 | |||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | Indy Racing League | ||||
| Season | 2001 IRL season | ||||
| Date | May 27, 2001 | ||||
| Winner |  Hélio Castroneves | ||||
| Winning team | Penske Racing | ||||
| Average speed | 141.574 mph (228 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position |  Scott Sharp | ||||
| Pole speed | 226.037 mph (364 km/h) | ||||
| Fastest qualifier | Scott Sharp | ||||
| Rookie of the Year | Hélio Castroneves | ||||
| Most laps led | Hélio Castroneves (52) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Steven Tyler | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Nabors | ||||
| Starting command | Mari Hulman George | ||||
| Pace car | Oldsmobile Bravada | ||||
| Pace car driver | Elaine Irwin Mellencamp | ||||
| Starter | Bryan Howard | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 400,000 | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | ABC | ||||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Larry Rice, Jason Priestley | ||||
| Nielsen ratings | 5.8 / 17 | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
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The 85th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 27, 2001. Race rookie Hélio Castroneves, a three-year veteran of the CART series, led the final 52 laps and won his first of four Indy 500 victories. Team Penske swept 1st-2nd with Gil de Ferran finishing as the runner-up. Winning car owner Roger Penske scored his eleventh victory at the Indianapolis 500, and notched his first-ever 1-2 finish in the race. It was a redemption from the team's previous attempt at Indy (1995) in which both of his cars failed to qualify. Team Penske did not compete at Indianapolis from 1996 to 2000 due to the ongoing open wheel "Split".
The race was sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and was part of the 2001 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series season. The 2001 race was notable in that several top CART teams returned to Indy for the first time since 1995. IRL-based teams excelled in time trials, taking the front row, and the top four starting positions overall. However, the CART-based teams swept the top six finishing positions on race day. Former IRL champion Tony Stewart (who was competing full-time in NASCAR), returned to Indy after a missing the 2000 race. Stewart raced "Double Duty", becoming the first driver in history to complete all 1,100 miles. He finished 6th at Indy, and 3rd at the Coca-Cola 600.
The race experienced two rain delays, one lengthy yellow flag around the midway point, and one brief red flag period later in the day. The race, however, was run to its full 500-mile distance.
This race marked the final IndyCar start for the previous year's championship runner-up, and two-time Indy 500 runner-up Scott Goodyear. Goodyear suffered an injury in a crash, and retired from racing. He would move to color commentary duties for ESPN the following season.