Highlights from the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500

Highlights from the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500

Published May. 29, 2016 9:25 p.m. ET

RACE: 100th Indianapolis 500

DATE: May 29, 2016

WINNER: Alexander Rossi

ADVERTISEMENT

AVERAGE SPEED: 166.634 mph

WHAT HAPPENED: Rossi was a 66-to-1 longshot, an IndyCar rookie who had chased a ride in Formula One since he was 10. Stuck without one, the California native returned to the U.S. and landed a ride with Andretti Autosport. He stunned his faster rivals by outlasting them in a fuel-mileage showdown, his car running out of gas during his victory lap.

NOTABLE: Ryan Hunter-Reay and Townsend Bell combined to lead 64 of the first 119 laps, but the Americans were knocked from contention when they got tangled with each other on pit road. It was the first sellout in Indy 500 history, with more than 350,000 in attendance, and the race was televised locally for the first time since the 1950s.

share