page_title: Indianapolis 500 traditions
section_title: Race
hierarchical_section_title: Indianapolis 500 traditions / Race
caption_attribution_description: English: Indianapolis 500, 1994. Car in front is Al Unser, Jr.. Car in back is Raul Boesel Español: 500 millas de Indianápolis de 1994
context_page_description: Due to the longevity of the Indianapolis 500, numerous traditions surrounding the race have developed over the years. Traditions include procedures for the running of the race, scheduling, and pre-race and post-race festivities. For many fans, these traditions are an important aspect of the race, and they have often reacted quite negatively when the traditions are changed or broken.
  As part of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the pre-race ceremonies of the Indianapolis 500 feature several patriotic songs. Like most other sporting events, the national anthem is performed before the race by a notable vocalist. The most noteworthy and most popular traditions are the annual singing of "Back Home Again in Indiana," and the victory lane bottle of milk.
context_section_description: For the entire history of the 500 mile race, the official winner of the race has been defined as the driver who completes the 500 mile distance first, sans penalties. A winner is declared with a finishing time in hours, minutes, and seconds. Finishers behind the winner were given additional time – upwards of an hour in early years – to complete the 500 mile distance. In very early years, completing the full 500 miles was a requirement to receive prize money. In 1912, Ralph Mulford famously took nearly nine hours (over 2​¹⁄₂ hours after the winner) to complete the race and earn the 10th place prize money. Later, it was because completing the 500 mile distance at an average speed of over 100 mph earned a driver a spot in the prestigious Champion Spark Plug 100 mph Club. In 1964 as live television arrived, this "extra time" was reduced to about five minutes, and after 1974, when raucous fans ran out on the track at the checkered flag, extra time was eliminated. 1975 was the first year in which the lap the winner finishes the race is the final lap for all competitors. In 1966, Gordon Johncock was said to have completed the 500 miles in lesser elapsed time than winner Graham Hill. However, Johncock had suffered minor damage during the first lap accident, and restarted the race in the pit lane due to the crew changing the nose cone. USAC officials did not score his first lap out of the pit lane, and he effectively ran all day carrying a one lap penalty to the field.
  The cars begin the race in a rolling start, traditionally in eleven rows of three, for a field of 33 total cars. Most other automobile races have two cars per row. The 33-car field derives from a 1919 AAA mandate of one car for every 400 feet (120 m) of track. Early races, however, saw varying numbers of starters, from as low as 21, to as high as 42. The number of cars in each row also varied, with as many as five abreast. Since 1933 there have only been the following exceptions to having a field of 33 racers:
  In 1941, 33 cars initially qualified for the field during time trials. Sam Hanks was injured in a practice crash the day before the race and withdrew. Then on the morning of the race, George Barringer's car was destroyed in a fire that swept through the garage area, thus only 31 cars lined up to start the race.
  In 1947, only 30 cars qualified. A boycott over the purse led to the smaller field.
  In 1979, after a rules dispute over turbocharger inlets, and after controversy regarding the refusal of some entries from members of the CART series, a special fifth day of qualifying was added. However, only two cars ran sufficient speeds to be added to the field, and 35 cars lined up to start the race. Heavy attrition early on saw one car fail to complete a lap, and 7 cars out by lap 22.
  In 1997, which used an "all exempt tour" concept similar to the PGA Tour since 1983, the top 25 teams headed in Indy Racing League team entry points standings earned exemptions into the field, with the top nine non-exempt cars making the race on speed. Some exempt teams bumped out other non-exempt cars that had actually qualified with faster speeds, but their teams were not in the top 25 of League points. Two bumped cars were restored to the field to ensure that the "33 fastest entries" were part of the field, for a total of 35 starters. Ironically on the pace lap, three cars crashed out together, while two suffered mechanical problems, and only 30 cars took the green flag. (A similar rule was used at the Crown Royal presents the Your Hero's Name Here 400 from 2005 to 2012 and the Lilly Diabetes 250 from 2012 to 2014. Both were NASCAR races which guaranteed a position for the top 35 drivers in the owners standings in the Sprint Cup Series and top 30 drivers for the Xfinity Series.)
  Tom Carnegie announced on June 9, 2006 that the previous month's race, would be his last as official chief track announcer. Having called the race since 1946 on the public address system, he is best known for his lines, "He's/She's on it!" (signaling the start of a qualifying attempt), "It's a new track rec
caption: Indianapolis 500, 1994
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