2015 Indianapolis 500

The 2015 Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 24, 2015. It was the premier event of the 2015 season of the Verizon IndyCar Series. Juan Pablo Montoya won his second Indianapolis 500, followed in the finish by Will Power, Charlie Kimball, polesitter Scott Dixon, and Graham Rahal.[5]

2015 Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning bodyIndyCar
Season2015 IndyCar Series season
DateMay 24, 2015
Winner Juan Pablo Montoya
Winning teamTeam Penske
Average speed161.341 mph (259.653 km/h)
Pole position Scott Dixon
Pole speed226.760 mph (364.935 km/h)
Fastest qualifier Scott Dixon
Rookie of the Year Gabby Chaves
Most laps led Scott Dixon (84)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthemJordin Sparks[1]
"Back Home Again in Indiana"Straight No Chaser
Starting CommandMari Hulman George
Pace carChevrolet Corvette Z06
Pace car driverJeff Gordon[2]
StarterPaul Blevin
Honorary starterPatrick Dempsey
Estimated attendance220,000 (estimated)[3]
TV in the United States
NetworkABC
AnnouncersAllen Bestwick, Scott Goodyear, Eddie Cheever
Nielsen Ratings4.3 (6.4 million viewers)[4]
Chronology
Previous Next
2014 2016

For the second year in a row, the month of May activities opened with the Grand Prix of Indianapolis over May 7–9. Practice opened on May 11, and time trials were held on May 16–17. Rain interrupted and eventually washed out time trials on May 16, and all qualifications were held on Sunday May 17.

The 2015 race saw the debut of unique aero kits from Chevrolet and Honda, respectively, outfitted for the Dallara DW12 chassis.[6] As part of the ICONIC project, aero kits were originally planned for 2012, but a series of delays due to cost issues put off their homologation and implementation until 2015. During practice, three Chevrolet entries suffered major crashes that resulted in flip-overs. The crashes raised safety concerns around the paddock, and series officials delayed time trials for several hours in order to address the situation with rule and procedural changes, removing qualifying from its status as a points-paying event.

During a practice session on May 18, IndyCar's Holmatro Safety Team was lauded for a life-saving effort in their rescue of driver James Hinchcliffe. During the run, Hinchcliffe was involved in a major crash, and was impaled by a suspension member. The rapid response by the medical crews was credited with likely saving his life, and nine days later he was released from Methodist Hospital, expected to make a full recovery. Hinchcliffe was able to drive the IndyCar two-seater at a promotional event in August at the Golden Gate Bridge, then made his first competitive laps in a Dan Wheldon Memorial karting event in September.[7]

Race background

Entry list
For further information, see Team and driver list

Rules and rule changes
  • Each entry were allowed 36 sets of tires (Firestone) total, for practice, time trials, and for the race. This is up from 33 sets previously. The special compound "red" tires are not used for oval events.
    • Entries participating in the promoter's open test on May 3 received four additional sets for use on that day only.
    • Entries taking part in a rookie test or a refresher test received an additional set(s) specifically to use for the respective test.
  • Engines were permitted 130 kPa of turbocharger "boost" during the promoter's open test on May 3, and during practice from May 11-14. Cars were allowed 140 kPa of "boost" on Fast Friday practice, and during time trials. The "boost" level reverted to 130 kPa for Carb day and race day.
    • Note: Increased "boost" for time trials was rescinded by officials after crashes during practice (see below).

Pre-race ceremonies

Schedule

Track activities began on Sunday May 3, with Opening Day, featuring the debut of oval aero kits. A full-field open test and rookie orientation took place on the oval from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. During the week, the track was reconfigured to the road course configuration. After the Grand Prix was concluded, the track was closed on Mother's Day, unlike 2014.[14] On Sunday May 10, the track was converted back to the oval configuration, meanwhile, teams had the day to convert the cars from road course to oval set-up.[14]

The track re-opened in oval configuration starting Monday May 11. A second session of rookie orientation was reserved for the track on Monday (if needed), with veterans taking to the track in the afternoon. Practice on Tuesday through Friday was held from 12 noon to 6 p.m. For the second year in a row, a post-qualifying practice session was held on the Monday after pole day.[14] For the second year in a row, time trials were conducted with a combined two-day format. The 33 cars that comprised the field was determined on Saturday, while the starting lineup was set on Sunday.

Race schedules — April/May 2015
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
26
 
 		 27
 
 		 28
 
 		 29
 
 		 30
 
 		 1
 
 		 2
Mini-Marathon
 
3
ROP
Open Test		 4
 
 		 5
 
 		 6
Road to Indy
Open test		 7
Grand Prix
Practice		 8
Grand Prix
Qualifying		 9
Grand Prix
of Indianapolis
10
Car conversion
day		 11
ROP
Practice 		 12
Practice
 		 13
Practice
 		 14
Practice
 		 15
Practice
Fast Friday 		 16
Time Trials
 
17
Pole Day
 		 18
VICS and Lights
Practice		 19
 
 		 20
Community
Day		 21
IL Qualifying
Briscoe test		 22
Carb Day
Freedom 100		 23
Legends Day
Parade
24
Indianapolis
500		 25
Memorial
Day		 26
 
 		 27
 
 		 28
 
 		 29
 
 		 30
 
 
31
 
 		            
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

Testing and Rookie orientation
Juan Pablo Montoya turned the fastest lap on Opening Day.

Rookie Orientation / Refresher tests – Sunday May 3

The track was reserved for rookie orientation from 10:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. The 40-lap rookie test consists of three phases, demonstrating car control, placement, and a consistent driving pattern. Phase one consists of 10 laps at 205-210 mph, phase two consists of 15 laps at 210-215 mph, and phase three requires 15 laps at over 215 mph.[15] Series rookie Gabby Chaves completed all three phases, while Stefano Coletti was out of the country and completed the test on May 11.

Refresher tests were completed by Bryan Clauson, Simona de Silvestro, Oriol Servià, Pippa Mann, Justin Wilson, James Jakes, Conor Daly and Sage Karam. Davey Hamilton came out of retirement to drive the Dreyer & Reinbold/Kingdom Racing entry to shake down the car as a substitute for Townsend Bell, who was competing in the IMSA Monterey Sports Car Championships at Laguna Seca.

Promoter's open test – Sunday May 3

Opening day featured a full-field open test on Sunday May 3, concentrating on the new oval aero kits. The track was available for veteran drivers from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., then for all drivers from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. A total of 28 cars completed 1,845 laps without incident. Juan Pablo Montoya led the speed chart with a top lap of 226.772 mph. A total of 21 drivers exceeded the fastest lap from opening day of 2014. Though Montoya was the over fastest for the day, Hélio Castroneves reportedly ran the fastest single lap without a tow.

  • Weather: 72 °F (22 °C), mostly sunny
Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
1 2 Juan Pablo Montoya Team Penske Chevrolet 226.772
2 3 Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Chevrolet 226.468
3 27 Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Honda 226.268
OFFICIAL REPORT

Practice

Monday May 11
Sage Karam led the speed chart on Monday.

The first day of practice was scheduled for Monday May 11. The day opened with rookie orientation and refresher tests. J. R. Hildebrand and Townsend Bell led the early speeds during the refresher tests, while Stefano Coletti completed his rookie test. Heavy rain halted track activity at about 1:45 p.m. The track re-opened at 4:15 p.m. for full-field practice. At 4:32 p.m., James Jakes's crew suffered a broken inertial starter, which in-turn, threw debris and injured a crew member. At 6:15 p.m., Stefano Coletti did a half-spin in pit lane, but did not make contact. A total of 30 cars completed 1,094 laps, with Sage Karam (225.802 mph), the fastest overall for the day. Karam's Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon posted the fastest "no-tow" lap at 224.443 mph

  • Weather: 77 °F (25 °C), overcast and rain
Top Practice Speeds — Overall
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
1 8 Sage Karam Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 225.802
2 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 225.293
3 10 Tony Kanaan Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 225.217
OFFICIAL REPORT

Tuesday May 12
Hélio Castroneves

The second day of practice was scheduled for May 12. At 2:07 p.m., Simona de Silvestro's car started smoking in the exit of turn two. Down the backstretch, a small fire broke out under the engine cover, and de Silvestro stopped the car near the warm up lane at the end of the backstretch. The car quickly became engulfed in flames, and de Silvestro quickly exited the car, uninjured. It was determined the fire was caused by a fuel leak in the refueling buckeye. Later in the day at 4:30 p.m., James Jakes car came to a stop at the entrance to the pit area with smoke pouring from the engine, and about 20 minutes later, Jack Hawksworth pulled into the grass in turn two with brake failure. The track closed five minutes early at 5:55 p.m. when Justin Wilson's engine blew going down the main stretch. Hélio Castroneves set the fast lap of the day, both overall (227.514 mph) and "no-tow" (225.315 mph). Several teams, including Andretti Autosport, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, and Team Penske, went out together in groups, conducting drafting practice, ostensibly concentrating on race day set-ups.

  • Weather: 62 °F (17 °C), cloudy, wind gusts up to 30 mph
Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
1 3 Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Chevrolet 227.514
2 22 Simon Pagenaud Team Penske Chevrolet 227.382
3 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 226.769
OFFICIAL REPORT

Wednesday May 13 - Hélio Castroneves'blowover
Carlos Muñoz broke the 230 mph barrier.

Two single-car incidents marred the third full day of practice. At 12:45 p.m., Hélio Castroneves' car stepped out in turn one. He did a half-spin, and hit the outside wall in the south short chute with the left side of the car. Sliding backwards, the car became airborne and did a flip, landing upright in turn two. Castroneves walked away uninjured. In the final hour, Pippa Mann went high through the exit of turn four, and spun at the north end of the main stretch. The car slid and hit the inside wall, then hit the attenuator at the end of the pit wall. The car violently spun back on to the main stretch, and came to rest against the outside wall. Mann was not seriously injured.

Track activity was highlighted by Carlos Muñoz, who turned the first 230 mph lap of the month. His lap of 230.121 came during "Happy Hour" with about six minutes left in the day. After the crew worked during the afternoon to prepare his back-up car, Hélio Castroneves was back out on the track turning laps after his wreck earlier in the day. Scott Dixon (226.411 mph) posted the fastest "no-tow" lap.

  • Weather: 64 °F (18 °C), sunny and clear
Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
1 26 Carlos Muñoz Andretti Autosport Honda 230.121
2 24 Townsend Bell Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet 228.969
3 10 Tony Kanaan Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 228.172
OFFICIAL REPORT

Thursday May 14 - Josef Newgarden blowover
Simon Pagenaud

The second major crash in turn one in as many days occurred on Thursday. At 5:18 p.m., Josef Newgarden lost control in turn one, did a three-quarter spin, and hit the outside wall in the south short chute with the nose. The car flipped over, and slid to a rest upside-down near the entrance to turn two. Newgarden was uninjured, and the crash appeared vastly similar to Hélio Castroneves' a day earlier. The two accidents prompted officials to re-evaluate an optional Chevrolet aero kit rear wheel cap that had been installed on both cars.

Simon Pagenaud led the speed chart both overall (228.793 mph) and on the "no-tow" list (227.628 mph). By the end of the day Thursday, a total of 34 car/driver combinations have been on the track, including Buddy Lazier, who made his first track appearance of the month (under INDYCAR rules, Lazier's program, a single-race program, is not permitted on the track until the Thursday of the week). The last hour of the track saw heavy activity, with over 20 cars on the track at once, conducting race simulations and drafting practice. Three-wide passes and aggressive dicing was observed.

Aside from the potential issues regarding the optional Chevy wheel caps, the Chevy teams also were on the track Thursday without the chassis wicker bill. Officials informed the manufacturers that the centerline chassis wicker would be deemed optional. Chevrolet technicians informed their teams to remove them, while Honda kept them on. Meanwhile, some Honda teams were running Thursday with a modified, single-element, rear wing configuration.

  • Weather: 69 °F (21 °C), sunny
Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
1 22 Simon Pagenaud Team Penske Chevrolet 228.793
2 26 Carlos Muñoz Andretti Autosport Honda 228.126
3 8 Sage Karam Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 227.683
OFFICIAL REPORT

Fast Friday — Friday May 15
Scott Dixon turned the fastest "no tow" speed for the week.

Simon Pagenaud led the speed chart on "Fast Friday," the final day of practice before qualifications. It was the second day in a row Pagenaud was the top driver of the day, and it was the fastest lap turned thus far of the month. Hot and windy conditions kept the speeds down from expected. Teams were allowed increased turbocharger "boost" for Friday, and Scott Dixon set an early "no tow" speed of 230.655 mph during the first hour. No incidents were reported, however, many cars stayed off the track for most of the afternoon. Only 1,055 laps were completed all day, approximately half of previous days. A total of 33 out of 34 cars completed at least one lap over 225 mph.

  • Weather: 82 °F (28 °C), partly cloudy, wind gusts up to 16 mph
Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
1 22 Simon Pagenaud Team Penske Chevrolet 230.698
2 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 230.655
3 10 Tony Kanaan Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 230.457
OFFICIAL REPORT

Time trials

First Day — Saturday May 16

The first day of time trials was scheduled for Saturday May 16. Hélio Castroneves (233.474 mph) turned the fastest lap during the morning practice session, the fastest single lap at the track since 1996. Three cars (Carlos Huertas, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Scott Dixon) got out onto the track to begin qualifying, but it began to rain during Dixon's run. Dixon had just completed his first lap at 231.357 mph. The rest of the day was washed out, and officials rescheduled time trials for Sunday. The three runs from Saturday were erased.

  • Weather: 71 °F (22 °C), overcast and rain
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Pos.No.DriverTeamEngineSpeedNotes
1 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda 229.845 Attempt erased
2 18 Carlos Huertas Dale Coyne Racing Honda 228.235 Attempt erased
3 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Incomplete Attempt erased

Second Day — Sunday May 17, Ed Carpenter blowover, late changes to timetrials

The second day of time trials was scheduled for Sunday May 17. After the rainout on Saturday, originally, the schedule for Sunday was to include practice, first round qualifying, and the annual Fast Nine Shootout. However, during the morning practice session, Ed Carpenter suffered a serious crash in turn two. The car did a half spin and hit the outside wall at the exit of turn two. Sliding backwards, the car flipped over, and slid to a stop upside-down. It was the third blowover crash by a Chevrolet for the week. Series officials postponed qualifying, and huddled with participants to address safety concerns. After a lengthy delay, rules were tweaked for qualifying. Cars were required to qualify in race trim, and the increased turbocharger "boost" for qualifying was eliminated. Each car would get one attempt, and the Fast Nine Shootout was scrapped. Time permitting, there would be a final row "shootout" amongst the four slowest cars to determine positions 31-33, as well as the lone car to be bumped.

Scott Dixon, who had his Saturday attempt interrupted by rain, was the third car out to qualify. His speed of 226.760 mph wound up being the fastest of the day. It held up all afternoon, as the rest of the field had to qualify in less-than-ideal track conditions. The entire qualifying line was completed without incident.

Due to the last minute rule changes, championship points were not awarded for Indy 500 time trials results as planned. Tristan Vautier qualified the #19 car in substitution for James Davison, a pre-planned arrangement. Davison was racing in the Pirelli World Challenge event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park the same weekend. Davison was set to take over the car on race day, and per series rules, the car would move to the rear of the field.

  • Weather: 79 °F (26 °C), overcast
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Locked-In Qualifiers: Positions 1–30
Pos.No.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
1 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 226.760
2 1 Will Power Team Penske Chevrolet 226.350
3 22 Simon Pagenaud Team Penske Chevrolet 226.145
4 10 Tony Kanaan Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 225.503
5 3 Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Chevrolet 225.502
6 25 Justin Wilson Andretti Autosport Honda 225.279
7 11 Sébastien Bourdais KV Racing Technology Chevrolet 225.193
8 27 Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Honda 225.189
9 21 Josef Newgarden CFH Racing Chevrolet 225.187
10 6 J. R. Hildebrand CFH Racing Chevrolet 225.099
11 26 Carlos Muñoz Andretti Autosport Honda 225.042
12 20 Ed Carpenter CFH Racing Chevrolet 224.883
13 32 Oriol Servià Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 224.777
14 83 Charlie Kimball Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 224.743
15 2 Juan Pablo Montoya Team Penske Chevrolet 224.657
16 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda 224.573
17 15 Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 224.290
18 18 Carlos Huertas Dale Coyne Racing Honda 224.233
19 29 Simona de Silvestro Andretti Autosport Honda 223.838
20 7 James Jakes Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda 223.790
21 19 Tristan Vautier Dale Coyne Racing Honda 223.747
22 48 Alex Tagliani A. J. Foyt Enterprises Honda 223.722
23 8 Sage Karam Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 223.595
24 5 James Hinchcliffe Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda 223.519
25 43 Conor Daly Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda 223.482
26 24 Townsend Bell Dreyer & Reinbold Kingdom Racing Chevrolet 223.447
27 14 Takuma Sato A. J. Foyt Enterprises Honda 223.226
28 63 Pippa Mann Dale Coyne Racing Honda 223.104
29 98 Gabby Chaves R Bryan Herta Autosport Honda 222.916
30 17 Sebastián Saavedra Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 222.898
Non-Locked-In Qualifiers: Positions 31–33
31 41 Jack Hawksworth A. J. Foyt Enterprises Honda 222.787
32 4 Stefano Coletti R KV Racing Technology Chevrolet 221.912
33 88 Bryan Clauson Jonathan Byrd's Racing Chevrolet 220.523
Failed to qualify
— 91 Buddy Lazier (W) Lazier Partners Racing Chevrolet No attempt
OFFICIAL REPORT

Last row shootout

Four cars participated in a 45-minute "shootout" for the final three positions. Jack Hawksworth and KVSH Racing teammates Stefano Coletti, and Bryan Clauson completed runs, filling the field. Buddy Lazier, who was not able to make an attempt during the first round, was the only other car eligible. Because of INDYCAR rules, Lazier had limited practice laps for the month, and his first attempt was well short at 219.438 mph. The team made some drastic wing adjustments, and scrambled to get the car to the qualifying line in the final minutes. His second attempt was faster, but still shy of bumping his way into the field.

Locked-In Qualifiers: Positions 31–33
Pos.No.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
31 41 Jack Hawksworth A. J. Foyt Enterprises Honda 223.738
32 4 Stefano Coletti R KV Racing Technology Chevrolet 222.001
33 88 Bryan Clauson Jonathan Byrd's Racing Chevrolet 221.358
Failed to qualify
— 91 Buddy Lazier W Lazier Partners Racing Chevrolet 220.153

Post-qualifying practice

Monday May 18, James Hinchcliffe life threatening incident

A post-qualifying practice session was scheduled for Monday May 18 from 12:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. Also on-track was the Indy Lights, coming off a weekend high-speed oval compatibility test at Chicagoland Speedway. The practice was marred by a massive crash around 12:45 p.m. involving James Hinchcliffe. Going into turn three, Hinchcliffe was drafting behind Juan Pablo Montoya. Suddenly the car suffered a right front suspension failure, and the car veered into the outside wall. The right side of the car was disintegrated, and the car slid through the north short chute, tilting up on one side, and coming to rest in turn four. Hinchcliffe was awake and alert, but was pinned in the cockpit and needed assistance from the car. One of the suspension pieces had penetrated the cockpit tub, and punctured Hinchcliffe's thigh, causing profuse bleeding.[16] He was taken to Methodist Hospital for surgery to remove the debris from his thigh, and the quick response work by IndyCar safety crews was credited in likely saving his life.[16] The track was closed while series officials made repairs to the SAFER Barrier, and investigated the cause of the crash. Up to the time of the crash, Simon Pagenaud (225.260 mph) had turned the fastest lap.

The schedule for the day was retooled, with Indy Lights practice moved up, and a second IndyCar practice session scheduled for two hours beginning at 4 p.m. Sage Karam (227.831 mph) set the fastest lap of the second session and overall for the day. The only other incident of the day belonged to Jack Hawksworth, who had an engine failure.

  • Weather: 79 °F (26 °C), overcast
Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
1 8 Sage Karam Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 227.831
2 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 226.542
3 6 J. R. Hildebrand CFH Racing Chevrolet 226.308
OFFICIAL REPORT

Special Test - Thursday May 21

With James Hinchcliffe out for the season due to his injuries, veteran Ryan Briscoe was named as a driver replacement in the #5 car. Briscoe (a full-time driver in 2014) had not driven any laps during the month thus far, and also had not yet driven an Indy car outfitted with the 2015 aero kits. IndyCar officials arranged a special one-hour refresher session for Briscoe to acclimate himself with the new aerodynamic specifications.

Carb Day — Friday May 22
Ryan Briscoe in James Hinchcliffe's #5 IndyCar during the Pit Stop Challenge

Carb day opened with news that Carlos Huertas had not been medically cleared to race due to an inner ear condition. Tristan Vautier was named to replace him in the number 18 car and was moved to the rear of the field for the race. Vautier had driven in a substitution role for James Davison during time trials, but was scheduled to fly to Silverstone for an endurance race. Vautier was at O'Hare International Airport waiting for his plane when he got a telephone call to return to Indianapolis.[17]

The Carb Day practice session saw Will Power set the fastest lap of the day with a lap of 229.020 mph. No major incidents occurred during this session.

  • Weather: 75 °F (24 °C), mostly sunny
Top Practice Speeds
PosNo.DriverTeamEngineSpeed
1 1 Will Power Team Penske Chevrolet 229.020
2 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 228.585
3 10 Tony Kanaan Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 228.490
OFFICIAL REPORT

Pit Stop Challenge

The annual TAG Heuer Pit Stop Challenge was held Friday May 22. A total of twelve drivers/teams qualified. The teams of Marco Andretti, Will Power, Scott Dixon, and Ryan Briscoe (subbing for James Hinchcliffe), received first-round byes, and advanced directly to the quarterfinals. Penske Racing with driver Hélio Castroneves defeated Chip Ganassi Racing (Charlie Kimball) in the final round to win the annual tournament. it was Penske Racing's 15th win in the Pit Stop contest, and Castroneves' sixth, both records.

  First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
                                     
       
  41 Jack Hawksworth 15.355  
    27 Marco Andretti 14.083  
48 Alex Tagliani
41 Jack Hawksworth 10.237  
  27 Marco Andretti 13.501  
  83 Charlie Kimball 12.636  
       
       
  83 Charlie Kimball 12.368
    9 Scott Dixon 13.232  
83 Charlie Kimball 14.002
14 Takuma Sato  
  83 Charlie Kimball 13.017
  3 Helio Castroneves 12.561
       
       
  3 Helio Castroneves 12.631
    5 Ryan Briscoe 13.614  
15 Graham Rahal 18.000
3 Helio Castroneves 12.651  
  3 Helio Castroneves 12.731
  1 Will Power 12.891  
       
       
  24 Townsend Bell 13.336
    1 Will Power 12.755  
7 James Jakes 14.000
24 Townsend Bell 12.145  

Source:[18]

Starting grid

(R) = Indianapolis 500 rookie; (W) = Former Indianapolis 500 winner

Row Inside Middle Outside
1 9 Scott Dixon (W) 1 Will Power 22 Simon Pagenaud
2 10 Tony Kanaan (W) 3 Hélio Castroneves (W) 25 Justin Wilson
3 11 Sebastian Bourdais 27 Marco Andretti 21 Josef Newgarden
4 6 J. R. Hildebrand 26 Carlos Muñoz 20 Ed Carpenter
5 32 Oriol Servià 83 Charlie Kimball 2 Juan Pablo Montoya (W)
6 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay (W) 15 Graham Rahal 29 Simona de Silvestro
7 7 James Jakes 48 Alex Tagliani 8 Sage Karam
8 43 Conor Daly 24 Townsend Bell 14 Takuma Sato
9 63 Pippa Mann 98 Gabby Chaves (R) 17 Sebastián Saavedra
10 41 Jack Hawksworth 4 Stefano Coletti (R) 88 Bryan Clauson
11 5 Ryan Briscoe2 18 Tristan Vautier3 19 James Davison1
Cars moved to the rear of the field are ordered by entrant points.

Post-qualifying changes

1 Tristan Vautier qualified the #19 car for James Davison, as Davison was racing in the Pirelli World Challenge at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park over qualifying weekend. Per race rules, the car, which had originally qualified for the 21st starting position, was moved to the rear of the field.
2 James Hinchcliffe qualified the original #5 car in 24th, but was injured in the ensuing day's practice session. Schmidt Peterson Motorsports named Ryan Briscoe to replace Hinchcliffe. A backup car was utilized, and Briscoe was moved to the rear of the field.
3 Carlos Huertas qualified the #18 car but was diagnosed with an ear infection and was not medically cleared to race. Tristan Vautier was named to replace Huertas, and was moved to the rear of the field.

Race

Clear skies and warm temperatures were seen on race day. As the field pulled away for parade laps, Alex Tagliani remained stationary with issues getting the car into gear. The problem was eventually resolved and Tagliani resumed his spot in the starting lineup.

As the field continued the parade laps, fire erupted from underneath the car of Conor Daly. Daly pulled the car to a stop at the North short chute, his day was done before the race even began.

First half

Start

Scott Dixon led the field into turn one. As the field rounded turn one, the first incident of the day occurred when Sage Karam squeezed Takuma Sato into the turn 1 wall. Ryan Briscoe also spun trying to avoid the incident. Karam was out of the race, while Sato and Briscoe were able to effect repairs and continue.

Under caution, behind the pace car, as the field came around for the restart on lap 7, Simona de Silvestro rear-ended Juan Pablo Montoya, damaging de Silvestro's left-front wing and Montoya's right-rear bumper, which detached just before Montoya entered pit lane for repairs, causing an extended caution period to clear the debris. After two more restart attempts, the race finally went green on lap 13. The race became a three-way battle for the lead between Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, and Simon Pagenaud, with the three swapping the lead regularly. The first round of green flag pit stops briefly promoted Montoya, who had refueled during his stop for repairs, into the lead. When he pitted, Dixon resumed the lead.

Second quarter

The second caution of the race came on lap 64, when Bryan Clauson drifted wide in turn four and hit the outside barrier. During yellow flag pit stops, Simon Pagenaud was able to jump ahead of the Chip Ganassi Racing teammates and take the lead.

The race restarted on lap 71, and the battle between Pagenaud, Dixon, and Kanaan continued from where it left off. Another round of green flag pit stops came, during which Hélio Castroneves briefly inherited the lead. When stops were cycled through, Pagenaud emerged the leader again.

Second half

Halfway

The third caution of the race came on lap 113, when Ed Carpenter clipped Oriol Servià and sent both into the wall in turn one. During this caution, an incident involving all three of the Dale Coyne Racing cars occurred on pit lane. James Davison was released just as his teammate Pippa Mann was passing his pit stall. The two made contact, and Davison slid into the car and crew of his other teammate, Tristan Vautier. Two crew members from Vautier's team were hit, and one suffered a broken ankle.[19] Both Vautier and Davison retired from the race due to the incident.

The race restarted on lap 122, with Will Power joining Pagenaud, Dixon, and Kanaan in the battle for the lead.

Fourth quarter
Juan Pablo Montoya

Green flag pit stops again came with roughly 50 laps left in the race. As the pit stop cycle neared completion, the fourth caution of the race came on lap 153 as Tony Kanaan, fresh off a wing adjustment, lost control of his car in turn three and crashed. Alex Tagliani briefly held the lead, but surrendered it to make his pit stop.

The race restarted on lap 160 with Juan Pablo Montoya joining the battle for the lead, having finally recovered from the early race mishap. 7 laps later, the fifth caution of the day came out for a piece of debris that had come off of the car of Takuma Sato. The leaders made their last stops of the race during this caution, with Will Power coming out in front. Andretti Autosport teammates Justin Wilson and Carlos Muñoz elected to stay out during this sequence, with Muñoz inheriting the lead.

The race was restarted on lap 173, with Wilson and Muñoz quickly shuffled back by cars with fresher tires. As the field worked around the Andretti Autosport drivers on lap 176, Simon Pagenaud clipped the rear of Justin Wilson, causing front wing damage to Pagenaud's car and causing him to drop rapidly through the field. Only three turns later, a three-car crash occurred in turn 4 when Jack Hawksworth lost control of his car and hit Sebastián Saavedra from behind. Saavedra's car continued sliding back across the track and into the path of Stefano Coletti, who slammed into the front end of Saavedra's car. Saavedra needed assistance in climbing from his car and was later diagnosed with a foot contusion.

The race was restarted on lap 184 with Power in the lead. The last 13 laps saw the lead exchange hands four times between Dixon, Power and Montoya. With four laps remaining, Montoya slip-streamed around the outside of Power into turn one and took the lead. With clean air, Montoya was able to fend off Power for the remaining three laps and win the second Indianapolis 500 of his career.

Box score
Pos No. Driver Team Engine/
Aero Kit		 Laps Time/Retired Pit
Stops		 Grid Laps
Led		 Pts.1
1 2 Juan Pablo Montoya (W) Team Penske Chevrolet 200 3:05:56.5286 9 15 9 101
2 1 Will Power Team Penske Chevrolet 200 +0.1046 6 2 23 81
3 83 Charlie Kimball Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 200 +0.795 6 14 10 71
4 9 Scott Dixon (W) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 200 +1.0292 6 1 84 67
5 15 Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 200 +2.3122 6 17 60
6 27 Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Honda 200 +2.5388 6 8 56
7 3 Hélio Castroneves (W) Team Penske Chevrolet 200 +2.7821 6 5 2 53
8 6 J.R. Hildebrand CFH Racing Chevrolet 200 +3.5631 7 10 48
9 21 Josef Newgarden CFH Racing Chevrolet 200 +4.0281 6 9 44
10 22 Simon Pagenaud Team Penske Chevrolet 200 +4.2148 7 3 35 41
11 11 Sébastien Bourdais KVSH Racing Chevrolet 200 +5.3067 6 7 38
12 5 Ryan Briscoe Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda 200 +5.6687 7 31 36
13 14 Takuma Sato A. J. Foyt Enterprises Honda 200 +6.1678 10 24 34
14 24 Townsend Bell Dreyer & Reinbold Kingdom Racing Chevrolet 200 +8.5005 6 23 32
15 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay (W) Andretti Autosport Honda 200 +9.6481 6 16 30
16 98 Gabby Chaves (R) Bryan Herta Autosport Honda 200 +10.1016 6 26 28
17 48 Alex Tagliani A. J. Foyt Enterprises Honda 200 +11.2151 7 20 2 27
18 7 James Jakes Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda 200 +12.0431 8 19 24
19 29 Simona de Silvestro Andretti Autosport Honda 200 +12.7328 8 18 22
20 26 Carlos Muñoz Andretti Autosport Honda 200 +39.8346 8 11 3 21
21 25 Justin Wilson Andretti Autosport Honda 199 +1 Lap 8 6 2 19
22 63 Pippa Mann Dale Coyne Racing Honda 197 +3 Laps 11 25 16
23 17 Sebastián Saavedra Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 175 Crash T4 6 27 14
24 41 Jack Hawksworth A. J. Foyt Enterprises Honda 175 Crash T4 7 28 12
25 4 Stefano Coletti (R) KVSH Racing Chevrolet 175 Crash T4 7 29 10
26 10 Tony Kanaan (W) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 151 Crash T4 5 4 30 11
27 19 James Davison Dale Coyne Racing Honda 116 Crash damage 3 33 10
28 18 Tristan Vautier Dale Coyne Racing Honda 116 Crash damage 3 32 10
29 32 Oriol Servià Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 112 Crash T1 3 13 10
30 20 Ed Carpenter CFH Racing Chevrolet 112 Crash T1 3 12 10
31 88 Bryan Clauson Jonathan Byrd's Racing Chevrolet 61 Crash T4 2 30 10
32 8 Sage Karam Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 0 Crash T1 0 21 10
33 43 Conor Daly Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda 0 Did not start
Exhaust		 0 22 10
OFFICIAL BOX SCORE

Average speed: 161.341 mph

Notes

1 Points this year did not include qualification points from Time Trials due to a compressed schedule, however there were bonus points included in this years race, 1 point for leading a lap, and 2 points for most laps led.

Championship standings after the race
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included.

Broadcasting

Television

The Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis 500 were broadcast live in the United States on ABC. Allen Bestwick was the anchor for the second year in a row. Jon Beekhuis joined the crew as pit reporter.

The Time Trials were originally scheduled to air on ABC. However, due to weather, schedule changes, and ABC's commitment to air a Game 7 NBA playoff game, trials instead aired on ESPNEWS.

Former pit reporters Vince Welch and Jamie Little departed ESPN/ABC for Fox Sports.

The race received a 4.3 overnight rating, tied for the highest since 2008.[20] The fast-national final rating of 4.3 (6.4 million viewers) was a three-year high, and the highest rated and most watched since 2012.[21]

ABC Television
Booth AnnouncersPit/garage reporters

Host: Lindsay Czarniak
Announcer: Allen Bestwick
Color: Scott Goodyear
Color: Eddie Cheever

 Jerry Punch
Jon Beekhuis
Rick DeBruhl

In Hispanic America, ESPN Latin America showed the race live.

Radio

The race was carried live by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, part of the Advanced Auto Parts IndyCar Radio Network. Paul Page was the chief announcer for the full race for the final time as during the 2016 race after the first lap he would hand off the responsibilities as Voice of the 500 to Mark Jaynes. Davey Hamilton was the driver expert. Doug Rice, the anchor of the Performance Racing Network, which distributes the Brickyard 400 radio broadcast produced with the IMS Radio Network, joined the crew as a pit reporter. Rice performed "double duty", working the pits for the Indy 500, then flying to Charlotte Motor Speedway to call the Coca-Cola 600.[22] Dave Wilson, who previously served as a booth analyst, and later a garage area reporter, returned to the booth in 2015 offering commentary as race "statistician."

The pit reporters split their duties with Nick Yeoman and Michael Young reporting from the south end of the pit area. Dave Furst reported from the center pits, and during the second half of the race, also reported from the garage area and medical center. Kevin Lee reported from the north-center pits, then in the latter stages of the race, moved towards the south end to help focus on some of the leaders. Doug Rice was stationed at the north end of the pit area, but focused nearly the entire race on the pit of eventual race winner Juan Pablo Montoya. After the race, Nick Yeoman interviewed the winner in victory lane.

After featuring Paul Page's signature "Delta Force" theme music in 2014, the traditional "The 500" song was reprised for 2015. Among the guests interviewed in the booth was future Vice President of the United States and current Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Sponsor guests included Dan Ammann (GM), Jim Doyle (Panasonic), Dale Herrigle (Firestone), and James Verrier (BorgWarner). The broadcast originated from the "Firestone Broadcast Booth" inside the Pagoda.

1070 The Fan broadcast nightly beginning May 4 with Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee, followed by Donald Davidson's The Talk of Gasoline Alley.[23]

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
Booth AnnouncersTurn ReportersPit/garage reporters

Chief Announcer: Paul Page
Driver expert: Davey Hamilton
Historian: Donald Davidson
Statistician: Dave Wilson

Turn 1: Jerry Baker
Turn 2: Jake Query
Turn 3: Mark Jaynes
Turn 4: Chris Denari

Nick Yeoman (south pits)
Michael Young (south-center pits)
Dave Furst (center pits/garages)
Kevin Lee (north-center pits)
Doug Rice (north pits)

Footnotes

Works cited

References
  1. "Multi-Platinum Recording Artist Jordin Sparks to Sing National Anthem at 99th Indy 500". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. May 19, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  2. Jensen, Tom (April 29, 2015). "Jeff Gordon named pace car driver for 99th Indianapolis 500". FoxSports.com. Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  3. Schuster, Blake (May 24, 2015). "Juan Pablo Montoya: 'There's only one way to win' Indy 500". indystar.com. Indianapolis Star. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  4. "Indy 500 draws 6.4 million viewers up 5% from 2014 (Updated)". SportsTVRatings.com. Sports TV Ratings. May 25, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  5. "Juan Pablo Montoya wins Indy after late Duel". abc7news.com. ABC News 7. May 24, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  6. Lewandowski, Dave (January 4, 2015). "Aero kit 2015 Q&A: 'Not going to be a spec car'". IndyCar.com. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  7. Miller, Robin (June 1, 2015). "Deliverance – the amazing rescue of James Hinchcliffe". Racer.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. DiZinno, Tony (May 13, 2014). "1996 Indy 500 champ Buddy Lazier motivated as ever despite generational shift". motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  9. "Clauson Lands 2015 Indy 500 Ride". NationalSpeedSportNews.com. Turn 3 Media LLC. May 16, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  10. Miller, Robin (April 16, 2015). "IndyCar: No second Herta car for Indy 500". racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Archived from the original on 2015-04-19. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  11. Lewandowski, Dave (April 2, 2015). "Technology company connects with the '500'". IndyCar.com. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  12. Cavin, Curt (June 8, 2015). "Back Home Again". Autoweek. 65 (11): 49.
  13. "Four-Time "500" Winner Al Unser to be Honored at Legends Day on May 23". IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com. IMS LLC. January 27, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  14. Cavin, Curt (February 3, 2015). "Indy 500 practice begins earlier, runs later". indystar.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  15. Lewandowski, Dave (April 30, 2015). "Test on Speedway oval: Unwrapping new package". IndyCar.com. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  16. "Quick safety team response key in critical Hinchcliffe crash". Racer.com. May 19, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-05-20. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  17. Martin, Bruce (May 22, 2015). "Tristan Vautier to race against car he qualified into Indy 500". FoxSports. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  18. 2015 Carb Day telecast (NBCSN)
  19. "Coyne Team Ready to Turn the Page After Tough Indy 500". Dale Coyne Racing. May 24, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-05-27. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  20. "Indy 500 Overnight Up Slightly, Ties Best Mark Since 2008". Sports Media Watch. May 25, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  21. "Indy 500 Hits Three-Year Highs in Ratings, Viewership". Sports Media Watch. May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  22. DiZinno, Tony (May 15, 2015). "PRN radio reporter Doug Rice to pull Memorial Day broadcast double with Shell support". Motor Sports Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  23. Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee – 1070 The Fan, April 28, 2015
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