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Race: The running of the 83rd Indianapolis 500 is the fourth race in the current 11 race Indy Racing League season. The Indy 500 is sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC). This race covers 200 laps around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, a total of 500 miles. In terms of attendance, the Indy 500 is the largest single-day sporting event in the world. With 250,000 seats, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the largest sports venue in the world. Annual attendance generally draws more than 400,000 spectators.
Track: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that hosted its first motor racing event in 1909 and its first Indy 500 in 1911. It is banked nine degrees.
Records:
Pole record (four laps/10 miles) Scott Brayton, May 10, 1996; 233.718 mph
Qualifying (four laps/10 miles) Arie Luyendyk, May 11, 1996; 236.986 mph
Single lap (2.5 miles) Arie Luyendyk, May 11, 1996; 237.498 mph
Race (200 laps/500 miles) Arie Luyendyk, May 27, 1990; 2 hr., 41 min., 18.404 sec.; 185.981 mph.
Fastest race lap Michael Andretti; May 24, 1993; 39.281 sec.; 229.118 mph
Most Career Starts: A.J. Foyt, 35 consecutive (1958-92)
Most Pole Positions: Rick Mears, 6 (1979-82-86-88-89-91)
Most Starts on the Front Row: Rick Mears, 11
Most Wins: 4 (A.J. Foyt, 1961-64-67-77); (Al Unser, 1970-71-78-87); (Rick Mears, 1979-84-88-91)
Back-to-Back Winners: Wilbur Shaw, 1930-40; Mauri Rose, 1947-48; Bill Vukovich, 1953-54; Al Unser, 1970-71
Worst Start to Win: 27th (Ray Harroun, 1911; Louis Meyer, 1936)
Number of Wins from the Pole: 11 (last Al Unser Jr., 1994)
Most Times Led in One Race: Tommy Milton, 13 (1923)
Most Laps Led in One Race: Billy Arnold, 198 (1930)
Widest Winning Margin: Jules Goux, 13 minutes, 8 seconds (1913)
Closest Winning Margin: Al Unser Jr., .043 second (1992)
Most Times Led in Career: A.J. Foyt, 39
Most Laps Led in Career: Al Unser, 644
Most Miles Led in Career: A.J. Foyt, 12,272 1/2
Youngest Winner: Troy Ruttman, 22 years, 2 months (1952)
Oldest Winner: Al Unser, 47 years, 11 months (1987)
Highest Single Race Winnings: Al Unser Jr., $1,373,813 (1994)
Highest Career Winnings: Rick Mears, $4,299,392
Most Rookies to Start: 19 (1919)
Rookie Winners: Ray Harroun (1911); Jules Goux (1913); Rene Thomas (1914); Frank Lockhard (1926); George Souders (1927); Graham Hill (1966).
Defending Champion Eddie Cheever
Chief Steward: Keith Ward (since 1995)
Time: 11 a.m. EDT, Sunday, May 30 Broadcast airs live on ABC Sports (Noon - 4:30 p.m. EDT)
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