Previous Days and Dates of the Indianapolis 500


May 24th: 5
1981, 1987, 1992, 1998, 2009

May 25th: 4
1975, 1980, 2003, 2008

May 26th: 5
1974, 1985, 1991, 1996, 2002

May 27th: 7
1972, 1979, 1984, 1990, 1997, 2001, 2007

May 28th: 5
1978, 1989, 1995, 2000, 2006, 2012 (scheduled)

May 29th: 6
1971, 1977, 1983, 1988, 1994, 2005, 2011

May 30th: 53
1911-1914, 1916, 1920-1925, 1927-1936, 1938-1941, 1946-1947, 1949-1953, 1955-1964, 1966, 1968-1970, 1973, 1976, 1982, 1993, 1999, 2004, 2010

May 31st: 9
1915, 1919, 1926, 1937, 1948, 1954, 1965, 1967, 1986

Note: Denotes the day/date that the race was completed.

Days of the Week

Sunday: 36
1974-1985, 1987-1996, 1998-2011, 2012 (scheduled)

Monday: 15
1915, 1920-1921, 1926-1927, 1932, 1937-1938, 1948-1949, 1954-1955, 1960, 1965-1966

Tuesday: 8
1911, 1916, 1922, 1933, 1939, 1950, 1961, 1997

Wednesday: 8
1923, 1934, 1940, 1951, 1956, 1962, 1967, 1973

Thursday: 8
1912, 1928-29, 1935, 1946, 1957, 1963, 1968

Friday: 8
1913, 1924, 1930, 1941, 1947, 1952, 1958, 1969

Saturday: 12
1914, 1919, 1925, 1931, 1936, 1953, 1959, 1964, 1970-1972, 1986

Rescheduled Races

1915: May 30th fell on a Sunday, so the race was originally scheduled for Saturday May 29th. Heavy rains during the week prompted the Speedway to consider delaying the race. On Friday, they rescheduled the race for Monday May 31st.

1919: Slightly breaking from the young tradition, the race, which normally would have been scheduled for Friday May 30th that year, was scheduled instead for Saturday May 31st.

1920: May 30th fell on a Sunday, so the race was scheduled for Monday May 31st.

1926: May 30th fell on a Sunday, so the race was scheduled for Monday May 31st.

1937: May 30th fell on a Sunday, so the race was scheduled for Monday May 31st.

1948: May 30th fell on a Sunday, so the race was scheduled for Monday May 31st.

1954: May 30th fell on a Sunday, so the race was scheduled for Monday May 31st.

1965: May 30th fell on a Sunday, so the race was scheduled for Monday May 31st.

1967: The race started on Tuesday May 30th, but rain red flagged the race after 18 laps. The next day, Wednesday May 31st, the race was resumed, and completed.

1973:The race was scheduled for Monday May 28th. Rain delayed the start until mid-afternoon. At the start, a multi-car accident red flagged the race. Before the accident could be cleaned up, rain fell again, and the race was postponed until the following day. On Tuesday May 29th, the cars attempted to start the race again, but it began to rain during the pace lap. The red flag was put out, and the race was delayed yet another day. Late in the afternoon on Wednesday May 30th, the race finally started. After 133 laps, rain fell yet again, the race was ended, and Gordon Johncock was declared the winner.

1986: The race was scheduled for Sunday May 25th. Rain, however, washed out the entire day. On Monday May 26th, the rain continued, and forced another postponment. Speedway and television officials decided to reschedule the race for the following weekend. On Saturday May 31st, the race was successfully completed.

1997: The race was scheduled for Sunday May 25th. Rain fell just before pre-race ceremonies were to begin, and the rest of the day was washed out. On Monday May 26th, the race was rescheduled for 11 a.m. Pre-race ceremonies were held, and the race started on-time. After 15 laps, however, rain fell once more, and the race was red flagged. The rain continued, and washed out the rest of the afternoon. After some consideration, officials decided to resume the race the following morning. On Tuesday May 27th, the rain had stopped, and the track was dry. The race resumed on lap 16, and it was run to completion. There was some controversy from the 1997 rescheduling, since some people figured it would mirror the 1986 delay and wait until Saturday to finish. In hindsight, it seems the Speedway made the right decision to hold it Tuesday instead of waiting until the following weekend. Never before had the race not been held in May, and if the race were to be slated for the following Saturday May 31st, and it were to rain again, it would have been held on June 1st. According to the Indianapolis Star, it did indeed rain on Saturday May 31st.

Interesting Notes

  • The Indy 500 has been traditionally scheduled on or around Memorial Day. Prior to 1971, Memorial Day was observed on the fixed date of May 30th. From 1911-1970, the race was scheduled for May 30th, regardless of which day of the week that date fell. Whenever May 30th fell on a Sunday, the race would be scheduled for Monday May 31st.
  • For 1915 race, May 30th fell on a Sunday. Originaly the Speedway planned to hold the race on Saturday May 29th. Heavy rain on Friday made the grounds wet and muddy, so the management decided to postpone the race until Monday May 31st.
  • On June 28, 1968, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was signed into law, which moved the observance of certain U.S. holidays from a fixed date to a designated Monday. It would allow for more three-day holiday weekends. Memorial Day was moved from the fixed date of May 30th to the last Monday in May. The law took effect in 1971.
  • From 1971-1972, the Speedway scheduled the race for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.
  • In 1973, in order to better accommodate the "500" Festival Parade, it was decided to schedule the race on Monday. The parade downtown was scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Previously the parade had to be held at night during the week. The public drivers meeting was scheduled for Sunday. Due to rain and major crashes, the race was not completed until Wednesday evening.
  • In 1974, the Speedway moved the race to the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, the first time on Sunday in 63 years. By scheduling the race on Sunday, and with Monday a national holiday, a convenient back-up "rain-day" exists.
  • Three of the first four times the race has been scheduled for May 25th, it has rained. In 1975, the race was shortened by rain to 435 miles. In 1986, the race was rained out, and postponed until the following Saturday. In 1997, the race was rained out, and held over the next two days. The 2003 Indy 500 was scheduled for May 25th, and for the first time in 23 years, successfully ran that date.
  • Except for the 1915 race, an Indy 500 that was scheduled on May 29th has never been affected by rain. In 1915, it did not actually rain on May 29th, it rained the day prior. The race was moved to May 31st to give the facility time to dry out.
  • Prior to 1971, races that were scheduled for Thursday or Friday were never affected by rain.
  • According to the calendar, and the way the race is currently scheduled, May 24th is the earliest date the race can be held. The first three times that it was held that date, the race was won by: Bobby Unser (1981), Al Unser, Sr. (1987), and Al Unser, Jr. (1992).


    Indy 500: Race Scheduling

    In 2010, the Indianapolis 500 reverted back to a two-week format. Starting in 2005, Carb Day and the Freedom 100 were moved to the Friday before the race. If the "500" schedule continues in this current form, barring rain, future dates will be as follows:

    Year # Opening
    Day (Sat.)         		Time Trials
    (Sat.-Sun..)         		Freedom
    100 (Fri.)         		Carb
    Day (Fri.)         		Race
    Day (Sun.)
    2012 96thMay 12May 19-20May 25May 25May 27
    2013 97thMay 11May 18-19May 24May 24May 26
    2014 98thMay 10May 17-18May 23May 23May 25
    2015 99thMay 9May 16-17May 22May 22May 24
    2016100thMay 14May 21-22May 27May 27May 29
    2017101thMay 13May 20-21May 26May 26May 28
    2018102ndMay 12May 19-20May 25May 25May 27
    2019103rdMay 11May 18-19May 24May 24May 26
    2020104thMay 9May 16-17May 22May 22May 24
    2021105thMay 15May 22-23May 28May 28May 30
    2022106thMay 14May 21-22May 27May 27May 29
    2023107thMay 13May 20-21May 26May 26May 28
    2024108thMay 11May 18-19May 24May 24May 26


    Scheduling the "500"

    Indy 500: Starting Time

    The first race in 1911 began at 10:00 a.m., and the last car finished around 7:00 p.m. Officials estimated that the race would require at least seven hours to complete, and wanted to allow enough daylight to finish the race and still allow spectators time to return home.

    The race was scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. local time until W.W.I.I. as the race still needed many daylight hours to be run to completion. In addition, the state of Indiana had a decades-long unique attitude about their time zone status. By 1918, Indiana was assigned to the Central time zone. After W.W.I.I., state officials banned the use of daylight saving time, and while unenforceable, it was largely followed. In 1961, the state was divided amongst the Eastern and Central time zones, with Indianapolis falling in the Eastern. Eastern Standard time is adopted for the area, and daylight saving time is not observed at all in the Indianapolis area. Despite various tweaks in other parts of the state, the Indianapolis-area remains on year-round Eastern Standard time for over four decades. As a rule of thumb, during daylight saving months, (which includes the month of May), Eastern Standard Time is equivalent to Central Daylight Time.

    Starting sometime shortly after W.W.I.I, and by no later than 1964, the race was moved to 11 a.m. local time. Starting in 1964, the race was being shown live on closed-circuit television in venues around the country. The Speedway moved the start of the race to 11:00 a.m. EST (12 p.m. EDT) to allow for a larger viewing audience, especially on the west coast. In 1970, the race was scheduled for Saturday for 12:00 p.m. EST (1 p.m. EDT) , but morning rain delay pushed the race back a half hour. Subsequent years were moved back to 11 a.m. EST (12 p.m. EDT). Starting in 1986, the race was broadcast live on ABC television for the first time, but the starting time was not changed.

    During that period, officials made efforts to make sure the race started right at the top of the hour. However, it was not always possible. Some years would see the green flag as early as 10:58 a.m., and some a couple minutes after 11 a.m.

    In 2005, in order to broaden the television viewing audience, the race was moved to 12 p.m. EST (1 p.m. EDT). After years of debate, in April 2005, the Indiana General Assembly passed a law that would have Indiana observe daylight saving time. The 2006 race was scheduled for 1 p.m. EDT. Taking into account television broadcast patterns and schedules, the green flag would be timed for approximately 1:11 or 1:12 p.m.

    After a few years of the 1 o'clock start, track officials sought opinions from spectators, whom had expressed general dissatisfaction with the later start time. For the 2011 event, the start time was moved to 12 noon local time (12:00 p.m. EDT), which is equivalent to the former traditional start time of 11 a.m. EST.

    1980: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    1981: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    1982: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT) - Crash delayed delayed start until 11:54 a.m. EST (12:54 p.m. EDT)
    1983: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    1984: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    1985: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    1986: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT) - Pace lap crash delayed start until 11:35 a.m. EST (12:35 p.m. EDT)
    1987: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    1988: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    1989: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    1990: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    1991: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT) - Rain delayed start until 11:55 a.m. EST (12:55 p.m. EDT)
    1992: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT) - Pace lap crash delayed the start by about 5 minutes.
    1993: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    1994: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    1995: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT) - Rain delayed start by 5 minutes
    1996: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT) - Rain delayed start by 5 minutes
    1997: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    1998: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT) - Rain delayed start until 11:35 a.m. EST (12:35 p.m. EDT)
    1999: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    2000: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT) - Rain delayed start until 2:10 p.m. EST (3:10 p.m. EDT)
    2001: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    2002: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    2003: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT)
    2004: 11:00 a.m. EST (12:00 p.m. EDT) - Rain delayed start until 1:10 p.m. EST (2:10 p.m. EDT)
    2005: 12:03 p.m. EST (1:03 p.m. EDT)
    2006: 1:11 p.m. EDT
    2007: 1:11 p.m. EDT
    2008: 1:11 p.m. EDT
    2009: 1:12 p.m. EDT
    2010: 1:12 p.m. EDT
    2011: 12:12 p.m. EDT