2014 Indianapolis 500


The 98th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 25, 2014. It is the premier event of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season. Tony Kanaan entered the race as the defending champion. Ed Carpenter won the pole position, his second consecutive pole at Indy. The race was won by Ryan Hunter-Reay, the first American-born winner since Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006. Hunter-Reay held off second place Hélio Castroneves by a margin of 0.0600 seconds, the second-closest finish in race history. At an average speed of, it was also the second-fastest 500 in history. Marco Andretti, Carlos Muñoz, and Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top five. Kurt Busch, in sixth position, claimed Rookie of the Year honors.
The month of May activities opened with the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis, which was won by Simon Pagenaud on May 10. Practice opened for the Indy 500 on Sunday, May 11. Time trials were held over two days, May 17–18, and a post-qualifying practice was held on May 19. The traditional final day of practice, dubbed Carb Day, was held on Friday, May 23.
All four divisions of the Road to Indy ladder participated in the month of May activities. The Cooper Tires Indy Lights held the Liberty Challenge and Freedom 100. The Pro Mazda Series and U.S. F2000 held races on the Speedway's road course, then held oval races at nearby Lucas Oil Raceway. The Stadium Super Trucks series also held an event on Carb Day.

Event background

In September 2013 an IndyCar feasibility test was conducted on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway combined road course, in preparations for a possible road course race. In October 2013, the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis was scheduled for Saturday, May 10, 2014.
Jim Nabors performed "Back Home Again in Indiana" before the 2014 race, marking his 35th and final time doing so. On March 25 the 83-year-old Nabors announced that he would retire from performing at the 500 because his health limits his travel from his Hawaii home.

Schedule

Track activity commenced on Tuesday April 29 with a refresher test for Jacques Villeneuve and Kurt Busch on the oval. On Wednesday April 30, a full-field Open Test was held on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. The annual Rookie Orientation Program was held on Monday May 5. The events for the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis were held over three days, May 8 to 10. On Sunday May 11, the circuit was reset to the oval configuration, and practice for the Indy 500 began.
For the first time in modern history, a post-qualifying practice session will be held on the Monday following time trials. The track will be open on Monday May 19 from 12:00–5:00 p.m.
ColorNotes
GreenPractice
Dark BlueTime trials
SilverRace day
RedRained out*
BlankNo track activity

* Includes days where track activity
was significantly limited due to rain
ROP — denotes Rookie Orientation Program

Entry list

The race had six former Indianapolis 500 winners entered, including two drivers returning for the first time in over a decade. Defending champion Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon drove for Ganassi. Three-time winner Hélio Castroneves returned with Penske. He was joined by 2000 winner Juan Pablo Montoya, who returned to the Indy 500 for the first time since his victory, after spending time in Formula One and NASCAR.
Jacques Villeneuve announced he would return to the 500 with Sam Schmidt Motorsports. It was his first appearance since his victory in 1995. 1996 winner Buddy Lazier also returned to the 500 with Lazier Partners Racing. Lazier drove for this team in 2013, as well.
Three-time Indy 500 winner, and four-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti announced his retirement from racing in the fall of 2013, following a crash at Houston. In late March, Franchitti was named as the driver of the pace car.
Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kurt Busch, who took a rookie test in 2013, announced he would enter the 500 with Andretti Autosport. He would attempt the Indy/Charlotte "Double Duty", the first driver to do so since Robby Gordon in 2004. Busch was the first NASCAR champion to enter the Indy 500, as fellow Cup champions and Indy 500 starters Bobby Allison, Tony Stewart, and Cale Yarborough had not yet won the NASCAR title at the time they raced at Indianapolis.
All told, the Indianapolis 500 featured, for the first time in history, at least one champion from Formula One, IndyCar, and NASCAR.
File:Jacques Villeneuve 2008 NASCAR Rookie.jpg|thumb|upright|Jacques Villeneuve returned to the Indy 500 for the first time since 1995.
File:Tony Kanaan 2008 Indy Japan 300.jpg|thumb|upright|Defending race winner Tony Kanaan
File:Scott Dixon at the 2013 Grand Prix of Baltimore.jpg|thumb|upright|Defending IndyCar champion and 2008 winner Scott Dixon
KeyMeaning
RRookie
WPast winner
1Substitute driver after Hinchcliffe injury.

Rule changes

A new qualifying format was introduced for 2014. Qualifying was held over two days, with the pole position winner not determined until the second day. The qualifying procedure were as follows:
  • On the first day of time trials, all cars entered made an attempt to qualify. Qualifying was scheduled from 11:00 am to 5:50 pm. The fastest 33 cars were locked into the starting field. Actual grid positioning, however, was not yet assigned. The top nine cars from Saturday were eligible for the Fast Nine Shootout.
  • On the second day of time trials, the cars that posted times from 10th–33rd would each make a qualifying attempt, beginning at 10:15 am. Saturday times would be erased, and the Sunday times would determine the starting lineup, thus eliminating "Bump Day".
  • At 2 pm on Sunday, the top nine cars from Saturday will participate in the Fast Nine Shootout to determine the pole position as well as starting positions 2–9.
All engines for 2014 and beyond were required to have Twin-turbos. Single-turbo powerplants were no longer permitted. Previously, only Chevrolet utilized a twin-turbo. Grid penalties based on unapproved engine changes were eliminated. Previously, unapproved engine changes penalties incurred during the month of May at Indianapolis would be served at the next race of the season. Starting in 2014, the penalty will be points deductions to the manufacturers championship. If teams act in deliberate negligence to cause engine failures, the penalty will be starting from the rear of the field.
Starting in 2014, IndyCar championship points for the Indianapolis 500, as well as the Pocono 500 and MAVTV 500 will be doubled compared to the other races on the schedule.

Testing and Rookie orientation

Refresher tests – Tuesday April 29

The first track activity for 2014 was a refresher test involving two drivers, race rookie Kurt Busch and former winner Jacques Villeneuve. Both drivers passed their refresher test without incident. The 25-lap formal refresher test consists of the second and third phases of the official rookie test. Busch, who initially passed a rookie test in 2013, returned to the Speedway in preparations for attempting Double Duty. Villeneuve, the 1995 winner, made his first competitive laps on the oval in an Indy car since his victory in 1995. The scheduled session ended shortly after 4 p.m. due to moisture.
  • Weather:

    Rookie Orientation – Monday May 5

Seven drivers took part in the annual Rookie Orientation Program. The official rookie test consisted of three phases. Six of the seven drivers passed all three phases. Sage Karam passed only the first two phases due to mechanical problems. The drivers completed 622 laps without incident. Kurt Busch, who completed a refresher test on April 29, returned to the track for more practice time. He completed 180 laps, and also took part in pit stop practice.
  • Weather:, mostly sunny

    Practice

Sunday May 11 – Opening Day practice

Opening Day practice saw Team Penske sweep the top of the speed chart. Will Power, at, drove the fastest lap, while Hélio Castroneves completed the most laps. Early in the afternoon, rookie Sage Karam completed his rookie test. A total of 24 drivers completed 731 laps without incident. A brief yellow for lightning in the area closed the track around 4 p.m., but rain did not fall at the Speedway. E. J. Viso drove in substitution for James Hinchcliffe at Andretti Autosport. A day earlier during the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, Hinchcliffe suffered a concussion after debris struck him in the helmet. He was sidelined until cleared to drive by physicians.
  • Weather:, mostly cloudy

    Monday May 12 – Practice

became the first driver to break the 225 mph barrier during practice. During "Happy Hour", the final hour of practice for the day, he drove a lap of. A total of 30 drivers completed 2,286 laps without major incident. Ed Carpenter suffered mechanical issues during the day. At 4:48 p.m. Carpenter's car slowed on the track with smoke trailing from the car, bringing out a yellow.
  • Weather:, mostly cloudy

    Tuesday May 13 – Practice

A total of 30 drivers completed 1,024 laps during an abbreviated practice session on Tuesday. Thunderstorms closed the track for the day shortly before 2 p.m. E. J. Viso, driving in substitution for James Hinchcliffe, led the speed chart with Andretti Autosport teammate Kurt Busch second. Juan Pablo Montoya posted the third-fastest speed of the day, but his day ended prematurely when his car stalled in turn four with an apparent mechanical failure.
  • Weather:, thunderstorms