Indianapolis, IN
Why Indy 500 pit stops are critical in determining the race winner
20 drivers have won more than one Indy 500
Twenty drivers have won the Indianapolis 500 at least twice. Here are the men with multiple victories at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Scott Horner, Indianapolis Star
The Indianapolis 500 can be decided by the blink of an eye. Six times in the past 10 years, the margin of victory was less than 1 second. In 2023, Josef Newgarden beat Marcus Ericcson in a one-lap shootout by 0.0974 seconds.
While the drivers and team owners get most of the glory, the work by the pit crews is critical in determining the champion. Here’s more about what goes into an Indy 500 pit stop.
How many pit stops are there in the Indy 500?
There’s no set number, but the most common number of pit stops among contenders is six or seven. The number of caution flags, and when they occur, play a role in determining how many stops a driver makes.
Indy 500 pit stop times
An ideal pit stop takes about 7 seconds. A stop includes changing four tires, filling an 18.5-gallon fuel tank and making any desired wing adjustments to create optimum aerodynamics.
The pit stop process takes longer, because the driver must not exceed the 60 mph pit road speed limit when entering pit road and leaving the pit box. The driver also must avoid contact with other cars along pit road and not strike crew members or pit equipment.
Infractions bring penalties, often a “drive-through,” which means the driver must bring the car through pit road at the pit speed limit while racing on the track continues.
Indy 500 history: Here are the 6 closest finishes
Indy 500 pit crew members
Six people comprise the “over-the-wall” members of the pit crew: left front tire changer; left rear tire changer; right front tire changer; right rear tire changer; fueler, and jack operator. They wear fireproof suits and a helmet, just like the driver.
Jack operator: Operates the pneumatic air jack that lifts the car 4 inches off the ground, allowing the tire changers to do their jobs, and disengages the jack after tire work is done but before the driver leaves the pit box.
Fueler: Attaches a hose to the fuel tank, allowing 18.5 gallons of fuel into the car, then disengages the hose without spillage.
4 tire changers: Each carries a tire to be exchanged during the stop. Front tires typically weigh about 13.5 pounds, and rear tires 14.7 pounds. The changer uses a tire gun to remove the wheel nut, removes the tire by hand, puts the new tire on and makes it secure, all in less than 6 seconds.
When the right front tire changer has completed a change, he holds up a hand, then drops it to indicate that it’s OK for the driver leave the pit box.
Indianapolis 500: Here are the five fastest races in Indy 500 history
Other common pit stop terms
Pit road is also known as pit row and the pit lane. The pit box is also known as the pit stall.
What fuel goes into Indy 500 cars?
The IndyCar Series uses an 85%/15% methanol/gasoline blend, also called E85.
How long is pit road?
Pit road is 40 feet wide and 2,263 feet long (42% of a mile) from the start of the attenuator at pit entrance to the end of the wall at pit exit.
More about Indy 500 pit stops
Business Insider profiled a pit crew in 2021, showing how tire changers train for the race season.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — This Memorial Day, you can honor United States service members who made the ultimate sacrifice. Crown Hill National Cemetery is hosting a service at 11 a.m. on Monday.
In a Facebook post, the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs said, “Never forgotten. Always remembered,” encouraging people to attend the ceremony. Crown Hill is the final resting place for nearly 1,000 veterans and eligible dependents.
According to Crown Hill, the keynote speaker will be Michael Hershman, the director of Veteran Health Indiana. Music will be provided by the 38th Infantry Division Band, Indiana National Guard, and the Indiana National Guard Ceremonial Unit will provide military honors.
The service will be in the open area adjacent to the Crown Hill Columbarium Annex.
Parking Information
Guests displaying a valid disability license plate or placard may enter the cemetery’s main gate for on-site parking.
General parking will be available at Butler University Lot 45 (near the intersection of West 42nd Street and Haughey Avenue), with shuttle service provided to and from the grounds of Crown Hill National Cemetery.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man and a woman died Sunday night when their motorcycle collided with a small SUV, police say.
The names and ages of the two who died were not immediately available, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Don Weilhammer said from the crash scene.
IMPD was called to the collision just after 9:20 p.m. Sunday in the 7500 block of North Keystone Avenue. That’s just south of the White River bridge.
Investigators think the SUV was southbound and had a green light as it turned east toward 75th Street. That’s when the northbound motorcycle hit the SUV near its rear passenger door.
A witness at a nearby Walmart told IMPD that the motorcycle had passed the shopping area, which is south of the intersection, at a high rate of speed.
The driver and passenger of the motorcycle died at the crash scene.
A man and a woman were in the SUV. The man in the SUV received minor injuries, and the woman was unhurt. They remained at the scene. The IMPD captain said no one in the SUV was intoxicated. Their names were not immediately shared publicly.
No one witnessed the crash, the captain said. IMPD’s Kevin Winks was seeking anyone with information or video footage to contact the officer at 317-327-6549.
INDIANAPOLIS — The man helping lead one of Indianapolis’ biggest race weekend traditions still had to pay 10 bucks to park.
As downtown filled Saturday morning for the 70th annual Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade ahead of the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, Pascal Siakam pulled up to a parking lot expecting a little Grand Marshal treatment.
Instead, the four-time NBA All-Star found himself in a friendly standoff with a vendor charging $10 for parking.
In a video posted to his social media accounts, the Pacers forward laughed as he rolled into the lot.
“I ain’t trying to pay for real,” Siakam joked from the car. “I ain’t even got 10 bucks.”
When Siakam rolled down his window to face the vendor he asked half-jokingly, “The Grand Marshal don’t get to park for free?”
The woman wasn’t buying it.
“You’re not the Grand Marshal,” she told him. “Caitlin Clark is.”
Siakam, alongside teammate Andrew Nembhard, served as co-Grand Marshal for this year’s parade. Clark, of course, was named Grand Marshal for Sunday’s race festivities — not the parade itself.
Even after Siakam explained the mix-up, the vendor still wasn’t convinced. The video shows her eventually looking it up herself before realizing the 6-foot-8 Pacers star was telling the truth the entire time.
Still, no special treatment
After all the back-and-forth, Siakam paid the $10 anyway.
The exchange quickly became a humorously relatable race weekend moment — even basketball royalty isn’t safe from negotiating for parking in downtown Indianapolis.
Saturday’s parade wound through downtown as one of the city’s signature traditions leading into race day, featuring marching bands, floats, giant balloons, celebrities and all 33 IndyCar drivers competing in Sunday’s Indy 500.
Jessica Garcete is an IndyStar sports reporter. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to theYouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
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