2005 Indianapolis 500

2005 Indianapolis 500

The 89th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 29, 2005. It was the premier event of the 2005 IndyCar Series season, and the tenth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. Dan Wheldon won the race under a yellow flag. Wheldon became the first British winner since Graham Hill in 1966.

Rookie Danica Patrick, who qualified fourth and finished fourth, became the first female driver in Indy history to lead laps during the race. Patrick led three times for a total of 19 laps, and won the Rookie of the Year award. Considerable media hype and attention was focused on the race and on Patrick in particular during the month, giving birth to the term "Danica Mania." Her 4th place starting position broke the record set by Lyn St. James (6th in 1994) and her 4th place finishing position broke record set by Janet Guthrie (9th in 1977).

The increased attention going into the race helped register a 6.5 Nielsen rating, the highest since 1996.