The 2013 Indy 500 was truly historic in more ways than one

By May 27, 2013, 7:00 AM EDT
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Several years ago, Firestone put together an Indianapolis 500 ad (above) that asked the question about Indy, “How do I love you? Let me count the ways.”

It may sound like hyperbole, but it’s hard to find anything not to love about this Sunday’s 97th running of the Indianapolis 500. Sure, a green flag finish could have helped, but tradition has always dictated the race stays just 500 miles, and does not implement a NASCAR-style “Green-White-Checkered” outcome.

Consider, from that standpoint, that the last two years the race has ended under yellow only because of a last lap accident (JR Hildebrand in 2011, Takuma Sato in 2012) marked by a driver either going for the win or trying to hold off pressure from behind. The 2010 race marked the last time an Indianapolis 500 ended with more than one lap under yellow, after Mike Conway’s savage accident.

From the view of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway pressroom, let me count the number of historical notes and/or records set on Sunday:

  • Tony Kanaan’s first ‘500 win in his 12th start ties Sam Hanks (1957) for the latest first-time win in race history, and was his ninth 500-mile race he led before winning.
  • Kanaan set a new record for the fastest ‘500 in history: an average speed of 187.433 mph beat Arie Luyendyk’s old record of 185.981, set in 1990.
  • Kanaan was the first driver to win the ‘500 with the number 11, and the first driver to deliver a win for KV Racing Technology under IndyCar sanction (its last win came in the Champ Car finale in 2008 at Long Beach).
  • Kanaan led this race 15 different times, as did Marco Andretti. That marks the most times any driver has led in both a winning and non-winning effort.
  • Scott Dixon extended his own record of consecutive Indianapolis 500 laps completed to 1,566, while completing the full 500 miles for a sixth straight year (ties Wilbur Shaw, Rodger Ward).
  • There were a record 14 leaders (old record 12 in 1993) for a record 68 lead changes (old record 34 in 2012).
  • Six drivers: Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Jakes, E.J. Viso, Carlos Munoz, AJ Allmendinger and Townsend Bell, all led the ‘500 for the first time.
  • The ‘500 tied the record for number of finishers (26, same as the first in 1911) in a full race distance, and tied the record for number of lead lap finishers (19 in 2009).

IndyCar Power Rankings: Pato O’Ward moves to the top entering Texas Motor Speedway

By Mar 29, 2023, 6:00 AM EDT
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The NBC Sports IndyCar power rankings naturally were as jumbled as the action on the streets of St. Petersburg after a chaotic opener to the 2023 season.

Pato O’Ward, who finished second because of an engine blip that cost him the lead with a few laps remaining, moves into the top spot ahead of St. Pete winner Marcus Ericsson and Alexander Rossi, who finished fourth in his Arrow McLaren debut. Scott Dixon and St. Pete pole-sitter Romain Grosjean (who led 31 laps) rounded out the top five.

St. Pete pole-sitter Romain Grosjean (who started first at St. Pete after capturing his second career pole position) Callum Ilott (a career-best fifth) and Graham Rahal entered the power rankings entering the season’s second race.

Three drivers fell out of the preseason top 10 after the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – including previously top-ranked Josef Newgarden, who finished 17th after qualifying 14th.

Heading into Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, here’s NBC Sports’ assessment of the current top 10 drivers through the first of 17 races this year (with previous preseason rankings in parenthesis):

NBC Sports’ IndyCar Power Rankings

1. Pato O’Ward (5) – If not for the dreaded “plenum event” in the No. 5 Chevrolet, the Arrow McLaren driver is opening the season with a victory capping a strong race weekend.

2. Marcus Ericsson (7) – He might be the most opportunistic driver in IndyCar, but that’s because the 2022 Indy 500 winner has become one of the series’ fastest and most consistent stars.

3. Alexander Rossi (10) – He overcame a frustrating Friday and mediocre qualifying to open his Arrow McLaren career with the sort of hard-earned top five missing in his last years at Andretti.

4. Scott Dixon (3) – Put aside his opening-lap skirmish with former teammate Felix Rosenqvist, and it was a typically stealthily good result for the six-time champion.

5. Romain Grosjean (NR) – The St. Petersburg pole-sitter consistently was fastest on the streets of St. Petersburg over the course of the race weekend, which he couldn’t say once last year.

6. Scott McLaughlin (6) – Easily the best of the Team Penske drivers before his crash with Grosjean, McLaughlin drove like a legitimate 2023 championship contender.

7. Callum Ilott (NR) – A quietly impressive top five for the confident Brit in Juncos Hollinger Racing’s first race as a two-car team. Texas will be a big oval litmus test.

8. Graham Rahal (NR) – Sixth at St. Pete, Rahal still has the goods on street courses, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan remains headed in the right direction.

9. Alex Palou (4) – He seemed a step behind Ericsson and Dixon in the race after just missing the Fast Six in qualifying, but this was a solid start for Palou.

10. Will Power (2) – An uncharacteristic mistake that crashed Colton Herta put a blemish on the type of steady weekend that helped him win the 2022 title.

Falling out (last week): Josef Newgarden (1), Colton Herta (8), Christian Lundgaard (9)