2011 Indianapolis 500
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| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
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| Indianapolis 500 | |||||
| Sanctioning body | INDYCAR | ||||
| Season | 2011 IndyCar season | ||||
| Date | May 29, 2011 | ||||
| Winner |
 Dan Wheldon
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| Winning team | Bryan Herta Autosport | ||||
| Average speed | 170.265 mph (274.015 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position |
 Alex Tagliani
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| Pole speed | 227.472 mph (366.081 km/h) | ||||
| Fastest qualifier |
Alex Tagliani
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| Rookie of the Year |
 J. R. Hildebrand
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| Most laps led |
 Scott Dixon (73) |
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| Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
| National anthem | Seal, Kelly Clarkson, and David Foster | ||||
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Nabors | ||||
| Starting Command | Mari Hulman George | ||||
| Pace car | Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible | ||||
| Pace car driver | A. J. Foyt | ||||
| Honorary starter | Bruce P. Crandall | ||||
| Attendance | Est. 300,000+ | ||||
| TV in the United States | |||||
| Network | ABC | ||||
| Announcers | Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Eddie Cheever | ||||
| Nielsen Ratings | 4.0 | ||||
| Chronology | |||||
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The 95th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 29, 2011. The race was part of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season. The track opened for practice on May 14 and time trials were held from May 21 to 22. The race was won by Dan Wheldon (his second after winning the 2005 race) and this was the last win of his racing career. Alex Tagliani won the pole position.
American rookie J. R. Hildebrand took the lead with two laps to go. As the leaders were frantically cycling through pit stops, Hildebrand was nursing a car very low on fuel. He was attempting to stretch his tank to the finish, and score a huge upset victory. On the final turn of the final lap, his car went high, and he hit the outside wall. As his wrecked car was coasting down the frontstretch, Dan Wheldon slipped by in the final 1,000 feet to take the victory. Hildebrand slid across the finish line to place second. Four months later, Wheldon was killed in a crash in the IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, driving the car Tagliani had qualified on the pole in.
The race was the culmination of the three-year-long Centennial era, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening of the track (1909) and the 100th anniversary of the inaugural race in 1911. Throughout May, the race was advertised as the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 and the Centennial Indianapolis 500. Since the race was suspended during World Wars I and II, the 100th running of the 500 would not be held until 2016.
The race was billed as the "Most Important Race in History". It was the final Indy 500 contested with the normally aspirated "spec" Dallara IR-05/Honda Indy V-8 machines. In 2012, the series implemented a new chassis package and reintroduced turbocharged engines.
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