2017 Indianapolis 500


The 2017 Indianapolis 500 is a Verizon IndyCar Series event that occurred on Sunday May 28, 2017, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States. The race was the premier event and the sixth race of the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season.
Despite a threatening weather forecast in the days leading up to the event, the race ran its scheduled distance of 200 laps and was won by Japanese driver Takuma Sato of Andretti Autosport. Sato, who also finished on the podium at the 2004 U.S. Grand Prix on the road course at Indianapolis, became the first Asian driver to win the Indianapolis 500. Two violent crashes occurred during the month, involving Sébastien Bourdais and Scott Dixon, respectively. Bourdais suffered a broken pelvis and other injuries, forcing him to sit out the event, while Dixon suffered a minor ankle injury.
Alexander Rossi entered the race as the defending champion. The event also featured Fernando Alonso, the first active Formula One World Championship driver to contest the race since Teo Fabi in 1984. Alonso was voted Rookie of the Year, having led 27 laps before retiring in the closing stages of the race.
The month of May activities formally began on May 13 with the fourth running of the IndyCar Grand Prix on the combined road course. Practice for the Indianapolis 500 began on May 15, and time trials were held on May 20–21. Scott Dixon, the 2008 winner, won the pole position, his third career Indy pole. Dixon's qualifying speed of was the fastest pole speed since 1996. Carb Day—the traditional final day of practice, as well as the annual Pit Stop Challenge and Indy Lights Freedom 100, were held on May 26. Support races featuring the Road to Indy were also held during the month.

Race background

The 2017 race was the third and final year contested with the Chevrolet and Honda aero kits outfitted to the Dallara DW12 chassis. Beginning in 2018, all DW12 chassis will be outfitted with a universal bodywork kit. Furthermore, a development freeze was implemented for 2017, and all aero kits must adhere to the established specifications carried over from 2016.
Among the major offseason moves, Chip Ganassi Racing switched engine manufactures from Chevrolet to Honda. Conversely, A. J. Foyt Enterprises switched from Honda to Chevrolet. KV Racing Technology, who won the 2013 race with driver Tony Kanaan, was sold to Juncos Racing, an established team in the ladder system, scheduled to make its debut at the Indianapolis 500. After losing his seat at KV Racing, Sébastien Bourdais subsequently signed with Dale Coyne Racing. Among the other high-profile moves, Josef Newgarden departed Ed Carpenter Racing and joined Team Penske.

Regulations and rule changes

A series of procedural rule changes were implemented by the series for the 2017 season, however, none of the rule changes significantly affected the Indianapolis 500. The IndyCar Grand Prix, which opens the on-track activities for the month, a three-day event, would only have two days for the Verizon IndyCar Series. That mirrors similar changes made to other races event weekends on the schedule.
The 101st Indianapolis 500 will be the sixth round of the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season, and the 22nd sanctioned as part of the Indy Racing League/IndyCar Series. There have been five different winners in the first five races leading up to the Indianapolis 500. The season began March 12 at St. Petersburg, with Sébastien Bourdais a surprise winner. Bourdais won from last place on the starting grid. James Hinchcliffe won at Long Beach, his first victory since suffering a near-fatal accident during practice for 2015 Indianapolis 500. Josef Newgarden won at Barber, and defending series champion Simon Pagenaud won at Phoenix. The IndyCar Grand Prix was won by Will Power, his second victory in the event.
Entering the month of May at Indy, Honda-powered teams were the prohibitive favorites over the Chevys. As the week began, Honda teams were even being accused of "sandbagging." However, each day saw a different driver lead the speed charts, split almost evenly between both manufacturers. Honda began experiencing multiple engine failures, raising significant concerns around the garage area of their reliability.

Entry list

Former Indianapolis 500 winners that were entered include Hélio Castroneves, Juan Pablo Montoya, Buddy Lazier, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Alexander Rossi. Former IndyCar Series champions that entered include Lazier, Dixon, Kanaan, Hunter-Reay, Will Power and Simon Pagenaud. In addition, Juan Pablo Montoya is a former CART series champion, and Sébastien Bourdais is a four-time champion of the Champ Car World Series. Montoya, after three years in a full-time role at Team Penske, went down to a part-time role for 2017, driving in the IndyCar Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500 only.
On April 12, it was announced that two-time Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso planned to drive a Honda with the support of McLaren for Andretti Autosport. Alonso skipped the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix in order to compete at Indianapolis.
Rookies that entered included Alonso, Jack Harvey, Ed Jones, and Zach Veach. The official entry list was released on May 14.

Private testing – Friday, March 24

A private manufacturers test for Honda teams was scheduled for Friday March 24. The test was moved up one day due to inclement weather predicted for Saturday. Three Honda teams, Chip Ganassi Racing, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, tested along with one Chevy team. A total of eleven drivers took to the track on a warm, but windy day. No incidents were reported. Speeds were not reported. Attention during the test focused on Ganassi taking their first laps at the Speedway with Honda power since 2013, after a highly publicized switch from Chevrolet to Honda during the offseason.
DriverTeamEngine
1 Simon PagenaudTeam PenskeChevrolet
2 Josef NewgardenTeam PenskeChevrolet
3 Hélio CastronevesTeam PenskeChevrolet
5 James HinchcliffeSchmidt Peterson MotorsportsHonda
7 Mikhail AleshinSchmidt Peterson MotorsportsHonda
8 Max ChiltonChip Ganassi RacingHonda
9 Scott DixonChip Ganassi RacingHonda
10 Tony KanaanChip Ganassi RacingHonda
12 Will PowerTeam PenskeChevrolet
15 Graham RahalRahal Letterman Lanigan RacingHonda
83 Charlie KimballChip Ganassi RacingHonda

Private testing – Sunday, April 2

A private test conducted by Chevrolet teams was scheduled for Saturday April 1. Cold temperatures postponed the test until Sunday April 2. Three Chevrolet teams were scheduled to participate. No incidents were reported.
DriverTeamEngine
1 Simon PagenaudTeam PenskeChevrolet
2 Josef NewgardenTeam PenskeChevrolet
3 Hélio CastronevesTeam PenskeChevrolet
4 Conor DalyA. J. Foyt EnterprisesChevrolet
12 Will PowerTeam PenskeChevrolet
14 Carlos MuñozA. J. Foyt EnterprisesChevrolet
20 Ed CarpenterEd Carpenter RacingChevrolet
21 J.R. HildebrandEd Carpenter RacingChevrolet

Private testing – Wednesday May 3

A private test was scheduled for May 3 involving Fernando Alonso. Marco Andretti started the day off, shaking the car down shortly after 9:00 a.m. Alonso took to the track and passed all three phases of his rookie test. Alonso completed 110 laps with a best lap of 222.548 mph. Due to rain approaching the area, the test schedule for the day was slightly compressed, in order to complete all three phases before the weather arrived.
The test was broadcast as a live stream through IndyCar's social media channels, with combined live viewership of the test was estimated to be in excess of 2 million.
DriverTeamEngine
29 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Honda-AndrettiHonda

Rookie orientation – Monday May 15

The Rookie Orientation Program was scheduled for Monday from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Four rookies were slated to participate in the session, Fernando Alonso, Jack Harvey, Ed Jones, and Zach Veach. Track time for refresher tests was also available for Jay Howard, Oriol Servià, and Sebastián Saavedra. The three-phase rookie test requirements for 2017 consisted of ten laps at 205-210 mph, fifteen laps at 210-215 mph, and fifteen laps at over 215 mph. The two-phase refresher test consists of ten laps at 210-215 mph and fifteen laps at over 215 mph.
Alonso had passed his rookie test previously on May 3, but was permitted the additional track time during the session. Ed Jones passed his rookie test at 1:08 p.m., while Jack Harvey experienced gearbox trouble, which delayed him taking to the track for almost one hour. Harvey passed only the first phase of the test after fuel pressure issues sidelined him even further. Veach made no attempt to complete his rookie program, turning in only three laps late in the session. Veterans Howard, Servià, and Saavedra all completed their refresher programs during this time.

Practice

Monday, May 15

First Day — Saturday, May 20

The first day of time trials locks in the 33 cars that will comprise the starting field, and determines the nine cars eligible to participate in the Fast Nine Shootout for the pole position on Sunday. The start of qualifications was delayed until 4:01 p.m. due to a heavy thunderstorm. As a result of the delays, all drivers were given only one qualifying attempt.

Sébastien Bourdais crash

The day was marred by a heavy accident involving Sébastien Bourdais. After completing his first two laps at 231.472 mph and 231.595 mph, Bourdais lost control and crashed nearly head-on into the SAFER Barrier in turn two and did a half-flip before coming to rest upright part-way down the backstretch. Bourdais was extracted from his car and immediately sent to Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital where he was diagnosed with multiple pelvic fractures and a hip fracture, rendering him unable to compete in the race.

Remainder of day 1

Despite Honda's dominance in the speed charts during the week, it was Chevrolet driver Ed Carpenter who turned the fastest attempt of the day, with a four lap average of 230.468 mph. Joining him in the Fast Nine were Takuma Sato, Scott Dixon, J. R. Hildebrand, Alexander Rossi, Will Power, Fernando Alonso, Tony Kanaan, and Marco Andretti. Rookie Ed Jones was the first driver outside the Fast Nine. Team Penske was surprisingly lackluster during the session, with four of the team's five drivers failing to make the Fast Nine; Power being the lone exception. Rookie Zach Veach made no attempt to qualify on the day due to damage from a crash in the previous day's practice. The only other minor incident of the day involved Pippa Mann, the first car out to qualify on the green track. After a clean first lap, the car stepped out in turn three and nearly tagged the wall in the north short chute. Mann's last three laps dropped off substantially, but she completed the four-lap run 219.282 mph, the slowest car of the day.

Time trials second day

Positions 33 through 10 — Sunday, May 21

Early showers slightly delayed the morning warm-up session, but the skies stayed clear for the rest of the day and qualifying was run as scheduled. Prior to qualifying, Dale Coyne Racing announced that James Davison would fill in for the injured Bourdais in the No. 18 car.
As Davison had not driven in a Verizon IndyCar Series race since 2015, he was prohibited from participating in Sunday's qualifying session under Rule 4.3.8.7, an Indianapolis 500-specific rule mandating a driver who had not participated in an oval race prior to the previous year's Indianapolis 500 pass the refresher test. Furthermore, the backup #18 car needed to be converted from road course to oval trim.
The group from positions 10-33 began qualifying first at 2:45 p.m., running in the reverse order of how drivers qualified in the previous day's session. Zach Veach, having made no attempt on Saturday, was first on course. The day saw, for most drivers, faster speeds thanks to lower temperatures and more rubber on the track than the previous day. Ryan Hunter-Reay was fastest of the session with a four-lap average of 231.442 mph; nearly a full mph faster than anyone else in the first group. Alongside him in the 4th row were Ed Jones and Oriol Servià. Team Penske once again struggled, with Juan Pablo Montoya in 18th being their highest qualifier in the group. No major incidents occurred during the session, though a few drivers, including Jack Harvey and Charlie Kimball, scraped the wall in turn 2 during their runs.
NOTE: Per INDYCAR Rule 8.4.9, Davison, who was ineligible to participate in qualifying, was classified by the Entrant Points of the #18 car during the current season.

Firestone Fast 9 — Sunday, May 21

Fast Nine qualifying began at 5:00 p.m., with each driver given one shot to reach pole position. Scott Dixon took the pole position with a four-lap average of 232.164 mph; the fastest four-lap average since Arie Luyendyk's track record run in 1996. In addition, his first lap of 232.565 mph was the fastest since Luyendyk's track-record 237.498 mph lap, also in 1996. The run was the third fastest pole speed in 500 history, behind only Scott Brayton's 1996 run and Roberto Guerrero's 1992 run. Joining Dixon on the front row were Ed Carpenter, the highest qualified Chevrolet, and defending winner Alexander Rossi. Fernando Alonso stunned during the session, qualifying fifth in his first ever start on an oval circuit.
Alonso's day did not start out entirely smooth, as Honda officials ordered a last-minute engine change in the car. After examining data from the engine, it was decided to install a new engine, with only an hour and a half until the car was due to be in line for technical inspection. The team scrambled to finish the work, and got the car prepared with only minutes to spare. Takuma Sato had a potential front row starting position until his handling went away on his final two laps, and he subsequently brushed the wall in turn two.

Post-qualifying practice & Carb Day

Post-qualifying practice — Monday, May 22

The Pit Stop Challenge was scheduled for Friday May 26. For the first time in event history, the finals were a best-of-three format. In addition, the set up was revised such that both cars start the race on asphalt pavement. Previously, one lane was asphalt and one was concrete, putting one lane at a grip disadvantage. Due to an earlier engine failure in James Hinchcliffe's #5 car, Hinchcliffe drove Jay Howard's #77 car for the Pit Stop Challenge.
In the second quarterfinals heat, Ed Carpenter was assessed a 5-second penalty due to an unsecured lug nut on the left-front wheel. In the final round, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports faced Team Penske in a best two-out-of-three matchup. By virtue of the fastest individual time during the semifinals, Power was awarded lane choice for the first finals heats, and selected the left lane. The teams swapped for the second heat. Power had the best time from the first two finals heats, and was awarded lane choice for the third and final heat. He subsequently selected the left lane again.
= Indianapolis 500 rookie; = Former Indianapolis 500 winner

Failed to qualify

First half

Start

Race day saw temperatures in the mid range with partly cloudy skies. For the first time since 2014, all 33 cars were able to take the green flag to start the race. At the start, Scott Dixon moved into the lead, while Will Power managed to jump up to second from his ninth place start. However, he soon faded and Tony Kanaan moved into second. On lap 6, Kanaan moved past his teammate Dixon for the lead, while Alexander Rossi held third. Rookie Fernando Alonso made a slow start, but quickly began moving his way back up to sixth by lap 19. As pit stops neared, Dixon began to slip down the order, losing second to Rossi and third to Ed Carpenter. The first round of stops came at lap 29, with Kanaan being the first of the leaders to pit. After the sequence, however, Carpenter had moved into the lead, with Rossi second, Alonso third, Kanaan fourth, and Takuma Sato fifth. During the cycle, Jay Howard ran out of fuel, placing him several laps off the pace.
The Andretti Autosport teammates Rossi and Alonso soon dispatched Carpenter, and on lap 37 Alonso moved into the lead. The two dueled for the lead, with Rossi taking back the lead on lap 43, before Alonso returned the favor on lap 48.
Lap 53 crash & Red Flag
On the 53rd lap of the race, Jay Howard drifted wide in turn 2 after being passed by Ryan Hunter-Reay, sending him into the wall. Howard's car drifted across the track after the impact and straight into the path of Scott Dixon. Dixon's car was launched off the back of Howard's, sending Dixon into an airborne flip, before crashing down into the inside wall and piercing a hole in the catch fencing. The force of the crash ripped nearly the entire rear assembly from Dixon's machine. Miraculously, neither Dixon nor Howard were injured in the incident. However, extensive repairs were needed for the catch fencing, forcing the race to be red flagged. After 18 minutes of red flag time for the repairs, cars were fired back up and the race resumed under caution with Fernando Alonso still in the lead after subsequent yellow flag pit stops. During the caution, Hélio Castroneves was forced to make repairs to his car after taking minor damage in his attempt to avoid Dixon's car, forcing him back to 22nd.

Second quarter

When racing finally resumed, Alonso held the lead over his teammates Rossi and Takuma Sato. On lap 61, Rossi returned to the lead, while Sato and Ryan Hunter-Reay both moved past Alonso for position. On lap 65, Sato moved into the lead for the first time of the race. Two laps later came the race's second caution period, as Conor Daly lost control of his car in turn 3 and crashed into the outside wall while trying to make a pass. In the midst of the wreck, Jack Harvey spun attempting to avoid Daly's debris, sending him into the inside wall in the North "short-chute," taking him out of the race as well. During the caution, Castroneves was assessed a drive-through penalty for jumping the previous restart.
The next restart saw Rossi move back around Sato for the lead, while both Hunter-Reay and Tony Kanaan moved around Sato in the following laps to move themselves into second and third respectively. This green flag run was short lived, though, as caution flew once again on lap 81 as a winglet from Marco Andretti's car broke off and landed on the course on the front straight. The majority of the field elected to pit during the caution, with Hunter-Reay leading Rossi and Alonso out of the pit lane. However, Will Power, Max Chilton, and Hélio Castroneves elected to stay out having made pit stops only six laps earlier during the previous caution, thus placing the trio at the head of the race.
The restart saw Chilton immediately snag the lead away from Power, but by lap 86, those that had pitted during the caution returned to the head of the field. Power began to fall back, while Castroneves and Chilton remained toward the front end of the field. On lap 96, Castroneves moved into the lead of the race after passing Hunter-Reay, while Kanaan moved back into the top five after passing his teammate Chilton.

Second half

Halfway

On lap 104, Castroneves, still off sequence from the previous caution, surrendered the lead to make a pit stop, opening up the cycle of green flag stops while handing the lead back to Hunter-Reay. The majority of the field came in around lap 110, with Hunter-Reay resuming the lead with a margin over three seconds to his teammate Rossi. Alonso, Castroneves, and Power rounded out the top five. The gaps were erased on lap 122, when Buddy Lazier lost control of his car in turn 2 and hit the wall, bringing an end to the former winner's day. During the ensuing caution, Sage Karam's race came to an end when a dead battery caused him to grind to a halt on course.
Racing resumed on lap 129, with Hunter-Reay ahead of Alonso and Rossi. One lap later, though, Alonso moved back into the lead of the race. No sooner was the pass complete when caution waved again, this time for debris on the front straight. The brief caution ended on lap 135, with Alonso and Hunter-Reay switching the lead back and forth before Alonso won out on lap 136. However, pre-race concerns about Honda reliability came to fruition that same lap, as Hunter-Reay's engine suddenly began to smoke on the back straight before slowing and coming to a halt just before the pit entrance. Caution once again waved. Most leaders pitted under this period, Alonso leading the field off pit lane. Rossi, however, suffered major fueling issues, dropping him down outside the top 20. Several drivers elected not to pit during the period, including Max Chilton, Charlie Kimball, J. R. Hildebrand, James Davison, and Ed Jones.
The restart saw Kimball grab the lead from Chilton, but caution waved near immediately, as Ed Carpenter did a half spin and punched a hole in the sidepod of Mikhail Aleshin's car, breaking Carpenter's front wing and sending debris across the track in turn 1. Racing resumed on lap 147, with Chilton quickly moving back around Kimball. On lap 149, Graham Rahal's hope of Indy victory was dashed when a deflating tire forced him to pit under green.

Fourth quarter

With the race drawing to its closing stages, Hélio Castroneves began moving back up the field, and by lap 151 moved into fourth, while James Davison moved into second ahead of him. Further back, Takuma Sato began moving back toward the front, moving to eighth by the end of lap 163. On lap 166, Chilton made what would be his final pit stop, moving James Davison to the lead. Davison, by leading a lap, became the first driver since Alex Tagliani in the 2016 Indianapolis 500 to lead laps after starting last. Caution flew nearly immediately after this, as Charlie Kimball's engine gave up in similar fashion to Hunter-Reay's. At the same time, rookie Zach Veach rolled to a halt on the back straight, his day done as well. Nearly the entire field pitted during the caution, with Ed Jones and Castroneves leading the charge off pit lane. However, having just made a green flag stop, Chilton resumed the lead of the race. The running order was now Chilton, Jones, Castroneves, Davison, and Sato.
Racing resumed with Chilton in control, but Castroneves began to duel with Jones for second. Behind them, Sato moved to fourth after passing Davison. Eventually, Sato managed to pass both Castroneves and Jones, allowing him to pursue Chilton ahead. Behind them, other Honda cars began attempting to move forward, but on lap 179, Fernando Alonso fell out of the race as his engine failed coming down the front straight; the third Honda failure of the race. Caution once again bunched up the field.
Racing resumed on lap 184, with Castroneves managing to take third away from Jones. Just behind, chaos erupted in the field when Davison and Oriol Servià made contact in turn 1 triggering a multi-car pile-up that involved Davison, Servia, Will Power, James Hinchcliffe, and Josef Newgarden. Of the five, only Newgarden was able to resume, but only after losing several laps.

Finish

Racing resumed with 11 laps to go with Chilton maintaining his lead over Sato. On lap 192, Castroneves was able to make a pass on Sato for second. One lap later, he managed to move around Chilton, placing the Brazilian in the lead of the race. However, Sato passed Chilton shortly thereafter and, one lap later, moved around Castroneves to take the lead. Castroneves made one last attempt to pass Sato with three laps to go, but was ultimately unable to catch back up to Sato. Takuma Sato took victory by just.2011 seconds over Castroneves, while Jones came across the line in third. By taking the win, Sato became both the first driver from Japan and the first driver from Asia to take victory in the 500. Sato also became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 and finish on the podium in a United States Grand Prix hosted at Indianapolis, having finished third in 2004. It also marked the first time since 2011 that the winner of the race came from the first three rows. The victory was the third in four years for the Andretti Autosport team.

Box score

;Notes:
Points include qualification points from Time Trials, 1 point for leading a lap, and 2 points for most laps led.
Source for time gaps:

Championship standings after the race

;Drivers' Championship standings
PosDriverPoints
31 Hélio Castroneves245
12 Simon Pagenaud234
73 Takuma Sato234
24 Scott Dixon234
45 Alexander Rossi190

;Manufacturer standings
PosManufacturerPoints
11 Honda480
12 Chevrolet479

Television

The race was televised live in the United States on ABC. Allen Bestwick was the lead play-by-play announcer for the race, joined by Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever. The race took place just after the highly publicized 2017 ESPN layoffs, of which both Bestwick and Punch were identified as casualties. Both Bestwick and Punch, and presumably the remainder of the contracted on-air crew, was officially terminated a week later after ABC's coverage of the Detroit Grand Prix. However, on February 7, 2018, ESPN communications director Andy Hall announced that the full IndyCar broadcast team, Bestwick and Punch included, would return for the 2018 season.
The broadcast utilized 96 cameras, with 14 cars equipped with three in-car cameras each, and the introduction of Visor Cam, which featured live, first-person camera angles from cameras mounted on the helmets of Graham Rahal and Josef Newgarden. Live in-car camera feeds were available online via WatchESPN. ESPN also introduced a new "Race Strategist" feature, which featured predictive analysis based on various factors that could affect the race. As with all other IndyCar Series events, ESPN International produced a world feed broadcast for international markets.
In the United States, the 2017 Indianapolis 500 was the least-watched edition of the race since the inception of live flag-to-flag coverage, with a 3.6 overnight Nielsen rating. The tape delayed broadcast in Indianapolis saw a 16% increase in viewership over 2015. By contrast, viewership in Spain was significantly high due to Fernando Alonso's debut, with 443,000 viewers and a 3.6% share, higher than the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix that occurred earlier in the day.
Carb Day, the final practice session, along with the Pit Stop Challenge and Freedom 100, were carried on NBCSN. The booth announcers for NBCSN were Kevin Lee, Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. The pit reporters were Marty Snider, Jon Beekhuis, Katie Hargitt, and Robin Miller. Lee was joined in the booth by Anders Krohn and Ed Jones the Freedom 100 coverage segment.

Radio

The race was carried live by the IMS Radio Network, part of the Advance Auto Parts IndyCar Radio Network. Mark Jaynes served as chief announcer for the second year. The crew for 2017 was largely the same from 2016. Once again, all living former chief announcers took part in the broadcast. Paul Page joined as a guest commentator in the booth, and Bob Jenkins appeared during the pre-race in a pre-recorded segment recapping the 25th anniversary of the 1992 race. Jenkins then served on the Speedway Public Address system team. Mike King also appeared during the pre-race coverage, narrating a pre-recorded segment recapping the IndyCar Grand Prix, and Dave Wilson narrated a tribute to John Andretti who was battling colon concer. During the race, Wilson interviewed vice president Mike Pence, then reported from the track hospital. For the second straight year, Michael Young interviewed the winner in victory lane.
Among the guests in the booth was Governor Eric Holcomb, Mark Reuss, Matt Davis, and James Verrier. For the first time, the traditional commercial out-cue was recorded by a voice-over announcer instead of the chief announcer or drivers in the field. This was the final 500 in Turn 1 for Jerry Baker as he would depart the crew for and join the public address crew for 2018 when it was decided that Turn 1 would not be used in 2018 but due to a new broadcast booth debuting in 2019 named after Sid Collins, Turn 1's broadcasting location would be reinstated.
According to a study from GfK Custom Research, the broadcast reached 20.5 million listeners, and averaged 8.8 million listeners per quarter hour. It represented a 75% increase in ratings over 2016, and the broadcast was carried on over 350 terrestrial radio affiliates, a 5% increase from 2016.
1070 The Fan broadcast nightly beginning May 8 with Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee, followed by Donald Davidson's The Talk of Gasoline Alley.