2021 Indianapolis 500

105th Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis 500
Sanctioning body	INDYCAR
Season	2021 IndyCar season
Date	May 30, 2021
Winner	Hélio Castroneves
Winning team	Meyer Shank Racing
Average speed	190.690 mph (306.886 km/h)
Pole position	Scott Dixon
Pole speed	231.685 mph (372.861 km/h)
Fastest qualifier	Scott Dixon
Rookie of the Year	Scott McLaughlin
Most laps led	Conor Daly (40)
Pre-race ceremonies
National anthem	Jimmie Allen
"Back Home Again in Indiana"	Jim Cornelison
Starting command	Roger Penske
Pace car	Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray Convertible
Pace car driver	Danica Patrick[1]
Starter	Aaron Likens
Honorary starter	Milo Ventimiglia
TV in the United States
Network	NBC (including WTHR, blackout lifted due to restricted capacity)
Announcers	Lap-by-lap: Leigh Diffey Driver analyst: Townsend Bell Driver analyst: Paul Tracy
Nielsen ratings	3.15 (5.58 million viewers)
Chronology
Previous Next 2020 2022

The 2021 Indianapolis 500 (branded as the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge for sponsorship reasons) was a 500-mile (800 km, 200 lap) race in the 2021 IndyCar Series, held on May 30, 2021, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The month of May activities formally began on May 15 with the GMR Grand Prix on the combined road course. Practice for the Indianapolis 500 began on May 18, and time trials were held May 22–23. Carb Day, the traditional final day of practice, took place on May 28.

On April 21, 2021, the track management announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event would be held with a limit of 135,000 spectators, approximately 40% capacity.^[2] The previous year's race was postponed from May 24 to August 23, then ultimately held without spectators, as was the GMR Grand Prix (which was moved to July 4). The Intercontinental GT Challenge meeting in October 2020, which included the twin road course races for INDYCAR, carried a 10,000 spectator limit, with spectators restricted to grandstands in what are normally Turn 4 and Turn 1 on the oval (Turns 1-4 and Turns 12-14 on the road course).

Scott Dixon, the winner in 2008, won the pole position, and was a heavy favorite to win. Dixon, however, ran out of fuel during the first sequence of pit stops, as a result of a caution coming out, closing the pits and trapping him out on the track. He had to make a stop for emergency service, but the crew could not refire the stalled engine before he fell a lap down, and essentially out of contention. Two-time winner Takuma Sato (2017, 2020) was the defending champion, and led as late as lap 193, but he was off-sequence with the other leaders. Sato had to pit for fuel with seven laps to go, and finished 14th.

Three-time winner (2001, 2002, 2009), and four-time pole winner (2003, 2007, 2009, 2010) Hélio Castroneves took the lead for the final time on lap 199, and won his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 after dueling with second-year driver Álex Palou for most of the final 80 laps. The race set a new record for the fastest running of the Indianapolis 500, with an average speed at 190.690 mph (306.886 km/h), as well as a new record for most cars running at the finish (30). Castroneves joined Hall of Fame drivers A. J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears as four-time winners. After the race, Castroneves celebrated his victory by climbing the catch fence, his signature celebration, which had earned him the nickname "Spider-Man" early in his career. The race was also the first IndyCar Series victory for Meyer Shank Racing.