 | |||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | USAC | ||||
| Season | 1995 CART season | ||||
| Date | May 28, 1995 | ||||
| Winner |  Jacques Villeneuve | ||||
| Winning team | Team Green | ||||
| Average speed | 153.616 mph (247.221 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position |  Scott Brayton | ||||
| Pole speed | 231.604 mph (372.731 km/h) | ||||
| Fastest qualifier | Scott Brayton | ||||
| Rookie of the Year |  Christian Fittipaldi | ||||
| Most laps led | Maurício Gugelmin (59) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Florence Henderson | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Nabors | ||||
| Starting command | Mary F. Hulman | ||||
| Pace car | Chevrolet Corvette | ||||
| Pace car driver | Jim Perkins | ||||
| Starter | Duane Sweeney | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 375,000[1] | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | ABC | ||||
| Announcers | Host/Lap-by-lap: Paul Page Color Analyst: Sam Posey Color Analyst/Turn 2: Bobby Unser | ||||
| Nielsen ratings | 9.4 / 26 | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The 79th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1995. Sanctioned by USAC, it was part of the 1995 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season. Jacques Villeneuve was victorious in his second start, the first Canadian to the "500". Villeneuve would go on to win the 1995 CART Championship, before moving to Williams for 1996.
After dominating the 1994 race and the 1994 season, Marlboro Team Penske failed to qualify for the race.[2] Two-time and defending Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr. (too slow) and two-time winner Emerson Fittipaldi (bumped) could not get their cars up to speed. A noticeable period of decline followed for the team, including being absent from Indianapolis from 1996 to 2000 due to the ongoing Open wheel "Split". The team returned to Indianapolis in 2001, and were back to their winning ways by 2000 when Gil de Ferran won the CART championship.
On lap 190, with the field coming back to green on a restart, race leader Scott Goodyear passed the pace car in turn four, and was assessed a stop-and-go penalty. Goodyear refused to serve the penalty, claiming that the green light was on, and he stayed out on the track. Per the black flag rules, officials stopped scoring Goodyear five laps later (lap 195), which handed Jacques Villeneuve the lead of the race, and ultimately, a controversial victory.[3] Examination of video evidence after the race proved that Goodyear passed the pace car while the yellow caution light was on,[4] and his team declined to protest the ruling.[4] Villeneuve's winning car was powered by the Ford Cosworth XB engine, the powerplant's first Indy victory in its fourth attempt. The win broke a seven-year winning streak by Ilmor-constructed engines. With Goodyear's disqualification, Honda was effectively denied their first Indy victory, and did not win at Indianapolis until 2004 with Buddy Rice.
Race winner Jacques Villeneuve's day was not without incident, as he was issued a two-lap penalty for inadvertently passing the pace car during a caution period on lap 38. Through both strategy and luck, the young driver made up the deficit during the course of the race, earning the "Indy 505" sobriquet.[a] In addition to the race controversies, the day was marred by a multi-car crash on the opening lap involving Stan Fox, Eddie Cheever, and others. Fox suffered career-ending head injuries.
The race was held under a growing cloud of uncertainty about the future of the sport of open wheel racing in the United States. Since the early 1980s, the sport had operated in relative harmony, with an arrangement such that CART sanctioned the season-long Indy car national championship, and USAC sanctioned the Indy 500 singly. The Speedway's management, led by Tony George, had already announced the formation of the rival Indy Racing League for 1996, and the Indy 500 was to be its centerpiece. Competitors, fans, and media alike, were apprehensive about the event's future beyond 1995. The 1995 race was the final Indy 500 that featured a field of CART-based drivers and teams.[3]
Due to injuries, retirements, and the open wheel "Split" months later, the race was the final Indy 500 for several drivers, including Bobby Rahal,[3] Danny Sullivan, Teo Fabi, Scott Pruett, Stan Fox, Hiro Matsushita, Stefan Johansson, and others. Emerson Fittipaldi (who failed to qualify), suffered career ending injuries in the second Michigan race in 1996 and never raced at Indy again.
The 1995 month of May celebrated the 50th anniversary of Hulman/George family ownership of the Speedway.
- ^ Miller, Robin (May 29, 1995). "Villeneuve wins crash-marred race after late penalty to Scott Goodyear". The Indianapolis Star. p. 71. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Siano, Joseph (May 22, 1995). "AUTO RACING; After a Rough Month, Penske's Team Is Shut Out at Indy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
- ^ a b c Baker, Matt (2008-05-24). "Remembering the 1995 Indy 500". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
- ^ a b 1995 Miller Genuine Draft 200 (TV broadcast). ABC Sports. 1995-06-04.
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