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The 87th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 25, 2003. Two-time defending champion Hélio Castroneves won the pole position and was trying to become the first driver in Indy history to win three in a row. With 31 laps to go, however, Castroneves was passed by his Penske teammate Gil de Ferran, and the duo finished 1-2, with de Ferran winning his first Indy 500. The race was sanctioned by Indy Racing League and was part of the 2003 IndyCar Series season. For the 2003 season, the series adopted a new chassis package and saw the introduction of Toyota and Honda to the field. Due to cost issues, and a shortage of engines and drivers, there was considerable concern going into the event that the field might fall short of the traditional 33 starters. On the final day of qualifying, the field was filled, avoiding a PR "black eye." Former presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton were in attendance, the first time in Indy history that two former presidents were at the race.〔2003 Indianapolis 500 - Daily Trackside Report〕 It was the elder Bush's second visit to the Speedway; he previous;y presided over the opening ceremonies of the 1987 Pan American Games, which was held at the track. Rookie A. J. Foyt IV, racing on his 19th birthday, became the youngest driver ever to compete in the race.〔 For the first time since the 1970s, the race was not announced as a sell out. Since 1985, the race was usually sold out by July of the previous year.〔 ==Background== The biggest interest story going into the race was the impending retirement of popular veteran Michael Andretti. Andretti announced that the 2003 Indy 500 would be his final race, and that he would retire from driving immediately after, to focus on team ownership. (Note that Andretti came out of retirement and returned to drive at Indy in 2006-2007.) All of the top CART-based teams entered at Indy. Several teams, including Penske, Andretti-Green, Ganassi, and Rahal Letterman defected permanently to the Indy Racing League. During the spring Dario Franchitti of Andretti-Green Racing was injured in a motorcycle accident, which sidelined him for most of the season. Robby Gordon replaced him in the car at Indy, and Gordon planned to attempt the Indy-Charlotte "Double Duty." After changes in the rules, Greg Ray entered and qualified a car carrying the number 13. It was the first time #13 appeared on a car at the Indy 500 since George Mason in 1914. From 1926 to 2002, usage of #13 was not permitted, and throughout the entire history of the race, was generally avoided by competitors due to superstitions. For the first time ever, a support race was scheduled for the month of May at Indy. The Menards Infiniti Pro Series arrived at the Speedway for the inaugural Freedom 100. The race was scheduled for the Saturday of Bump Day weekend. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「2003 Indianapolis 500」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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