Indianapolis 500 traditions
Encyclopedia
Due to the longevity of the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

, numerous traditions have developed over the years. For many fans, these traditions are almost as important as the race itself, and they have often reacted quite negatively when the traditions are changed or broken.

As part of the Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...

 holiday weekend, the pre-race ceremonies of the Indianapolis 500 feature several patriotic songs. The most noteworthy and most popular traditions are the annual singing of "Back Home Again in Indiana
Back Home Again in Indiana
" Indiana" is a song composed by Ballard MacDonald and James F. Hanley, first published in January of 1917. While it is not the official state song of the U.S...

," and the victory lane bottle of milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...

.

Memorial Day

The race has always been scheduled in conjunction with Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...

. Through 1970, the race was held on Memorial Day proper (May 30), regardless of the day of the week, unless it fell on Sunday. In those cases it was scheduled for Monday May 31. After the Uniform Monday Holiday Act
Uniform Monday Holiday Act
The Uniform Monday Holiday Act is an Act of Congress that amended the federal holiday provisions of the United States Code to establish the observance of certain holidays on Mondays. The Act was signed into law on June 28, 1968 and took effect on January 1, 1971.The Act moved Washington's...

 took effect in 1971, the race was scheduled for Memorial Day weekend instead.
  • From 1971-1972, the race was scheduled for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.
  • In 1973, the race was scheduled for Memorial Day Monday. However, rain delayed it until Wednesday.
  • Since 1974, the race has been scheduled for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.
  • The 1986
    1986 Indianapolis 500
    The 70th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 31, 1986. After being rained out on May 25–26, the race was rescheduled for the following weekend...

     race was held the weekend after the official federal holiday because of two rainouts. The race was held the following Saturday, May 31, the pre-1971 date of the race if May 30 was a Sunday.
  • The 1997 race
    1997 Indianapolis 500
    The 81st Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway over three days, May 25–27, 1997. It was originally scheduled Sunday, May 25, however, rain washed out all activities for the day. The race was started on Monday May 26, but rain halted the race after only 15 laps...

     was similar to 1973 in having two rain delays, nearly as unique as the 1986 event. It was scheduled for Sunday, May 25, but heavy and persistent rain showers left no windows to get the race underway. The race began the next day, on Memorial Day, but rain showers moved back in. The race was stopped on the 15th lap and could not be resumed. Short of the 101 laps needed for an official race, track officials decided to run the rest of the race on Tuesday, and it was finally run to completion under sunny skies with Dutchman Arie Luyendyk
    Arie Luyendyk
    Arie Luyendyk, originally Arie Luijendijk is a Dutch auto racing driver, twice winner of the Indianapolis 500....

     claiming his second race win.


Armed Forces Day also falls during the month of May, and usually coincides with one of the weekends of time trials. Since 1978 at the Speedway, that weekend is often filled with activities honoring the U.S. military
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...

, including an oath of enlistment ceremony.

Practice and Qualifying

  • The two to three weeks of practice and qualifying prior to the race is known in racing circles simply as "the month of May." In early years, the track opened for practice on May 1 (regardless of the day of the week), and at times, as early as April 28. In 1974, due to the energy crisis
    1973 oil crisis
    The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...

    , the schedule was reduced, and the track opened instead the Saturday three weeks before race day. The change was well-received, and the new schedule was made permanent, with minor tweaks over the years. Since INDYCAR took over sanction of the race in 1996, three times (1999, 2010, 2011) an INDYCAR race has been held on or after May 1.

  • The final hour of practice and qualifying each day is referred to as "Happy Hour." Due to the large double-decker grandstands on the frontstretch, large shadows are cast over a good portion of the track, cooling the asphalt surface. A lower ambient air temperature, along with a lower track temperature usually translates into faster speeds. Since Indiana went to Daylight Saving Time
    Daylight saving time
    Daylight saving time —also summer time in several countries including in British English and European official terminology —is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less...

     in 2006, this phenomenon has been somewhat diminished.

  • The final practice session before pole day qualifying is nicknamed "Fast Friday." The fastest speeds of the month are commonly observed on Fast Friday, as teams and drivers make their final preparations and look for final "bragging rights" before the run for the pole position. Drivers who have been "sandbagging" during the week may chose to reveal their speed, in an effort to distance themselves from the competition. Sometimes the speeds turned in on Fast Friday are overachieved by the respective drivers' due to a tow. Though "Fast Friday" has been a fixture since the 1950s-1960s, the nickname was not coined until about 1996. Track records set on Fast Friday (as well as other practice sessions) are considered unofficial. The sanctioning body only recognizes speeds set during the officially competitive sessions of qualifying and the race.

  • The first day of time trials is referred to as "Pole Day." The fastest qualifier on pole day wins the highly coveted pole position
    Pole position
    The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...

    . Over the years, the "race for the pole" was often regarded as a race in itself, a speed contest, and was advertised as the second-largest single day sporting event (second only to race day itself). Though crowds have diminished for pole day as of late, and rules changes have curtailed speeds, the nickname "The Fastest Day in Motorsports" is still used.

  • The final day of qualifying, when the final starting field is set is known as "Bump Day" (or "Bubble Day"). Drivers who are removed from the staring grid of 33 by being out-qualified by faster cars are said to have been "bumped." The driver with the slowest speed in the field of 33, the first in line to be bumped, is said to be "on the bubble." Unqualified drivers attempt to bump their way into the field and "burst the slower driver's bubble."

  • The final practice session before the race, currently held on the Friday before race day, is called "Carburetion Day" (shortened to "Carb Day" since 2000). The name originally came from the fact that it was the final session where teams could tune their carburetors in conditions similar to those that may be encountered on race day. The name has remained despite the fact that no qualified car has used a carburetor since 1963. A pit stop competition, a concert, and the Firestone Indy Lights Series Freedom 100
    Freedom 100
    The Firestone Freedom 100 is a Firestone Indy Lights Series auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is currently held the Friday before the Indianapolis 500...

     are also currently held on Carb Day.

Concerts

Since 2000, a rock or rap concert has been held on Carb Day. The performers have been as follows:
  • 2000: Smash Mouth
    Smash Mouth
    Smash Mouth is an American rock band from San Jose, California. The band was formed in 1994, and was originally composed of Steve Harwell, Greg Camp, Paul De Lisle and Kevin Coleman as lead vocals, guitar, bass and drums respectively...

  • 2001: Collective Soul
    Collective Soul
    Collective Soul is an American rock band originally formed in Stockbridge, Georgia. Collective Soul broke into mainstream popularity with their first hit single, "Shine", which came from their debut album Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid, released in 1993...

  • 2002: Better Than Ezra
    Better Than Ezra
    Better Than Ezra is an American alternative rock trio based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Formation and early success:Better Than Ezra was formed in 1988 by its four original members - vocalist and guitarist Kevin Griffin; Joel Rundell, the lead guitarist; bassist Tom Drummond; and drummer, Cary...

     (Nine Days
    Nine Days
    Nine Days is an American rock band who were popular in the early 2000s. Formed in Oyster Bay by frontman John Hampson and Brian Desveaux, they released three independent albums in the 1990s before their mainstream debut album, The Madding Crowd, released in 2000...

     opened)
  • 2003: Cracker
    Cracker (band)
    Cracker is an American alternative rock band featuring founders/songwriters singer David Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman. They are best known for their platinum-selling 1993 album, Kerosene Hat, featuring the hit songs "Low", "Euro-Trash Girl", and "Get Off This".Founders Lowery and Hickman...

     (Kenny Bräck
    Kenny Bräck
    Kenny Bräck is a race car driver from Sweden. Until his retirement from racing, he competed in the CART, Indy Racing League and the IROC series. He is the winner of the 1999 Indianapolis 500 and the 1998 driving champion of the Indy Racing League. He survived one of the racing sport's biggest...

     and the Subwoofers opened)
  • 2004: Live
    Live (band)
    Live is an American rock band from York, Pennsylvania, composed of Chad Taylor , Patrick Dahlheimer , and Chad Gracey . Lead singer and principal songwriter Ed Kowalczyk left the band in November 2009....

     (Kenny Bräck
    Kenny Bräck
    Kenny Bräck is a race car driver from Sweden. Until his retirement from racing, he competed in the CART, Indy Racing League and the IROC series. He is the winner of the 1999 Indianapolis 500 and the 1998 driving champion of the Indy Racing League. He survived one of the racing sport's biggest...

     and the Subwoofers opened)
  • 2005: The Black Crowes
    The Black Crowes
    The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...

     (22-20s
    22-20s
    22-20s are an English rock band formed in Sleaford, Lincolnshire. The band originally disbanded in December 2005 but reformed in 2008 and released Shake/Shiver/Moan in 2010....

     opened)
  • 2006: The B-52's
    The B-52's
    The B-52's are an American rock band, formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider , Kate Pierson , Cindy Wilson , Ricky Wilson , and Keith Strickland . Following Ricky Wilson's death in 1985 Strickland switched to guitar...

     & Third Eye Blind
    Third Eye Blind
    Third Eye Blind is an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The songwriting duo of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins signed the band's first major label recording contract with Elektra records in 1996 resulting in two multi platinum albums. The band's lineup...

  • 2007: Kid Rock
    Kid Rock
    Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...

  • 2008: Stone Temple Pilots
    Stone Temple Pilots
    Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....

  • 2009: 3 Doors Down
    3 Doors Down
    3 Doors Down is an American rock band from Escatawpa formed in 1996. The band consists of Brad Arnold , Matt Roberts , Todd Harrell , Chris Henderson , and Greg Upchurch ....

  • 2010: ZZ Top
    ZZ Top
    ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...

  • 2011: Staind
    Staind
    Staind is an American rock band that was formed in 1995 in Springfield, Massachusetts. For 16 years, the band consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki...

     & Papa Roach
    Papa Roach
    Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California. Their first major-label release was the triple-platinum album Infest . The group's success continued with their gold album Lovehatetragedy , their platinum album Getting Away with Murder , The Paramour Sessions , and Metamorphosis...


Last Row Party

On the Friday before the race, the "Last Row Party" has been held every year for charity since 1972. It serves as a roast
Roast (comedy)
A roast is an event in which an individual is subjected to a public presentation of comedic insults, praise, outlandish true and untrue stories, and heartwarming tributes, the implication being that the roastee is able to take the jokes in good humor and not as serious criticism or insult, and...

 for the final three qualifiers in the 500, whom will be starting on the eleventh and final row. Due to the complex qualifying procedure for the race, these three drivers are usually, but not always, the slowest three cars in the field. Like Mr. Irrelevant
Mr. Irrelevant
"Mr. Irrelevant" is the title bestowed each year upon the last pick of the annual National Football League draft.- Irrelevant Week :The name arose in 1976, when former Southern California and NFL receiver Paul Salata founded "Irrelevant Week" in Newport Beach, California. He announced the final...

, many of these drivers are often obscure, but eight former or eventual race winners have participated in the honor at some time in their career. Recent honorees include:
  • 2009: Nelson Philippe
    Nelson Philippe
    -Early career:Philippe raced go-karts from 1998-2002. In 2003, he raced in the Barber Dodge Pro Series, finishing the season with one podium, and four top five finishes....

    , Ryan Hunter-Reay
    Ryan Hunter-Reay
    Ryan Hunter-Reay is a professional American race car driver best known as the only driver to have won races in each of North America's top open wheel formulas, CART the ChampCar World Series and the IndyCar Series...

    , Alex Tagliani
    Alex Tagliani
    Alexandre Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He currently competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the #77 entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.-Champ Car career:...

  • 2010: Tony Kanaan
    Tony Kanaan
    Antoine Rizkallah Kanaan Filho, commonly known as Tony Kanaan is a Brazilian race car driver of Lebanese heritage. Kanaan won the 2004 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series championship driving Andretti Green Racing's 7-Eleven sponsored car, winning three times in his Honda-powered Dallara...

    , Sebastián Saavedra
    Sebastian Saavedra
    Sebastian Saavedra is a Colombian racing driver of Portuguese and Korean origin from Bogotá.-early career:After a childhood in karting, Saavedra drove in Formula BMW USA for Gelles Racing, finishing 11th in points. He also drove in two races in Formula BMW ADAC and competed in the Formula BMW...

    , Takuma Sato
    Takuma Sato
    is a Japanese automobile racing driver and the most successful Japanese Formula One driver in history. He is currently racing for KV Racing Technology in IndyCar Series under the Lotus banner.-Junior Years:...

  • 2011: Pippa Mann
    Pippa Mann
    Philippa "Pippa" Mann is a British racing car driver, who is currently competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series. She was born in London, United Kingdom.- Career :...

    , Ana Beatriz
    Bia Figueiredo
    Ana "Bia" Beatriz Caselato Gomes de Figueiredo is a Brazilian racing driver currently competing in the IZOD Indycar Series. Bia, as she is known by friends and fans, won her first Indy Lights race at Nashville Superspeedway on 12 July 2008, becoming the first woman to win a race in the Indy Lights...

    , Ryan Hunter-Reay
    Ryan Hunter-Reay
    Ryan Hunter-Reay is a professional American race car driver best known as the only driver to have won races in each of North America's top open wheel formulas, CART the ChampCar World Series and the IndyCar Series...


500 Festival

The 500 Festival is a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 founded in 1957 to organize various civic events in the city of Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

 leading up to the race. The two largest events are the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon
OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon
The OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, which takes place in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the largest half-marathon in the United States, and the seventh-largest running event in America. As of the 35th running in 2011, it had sold out the entire running field of 35,000 for nine consecutive years...

 in early May, and the 500 Festival Parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...

 the day before the race. Other events include "Community Day" at the track and the annual Snake Pit Ball
Ball (dance)
A ball is a formal dance. The word 'ball' is derived from the Latin word "ballare", meaning 'to dance'; the term also derived into "bailar", which is the Spanish and Portuguese word for dance . In Catalan it is the same word, 'ball', for the dance event.Attendees wear evening attire, which is...

, a black tie
Black tie
Black tie is a dress code for evening events and social functions. For a man, the main component is a usually black jacket, known as a dinner jacket or tuxedo...

 socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....

 gathering downtown.

In many years, the parade grand marshal has been a celebrity with ties to the Indianapolis area, particularly Indianapolis-area sports figures. The grand marshal
Grand Marshal
Grand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders...

s for the annual parade have been as follows:
  • 1957 Lt. Gen. G. W. Arnold
  • 1958 Shirley MacLaine
    Shirley MacLaine
    Shirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career...

  • 1959
  • 1960 Gen. David M. Shoup
    David M. Shoup
    General David Monroe Shoup, Hon. DSO was a World War II Medal of Honor recipient and the twenty-second Commandant of the United States Marine Corps . After his retirement, he was a vocal critic of the Vietnam War.-Early years:David Monroe Shoup was born on December 30, 1904 in Battle Ground, Indiana...

  • 1961 Lt. Gen. Joe W. Kelly
    Joe W. Kelly
    General Joe William Kelly was a U.S. Air Force general and Commander, Military Air Transport Service . He was the first four-star commander of MATS, and was commander at the time the command was transitioning to jet aircraft...

  • 1962 Gen. Herbert B. Powell
    Herbert B. Powell
    Herbert Butler Powell was a U.S. Army General, and Commanding General of the U.S. Continental Army Command, and U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand.-Early live & career:...

  • 1963 Lt. Gen. Charles G. Dodge
  • 1964
  • 1965 James Stewart
    James Stewart (actor)
    James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...

  • 1966 Walter Cronkite
    Walter Cronkite
    Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...

  • 1967 Lorne Greene
    Lorne Greene
    Lorne Greene , was the stage name of Lyon Himan Green, OC, a Canadian actor.His television roles include Ben Cartwright on the western Bonanza, and Commander Adama in the science fiction movie and subsequent TV Series Battlestar Galactica...

    , Dan Blocker
    Dan Blocker
    Dan Blocker was an American actor best remembered for his role as Eric "Hoss" Cartwright in the NBC western television series Bonanza.-Early life:...

    , Michael Landon
    Michael Landon
    Michael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...

  • 1968 Ambassadors from Peru
    Peru
    Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

    , Bolivia
    Bolivia
    Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

    , and Ecuador
    Ecuador
    Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

  • 1969 Manuel Fraga Iribarne
    Manuel Fraga Iribarne
    Manuel Fraga Iribarne is a Spanish People's Party politician. Fraga's career as one of the key political figures in Spain straddles both General Francisco Franco's dictatorial regime and the subsequent transition to democracy. He served as the President of the Xunta of Galicia from 1990 to 2005...

  • 1970 Edie Adams
    Edie Adams
    Edie Adams was an American singer, Broadway, television and film actress and comedienne. Adams, a Tony Award winner, "both embodied and winked at the stereotypes of fetching chanteuse and sexpot blonde." She was well-known for her impersonations of female stars on stage and television, most...

  • 1971 George W. Romney
    George W. Romney
    George Wilcken Romney was an American businessman and Republican Party politician. He was chairman and CEO of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969, and the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1969 to 1973...

    , John Arthur Love
    John Arthur Love
    John Arthur Love was a United States attorney and Republican politician who served as the 36th Governor of the State of Colorado from 1963 to 1973....

    , Carl Stokes
  • 1972 Phil Harris
    Phil Harris
    Harris and Faye married in 1941; it was a second marriage for both and lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. Harris engaged in a fistfight at the Trocadero nightclub in 1938 with RKO studio mogul Bob Stevens; the cause was reported to be over Faye after Stevens and Faye had ended a romantic...

  • 1973 James H. Kasler
    James H. Kasler
    Colonel James H. Kasler is to date the only person to be awarded the Air Force Cross three times. The Air Force Cross ranks just below the Medal of Honor as an award for extraordinary heroism in combat....

  • 1974 Mickey Mouse
    Mickey Mouse
    Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...

  • 1975 Peter DePaolo
  • 1976 Tony Hulman
    Tony Hulman
    Anton "Tony" Hulman, Jr. was a businessman from Terre Haute, Indiana who rescued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945 and made the Indianapolis 500 popular....

     & Bob Hope
    Bob Hope
    Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...

  • 1977 William Hanna
    William Hanna
    William Denby Hanna was an American animator, director, producer, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of people for much of the 20th century. When he was a young child, Hanna's family moved frequently, but they settled in Compton, California, by...

     & Joseph Barbera
    Joseph Barbera
    Joseph Roland Barbera was an influential American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the twentieth century....

  • 1978 Roy Clark
    Roy Clark
    Roy Linwood Clark is an American country music musician and performer. He is best known for hosting Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969–1992. Clark has been an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and helping to popularize the genre...

  • 1979 Gerald Ford
    Gerald Ford
    Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...

  • 1980 Mike Douglas
  • 1981 Joyce DeWitt
    Joyce DeWitt
    Joyce Anne DeWitt is an American actress most famous for playing Janet Wood on the ABC sitcom Three's Company.-Early life:...

     (grew up in Speedway, Indiana
    Speedway, Indiana
    Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 12,881 at the 2000 census. Speedway is the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, from which the town derives its name, and is a complete enclave of Indianapolis....

    , graduated from Speedway Senior High School
    Speedway Senior High School
    Speedway Senior High School is a public, secondary school in Speedway, Indiana . It is part of the School Town of Speedway.Located at 5357 West 25th Street, the school serves students in grades nine through twelve.-Enrollment:...

    )
  • 1982 Merlin Olsen
    Merlin Olsen
    Merlin Jay Olsen was an American football player in the National Football League, NFL commentator, and actor. He played his entire 15-year career with the Los Angeles Rams and was elected to the Pro Bowl in 14 of those seasons, a current record shared with Bruce Matthews...

  • 1983 Joseph P. Allen (Crawfordsville, Indiana
    Crawfordsville, Indiana
    Crawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County...

     native)
  • 1984 David Hasselhoff
    David Hasselhoff
    David Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...

  • 1985 Mickey Mouse
    Mickey Mouse
    Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...

  • 1986 Jerry L. Ross
    Jerry L. Ross
    Jerry Lynn Ross is a United States Air Force officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions, making him the record holder for most spaceflights .-Personal:Ross is married to the former Karen S. Pearson of Sheridan, Indiana. They have two children...

  • 1987 Mario Vázquez Raña
    Mario Vazquez Raña
    Mario Vázquez Raña is a Mexican businessman and sports administrator, who has served on both national and Olympic committees...

  • 1988 Jim Davis
    Jim Davis (cartoonist)
    James Robert Davis is an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the comic strip Garfield, which he signs as Jim Davis. He has also worked on other strips: Tumbleweeds, Gnorm Gnat, U.S. Acres and a strip about Mr...

     & Garfield
    Garfield (character)
    Garfield is a fictional character and the title protagonist from the comic strip Garfield created by Jim Davis.-Personality:Garfield is an anthropomorphic ginger cat. He loves eating , and sleeping. He is teased about being overweight. He is also selfish...

  • 1989 Gene Autry
    Gene Autry
    Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...

  • 1990 Dan Quayle
    Dan Quayle
    James Danforth "Dan" Quayle served as the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving with President George H. W. Bush . He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Indiana....

     (sitting Vice President of the United States
    Vice President of the United States
    The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...

    , an Indiana native)
  • 1991 A. J. Foyt
    A. J. Foyt
    Anthony Joseph Foyt, Jr., or as he is universally known as in motorsports circles, A. J. Foyt , is a retired American automobile racing driver. He raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes USAC Champ cars and midget cars. He raced stock cars in NASCAR and USAC. He won...

     & Mary Fendrich Hulman
    Mary Fendrich Hulman
    Mary Fendrich Hulman was the wife of the late Indiana industrialist Anton "Tony" Hulman, Jr. and matriarch of the Hulman-George family which today controls Hulman & Co., the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League.-Early life:Born in Evansville, Indiana, Mary was the daughter of...

     (Foyt was planning to retire after the 1991 race, but recanted)
  • 1992 Mickey
    Mickey Mouse
    Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...

     & Minnie
    Minnie Mouse
    Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is an animated character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney. The comic strip story "The Gleam" by Merrill De Maris and Floyd Gottfredson first gave her full name as Minerva Mouse. Minnie has since been a recurring alias for her. Minnie is currently voiced by actress Russi...

  • 1993 Larry Bird
    Larry Bird
    Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...

     (Indiana native)
  • 1994 Mario Andretti
    Mario Andretti
    Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...

     & Bonnie Blair
    Bonnie Blair
    Bonnie Kathleen Blair is a retired American speedskater. She is one of the top skaters of her time, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, and in her Olympic career won five gold medals and one bronze medal.-Career:Blair...

     (Andretti was retiring at season's end, and 1994 would be his final Indy 500)
  • 1995 A. J. Foyt
    A. J. Foyt
    Anthony Joseph Foyt, Jr., or as he is universally known as in motorsports circles, A. J. Foyt , is a retired American automobile racing driver. He raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes USAC Champ cars and midget cars. He raced stock cars in NASCAR and USAC. He won...

    , Rick Mears
    Rick Mears
    Rick Ravon Mears is a retired American race car driver. He is one of three men to have won the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race four times , and the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six...

    , Al Unser, Sr.
    Al Unser
    Alfred "Al" Unser is a former American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser, Jr....

     (the three four-time Indy 500 winners)
  • 1996 Jim Davis
    Jim Davis (cartoonist)
    James Robert Davis is an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the comic strip Garfield, which he signs as Jim Davis. He has also worked on other strips: Tumbleweeds, Gnorm Gnat, U.S. Acres and a strip about Mr...

     & Garfield
    Garfield (character)
    Garfield is a fictional character and the title protagonist from the comic strip Garfield created by Jim Davis.-Personality:Garfield is an anthropomorphic ginger cat. He loves eating , and sleeping. He is teased about being overweight. He is also selfish...

  • 1997 Cam Cameron
    Cam Cameron
    -External links:...

    , Bob Davie, Joe Tiller
    Joe Tiller
    Joe Tiller is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Wyoming from 1991 to 1996 and Purdue University from 1997 to 2008, compliling a career college football record of 126–92–1...

     (at the time the head coaches of the state's three largest Division I-A college football
    College football
    College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

     programs)
  • 1998 David Wolf (Indianapolis native)
  • 1999 Medal of Honor
    Medal of Honor
    The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

     Recipients
  • 2000 Jim Nabors
    Jim Nabors
    James Thurston "Jim" Nabors is an American actor and singer. Born and raised in Sylacauga, Alabama, Nabors moved to Southern California because of his asthma. While working at a Santa Monica nightclub, The Horn, he was discovered by Andy Griffith and later joined The Andy Griffith Show, playing...

  • 2001 Five Public Safety Agencies
    Department of Public Safety
    The Department of Public Safety , also called an Office of Public Safety, is a state or local government umbrella agency in the United States which serves to assist the certain agencies in their services by providing administrative, financial, and technical services and support for core public...

     of Indianapolis
    Indianapolis
    Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

  • 2002 Jim Caviezel
  • 2003 Wynonna Judd
    Wynonna Judd
    Wynonna Ellen Judd is an American country music singer. Her solo albums and singles are all credited to the singular name Wynonna. Wynonna first rose to fame in the 1980s alongside her mother, Naomi, in the country music duo The Judds...

  • 2004 Jane Pauley
    Jane Pauley
    Margaret Jane Pauley is an American television journalist, and has been involved in news reporting since 1975...

     (Indianapolis native)
  • 2005 Reggie Miller
    Reggie Miller
    Reginald Wayne "Reggie" Miller is a retired American professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association career with the Indiana Pacers...

     (retired from Indiana Pacers
    Indiana Pacers
    The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

     days earlier)
  • 2006 Lance Armstrong
    Lance Armstrong
    Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...

  • 2007 Peyton Manning
    Peyton Manning
    Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...

     (won Super Bowl XLI
    Super Bowl XLI
    Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...

     MPV with Indianapolis Colts
    Indianapolis Colts
    The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

    )
  • 2008 Patricia Heaton
    Patricia Heaton
    Patricia Helen Heaton is an American actress, comedienne, producer and model, best known for portraying Debra Barone on the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond from 1996 to 2005, for which she won two Emmy Awards....

  • 2009 Dick Vitale
    Dick Vitale
    Richard J. "Dick" Vitale , also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well-known as a college basketball broadcaster and for the enthusiastic and colorful remarks he makes during games. He is known for his...

  • 2010 Butler University Men's Basketball Team
    2009–10 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
    The 2009–10 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Brad Stevens, serving his 3rd year...

  • 2011 Anderson Cooper
    Anderson Cooper
    Anderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author, and television personality. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°. The program is normally broadcast live from a New York City studio; however, Cooper often broadcasts live on location for breaking news stories...


Track lore

The atmosphere at the track during the month of May and on race day has long been a source of traditions.

The Snake Pit

The infield
Infield
Infield is a widely used term in sports terminology, its meaning depends on the sport in which it is used.- In baseball :In baseball the baseball diamond plus a region beyond it , has both grass and dirt, in contrast to the more distant, usually grass-covered outfield...

 of the track in the vicinity of turn one was known as the "Snake Pit." Long known for rowdiness, heavy alcohol consumption
Binge drinking
Binge drinking or heavy episodic drinking is the modern epithet for drinking alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. It is a kind of purposeful drinking style that is popular in several countries worldwide,...

, bikers
Outlaw motorcycle club
An outlaw motorcycle club is a type of motorcycle club that is part of a subculture with roots in the post-World War II USA, centered on cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals celebrating freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, and loyalty to the...

, streaking
Streaking
Streaking is the act of running nude through a public place.-History:On 5 July 1799, a Friday evening at 7 o'clock, a naked man was arrested at the Mansion House, London, and sent to the Poultry Compter...

, flashing
Exhibitionism
Exhibitionism refers to a desire or compulsion to expose parts of one's body – specifically the genitals or buttocks of a man or woman, or the breasts of a woman – in a public or semi-public circumstance, in crowds or groups of friends or acquaintances, or to strangers...

, and an overall Woodstock
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...

/Mardi Gras
New Orleans Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana, is a Carnival celebration well-known throughout the world.The New Orleans Carnival season, with roots in preparing for the start of the Christian season of Lent, starts after Twelfth Night, on Epiphany . It is a season of parades, balls , and king cake parties...

-esque atmosphere, the Snake Pit was a popular location for college-age fans to spend time at the track, many of whom had little or no interest in the actual racing activities. Like the infield at the Kentucky Derby, the Snake Pit was often considered a rite of spring, and an excuse to party with abandon. Arrests for public intoxication
Public intoxication
Public intoxication, also known as "drunk and disorderly", is a summary offense in many countries rated to public cases or displays of drunkenness...

, disorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct is a criminal charge in most jurisdictions in the United States. Typically, disorderly conduct makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to "disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain areas. Many types of unruly conduct may fit the definition of disorderly conduct, as such...

, fights
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...

, and drug possession
Drug possession
Drug possession is the crime of having one or more illegal drugs in one's possession, either for personal use, distribution, sale or otherwise. Illegal drugs fall into different categories and sentences vary depending on the amount, type of drug, circumstances, and jurisdiction.A person has...

 were frequent and common.

In periods of rain, the area usually became overwhelmed with mud, and mud wrestling
Mud wrestling
Mud wrestling is defined as physical confrontation that occurs in mud or a mud pit. The popular modern interpretation specifies that participants wrestle while wearing minimal clothing and usually going barefoot, with the emphasis on presenting an entertaining spectacle as opposed to physically...

 was commonly observed. Bonfires and burned cars were also noted.

In 1981, track management erected bleachers in the turn one infield in an effort to curtail the revelry. In addition, a new garage area, motor home row, along with additional support buildings, eventually scaled back the size of the area. As a result, for the better part of the 1980s, the patrons migrated to the infield of turn four, and the somewhat less-intense Snake Pit II emerged. By the 1990s, the intensity of the rowdiness had dropped drastically, due largely in part by new management at the Speedway (Tony George
Tony George
Anton Hulman "Tony" George was the former President and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hulman & Company, serving from 1989 to 2009. He was also formerly on the Board of Directors of both entities. He founded the Indy Racing League and co-owns Vision Racing...

) and beefed up law enforcement. The Snake Pit eventually became more of a festive party
Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, or recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....

 zone.

The turn four infield was razed in 1999 to make room for the infield road course. The race day party scene eventually moved to its current location, the turn three infield. Ironically, in 2008, the original turn one location was also razed to make room for the motorcycle infield road course, often called the "Snake Pit" section. In 2010, the turn three infield was officially named the new Snake Pit by Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For the Brickyard 400, it is referred as the Brickyard Beach Bash.

Food

A traditional food of choice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....

 is the pork tenderloin sandwich
Pork tenderloin sandwich
The Pork Tenderloin Sandwich contains a breaded and fried cutlet similar to the Wiener Schnitzel and is popular in the Midwest region of the United States.The Pork Tenderloin Sandwich was the subject of a 1998 documentary film,...

. The sandwich is a well-known midwestern
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....

 creation, and is sold at the track concessions.

Beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...

 (largely domestic) is consumed in considerable amounts at the track. Unlike most sports stadiums and arenas, at Indianapolis (and most speedways), spectators are allowed to bring their own alcoholic beverages
BYOB
BYOB is an acronym most commonly meant to stand for "bring your own bottle", "bring your own booze" "bring your own bucket" or "bring your own beer"....

 into the track for consumption. Beer is also sold at concessions. Glass bottles, however, are strictly prohibited at the track. Broken glass is considered an extreme hazard to the race cars (cut tires) on the track.

Peanuts
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...

 are considered bad luck. An ambiguous, long-standing superstition
Superstition
Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....

 against eating peanuts at the race track has dominated Indianapolis since at least the 1940s. Legend says, though unconfirmed, that a crashed car was found with peanut shells in the cockpit. As of 2009, however, peanuts are sold at trackside concessions.

Curse of the Smiths

Among the over 700 drivers who have participated in the Indy 500, none have had the last name Smith
Smith (surname)
Smith is an English family name originating in England. It is the most common surname in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, the second most common surname in Canada, and the fifth most common surname in Ireland...

, the most common surname in the United States. Several Smiths have attempted to make the race, the last being Mark Smith
Mark Smith (auto racer)
Mark Smith is an American former race car driver born in Portland, Oregon. Smith entered karting competition at the age of 14 and won 6 championships in multiple IKF divisions...

 who failed to qualify in 1993 and 1994. By contrast there have been 7 different drivers with the last name Jones
Jones (surname)
Jones is a common Celtic Welsh surname based on the English version of the parent's name ending in -S. In 1881 people with this surname were largely confined to Wales. By 1998 many Welsh people had migrated to cities in England particularly those adjacent to Wales. The earliest record of the name...

, only two of whom were related , and five named Miller
Miller (name)
Miller is a surname of English and Scottish origin, principally derived from the occupational name for a miller. The standard modern vocabulary word represents the northern Middle English term, an agent derivative of mille ‘mill’, reinforced by Old Norse mylnari...

, none of whom were related.

Only two drivers with the surname Smith have ever competed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, albeit in different events. Regan Smith
Regan Smith
Regan Smith is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #78 Furniture Row Chevrolet Impala for Furniture Row Racing.-Beginnings:...

 has driven in the Brickyard 400 since 2008. However, due to the exemption rule, Regan Smith was essentially locked into the field going into each of those races. Motorcyclist Bradley Smith
Bradley Smith (motorcyclist)
Bradley Smith is an English motorcycle racer, currently competing in the Moto2 Grand Prix World Championship. He was a regular frontrunner in the 125cc class, recording three wins, twenty podium finishes as well as nine pole positions in his five seasons in the class...

 has competed in the Red Bull Indianapolis GP
Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix
The Indianapolis Grand Prix is a motorcycling event held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States as part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. Its first edition took place on September 14, 2008 and was sponsored by Red Bull. The race was held again on August 30,...

 125 cc division. Neither driver has won the events.

Pre race ceremonies

  • At 6 a.m., and in some years as early as 5 a.m., an explosive is set off to signal the opening of the gates.
  • At 8 a.m., the "Spectacle of Bands" marches around the racing circuit. Numerous marching bands from nearby and neighboring high schools and universities entertain the early arriving fans. Most of the bands in attendance also participate in the 500 Festival Parade downtown the day before. Traditional participants include the Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

     (along with the World's Largest Drum
    Purdue Big Bass Drum
    The Purdue Big Bass Drum is a percussion instrument played by the All-American Marching Band of Purdue University. At a height of more than ten feet , it is often called the World's Largest Drum. Since its inception, it has become a lasting symbol of the marching band as well as the university...

     which is driven around the track) and Speedway High School
    Speedway Senior High School
    Speedway Senior High School is a public, secondary school in Speedway, Indiana . It is part of the School Town of Speedway.Located at 5357 West 25th Street, the school serves students in grades nine through twelve.-Enrollment:...

    .
  • The Purdue University
    Purdue University
    Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...

     All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

     plays several pre-race songs, including "On the Banks of the Wabash
    On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away
    "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" was among the best-selling songs of the 19th century in terms of sheet music sold. Written and composed by American songwriter Paul Dresser, it was published by the Tin Pan Alley firm of Howley, Haviland & Co. in October 1897. The lyrics of the ballad...

    " and "Stars and Stripes Forever."

National anthem

The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...

has been performed before the start of the Indy 500 in most years. Up through the 1970s and early 1980s, the song was typically played by the Purdue All-American Marching Band
Purdue All-American Marching Band
The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

 without a vocalist. However, in some rare occasions, a vocalist was used. In 1976, Tom Sullivan
Tom Sullivan (singer)
Tom Sullivan is an American performer, author, and motivational speaker.-Personal life:Sullivan was born and raised in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, the son of Marie C. and Thomas J. Sullivan, who owned a saloon. His premature birth caused him to need oxygen treatment while in an incubator...

 and Up with People
Up with People
Up with People is an international education organization founded in 1968 by J. Blanton Belk, building from roots in the similar "Sing-Out" program of 1965. Up With People is best known for their musical performances by international casts consisting of 70–100 students from, on average, 20...

 was invited to sing, as a gesture to the U.S. Bicentennial
United States Bicentennial
The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...

.

By the mid-1980s, the Speedway began inviting notable artists to perform the national anthem. In nearly all cases, they would be backed by the Purdue Band
Purdue All-American Marching Band
The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

. In 2001, Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...

 of Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...

 caused a controversy after he changed the lyrics of the song. Recent performers include:
  • 1967 Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1968 Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1969 Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1970 Al Hirt
    Al Hirt
    Al Hirt was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million selling recordings of "Java", and the accompanying album, Honey in the Horn . His nicknames included 'Jumbo' and 'The Round Mound of Sound'...

     (trumpet solo)
  • 1971 Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1972 Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1973 Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1974 Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1975 Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1976 Tom Sullivan
    Tom Sullivan (singer)
    Tom Sullivan is an American performer, author, and motivational speaker.-Personal life:Sullivan was born and raised in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, the son of Marie C. and Thomas J. Sullivan, who owned a saloon. His premature birth caused him to need oxygen treatment while in an incubator...

     and Up with People
    Up with People
    Up with People is an international education organization founded in 1968 by J. Blanton Belk, building from roots in the similar "Sing-Out" program of 1965. Up With People is best known for their musical performances by international casts consisting of 70–100 students from, on average, 20...

  • 1977 Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1978 Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1979 Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1980 Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1981 Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1982 Louis Sudler
  • 1983 James A. Hubert
  • 1985 Robert McFarlin
  • 1986 David Hasselhoff
    David Hasselhoff
    David Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...

  • 1987 Sandi Patty
    Sandi Patty
    Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty is an American Christian music singer. For many years she was known as Sandi Patti. She has been dubbed "The Voice" by critics, because of her wide range and flexibility.-Early life:...

  • 1988 Sandi Patty
    Sandi Patty
    Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty is an American Christian music singer. For many years she was known as Sandi Patti. She has been dubbed "The Voice" by critics, because of her wide range and flexibility.-Early life:...

  • 1989 Tom Hudnut (brother of Indianapolis mayor Bill Hudnut
    William H. Hudnut III
    William Herbert Hudnut III was the mayor of Indianapolis from 1976 to 1992. A Republican, his four terms made him the city's longest serving mayor. He previously represented the Indianapolis area in Congress from 1973 to 1975 but was defeated in his race for a second term.-Early life and...

    )
  • 1990 Sandi Patty
    Sandi Patty
    Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty is an American Christian music singer. For many years she was known as Sandi Patti. She has been dubbed "The Voice" by critics, because of her wide range and flexibility.-Early life:...

  • 1991 Sandi Patty
    Sandi Patty
    Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty is an American Christian music singer. For many years she was known as Sandi Patti. She has been dubbed "The Voice" by critics, because of her wide range and flexibility.-Early life:...

  • 1992 Sandi Patty
    Sandi Patty
    Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty is an American Christian music singer. For many years she was known as Sandi Patti. She has been dubbed "The Voice" by critics, because of her wide range and flexibility.-Early life:...

  • 1993 Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 1994 Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 1995 Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 1996 Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 1997 Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 1998 Elizabeth Burch
  • 1999 CeCe Winans
    CeCe Winans
    Priscilla "CeCe" Marie Winans Love is an American Gospel singer, who has won numerous Grammy and Stellar Awards.-Early life:CeCe Winans was born in Detroit, Michigan, to David and Delores Winans, on October 8, 1964...

  • 2000 Jessica Andrews
    Jessica Andrews
    Jessica Danielle Andrews is an American country music singer. At age 15 in mid-1999, she made her debut on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts with the single "I Will Be There for You", from her debut album Heart Shaped World, released in 1999 on DreamWorks Records Nashville.Andrews...

  • 2001 Steven Tyler
    Steven Tyler
    Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...

  • 2002 Josephine Holmon (West Point
    United States Military Academy
    The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

     cadet)
  • 2003 Daniel Rodríguez
    Daniel Rodriguez
    Daniel Rodríguez is an American operatic tenor from New York City. He became known as "The Singing Policeman" in his former work with the New York City Police Department, due to his role as one of the department's designated National Anthem singers...

  • 2004 Jessica Simpson
    Jessica Simpson
    Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...

  • 2005 Members of U.S. Armed Forces
  • 2006 Members of U.S. Armed Forces
  • 2007 Members of U.S. Armed Forces
  • 2008 Julianne Hough
    Julianne Hough
    Julianne Alexandra Hough is an American professional ballroom dancer, country music singer and actress. She is most widely known for being a two-time champion of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She earned a Creative Arts Primetime Emmy nomination in 2007 for choreography...

  • 2009 Major Lisa Kopczynski (Indiana National Guard
    Indiana National Guard
    The Indiana National Guard is the armed force of the state of Indiana. It consists of the Indiana Army National Guard and the Indiana Air National Guard, and is part of the larger Army National Guard and the Air National Guard...

    )
  • 2010 Jewel
    Jewel (singer)
    Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...

  • 2011 Seal
    Seal (musician)
    Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel , known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background. Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an...

     and Kelly Clarkson
    Kelly Clarkson
    Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...

    , accompanied by David Foster
    David Foster
    David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...

     on piano.

Other songs

In most years since the 1991, the song "America the Beautiful
America the Beautiful
"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....

" or "God Bless America
God Bless America
"God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song ....

" has also been performed by Florence Henderson
Florence Henderson
Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

. Henderson, a native Hoosier, is a friend of the Hulman-George family. Her performance, often not televised, immediately precedes the national anthem. The performance was introduced for the race's 75th anniversary running in 1991, in part due to Operation Desert Storm. Henderson switched to the national anthem for 1993-1997, then returned to the special pre-performance in 1999. In 2003, the song switched to "God Bless America
God Bless America
"God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song ....

," which became more popular in the post-9/11 era.
  • 1991 "America the Beautiful
    America the Beautiful
    "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 1992 "America the Beautiful
    America the Beautiful
    "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 1993-1998 none
  • 1999 "America the Beautiful
    America the Beautiful
    "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

     and "God Bless the USA
    God Bless the USA
    "God Bless the USA" is an American patriotic song written and recorded by country musician Lee Greenwood. The first Greenwood album it appears on is 1984's You've Got a Good Love Comin'. It reached No...

    " by Lee Greenwood
    Lee Greenwood
    Melvin Lee Greenwood is an American country music artist. Active since the early 1980s, he has released more than twenty major-label albums and has charted more than 35 singles on the Billboard country music charts....

  • 2000 "America the Beautiful
    America the Beautiful
    "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 2001 "America the Beautiful
    America the Beautiful
    "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 2002 "America the Beautiful
    America the Beautiful
    "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 2003 "God Bless America
    God Bless America
    "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song ....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

     and "Have You Forgotten?" by Darryl Worley
    Darryl Worley
    Darryl Wade Worley is an American country music artist. Signed to DreamWorks Records Nashville in 2000, Worley released four albums for the label: Hard Rain Don't Last , I Miss My Friend , Have You Forgotten? , and Darryl Worley in 2004...

  • 2004 "God Bless America
    God Bless America
    "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song ....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 2005 "God Bless America
    God Bless America
    "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song ....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 2006 "God Bless America
    God Bless America
    "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song ....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 2007 "God Bless America
    God Bless America
    "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song ....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 2008 "God Bless America
    God Bless America
    "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song ....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

  • 2009 "God Bless America
    God Bless America
    "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song ....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

     and "America the Beautiful
    America the Beautiful
    "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....

    " by Miss America 2009
    Miss America 2009
    Miss America 2009, the 88th Miss America pageant, was held on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada on January 24, 2009. The winner was Katie Stam from Indiana....

     Katie Stam
    Katie Stam
    Katie R. Stam is a beauty queen from Seymour, Indiana, crowned Miss America 2009.-Biography:Growing up, Stam was a 4-H member and showed dairy cattle at the Jackson County Fair....

  • 2010 "God Bless America
    God Bless America
    "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song ....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

     and "America the Beautiful
    America the Beautiful
    "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....

    " by Major Lisa Kopczynski (Indiana National Guard
    Indiana National Guard
    The Indiana National Guard is the armed force of the state of Indiana. It consists of the Indiana Army National Guard and the Indiana Air National Guard, and is part of the larger Army National Guard and the Air National Guard...

    )
  • 2011 "God Bless America
    God Bless America
    "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song ....

    " by Florence Henderson
    Florence Henderson
    Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...

     and "America the Beautiful
    America the Beautiful
    "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....

    " by Miss America 2011
    Miss America 2011
    Miss America 2011 was the 90th Miss America pageant. Since the first Miss America pageant was held 90 years ago, in 1921, the Miss America Organization is celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2011. It was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas...

     Teresa Scanlan
    Teresa Scanlan
    Teresa Scanlan, is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Gering, Nebraska who was named Miss Nebraska 2010, subsequently winning Miss America 2011 and becoming the youngest Miss America since Bette Cooper in 1937.-Biography:...


Invocation

Starting in 1974, the Indy 500 was moved to the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. As a gesture, the Speedway added an invocation
Invocation
An invocation may take the form of:*Supplication or prayer.*A form of possession.*Command or conjuration.*Self-identification with certain spirits....

 to the pre-race ceremonies. In most years, the Speedway has invited the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis is a division of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It was originally erected as the Diocese of Vincennes, Indiana on May 6, 1834, and encompassed all of Indiana as well as the eastern third of Illinois...

. In selected years, others have been invited. Nationally famous clergymen Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts
Granville "Oral" Roberts was an American Pentecostal televangelist and a Christian charismatic. He founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University....

 (1977) and Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...

 (1999) are among the special guests.

Archbishop Edward T. O'Meara
Edward Thomas O'Meara
Edward Thomas O'Meara was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Indianapolis from 1980 until his death.-Biography:...

 participated several times in the 1980s and early 1990s. After O'Meara's death in early 1992, Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein
Daniel M. Buechlein
Daniel Mark Buechlein, OSB is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the fifth Archbishop of Indianapolis until his resignation in September 2011; his replacement has not been named by Pope Benedict XVI, so the Archdiocese is a vacant see .- Biography :Daniel Buechlein was...

 has taken over as the traditional clergy. Buechlein customarily ends his invocation with the word "Godspeed" in the languages of all of the participating drivers.

Taps

In remembrance of Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...

, "Taps
Taps
"Taps" is a musical piece sounded by the U.S. military nightly to indicate that it is "lights out". The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfields Lullaby", or by the lyrics of its second verse, "Day is Done". It is also played during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet...

" is played, and a U.S. military aircraft does a fly-by
Flypast
Flypast is a term used in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and other countries to denote ceremonial or honorific flights by groups of aircraft and, rarely, by a single aircraft...

. In some years, multiple aircraft participate, executing the missing man formation
Missing man formation
The missing man formation is an aerial salute performed as part of a flyover of aircraft at a funeral or memorial event, typically in memory of a fallen pilot. The missing man formation is often called "the missing man flyby"...

. Traditionally, a member of the public address announcing team has recited a preamble
Preamble
A preamble is an introductory and expressionary statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the subject of the statute...

 honoring those who have died in combat, and those who have perished in automobile racing. Since 2000, a notable military or government official has offered a tribute or remarks.

In the 1960s and 1970s, "Taps" was typically rendered by a combined U.S. Armed Forces Color Guard. Then through 2005, it was usually played by the Purdue Band. Since 2006, a solo trumpeter from the Indiana National Guard
Indiana National Guard
The Indiana National Guard is the armed force of the state of Indiana. It consists of the Indiana Army National Guard and the Indiana Air National Guard, and is part of the larger Army National Guard and the Air National Guard...

 has been used. Sgt.
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....

 Byron Bartosh performed in 2006-2008. Sgt. Joseph Young performed in 2009-2010. In 2011, "Taps" was played by Ron Duncan of the 38th Infantry Division Band.

Remarks
  • 2000 U. S. Secretary of Defense
    United States Secretary of Defense
    The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...

     William Cohen
    William Cohen
    William Sebastian Cohen is an author and American politician from the U.S. state of Maine. A Republican, Cohen served as Secretary of Defense under Democratic President Bill Clinton.-Early life and education:...

  • 2001 General James L. Jones
    James L. Jones
    James Logan Jones, Jr. is the former United States National Security Advisor and a retired United States Marine Corps General....

  • 2003 General Jack Keane
    Jack Keane
    John Keane is a retired four-star general and former Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army, and a defense analyst currently serving as Chairman of the Board for .-Biography:...

  • 2004 General William J. Begert
    William J. Begert
    General William J. Begert served as commander, Pacific Air Forces, and Air Component Commander for the Commander, United States Pacific Command, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii...

  • 2005 General Colin Powell
    Colin Powell
    Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...

  • 2006 General Colin Powell
    Colin Powell
    Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...

  • 2007 General Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.
    Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.
    General Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf KCB , also known as "Stormin' Norman" and "The Bear", is a retired United States Army General who, while he served as Commander of U.S. Central Command, was commander of the Coalition Forces in the Gulf War of 1991.-Early life:Schwarzkopf was born in Trenton, New...

  • 2008 General Victor E. Renuart Jr.
    Victor E. Renuart Jr.
    Victor Eugene "Gene" Renuart, Jr., is a retired United States Air Force four-star general. His last military assignment was as the commander of United States Northern Command which he concurrently served as the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command from March 23, 2007, to May 19,...

  • 2009 General Craig R. McKinley
    Craig R. McKinley
    General Craig Richard McKinley, USAF is the 26th and current Chief, National Guard Bureau. He is the first officer from the National Guard to ever achieve the grade of a four-star general. He also joins George Washington and Ulysses S. Grant as four-star officers who have served as state...

     followed by a 3-volley salute
    3-volley salute
    The 3-volley salute is a ceremonial act performed at military and police funerals as part of the drill and ceremony of the Honor Guard. It consists of a rifle party firing blank cartridges into the air three times. The custom originates from the European dynastic wars, where the fighting ceased so...

  • 2010 Rear admiral
    Rear admiral (United States)
    Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...

     John W. Miller followed by a 3-volley salute
    3-volley salute
    The 3-volley salute is a ceremonial act performed at military and police funerals as part of the drill and ceremony of the Honor Guard. It consists of a rifle party firing blank cartridges into the air three times. The custom originates from the European dynastic wars, where the fighting ceased so...

  • 2011 General Peter W. Chiarelli
    Peter W. Chiarelli
    Peter W. Chiarelli is a United States Army General who is serving as the 32nd and current Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. He previously served as commander, Multi-National Corps—Iraq under General George W. Casey, Jr. He assumed his current assignment on August 4, 2008...

     followed by a 3-volley salute
    3-volley salute
    The 3-volley salute is a ceremonial act performed at military and police funerals as part of the drill and ceremony of the Honor Guard. It consists of a rifle party firing blank cartridges into the air three times. The custom originates from the European dynastic wars, where the fighting ceased so...



Fly-bys
  • 1991 Four A-10s
    A-10 Thunderbolt II
    The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...

  • 1992 The "Black Aces
    VFA-41
    Strike Fighter Squadron 41 also known as the "Black Aces", is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California ....

    "
  • 1994 Four P-51 Mustang
    P-51 Mustang
    The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...

    s, led by Chuck Yeager
    Chuck Yeager
    Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager is a retired major general in the United States Air Force and noted test pilot. He was the first pilot to travel faster than sound...

  • 1995 B-17 Flying Fortress, led by Chuck Yeager
    Chuck Yeager
    Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager is a retired major general in the United States Air Force and noted test pilot. He was the first pilot to travel faster than sound...

  • 1996 Four F-18 Hornets (Marine Aircraft Group 31
    Marine Aircraft Group 31
    Marine Aircraft Group 31 is a United States Marine Corps aviation group based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina that is currently composed of four F/A-18C squadrons, one F/A-18A+ squadron, two F/A-18D squadrons and a maintenance and logistics squadron...

    )
  • 1997 Stealth Bomber
    B-2 Spirit
    The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy bomber with low observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber has a crew of two and can drop up to eighty -class JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen ...

  • 1999 Stealth Bomber
    B-2 Spirit
    The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy bomber with low observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber has a crew of two and can drop up to eighty -class JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen ...

     & four F-14 Tomcat
    F-14 Tomcat
    The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...

    s
  • 2000 Two AV-8B Harrier II
    AV-8B Harrier II
    The McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II is a second-generation vertical/short takeoff and landing ground-attack aircraft. An Anglo-American development of the British Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the Harrier II is the final member of the Harrier family that started with the Hawker Siddeley P.1127 in...

    s
  • 2001 Four F-16s
    F-16 Fighting Falcon
    The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...

  • 2002 Stealth Bomber
    B-2 Spirit
    The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy bomber with low observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber has a crew of two and can drop up to eighty -class JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen ...

     "Spirit of Washington" (509th Bomb Wing
    509th Bomb Wing
    The 509th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command, Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri....

    , Whiteman Air Force Base
    Whiteman Air Force Base
    Whiteman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately south of Knob Noster, Missouri; east-southeast of Kansas City, Missouri....

    )
  • 2003 Stealth Bomber "Spirit of Indiana" (509th Bomb Wing
    509th Bomb Wing
    The 509th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command, Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri....

    , Whiteman Air Force Base
    Whiteman Air Force Base
    Whiteman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately south of Knob Noster, Missouri; east-southeast of Kansas City, Missouri....

    )
  • 2004 Four F-16s
    F-16 Fighting Falcon
    The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...

    , "The Black Snakes" (122d Fighter Wing
    122d Fighter Wing
    The 122d Fighter Wing is an Indiana Air National Guard fighter unit, part of the United States Air Force. It is located at Fort Wayne Air National Guard Station in Fort Wayne, Indiana.-Overview:...

    , Air National Guard
    Air National Guard
    The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...

    )
  • 2005 Stealth Bomber
    B-2 Spirit
    The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy bomber with low observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber has a crew of two and can drop up to eighty -class JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen ...

  • 2006 Historic Aircraft & four F-16s
    F-16 Fighting Falcon
    The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...

  • 2007 Four F-22 Raptor
    F-22 Raptor
    The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a single-seat, twin-engine fifth-generation supermaneuverable fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. It was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but has additional capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals...

    s (Langley AFB)
  • 2008 Two F-16 Vipers
    F-16 Fighting Falcon
    The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...

     & two F/A-18 Hornet
    F/A-18 Hornet
    The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...

    s (Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center
    Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center
    The Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at Naval Air Station Fallon located in the city of Fallon in western Nevada is the center of excellence for naval aviation training and tactics development...

    )
  • 2009 Two WWII
    World War II
    World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

     B-25 Mitchell
    B-25 Mitchell
    The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...

     bombers
    Medium bomber
    A medium bomber is a bomber aircraft designed to operate with medium bombloads over medium distances; the name serves to distinguish them from the larger heavy bombers and smaller light bombers...

  • 2010 Four F/A-18 Hornet
    F/A-18 Hornet
    The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...

    s (Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center
    Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center
    The Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at Naval Air Station Fallon located in the city of Fallon in western Nevada is the center of excellence for naval aviation training and tactics development...

    )
  • 2011
    • Pre-race: Stealth Bomber "Spirit of Indiana" (509th Bomb Wing
      509th Bomb Wing
      The 509th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command, Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri....

      , Whiteman Air Force Base
      Whiteman Air Force Base
      Whiteman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately south of Knob Noster, Missouri; east-southeast of Kansas City, Missouri....

      )
    • Post-race: Four F/A-18E Super Hornets

Back Home Again in Indiana

The most traditional performance is the singing of "Back Home Again in Indiana
Back Home Again in Indiana
" Indiana" is a song composed by Ballard MacDonald and James F. Hanley, first published in January of 1917. While it is not the official state song of the U.S...

" by Jim Nabors
Jim Nabors
James Thurston "Jim" Nabors is an American actor and singer. Born and raised in Sylacauga, Alabama, Nabors moved to Southern California because of his asthma. While working at a Santa Monica nightclub, The Horn, he was discovered by Andy Griffith and later joined The Andy Griffith Show, playing...

, accompanied by the Purdue Marching Band. Nabors has performed the song in most years since 1972. During the line "...the new mown hay..." thousands of multicolored balloons are released from an infield tent. This tradition has accompanied the race since 1946. The song has long been the last event in the order of the day, immediately proceeding the command to start engines.

In 1997, the race was rained out on Sunday, and the start was rescheduled for Monday. Nabors (as well as the Purdue band), had left the grounds by Monday morning. Rather than find a last-minute replacement, Nabors suggested that the Speedway utilize a recording of one of his previous performances. The Speedway replayed his 1993 rendition, and it was well-received by the fans. Two days before the 2007 race, Nabors canceled his appearance due to an illness. On race morning, Nabors recorded a special video greeting to the fans from his Hawaii home, which was streamed over the internet. Fans were invited to sing along with the Purdue band, and a "get well soon" message was displayed for Nabors. In 2008, Nabors made a well-received return, and received a standing ovation at the public driver meeting.
  • 1946 James Melton
    James Melton
    James Melton , a popular singer in the 1920s and early 1930s, later began a career as an operatic singer when tenor voices went out of style in popular music around 1932-35...

  • 1947 James Melton
    James Melton
    James Melton , a popular singer in the 1920s and early 1930s, later began a career as an operatic singer when tenor voices went out of style in popular music around 1932-35...

  • 1948 James Melton
    James Melton
    James Melton , a popular singer in the 1920s and early 1930s, later began a career as an operatic singer when tenor voices went out of style in popular music around 1932-35...

  • 1949 Frank Parish
  • 1950 James Melton
    James Melton
    James Melton , a popular singer in the 1920s and early 1930s, later began a career as an operatic singer when tenor voices went out of style in popular music around 1932-35...

  • 1951 Frank Parish
  • 1952 Morton Downey, Sr.
    Morton Downey
    Morton Downey was a singer popular in the United States, enjoying his greatest success in the 1930s and 1940s. Downey was nicknamed "The Irish Nightingale".-Early years:...

  • 1953 Morton Downey, Sr.
    Morton Downey
    Morton Downey was a singer popular in the United States, enjoying his greatest success in the 1930s and 1940s. Downey was nicknamed "The Irish Nightingale".-Early years:...

  • 1954 James Melton
    James Melton
    James Melton , a popular singer in the 1920s and early 1930s, later began a career as an operatic singer when tenor voices went out of style in popular music around 1932-35...

  • 1955 Dinah Shore
    Dinah Shore
    Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...

  • 1956 Brian Sullivan
    Brian Sullivan
    Brian Sullivan may refer to:* Brian Sullivan , presenter of programs on CNBC* Brian Sullivan , politician from Snohomish County, Washington...

  • 1957 Jerome Hines
    Jerome Hines
    The American Jerome A. Hines was a basso opera singer who performed at the Metropolitan Opera from 1946 to 1987...

     & Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1958 Brian Sullivan
    Brian Sullivan
    Brian Sullivan may refer to:* Brian Sullivan , presenter of programs on CNBC* Brian Sullivan , politician from Snohomish County, Washington...

  • 1959 Purdue University Glee Club
    Purdue Varsity Glee Club
    -History:The glee club was founded in 1893 with 11 members, under the direction of Lafayette organist, Cyrus Dadswell. At the time, Purdue University was an agricultural and engineering school without a strong musical tradition. In 1910, under the direction of E.J. Wotawa, the Glee Club composed...

  • 1960 Dennis Morgan
    Dennis Morgan
    Dennis Morgan was an American actor-singer. Born as Earl Stanley Morner, he used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting his professional name....

  • 1961 Mel Tormé
    Mel Tormé
    Melvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...

  • 1962 C. David Cochard (Purdue Varsity Glee Club
    Purdue Varsity Glee Club
    -History:The glee club was founded in 1893 with 11 members, under the direction of Lafayette organist, Cyrus Dadswell. At the time, Purdue University was an agricultural and engineering school without a strong musical tradition. In 1910, under the direction of E.J. Wotawa, the Glee Club composed...

    )
  • 1963 Brian Sullivan
    Brian Sullivan
    Brian Sullivan may refer to:* Brian Sullivan , presenter of programs on CNBC* Brian Sullivan , politician from Snohomish County, Washington...

  • 1964 Vic Damone
    Vic Damone
    Vic Damone is an American singer and entertainer.- Early life :Damone was born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn, New York to French-Italian immigrants based in Bari, Italy—Rocco and Mamie Farinola. His father was an electrician; and his mother taught piano. His cousin was the actress and singer...

  • 1965 Johnny Desmond
    Johnny Desmond
    Johnny Desmond , born Giovanni Alfredo De Simone, was a popular American singer.-Early years:...

  • 1966 Ed Ames
    Ed Ames
    Ed Ames is an American popular singer and actor. He is best known for his pop and adult contemporary hits of the 1960s like "When the Snow is on the Roses" and the perennial "My Cup Runneth Over." He was part of a popular 1950s singing group called The Ames Brothers.-Early life:Born in Malden,...

     (music and stage actor)
  • 1967 Russell J. Wunderlich (Purdue Varsity Glee Club
    Purdue Varsity Glee Club
    -History:The glee club was founded in 1893 with 11 members, under the direction of Lafayette organist, Cyrus Dadswell. At the time, Purdue University was an agricultural and engineering school without a strong musical tradition. In 1910, under the direction of E.J. Wotawa, the Glee Club composed...

    )
  • 1968 Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

  • 1969 Mack H. Shultz (Purdue Varsity Glee Club
    Purdue Varsity Glee Club
    -History:The glee club was founded in 1893 with 11 members, under the direction of Lafayette organist, Cyrus Dadswell. At the time, Purdue University was an agricultural and engineering school without a strong musical tradition. In 1910, under the direction of E.J. Wotawa, the Glee Club composed...

    )
  • 1970 Saverio Saridis
  • 1971 Peter DePaolo
  • 1972 Jim Nabors
    Jim Nabors
    James Thurston "Jim" Nabors is an American actor and singer. Born and raised in Sylacauga, Alabama, Nabors moved to Southern California because of his asthma. While working at a Santa Monica nightclub, The Horn, he was discovered by Andy Griffith and later joined The Andy Griffith Show, playing...

  • 1973 Jim Nabors
  • 1974 Jim Nabors
  • 1975 Jim Nabors
  • 1976 Jim Nabors
  • 1977 Jim Nabors
  • 1978 Jim Nabors
  • 1979 Peter Marshall
  • 1980 Dr. Richard Smith (Purdue Varsity Glee Club
    Purdue Varsity Glee Club
    -History:The glee club was founded in 1893 with 11 members, under the direction of Lafayette organist, Cyrus Dadswell. At the time, Purdue University was an agricultural and engineering school without a strong musical tradition. In 1910, under the direction of E.J. Wotawa, the Glee Club composed...

    )
  • 1981 Phil Harris
    Phil Harris
    Harris and Faye married in 1941; it was a second marriage for both and lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. Harris engaged in a fistfight at the Trocadero nightclub in 1938 with RKO studio mogul Bob Stevens; the cause was reported to be over Faye after Stevens and Faye had ended a romantic...

  • 1982 Louis Sudler (Chicago Civic Opera
    Chicago Civic Opera
    The Civic Opera Company was a Chicago company that produced seven seasons of grand opera in the Auditorium Theater from 1922 to 1928, and three seasons at its own Civic Opera House from 1929 to 1931 before falling victim to financial difficulties brought on in part by the Great Depression.-...

    )
  • 1983 Jim Nabors
  • 1984 Jim Nabors
  • 1985 Walt Disney World Voices of Liberty
  • 1986 John Davies
    John Davies
    -Politicians:*John Davies , British businessman and Conservative MP and cabinet minister*John S. Davies , Pennsylvania politician...

     (Artist in residence
    Artist in residence
    Artist-in-residence programs and other residency opportunities allow visiting artists to stay and work so that they may apply singular focus to their art practice....

    , Indianapolis Opera
    Indianapolis Opera
    The only professional opera company in Indiana, the ' hosts three fully staged productions a season in addition to supporting a Young Artist Program and various local events...

    ) & the 74th Army Band of Fort Benjamin Harrison
    Fort Benjamin Harrison
    Fort Benjamin Harrison was a U.S. Army post located in suburban Lawrence, Indiana, northeast of Indianapolis. It is named for the 23rd United States President, Benjamin Harrison. Land was purchased in 1903, with the post being officially named for President Harrison in honor of Indianapolis being...

  • 1987 Jim Nabors
  • 1988 Jim Nabors
  • 1989 Jim Nabors
  • 1990 Jim Nabors
  • 1991 Jim Nabors
  • 1992 Jim Nabors
  • 1993 Jim Nabors
  • 1994 Jim Nabors
  • 1995 Jim Nabors
  • 1996 Jim Nabors
  • 1997 Jim Nabors (Recording from the 1993 performance due to rain delay)
  • 1998 Jim Nabors
  • 1999 Jim Nabors
  • 2000 Jim Nabors
  • 2001 Jim Nabors
  • 2002 Jim Nabors
  • 2003 Jim Nabors
  • 2004 Jim Nabors
  • 2005 Jim Nabors
  • 2006 Jim Nabors
  • 2007 300,000 race fans & Purdue All-American Marching Band
    Purdue All-American Marching Band
    The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...

     (This was due to an illness that prevented Jim Nabors from attending)
  • 2008 Jim Nabors
  • 2009 Jim Nabors
  • 2010 Jim Nabors
  • 2011 Jim Nabors

Gentlemen, start your engines

The call for the engines to start is made by stating "Gentlemen, start your engines!" When female drivers are competing, the call has been amended to "Lady and Gentlemen..." or "Ladies and Gentlemen..."

Wilbur Shaw
Wilbur Shaw
Warren Wilbur Shaw was a noted American racing driver and president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death. Shaw was the automotive test evaluator for Popular Science magazine...

, President of the Speedway from 1946-1954, did not coin the phrase, but is generally accepted as the person who first brought attention to it. Tony Hulman
Tony Hulman
Anton "Tony" Hulman, Jr. was a businessman from Terre Haute, Indiana who rescued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945 and made the Indianapolis 500 popular....

 made the command eloquent and famous while he recited it from 1955-1977. From 1978-1980 and 1982-1996, the call was made by his widow Mary Fendrich Hulman
Mary Fendrich Hulman
Mary Fendrich Hulman was the wife of the late Indiana industrialist Anton "Tony" Hulman, Jr. and matriarch of the Hulman-George family which today controls Hulman & Co., the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League.-Early life:Born in Evansville, Indiana, Mary was the daughter of...

. Her daughter, Mari Hulman George
Mari Hulman George
Mari Hulman George, born Mary Antonia Hulman on December 26, 1934, in Terre Haute, Indiana, is the daughter of the late Anton "Tony" Hulman and Mary Fendrich Hulman, prominent Indiana philanthropists and business owners...

 recited the command in 1981, and has continuously from 1997-2011.

On occasions when an accident or rain has halted the race, a second command has typically been given. Years include: 1967, 1973, 1982, 1986, 1997, 2004, 2007. The amended command, "gentlemen, re-start your engines," has usually been used. In 1986, this re-start command was given by Tony George
Tony George
Anton Hulman "Tony" George was the former President and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hulman & Company, serving from 1989 to 2009. He was also formerly on the Board of Directors of both entities. He founded the Indy Racing League and co-owns Vision Racing...

. In 1997, it was given by Mari Hulman George
Mari Hulman George
Mari Hulman George, born Mary Antonia Hulman on December 26, 1934, in Terre Haute, Indiana, is the daughter of the late Anton "Tony" Hulman and Mary Fendrich Hulman, prominent Indiana philanthropists and business owners...

. In 1982 and 2004 the command was given by public address announcer Tom Carnegie
Tom Carnegie
Tom Carnegie, was the public address announcer for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1946 to 2006. His signature calls while at IMS were "He's on it" and "It's a new track record," which were said many times during his tenure...

.

Honorary starter

A recently-added tradition is the use of an honorary starter. A special guest has been invited in recent years to wave the green flag to start the race.
  • 1993 Nick Fornoro (retired CART
    Champ Car
    Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

     starter, retired at the end of the 1992 CART season)
  • 1997 General Ronald Fogleman
    Ronald Fogleman
    Ronald Robert Fogleman is a retired General in the United States Air Force who served the 15th Chief of Staff of the Air Force from 1994 to 1997, and before that, from 1992 to 1994 as Commander-in-Chief of the United States Transportation Command.-Air Force career:A 1963 graduate from the United...

     (Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
    Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
    The Chief of Staff of the Air Force is a statutory office held by a four-star general in the United States Air Force, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Air Force, and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the...

    )
  • 1998 Mark Page (Sr. VP of Store Operations for Pep Boys
    Pep Boys
    The Pep Boys — Manny, Moe & Jack , branded as Pep Boys Auto and commonly abbreviated as Pep Boys, is a full-service and tire automotive aftermarket chain....

    , IndyCar Series sponsor)
  • 1999 Jim Postl (President and CEO of Pennzoil
    Pennzoil
    Pennzoil is an American oil company founded in Los Angeles, California in 1913. In 1955, it was acquired by Oil City, Pennsylvania company South Penn Oil, a former branch of Standard Oil. In 1963, South Penn Oil merged with Zapata Petroleum; the merged company took the Pennzoil name. During the...

    )
  • 2000 Howard Katz (President of ABC Sports
    ESPN on ABC
    ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...

    )
  • 2004 Nick Lachey
    Nick Lachey
    Nicholas Scott "Nick" Lachey is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and television personality. Lachey rose to fame as a member of the boy band 98 Degrees. He later starred in the reality television series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica with his then-wife, Jessica Simpson. He has released...

  • 2005 Reggie Miller
    Reggie Miller
    Reginald Wayne "Reggie" Miller is a retired American professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association career with the Indiana Pacers...

  • 2006 Sugar Ray Leonard
    Sugar Ray Leonard
    Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...

  • 2007 Peyton Manning
    Peyton Manning
    Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...

  • 2008 Kristi Yamaguchi
    Kristi Yamaguchi
    Kristine Tsuya "Kristi" Yamaguchi-Hedican is an American figure skater. She is the 1992 Olympic Champion in ladies' singles. Yamaguchi also won two World Figure Skating Championships in 1991 and 1992 and a U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1992. She won one junior world title in 1988 and two...

  • 2009 Allen Sirkin (COO
    Chief operating officer
    A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...

     of Phillips-Van Heusen, IndyCar Series Sponsor)
  • 2010 Jack Nicholson
    Jack Nicholson
    John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...

  • 2011 Bruce P. Crandall
    Bruce P. Crandall
    Bruce Perry Crandall is a retired U.S. Army officer who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Ia Drang. During the battle he flew 22 missions in an unarmed helicopter into enemy fire to bring ammunition and supplies and evacuate the wounded...

     (Medal of Honor
    Medal of Honor
    The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

     recipient)

Celebrity guests

Since the early years of the race, celebrities
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...

 from all walks of fame have been invited to the race, some have returned for many years or even decades. Television and movie stars
Movie star
A movie star is a celebrity who is well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a movie in trailers and posters...

, sports figures, and politicians
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 are among the many dignitaries invited. During the pre-race, a parade of stars is conducted around the track, usually in convertibles. Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...

 is seen in a famous photograph of the 1947 race
1947 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1947 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1947.Late in the race, Lou Moore teammates Bill Holland and Mauri Rose were running 1st-2nd. The pit crew displayed a confusing chalkboard sign with the letters "EZY" to Holland, presumably meaning for him to take the...

. Among the many celebrities who have attended multiple Indy 500s include Jim Nabors
Jim Nabors
James Thurston "Jim" Nabors is an American actor and singer. Born and raised in Sylacauga, Alabama, Nabors moved to Southern California because of his asthma. While working at a Santa Monica nightclub, The Horn, he was discovered by Andy Griffith and later joined The Andy Griffith Show, playing...

, James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...

, David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...

, Tim Allen
Tim Allen
Tim Allen is an American comedian, actor, voice-over artist, and entertainer, known for his role in the sitcom Home Improvement...

, and many others.

Race

  • The cars begin the race in a rolling start, traditionally in eleven rows of three, for a field of 33 total cars. Most other automobile races have two cars per row. The 33-car field derives from a 1919 AAA
    AAA
    AAA, or Triple-A, may be a three-letter acronym or may just mean something that is high-quality, premier, or excellent.As a proper noun, Aaa is found only in the species name Cavaticovelia aaa , an insect from Hawaii....

     mandate of one car for every 400 feet (120 m) of track. Early races, however, saw varying numbers of starters, from as low as 21, to as high as 42. The number of cars in each row also varied, with as many as five abreast. Since 1933 there have been no fewer than 33 qualifiers. Exceptions to the 33-car field are as follows:
    • In 1941, 33 cars initially qualified for the field during time trials. Sam Hanks
      Sam Hanks
      Sam Hanks was an American racecar driver who won the 1957 Indianapolis 500. He was a barnstormer, and raced midget and Champ cars.-Racing career:...

       was injured in a practice crash the day before the race and withdrew. Then on the morning of the race, George Barringer
      George Barringer
      George Barringer was an American racecar driver from Wichita Falls, Texas active during the 1930's and 1940's. Barringer made 17 Championship Car starts with a best finish of second at Springfield in August 1935 and Milwaukee in August 1939...

      's car was destroyed in a fire that swept through the garage area, thus only 31 cars lined up to start the race.
    • In 1947, only 30 cars qualified. A boycott over the purse led to the smaller field.
    • In 1979
      1979 Indianapolis 500
      The 1979 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 27, 1979.The month was filled with controversy on and off the track. A court injunction was issued after USAC denied entries by the start-up CART series. During time trials, several cars were disqualified due to illegal wastegate...

      , after a rules dispute over turbocharger inlets, and after controversy regarding the refusal of some entries from members of the CART
      Champ Car
      Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

       series, a special fifth day of qualifying was added. However, only two cars ran sufficient speeds to be added to the field, and 35 cars lined up to start the race. Heavy attrition early on saw one car fail to complete a lap, and 7 cars out by lap 22.
    • In 1997
      1997 Indianapolis 500
      The 81st Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway over three days, May 25–27, 1997. It was originally scheduled Sunday, May 25, however, rain washed out all activities for the day. The race was started on Monday May 26, but rain halted the race after only 15 laps...

      , a controversial situation saw points-based, "locked-in" qualifiers bumping out other cars that had actually qualified with faster speeds. Two bumped cars were restored to the field to ensure that the "33 fastest entries" were part of the field, for a total of 35 starters. Ironically on the pace lap, three cars crashed out together, while two suffered mechanical problems, and only 30 cars took the green flag.
  • Tom Carnegie
    Tom Carnegie
    Tom Carnegie, was the public address announcer for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1946 to 2006. His signature calls while at IMS were "He's on it" and "It's a new track record," which were said many times during his tenure...

     announced on June 9, 2006 that the previous month's race, would be his last as official track announcer. Having called the race since 1946 on the public address system, he is best known for his lines, "He's on it!" (signaling the start of a qualifying attempt), "It's a new track record!" (when a driver surpasses either a one- or four-lap track record in qualifications), and "He's slowing down on the backstretch!" or "Andretti's slowing down!" (The latter for the Andretti family's historical misfortune
    Andretti Curse
    The Andretti Curse, sometimes referred to as Andretti Luck, and in some rare circles, the Curse of Andy Granatelli's kiss, is in reference to the unexplainable bad luck the Andretti racing family has experienced in their efforts to win the Indianapolis 500. Patriarch and auto racing legend Mario...

     at Indianapolis.). Indianapolis television personality David Calabro became the second PA announcer in the Hulman-George era after Carnegie's retirement for the 2007 race.

Post-race

  • A long-standing tradition of the Indianapolis 500 is for the victor to drink a bottle of milk immediately after the race. This practice first began in 1936 after Victor Louis Meyer
    Louis Meyer
    Louis Meyer was an American Hall of Fame race car driver best known as the first three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500....

     asked for a glass of buttermilk, something his mother had encouraged him to drink on hot days. By 1956, it became a ritual as milk companies became sponsors of the race purse and handed a bottle of milk to the winner to promote their product. A sponsorship of currently $10,000 now paid out by the American Dairy Association
    American Dairy Association
    The American Dairy Association is a registered name owned by Dairy Management Inc., which also owns the names National Dairy Council and U.S. Dairy Export Council. It should not be confused with various state-level and regional 501 organizations with similar names .-External links:* Home page of...

     if the winner sips the milk in victory lane. In 1993, Emerson Fittipaldi
    Emerson Fittipaldi
    Emerson Fittipaldi |São Paulo]], Brazil) is a Brazilian automobile racing driver who throughout a long and successful career won the Indianapolis 500 twice and championships in both Formula One and CART.-Early and personal life:...

     drank orange juice
    Orange juice
    Orange juice is a popular beverage made from oranges. It is made by extraction from the fresh fruit, by desiccation and subsequent reconstitution of dried juice, or by concentration of the juice and the subsequent addition of water to the concentrate...

     instead of milk after his victory. Later he took a sip of milk. Fittipaldi owned citrus farms in Brazil, and wished to promote his industry. As a result, he was booed in driver's introductions the following week by the crowd in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    Wisconsin
    Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

    , in the heart of "America's Dairyland."
  • A bas-relief sculpture of the winner's face, along with his name, average speed, and date of victory is added to the Borg-Warner Trophy
    Borg-Warner Trophy
    The Borg-Warner Trophy, named for United States automotive supplier BorgWarner, is symbolic of victory in the Indianapolis 500 automobile race...

    . The trophy has been in use since 1936. A smaller replica of this trophy has been officially presented to the winner after the race since 1988. Prior to that, winners received a replica mounted on a chestnut plaque.
  • The winner has been awarded one of the pace cars, or a replica, almost every year since 1936. In 1941, there were only six copies of the special Chrysler Newport
    Chrysler Newport
    The Newport was a name used by the Chrysler division of the Chrysler Corporation used as both a hardtop body designation and also for its lowest priced model between 1961 and 1981...

     Phaeton, and no production models created. The co-winners did not receive it. In 1946, an oil painting
    Oil painting
    Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...

     and a trip to Italy
    Italy
    Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

     was substituted as the award, but winner George Robson
    George Robson
    George Robson was a Canadian racecar driver active in the 1940s. Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, Robson later moved to Ontario and finally to the U.S. in 1924. Robson died with George Barringer in an accident at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta, Georgia. Robson's brother Hal also competed in the...

     died in a motor sports accident before he received it. In 1991, the Dodge Viper
    Dodge Viper
    The first prototype was tested in January 1989. It debuted in 1991 with two pre-production models as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 when Dodge was forced to substitute it in place of the Japanese-built Stealth because of complaints from the United Auto Workers, and went on sale in January...

     was still a prototype vehicle, and only two were in existence. Winner Rick Mears
    Rick Mears
    Rick Ravon Mears is a retired American race car driver. He is one of three men to have won the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race four times , and the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six...

     was awarded instead a Dodge Stealth, which was to be the original pace car but after protests by the UAW (because the Stealth was a captive import
    Captive import
    Captive import is a marketing term and a strategy for an automobile part or entire vehicle that is foreign-built and sold under the name of an importer or by a domestic automaker through its own dealer distribution system....

     built by Mitsubishi in Japan), they were instead used at the track for festival cars.
  • The tradition of the winning driver and crew kissing the yard of bricks that mark the start/finish, started by Dale Jarrett
    Dale Jarrett
    Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship...

     at the 1996 Brickyard 400
    Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
    The Brickyard 400 is an annual 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup points race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The event, when first held in 1994, marked the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 to be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1916...

    , appears to have carried over to the Indy 500, starting with Gil de Ferran
    Gil de Ferran
    Gil de Ferran , is a professional racing driver and team owner. De Ferran was the 2000 and 2001 Champ Car champion driving for the Penske Honda Team and the winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 500.Inspired by the success of fellow Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi, de Ferran began his career in kart racing...

     in 2003.
  • Among the numerous awards presented to the winner is the traditional Winner's Quilt
    Quilt
    A quilt is a type of bed cover, traditionally composed of three layers of fiber: a woven cloth top, a layer of batting or wadding and a woven back, combined using the technique of quilting. “Quilting” refers to the technique of joining at least two fabric layers by stitches or ties...

    . Since 1976, Jeanetta Holder has hand-crafted a special quilt blanket for the winner, which features an Indy-related design. She presents the quilt to the winning driver the morning after the race, during the traditional winner's photo shoot.

Related events

During the days leading up the race, numerous other related and unrelated events are held in and around Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

.
  • The Little 500 - Anderson Speedway
    Anderson Speedway
    Anderson Speedway is a quarter mile high-banked paved short track in Anderson, Indiana. Weekly racing includes several stock car divisions.The corners are banked at 17 degrees. The 2010 track record of 10.28 seconds in a winged sprint car was the world record for quarter-mile paved ovals until a...

    : A 500-lap sprint car
    Sprint car racing
    Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....

     race held the night before the Indianapolis 500
    Indianapolis 500
    The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

     at Anderson Speedway
    Anderson Speedway
    Anderson Speedway is a quarter mile high-banked paved short track in Anderson, Indiana. Weekly racing includes several stock car divisions.The corners are banked at 17 degrees. The 2010 track record of 10.28 seconds in a winged sprint car was the world record for quarter-mile paved ovals until a...

     in Anderson, Indiana
    Anderson, Indiana
    Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison county. Anderson is the headquarters of the Church of God and home of Anderson University, which is...

     since 1949.
  • The Night Before the 500 - O'Reilly Raceway Park
    O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
    Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis is a racing circuit complex in Brownsburg, Indiana...

  • Hoosier 100 - Indiana State Fairgrounds
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