The Indianapolis 500 thrives on names, numbers, speed and tradition. Try this Indy quiz and see how much of a racing expert you really are:
WARMUP (1 point apiece): If you can’t answer these, go back to the NBA and NHL playoffs on television.
1. Last year’s Indy 500 winner was:
a.) Buddy Rice
b.) Helio Castroneves
c.) Dario Franchitti
d.) Tony Kanaan
2. The 33 starters are lined up:
a.) Eight rows of four, plus the slowest qualifier as the trailer
b.) Eleven rows of three
c.) Sixteen rows of two, plus the slowest qualifier as the trailer
d.) Single file
3. The traditional pre-race command is:
a.) Gentlemen, to your race cars.
b.) Drivers, take your places.
c.) Gentlemen, start your engines.
d.) Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets.
4. Sunday’s pole-position starter is:
a.) Dan Wheldon
b.) Danica Patrick
c.) Ryan Briscoe
d.) Scott Dixon
5. The oldest driver in the lineup is:
a.) Buddy Lazier
b.) Davey Hamilton
c.) John Andretti
d.) Marty Roth
6. The youngest driver in the lineup is:
a.) Marco Andretti
b.) A.J. Foyt IV
c.) Graham Rahal
d.) Mario Moraes
7. The length of one lap is:
a.) 1 mile
b.) 1.5 miles
c.) 2 miles
d.) 2.5 miles
8. The caution flag is:
a.) Yellow
b.) Checkered
c.) Red
d.) Green
9. A complete race takes:
a.) 500 laps
b.) 500 miles
c.) 500 gallons of fuel
d.) 500 pit stops
10. After North America, most of the drivers come from:
a.) Australia
b.) Europe
c.) South America
d.) Asia
QUALIFICATIONS (6 points apiece): A bit more challenging.
11. The winner’s trophy is called:
a.) Borg-Warner Trophy
b.) Sullivan Award
c.) Duesenberg-Marchese Cup
d.) Stanley Cup
12. The only woman to drive the pace car at the start of the race is:
a.) Hillary Clinton
b.) Mari Hulman George
c.) Anna Nicole Smith
d.) Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp
13. Which celebrity has NOT driven the pace car at the start of the race:
a.) Jay Leno
b.) David Letterman
c.) Morgan Freeman
d.) Patrick Dempsey
14. The first woman to lead a lap at Indy is:
a.) Janet Guthrie
b.) Lyn St. James
c.) Sarah Fisher
d.) Danica Patrick
15. The family with the most Indy wins is the:
a.) Foyts
b.) Unsers
c.) Andrettis
d.) Bettenhausens
16. Who broke tradition by drinking orange juice instead of milk in Victory Lane?
a.) Helio Castroneves
b.) Emerson Fittipaldi
c.) Gil de Ferran
d.) Juan Pablo Montoya
17. The Speedway president is:
a.) Mari Hulman George
b.) Brian Barnhart
c.) Joie Chitwood
d.) Tony George
18. Which Unser has NOT won the 500?
a.) Al Unser Jr.
b.) Al Unser Sr.
c.) Bobby Unser
d.) Jerry Unser
19. Which Andretti HAS won the 500?
a.) John Andretti
b.) Marco Andretti
c.) Mario Andretti
d.) Michael Andretti
20. The fastest rookie in Sunday’s lineup is:
a.) Will Power
b.) Hideki Mutoh
c.) Oriol Servia
d.) Alex Lloyd
21. Indy cars are fueled with:
a.) Methanol
b.) Ethanol
c.) Gasoline
d.) Vodka
22. Gasoline Alley is:
a.) Fueling area
b.) Pit area
c.) Garage area
d.) Storage area
23. The first driver to average more than 150 mph for the entire 500 miles was:
a.) Jimmy Murphy (1922)
b.) Jimmy Bryan (1958)
c.) Jim Rathmann (1960)
d.) Jimmy Clark (1965)
24. The first winner of the Indy 500 was:
a.) Eddie Rickenbacker
b.) Ray Harroun
c.) Pete DePaolo
d.) Ralph DePalma
25. The pole speed this year was:
a.) 227.377 mph
b.) 226.366 mph
c.) 225.355 mph
d.) 224.344 mph
RACE (10 points apiece): TRUE or FALSE. Proceed at your own risk.
26. The qualification and race records are both held by Arie Luyendyk.
27. Sarah Fisher is the niece of Janet Guthrie, the first woman driver in the 500.
28. The Speedway was shut down during World War II.
29. Sunday’s lineup is the fastest in Indy history.
30. The last rookie winner of the Indy 500 was Graham Hill in 1966.
31. John Andretti is the oldest driver in Sunday’s race.
32. Helio Castroneves is the only driver to start from the pole twice in the past 10
ears.
33. Speedway boss Tony George’s father drove in the 500.
34. All three of Mario Andretti’s sons have driven in the race.
35. Driver Darren Manning is a cousin of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.
36. A.J. Foyt was the oldest to start at Indy and his grandson A.J. IV was the youngest.
37. 1999 Indy winner Kenny Brack plays in a rock band.
38. Mario Andretti is the only driver to win the Indy 500 and Formula One championship the same year.
39. There has never been an Indy 500 winner who was born in Indianapolis.
40. The first black driver in the Indy 500 was Willy T. Ribbs.
PIT STOP (10 points apiece): Take a quick break before the dash to Victory Lane and name the countries of birth of these drivers:
41. Dan Wheldon
42. Marty Roth
43. Milka Duno
44. Roger Yasukawa
45. Marco Andretti
46. Tony Kanaan
47. Tomas Scheckter
48. Oriol Servia
49. Jeff Simmons
50. Hideki Mutoh
VICTORY LANE (15 points apiece): Only the best will survive this trophy dash.
51. Who was the first to finish 500 miles in less than three hours?
52. Who sanctioned the Indy 500 before the IRL?
53. Who was the most recent Indy 500 winner born in Indiana?
54. Who is the only driver to lead the race each of the past six years?
55. Who has driven in the most races without ever winning?
56. Who holds the record for most front-row starts?
57. Who was the first driver to win Indy twice?
58. Who was the most recent driver to win consecutive races?
59. Who was the last European to win Indy?
60. What is A.J. Foyt’s relationship to Tony George?
ANSWERS
1,c; 2,b; 3,c; 4,d; 5,d; 6,c; 7,d; 8,a; 9,b; 10,c.
11,a; 12,d; 13,b; 14,d; 15,b; 16,b; 17,c; 18,d; 19,c; 20,b; 21,b; 22,c; 23,d; 24,b; 25,b.
26,True; 27,False; 28,True; 29,False; 30,False; 31,False; 32,True; 33,True; 34,False; 35,False; 36,True; 37,True; 38,False; 39,False; 40,True.
41,England; 42,Canada; 43,Venezuela; 44,United States; 45,United States; 46,Brazil; 47,South Africa; 48,Spain; 49,United States; 50,Japan.
51,Bobby Rahal (1986); 52,U.S. Auto Club; 53,Wilbur Shaw, 1940 (Shelbyville); 54,Tony Kanaan; 55,George Snider (22); 56,Rick Mears (11); 57,Tommy Milton (1921, 1923); 58,Helio Castroneves (2001-02); 59,Dario Franchitti (2007); 60,Foyt is the godfather of the Speedway owner.
SCORING (500 points possible)
400-500 — Head directly to Victory Lane
300-399 — Top-10 finish
200-299 — Too long in the pits
100-199 — Crashed on the pace lap
0-99 — Failed to qualify
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