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2010 Indianapolis 500
... | |||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | Indy Racing League | ||||
| Season | 2010 IndyCar season | ||||
| Date | May 30, 2010 | ||||
| Winner |  Dario Franchitti | ||||
| Winning team | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | ||||
| Average speed | 161.623 mph (260.107 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position |  Hélio Castroneves | ||||
| Pole speed | 227.970 mph (366.882 km/h) | ||||
| Fastest qualifier | Hélio Castroneves | ||||
| Rookie of the Year |  Simona de Silvestro[1] | ||||
| Most laps led | Dario Franchitti (155) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Jewel[2] | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Nabors | ||||
| Starting command | Mari Hulman George | ||||
| Pace car | Chevrolet Camaro SS[3] | ||||
| Pace car driver | Robin Roberts[4] | ||||
| Starter | Paul Blevin | ||||
| Honorary starter | Jack Nicholson[5] | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 300,000 + (est.) | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | ABC | ||||
| Announcers | Marty Reid Scott Goodyear Eddie Cheever, Jr.[6] | ||||
| Nielsen ratings | 3.6,[7] 4.0 overnight[8] / 10 | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
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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
- 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
- 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
The 2010 schedule was a two-week condensed schedule, but featured only one fewer day of on-track activity compared to 2009.[15]
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Entry list
- See Team and driver chart for further information.
Practice
Saturday May 15
- 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 | Hélio Castroneves
|
Team Penske | 226.603 mph (365 km/h) |
| 2 | 10T | Dario Franchitti
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | 226.535 mph (365 km/h) |
| 3 | 9T |  Scott Dixon
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | 226.237 mph (364 km/h) |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | ||||
Sunday May 16
- 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 | Hélio Castroneves
|
Team Penske | 227.046 mph (365 km/h) |
| 2 | 9 | Scott Dixon
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | 226.202 mph (364 km/h) |
| 3 | 10 | Dario Franchitti
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | 226.044 mph (364 km/h) |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | ||||
Monday May 17
- Weather: Rain, 54 °F (12 °C)
- Practice summary: Practice was cancelled due to rain.[18]
Tuesday May 18
- 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 | Scott Dixon
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | 226.549 mph (365 km/h) |
| 2 | 32 | Mario Moraes
|
KV Racing Technology | 225.913 mph (364 km/h) |
| 3 | 26 |  Marco Andretti
|
Andretti Autosport | 225.751 mph (363 km/h) |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | ||||
Wednesday May 19
- 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 | Scott Dixon
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | 226.971 mph (365 km/h) |
| 2 | 6 |  Ryan Briscoe
|
Team Penske | 226.633 mph (365 km/h) |
| 3 | 77 |  Alex Tagliani
|
FAZZT Race Team | 226.002 mph (364 km/h) |
| OFFICIAL REPORT | ||||
Thursday May 20
- 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]
