Indianapolis 500 - Race Specifics

Race Specifics

The Indianapolis 500 is held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 2.5 mile oval circuit. The race consists of 200 laps, run counterclockwise around the circuit, for a distance of 500 miles.

Traditionally, the field consists of 33 starters, aligned in a starting grid of eleven rows of three cars apiece. The event is contested by "Indy cars", a formula of professional-level, single-seat, open cockpit, open-wheel, purpose-built race cars. As of 2012, all entrants utilize 2.2 L V6 turbocharged engines, tuned to produce a range of 550–700 horsepower (410–520 kW).

The race is the most prestigious event of the IndyCar calendar, and one of the oldest and most important automobile races. It has been considered to be the largest single-day sporting event in the entire world. In addition, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway itself is regarded as the world's largest sporting facility in terms of capacity. The total purse exceeded $13 million in 2011, with over $2.5 million awarded to the winner, making it one of the richest cash prize funds in sports.