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2010 Indianapolis 500

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94th Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning bodyIndy Racing League
Season2010 IndyCar season
DateMay 30, 2010
WinnerUnited Kingdom Dario Franchitti
Winning teamTarget Chip Ganassi Racing
Average speed161.623 mph (260.107 km/h)
Pole positionBrazil Hélio Castroneves
Pole speed227.970 mph (366.882 km/h)
Fastest qualifierBrazil Hélio Castroneves
Rookie of the YearSwitzerland Simona de Silvestro[1]
Most laps ledUnited Kingdom Dario Franchitti (155)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthemJewel[2]
"Back Home Again in Indiana"Jim Nabors
Starting commandMari Hulman George
Pace carChevrolet Camaro SS[3]
Pace car driverRobin Roberts[4]
StarterPaul Blevin
Honorary starterJack Nicholson[5]
Estimated attendance300,000 + (est.)
TV in the United States
NetworkABC
AnnouncersMarty Reid
Scott Goodyear
Eddie Cheever, Jr.[6]
Nielsen ratings3.6,[7] 4.0 overnight[8] / 10
Chronology
Previous Next
2009 2011

The 94th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 30, 2010. It was the 15th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and was the premier event of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season. The race was won by Dario Franchitti, ahead of Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti. Tony Kanaan, who had started in the final position, ran as high as second during the race before finishing eleventh.

The race was the second of the three-year-long Centennial era, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the 100th anniversary of the first Indianapolis 500. It was the 53rd time the race had been held on a May 30. This year marked the first race with four female drivers (repeated in 2011), and Simona de Silvestro was awarded Rookie of the Year.

Event news

[edit]
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the race track where the race was held.
  • Qualifying for the event reverted to a schedule used between 1998 and 2000, in which the grid was set across a single weekend rather than two.[9]
  • The pole position was decided under a new "shootout" format, loosely based on the qualifying format used during IndyCar Series road course events. Initial qualifying for the positions 1–24 took place from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. During the final 90 minutes, the top nine cars (rows 1–3) advanced to a special session. The "Fast Nine" cars erased their earlier times, and make up to two attempts apiece during the special session to determine who will win the pole position. Cash prizes for the front row have been increased from previous years: pole position ($175,000), second place ($75,000), and third place ($50,000). Participants were also awarded IndyCar Series points towards the championship based on their qualifying position. Points were awarded based on a special descending scale for all starting positions, with the pole winner receiving 15 points, second place 13, and third place 12.[10][11]
  • Prior to the start of the race, Michael Andretti drove Mark Wahlberg in a custom-built, two-seat Indy car billed as the "Izod Fastest Seat in Sports". The 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti coached the two by radio from the IZOD Performance Pit. Andretti and Wahlberg followed four parade cars and led the official pace car and the 33-car starting field on three parade laps. Once the parade cars exited the circuit, the two-seat race car sped around the track at nearly 200 mph (320 km/h) to catch the field from behind as the field took the green flag. This marked the first time in modern history that a driver and passenger joined the field of the Indianapolis 500.[12] It was the first two-man race car on the track since the days of the riding mechanic ended after 1937.
  • Five women attempted the Indy 500; four qualified for the event.[13]

Rule changes

[edit]
  • For the first time, the Honda overtake assist system ("Push-to-pass") was utilized. Each car was permitted 15 presses (18 seconds in duration) with a 10-second recharge time.[14]

Schedule

[edit]

The 2010 schedule was a two-week condensed schedule, but featured only one fewer day of on-track activity compared to 2009.[15]

Race schedule — May 2010
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
            1
Kansas
2
  		3
  		4
  		5
  		6
  		7
  		8
Mini-Marathon
9
  		10
  		11
  		12
  		13
  		14
  		15
ROP/Practice
16
ROP/Practice 		17
Practice 		18
Practice 		19
Practice 		20
Practice 		21
Practice 		22
Pole Day
23
Bump Day 		24
  		25
  		26
Comm. Day 		27
  		28
Carb Day 		29
Parade
30
Indy 500 		31
Memorial Day 		         
Color Notes
Green Practice
Dark Blue Time trials
Silver Race day
Red Rained out*
Blank No track activity

* Includes days where track activity
was significantly limited due to rain

ROP — denotes Rookie Orientation Program

Comm. Day — denotes 500 Festival Community Day

Entry list

[edit]

Practice

[edit]

Saturday May 15

[edit]
  • Weather: Partly cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C), intermittent rain showers
  • Practice summary: Opening day practice featured veteran practice from noon to 2 p.m., and rookie orientation from 2 to 6 p.m. Hélio Castroneves became the first car out on the track for the month, and set the fastest speed of the day at 226.603 mph (364.682 km/h). Seven rookies participated in rookie orientation, and five veterans took part in refresher tests. Jay Howard (215.039 mph (346.072 km/h)) was the fastest rookie of the day.[16]
May 15, 2010 – Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 3T Brazil Hélio Castroneves Team Penske 226.603 mph (365 km/h)
2 10T United Kingdom Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing 226.535 mph (365 km/h)
3 9T New Zealand Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 226.237 mph (364 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT

Sunday May 16

[edit]
  • Weather: Cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C), intermittent rain showers
  • Practice summary: The second day of practice featured rookie orientation from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and veteran practice from 3 to 6 p.m. Six rookies passed their four-phase rookie tests. During veteran practice, two incidents were reported. Ryan Hunter-Reay spun in the warm up lane in turn one, but did not make contact. At 4:25 p.m. Dan Wheldon lost control in turn four and hit the outside wall at the exit of turn four. he was uninjured. Hélio Castroneves led the speed chart for the second day in a row.[17]
May 16, 2010 – Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 3 Brazil Hélio Castroneves Team Penske 227.046 mph (365 km/h)
2 9 New Zealand Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 226.202 mph (364 km/h)
3 10 United Kingdom Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing 226.044 mph (364 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT

Monday May 17

[edit]
  • Weather: Rain, 54 °F (12 °C)
  • Practice summary: Practice was cancelled due to rain.[18]

Tuesday May 18

[edit]
  • Weather: Cloudy, 57 °F (14 °C), intermittent rain showers
  • Practice summary: Five different teams comprised the top five positions on the speed chart. Late in the day E. J. Viso crashed in turn one, and was transported to the hospital with back pain.
May 18, 2010 – Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 9 New Zealand Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 226.549 mph (365 km/h)
2 32 Brazil Mario Moraes KV Racing Technology 225.913 mph (364 km/h)
3 26 United States Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport 225.751 mph (363 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT

Wednesday May 19

[edit]
  • Weather: Cloudy, 63 °F (17 °C)
  • Practice summary: Thirty-four drivers took practice laps, with many working on race set-ups. The field completed 2,282 laps with no major incidents reported.[19]
May 19, 2010 – Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 9 New Zealand Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 226.971 mph (365 km/h)
2 6 Australia Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 226.633 mph (365 km/h)
3 77 Canada Alex Tagliani FAZZT Race Team 226.002 mph (364 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT

Thursday May 20

[edit]
  • Weather: Partly cloudy, 68 °F (20 °C)
  • Practice summary: A total of 44 cars are currently at the Speedway, and 44 have passed technical inspection. Thirty-seven drivers have been on the track to date and turned 1,445 laps today and 7,289 laps this month. Alex Lloyd turned 81 laps today, more than any other driver. There were two cautions for a total of two hours, 35 minutes.[20]
May 20, 2010 – Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 11 Brazil Tony Kanaan Andretti Autosport 226.775 mph (365 km/h)
2 15 Canada Paul Tracy KV Racing Technology 226.322 mph (364 km/h)
3 06 Japan Hideki Mutoh Newman/Haas Racing 226.230 mph (364 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT

Friday May 21 – Fast Friday

[edit]
Danica Patrick's car on Fast Friday.
  • Weather: Cloudy, 70 °F (21 °C)
  • Practice summary: All 36 drivers today were separated by .7745 of a second. Fifteen drivers turned laps of 225 mph (362 km/h) or faster today.[21]
May 21, 2010 – Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 3 Brazil Hélio Castroneves Team Penske 226.558 mph (365 km/h)
2 12 Australia Will Power Team Penske 226.429 mph (364 km/h)
3 77 Canada Alex Tagliani FAZZT Race Team 226.153 mph (364 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT

Qualifying

[edit]

Saturday May 22 – Pole Day

[edit]
Scott Dixon qualifies during the "shootout" segment. Dixon qualified for the sixth starting position.
  • Weather: Partly cloudy, 77 °F (25 °C)
  • Pole Day summary: Pole Day 2010 opened up with A. J. Foyt IV and many others through the early part of the day. Andretti Autosport struggled through the most part of the day with Marco Andretti finishing in the middle part of the qualifiers and Danica Patrick who finished 23rd of all 24 drivers qualified. John Andretti failed to qualify, while Tony Kanaan crashed during his qualifying run splitting his engine in two. The new system was put into place that year with 24 drivers qualified, while still vulnerable to being bumped. The top nine drivers, in this case Hélio Castroneves, Will Power, Dario Franchitti, Ryan Briscoe, Alex Tagliani, Scott Dixon, Graham Rahal, Ed Carpenter, Hideki Mutoh, were all involved in a shootout for the pole position. The drivers' times were wiped out and each made one or more four-lap qualification attempts. The shootout lasted from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm allowing the drivers to make as many qualification attempts as they wanted in the time available. Unlike the main portion of qualifying, during the shootout segment drivers did not have to withdraw previous qualification times to make another attempt; the fastest time for each driver during the shootout segment was used to order the drivers. Hélio Castroneves not only won the first session of qualifying, but also the shootout and the 2010 Indianapolis 500 pole position.
Pole Day – Saturday, May 22, 2010
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Qualifying
Speed		 Points
"Shootout" competitors (positions 1-9)
1 3 Brazil Hélio Castroneves Team Penske 227.970 mph (367 km/h) 15
2 12 Australia Will Power Team Penske 227.578 mph (366 km/h) 13
3 10 United Kingdom Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing 226.990 mph (365 km/h) 12
4 6 Australia Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 226.554 mph (365 km/h) 11
5 77 Canada Alex Tagliani FAZZT Race Team 226.390 mph (364 km/h) 10
6 9 New Zealand Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 226.233 mph (364 km/h) 9
7 30 United States Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Racing 225.519 mph (363 km/h) 8
8 20 United States Ed Carpenter Panther Racing 224.507 mph (361 km/h) 7
9 06 Japan Hideki Mutoh Newman/Haas Racing 223.487 mph (360 km/h) 6
Positions 10-24
10 99 United States Townsend Bell Sam Schmidt Motorsports 225.097 mph (362 km/h) 4
11 22 United Kingdom Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 225.050 mph (362 km/h) 4
12 2 Brazil Raphael Matos De Ferran Dragon Racing 225.028 mph (362 km/h) 4
13 32 Brazil Mario Moraes KV Racing Technology 224.888 mph (362 km/h) 4
14 21 United States Davey Hamilton De Ferran Dragon Racing 224.852 mph (362 km/h) 4
15 24 United Kingdom Mike Conway Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 224.583 mph (361 km/h) 4
16 26 United States Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport 224.575 mph (361 km/h) 4
17 37 United States Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport 224.547 mph (361 km/h) 4
18 4 United Kingdom Dan Wheldon Panther Racing 224.464 mph (361 km/h) 4
19 8 Venezuela E. J. Viso KV Racing Technology 224.380 mph (361 km/h) 4
20 23 South Africa Tomas Scheckter Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 224.261 mph (361 km/h) 4
21 25 Brazil Ana Beatriz  R  Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 224.243 mph (361 km/h) 4
22 78 Switzerland Simona de Silvestro  R  HVM Racing 224.228 mph (361 km/h) 4
23 7 United States Danica Patrick Andretti Autosport 224.217 mph (361 km/h) 4
24 36 Belgium Bertrand Baguette  R  Conquest Racing 224.189 mph (361 km/h) 4
OFFICIAL REPORT[permanent dead link‍]

Sunday May 23 – Bump Day

[edit]
  • Weather: Sunny, 87 °F (31 °C)
  • Bump Day summary: With 24 drivers qualified the previous day, the field started the day with eight spots open. In the morning practice session, Tony Kanaan suffered his second crash in two days. He suffered a nearly identical crash as Saturday in turn one, this time wrecking his back up car. Kanaan was uninjured, and the team was forced to repair the backup car, or Kanaan could possibly miss the race.

Time trials opened at 12:00 p.m., with several cars ready in the qualifying line. In the first hour, early runs filled the field to 33 cars. Several drivers put in safe speeds, including John Andretti, Sarah Fisher, Vítor Meira, Alex Lloyd, Bruno Junqueira. A. J. Foyt IV parted ways with his grandfather's team and Jaques Lazier was drafted as his replacement.

As of 1:00 p.m., the rear of the field consisted of the following drivers:

At about 1:10 p.m., a break in the qualifying line occurred, and the track was opened up for general practice. The temperature were rising into the low 90s °F, making it difficult to find speed out on the track. Most drivers stayed off the track during the hottest period of the afternoon, awaiting better conditions. At 5:23 p.m., Tony Kanaan took to the track in his repaired back-up car, and bumped his way into the field with a safe speed of 224.072 mph (360.609 km/h). Kanaan's run bumped Sebastián Saavedra of Bryan Herta Autosport from the field. Saavedra experienced trouble of his own, as he wrecked his car during a practice run Sunday afternoon. Saavedra was sent to the hospital, and would be unable to re-qualify. As of 5:30 p.m., Romancini was now on the bubble.

As of approximately 5:30 p.m., the rear of the field consisted of the following drivers:

Mario Romancini withdrew his speed, and re-qualified, this time much faster. Jay Howard was now on the bubble. With twenty minutes remaining, Takuma Sato bumped Howard from the field. Paul Tracy now found himself on the bubble. With only fifteen minutes left in the day, the rear of the field consisted of the following drivers:

Jay Howard attempted to bump his way back in the field, but his run of 223.610 mph (359.865 km/h) was too slow. Paul Tracy still clung to the 33rd position. In a surprising move, he withdrew his speed at 5:50 p.m. Tracy hoped to put in a safer speed, and prevent Howard from getting another chance to qualify. Tracy's withdraw re-instated Sebastián Saavedra to the 33rd position. Tracy, however, got very loose in the hot conditions, and his speed ended up being slower. He waved off after only two laps, and hurriedly got back into the qualifying line. After quick wave-offs by Jaques Lazier and Milka Duno, the clock was running out. Sensing they were finally safe, Tony Kanaan's crew pulled their car out of line. Howard moved back to the front of the qualifying line with Tracy second in line.

With just minutes until the close of qualifying, the rear of the field consisted of the following drivers:

With two minutes left in the day, Jay Howard made his third and final attempt, in order to keep Tracy off the track. Howard's effort, however, was slower than the bubble speed. The 6 o'clock gun fired with Tracy still waiting in line. When Tracy withdrew his earlier attempt (223.892 mph (360.319 km/h)), Sebastián Saavedra's car was re-instated to 33rd position, and he held on to make the field, while lying in a hospital bed. For the shoestring budget Bryan Herta Autosport team, the day was remembered as the "Bump Day Miracle".

Milka Duno made three attempts during the day, and none were run to completion. Jaques Lazier, who took over at the Foyt team, found little speed in his three attempts, and also missed the field. Howard and Tracy, however, were the heartbreak stories of the day. After qualifying closed, Andretti Autosport decided to replace Tony Kanaan's qualified back-up car with the primary machine. The decision forced Kanaan to move to the 33rd position, but since he had qualified 32nd, it was a drop of only one spot on the grid.

Bump Day – Sunday, May 23, 2010
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Qualifying
Speed		 Points
25 33 Brazil Bruno Junqueira FAZZT Race Team 225.662 mph (363 km/h) 3
26 19 United Kingdom Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne Racing 224.783 mph (362 km/h) 3
27 34 Brazil Mario Romancini  R  Conquest Racing 224.641 mph (362 km/h) 3
28 43 United States John Andretti Andretti Autosport 224.518 mph (361 km/h) 3
29 67 United States Sarah Fisher Sarah Fisher Racing 224.434 mph (361 km/h) 3
30 14 Brazil Vítor Meira A. J. Foyt Enterprises 224.388 mph (361 km/h) 3
31 5 Japan Takuma Sato  R  KV Racing Technology 224.178 mph (361 km/h) 3
32 11 Brazil Tony Kanaan Andretti Autosport 224.072 mph (361 km/h) 3
33 29 Colombia Sebastián Saavedra  R  Bryan Herta Autosport 223.634 mph (360 km/h) 3
OFFICIAL REPORT

Carb Day

[edit]

Indianapolis 500 Final Practice – Friday May 28

[edit]
Scott Dixon at Carb Day at indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2010
  • Weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C)
  • Practice summary: An hour-long practice from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. This practice was the final one until the running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. All 33 cars that qualified ran in this practice session.

Pit Stop Challenge

[edit]

The 33rd annual Pit Stop Challenge was held on Friday May 28. Hélio Castroneves (Team Penske) defeated Hideki Mutoh (Newman/Haas Racing) in the final round.

First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
            
7 Danica Patrick
(Andretti Autosport) 		8.855
12 Will Power
(Team Penske) 		9.517
9 Scott Dixon
(Chip Ganassi Racing) 		9.462
12 Will Power
(Team Penske) 		7.968
7 Danica Patrick
(Andretti Autosport)
3 Hélio Castroneves
(Team Penske)
3 Hélio Castroneves
(Team Penske) 		8.558
11 Tony Kanaan
(Andretti Autosport) 		9.296
37 Ryan Hunter-Reay
(Andretti Autosport) 		DNF
11 Tony Kanaan
(Andretti Autosport) 		11.833
3 Hélio Castroneves
(Team Penske) 		8.001
06 Hideki Mutoh
(Newman/Haas) 		9.547
6 Ryan Briscoe
(Team Penske) 		9.628
06 Hideki Mutoh
(Newman/Haas) 		8.858
06 Hideki Mutoh
(Newman/Haas) 		8.875
4 Dan Wheldon
(Panther Racing) 		9.622
06 Hideki Mutoh
(Newman/Haas) 		8.296
22 Justin Wilson
(Dreyer & Reinbold) 		9.255
22 Justin Wilson
(Dreyer & Reinbold) 		8.097
26 Marco Andretti
(Andretti Autosport) 		9.210
22 Justin Wilson
(Dreyer & Reinbold) 		8.408
10 Dario Franchitti
(Chip Ganassi Racing) 		8.801

Starting grid

[edit]
Row Inside Middle Outside
1 3 Brazil Hélio Castroneves  W  12 Australia Will Power 10 United Kingdom Dario Franchitti  W 
2 6 Australia Ryan Briscoe 77 Canada Alex Tagliani 9 New Zealand Scott Dixon  W 
3 30 United States Graham Rahal 20 United States Ed Carpenter 06 Japan Hideki Mutoh
4 99 United States Townsend Bell 22 United Kingdom Justin Wilson 2 Brazil Raphael Matos
5 32 Brazil Mario Moraes 21 United States Davey Hamilton 24 United Kingdom Mike Conway
6 26 United States Marco Andretti 37 United States Ryan Hunter-Reay 4 United Kingdom Dan Wheldon  W 
7 8 Venezuela E. J. Viso 23 South Africa Tomas Scheckter 25 Brazil Ana Beatriz  R 
8 78 Switzerland Simona de Silvestro  R  7 United States Danica Patrick 36 Belgium Bertrand Baguette  R 
9 33 Brazil Bruno Junqueira 19 United Kingdom Alex Lloyd 34 Brazil Mario Romancini  R 
10 43 United States John Andretti 67 United States Sarah Fisher 14 Brazil Vítor Meira
11 5 Japan Takuma Sato  R  29 Colombia Sebastián Saavedra  R  11 Brazil Tony Kanaan*
  •  W  = Former Indianapolis 500 winner
  •  R  = Indianapolis 500 rookie
  • (*) Tony Kanaan moved to the last starting position due to changes to the car

Failed to qualify

No. Driver Team Reason
15 Canada Paul Tracy KV Racing Technology Withdrew speed. Too slow to bump back into the field.
18 Venezuela Milka Duno Dale Coyne Racing Three qualifying attempts. None run to completion.
41 United States A. J. Foyt IV
United States Jaques Lazier 		A. J. Foyt Enterprises A. J. Foyt IV quit the team as a result of an argument with his grandfather regarding the car's setup.
Immediately after, Jaques Lazier desperately attempted to re-qualify the car on bump-day, but was too slow.
66 United Kingdom Jay Howard  R  Sarah Fisher Racing Withdrew speed. Too slow to bump back into the field.

Race summary

[edit]
  • Race Weather: Sunny and clear, 87 °F (31 °C)
  • Race Start Time: 1:00 pm EDT

Start

[edit]

After the traditional starting command by Mari Hulman George, the pace car, driven by Robin Roberts, led the cars through the pace laps, followed by a special two-seater car driven by Michael Andretti and carrying Mark Wahlberg. Once the pace car came off the field, the two-seater sped around to join the back of the field, and honorary starter Jack Nicholson waved the green flag to start the race. (Nicholson refused to leave the flagstand and waved the green flag on the first two restarts, on laps 5 and 12.)[22][23][24]

On the first lap, Davey Hamilton spun on turn two, bringing out the yellow flag. Hamilton blamed Tomas Scheckter, who had narrowly passed Hamilton on the outside, forcing Hamilton to correct. "Tomas Scheckter's an idiot... You know, he does it every year. I mean, it's not a surprise with him, and he gets away with it," said Hamilton.[22][23] In just the half-lap of green-flag racing, however, Dario Franchitti had taken the lead, while Tony Kanaan had moved from the 33rd, final starting position to 25th.[22][25]

The race returned to green-flag racing on lap 5, but a spin by Bruno Junqueira brought out another caution for laps 8–11. By this time, Kanaan had moved up to 17th.[22][23]

First half

[edit]

Franchitti held the lead for a long period of green-flag racing, until Will Power passed him for the lead on lap 31. However, on a pit stop, Power left before the fuel hose had been completely detached, leaving a coil dangling from his car. This would lead to a pit drive-through penalty for Power, dropping Power to 25th, as well as a caution period for debris as part of the coil fell onto the track. While Power would repeatedly work his way towards the front of the field, additional pit problems later in the race would lead to only an 8th-place finish.[22][23][26][27]

Franchitti would maintain his lead beyond the halfway point of the race. Meanwhile, John Andretti spun into the wall on lap 65, and on the ensuing round of yellow-flag pit stops, both Scott Dixon and Raphael Matos lost wheels while pulling out and had to return to their pits. Kanaan improved eight spots, from 12th to 4th, on the same round of pit stops. Matos's race did not last much longer, as he spun into the wall on lap 73.[22][23]

Second half

[edit]

Vítor Meira hit the turn two wall in lap 106, bringing out the race's next caution. Ed Carpenter, who had been running well, had to come into the pits before they were officially open to avoid running out of fuel, but the rules then required him to come in again once the pits were open, costing him several spots.[22] While most drivers came into the pits on the yellow, Tomas Scheckter stayed out, briefly taking the lead, but Franchitti quickly took it back after the race returned to green-flag status.[23]

A long stretch of green-flag racing followed. Kanaan passed Hélio Castroneves and Scheckter to take the second spot, but Franchitti pulled away and had a lead of 9.7 seconds over Kanaan by lap 142.[22] A series of green-flag pits on laps 143–147 resulted in Marco Andretti and Ryan Briscoe briefly taking the lead, in turn, before they had to pit and Franchitti re-emerged as the leader, with Andretti Autosport teammates Andretti and Kanaan in second and third, respectively.[22][23] On the same round of pits, Castroneves stalled his car leaving the pits, dropping him from third to sixteenth. Continuing Penske Racing's problems, Briscoe crashed into the turn four wall on lap 148.[26] Most drivers stayed out during this caution, but Castroneves pitted, hoping that there would be enough additional laps under caution to extend his fuel mileage and allow him to finish the race without pitting again. Kanaan passed Andretti under the following green flag to retake the second position.[22]

Finish

[edit]

A spin by rookie Sebastián Saavedra on lap 161 brought out another caution, and most drivers came into the pits, but Mike Conway, Justin Wilson, Castroneves, and Graham Rahal all stayed out, taking the top four spots, respectively. In the end, none of the four had enough fuel to complete the race and all had to pit before the end of the race under a green flag, giving Franchitti the lead again on lap 192, with Kanaan again in second.[22][23] Kanaan's hopes for a "worst-to-first" race came to an end on lap 196 when he had to come in for additional fuel.[22]

Franchitti slowed in the final laps to conserve fuel, but he was still able to stay ahead of second-place Dan Wheldon, who was also trying to save fuel. A dramatic crash occurred in the final lap as Ryan Hunter-Reay ran out of fuel and slowed, and Mike Conway hit Hunter-Reay's car, flipping Conway's car and sending it airborne and into the protective fence, shattering the car. Conway's teammate Ana Beatriz spun into the inside wall while avoiding the crash ahead of her. This brought out a final caution, and Franchitti led the field to the checkered flag, winning his second Indianapolis 500.[22]

Conway was airlifted to nearby Methodist Hospital with a broken lower left leg.[28] Of the crash, Hunter-Reay said, "I'm sorry Mike is hurt... It was totally uncalled for. We weren't going to make it anyway. When you run out of fuel in these cars, it's like hitting the brakes. In hindsight, we should have stopped for fuel." It was the only multi-car crash of the race.[29] Two spectators were treated for minor injuries from the crash.[30] ESPN SportsCenter and ESPN'S NASCAR Now program reported on May 31, 2010 Conway also suffered compression to his lower back and suffered a bad fracture to one of his vertebrae in his neck.

Dario Franchitti heads through the pits towards Victory Lane after winning.

After skulling the traditional bottle of milk for the winner, Franchitti stated "this tastes just as good the second time", referring to his victory in the 2007 race.[31] Franchitti led for 155 of the race's 200 laps. He survived the final 36 laps without taking a pit stop.[32]

Post-race summary

[edit]

Franchitti's team's owner, Chip Ganassi had already won the Daytona 500 with Jamie McMurray. When McMurray won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, Ganassi became the first owner to win the Daytona 500, Indy 500, and Brickyard 400 in the same season.[32] The Harley J. Earl Trophy had been brought to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway—the first time it had ever been away from Daytona—and it stood side by side with the Borg-Warner Trophy.[22]

Dan Wheldon finished second. In a post-race interview, he suggested that it was a mistake to be as conservative as he was on fuel: "I could see [Franchitti] at the end... unfortunately, I should have kept going 'cause I had fuel in the car when it came into the pits."[22] However, Franchitti also had additional fuel, with 1.6 gallons remaining in his tank at the end of the race, even after taking a cool-down lap.[30] It was the second consecutive second-place finish for Wheldon at the Indianapolis 500, and, along with Vítor Meira's finish in 2008, the third for Panther Racing.[33]

Marco Andretti was initially reported to have finished sixth,[22] but a post-race review revealed that three drivers had passed him during the final caution period, and he was restored to third place in the official race results, giving him his third top-three finish in five starts at the Indianapolis 500. The same review also revealed that Simona de Silvestro passed Mario Romancini after the caution came out, making Romancini, not de Silvestro, the highest finishing rookie, at 13th.[34] Marco Andretti was one of the three Andretti Autosport drivers (out of the team's five entries) to finish in the top eleven, even though none of the Andretti drivers had qualified higher than sixteenth. As late as lap 191, four of the Andretti drivers had been in the top nine.[25] Also among the Andretti drivers was Danica Patrick; starting twenty-third and finishing sixth, she scored the highest placement of the four female drivers in the race.[35]

Hélio Castroneves, who started from the pole and was considered a pre-race favorite, finished ninth after his problematic pit stop, and his late-race fuel strategy failed to pan out.[36] Castroneves praised Franchitti and took responsibility for his own finish, saying "I have to say, Dario was dominant. But this was the first time I feel like I let my guys down. We didn't have the best car, but we were better than ninth, certainly."[26]

Tony Kanaan, who had started in last place and had run as high as second, finished eleventh after he had to pit for a final splash of fuel, but still garnered much applause from nearby fans as he exited his car after the race.[25] Kanaan praised former teammate Franchitti: "The best car and the best driver today won the race."[22]

Box score

[edit]
Rank No. Driver Team Chassis Engine Laps Status Grid Points
1 10 United Kingdom Dario Franchitti  W  Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda 200 3:05:37.0131 3 52
2 4 United Kingdom Dan Wheldon  W  Panther Racing Dallara Honda 200 +0.1536 18 40
3 26 United States Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Dallara Honda 200 +23.5251 16 35
4 19 United Kingdom Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne Racing Dallara Honda 200 +20.9876* 26 32
5 9 New Zealand Scott Dixon  W  Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda 200 +21.4922* 6 30
6 7 United States Danica Patrick Andretti Autosport Dallara Honda 200 +21.7560* 23 28
7 22 United Kingdom Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara Honda 200 +25.9761 11 26
8 12 Australia Will Power Team Penske Dallara Honda 200 +30.2474 2 24
9 3 Brazil Hélio Castroneves  W  Team Penske Dallara Honda 200 +33.0137 1 22
10 77 Canada Alex Tagliani FAZZT Race Team Dallara Honda 200 +34.2482 5 20
11 11 Brazil Tony Kanaan Andretti Autosport Dallara Honda 200 +59.5957 33 19
12 30 United States Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Racing Dallara Honda 200 +59.9739 7 18
13 34 Brazil Mario Romancini  R  Conquest Racing Dallara Honda 200 +1:05.0219 27 17
14 78 Switzerland Simona de Silvestro  R  HVM Racing Dallara Honda 200 +1:01.6745* 22 16
15 23 South Africa Tomas Scheckter Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara Honda 199 +1 lap 20 15
16 99 United States Townsend Bell Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara Honda 199 +1 lap 10 14
17 20 United States Ed Carpenter Panther Racing Dallara Honda 199 +1 lap 8 13
18 37 United States Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Dallara Honda 198 Contact 17 12
19 24 United Kingdom Mike Conway Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara Honda 198 Contact 15 12
20 5 Japan Takuma Sato  R  KV Racing Technology Dallara Honda 198 +2 laps 31 12
21 25 Brazil Ana Beatriz  R  Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara Honda 196 Contact 21 12
22 36 Belgium Bertrand Baguette  R  Conquest Racing Dallara Honda 183 +17 laps 24 12
23 29 Colombia Sebastián Saavedra  R  Bryan Herta Autosport Dallara Honda 159 Contact 32 12
24 6 Australia Ryan Briscoe Team Penske Dallara Honda 147 Contact 4 12
25 8 Venezuela E. J. Viso KV Racing Technology Dallara Honda 139 Contact 19 10
26 67 United States Sarah Fisher Sarah Fisher Racing Dallara Honda 125 Contact 29 10
27 14 Brazil Vítor Meira A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara Honda 105 Contact 30 10
28 06 Japan Hideki Mutoh Newman/Haas Racing Dallara Honda 76 Handling 9 10
29 2 Brazil Raphael Matos De Ferran Dragon Racing Dallara Honda 72 Contact 12 10
30 43 United States John Andretti Andretti Autosport Dallara Honda 62 Contact 28 10
31 32 Brazil Mario Moraes KV Racing Technology Dallara Honda 17 Contact 13 10
32 33 Brazil Bruno Junqueira FAZZT Race Team Dallara Honda 7 Contact 25 10
33 21 United States Davey Hamilton De Ferran Dragon Racing Dallara Honda 0 Contact 14 10

 W  Former Indianapolis 500 winner

 R  Indianapolis 500 Rookie

All entrants utilized Firestone tires.

(*) Lloyd, Dixon, Patrick, and de Silvestro's finishing positions were adjusted downward after the race, for passing under yellow.[37]

Race statistics

[edit]

Broadcasting

[edit]

Television

[edit]

The race was televised in high definition in the United States on ABC, the 46th consecutive year on that network. Marty Reid served as anchor. The telecast utilized the Side-by-Side format for commercial breaks.

"Fast Friday" Practice, Time trials, and Carb Day were shown live in high definition on Versus. Bob Jenkins served as anchor, along with Robbie Buhl and Jon Beekhuis as analysts. Jack Arute, Robbie Floyd, and Lindy Thackston covered the pits.

The race was carried live on TSN and on RDS in Canada,[38] and on ESPN Latin America. In Brazil, the race was carried live on Band TV/BandSports.

ABC Television
Booth Announcers Pit/garage reporters

Host: Brent Musburger
Announcer: Marty Reid
Color: Scott Goodyear
Color: Eddie Cheever

 Vince Welch
Brienne Pedigo
Jamie Little
Rick DeBruhl

Radio

[edit]

The race was broadcast on radio by the IMS Radio Network. Mike King served as anchor. For the second time, Paul Page and Bob Jenkins joined the booth to offer commentary and observations. For the first time, the turn one reporting location was eliminated. Jerry Baker instead joined the booth as analyst. The turn one vantage point was eliminated due to the fact that the booth announcers had a clear view of that part of the track, and it allowed better continuity.

The driver expert was Indy Lights competitor James Hinchcliffe, who joined the crew for the first time. For the fourth year in a row, Davey Hamilton was part of the crew serving as live in-car reporter. However, he was involved in a crash at the start of the race, and was unable to give any reports. He instead visited the booth during the race.

Chris Denari, the television voice of the Indiana Fever, covered a Fever game against the Shock Saturday night before the race in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He then drove ten hours overnight back to Indianapolis to make it to the race on time.

For 2010, a special change was made for the famous out-cue "Stay tuned for the greatest spectacle in racing." Rather than just have the chief announcer recite the line, numerous drivers from the starting field were recorded introducing themselves and reciting the cue. Each commercial break attempted to feature a different driver.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
Booth Announcers Turn Reporters Pit/garage reporters

Chief Announcer: Mike King
Driver expert: James Hinchcliffe
Analyst: Jerry Baker
Analyst: Paul Page
Historian: Donald Davidson
Live in-car reports: Davey Hamilton
Commentary: Bob Jenkins

Turn 1: not used
Turn 2: Jake Query
Turn 3: Mark Jaynes
Turn 4: Chris Denari

 Nick Yeoman (north pits)
Dave Argabright (center pits)
Kevin Lee (south pits)
Dave Wilson (garages)

See also

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2010 Indianapolis 500.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Powell, Eric (2010-05-31). "Franchitti Earns $2.75 Million For Indy 500; De Silvestro Chase Rookie Of The Year". Indy500.com. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Retrieved 2010-06-01. Simona de Silvestro earned the prestigious Indianapolis 500 Chase Rookie of the Year Award, which includes a $25,000 bonus plus the Chase Rookie of the Year Trophy. De Silvestro finished 14th in the No. 78 Team Stargate Worlds HVM Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone.
  2. ^ Cavin, Curt (2010-05-02). "Bull-riding links bring Jewel for anthem". The Indianapolis Star. Michael G. Kane; Gannett Company. Archived from the original on 4 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
  3. ^ Powell, Eric (2009-12-18). "Chevrolet Camaro SS To Pace 2010 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race". Indy500.com. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
  4. ^ Kelly, Paul (2010-03-25). "'Good Morning America' Anchor Robin Roberts To Drive Pace Car At 2010 Indianapolis 500". Indy500.com. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
  5. ^ Cavin, Curt (2010-05-26). "Jack Nicholson will flag start of Indianapolis 500". The Indianapolis Star. Michael G. Kane; Gannett Company. Archived from the original on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  6. ^ Lewandowski, Dave (2010-03-06). "VERSUS' passion at forefront of telecasts". IndyCar Series. Indy Racing League. Archived from the original on 2010-05-26. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  7. ^ "Indianapolis 500 On ABC Earns Lowest Rating, Viewership Ever". SportsBusiness Daily. Street & Smith's Sports Group. 2010-06-02. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
  8. ^ "Indy 500 Overnights Drop on ABC". Sports Media Watch. Blogspot. 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
  9. ^ Beer, Matt (2009-12-15). "Indy cuts qualifying to two days". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Archived from the original on 17 December 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
  10. ^ Cavin, Curt (2010-04-10). "Winning pole just got more intense". The Indianapolis Star. Michael G. Kane; Gannett Company. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  11. ^ Kelly, Paul (2010-04-14). "'Fast Nine' To Make Thrilling Late-Day Run For Pole Saturday, May 22". Indy500.com. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
  12. ^ "Wahlberg, Andrettis Team Up For IZOD Fastest Seat In Sports At Indy". Indy500.com. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 2010-05-26. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  13. ^ Clarke, Liz (2010-05-24). "Four women, including Danica Patrick, set to contend in 2010 Indianapolis 500". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
  14. ^ "2010 Indianapolis 500 Daily Trackside Reports" (PDF). Pages 172. IZOD IndyCar Series. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  15. ^ Kelly, Paul (2009-12-15). "2010 Indianapolis 500 Schedule To Provide Intense Action". Indy500.com. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
  16. ^ "Daily Trackside Report – Saturday, May 15". Indy500.com. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 2010-05-15. Archived from the original on 19 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
  17. ^ "Daily Trackside Report – Sunday, May 16". Indy500.com. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 2010-05-16. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
  18. ^ "Daily Trackside Report – Monday, May 17". Indy500.com. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 2010-05-17. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  19. ^ "Daily Trackside Report – Wednesday, May 19". Indy500.com. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 2010-05-19. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
  20. ^ "Daily Trackside Report – Thursday, May 20". Indy500.com. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 2010-05-20. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
  21. ^ "Daily Trackside Report – Friday, May 21". Indy500.com. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Indianapolis 500 (TV production). Presenters: Marty Reid, Eddie Cheever, and Scott Goodyear. ABC. 2010-05-30.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h Dorsey, Patrick (2010-05-31). "Race Breakdown". The Indianapolis Star. p. R4.
  24. ^ Martin, Bruce (2010-05-31). "Franchitti joins legends with his second Indianapolis 500 victory". SI Mobile. Archived from the original on 2012-07-14. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  25. ^ a b c Rabjohns, Jeff (2010-05-31). "Kanaan's dramatic charge keys Andretti's big day". The Indianapolis Star. p. R9.
  26. ^ a b c Ballard, Steve (2010-05-31). "Team Penske makes too many mistakes to prevail". The Indianapolis Star. p. R2.
  27. ^ Cavin, Curt (2010-05-31). "Race Results". The Indianapolis Star. p. R12.
  28. ^ "Conway's car goes airborne in crash". ESPN.com. ESPN. 31 May 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  29. ^ Wilson, Phillip B. (2010-05-31). "Conway breaks leg but OK after horrific crash". The Indianapolis Star. p. R13.
  30. ^ a b Cavin, Curt (2010-05-31). "Franchitti takes his 2nd Indy win to join legendary drivers with multiple victories in the 500". The Indianapolis Star. pp. R6-7.
  31. ^ "Franchitti wins second Indianapolis 500 title". AFP. 30 May 2010. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  32. ^ a b "Franchitti conserves enough fuel to win his second Indy 500". The Miami Herald. 30 May 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2010. [dead link‍]
  33. ^ Wilson, Phillip B. (2010-05-31). "Wheldon delivers another 2nd for Panther". The Indianapolis Star. p. R13.
  34. ^ Ballard, Steve (2010-05-31). "Lloyd's 4th-place finish makes for 'perfect day'". The Indianapolis Star. p. R10.
  35. ^ Alesia, Mark (2010-05-31). "Patrick bounces back to finish 6th". The Indianapolis Star. p. R2.
  36. ^ Pells, Eddie (30 May 2010). "Franchitti flawless and lucky, wins Indy". Associated Press. Retrieved 30 May 2010.[dead link‍]
  37. ^ "Franchitti wint door hitte geteisterde Indy 500 | MotorRacingblog.nl". www.motorracingblog.nl. June 2010. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  38. ^ "All 17 races broadcast on TSN, TSN2". IndyCar Series. Indy Racing League. 2010-01-29. Archived from the original on 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2010-04-13.


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