We’ve had more than a year of hype and now we’re only days away from the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Yes it is Race No. 6 on the 16-race schedule of the 2016 IndyCar series season. But it is so much more.
To win this race in any year is life-changing. To win the centennial running will make that driver as famous as first-ever winner Ray Harroun. (Race day drinking game: every time Harroun is mentioned during the race broadcast, you take a drink.)
The setting of course is the famed 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway that is so massive the Roman Coliseum, Vatican City, Yankee Stadium, Churchill Downs, the Taj Mahal, the White House and the Rose Bowl would all fit inside the 253-acre site. This year more than 350,000 people will be in attendance. The race is totally sold out and for only the third time ever the local television blackout has been lifted.
Programming Note: Watch the 100th running of the Indy 500 on Sunday with coverage beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sportsnet 360.
Everything about Indianapolis is different and that’s part of what makes it so special. Teams practise for a week leading up to qualifying. And the qualifying itself is unique. Whereas other races are one fast lap, Indy is four heart-stopping laps with drivers hanging on at every corner.
There is no shortage of intriguing stories heading into the race that showcase tradition and pageantry better than any major event. From James Hinchcliffe’s incredible return after a near fatal crash one year ago to Roger Penske’s team seeking his 17th Indy 500 win; Helio Castroneves trying to become the fourth driver to win four of these cherished events and the battle between Chevrolet and Honda; Can Simon Pagenaud capture his fourth consecutive victory this season or will Scott Dixon move alone into fourth place on the all-time wins list of IndyCar drivers.
Canadian drivers bookend the field of 33 with Alex Tagliani at the tail end after a crash that ended his qualifying attempt and Oakville, Ont., native Hinchcliffe leading the cars to the green flag. They, along with any other driver in the field, have a realistic chance to win. Sure starting up front is preferred, but as we saw just a year ago, Juan Pablo Montoya started 15th and after an early incident was running last and he went on to win his second Indianapolis 500.
The 500-mile distance is a gruelling journey for both the driver and the team. It will mean six or seven pit stops on the day for fuel, fresh tires and handling adjustments and that’s if everything goes smoothly. As all teams know, not everything will go according to plan and it’s the team that makes the fewest mistakes that stands the best opportunity to win.
During the race each of the 33 drivers who begin the journey lined up in 11 rows of three will be acquiring information on every lap. How does their car react on different racing lines, how does it feel in traffic, which drivers can you trust and who should you be wary of in the late stages? They will deposit all this into their bank of knowledge. In the closing stages, when the battle is at its fiercest and the final lap drawing near they will summon every bit of that knowledge to achieve the best finish possible for their team.
For one driver it will mean a victory in the “greatest spectacle of racing” and a drink of milk in the victory circle. Another one of the many race day traditions.