INDIANAPOLIS 500 QUALIFYING PROCEDURES:
Qualifications are also known as Time Trials. This means the drivers compete to see who is the fastest and gets to start the race close to the front.

The qualifying draw for positions is conducted in first-come, first-serve order the day before 1st Day of Qualifying, ie. the drivers draw to see who is going to get to qualify first, second, third, etc. Drivers generally will be trying to qualify both their primary car and a backup (T) car.

The pole position is decided by the fastest qualifier on the first day, or the fastest qualifier after one trip through the original qualifying line, whichever comes LAST.

Each car can make three qualification attempts. When a car completes a four-lap, 10-mile qualification attempt, its speed becomes official. The car may not re-qualify. The driver, if the car is bumped or withdrawn, may qualify in another car.

Each car must take two warm-up laps. The decision to take the green to start the attempt or wave off must be made the second time past the flagstand.

The team owner or designated representative must raise the green flag to signify the start of a qualification attempt or the yellow flag will be thrown, aborting the attempt.

Qualifying Schedule:

Qualifying is ran the two weekends before race weekend.

The first day of qualifying is a Saturday. It is known as "Pole Day". Positions one through 11 in the 33-car field are available to the fastest 11 qualifiers that day. Once the 11 spots are full, bumping will occur for the rest of the day to determine the Pole and the fastest 11 qualifiers for that day.

Second Day Qualifying, Sunday: Positions 12 through 22 are available. Once those spots are full, bumping will occur only in spots 12 through 22 for the rest of the day to determine the fastest 11 qualifiers for that day.

Third Day Qualifying, Saturday: Positions 23 through 33 are available. Once those spots are full, bumping will occur only in spots 23-33 for the rest of the day to determine the fastest 11 qualifiers for that day.

Fourth Day Qualifying, Sunday: The last day of qualifying is known as "Bump Day" and "Bubble Day". Any qualifying attempt on this day that is faster than a qualified entrant in the 33 positions in the starting field will bump the slowest qualifier from the field, regardless of the day of qualification. The “bumped” entrant will be removed from the field of 33, and the remaining field will move ahead one position in the starting field as the newly qualified entrant will take the 33rd position, or a higher position if faster than the other fourth-day qualifiers. As the end of the day approaches (6 p.m.) the driver sitting in last place of the grid gets mighty nervous.

Each car, primary or backup, will have three attempts per day to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. If a car is bumped on any day of qualifications, that entrant can re-enter the qualification line and attempt to re-qualify based on the numbers of attempts remaining for that car.

Entrants also can still withdraw qualified cars from the field at their choice, but that car still will be allowed to make qualifying attempts based on the number of attempts it has remaining for the day. The car does not have to be removed from competition, as in previous formats.

If you are parking in the infield of the speedway, you may choose to tailgate or picnic and so you might also bring a charcoal grill with you and whatever else you need. You can bring in a beer keg if you want! Just don't take a large cooler into the stands on race day. Of course if you try to walk in with one on race day, they won't allow it.

Do I need a race ticket for my toddler?

Everyone with a reserved seat in the stands must have a race ticket, regardless of age. Even if your child can sit on your lap. You will be happy for the extra space as seat room is pretty tight too.

In what year did the first Indianapolis 500 take place?

1911. Ray Harroun won in the Marmon Wasp.

Has the Indianapolis 500 been an annual event since 1911?

No. The race did not take place in 1917-18 and 1942-45 due to America's involvement in the world wars.

The Indianapolis 500 consists of how many laps?

200.

Why was the distance of 500 miles selected? Having decided to dispense with multi-race programs and concentrate on one major race for 1911, Speedway leader Carl Fisher and his partners envisioned an event that would appeal to the public by lasting approximately seven hours between mid-morning and late afternoon. A distance of 500 miles was settled upon, and Ray Harroun won the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911 in six hours, 42 minutes and eight seconds.

What is the distance of one lap around the oval?

A. 2.5 miles. The track has four distinct turns and straightaways, a layout unchanged since the facility opened in 1909. The front and back straightaways are 5/8th of a mile each, with the "short chute" straightaways between Turns 1 and 2 and Turns 3 and 4 at 1/8th of a mile each. Each of the four turns is 1/4th of a mile long.

What is the degree of banking in the turns?

Each of the four turns on the oval is banked at exactly 9 degrees, 12 minutes, the same dimensions as when the track opened in 1909.

Which driver has won the Indianapolis 500 the most times?

Three drivers have won the Indianapolis 500 four times each: A.J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977); Al Unser (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987) and Rick Mears (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991).

Who is the youngest winner of the Indianapolis 500?

A. Troy Ruttman was 22 years, 80 days old when he won the 36th Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 1952.

Who is the oldest winner of the Indianapolis 500?

Al Unser was 47 years, 360 days old when he won the 71st Indianapolis 500 on May 24, 1987.

What is the name of the trophy presented to the winner of the race each year?

The Borg-Warner Trophy, which was commissioned in 1935 by the Borg-Warner Automotive Company. In 1936, Indianapolis 500 winner Louis Meyer was the first driver to receive the trophy.

Why does the winner of the Indianapolis 500 drink milk in Victory Lane?

A. Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Louis Meyer regularly drank buttermilk to refresh himself on a hot day and happened to drink some in Victory Lane as a matter of habit after winning the 1936 race. An executive with what was then the Milk Foundation was so elated when he saw the moment captured in a photograph in the sports section of his newspaper the following morning that he vowed to make sure it would be repeated in coming years. There was a period between 1947-55 when milk was apparently no longer offered, but the practice was revived in 1956 and has been a tradition ever since.

Have women competed in the Indianapolis 500?

Four women have raced in the Indianapolis 500: Janet Guthrie (1977-79), Lyn St. James (1992-97, 2000), Sarah Fisher (2000-04) and Danica Patrick (2005).

Have any rookies won the Indianapolis 500?

Yes. Eight drivers have won as Indianapolis 500 rookies: Ray Harroun (1911, inaugural race), Jules Goux (1913), Rene Thomas (1914), Frank Lockhart (1926), George Souders (1927), Graham Hill (1966), Juan Pablo Montoya (2000), Helio Castroneves (2001).

Have there always been 33 cars in the starting field of the Indianapolis 500?

No. After 40 cars started in the inaugural race in 1911, the Contest Board of the American Automobile Association (AAA), the sanctioning body at the time, mandated a formula for limiting the size of a starting field according to the size of the track. It was determined that the safe distance between each car spread equally around a course would be 400 feet, thereby limiting the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway to 33 cars. Speedway President Carl Fisher, however, placed a limit of only 30 cars for the "500" between 1912 and 1914 and did not adopt AAA's 33 maximum until 1915. Although there had been numerous occasions between 1912 and 1928 when the field was not filled, the allowed number was increased during the Depression years to 40 cars between 1930 and 1932 (only 38 made it in 1930) and further to 42 in 1933. The maximum has been at 33 ever since 1934, although extenuating circumstances expanded the field to 35 starters in 1979 and 1997.

What is the fastest official lap ever turned during the month of May?

237.498 mph by Arie Luyendyk during qualifying May 12, 1996. Luyendyk turned a lap of 239.260 during practice May 10, 1996. It was the fastest unofficial lap ever at the Speedway, as practice laps are not official.

Who was the first driver to turn an official lap of 200 mph during the month of May?

Tom Sneva, who turned 200.401 mph and 200.535 on Laps 1 and 2 of his qualifying run on May 14, 1977.

Has any driver ever won the Indianapolis 500 three times in a row or more?

No. Five drivers have won the race two years in a row: Wilbur Shaw (1939-40), Mauri Rose (1947-48), Bill Vukovich (1953-54), Al Unser (1970-71) and Helio Castroneves (2001-02).

Who was the first driver and team to earn $1 million in one year for winning the Indianapolis 500?

Emerson Fittipaldi and Patrick Racing, whose winner's share was $1,001,604 in 1989.

Has any driver raced in the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400 and U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis during their career?