 | |||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | Indy Racing League | ||||
| Season | 2008 IndyCar season | ||||
| Date | May 25, 2008 | ||||
| Winner |  Scott Dixon | ||||
| Winning team | Chip Ganassi Racing | ||||
| Average speed | 143.567 mph (231 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | Scott Dixon | ||||
| Pole speed | 226.366 mph (364 km/h) | ||||
| Fastest qualifier | Scott Dixon | ||||
| Rookie of the Year |  Ryan Hunter-Reay | ||||
| Most laps led | Scott Dixon (115) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Julianne Hough[1] | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Nabors | ||||
| Starting command | Mari Hulman George | ||||
| Pace car | Chevrolet Corvette | ||||
| Pace car driver | Emerson Fittipaldi[2] | ||||
| Starter | Bryan Howard | ||||
| Honorary starter | Kristi Yamaguchi[3] | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 400,000+[4] | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | ESPN on ABC | ||||
| Announcers | Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Eddie Cheever | ||||
| Nielsen ratings | 4.5[5] / TBD | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The 92nd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 25, 2008. It was the fifth round of the 2008 IndyCar Series in DIRECTV HD season. Scott Dixon of New Zealand won the race from the pole position. It marked the first Indy 500 victory for Chip Ganassi Racing since 2000. Dixon led 115 laps, taking the lead for the final time during a sequence of yellow-flag pit stops on lap 172. Dixon held off Vítor Meira and Marco Andretti over the final 24 laps to secure the win.
The 2008 Indy 500 took place just three months after the open wheel "unification" took place. It featured a full complement of IndyCar Series regulars, as well as several teams and drivers from the now-shuttered Champ Car World Series. Following the organizational merger, the 2008 running was expected to be one of the most competitive in many years.[6] However, most of the former Champ Car team struggled a bit to adapt to the new equipment. The transitioning Champ Car teams were provided a fleet of IRL chassis for the season, but many were used having been sold off by defunct teams. IRL/IndyCar Series-based teams swept the top ten finishing positions, with the best former Champ Car team finishing 11th.
It was the first Indy 500 where all qualifiers utilized the Dallara IR-03/IR-05 chassis after Phil Giebler failed to qualify with the Panoz chassis. Panoz had already ceased supporting their chassis program in 2006, effectively ushering in a four-year "spec" era. In addition, all full-time entries began utilizing semi-automatic paddle shifters in 2008. Paddle shifters for part-time Indy 500-only entries were optional due to cost reasons.[7] IndyCar Series practice began May 4. Time trials took place over the two weekends prior to the race (May 10–11 and May 17–18). The final practice was held Friday May 23.
- ^ "Julianne Hough to sing at 500". IndyStar.com. 2008-04-08. Archived from the original on 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
- ^ "Fittipaldi to drive pace car at '08 Indy 500". IndyStar.com. 2007-12-20. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
- ^ "Top Boxer Mayweather To Serve As Honorary Starter Of 92nd Indy 500". Indy500.com. 2008-04-24. Archived from the original on 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
- ^ "2008 Indianapolis 500 facts and figures". CBS Sports. 2008-05-25. Archived from the original on 2008-06-26. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
- ^ "Final 500 numbers in". Indianapolis Star. 2008-05-28. Archived from the original on 2008-05-31. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
- ^ "Reaction positive for IRL-Champ Car merge". Yahoo.com. 2008-02-23. Archived from the original on February 10, 2013. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
- ^ "Indy-Car Upgrades Planned For 2008, '09". AutoWeek.com. 2007-09-07. Archived from the original on 2008-02-12. Retrieved 2007-09-17.