2005 Indianapolis 500

Among the numerous team/driver changes for 2005 included Rahal Letterman Racing. Defending Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice returned, and was joined by rookie Danica Patrick. Newman/Haas Racing returned to the Indy 500, entering Sébastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira.

Two-time winner Al Unser, Jr. took a brief retirement from driving for 2005 and did not enter. With him along with others such as Michael Andretti, and Arie Luyendyk on the sidelines, no participants from the 1980s would qualify for the field, the first time ever.

Opening day of practice focused on rookie orientation. The coveted first driver on the track was Danica Patrick.[11] Among the top drivers of the day were Patrick (221.463 mph), Ryan Briscoe, and Patrick Carpentier. Seven out of the nine drivers participating completed their required rookie test.

The second day of rookie orientation saw Danica Patrick again set the pace. She set the fast lap of the month thus far at 222.741 mph. Sébastien Bourdais completed his rookie test, while Jeff Ward completed a refresher test.[11]

The first full day of veteran practice saw heavy activity. Dan Wheldon led the speed chart at 226.808 mph, and no incidents were reported.[11]

Defending Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice suffered a significant crash at 12:16 p.m. The car spun in turn 2 and made heavy contact to the rear of the car. Kosuke Matsuura spun to avoid the crash, but received minimal damage. Rice was transported to Methodist Hospital with a concussion.[11]

Rain ended the day about a half hour early, with Tony Kanaan fastest of the day, and fastest of the month thus far, at 227.453 mph.[11]

Darren Manning and Paul Dana both suffered single-car crashes during the session, but neither were seriously injured. Tony Kanaan led the pace early over 227 mph, but late in the day, Danica Patrick upped the speed to 227.633 mph. It marked the fastest lap thus far during the month, and the first time a female driver had led the speed chart on a full day of practice (without a rain delay) since 1977.[11]

"Fast Friday" practice saw cloudy skies, and warm temperatures. Paul Dana wrecked his backup car, the second day in a row crashing. Exiting turn two, Dana spun and hit the outside wall, and slid down the back stretch. Sam Hornish, Jr. hit a piece of debris from the wreck on the back stretch, and did a full flip. The car came down upright, but continued to spin and came to a rest overturned. Hornish was uninjured, but Dana was taken to the hospital for further evaluation.[11]

Tomas Scheckter turned the fastest lap thus far around 1 p.m., at 227.804 mph. Rain began to fall shortly after 2 p.m., and closed the track for the day.[11]

Rain fell overnight and into the morning, preventing any track activity. A new qualifying format was put into place for 2005, providing that only the top 11 cars would secure positions on pole day, and bumping would then occur. Track officials decided to cancel activities for the day at 12:15 p.m., and postpone pole qualifying until Sunday.[11]

Shortly after the official postponement, the rain stopped and blue skies emerged.[12] Some complained that qualifying could have been held after all, but head official Brian Barnhart still felt there would not be sufficient time to finish the qualifying order.[12]

Cool temperatures in the mid-50s were observed for morning practice. Danica Patrick set the fastest lap of the entire month during the morning session at 229.880 mph. The lap made her a favorite for the front row. Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan were close behind on the speed chart.[11]

Due to the rainout on Saturday, 22 positions were to be filled on Sunday. After the field filled to 22 cars, bumping would begin.

At noon, Scott Sharp was the first car to make a qualifying attempt. He placed himself in the field with a speed of 227.126 mph. Moments later, Tony Kanaan put himself on the provisional pole position with a speed of 227.566 mph.[11]

At 12:45 Danica Patrick took to the track. On her first lap, midway through turn 1, the back end of the car wiggled a bit, and slowed her exit from the turn. The first lap was a disappointing 224.920 mph. The second lap, however, increased to 227.638 mph. her fourth and final lap was run at 227.860 mph, the fastest single lap of the day. The final four-lap average of 227.004 mph put her in the fourth starting position. Many feel that if not for the mistake on the first lap, her speed would have been sufficient to secure the pole position.[11]

Later in the day, Sam Hornish, Jr. bumped his way onto the front row. Hélio Castroneves withdrew his earlier speed, but ended up losing a position when he requalified. The field filled to 22 cars, and the day ended as Jaques Lazier was "bumped."[11]

Rahal Letterman Racing named Kenny Bräck as the replacement for injured Buddy Rice. Brack was the 1999 winner, but sat out the 2004 season recovering from a massive crash in October 2003 at Texas.

Nearly 2,500 laps were run during the afternoon, with Dan Wheldon fastest at 227.320 mph. The fastest non-qualified car was Kenny Bräck, already up to 225.774 mph.[11]

Rain washed out all practice for the day.[11]

Another busy day of practice saw 2,228 laps completed incident-free. Dan Wheldon remained on top of the speech chart at 226.399 mph, until Tony Kanaan (226.490 mph) bumped him off in the final hour.[11]

Arie Luyendyk Jr., attempting to complete his rookie test, suffered gearbox trouble, then later blew an engine.

The third day of time trials saw the field fill to 32 cars. In the first hour, Ryan Briscoe, Marty Roth and Kenny Bräck completed runs. Bräck qualified at 227.598 mph, the fastest qualifier in the field.[11] Though he qualified faster than polesitter Tony Kanaan, as a third day qualifier, Bräck would be required to start 22nd.

After blowing an engine earlier, A. J. Foyt IV put a car in the field, and the field finished the day with one grid position open.[11]

With one position open, very few teams in the garage area were prepared to make a qualifying attempt. Most teams used the morning and afternoon sessions for practice. Arie Luyendyk Jr. was the only entry going into the day confirming an intent to qualify.

At 3:10 p.m., Luyendyk, Jr. completed a run at 215.039 mph, and filled the field to 33 cars.[11] Luyendyk, Jr. was the slowest car in the field, and on the bubble. However, it appeared that Luyendyk would be safe, with no other teams preparing to qualify.

Shortly after the run, A. J. Foyt Racing announced that they had signed veteran Felipe Giaffone, and he would attempt to qualify. Giaffone had been shopping with his wife at Babies "Я" Us when he got a telephone call to run over to the Speedway.[11][13] Within two hours of being at the store, Giaffone was suited up and ready to drive. In less than 45 minutes, he was up to speed and ready to qualify.

At 5:36 p.m., with less than 25 minutes left in the day, Giaffone took to the track and easily bumped Luyendyk, Jr. from the field.[11] Luyendyk's team quickly scrambled his car to go out one final time. With one minute remaining before the 6 o'clock gun, Luyendyk entered the track. His speed was slow, and he fell more than 7 mph shy of bumping his way into the field.

• First alternate: Arie Luyendyk Jr.  R  (#98) – bumped

• Paul Dana  R  (#91) – injured during a practice crash; replaced by Jimmy Kite
• Buddy Rice  W  (#15) – injured during a practice crash; replaced by Kenny Bräck
• Scott Mayer  R  (#48) – failed to complete rookie orientation; replaced by Felipe Giaffone

Race dawn emerged warm and sunny, with temperatures in the mid 70s (°F), and no chance of rain. Speedway chairperson Mari Hulman George gave the command to start engines at 11:58 a.m. (EST). The field assembled for two parade laps and one pace lap behind the Chevrolet Corvette C6 pace car, driven by Colin Powell.

At the start, a very well-aligned field saw polesitter Tony Kanaan take the lead into turn 1. The field circulated safely through the first lap. In the third turn, Sam Hornish, Jr. passed Kanaan for the lead, and led the first lap. Kanaan re-took the lead on lap 3. The duo traded the lead once more before Larry Foyt crashed on lap 18, bringing out the first caution.

Most of the leaders pit under the yellow, and Kanaan won the race off of pit road.

Sam Hornish, Jr. took the lead on lap 38, and the race began to settle into a pace. On lap 55, a series of green flag pit stops shuffled the field momentary. Hornish ducked into the pits first, followed by Kanaan. The shuffle brought Danica Patrick to the lead on lap 56. It marked the first time in Indy 500 history that a female driver led a lap in competition. She pitted the next time around, and Hornish emerged once again as the leader.

On lap 78, Bruno Junqueira went to pass the lap car of A. J. Foyt IV in turn 2. The two cars touched, and Junqueira crashed hard into the outside wall. He suffered a concussion and fractured vertebrae.

Kenny Bräck headed for the pits on lap 82 with mechanical trouble. The car eventually dropped out due to a broken wishbone suspension.

As they approached the halfway point, Hornish and Kanaan again battled back and forth for the lead.

On lap 114, Richie Hearn and Scott Dixon tangled and crashed in turn one. On the restart, Kanaan and Dario Franchitti passed Hornish on the front stretch, and pulled away from the field.

On lap 147, Sam Hornish, Jr. went to pass Sébastien Bourdais on the outside of turn one. He slid high, and smacked the outside wall. The leaders pit on lap 149, which meant that only one more fuel stop would be required for each car. Exiting the pits, Bryan Herta was penalized for speeding on pit road, and was moved to the rear of the field for the upcoming restart.

On 155, the field prepared to go back to green. Accelerating in the north short chute, Danica Patrick, running 8th, did a half-spin, and tagged Tomáš Enge. Tomas Scheckter spun to avoid the crash, and wrecked into the inside wall. Jeff Bucknum, Patrick Carpentier, and Jaques Lazier also got caught up in the melee. Patrick damaged her nosecone, and ducked immediately into the pits. The team replaced the nose of the car, then a second pit stop (lap 159) saw her change tires and top off the fuel. Patrick dropped to 11th, the last car on the lead lap. Just before the restart on lap 161, Bryan Herta ducked into the pits, and topped off the fuel. The team intended to go the distance without another pit stop.

With 30 laps to go, Dan Wheldon led Vitor Meira. Roger Yasukawa brought out the yellow when his car blew an engine down the front stretch. All of the leaders except Patrick and Herta went to the pits. Staying out, Patrick and Herta shuffled up to the front of the field. Patrick took the lead for the second time of the day on lap 172, and led Herta on the lap 173 restart. To the delight of the crowd, Patrick pulled out to a 1-second lead. Her crew instructed her to dial down the fuel mixture (in an effort to make it to the finish), and her lead began to dwindle. Dan Wheldon caught her on lap 186, and took the lead. At the same time, Kosuke Matsuura hit the wall in the exit of turn four.

With ten laps to go, the green flag came back out. Patrick darted around Wheldon, and took the lead into turn 1. She held the lead for three laps. With seven laps to go, Wheldon passed her once again, and pulled out to a lead. With less than three laps to go, Vítor Meira and Bryan Herta managed to get by Patrick, while Wheldon continued to pull away. Down the back stretch with less than 1½ laps to go, Buddy Lazier passed Sébastien Bourdais on the outside for 5th place. Bourdais got loose in turn 3, and crashed into the outside wall. The yellow and white flag were displayed, and one lap later, Dan Wheldon won the race under caution.

Bryan Herta's fuel strategy worked out, and he came home third. Danica Patrick held on to 4th place, beating Janet Guthrie's Indy 500 record (9th place in 1978) for the best finish by a female driver. Buddy Lazier finished a strong 5th, despite nursing a broken front wing after contact by Scott Sharp.

The race was carried live on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. Mike King served as chief announcer. Pancho Carter served as "driver expert," a role he also participated as in 1988.

The four turn reporters remained the same from the previous year. In the pit area Kim Morris and Jim Murphy departed. Joining the crew were Nicole Manske and USAC Midget champion Kevin Olson. During the pre-race, Olson interviewed David Letterman, a segment of the broadcast that would become a fixture in subsequent years.

Among the special guests interviewed in the booth were former Secretary of State Colin Powell and the recently elected Governor of Indiana Mitch Daniels. Sponsor guests interviewed in the booth included Tim Manganello (BorgWarner), Keith Sirios (Checkers and Rally's), Al Spire (Firestone), John Middlebrook (GM), and Keith Newman (Jim Beam).

For 2005, ABC Sports replaced veteran announcer Paul Page with Todd Harris.[20] Harris had previously covered the World's Strongest Man competitions, and worked as a sideline–pit reporter. However, he was inexperienced in anchoring live sports, and did not personally pursue the role.[21] Harris was joined by analyst Scott Goodyear in the booth. Gone from the broadcast was veteran Paul Page, who had covered the 500 on television or radio dating back to 1974.

Also new to the broadcast was Brent Musburger, who took over the host role.

The "Wide World of Sports" telecast opened with the pre-race billed as "Firestone Race Day." The opening teaser entitled "Speed City," created by Brice Bowman of Earshot Audio Post, would eventually earn a Sports Emmy for "Outstanding post-produced audio/sound."

Going into the race broadcast, one of the most significant stories of the month was Danica Patrick qualifying 4th, and having a legitimate chance to win the race. ABC Sports planned to focus considerably on Patrick during the pre-race and race running.[20][22] Many felt that ABC was ignoring the other drivers, including polesitter Tony Kanaan and eventual winner Dan Wheldon.[23] In the days after the race, ABC, and Harris in particular, were largely criticised by columnists and bloggers for poor coverage, and for biased and subjective coverage of Patrick.[23][24][25][26][27][28]

It was pointed out that despite the close attention, neither Harris nor Goodyear noticed that Patrick had taken the lead during a sequence of pit stops on lap 56.[25][26] Nine laps later, as ABC returned from commercial, Harris mentioned Patrick having taken the lead for the first time.[25][29] His comments were criticised as he said she "...turned the trick..."[23][25][29] (usually a sexual reference), and that "Fifty years from now you will remember where you were when Danica Patrick made not only motorsports history, but she joined the likes of Amelia Earhart and Sally Ride in a barrier-breaking performance..."[29][30] Of which Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel wrote "I seriously doubt it, Todd."[28] Greene also wrote that Harris "said many stupid things Sunday because of Ms. Patrick's efforts."[28]

Richard Sandomir wrote that Harris and Goodyear faltered in three distinct instances late in the race.[27] With 13 laps to go, they closely examined Dan Wheldon taking the lead by the nose of the car at the line repeatedly when a caution came out. It was portrayed as if they were racing back to the caution. However, such was not allowed under Indy Racing League rules. It was later observed that the caution light did not turn on until the cars were in turn 1 (well after Wheldon had completed the pass), and the attention focused at the start–finish line was misguided, misleading, and irrelevant.

Three laps later, Harris awkwardly waited ten seconds before noting that Patrick had re-taken the lead on the restart.[27] When Wheldon took the lead for good on lap 193, Harris again hesitated, and waited 20 seconds to report the move, and another 30 seconds to report that Patrick had dropped to 4th place.[27] Sandomir also criticized a perceived "softball" post-race interview of Patrick by Jerry Punch.[27]

Houston Chronicle writer David Barron said during the pre-race show and the race's first 90 minutes, he "counted an average of one Patrick reference every five minutes, and each reference went on for some time." Others blogged that ABC was intentionally bringing attention to Patrick's looks, at the same time trying to downplay them.[31]

With all the hoopla regarding Danica Patrick it was also seen as interesting by some that the song that was played during the closing credits of the broadcast was a song by the title "Luckiest Man Alive" by the Finn Brothers. Some felt that while jumping on the Danica hype for all it was worth this pointed to ABC never really taking the idea seriously that she might actually win. Of course there could've been another version of the closing credits with another song available if she had won but no one at ABC has ever commented on it.

At the end of the 2005 season, Todd Harris was removed from the booth, and replaced with veteran Marty Reid.

• 2005 Indianapolis 500 Daily Trackside Report for the Media
• Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats - Official Site