2010 Indianapolis 500
The 94th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 30, 2010. It was the 15th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and was the premier event of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season. The race was won by Dario Franchitti, ahead of Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti. Tony Kanaan, who had started in the final position, ran as high as second during the race before finishing eleventh.
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | Indy Racing League | ||||
| Season | 2010 IndyCar season | ||||
| Date | May 30, 2010 | ||||
| Winner | Dario Franchitti | ||||
| Winning team | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | ||||
| Average speed | 161.623 mph (260.107 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | Hélio Castroneves | ||||
| Pole speed | 227.970 mph (366.882 km/h) | ||||
| Fastest qualifier | Hélio Castroneves | ||||
| Rookie of the Year | Simona de Silvestro | ||||
| Most laps led | Dario Franchitti (155) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Jewel | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Nabors | ||||
| Starting command | Mari Hulman George | ||||
| Pace car | Chevrolet Camaro SS | ||||
| Pace car driver | Robin Roberts | ||||
| Starter | Paul Blevin | ||||
| Honorary starter | Jack Nicholson | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 300,000 + (est.) | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | ABC | ||||
| Announcers | Marty Reid Scott Goodyear Eddie Cheever, Jr. | ||||
| Nielsen ratings | 3.6, 4.0 overnight / 10 | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
| |||||
The race was the second of the three-year-long Centennial era, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the 100th anniversary of the first Indianapolis 500. It was the 53rd time the race had been held on a May 30. This year marked the first race with four female drivers (repeated in 2011), and Simona de Silvestro was awarded Rookie of the Year.