This listing is for The Indianapolis 500 89th Running 2005 Official Program.

The 89th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 29, 2005. It was the premier event of the 2005 IndyCar Series season and the 10th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. The late Dan Wheldon won the race, his 1st of 2 Indy victories (2005 and 2011). Wheldon became the 1st British-born winner since Graham Hill in 1966. It was the 2nd-consecutive Indy victory for Honda, and the 1st victory for the Dallara chassis since 2002. It was also the long-awaited 1st Indianapolis 500 victory for car owner Michael Andretti of Andretti-Green Racing. After many years of failing to win the race as a driver ("Andretti Curse"), Andretti finally achieved victory at Indianapolis as an owner. As of 2021, it is the 1st of his 5 Indy victories as an owner. Rookie Danica Patrick, who qualified and finished 4th, became the 1st female driver in Indy history to lead laps during the race. Patrick led 3 times for a total of 19 laps and won the Rookie of the Year award. Considerable media hype and attention was focused on the race and on Patrick in particular during the month, giving birth to the term "Danica Mania." Her 4th place starting position broke the record set by Lyn St. James (6th in 1994) and her 4th place finishing position broke the record set by Janet Guthrie (9th in 1978). The increased attention going into the race helped register a 6.5 Nielsen rating, the highest since 1996. Also making headlines during the month of May was the return of 1999 winner Kenny Bräck. After suffering a horrendous crash at Texas in October 2003, Bräck sat out the 2004 season, recovering from serious injuries. Bräck, in what would be his final IndyCar race, drove in substitute for Buddy Rice, who had suffered a concussion in a practice crash on May 11. Bräck was the overall fastest qualifier during time trials but dropped out of the race near the halfway point due to mechanical problems.

The Indianapolis 500, also formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or simply the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis. The event is traditionally held over Memorial Day weekend, usually the last weekend of May. It is contested as part of the IndyCar Series, the top level of American Championship Car racing, an open-wheel, open-cockpit formula colloquially known as "Indy Car Racing". The track itself is nicknamed the "Brickyard", as the racing surface was paved in brick in the fall of 1909. One yard of brick remains exposed at the start/finish line. The event, billed as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, is considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport. The Triple Crown comprises three of the most prestigious motorsports events in the world, also including the Monaco Grand Prix (which traditionally falls on the same day as the Indianapolis 500) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In two different periods, the race was part of FIA World Championships; between 1925 and 1928, the World Manufacturers' Championship and between 1950 and 1960, the World Drivers' Championship. The official attendance is not disclosed by Speedway management, but the permanent seating capacity is upwards of 250,000, and infield patrons raise the race-day attendance to approximately 300,000. It shares its date with NASCAR's 600-mile event later in the evening at Charlotte, with drivers having completed both events in one day before in a so-called Double Duty. In addition, the Monaco Grand Prix (Formula One) is also held on the same date, a few hours earlier in Europe. As such, the last weekend of May is known as one of the largest weekends in auto racing.

The inaugural race was held in 1911 and was won by Ray Harroun. The event celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011, and the 100th running was held in 2016. The event was put on hiatus twice, from 1917 to 1918 due to World War I and from 1942 to 1945 due to World War II. Marcus Ericsson is the current champion. The most successful drivers are A. J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr., Rick Mears and Hélio Castroneves, each of whom has won the race four times. The active driver with the most victories is Hélio Castroneves. Rick Mears holds the record for most career pole positions with six. The most successful car owner is Roger Penske, owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Team Penske, which has 18 total wins and 18 poles. Penske also has five wins at the IndyCar Grand Prix, held on the combined road course. The event is steeped in tradition, in pre-race ceremonies, post-race celebrations, and race procedure. The most noteworthy and most popular traditions are the 33-car field lining up three-wide for the start, the annual singing of the chorus of "Back Home Again in Indiana," and the victory lane bottle of milk. Also unique is that qualifying requires the driver to complete four, rather than one, timed laps. Qualifying has a separate weekend.

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