2021 Indianapolis 500

Sponsorship On January 31, 2019, it was announced that the online financial services company Gainbridge would become the new presenting sponsor of the 500 under a four-year deal. This will be the third year under the current deal. Rule changes • The temperature requirement rule was changed to "45-45". That required both the ambient temperature to be or higher, and the track surface temperature to be or higher before cars were allowed out on the circuit. Previously the rule was "50-50". • The Last Chance qualifying session was expanded to 75 minutes in order to allow multiple qualifying attempts for each participant. In 2019 participants were permitted only one attempt. This change was supposed to be implemented for 2020, however, only 33 cars were entered and the 2020 Last Chance qualifying session was cancelled. • Each entry was allowed 34 total sets of tires (Firestone), for practice, time trials, and for the race. Entries taking part in the Rookie Orientation Program received an additional three sets for use during that session. Entries taking part in a Refresher Test received two additional sets for use during that session. From 2015 to 2019, teams were permitted 36 total sets. In 2020, teams were also allowed 34 sets, however, there was one fewer day of practice in 2020 compared to 2021. Event changes • Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for the second year in a row, the annual Pit Stop Challenge was not held. In addition, the Carb Day concert and Snake Pit concerts were also cancelled. • Allen Bestwick joined the public address system at the Speedway. Announcer and former radio and television "Voice of the 500" Bob Jenkins reduced his schedule while battling brain cancer. Jenkins died August 9, 2021. 2021 IndyCar Series The 2021 Indianapolis 500 was the sixth race of the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series season. Five different drivers won the first five races of the season, including three first-time winners. Álex Palou won the season opener at Birmingham, his first career IndyCar Series win. The following week, Colton Herta won at St. Petersburg. A doubleheader weekend at Texas saw Scott Dixon and first-time victor Pato O'Ward as race winners. The GMR Grand Prix kicked off the month of May at Indianapolis on May 15, won by Rinus VeeKay, the third first-time winner of the season. Scott Dixon entered the Indianapolis 500 as the series points leader. For the first time since 2013, Team Penske failed to win a race prior to the Indy 500. ==Race schedules==

The 2021 IndyCar Series schedule was announced on October 1, 2020. The Indianapolis 500 returned to its traditional Memorial Day weekend date after being delayed to August 23 in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The race was scheduled for Sunday, May 30, the 54th time the race has been held on May 30. From 1911 to 1970, the race was scheduled for May 30 regardless of the day of the week, as Memorial Day at the time was a fixed-date holiday. During that period, if May 30 fell on a Sunday, the race was scheduled for Monday, May 31. Since 1974, the race has traditionally been scheduled for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. Practice, time trials, and other ancillary events were scheduled for the two weeks leading up to the race. The Freedom 100, however, was not held as the 2021 Indy Lights season only included a race on the road course during GMR Grand Prix weekend. The GMR Grand Prix returned to the month of May, again serving as the opening weekend of track activity. The Road to Indy held doubleheader races on both Friday and Saturday, while IndyCar held practice and qualifying on Friday, and their race on Saturday. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IndyCar event was moved to July 4 (as part of the NASCAR weekend), the Road to Indy events were moved to September, and a second IndyCar road course event (Harvest GP) was held in October as part of the Intercontinental GT weekend. The 2020 GMR Grand Prix was held without spectators, while the October Harvest GP races were held with a maximum of 10,000 spectators. • Includes days where trackactivity was significantly limited due to rain Source: 2021 Indianapolis 500 Event Schedule ==Entry list==

The entry list for the 2021 Indianapolis 500 was released on May 12, 2021. Thirty-five entries appeared on the list, including nine former race winners and three rookies. With thirty-five entries, bumping returned for the first time since 2019. An expected 36th entry for driver Cody Ware set to drive for Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing was withdrawn shortly before the entry list was released due to lack of sponsorship. All entries utilized the Dallara DW12 chassis with the Universal Aero Kit 18, with Firestone tires. The nine former Indy 500 winners making the field the most since there were ten in 1992. (2001, 2002, 2009) has the most previous starts in the field with 20. won the race in 2017 and 2020. • Former Indianapolis 500 Winner • Indianapolis 500 Rookie ==Testing and Rookie Orientation==

October 2020 passed rookie orientation during testing in October. An offseason test was scheduled at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the last week of October after the conclusion of the 2020 season. On Wednesday, October 28, Takuma Sato (Rahal) and Josef Newgarden (Penske) conducted test runs utilizing new aerodynamic pieces and configurations. Rain delayed the start of the session from 11 a.m. to approximately 12:30 p.m. Rookie Scott McLaughlin (Penske) completed the mandatory Rookie Orientation during the afternoon. Track activity for Thursday, October 29 was rescheduled to Friday, October 30 due to a poor weather forecast. On Friday, October 30, Sato and Newgarden were joined by Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti), Ed Carpenter (ECR), Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren SP), and Scott Dixon (Ganassi). The six-car session primarily focused on evaluation of new aerodynamic configurations in traffic. Cool temperatures delayed the start of track activity until approximately 12:15 p.m. No incidents were reported. No incidents were reported. Following the test, reactions from the drivers were mixed to negative. The horsepower increases were in the range of 50–60 HP, resulting in straight-line speed increases of 5–7 mph. Open test — Thursday, April 8 set the fastest lap during the first session of testing. • Weather: , wind up to 21 mph, rain showers in afternoon • Summary: A full-field open test on the oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was scheduled for April 8–9. A total of 32 car and driver combinations were scheduled to participate. Testing was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., with a two-hour session for veteran drivers (21 eligible), followed by a two-hour session for rookie orientation and veteran refresher tests. The final three hours was to be open to all participants, including those that passed their tests in the previous session. Just twelve minutes into the session, Rinus VeeKay suffered a hard crash in turn one on his fifth lap, resulting in a broken finger. Rain at approximately 12:45 p.m. ended the day early for veterans. Conor Daly was fastest overall, with a lap at , while Colton Herta set the fastest "no-tow" lap at . After the rain subsided, the track was opened for rookie orientation and veteran refresher tests from about 6:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. Rookie Orientation / Refresher tests — Thursday, April 8 , grandson of two-time Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, took part in Rookie Orientation. • Summary: The rookie orientation and veteran refresher programs began just after 6:00 p.m. after track drying from earlier rain had been completed. A total of eleven cars took to the track during the session, with many drivers completing their refreshers. Sébastien Bourdais was fastest during the roughly 1 hour session, turning a lap at . There were no major incidents, and the practice was only halted once for a track inspection. The rookie orientation test for 2021 consisted of three stages: 10 laps between 205 and 210 mph, 15 laps between 210 and 215 mph, and 15 laps over 215 mph. The veteran refresher test consisted of only the second and third phases. Open test — Friday, April 9 • Weather: , Mostly cloudy with brief rain showers around mid-day • Summary: Testing time was extended to make up for the previous day's truncated session, with the track now opening at 9:00 a.m. and closing at 6:00 p.m. 31 of the 32 entered cars for the test took to the track, with only Rinus VeeKay absent due to the damage sustained to his car in the previous day's wreck. The session was briefly interrupted just before noon for rain, but was resumed shortly thereafter. No major incidents occurred. Josef Newgarden turned the fastest lap of the open test at . Graham Rahal had the fastest "no-tow" speed at . ==Practice==

Opening Day — Tuesday, May 18 was the fastest driver on opening day of practice. • Weather: , Cloudy with occasional light rain • Summary: The opening day of practice was divided into three sessions. The first session was open to veteran drivers, the second to drivers needing to complete Rookie and Refresher tests, and the third open to all drivers. Graham Rahal was fastest in the first session of the day, running a lap at . Max Chilton had minor mishap when a helmet air ventilation hose became dislodged from the cockpit and wrapped around the rear wing. Light rain interrupted veteran practice three times and caused a delay in the start of rookie/refresher testing. Rookie and refresher testing began just after 2:00 p.m. Only three drivers, R. C. Enerson, J. R. Hildebrand, and Stefan Wilson, were eligible and took part in the session. Both Hildebrand and Wilson completed both phases of their refresher tests. Enerson completed the first of three phases of his rookie test, but suffered a grease leak from the car's drive axle that prevented him from continuing. Enerson and Top Gun Racing did not return for the remainder of the day. Full field practice began almost immediately after the conclusion of the rookie and refresher session. Will Power set the fastest time of the day, running a lap at . Ed Carpenter held the fastest "no-tow" speed - a lap set without the assistance of drafting - at . The only significant incident of the session came at roughly 4:45 p.m. when Sébastien Bourdais's car caught fire behind the right sidepod after an apparent engine failure. Wednesday, May 19 set the fastest lap in the second practice session. • Weather: , Mostly cloudy • Summary: The track opened at 11:00 a.m. with a one-hour session for R. C. Enerson to complete the remainder of his rookie orientation testing. Enerson completed the last two stages of the test, but did not appear for the rest of the day after finishing. The track was opened to all competitors at 12:15 p.m. and remained open until 6:15 p.m. Scott Dixon was the fastest driver of the day, running a lap at . Alexander Rossi set the fastest no-tow lap at . There were no significant incidents during the session. Thursday, May 20 was fastest on Thursday. • Weather: , Mostly cloudy • Summary: Higher temperatures resulted in lower speeds and reduced running in the heat of the day. Practice began with an unannounced photo op by the three Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing cars down the frontstretch. The slow speed of the Rahal cars caught other competitors off-guard and resulted in a minor collision between Scott McLaughlin and Colton Herta. The Rahal team was later penalized for the incident with all three cars being not allowed to participate in the first thirty minutes of Friday's session. The first major incident of the week came at 4:14 p.m., when Santino Ferrucci lost control of his car and impacted the wall in turn two. Ferrucci required assistance walking to the medical car and was later sent to Methodist Hospital for examination of potential injuries to his left leg. Despite the wreck, Ferrucci was still the third fastest driver on the day. Tony Kanaan was the fastest driver of the day, turning a lap at . Jack Harvey held the fastest no-tow lap, running at . ==Time Trials==

Qualifying — Saturday, May 22 • Weather: , Overcast early, partly cloudy late • Summary: Time trials on Saturday determined the top thirty qualifiers which would be locked into the starting field. The nine fastest cars advanced to the Fast Nine Shootout scheduled for Sunday to determine the pole position. The slowest five cars moved on to participate in the Last Row Shootout to determine the final row of the grid and which two entries would not qualify. Scott Dixon, the first driver to take the course, was the fastest driver, turning a four-lap average at , with a best single lap speed of . Colton Herta was second at , while Dixon's teammate Tony Kanaan was third at . :On his second qualifying attempt, Álex Palou suffered a crash in turn 2 after losing control and sliding into the wall at corner exit. However, Palou had not withdrawn his previous time to make this attempt, and his initial time was still fast enough to make the Fast Nine session the next day. :One of the major stories of the day was the difficulties for 2018 winner Will Power. Power was bumped from the field after his initial run and was unable to bump his way back in on subsequent runs, relegating him to the Last Row Shootout session. Sage Karam, Simona de Silvestro, Charlie Kimball, and R. C. Enerson were also forced into the Last Row Shootout. began at 1:15 p.m. The format was expanded to a 75-minute session, with each participant having one guaranteed attempt. Previously, the Last Row Shootout session was limited to only one attempt per car. Entries were now allowed to make additional attempts, time-permitting, but were required to withdraw their previous time to do so. In addition, cars that had completed an attempt would have the time voided if they performed any subsequent work on the car before time ran out in the session. If any adjustments were made, or if any engine cooling efforts were performed, the car was automatically withdrawn and was required to make a new attempt. Sage Karam was the fastest of those in the Last Row Shootout, turning a four-lap average at , to secure 31st starting position. Despite brushing the wall in turn two on his final lap, Will Power was second fastest, taking 32nd. Simona de Silvestro was third fastest, giving her the final starting position (33rd) for the race. Charlie Kimball and R. C. Enerson were 4th-fastest and 5th-fastest, respectively. Despite multiple attempts each, Kimball and Enerson failed to qualify. Fast Nine Qualifying Scott Dixon won his fourth Indianapolis 500 pole position with a four-lap average of and a fastest single lap of . It was Dixon's first IndyCar pole position since the 2017 race. Colton Herta qualified second at , only 0.0197 seconds slower than Dixon. Rinus VeeKay improved from his fifth-placed result in Saturday qualifying to take the outside of the front row, running at . VeeKay was also the highest qualified Chevrolet-powered entry in the field. Following the conclusion of qualifications, a two-hour practice session was held. ==Post-Qualifying practice==

Post-qualifying practice — Sunday, May 23 • Weather: , mostly cloudy • Summary: A two-hour practice session began at 5:00 p.m. following the conclusion of qualifications. Cars returned to their race-day boost levels, and practice runs were oriented on race set-ups. Simon Pagenaud suffered an engine failure during the session, the most significant incident of practice. Álex Palou turned the fastest lap, running at . ==Carb Day final practice==

Carb Day — Friday, May 28 • Weather: , intermittent rain showers • Summary: Carb Day practice, the final practice before the race, was scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. However, rain showers delayed the start by over 2 hours, with practice not starting until roughly 1:30 p.m. Lower temperatures led to higher speeds for the drivers. Scott Dixon turned the fastest lap of the day at . The session was cut short by roughly 10 minutes due to further rain showers. :Due to limited attendance caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Pit Stop Challenge and concerts were not held. == Starting grid ==

Failed to qualify ==Race report==

• Weather: , Sunny. First half Ed Carpenter Racing teammates Conor Daly and Rinus VeeKay dominated the first half of the race. The race began with Scott Dixon pulling into the lead, but by the end of the first lap, Colton Herta had overtaken him. On lap 2, VeeKay moved into the lead and kept it for 29 laps. The lead cars remained in roughly the same order until the first round of pit stops began around lap 31. Ed Carpenter lost significant time when his car fell off its air-jacks and then stalled, dropping him down the order. In the midst of this pit sequence, Stefan Wilson lost his control of his car and wrecked entering pit lane, triggering the race's first caution period. The timing of the caution period caused several participants to make emergency service stops. The worst affected were pre-race favorites Dixon and Alexander Rossi, who both ran out of fuel entering pit lane. Both drivers fell off the lead lap trying to get the cars refired as a consequence. Due to the number of cars taking penalties for stopping for emergency service, the caution period lasted 11 laps while IndyCar officials determined the running order. Racing resumed at lap 46, with Herta, VeeKay, and Daly as the top 3. After a few laps of racing, VeeKay moved into the lead briefly before being passed by his teammate Daly. Hélio Castroneves ran fourth. The next round of pit stops began at roughly lap 68, with no major incident. Daly and VeeKay retained their lead positions, while Patricio O'Ward moved into third. A slower stop dropped Castroneves to seventh. At the halfway mark of the race, the running order was Daly, VeeKay, O'Ward, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Herta. As cars scrambled to avoid the debris from Rahal's wrecked car, Conor Daly struck the loose tire, damaging his front wing. The team elected not to repair the damage, but Daly never reclaimed the lead for the remainder of the race. After a reshuffling of positions from pit stops and the caution, Álex Palou now held the lead ahead of Hélio Castroneves, Patricio O'Ward, and Rinus VeeKay. This left Palou and Castroneves with the lead positions in the closing stages of the race. With two laps remaining, Castroneves overtook Palou to take the lead. Despite encountering a large pack of backmarkers on the final lap, Castroneves held off Palou to take victory. For Castroneves, it was his fourth Indianapolis 500 victory, equaling the record for most victories set by A. J. Foyt, Al Unser, and Rick Mears. He also became the fourth driver aged 46 or older to win the race. The 12-year gap between Castroneves' fourth win and his third win in 2009 is the second-longest gap between victories in Indianapolis 500 history, only after Juan Pablo Montoya's 15-year gap between victories in 2000 and 2015. It was also the first ever IndyCar race victory for the Meyer Shank Racing team. For his victory, Castroneves received $1,828,305 from a total purse of $8,854,565. Palou, the second-place finisher, took over the series points lead with his result. Simon Pagenaud took third position after climbing from a 26th place starting position. the 2021 race set a new record for the fastest running of the Indianapolis 500, eclipsing the mark set in the 2013 race by over 3 mph. The race was noted for its competitive parity, with 361 overtakes made, including 35 for the lead between 13 different drivers. The race further set a record for most competitors still running at the finish, with 30 of the initial 33 starters still circulating. ==Box score==

'''''' Former Indianapolis 500 winner '''''' Indianapolis 500 Rookie All entrants utilized Firestone tires. Points include qualification points from time trials, 1 point for leading a lap, and 2 points for most laps led. Race statistics ==Broadcasting==

Television The race was televised on NBC in the United States. The coverage began at 11:00 a.m. EDT. On May 28, IMS announced that the traditional blackout of the race in the Indianapolis media market would be lifted for the third time since live flag-to-flag coverage began in 1986, as all tickets had been sold out. Therefore, local NBC station WTHR carried the live telecast. Mike Tirico and Danica Patrick returned for pre and post-race coverage, as they had done the previous two years. Patrick also drove the pace car during pre-race festivities. Jac Collinsworth made his Indy 500 debut as the Prerace Host on NBCSN. Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned for pre-race coverage after being absent for the 2020 event as a result of rescheduling (Earnhardt and Letarte were covering the Drydene Twin 500km at Dover International Speedway on the rescheduled weekend). Radio The race was carried by the IndyCar Radio Network. The chief announcer or "Voice of the 500" for the sixth consecutive year was Mark Jaynes with Davey Hamilton as driver analyst. Recently retired Donald Davidson returned to the booth in a live capacity for the first time since 2019 as in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic all of his appearances were taped. This year marked the debut of Alex Wollf as an on-air pit reporter. It also marked the debut of Scott Sander as a pit reporter. 1070 The Fan broadcast weeknights with Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee. Speedway historian Donald Davidson retired at the end of 2020, and his longtime program The Talk of Gasoline Alley was no longer aired. In its place, a new Indianapolis 500 themed program title Beyond The Bricks was hosted by Jake Query (an IndyCar Radio Network veteran) and former WIBC personality Mike Thomson. The 2021 race was the final "500" for Bob Jenkins, the former radio, television, and public address announcer, and emcee. Jenkins died August 9, 2021, from brain cancer. Jenkins had worked as a reporter/broadcaster at the race every year from 1979 to 2020, and had attended the race nearly every since 1960. Due to his condition, he attended the 2021 race only as a spectator, and sat for only brief pre-recorded pieces for the radio broadcast. ==Footnotes==