Rossi, who had started the race from the back row, made his way into the lead group with a daring outside pass through turn 1 and 2 to move him into third ahead of Pagenaud and Hunter-Reay. Caution flew just as quickly as the previous run, though, this time for

losing control of his car at the exit of turn 4 and making contact with the outside wall, which ripped the right-rear tire off of Karam's car. During the caution, the front-runners stayed out, while a few drivers, including

, Stefan Wilson, Jack Harvey, and

pitted, hoping to get more caution in the remaining laps to move their way to the top of the field. Racing resumed again at lap 162, with Power once again opening his lead over Carpenter. The running order for front runners remained largely the same until pit stops between lap 170 and 175. Power retained his advantage over Carpenter, but now six off-sequence cars were ahead of him, with Servià leading the way over Wilson, Harvey and Dixon. By lap 185, Power had managed to move back up into fourth, but on lap 188, the caution that the off-sequence drivers needed finally appeared when

lost control of his car coming off of turn 2 and impacted the outside wall.

Finish

The track went green on lap 194. Race leader Servià was immediately being passed by both Wilson and Harvey; both drivers were critical on fuel, and were gambling on a late caution to conserve enough fuel for victory. Power moved into third on the next lap and began setting his sights on the other two ahead. Power was suddenly promoted to first with only four laps left when both Wilson and Harvey dived into pit lane for fuel. The next lap, Servià pitted from second, leaving Power with an over 2 second advantage over Carpenter. With a large lead, Power was able to cruise to victory, securing his first victory at the race and becoming the first Australian to take victory in the 500. It was also

's 17th Indy 500 victory as a car owner. For his victory, Power took away $2.52 million. Rookie of the year honors went to

, who led two laps en route to a ninth-place finish.

Box score

{, class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" ! ! ! Driver ! Team ! Engine ! Laps ! Time/Retired ! Pit Stops ! Grid ! Laps Led ! , - ! 1 , align=center, 12 ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, 2:59:42.6365 , align=center, 5 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 59 , align=center, 108 , - ! 2 , align=center, 20 , Ed Carpenter , Ed Carpenter Racing ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +3.1589 , align=center, 5 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 65 , align=center, 92 , - ! 3 , align=center, 9 ,

(W) ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +4.5928 , align=center, 5 , align=center, 9 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 71 , - ! 4 , align=center, 27 ,

(W) ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +5.2237 , align=center, 5 , align=center, 32 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 65 , - ! 5 , align=center, 28 ,

(W) ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +6.7187 , align=center, 5 , align=center, 14 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 61 , - ! 6 , align=center, 22 ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +7.2357 , align=center, 5 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 65 , - ! 7 , align=center, 29 , Carlos Muñoz ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +7.8377 , align=center, 6 , align=center, 21 , align=center, 4 , align=center, 53 , - ! 8 , align=center, 1 ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +8.6917 , align=center, 6 , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 55 , - ! 9 , align=center, 6 ,

(R) ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +9.3112 , align=center, 7 , align=center, 18 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 45 , - ! 10 , align=center, 15 ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +11.3368 , align=center, 6 , align=center, 30 , align=center, 12 , align=center, 41 , - ! 11 , align=center, 66 , J. R. Hildebrand ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +12.7354 , align=center, 6 , align=center, 27 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 38 , - ! 12 , align=center, 98 ,

, Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +14.0745 , align=center, 5 , align=center, 12 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 36 , - ! 13 , align=center, 4 ,

(R) ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +14.7798 , align=center, 5 , align=center, 11 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 34 , - ! 14 , align=center, 88 ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +15.1173 , align=center, 8 , align=center, 22 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 32 , - ! 15 , align=center, 25 , Stefan Wilson ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +33.6747 , align=center, 7 , align=center, 23 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 31 , - ! 16 , align=center, 60 , Jack Harvey ,

with Schmidt Peterson ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +34.7970 , align=center, 6 , align=center, 31 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 28 , - ! 17 , align=center, 64 ,

, Scuderia Corsa with RLL ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +38.2325 , align=center, 6 , align=center, 26 , align=center, 16 , align=center, 27 , - ! 18 , align=center, 23 ,

, Carlin ,

, align=center, 200 , align=center, +41.5146 , align=center, 8 , align=center, 15 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 24 , - ! 19 , align=center, 19 ,

(R) ,

, align=center, 199 , align=center, +1 Lap , align=center, 6 , align=center, 13 , align=center, 7 , align=center, 23 , - ! 20 , align=center, 21 ,

, Ed Carpenter Racing ,

, align=center, 199 , align=center, +1 Lap , align=center, 8 , align=center, 6 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 25 , - ! 21 , align=center, 17 ,

dba Thom Burns Racing ,

, align=center, 199 , align=center, +1 Lap , align=center, 9 , align=center, 33 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 18 , - ! 22 , align=center, 59 ,

, Carlin ,

, align=center, 198 , align=center, +2 Laps , align=center, 10 , align=center, 20 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 16 , - ! 23 , align=center, 26 ,

, align=center, 198 , align=center, +2 Laps , align=center, 10 , align=center, 25 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 14 , - ! 24 , align=center, 7 ,

, align=center, 193 , align=center, +7 Laps , align=center, 10 , align=center, 28 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 12 , - ! 25 , align=center, 14 ,

(W) ,

, align=center, 187 , align=center, Crash , align=center, 7 , align=center, 10 , align=center, 19 , align=center, 11 , - ! 26 , align=center, 24 ,

, align=center, 154 , align=center, Crash , align=center, 4 , align=center, 24 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 10 , - ! 27 , align=center, 3 ,

(W) ,

, align=center, 145 , align=center, Crash , align=center, 4 , align=center, 8 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 12 , - ! 28 , align=center, 18 ,

with Vasser-Sullivan ,

, align=center, 137 , align=center, Crash , align=center, 4 , align=center, 5 , align=center, 4 , align=center, 16 , - ! 29 , align=center, 32 ,

(R) ,

, align=center, 110 , align=center, Mechanical , align=center, 6 , align=center, 17 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 10 , - ! 30 , align=center, 13 , Danica Patrick , Ed Carpenter Racing ,

, align=center, 67 , align=center, Crash , align=center, 2 , align=center, 7 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 13 , - ! 31 , align=center, 10 , Ed Jones ,

, align=center, 57 , align=center, Crash , align=center, 2 , align=center, 29 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 10 , - ! 32 , align=center, 30 ,

(W) ,

, align=center, 46 , align=center, Contact , align=center, 1 , align=center, 16 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 10 , - ! 33 , align=center, 33 ,

with

/Hollinger/ Belardi ,

, align=center, 45 , align=center, Contact , align=center, 1 , align=center, 19 , align=center, 0 , align=center, 10 , - ! colspan=1
OFFICIAL BOX SCORE
;Notes: Points include qualification points from

Time Trials In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

, 1 point for leading a lap, and 2 points for most laps led.

Championship standings after the race

;Drivers' Championship standings {, class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" , - ! ! Pos ! Driver ! Points , - , align="left", 1uparrow green

6 , 1 ,

, align="right", 243 , - , align="left", 1rightarrow_blue

, 2 ,

, align="right", 241 , - , align="left", 1downarrow red

2 , 3 ,

, align="right", 233 , - , align="left", 1rightarrow_blue

, 4 ,

, align="right", 218 , - , align="left", 1uparrow green

4 , 5 ,

, align="right", 186 ;Manufacturer standings {, class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" , - ! ! Pos ! Manufacturer ! Points , - , align="left", 1rightarrow_blue

, 1 ,

, align="right", 481 , - , align="left", 1rightarrow_blue

, 2 ,

, align="right", 448 * Note: Only the top five positions are included.

Broadcasting

Television

For the 54th and last straight year, the race was

televised Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

in the United States by

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its d ...

announced in March 2018 that it had acquired the broadcast television rights to the IndyCar Series beginning in 2019 under a three-year deal (complementing the current cable rightsholder

NBCSN NBCSN was an American sports television television channel, channel owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It originally launched on July 1, 1995, as the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), which was dedicated t ...

), with a package of races on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

(including the 500) replacing the existing package of races on ABC. It ended a relationship between the race and ABC dating back to

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

. In the United States, the 2018 Indianapolis 500 was the least-watched edition of the race since the inception of live flag-to-flag coverage, with a 3.4 overnight rating (in comparison to the 3.6 rating it received in 2017). Carb Day, the final practice session, along with the

and

, were carried on

. The booth announcers for NBCSN were Kevin Lee,

Townsend Bell Townsend Bell (born April 19, 1975) is an American professional motor racing driver competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and also as a motorsports commentator for NBC Sports’ IndyCar Series coverage. Early career He spent ...

and

Paul Tracy Paul Anthony Tracy (born December 17, 1968) is a Canadian-American former professional auto racing driver who competed in CART, the Champ Car World Series and the IndyCar Series. He is known by the nicknames "PT" and "the Thrill from West Hill" ...

. The pit reporters were Marty Snider,

Jon Beekhuis Jon Beekhuis (; born March 31, 1960) is an American former race car driver. Beekhuis was born in Zurich, Switzerland while his American father was studying at ETH Zurich, and grew up in California. The 1988 ARS (Indy Lights) champion, Beekhuis d ...

, Katie Hargitt, and Robin Miller. Lee was joined in the booth by

Anders Krohn Anders Krohn (born 15 November 1987) is a Norwegian racing driver from Stavanger. Racing career After a youth in karting, Krohn moved to cars in the Swedish Junior Touring Car Championship in 2006. In 2007 he primarily raced in Benelux Formula ...

and

for the Freedom 100 coverage. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" , - !colspan=2,

Television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

, - !Booth Announcers!! Pit/garage reporters , - , valign="top" rowspan=2, Host:

Nicole Briscoe Nicole Briscoe ( Manske; born July 2, 1980) is an American sportscaster who is employed by ESPN. Originally focused on covering auto racing for the network, which included stints as the host of ''NASCAR Countdown'' and ''NASCAR Now'', Briscoe beca ...

Announcer An announcer is a voice artist who relays information to the audience of a broadcast media programme or live event. Television and other media Some announcers work in television production, radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, ...

Allen Bestwick Allen Bestwick (born September 24, 1961) is an American sportscaster. He is the lead play-by-play voice for University of Connecticut women’s basketball telecasts for SNY, the lead track announcer at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the l ...

Color Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...

Scott Goodyear Scott Goodyear (born December 20, 1959) is a Canadian former race car driver. He ran the Indy Racing League and Champ Car series during his career from 1987, winning the Michigan 500 in 1992 and 1994. Goodyear qualified for eleven runnings of th ...

Eddie Cheever Edward McKay "Eddie" Cheever Jr. (born January 10, 1958) is an American former racing driver who raced for almost 30 years in Formula One, sports cars, CART, and the Indy Racing League. Cheever participated in 143 Formula One World Championshi ...

, align="center" valign="top",

Jerry Punch Gerald Punch (born August 20, 1953) is an American auto racing and college football commentator working for ESPN, as well as a physician. Punch also does local radio spots in Knoxville. Punch is currently a Principal Investigator for an award- ...

Rick DeBruhl Richard "Rick" DeBruhl (born June 22, 1955) is an American auto racing and automobile auction commentator. He is currently the TV voice of the Barrett Jackson collector car auctions on the A&E Networks. DeBruhl previously worked in radio before b ...

, - , align="center" valign="top",

Marty Smith Marty Smith (November 26, 1956 – April 27, 2020) was an American professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1974 to 1981, most prominently as a member of the Honda factory racing team with whom he won t ...

(pre-race)

Radio

The race was carried by the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network (known typically as the IMS Radio Network or the INDYCAR Radio Network), is an in-house radio syndication arrangement which broadcasts the Indianapolis 500, the NTT IndyCar Series, and Indy Lights to ...

. Mark Jaynes served as the chief announcer for the third year. New to the broadcast was driver analyst

, and pit reporter Ryan Myrehn. As had been in three previous years (2010, 2012-13) the turn one position was vacated. It was decided that the chief announcer in the Pagoda had a clear view of turn one, and a separate reporter was not necessary. Jerry Baker, who had been stationed in turn one dating back to 1986, was absent from the crew entirely, and did not take a substitute booth role as he did in 2010, 2012 and 2013. It was the first time Baker was not part of the crew in any on-air role since his first year in 1974. 1070 The Fan broadcast nightly beginning May 7 with ''Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee'', followed by Donald Davidson's '' The Talk of Gasoline Alley''. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" , - !colspan=3,

, - !Booth Announcers!!Turn Reporters!! Pit/garage reporters , - , valign="top" rowspan=2, Chief Announcer: Mark Jaynes
Driver expert:

Historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

: Donald Davidson
, valign="top" rowspan=2, Turn 1: not used
Turn 2: Nick Yeoman
Turn 3: Jake Query
Turn 4: Chris Denari
, align="center" valign="top", Rob Howden
Dave Furst
Ryan Myrehn
Michael Young , - , valign="top", Dave Wilson (Garages/Hospital)

References

External links

Official site
{{Indy 500 Indianapolis 500 races

21st century in Indianapolis