Indy 500: IZOD Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge

Sponsored by Miller 1977-1995
Sponsored by Coor's 1996-2002
Sponsored by Checkers/Rally's: 2003-2007
Sponsored by McDonald's: 2008
Unsponsored: 2009
Sponsored by IZOD: 2010-2011

Year	Team	Driver	Crew Chief	Time
1977	Carillo	Jim McElreath	Dave Klymm	15.09
1978	Team McLaren	Johnny Rutherford	Steve Roby	13.80
1979	Team McLaren	Johnny Rutherford	Steve Roby	13.51
1980	Sherman Armstong	Tom Bigelow	Paul Leffler	14.04
1981	Penske Racing	Bobby Unser	Laurie Gerrish	13.00
1982	Penske Racing	Rick Mears	Peter Parrott	13.93
1983	Penske Racing	Rick Mears	Peter Parrott	13.86
1984	Kraco Racing	Michael Andretti	Haf Haffendum	18.52
1985	Penske Racing	Danny Sullivan	Chuck Sprague	11.74
1986	Penske Racing	Danny Sullivan	Chuck Sprague	20.29
1987	Newman-Haas Racing	Mario Andretti	Colin Duff	18.05
1988	Penske Racing	Danny Sullivan	Chuck Sprague	14.78
1989	Galles Racing	Al Unser, Jr.	Owen Snyder	14.71
1990	Galles-Kraco Racing	Al Unser, Jr.	Owen Snyder	14.09
1991	Patrick Racing	Danny Sullivan	Mike Hull	13.11
1992	Rahal-Hogan Racing	Bobby Rahal	Jim Prescott	13.32
1993	Galles-Kraco Racing	Al Unser, Jr.	Owen Synder	13.11
1994	Forsythe/Green Racing	Jacques Villeneuve	Kyle Moyer	12.86
1995	Team Green	Jacques Villeneuve	Kyle Moyer	14.56
1996	Galles Racing	Davy Jones	Mitch Davis	14.18
1997	Galles Racing	Kenny Brack	Gary Armentrout	14.284
1998	Panther Racing	Scott Goodyear	Kevin Blanch	17.307
1999	Galles Racing	Davey Hamilton	Darren Russell	12.680
2000	Panther Racing	Scott Goodyear	Kevin Blanch	11.190
2001	Kelley Racing	Scott Sharp	Robert Perez	9.20
2002	Marlboro Team Penske	Helio Castroneves	Rick Rinaman	8.5555
2003	Red Bull Cheever Racing	Buddy Rice	Dave Meehan	8.8401
2004	Rahal-Letterman Racing	Buddy Rice	Ricardo Nault	12.3365
2005	Malboro Team Penske	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Matt Jonsson	8.9704
2006	Malboro Team Penske	Helio Castroneves	Rick Rinaman	8.08524
2007	Team Penske	Helio Castroneves	Rick Rinaman	8.355
2008	Event cancelled due to rain
2009	Team Penske	Helio Castroneves	Rick Rinaman	7.962
2010	Team Penske	Helio Castroneves	Sean Hanrahan	8.001
2011	Team Penske	Ryan Briscoe	Matt Jonsson	7.882

The annual Pit Stop Challenge is held a couple days before the race, on Carb Day. Teams qualify from their positions on the grid, and from the top teams in IndyCar Series competition. As many as tweleve teams compete in a single-elimination, tournament-style (bracket) competition, two cars at a time. Pit crews must change four tires and hook-up the fuel hose to simulate refueling. The driver actually drives the car in to a special pit box, and the time is taken from the entry into the box to the exit. Winners are based on total time, not necessarily first out out the pit box. Penalties can be added for loose lug nuts, and other infractions.

Starting in 2005, Carb Day was moved from Thursday to the Friday before the Indy 500. In 2008, rain fell just 12 minutes into the Carb Day practice, and washed out all other events for the day. Rather than rescheduling the Pit Stop Contest, it was cancelled outright for the year. A few weeks later, the $100,000 prize money set aside for the event was donated to Belle Isle Park and Hole in the Wall Camps.