 | |||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | IndyCar | ||||
| Season | 2019 IndyCar Season | ||||
| Date | May 26, 2019 | ||||
| Winner |  Simon Pagenaud | ||||
| Winning team | Team Penske | ||||
| Average speed | 175.794 mph (282.913 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | Simon Pagenaud | ||||
| Pole speed | 229.992 mph (370.136 km/h) | ||||
| Fastest qualifier |  Spencer Pigot | ||||
| Rookie of the Year | Santino Ferrucci | ||||
| Most laps led | Simon Pagenaud (116) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Kelly Clarkson | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Cornelison | ||||
| Starting command | Tony George | ||||
| Pace car | Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport | ||||
| Pace car driver | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||||
| Starter | Paul Blevin | ||||
| Honorary starter | Christian Bale & Matt Damon | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | NBC (blacked out locally) | ||||
| Announcers | Lap-by-lap: Leigh Diffey Driver analyst: Townsend Bell Driver analyst: Paul Tracy | ||||
| Nielsen ratings | 3.4 (5.4 million viewers)[1] | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The 2019 Indianapolis 500 (branded as the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge for sponsorship reasons) was an IndyCar Series event held on Sunday, May 26, 2019, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.[2] The premier event of the 2019 IndyCar Series, the event ran 500 miles (200 laps). Simon Pagenaud won the race from the pole position, earning Team Penske's record-extending 18th Indy 500 victory. Pagenaud led 116 laps, taking the lead for the final time with just over one lap to go from 2016 winner Alexander Rossi. He became the first French-born winner since Gaston Chevrolet in 1920, and the first pole-sitter to win the race since 2009.
The month of May activities formally began on May 11 with the IndyCar Grand Prix on the combined road course. Practice for the Indianapolis 500 began on Tuesday, May 14, and time trials were held May 18–19. Carb Day, the traditional final day of practice, as well as the annual Pit Stop Challenge and Indy Lights Freedom 100, were held May 24. Simon Pagenaud became the second driver in a row to sweep both the IndyCar Grand Prix and the Indy 500 in the same year. Pagenaud also won the pole position, the record-extending 18th Indy 500 pole for Team Penske.
Will Power, the winner in 2018, entered the race as the defending champion. During the Last Row Shootout on May 19, former Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso, attempting his second Indy 500, was bumped from the field, and failed to qualify.
This would be the final Indianapolis 500 held under the ownership of the Hulman/George family. On November 3, 2019, it was announced that Penske Entertainment Corp., a subsidiary of the Penske Corporation, owned by Roger Penske, had purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the IndyCar Series, and IMS Productions.[3] The sale was finalized in January 2020.
- ^ "Indianapolis 500 ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
unveilswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "INDYCAR, IMS acquired by Penske Corporation". IndyCar.com. November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.