IndyCar is a very American competition, but it has crossed borders and is followed by many motorsport fans around the world. In Spain, it gained particular attention when Fernando Alonso participated, and now also with the participation of Alex Palou and his excellent upgrades. Furthermore, the most legendary race is the Indy 500, the 500 miles of Indianapolis.
In this article, we'll show you some interesting facts if you're just starting to watch IndyCar regularly, facts you might not know. This way, you can learn more about the sport and discover some fascinating details…
Damon Hill and the Triple Crown
Fernando Alonso attempted to achieve the coveted Triple Crown by participating in the IndyCar race at Indianapolis. It's a truly remarkable feat, as only one other driver in the world has ever accomplished it: Graham Hill . To achieve this Triple Crown, one needs:
- Win a Monaco GP or a Formula 1 Championship
- Win the 24 Hours of Le Mans
- Win the Indianapolis 500
Hill won the Monaco Grand Prix five times, in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, and 1969. He also won the Formula 1 World Championship in 1962 and 1968, the Indianapolis 500 in 1966, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1972. Fernando Alonso is another driver well-positioned to achieve this feat , but we don't know if he'll try again at Indy... for now, he has everything else; he just needs to conquer the American competition, which he almost did on his first attempt if his engine hadn't failed.
The 4 impossible victories in Indy 500
Throughout history, the Indianapolis 500 has been won by a multitude of different drivers. It's a much more complicated race than many people realize , and only a select few have had the honor of standing on the top step of the podium multiple times.
In fact, only three drivers have achieved four victories: AJ Foyt, Al Unser Sr., and Rick Mears . The hundreds of other drivers who have attempted and won at some point fall short of this four-win barrier, an exclusive club to which many aspire.
Victory is celebrated with milk
The tradition at the Indianapolis 500 is to celebrate victory in Victory Lane with a bottle of milk . This tradition was established by Louis Meyer in 1936, who did it as a gesture in response to his mother's advice to drink milk. However, this ritual wasn't used again until 1956. The goal was to promote milk consumption in the United States, and it was promoted by the Milk Foundation.
Since then, it has always been celebrated this way, although the driver can choose the type of milk with which he wants to celebrate the victory (whole, semi or skimmed).
Fittipaldi, the only one who refused the tradition of the Indy 500
Despite the tradition of celebrating with milk in IndyCar on this track, Brazilian F1 driver Emerson Fittipaldi also participated in the Indy 500, but refused to celebrate with the milk bottle when he achieved his second victory in this competition.
This was in 1993, when he decided to drink a glass of orange juice . The aim was to promote this citrus fruit, as he owned an orange grove in Brazil and thought it would have an impact on fans, but the truth is it wasn't well received, and he was heavily criticized.
Borg–Warner Trophy
In 1936, another tradition was established: engraving a miniature portrait of the winner on the trophy each year. This way, all the winners' faces were engraved on the base. This practice eventually ran out of space in 2004, when it was decided to enlarge the base to allow for more winners' portraits to be engraved.
With the new extension, it has been guaranteed that faces can be recorded until 2033.
Number 13 and green color
There are many superstitious drivers in the sport. This is especially true with the number 13, which some consider unlucky. For this reason, it was removed from the race numbers of registered participants from 1926 to 2002. Even if a driver wanted to register, they were denied; it was prohibited. This changed in 2003 when driver Greg Ray acquired the number 13.
On the other hand, another superstition is associated with the color green. In IndyCar, especially in the Indianapolis 500, green cars were not commonly used . It was believed to bring bad luck, something that has changed over the years. In fact, Ed Carpenter's team was sponsored by GoDaddy, painting the car green, and its driver, Danica Patrick, also used the number 13.
From two people to the rearview mirror
During the early editions of the Indy 500, the cars weren't single-seaters, but had two seats: one for the driver and one for the mechanic . The mechanic's role was to inform the driver of what was happening around him.
However, in 1911, Ray Harroun used a novel invention for his Marmon Wasp: the rearview mirror . This allowed for a narrower car design for a single occupant. This didn't sit well with his rivals, who complained bitterly about the advantage it provided. But the most surprising thing was that the rearview mirror wasn't patented until 1921 by Elmer Berger, ten years later.
The first woman to compete
In IndyCar, and especially in the Indianapolis 500, not many women have participated throughout history. Currently, only about ten have driven these cars. However, there was a first time, as with everything. And the pioneer was American Janet Guthrie.
She was an aerospace engineer who decided to become a professional race car driver at the age of 30. In 1936, she participated in 33 NASCAR races, and a year later, in 1977 , she raced in IndyCar when driver A.J. Foyt trusted her and lent her his car for a test, despite some criticism. She qualified and started the race in 26th position, finishing 29th. However, her best qualifying result was in 1978, when she finished 9th. After that, no other woman would improve on this mark until 2006, with an 8th place finish by Danica Patrick, and a 3rd place finish by the same driver in 2009.
The Spaniard with the most participations in the Indy 500
Spaniard Oriol Servá holds the record for most Indy 500 appearances by a Spaniard. After winning Indy Lights in 1999, a lower category than IndyCar, he attempted to move up to the top tier. He tried in 2002 but failed to qualify.
Since 2008, he has become a regular in the Indy 500, with more than a dozen participations. His best finish was 4th , and in 2018 he came close to victory, but with only a few laps remaining, he had to pit for fuel and his chances vanished.
Why are there no Indy 500 races in the rain?
Due to the high speeds and the proximity of the walls on these ovals, if it rains, the race is stopped immediately for safety reasons . That's why you haven't seen Indy 500 races in the rain, nor have you ever seen wet tires used in this competition.
Interestingly, in 1986, the Indy 500 had to be postponed by a week due to persistent rain. It was moved from May 25th to May 31st. And in 1976, of the scheduled 500 miles, only 255 miles were completed because rain forced its cancellation. In these cases, if the race is canceled after 100 laps, the result stands.
Indy 500 and age statistics
As in other racing series, the Indy 500 also keeps statistics on the ages of the drivers who have won the race. And it must be said that the youngest to do so to date is Troy Ruttman , who achieved it at 22 years and 80 days old in 1952.
On the other hand, there are also senior drivers who have achieved this feat, such as Unser Sr., whom I mentioned earlier as one of the few to achieve four victories. Unser managed to win at 47 years and 360 days old . Quite the veteran…