Indianapolis 500-Mile Race

Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2.5 Mile Paved Oval 200 Laps/500 Miles May 25, 1997 Time of race: 3:25:43.388 Average speed of winner: 145.827 Margin of victory: 0.570 Lead changes: 17 among 7 leaders Cautions: 15 for 61 laps Lap leaders: Stewart 1-50, Boat 51, Stewart 52-62, Luyendyk 63-78, Stewart 79, Lazier 80-82, Luyendyk 83-109, Stewart 110-111, Lazier 112-115, Buhl 116-131, Luyendyk 132-140, Goodyear 141, Ward 142-166, Luyendyk 167-168, Ward 169-192, Goodyear 193, Luyendyk 194-200

Summary:

Arie Luyendyk became the 15th multiple winner of the Indianapolis 500 after three days. The race was not started on Sunday due to rain. The weather cruelly teased the racers and the fans, letting up just long enough to get the track dry; then, as the cars were being prepared for a start, rain struck again and forced a postponent. The following day, the race started but was red-flagged for rain after 15 laps and postponed again, until Tuesday. Tony Stewart had, for his second straight 500 jumped into the lead at the start and led all 15 laps before the rains came. It was only the third time the Indy 500 has been postponed by rain to a following day after it started. The race finally went green again on lap 18 on Tuesday, but immediately trouble struck as Robby Gordon's car developed a fire in the cockpit. Gordon stopped in turn 4 and leaped out with second-degree burns. On the attempt to restart four cars collided in turn 4. Finally, on lap 28 the green flew and the crowd was treated to some racing. Stewart pulled away as Luyendyk picked his way through traffic to second place. Phoenix winner Jim Guthrie, struggling with fuel pressure and overheating problems, blew an engine on the front stretch on lap 59. On lap 115, a collision involving Billy Roe and Paul Durant sent Durant to the hospital with a hip injury, which fortunately turned out not to be serious. Later, Jack Miller and Mike Groff collided. After the yellow, rooke Jeff Ward assumed the lead and for a while it appeared that a rookie might win the race for the first time since Graham Hill in 1966, but he finally lost the lead on a pit stop on lap 193. The last ten laps were confusing with two yellows; a green was thrown without a one-lap warning on lap 199, and in the confusion Luyendyk got the jump on his teammate Scott Goodyear and led the last lap for the victory. Goodyear finished second for the third time in his Indy 500 career. In practice, Scott Sharp and John Paul Jr. were injured and were unable to compete in the race. (from IRL Underground)