“You hope for a nice sunny day because you want to see them run”.
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“The biggest issue for us making sure internally we are ready to communicate the right message to our fans and making sure we deliver it in a way they can understand”, said IMS president Doug Boles. “The history that has gone into it, Memorial Day Weekend, it’s what America’s all about”. Newgarden hails from Hendersonville, Tenn., a Nashville suburb. Leading up to the green flag, SIRIUSXM will present expert commentary and analysis, plus interviews with drivers including this year’s INDY 500 pole victor JAMES HINCHCLIFFE, as well as SCOTT DIXON, RYAN HUNTER REAY, CARLOS MUNOZ and ALEXANER ROSSI.
“The race is a source of great pride for all citizens of our state and we are all very excited about the hundredth running on Sunday”, Indiana Senator Dan Coats said on the Senate floor Wednesday.
Last year’s race, won by Juan Pablo Montoya, was won with an average speed of 161.3 miles per hour. The last two years the victor has started from the back. A fourth win would tie Rick Mears, Unser and Foyt for the most in Indianapolis 500 history.
Franchitti is a three-time Indy 500 victor, but he was just 33rd when he made his Cup debut in the 2008 Daytona 500.
One of the Indy 500’s most well-known traditions got its start in 1933 when Louis Meyer requested a glass of buttermilk after winning his second race.
NBCSN will provide television coverage of Carb Day, beginning at 11 a.m. ET with practice laps, and including the Indy Lights Freedom 100 race.
That could give an advantage to Kanaan and the other Chevrolet drivers. A Honda won the pole here for the first time since 2011 when it powered all the cars.
It was that second closure that proved the biggest challenge to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and its famous race.
Montoya has turned 40 since the last race and is one of seven drivers in this year’s race over 40 years old. His grandfather, Mario, won in 1969, but that isn’t the only significant historical connection. He had the 14th-best lap.
“I’m so humbled to be part of this, I’ve always wanted to be in this race since I was a little kid”, he said. Still, he joined Al Unser, Johnny Rutherford and A.J. Foyt as the only drivers since 1970 to start a major USA open-wheel racing series with five top-twos.
The first race, originally advertised as the “International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race”, took place on May 30, 1911, with Ray Harroun beating a field of 39 other drivers in his Marmon Wasp by 1 minute and 43 seconds in a race that took 6 hours, 42 minutes, 8 seconds to compete.
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This year, next year or even the 105th.
