The 100th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to be run on Sunday, May 29, 2011 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will begin at 1 p.m. EDT, and be televised in the United States on ESPN on ABC broadcast network, with a one-hour pre-game show at 12 noon EDT. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been the site of many memorable events since the facility opened in 1909. Similarly, Chevrolet has a rich heritage in racing that dates to company co-founder and namesake Louis Chevrolet, a gifted engineer and talented race car driver who competed in the Indianapolis 500 four times.

In 2009, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway began a three-year long "Centennial Era" to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the track (1909), and the 100th anniversary of the first Indy 500 (1911).

When auto racing betting, whether on Nascar or Formula 1, you also need to consider the track. Some drivers do well on road courses, while others seem to do better on the super speedways or short tracks. Track and weather conditions can also influence a car's handling ability, and some teams are better at adjusting to changing track conditions than others.

Gasoline Alley

This is a nickname for the Garage Area in which the racing cars are housed at event time. It originally referred only to the one corner where the fuel depot was located, but over a period of years, it came to be applied to the entire complex. It seems to have first come into use sometime in the 1920s and possibly may have been the result of a newspaper strip cartoon of the same name which debuted in August 1919.

Pace Car
With a huge field of 40 cars having met the qualifying requirements for starting the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911, track founder Carl Fisher reasoned that this might be too many for the typical standing starts then in vogue. He believed it would be safer instead to lead them around on one unscored lap at approximately 40 or 45 mph and then release them to the flagman as he pulled into the pits. Now commonplace at motor racing events throughout the United States, this is believed to have been the very first mass rolling start for any automobile race anywhere in the world and quite possibly the first use of a pace car for a major event.

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, frequently shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500, is an American automobile race held annually over the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," is one of the oldest and richest motorsport events in existence, and the largest single-day sporting event worldwide in both on-grounds attendance and international audience (recent estimates placing the latter in excess of 320 million). The event lends its name to the "IndyCar" class of formula, or open-wheel, race cars that have competed in it. It has been broadcast live over radio on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network since 1952, televised live in 1949 and 1950 on then-independent, local station WFBM-TV (now WRTV), and not again until ABC Sports was permitted to broadcast the race via tape delay beginning in 1965, and eventually live flag-to-flag coverage beginning in 1986. In May 2005, the race celebrated its 60th consecutive year of uninterrupted occurrence, and in 2006, it will celebrate its 90th running.

2011 Indianapolis 500 Schedule

Saturday, May 7/Gates 12 pm - 10 pm

Allison Transmission Balloon Festival

• The Allison Transmission Centennial Era Balloon Festival will take place on Saturday, May 7, 2011; 33 balloons from across the United States will take to the sky in a "Hare and Hound" race.

Emerging Technologies Day

• The 100th Anniversary Indy 500 Emerging Technologies Day on Saturday May 7, 2011 at IMS. Some of the best, brightest young minds in America will display innovative renewable technologies for the automotive industry on this day.

Saturday, May 14/Gates 9 am - 6 pm

Indianapolis Star Opening Day

• Series of events celebrating the 100th Anniversary of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

100th Anniversary Indy 500 Celebration of Automobiles

• Owners of classic cars displaying their magnificent machines in competition for blue-ribbon awards as part of the festivities of the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

Celebration Awards Dinner

• 100th Anniversary Indy 500 Celebration of Automobiles Awards Dinner featuring former Indianapolis 500 drivers.

Sunday, May 15-Thursday, May 19/Gates 9 am - 6 pm

Indianapolis 500 Practice

• The stars of the IZOD IndyCar Series as they prepare to qualify for the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 on Pole Day.

Friday, May 20/Gates 8 am - 6 pm

Fast Friday Practice

• The best preview you can get for Pole Day at the Indianapolis 500 occurs annually during Fast Friday practice, which takes place on May 20, 2011.
  

Saturday, May 21/Gates 6 am - 6 pm

Indianapolis 500 Pole Day Qualifying

• The first day of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on May 21 will determine the first 24 grid spots available with the fastest driver awarded the pole position for the start of the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 on May 29, 2011.
  

Sunday, May 22/Gates 8 am - 6 pm

Indianapolis 500 Bump Day / IMS Armed Forces Day

• Who won't make the field for the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 will be determined on Sunday, May 22nd at Bump Day / IMS Armed Forces Day at the Brickyard.
  

Wednesday May 25/Gates open 9 am - 6 pm

American Family Insurance 500 Festival Community Day

• Families can take a lap around the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway in their own cars.

Thursday, May 26/GATES 9 AM - 6 PM

Indy Lights Qualifying

• Practice for the 8th Annual Firestone Freedom 100 featuring the young, up and coming drivers of the Firestone Indy Lights Series.

Friday, May 27/Gates 8 am - 6 pm

Miller Lite Carb Day - Firestone Freedom 100

• The annual Miller Lite Carb Day featuring the final practice for the Indy 500 field prior to the 100th Anniversary Indy 500 on May 29, 2011.
  

Saturday, May 28/Gates 8 am - 6 pm

A.J. Foyt Day

• The final day before the world's greatest auto race,the A.J. Foyt Day headlined by the "World's Largest Autograph Session.
  

Sunday, May 29/Gates 6 am - 6 pm

The 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race

• The 2011 Indianapolis 500 will start at 12:00 p.m./ET on Sunday, May 29 and 100 years of Indianapolis history will come to a head as 33 of the best drivers in the world race to take the checkered flag.

2011 Indianapolis 500 Results

2010 Indianapolis 500 Results

Dario Franchitti won the 94rd running of the INDY 500 on May 30th, 2010, with a speed of 3:05:37.0131, with a pole speed of 227.970 mph (366.882 km/h). After skulling the traditional bottle of milk for the winner, Franchitti stated "this tastes just as good the second time", referring to his victory in the 2007 race. Franchitti led for 155 of the race's 200 laps. He survived the final 36 laps without taking a pit stop.

2009 Indianapolis 500 Results

Helio Castroneves won the 93rd Indianapolis 500 held on Sunday May 4, 2009, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.With an average speed of 148.62(362 km/h), pole speed of 224.864 mph and a winning time of 3:19:34.6427. This year marked the beging of a 3 year Centennial Era celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Opening of the Indianapolis Speedway.

2008 Indianapolis 500 Auto Racing Results Scott Dixon won the 92nd Indianapolis 500 by 1.7498 seconds over Vitor Meira. Dixon sped out of the pits ahead of Vitor Meira on the final round of stops, then held off the Brazilian and hard-luck Marco Andretti to win the first 500 since the two warring open-wheel series came together under the IndyCar banner. Dixon might have started from the pole position and led a field-high 115 laps (the most since Juan Pablo Montoya's 167 in 2000), but it was anything but a clear path to his first trip to Victory Circle in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." There were 18 lead changes over the 200 laps and enough potential pot holes on the way to Victory Circle to swallow the Honda-powered Dallara whole.

Betting on auto racing offers an exciting way to enjoy the thrills of international motor-sports. There are many exciting and popular worldwide competitions available. Wager on Formula 1 racing events, Nascar events, or wager on specific events like the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, Winston Cup, or Grand Prix races.

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