What Makes the Indianapolis 500 So Special

Caleb MillerCar and Driver

While the 2022 IndyCar season stretches over 17 races, there is one that rises above the rest. Known as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” the Indianapolis 500 holds more prestige than winning the championship for many drivers and teams, and the preparations, tensions, and media hullabaloo last the entire month of May. While most races are preceded by only a couple of practice sessions, the Indy 500 requires a full week of practice ahead of a qualifying session that sees the drivers lapping at mind-boggling speeds, with this year’s polesitter Scott Dixon averaging 234.046 mph across four laps. To get a taste of what makes the Indy 500 such an important event for drivers and fans alike, we traveled down to Indianapolis this year to attend the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500. Here’s what we found:

See How Different the 2020 Indy 500 Looked and Felt

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The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the largest sports venue in the world, with permanent seating for more than 257,000 fans and even more space on the infield. After a relatively small crowd of 135,000 in 2021 due to Covid restrictions, IndyCar fans showed up in droves for the 2022 running, with 325,000 people packing into the Brickyard on Sunday. The huge congregation of fans makes the Indy 500 one of the only races in all motorsports where the crowd’s applause can drown out the sound of the race cars.

Still, the twin-turbocharged 2.2-liter engines—supplied either by Honda or Chevrolet—are plenty loud, especially when the full 33-car field roars by as the green flag waves. Like most motorsports besides Formula E, hearing protection is highly recommended, and the thrum of the engines is a constant presence during the three-hour race.

The passion for racing is on full display in Speedway, Indiana. Approaching the circuit, nearly every house is decked out with checkered flags and signs welcoming race fans. The race is steeped in tradition, from the singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana” to the famous post-race milk celebration for the winner. Many families have been coming to the 500 for generations, with IndyCar racing baked into their bloodlines.

Held on Memorial Day weekend each year, the Indy 500 is an overtly patriotic affair. Along with “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America,” there is also the singing of “America the Beautiful,” honoring of service members, and two flyovers by the Air Force’s Thunderbirds. American flags abound: waving atop the iconic Pagoda, worn by fans and crew members alike, and even festooned upon J.R. Hildebrand’s number 11 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet. Before the race, an Indiana National Guardsman plays “Taps” on the trumpet, and all 325,000 fans—with utmost respect for the race’s rituals—go silent before erupting into cheers as the final note rings across the Speedway.

One of the best parts of attending an IndyCar race is just how close you can get to the cars with a relatively inexpensive pass. While the cheapest general admission tickets for Formula 1’s 2022 Miami Grand Prix started at over $500, access to the IndyCar garages on non-race days, where the teams prepare the cars, costs a couple of hundred dollars less. The passes let you walk right up to the edge of the garages and peek inside, glimpsing the race cars with their engine covers cast aside and mechanical intricacies exposed. You may even get to hear a car fire up, a deafening but intoxicating experience.

Along with spying the cars in their naked glory, garage access allows you to stand in the presence of drivers and IndyCar legends. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion turned IndyCar racer Jimmie Johnson stands nearby giving an interview, while Romain Grosjean, whose Formula 1 career spanned 10 seasons, strolls past with a stack of children’s drawings, getting each driver to autograph them for young fans. Turn around and you can spot 2018 Indy 500 winner Will Power navigating the crowd on a scooter, before motorsports royalty Mario Andretti speeds past behind the wheel of a golf cart.

The grid before the race is chaos. Fans lucky enough to get access mingle among the cars, mouths agape and phone cameras at the ready as mechanics prepare the open-wheel missiles for the three-hour battle ahead. Fans with a keen eye might even spot racing greats like Michael Andretti in their midst. After driver introductions, the gladiators negotiate the throng of people to get to their machines. The drivers have one last pep talk with their strategists, kiss their partners, and strap into their cars.

The green flag flies at 12:45 p.m. and the pack of cars blasts past to start the first of 200 laps. Even after watching practice, you never get used to watching the gaggle of cars fly into Turn 1, three wide and inches apart, well north of 200 mph. The first 180 tours of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are all about surviving—avoiding contact with other cars and errors on pit road. Not everyone makes it. Highly touted contenders Rinus Veekay and Romain Grosjean find the wall, while six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, after leading much of the race, incurs a pit lane speeding penalty on lap 175.

With 20 laps to go, those contending for the race win begin to emerge at the front. While Arrow McLaren SP teammates Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist take over the net race lead when Dixon is reprimanded, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson—who spent five years in F1—catches up, passes both, and begins to stretch out a sizable gap over the McLarens.

But nothing comes easy in Indianapolis, and on lap 194 Jimmie Johnson crashes, bringing out the caution flag and ultimately red-flagging the race as the safety team cleans the track before a final shootout. Ericsson’s lead vanishes, and when the race resumes with two laps remaining, O’Ward is right on his tail. A stout defense ensues, with Ericsson using all of the track to his advantage, nearly crossing into pit lane as he weaves down the main straight to avoid giving O’Ward the slipstream. O’Ward pulls alongside the outside of Ericsson into Turn 1 but backs out, and as they enter the penultimate corner, another crash further down the field puts an early end to the dogfight. The checkered flag waves, and Ericsson rockets over the yard of bricks to claim the biggest race win of his career.

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