With the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 now almost here, NBC Sports recently reached out to several Indy 500 winning drivers and owners, to hear their thoughts on what makes the race such a special event. Click the links below to see what each Indy 500 legend had to say:
THE 103RD INDIANAPOLIS 500: Click here for how to watch, full daily schedules
Mario Andretti
For Mario Andretti, winning the Indianapolis 500 was the realization of a 13-year-old boy’s dream. He lauded the tradition of the race that other major sports events just can’t match.
Click here for Mario’s thoughts on what makes the Indy 500 so special to him
Michael Andretti
Five-time Indy 500 winning owner Michael Andretti shared with NBC Sports his first memories of the race from 1969 when his father won and described IMS as “sacred ground” where finishing first is what everyone dreams about.
Click here so see why the Indy 500 means so much to Michael
Roger Penske
Roger Penske remembered his first Indy 500 victory as a “game-changer” for his racing team, and the 17-time winning owner calls Indianapolis Motor Speedway the “foundation of all racing.”
Click here for to hear from the most successful owner in Indy 500 history
Bobby Unser
“If these bricks could talk, you wouldn’t believe what they’d say,” Bobby Unser, three-time Indianapolis 500 champion and the second-oldest man ever to win the Indy 500, said.
Click here for “Uncle Bobby’s” thoughts on “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”
Dario Franchitti
Three-time Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti explained to NBC Sports why The Brickyard means so much and touched on the family ties that bind Indianapolis Motor Speedway year after year.
Click here for three-time champ’s thoughts.
Rick Mears
Four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Rick Mears said that his success at IMS surpassed his wildest dreams, and that he didn’t understand what it meant initially to win the “Super Bowl” of IndyCar.
Click here to for the thoughts of a four-time Indy 500 champion.
Johnny Rutherford
Three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Johnny Rutherford explained to NBC Sports why Indianapolis Motor Speedway is “just the place to be” every Memorial Day weekend.
Click here for “Lone Star JR’s” thought’s
Parnelli Jones
Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones explained why that fateful day in 1963 was “the greatest thing [he] could do” and that he’ll “never have a better day than the day [he] pulled into victory lane.”
Click here to see what the 1963 winner had to say
Coverage of the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 begins Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. ET on NBCSN, then moves over to NBC at 11:00 a.m. ET.
