1995 Indianapolis 500

1995 Indianapolis 500

The 79th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28, 1995. Sanctioned by USAC, it was part of the 1995 CART Indycar season. Jacques Villeneuve won in his second start. After dominating the 1994 race and the 1994 IndyCar season, Marlboro Team Penske failed to qualify for the race. Defending Indy 500 winner Al Unser, Jr. (too slow) and Emerson Fittipaldi (bumped) could not get their cars up to speed.

On lap 190, with the field coming back to green on a restart, leader Scott Goodyear passed the pace car in turn four, and was assessed a stop-and-go penalty. Goodyear refused to serve the penalty, claiming that the green light was on, and stayed out on the track. Officials stopped scoring him on lap 195, which handed Jacques Villeneuve the lead of the race, and ultimately, a controversial victory. Examination of video evidence after the race proved that Goodyear passed the pace car while the yellow light was on, and his team declined to protest the ruling.

Winner Villeneuve's day was not without incident, as he was penalized two laps for passing the pace car during a caution period in the early segment of the race. He made up both laps during the race, through strategy and luck, resulting in a race distance of 505 miles for Villeneuve. The race was significantly marred by the crash of Stan Fox on the opening lap, who suffered career-ending head injuries.

The race was held under a growing cloud of uncertainty about the future of the sport of open wheel racing. The Speedway had already announced the formation of the rival Indy Racing League for 1996, and competitors, fans, and media alike, were apprehensive about the event's future beyond 1995. It ultimately would be the final Indy 500 which featured a field of CART-based drivers and teams.

Due to retirements as well as the open wheel split months later, the race was the final Indy 500 for several drivers, including Bobby Rahal, Danny Sullivan, Teo Fabi, Scott Pruett, and Stefan Johansson. Emerson Fittipaldi (who failed to qualify) also would never race another lap at Indy.

The 1995 month of May celebrated the 50th anniversary of Hulman/George family ownership of the Speedway.