The 84th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 2000. After four years of an ongoing organizational dispute and "split" in Indy car racing,Chip Ganassi Racing, a CART-based team, became the first team to cross the proverbial "picket line." They arrived to compete in the Indianapolis 500 as a one-off entry which was sanctioned by the rival IRL. The Ganassi team of Jimmy Vasser and Juan Pablo Montoya were well received by fans and competitors, and were quickly up to speed with the IRL regulars. Also making a heralded return to Indy was two-time winner Al Unser, Jr. who had switched full-time to the IRL.

During qualifying, defending IRL champion Greg Ray took the pole position. However, on race day, reigning CART champion Juan Pablo Montoya dominated the race. Montoya led 167 laps, and cruised to victory, becoming the first rookie winner since Graham Hill in 1966. It was the first of two Indy victories for Montoya (2000, 2015).

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