The88th Indianapolis 500was held at theIndianapolis Motor SpeedwayinSpeedway, Indianaon Sunday, May 30, 2004. It was part of the2004 IndyCar Series seasonand the ninth Indy 500 sanctioned by theIndy Racing League.Buddy Ricewon thepole position,thepit stop contest,led the most laps, and won the race forteamownersBobby RahalandDavid Letterman.
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| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | Indy Racing League | ||||
| Season | 2004 IndyCar season | ||||
| Date | May 30, 2004 | ||||
| Winner |  Buddy Rice(450 miles due to rain) | ||||
| Winning team | Rahal Letterman Racing | ||||
| Average speed | 138.518 mph | ||||
| Pole position | Buddy Rice | ||||
| Pole speed | 222.024 mph | ||||
| Fastest qualifier | Buddy Rice | ||||
| Rookie of the Year |  Kosuke Matsuura | ||||
| Most laps led | Buddy Rice(91) | ||||
| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Jessica Simpson | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Nabors | ||||
| Starting command | Mari Hulman George | ||||
| Pace car | Chevrolet Corvette | ||||
| Pace car driver | Morgan Freeman | ||||
| Starter | Bryan Howard | ||||
| Honorary starter | Nick Lachey | ||||
| Estimated attendance | 300,000 (estimated) | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | ABC | ||||
| Announcers | Paul Page,Scott Goodyear,Jack Arute | ||||
| Nielsen ratings | 4.7 / 11 | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
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The race began about two hours behind schedule due to a morning rain delay. After 27 laps had been completed, rain began to fall again and threatened to wash out the rest of the day. About two hours later, the rain had ceased, and the track was dried. The race resumed on lap 28, and cruised beyond the halfway point to make the race official. At the 150-lap mark, the race had been very competitive up to that point, but was destined to come down to the final round of pit stops to decide the winner. Moreover, dark skies were looming, and inclement weather was moving back into the area. The race appeared to be turning into a weather battle. Some leaders headed for the pits for their final pit stops. At the same time, a handful of teams gambled by staying out, in hopes that they could stretch their fuel and be leading the race when the approaching rain arrived.
Despite desperate attempts to prevail over the approaching rain storm, all of the leaders ultimately were forced to cycle through their final round of pit stops. Nobody was able to stretch their fuel long enough to beat the rain.Buddy Rice,who had led the most laps thus far, re-emerged as the leader. The race was ended after 450 miles (180 laps), just 50 miles (20 laps) short of the scheduled distance. Asevere thunderstorm,which eventually producedan F2 tornado,formed in the area of the speedway, shutting the track down, and sending the spectators and competitors for cover.Buddy Ricewas declared the winner, his first victory inchampionship-levelcompetition.
Honda,which had first arrived at Indianapolis in1994,scored its long-anticipated first Indy 500 victory. It was also the fourth and final Indy victory for thePanoz G-Forcechassis.
Race schedule
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Rule Changes
editRule changes were implemented before the start of the season, which reduced engine displacement from 3.5Ldown to 3.0 L. In addition, on-board capacity of fuel was reduced from 35gallonsdown to 30. The changes were made in an effort to curtail speeds, which had crept up into the low 230 mph range in2003,and in the wake ofChip Ganassi RacingNo. 10 driverTony Rennadying on October 22, 2003, the second day of a Firestone off-season tire test. On a cool 50 degree morning, Renna spun in turn three, became airborne, and crashed into the outside wall and catch fence. The car was heavily damaged, and Renna died ofmassive internal trauma.Furthermore, the series imposed a minimum ambient and track surface temperature requirement.
For the first time, single-point refueling rigs were allowed.[1]During pit stops, teams were now allowed to utilize a single combined fuel/vent hose assembly. This eliminated the need for a separate vent hose and dedicated vent hose operator, improving safety.[2]
Practice
editRookie Orientation
editRookie orientation was held April 26, with seven drivers participating. NewcomersEd Carpenter,Kosuke Matsuura,Mark Taylor,andLuis Díazpassed all four phases of the rookie tests.Jeff SimmonsandMarty Rothpassed three phases, and can pass the fourth phase during routine practice.
Larry Foytparticipated, but due to previous high-speed oval experience, was exempted from needing to pass the four-phase test.[3][4]
Carpenter led the speed chart at 215.584 mph. ThoughDíazpassed the rookie test, he did not return withGanassifor practice come May.
Sunday May 9, Opening Day
editScott Dixonled the speed chart with a lap of 219.760 mph on opening day. No incidents were reported.
Monday May 10
editTrack remained closed most of the afternoon, due to thunder storms. The track re-opened just before 5 p.m. andHélio Castronevesset the fastest lap of the month at 220.300 mph. Late in the day,Robby Gordonspun and hit the outside wall in turn 2 but was uninjured.
Tuesday May 11
editFelipe Giaffonebrushed the wall in the north chute, then slid along the wall to the entrance to the pits. He was uninjured.Adrián Fernándezbecame the first driver of the month to break the 221 mph barrier butKosuke Matsuura(221.857 mph) ended up with the fastest lap of the day.
Wednesday May 12
editTony Kanaandrove the fastest lap of the month, at 222.668 mph.
Thursday May 13
editRain kept the track closed until 3 p.m. The session was ended about 10 minutes early whenScott Sharpcrashed in turn 1.Hélio Castronevesturned the fastest lap of the day (221.156 mph).Buddy Ricewas among the top five for the first time all week.
"Fast" Friday May 14
editThe track opened at 11 a.m. but lasted only four minutes, as rain began falling and closed the track for the day. During the brief session, only four cars had entered the track withSarah Fisher(212.616 mph) the only car to run a single lap at speed.
Time trials: weekend 1
editPole Day - Saturday May 15
editPole day dawned cool and damp. Overnight rain kept the track closed until shortly after 12 noon. During the first practice session,Tony Kanaanreached 223.224 mph, the fastest lap of the month.
Pole qualifying began at 2:15 p.m.Roger Yasukawaearned the distinction as the first driver in the field. Shortly after,Robby Gordonqualified his car and immediately boarded a plane toRichmondto participate in theNASCARevent that evening. At 3:06 p.m.,Dan Wheldonplaced himself on the provisional pole position after a qualifying run of 221.524 mph. Several wave offs and two wrecks (Bryan HertaandFelipe Giaffone) characterized the early attempts.
At 4:14 p.m.,Buddy Ricetook over the pole position with a run of 222.024 mph. Rice held off late runs byDario FranchittiandTony Kanaanto secure his first Indy 500 pole. At the end of the day, the field was filled to 22 cars.
Second Day - Sunday May 16
editFour cars completed attempts to fill the field to 26 cars. After wrecking the day before, bothBryan HertaandFelipe Giaffoneput their cars safely in the field. Herta was the fastest qualifier of the afternoon.
Practice: week 2
editWednesday May 19
editMark Taylorbrushed the wall in turn 2, but suffered only minor damage.Scott Dixonled all drivers at 220.576 mph, whileMarty Rothwas the fastest of the non-qualified cars (212.292 mph).
Thursday May 20
editA. J. Foyt IVspun in turn 3 and brushed the inside wall, suffering minor damage.Kosuke Matsuurawas the fastest of the day (220.784 mph).Marty Rothonce again led the non-qualified cars (212.352 mph).
Friday May 21
editAdrián Fernándeztopped the speed chart at 218.257 mph. Meanwhile,Buddy LazierjoinedDRRto drive the #24 car (which later became #91 in a joint entry withHemelgarn). On his first day of track activity, Lazier led non-qualified cars at 215.513 mph.
Saturday May 22
editThe final full day of practice saw heavy activity.P. J. Jonestook to the track for the first time but only managed 208 mph.Buddy Lazierled the non-qualified car at over 214 mph.
Time trials - weekend 2
editBump Day - Sunday May 23
editThe final day of qualifying saw seven positions open in the field.P. J. Joneswas the first car to qualify (213.355 mph), followed byMarty Rothand others. At 1:45 p.m.,Greg Rayfilled the field to 33 cars with a run of 216.641 mph; the fastest attempt of the afternoon.
A brief rain shower followed, withRobby McGeheesitting on the bubble as the slowest qualifier (211.631 mph). At that point, it did not appear that any additional drivers would make an attempt to qualify. The only driver left on the sidelines wasJaques Lazier,who briefly practiced during the week forFoyt.However, the ride fizzled. Nevertheless, the track was re-opened after the shower as track crews were able to dry the circuit.
During the afternoon,Tony Stewartvisited the track. He was running full-time inNASCAR,and had raced in theNEXTEL All-Star Challengethe night prior.A. J. Foytreportedly called Stewart while he was at the track and invited him to practice in one of his back-up cars. Stewart quickly passed his physical and went to the pit area to prepare for a possible qualifying attempt. With little else going on during the afternoon, the rumors quickly buzzed around the track and throngs of media surrounded Stewart to cover the breaking story.
With about an hour left in the day, a car was prepared for Stewart and fired up on pit lane. Stewart had yet to climb into the car but was suited up in his driving uniform. At 5:36 p.m., however, Stewart left the pits on foot and announced he would not make an attempt to qualify. Stewart's contracts withJoe Gibbs Racing,Home Depot,andChevroletprecluded him from drivingFoyt'sToyotaIndy car.
Carb Day - Thursday May 26
editThe final practice was held Thursday May 26. Rahal Letterman Racing with driver Buddy Rice and chief mechanic Ricardo Nault won theCheckers/Rally's Pit Stop Challenge
Starting grid
edit| Row | Inside | Middle | Outside | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Buddy Rice
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26 |  Dan Wheldon
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27 | Dario Franchitti
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| 2 | 36 |  Bruno Junqueira
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11 | Tony Kanaan
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5 |  Adrian Fernandez
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| 3 | 17 | Vítor Meira
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3 | Hélio Castroneves(W)
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55 | Kosuke Matsuura(R)
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| 4 | 4 |  Tomas Scheckter
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6 | Sam Hornish Jr.
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16 | Roger Yasukawa
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| 5 | 1 |  Scott Dixon
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2 | Mark Taylor(R)
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10 | Darren Manning(R)
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| 6 | 52 | Ed Carpenter(R)
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20 | Al Unser Jr.(W)
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70 | Robby Gordon
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| 7 | 39 | Sarah Fisher
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8 | Scott Sharp
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14 | A. J. Foyt IV
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| 8 | 41 | Larry Foyt(R)
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7 | Bryan Herta
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51 | Alex Barron
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| 9 | 24 | Felipe Giaffone
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12 | Tora Takagi
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13 | Greg Ray
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| 10 | 91 | Buddy Lazier(W)
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21 | Jeff Simmons(R)
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33 | Richie Hearn
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| 11 | 98 | P. J. Jones(R)
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25 |  Marty Roth(R)
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18 | Robby McGehee
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Failed to qualify
edit- #10Luis Díaz(R)(participated in Rookie Orientation, but not official practice)
- #14Jaques Lazier(became relief driver for Robby Gordon)
Race recap
editStart
editRain fell early in the morning between 6:00-6:20 a.m. Rain resumed at 9:18 a.m. and continued intermittently until about 10:30 a.m. Track drying efforts began and the start of the race was delayed by a little over two hours.Mari Hulman Georgegave the traditional command to start engines at 1:02 p.m.
At 1:07 p.m., the field pulled away for the pace laps, roughly two hours behind schedule. At the start,Buddy Ricetook the lead from the pole position. Rice ledDario Franchitti,Tony Kanaan,Dan Wheldon,andHélio Castroneves.
On lap 10,A. J. Foyt IVbrushed the wall in turn four and spun and crashed in turn 1. Foyt was uninjured. Several of the leaders pitted under the caution.Bryan Hertaled the field back to green on lap 16. Three laps later,Wheldontook the lead but on lap 22, rain began to fall again and the caution was out again. The field circulated under yellow for several laps and, on lap 28, the red flag came out. Rain was falling hard and the cars were parked in the pits. Many believed the resumption would have to be delayed until Monday.
Restart
editThe rain stopped and after a delay of 1 hour and 47 minutes, the track was dry and the race was ready to resume.Robby Gordon,who was attempting to race in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600, departed the grounds and flew to Charlotte.Jaques Lazierwas standing by, and climbed in the car to drive relief. Lazier became the first relief driver at Indy since1977.Greg Ray's team was penalized for unapproved work on the car during the red flag. He was sent to the rear of the field for the restart.
Shortly after 3:30 p.m., the green flag came out and race continued.Dan Wheldonled the field, but a couple laps later,Buddy Ricetook the lead. An intense segment of racing saw several changes in position amongst the top ten and the leaders racing closely together. On lap 56,Larry Foytcrashed in turn two. TheFoyt teamwould finish 32nd-33rd.
First half
editBuddy Ricecontinued to lead during the next stretch of green flag racing.Dan WheldonandSam Hornish Jr.ran 2nd-3rd.
The third crash of the day involvedEd CarpenterandMark Tayloron lap 64.
As the race approached the halfway point,Ricestill led andWheldonandHornishcontinued to battle for 2nd and 3rd. The top five were still within seconds of each other.
On lap 94,P. J. Jonesmade contact with the wall exiting turn 2.Jaques Lazier(driving in relief for Robby Gordon) dropped out with a broken axle. LeaderBuddy Ricestalled exiting the pits.Dan Wheldontook over the lead withHélio Castronevesnow second and Rice dropping down to 8th.
Second half
editAs the race completed the 101st lap, it was scored official and would not need to carry over into a second day. On lap 105,Darren ManningandGreg Raygot together, crashing in turn four. They collectedSam Hornish Jr.The three cars slid into the end of the pit wall and came to rest at the entrance of the pits. The green came out on lap 114.Tony Kanaannow led with Rice still mired back in 8th place.
KanaanandWheldontraded the lead a couple times over the next several laps.Marty Rothbrought out the next caution on lap 131 with a crash in turn four. Buddy Rice worked his way up to 5th place. Most of the leaders pitted on lap 133, butBruno Junqueirastayed out and cycled up to the lead. Junqueira was gambling that he could outlast the rest of the field on fuel, and be the winner if rain were to return.
At lap 150,Bruno JunqueiraledBuddy RiceandTony Kanaan.Junqueira's gamble failed to pay off, and he headed for the pits on lap 151. Rain was approaching, and all of the leaders were going to require one final round of pit stops. The approaching and the pit stop strategy threatened to turn the result into a crap shoot.
Finish
editOn lap 160,Buddy RiceledTony KanaanandDan Wheldon.Kanaan was the first of the leaders to pit; he ducked into the pits for tires and fuel on lap 164. Wheldon pitted one lap later on lap 165. Two laps later, Rice was in the pits, handing the lead toBryan Herta.Rain was fast approaching the Speedway, and the race was not expected to reach the full distance before the rain fell. More of the leaders cycled into the pits.
Herta gave up the lead on lap 169 to pit for fuel. That handed the race lead toAdrián Fernández.Slight moisture was being reported around the track on lap 170, but not enough to bring out a yellow. Fernandez desperately tried to stretch his fuel, but could stay out no longer. Fernandez was forced to pit on lap 171. He made a quick 9-second stop, but lost the lead. After the hectic sequence of pit stops, Buddy Rice was back into the lead.
WithBuddy Rice,Tony Kanaansecond, andDan Wheldonthird, rain started falling on lap 174. The yellow came out with Rice the certain winner. A severe thunderstorm moved into the area and the race was given the red and checkered flags after the completion of lap 180 (450 miles (720 km)), just twenty laps short of the scheduled distance. Victory Lane was not set up because of weather conditions, with lightning the issue. The victory celebrations were moved indoors inside the master control tower ( "Pagoda" ), the first time the race conducted its events away from the circuit, and the grandstands were quickly emptied. Rice became the first American winner sinceEddie Cheeverin1998.It was also the first rain-shortened 500 since1976.Honda,which had first arrived at Indianapolis in1994,scored its long-anticipated first Indy 500 victory.
AnF2tornadomissed the Speedwayand its quarter-million spectators by six miles as it raked across the south central portion of Indianapolis. The tornado caused widespread damage. Precipitation for the day in Indianapolis totaled 3.80 inches; a record single-day amount for that date, and any date during the month since records had been kept.[5]
Box score
editNote:Relief drivers in parentheses[6]
WFormer Indianapolis 500 winner
RIndianapolis 500 Rookie
All entrants utilizedFirestonetires.
Race statistics
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Broadcasting
editRadio
editThe race was carried live on theIndianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network.Mike Kingserved as chief announcer.Kenny Bräckserved as "driver expert" up until the rain delay. Bräck sat out the 2004 IndyCar season due to a major crash suffered atTexasin October 2003. This was the only time, other than 2011, that Bräck served as the driver expert on an American broadcast, however, he would serve in later years on international broadcasts.
Departing from the broadcast team were two longtime members, Howdy Bell and Chuck Marlowe.Donald Davidsoncelebrated his 40th year as a member of the crew, while Jerry Baker reached his milestone 30th race.
Kevin Lee moved from turn two to the pit area.Adam Alexandermoved from the pits to the turn two location. This was Dave Argabright's first year on the network. This was the last year for both Jim Murphy and Kim Morris.
| Indy Racing Radio Network | ||
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| Booth Announcers | Turn Reporters | Pit/garage reporters |
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Chief Announcer:Mike King |
Turn 1:Jerry Baker |
Kevin Lee Kim Morris Jim Murphy Dave Argabright |
Television
editThe race was carried live flag-to-flag coverage in the United States onABC Sports.The broadcast was billed as theIndianapolis 500 Presented by7-Eleven.The broadcasting crew moved to a new booth, located in the Pit Road Suites next to the Pagoda. Several innovations were introduced, including the first 180-degree on-board rotating camera, and aSkycamalong the mainstretch. The network celebrated its 40th anniversary covering the Indianapolis 500.
Bob Jenkinswas released from ABC and ESPN after 2003, and his position as "host" was taken byTerry Gannon.Paul Pagecontinued as play-by-play, along withScott Goodyear.Jack Arute,who had been in the pit area from 1984 to 1998 and 2000-2003, moved into the booth as analyst for the 2004 race. Joining the crew for the first time wereTodd HarrisandJamie Little,both as pit reporters.
Despite a lengthy rain delay throughout the afternoon, ABC stayed on-air all day with coverage, and filled the downtime with highlights and interviews. The marathon broadcast totaled 8 hours and 22 minutes.
The introduction, titled "The Chase", featuringHenry Rollins,would earn aSports Emmynomination for outstanding post produced audio/sound.
| ABCTelevision | |
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| Booth Announcers | Pit/garage reporters |
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Host:Terry Gannon |
Vince Welch Dr. Jerry Punch Gary Gerould Todd Harris Jamie Little |
Gallery
edit-
2004 Chevrolet Corvette pace car
Notes
edit
References
edit- ^"Single Point Fueling to Be Mandatory in 2005".Trackside Online. 2004-09-07. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-02-22.Retrieved2014-02-04.
- ^Fan Info - INDYCAR 101 - Glossary of Racing Terms
- ^"Rookie Orientation Program Indy 500 summary".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-06-20.Retrieved2013-03-05.
- ^Larry Foyt participates in rookie orientation
- ^NOAA - MAXIMUM Precipitation Records for Indianapolis (1871-2005)
- ^"Indianapolis 500-Mile Race – May 30, 2004".ChampCarStats.
Works cited
edit- 2004 Indianapolis 500 Daily Trackside Report for the Media
- Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats- Official Site