2009 Indianapolis 500
The 93rd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 24, 2009. It was the 14th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and the premier event of the 2009 IndyCar Series season.
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | Indy Racing League | ||||
| Season | 2009 IndyCar season | ||||
| Date | May 24, 2009 | ||||
| Winner | Hélio Castroneves | ||||
| Winning team | Penske Racing | ||||
| Average speed | 150.318 mph | ||||
| Pole position | Hélio Castroneves | ||||
| Pole speed | 224.864 mph (362 km/h) | ||||
| Fastest qualifier | Hélio Castroneves | ||||
| Rookie of the Year | Alex Tagliani | ||||
| Most laps led | Scott Dixon (73) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Indiana National Guard | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Nabors | ||||
| Starting command | Mari Hulman George | ||||
| Pace car | Chevrolet Camaro | ||||
| Pace car driver | Josh Duhamel | ||||
| Starter | Bryan Howard | ||||
| Honorary starter | Allen Sirkin, COO of Phillips-Van Heusen | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 250,000+ | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | ABC | ||||
| Announcers | Marty Reid Scott Goodyear Eddie Cheever, Jr. | ||||
| Nielsen ratings | 4.0 / 11 | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
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Hélio Castroneves, a native of Brazil, won the race from the pole position, his third of four Indy 500 victories. He became the first foreign-born three-time winner of the race, and tied a record by winning the race three times in the same decade (2001, 2002, 2009). The win was car owner Roger Penske's 15th Indy 500 triumph, extending his team's own record. Former winner Dan Wheldon of England came second, with Danica Patrick third, the best finish ever by a female driver. There were eight crashes, with Vítor Meira and Tony Kanaan both suffering non-permanent injuries.
The 2009 Indianapolis 500 began a three-year Centennial Era celebration which marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 2011 marked the 100th anniversary of the first Indy 500.
The victory by Castroneves marked the milestone 60th Indianapolis 500 victory for Firestone. It came less than two months after Castroneves was acquitted of federal charges of tax evasion and conspiracy. The IRS filed the charges against Castroneves in the fall of 2008, and the trial was held in March 2009 at the U.S. District Court in Miami. A guilty verdict in the trial would have likely sent Castroneves to prison, and ended his driving career.