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2008 Indianapolis 500

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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.

92nd Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning bodyIndy Racing League
Season2008 IndyCar season
DateMay 25, 2008
WinnerNew Zealand Scott Dixon
Winning teamChip Ganassi Racing
Average speed143.567 mph (231 km/h)
Pole positionNew Zealand Scott Dixon
Pole speed226.366 mph (364 km/h)
Fastest qualifierNew Zealand Scott Dixon
Rookie of the YearUnited States Ryan Hunter-Reay
Most laps ledNew Zealand Scott Dixon (115)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthemJulianne Hough[1]
"Back Home Again in Indiana"Jim Nabors
Starting commandMari Hulman George
Pace carChevrolet Corvette
Pace car driverEmerson Fittipaldi[2]
StarterBryan Howard
Honorary starterKristi Yamaguchi[3]
Estimated attendance400,000+[4]
TV in the United States
NetworkESPN on ABC
AnnouncersMarty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Eddie Cheever
Nielsen ratings4.5[5] / TBD
Chronology
Previous Next
2007 2009

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.

Schedule

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Race schedule — May 2008
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
        1
  		2
  		3
Mini-Marathon
4
ROP 		5
ROP 		6
Practice 		7
Practice 		8
Practice 		9
Practice 		10
Pole Day
11
Time Trials 		12
  		13
  		14
Practice 		15
Practice 		16
Practice 		17
Time Trials
18
Bump Day 		19
  		20
  		21
Comm. Day 		22
Lights Practice  		23
Carb Day
Freedom 100 		24
Parade
Freedom 100
25
Indy 500 		26
Memorial Day 		27
  		28
  		29
  		30
  		31
 
Color Notes
Green Practice
Dark Blue Time trials
Silver Race day
Red Rained out*
Blank No track activity

* Includes days where track activity
was significantly limited due to rain

ROP — denotes Rookie Orientation Program

Comm. Day — denotes 500 Festival Community Day

Entry list

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Further information: 2008 IndyCar Series season § Team and Driver Chart

The official entry list was released April 11.[8] The initial list featured 39 cars and 32 drivers. Additional drivers were announced during practice and qualifying. Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2007 IndyCar Series rookie of the year was eligible to compete for the Rookie of the Year award, under race rules. Even though he was an established IndyCar driver, he had not yet made a start at Indianapolis. Several other former Champ Car drivers were individually evaluated and some were only required to take a "refresher" level test in lieu of the traditional four-phase rookie test.

Practice (week 1)

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Sunday May 4 - Rookie Orientation and Veteran Refreshers

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  • Weather: Sunny, blue skies, 63 °F (17 °C)
  • Practice summary: Indianapolis Star Opening Day presents the Unsers started on-track activities for the month. The first day of rookie orientation opened with thirteen drivers eligible to participate. Each first-time starter must pass a four-phase rookie test before being allowed to practice with veterans and qualify. Graham Rahal, Oriol Servià, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alex Lloyd, Hideki Mutoh, Will Power, Justin Wilson, Jaime Camara, E. J. Viso, and Jay Howard passed all four phases of the rookie test. Veteran Max Papis took part in a refresher test. Enrique Bernoldi completed 3 phases of his rookie test and Mario Moraes took to the track at the end of the day to shake his car down. The thirteen drivers turned 661 laps without incident.
Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 8   Will Power KV Racing 220.694 mph (355 km/h)
2 33   E. J. Viso HVM Racing 220.445 mph (355 km/h)
3 5   Oriol Servià KV Racing 220.102 mph (354 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT[permanent dead link‍]

Monday May 5 - Rookie Orientation and Veteran Refreshers

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  • Weather: Sunny, 69 °F (21 °C)
  • Practice summary: The second day of orientation saw more cars on track and a significant increase in speeds. Enrique Bernoldi completed the fourth and final phase of his rookie test, bringing the total to 11 drivers who have done so. Davey Hamilton and Bruno Junqueira returned to the cockpit for a refresher session. Around 1 p.m., Jamie Camara did a half spin and crashed in turn one. Mario Domínguez and Mario Moraes completed the first three phases of their rookie tests and will be allowed to complete the fourth phase during open practice. Alex Lloyd set the fastest lap of the day late in the session at just over 223 mph (359 km/h), a speed that would put him tenth in the 2007 field in only his second day of practice. The sixteen cars on the track turned 655 laps.
Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 16   Alex Lloyd Rahal Letterman Racing w/ CGR 223.033 mph (359 km/h)
2 27   Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green Racing 222.600 mph (358 km/h)
3 8   Will Power KV Racing 222.267 mph (358 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT[permanent dead link‍]

Tuesday May 6 - Practice

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  • Weather: Mostly cloudy, 82 °F (28 °C)
  • Practice summary: The first day of veteran practice saw 33 car/driver combinations take to the Speedway. AGR teammates Marco Andretti and Tony Kanaan led the speed charts, with Ganassi and Penske entries also filling out the top ten. 2004 winner Buddy Rice put the Dreyer & Reinbold team back near the top of the speed chart for the first time in several years. No major incidents occurred. Early in the afternoon, Graham Rahal slid loose in the southchute, but maintained control and did not hit the wall. With rain in the forecast over the next two days, the participants logged 1,385 laps. Senator Hillary Clinton, in the Indianapolis area campaigning for the Indiana primary, visited the track as a guest of Sarah Fisher. Fisher went on to take her first laps on the track in the final hour of the session.
Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 26   Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing 226.599 mph (365 km/h)
2 11   Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing 225.269 mph (363 km/h)
3 9   Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 225.011 mph (362 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT

Wednesday May 7 - Practice

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  • Weather: Rain, windy, 65 °F (18 °C)
  • Practice summary: Practice was scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m., but rain delayed the start. Twice the track was nearly dry and preparing to open, but both times rain returned. At 3:20 p.m., the track was closed for the day.

Thursday May 8 - Practice

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  • Weather: Rain, windy, 61 °F (16 °C)
  • Practice summary: The rain from the previous day continued through the night and the day's on-track activities were canceled at approximately 1:45 p.m., when it was clear that the rain would not cease and the track could not be dried.

Friday May 9 - Fast Friday practice

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  • Weather: Cloudy, windy, 56 °F (13 °C)
  • Practice summary: After two days of rainouts practice resumed. Despite cool temperatures, the final day of practice before pole qualifying saw intense action. About 90 minutes into the session, Mario Domínguez spun exiting the pits, and hit the inside wall, suffering suspension damage. At 1:40 p.m., Alex Lloyd crashed hard in turn one, spinning and hitting the wall again in turn two. Around 2:00 p.m. in the pit area, Danica Patrick's car struck a member from Mario Moraes' pit crew, Chuck Buckman, who suffered a concussion.[9] At 3:15 p.m., the session was halted by rain, with Scott Dixon posting the fastest lap of the day to that point. At 4:00 p.m., the track was officially closed for the day.
Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 9   Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 226.968 mph (365 km/h)
2 26   Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing 226.710 mph (365 km/h)
3 11   Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing 226.688 mph (365 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT[permanent dead link‍]

Time trials (weekend 1)

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Saturday May 10 - Pole Day

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Scott Dixon makes his pole-winning qualification run.
 
Scoring pylon at the close of pole day qualifications.
  • Weather: Sunny, Blue skies, 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Practice summary
Morning practice was delayed 45 minutes due to a slightly damp track from overnight rain. All of the cars were broken into two groups for practice. Marco Andretti set the fastest lap of the first session, and the fastest lap of the month at 228.318 mph. No incidents were reported.
  • Qualifications summary
Ryan Briscoe was the first driver to make an attempt, turning a speed of 224.883 mph, which suggested that speeds would be lower than those which had been achieved in the morning practice by drafting. Danica Patrick later took over the provisional pole with a run over 225 mph. Hélio Castroneves then pulled out of line in favor of going out later in the day. Spins involving A. J. Foyt IV and Bruno Junqueira did not cause any damage.
After 11 positions were filled, bumping began. Dan Wheldon took to the track, and knocked Patrick from the provisional pole. In the mid-afternoon, Hideki Mutoh failed post-qualifying inspection when it was discovered that the housing for an on-board camera lacked the required ballast, and his previous qualification was disallowed.[10]
Around 3 p.m., Hélio Castroneves had been practicing faster than Wheldon. He went out for his first attempt, but fell short of taking over the pole position. He did not rule out another attempt later in the day. At 3:34 p.m. Ryan Briscoe became the first driver to withdraw his earlier speed, and attempt to re-qualify. He knocked Wheldon from the top spot, only to be knocked down to second moments later by Scott Dixon.
The final hour concentrated largely on teams trying to bump their way into the top 11. Hideki Mutoh was successful, but Ryan Hunter-Reay crashed hard in turn 3. Former Champ Car entries Graham Rahal, Will Power and Justin Wilson all fell short of the top 11. Meanwhile, the AGR and Penske entries gave up on their efforts to secure the pole position, and pulled their cars out of line for the day. Dan Wheldon was the final driver to withdraw his speed and make a run for the pole. After two fast laps, his second two dropped off, and he settled for second position. When the gun sounded to close the track at 6:00 p.m., Scott Dixon won his first Indianapolis 500 pole position, and Chip Ganassi Racing secured their third Indy pole.
Pole Day Qualifying Results
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Qual.
Speed
1 9   Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 226.366 mph (364 km/h)
2 10   Dan Wheldon Chip Ganassi Racing 226.110 mph (364 km/h)
3 6   Ryan Briscoe Penske Racing 226.080 mph (364 km/h)
4 3   Hélio Castroneves Penske Racing 225.733 mph (363 km/h)
5 7   Danica Patrick Andretti Green Racing 225.197 mph (362 km/h)
6 11   Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing 224.794 mph (362 km/h)
7 26   Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing 224.417 mph (361 km/h)
8 4   Vítor Meira Panther Racing 224.346 mph (361 km/h)
9 27   Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green Racing 223.887 mph (360 km/h)
10 20   Ed Carpenter Vision Racing 223.835 mph (360 km/h)
11 12   Tomas Scheckter Luczo-Dragon Racing 223.496 mph (360 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT
Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 26   Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing 228.318 mph (367 km/h)
2 10   Dan Wheldon Chip Ganassi Racing 227.223 mph (366 km/h)
3 6   Ryan Briscoe Penske Racing 227.163 mph (366 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT

Sunday May 11 - Second Day

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  • Weather: Rain, 51 °F (11 °C)
  • Qualifications summary: Rain cancelled all track activity for the day. Around 12:25 p.m., with continuing rain in the forecast, the track was officially closed. Starting positions 12-33 will be filled during the third day of qualifying, Saturday May 17.

Practice (week 2)

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Wednesday May 14 - Practice

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  • Weather: Fog & mist, 61 °F (16 °C)
  • Practice summary: The start of practice was delayed 4 hours, 56 minutes due to persistent misty drizzle at the track following overnight rainstorms. In the short session, 29 drivers turned 390 laps, led by Scott Dixon at 222.834 mph (359 km/h) who turned 17 laps while working with full fuel tanks on his race setup. Jeff Simmons and Roger Yasukawa turned their first laps of the month, making 16 and 15 circuits respectively. John Andretti turned the fastest lap among drivers not yet in the field with a speed of 221.386 mph (356 km/h).
Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 9   Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 222.834 mph (359 km/h)
2 10   Dan Wheldon Chip Ganassi Racing 222.810 mph (359 km/h)
3 26   Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing 222.801 mph (359 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT

Thursday May 15 - Practice

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  • Weather: Cloudy, 63 °F (17 °C)
  • Practice summary: With rain in the forecast for most of the afternoon, 35 cars took to the track anxiously, completing 2,628 laps, the most of any single practice day all month. The rain, however, held off nearly all day, and began falling only 18 minutes before the track was scheduled to close. Most cars concentrated on race set-ups, while some of the non-qualified entries simulated time trial runs. No incidents were reported. Among drivers who had not yet qualified, the fastest lap was driven by Will Power, at 222.657 mph (358 km/h).
Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 6   Ryan Briscoe Penske Racing 223.708 mph (360 km/h)
2 3   Hélio Castroneves Penske Racing 223.284 mph (359 km/h)
3 9   Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 223.192 mph (359 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT[permanent dead link‍]

Friday May 16 - Practice

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  • Weather: Partly cloudy, 63 °F (17 °C)
  • Practice summary: The final full day of practice saw heavy action. Pole winner Scott Dixon led the overall speed chart for the second time in two days. Of the non-qualified cars Will Power was the quickest. 1996 winner Buddy Lazier took his first laps of the month, while another second-week driver, Phil Giebler, was unable to make an on-track appearance. Three crashes, involving Ryan Briscoe, Will Power, and a less-serious one by E. J. Viso, brought the total of practice crashes to six for the month. Briscoe's crash occurred in his back-up car, while Power's must be repaired before qualifying. A total of 37 drivers and 40 cars took practice laps to date during the month.
Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 9   Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 223.713 mph (360 km/h)
2 3   Hélio Castroneves Penske Racing 223.411 mph (360 km/h)
3 6   Ryan Briscoe Penske Racing 223.372 mph (359 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT[permanent dead link‍]

Time trials (weekend 2)

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Saturday May 17 - Third Day

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  • Weather: tba
  • Practice summary
The morning practice session was marred by two crashes late in the session. Mario Dominguez wrecked in the first turn, his second crash of the month. Minutes later, Max Papis crashed hard in turn three. John Andretti led the speed chart at 224.027 mph.
  • Qualifications summary
The third day of qualifications saw the field filled to 33 cars with Townsend Bell fastest of the day at 222.529 mph. Two additional crashes, along with mechanical problems, however, altered the field of non-qualified cars.
Seventeen minutes into the qualifying session, after four cars had completed runs, a light rain shower halted track activity for 15 minutes. Oriol Servia, who was on the track when the rain fell, was allowed to re-attempt without penalty. Several former Champ Car drivers including Graham Rahal, Justin Wilson, and Will Power all qualified safely.
For the second time in Indy history, three female drivers made the field, after Milka Duno and Sarah Fisher completed runs. A break in the qualifying line occurred around 2 p.m., with former champion Buddy Lazier the slowest in the field, and only one spot remaining.
Just before 4 p.m., Hideki Mutoh crashed his already-qualified car. On the exit of turn two, his car went high in the groove, and brushed along the wall part way down the backstretch. About 25 minutes later, Phil Giebler, in his first significant on-track laps, crashed hard in turn one. He was taken to Methodist Hospital.
With less than 15 minutes left in the day, A. J. Foyt IV and Marty Roth looked to make their way into the field. Foyt suffered a gearbox failure during his warm-up lap, and returned to the pits. Roth immediately went out and filled the final qualifying spot, albeit as the slowest overall in the field. Foyt's Vision crew scrambled to put the gearbox back together, in hopes of bumping into the field before the 6 o'clock gun. The team ran out of time, however, and was forced to wait until Sunday to make a qualifying attempt.
Third Day Qualifying Results
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Qual.
Speed
12 99   Townsend Bell Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 222.539 mph (358 km/h)
13 06   Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 222.531 mph (358 km/h)
14 14   Darren Manning A. J. Foyt Enterprises 222.430 mph (358 km/h)
15 18   Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne Racing 222.330 mph (358 km/h)
16 02   Justin Wilson Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 222.267 mph (358 km/h)
17 15   Buddy Rice Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 222.101 mph (357 km/h)
18 22   Davey Hamilton Vision Racing 222.017 mph (357 km/h)
19 16   Alex Lloyd Rahal Letterman Racing w/ CGR 221.788 mph (357 km/h)
20 17   Ryan Hunter-Reay Rahal Letterman Racing 221.579 mph (357 km/h)
21 24   John Andretti Roth Racing 221.550 mph (357 km/h)
22 67   Sarah Fisher Sarah Fisher Racing 221.246 mph (356 km/h)
23 8   Will Power KV Racing 221.136 mph (356 km/h)
24 41   Jeff Simmons A. J. Foyt Enterprises 221.103 mph (356 km/h)
25 5   Oriol Servià KV Racing 220.767 mph (355 km/h)
26 33   E. J. Viso HVM Racing 220.356 mph (355 km/h)
27 23   Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 220.305 mph (355 km/h)
28 19   Mario Moraes Dale Coyne Racing 219.716 mph (354 km/h)
29 36   Enrique Bernoldi Conquest Racing 219.422 mph (353 km/h)
30 34   Jaime Camara Conquest Racing 219.345 mph (353 km/h)
31 98   Roger Yasukawa CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports 218.010 mph (351 km/h)
32 91   Buddy Lazier Hemelgarn Racing 217.939 mph (351 km/h)
33 25   Marty Roth Roth Racing 215.506 mph (347 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT[permanent dead link‍]
Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 24   John Andretti Roth Racing 224.027 mph (361 km/h)
2 18   Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne Racing 223.683 mph (360 km/h)
3 22   Davey Hamilton Vision Racing 223.638 mph (360 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT[permanent dead link‍]

Sunday May 18 - Bump Day

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  • Weather: tba
  • Practice summary
A. J. Foyt IV, still unqualified for the field, led morning practice at 219.184 mph (353 km/h). Also spending time on the track were Marty Roth, Buddy Lazier, Mario Dominguez, and Davey Hamilton who blew a motor late in the session.
  • Qualifications summary
Shortly after the track opened for time trials, A. J. Foyt IV easily bumped his way into the field, bumping Marty Roth in the process. Later in the afternoon, Roth was able to secure a spot by bumping Buddy Lazier.
After qualifying, A. J. Foyt IV took his car out for practice. The fuel buckeye cover broke off after he exited the pits, and in turn three, a fire started on the side of the car, causing him to spin and crash into the wall. The car was heavily damaged. With Roger Yasukawa on the bubble, Mario Dominguez made his first attempt to qualify, but was too slow.
In the final half hour, the unqualified cars made their final attempts. Buddy Lazier's first attempt was too slow, and his team waved off after three laps. Mario Dominguez made his second attempt, and was able to bump Roger Yasukawa from the field. Yasukawa was the next to go out, and missed bumping his way back into the field by 0.046 seconds. Max Papis lined up to make an attempt, but lingering clutch problems prevented him from pulling out of the pits. With about 13 minutes remaining, Lazier returned to the track after some adjustments, and found enough speed to bump Dominguez. Dominguez made one final attempt to make the field, taking the green flag just before the 6 o'clock gun. After one lap that was fast enough to bump Marty Roth, he lost control and crashed in turn one. Roth and Lazier held on to make the field, while Papis was left waiting in line.
Bump Day Qualifying Results
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Qual.
Speed
31 2   A. J. Foyt IV Vision Racing 219.184 mph (353 km/h)
32 91   Buddy Lazier Hemelgarn Racing 219.015 mph (352 km/h)
33 25   Marty Roth Roth Racing 218.965 mph (352 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT[permanent dead link‍]
Top Practice Speeds
Rank Car
No.		 Driver Team Best
Speed
1 9   Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 221.514 mph (356 km/h)
2 10   Dan Wheldon Chip Ganassi Racing 220.653 mph (355 km/h)
3 06   Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 220.627 mph (355 km/h)
OFFICIAL REPORT[permanent dead link‍]

Carb Day

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Practice - Friday May 23

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  • Weather: Rain, 60°
  • Practice summary: Practice was cancelled after only eleven minutes due to a drenching rain. 32 drivers had taken practice laps, with Dan Wheldon fastest at 223.934 mph (360.387 km/h). Ryan Briscoe was the only car not to take any laps, and seven drivers managed only warm-up laps. The 32nd annual McDonald's Pit Stop Challenge was to follow the final practice. However, due to the rain, the event was cancelled for the first time ever. The Firestone Freedom 100 was rescheduled for Saturday, while the Stone Temple Pilots concert went on as planned.

Starting grid

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Row Inside Middle Outside
1 9   Scott Dixon 10   Dan Wheldon  W  6   Ryan Briscoe
2 3   Hélio Castroneves  W  7   Danica Patrick 11   Tony Kanaan
3 26   Marco Andretti 4   Vítor Meira 27   Hideki Mutoh  R 
4 20   Ed Carpenter 12   Tomas Scheckter 99   Townsend Bell
5 06   Graham Rahal  R  14   Darren Manning 18   Bruno Junqueira
6 02   Justin Wilson  R  15   Buddy Rice  W  22   Davey Hamilton
7 16   Alex Lloyd  R  17   Ryan Hunter-Reay  R  24   John Andretti
8 67   Sarah Fisher 8   Will Power  R  41   Jeff Simmons
9 5   Oriol Servià  R  33   E. J. Viso  R  23   Milka Duno
10 19   Mario Moraes  R  36   Enrique Bernoldi  R  34   Jaime Camara  R 
11 2   A. J. Foyt IV 91   Buddy Lazier  W  25   Marty Roth
OFFICIAL REPORT Archived 2009-05-18 at the Wayback Machine
  •  W  = Former Indianapolis 500 winner
  •  R  = Indianapolis 500 rookie

Failed to qualify

No. Driver Team Reason
44   Max Papis Rubicon Race Team Clutch problems during qualifying.
88   Phil Giebler American Dream Motorsports Practice crash. Team could not secure a back-up car.
96   Mario Domínguez  R  Pacific Coast Motorsports Bumped. Wrecked on final qualifying attempt.
98   Roger Yasukawa Beck Motorsports Too slow on day 4. Bumped from the field.

Race summary

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The field entering turn 4, aligned for the start.
 
Marty Roth (in black) after exiting his damaged car.
 
Tony Kanaan drives his damaged car (green and white) through the warm-up lane while Sarah Fisher rests against the inside wall.
 
Scott Dixon (#9), takes a victory lap after winning the 2008 Indianapolis 500.
Video sample from race

Start

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At 1:03 p.m., Mari Hulman George gave the command to start engines.[11] All cars except Sarah Fisher pulled away, but Fisher quickly caught up to the field.[11] Emerson Fittipaldi was booed during the parade laps due to his incident where he drank orange juice instead of milk after winning in 1993. He pulled the pace car off the track after the third pace lap, and a well-aligned field took the green flag. Polesitter Scott Dixon took the lead into turn one, and led the first two laps. His teammate Dan Wheldon took the lead on lap three. On the 8th lap, Bruno Junqueira lost a mirror, and the first of many caution periods slowed the field.[11]

First half

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Nearly the entire field pitted on the first caution, with Buddy Rice staying out to lead. Sarah Fisher also stayed out, and moved to third.[11] Moments later, she spun in the north chute while warming her tires, and lost 3 laps. When the green resumed, Dan Wheldon quickly regained the lead. He held it until lap 36, when Dixon passed him. At the same time, rookie Graham Rahal drifted high and hit the wall exiting turn four.[11]

Marty Roth and Jaime Camara each brought out the yellow in the first half, suffering single-car crashes.[11] Wheldon and Dixon continued to trade the lead.

On lap 94, Tony Kanaan charged into the lead. He set a new all-time record by leading a lap in seven consecutive Indy 500 races. He broke Rick Mears' record of six straight races led (1979–1984).[11] His continuing bad luck at Indy returned however 11 laps later. Scott Dixon took the lead back on lap 105. Marco Andretti, Kanaan's AGR teammate, dove low in turn three to overtake, which was followed by Kanaan going high and into the marbles. Kanaan lost control of his car, brushing the wall, then collecting the lapped car of Sarah Fisher.[11] Both cars were heavily damaged. The caution was then extended when Jeff Simmons car suddenly veered and hit the inside wall on the frontstretch.[11]

Second half

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Marco Andretti gained the lead on lap 122. Dixon ran second, while Wheldon began to slip deep in the standings with handling problems. Justin Wilson brought out the yellow in turn 2 on lap 133 with yet another single-car crash. His crash was followed 20 laps later by Alex Lloyd, who brushed the wall in turn 4, and spun wildly into the pit area.[11] Tomas Scheckter, who had been running amongst the leaders all afternoon, dropped out with a broken driveshaft.[11]

On the lap 159 restart, Vítor Meira went three-wide and stormed into the lead.[11][12] With Dixon second and Andretti third, the stage was set to decide the race between those three drivers. Other contenders, Hélio Castroneves, Ed Carpenter, Danica Patrick, Ryan Briscoe, Oriol Servia and rookie Ryan Hunter-Reay, were battling for the balance of the top ten.

On lap 169, Milka Duno dove below Buddy Lazier in turn three. The two cars touched slightly, and Duno spun to the warm-up lane. She suffered a flat tire, but was able to continue.[11] The leaders all headed to the pits on lap 171 for what would be the final sequence of pit stops. At pit exit, Ryan Briscoe swung wide and clipped the right rear of Danica Patrick's car.[13] Patrick spun around, and Briscoe hit the pit wall. Both cars were eliminated.[11] Patrick climbed out of the car, and started walking down towards the Team Penske pits, presumably to confront Briscoe.[13][14] A security guard intervened, and she later walked back to her pit stall. Patrick and Briscoe were called to the Indycar hauler after the race. Patrick and Briscoe were fined $100,000 and were placed on probation until the end of the 2008 season for an aggressive pit incident.[12][13]

Finish

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While most of the attention in the moment was focused on the Briscoe/Patrick incident, Scott Dixon took over the lead. His crew completed a 7-second pit stop, and beat Vitor Meira out of the pits. With 24 laps to go, the green came out with Dixon first, Meira second, and Marco Andretti third. The race went green the remainder of the distance, and Dixon held on by 1.7498 seconds to win his first Indianapolis 500.[11][14] He became the 19th pole winner to win the race,[11] and the first winner from New Zealand.

Box score

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Finish No. Driver Team Chassis Engine Laps Status Grid Points
1 9   Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda 200 3:28:57.6792 1 53
2 4   Vítor Meira Panther Racing Dallara Honda 200 +1.7498 8 40
3 26   Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda 200 +2.3127 7 35
4 3   Hélio Castroneves  W  Team Penske Dallara Honda 200 +6.2619 4 32
5 20   Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Dallara Honda 200 +6.5505 10 30
6 17   Ryan Hunter-Reay  R  Rahal Letterman Racing Dallara Honda 200 +6.9894 20 28
7 27   Hideki Mutoh  R  Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda 200 +7.8768 9 26
8 15   Buddy Rice  W  Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara Honda 200 +8.8798 17 24
9 14   Darren Manning A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara Honda 200 +9.2019 14 22
10 99   Townsend Bell Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara Honda 200 +9.4567 12 20
11 5   Oriol Servià  R  KV Racing Dallara Honda 200 +22.4966 25 19
12 10   Dan Wheldon  W  Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda 200 +30.7090 2 18
13 8   Will Power  R  KV Racing Dallara Honda 200 +31.6666 23 17
14 22   Davey Hamilton Vision Racing Dallara Honda 200 +32.0084 18 16
15 36   Enrique Bernoldi  R  Conquest Racing Dallara Honda 200 +32.1075 29 15
16 24   John Andretti Roth Racing Dallara Honda 199 -1 Lap 21 14
17 91   Buddy Lazier  W  Hemelgarn Racing Dallara Honda 195 -5 Laps 32 13
18 19   Mario Moraes  R  Dale Coyne Racing Dallara Honda 194 -6 Laps 28 12
19 23   Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara Honda 185 -15 Laps 27 12
20 18   Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne Racing Dallara Honda 184 -16 Laps 15 12
21 2   A. J. Foyt IV Vision Racing Dallara Honda 180 -20 Laps 31 12
22 7   Danica Patrick Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda 171 Collision 5 12
23 6   Ryan Briscoe Team Penske Dallara Honda 171 Collision 3 12
24 12   Tomas Scheckter Luczo-Dragon Racing Dallara Honda 156 Mechanical 11 12
25 16   Alex Lloyd  R  Rahal Letterman Racing w/Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda 151 Accident 19 10
26 33   E. J. Viso  R  HVM Racing Dallara Honda 139 Mechanical 26 10
27 02   Justin Wilson  R  Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Dallara Honda 132 Accident 16 10
28 41   Jeff Simmons A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara Honda 112 Accident 24 10
29 11   Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda 105 Collision 6 10
30 67   Sarah Fisher Sarah Fisher Racing Dallara Honda 103 Collision 22 10
31 34   Jaime Camara  R  Conquest Racing Dallara Honda 79 Accident 30 10
32 25   Marty Roth Roth Racing Dallara Honda 59 Accident 33 10
33 06   Graham Rahal  R  Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Dallara Honda 36 Accident 13 10

 W  Former Indianapolis 500 winner

 R  Indianapolis 500 Rookie

All entrants utilized Firestone tires.

Race statistics

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Broadcasting

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Television

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The race was televised in high definition in the United States on ABC, the 44th consecutive year on that network. Time trials were shown live in high definition on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 at various timeslots and was available via broadband at MediaZone.com.

1998 Indianapolis 500 winner Eddie Cheever joined the announcing crew for the first time. For the first time, two hours of pre-race was aired, one hour on ESPN2, followed by one hour on ABC. For the third year in a row, the telecast utilized the Side-by-Side format for commercial breaks.

ABC Television
Booth Announcers Pit/garage reporters

Host: Brent Musburger
Announcer: Marty Reid
Color: Scott Goodyear
Color: Eddie Cheever

 Jack Arute
Vince Welch
Brienne Pedigo
Jamie Little

Radio

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The race was broadcast on radio by the IMS Radio Network for the 56th consecutive year. Mike King served as anchor. For the second year in a row, Davey Hamilton offered live in-car reporting during caution periods. Chris Economaki offered pre-race and post-race commentary for the final time. This was also the last time that former 'voice' of the 500 Bob Jenkins served as a turn announcer.

For the fourth year in a row, Kevin Olson conducted his annual pre-race interview with David Letterman.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
Booth Announcers Turn Reporters Pit/garage reporters

Chief Announcer: Mike King
Driver expert: Johnny Parsons
Color: Dave Wilson
Historian: Donald Davidson
Live in-car reports: Davey Hamilton
Commentary: Chris Economaki

Turn 1: Jerry Baker
Turn 2: Bob Jenkins
Turn 3: Mark Jaynes
Turn 4: Chris Denari

 Jake Query (north pits)
Kevin Olson (north-center pits)
Dave Argabright (south-center pits)
Kevin Lee (south pits)
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  •  
    2008 Chevrolet Corvette pace cars

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Julianne Hough to sing at 500". IndyStar.com. 2008-04-08. Archived from the original on 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "2008 Indianapolis 500 facts and figures". CBS Sports. 2008-05-25. Archived from the original on 2008-06-26. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
  5. ^ "Final 500 numbers in". Indianapolis Star. 2008-05-28. Archived from the original on 2008-05-31. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
  6. ^ "Reaction positive for IRL-Champ Car merge". Yahoo.com. 2008-02-23. Archived from the original on February 10, 2013. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
  7. ^ "Indy-Car Upgrades Planned For 2008, '09". AutoWeek.com. 2007-09-07. Archived from the original on 2008-02-12. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  8. ^ "Official entry list" (PDF). Indy500.com. 2008-04-11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
  9. ^ "Danica Patrick's car hits crew member". IndyStar.com. 2008-05-09. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  10. ^ Kallmann, Dave (2008-05-10). "Ganassi duo in high gear; Team rolls in qualifying". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Indianapolis 500 Daily Trackside Report - May 25, 2008". Indy500.com. 2008-05-25. Retrieved 2008-06-03.[permanent dead link‍]
  12. ^ a b "Perfect day: Scott Dixon starts, finishes first at Indy 500". IndyStar.com. 2008-05-25. Retrieved 2008-06-03.[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ a b c "No regrets, no apologies for Patrick". IndyStar.com. 2008-05-31. Archived from the original on June 3, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  14. ^ a b "Leads 115 Laps For First Indianapolis 500 Victory". Indy500.com. 2008-05-25. Archived from the original on 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2008 Indianapolis 500.


2007 Indianapolis 500
Dario Franchitti 		2008 Indianapolis 500
Scott Dixon 		2009 Indianapolis 500
Hélio Castroneves
Preceded by IRL IndyCar Series
round 5
2008 		Succeeded by
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