The Most CONTROVERSIAL Indy 500 

perfect example of the butterfly effect: if that fan doesn't extend the last caution by a lap, Helio Castroneves would have likely ran out of fuel with 2 to go, and Paul Tracy wins the race under non-controversial circumstances

1981 Indy 500 with Bobby Unser and Mario Andretti was most controversial race.

This race gets remember for its finish but what a wild one it was overall. I also love how the sound mixing makes the cars feel so loud, instead of being nerfed in the background as they do now.

It’s such a tough decision because it is gut wrenching either way. I would’ve loved to have seen them finish this race under green as it would’ve been a fun dog fight between two absolute legends. Personally, I wish Paul would’ve gotten a 500 win because I was always a fan of his but this is such a tough call for the officials. Given the data available I think they ultimately made the right call but it does reek of IRL bias

3:13 You know he's sitting in the car praying for the halo to be invented before that wheel hits

One could also blame Tracy's teammate Dario Franchitti. If he would have dropped back, Castroneves would have ran out of fuel way before the final 3 to 5 laps. He would have had to slow way down or pit for fuel. 1) Dario Franchitti 2) Jackass throwing beer on the track (it better been empty, if not, Alcohol Abuse) 3) IRL.... they would have moved heaven and earth to deny CART/CHAMPCAR another victory

One thing that Nascar coverage absolutely nails today is they can show exactly when the yellow light came on and identify the instant the scoring is frozen.

I dunno if this is more controversial than 1981 EDIT: Far as the SAFER barrier goes, 1998 IROC was the real world test of it, and then some. Arie had a massive, massive crash coming off of 4 and hit hard, very, very hard.

I was at this one. It was seriously exciting to see the CART teams come over and kick ass.

Watching from a cold and mostly raining part of north east Scotland. Been watching IndyCar for the past 2 or 3 years and loving it. Colton Herta and Pato O' Ward are my guys. Only just discovered your channel and lovinhg learning about the history of the sport. Keep makinhg these awesome videos bro!!!

1981 was a far more controversial Indy 500 imo. The race results were overturned twice, with the second one coming 4 and a half months after the race happened, and there's still a pretty active debate about who should have won it. 2002 wasn't as bad because Team Green conceded in their appeal that the yellow lights that signaled caution went off in Helio's dashboard before Tracy made the pass. It's a pretty stunning admission that really kills the debate about who was the actual winner imo.

2012 one blew my mind with Sato moving up the leaderboard the entire race to trade first place with Dario multiple times the last 50 laps, only to get spun out on the last lap right in front of my seats. The crowds were going insane the entire last quarter of the race and then blew up during the rest of the lap. Best first race ever and haven’t missed a 500 in person since

I once read something about Hélio Castroneves' second win at the 2002 Indy 500 that smacks of "conspiracy theory": they say it was an intervention by Tony George to prevent another CART driver from beating the IRL drivers, as in 2000 the victory went to Juan Pablo Montoya, and that year Montoya competed in CART. Already in 2001 the top five who finished the race were also from CART.

The IRL didn't want another CART team/driver winning.

Lets goo i love the weekly vids and 11k subs sheesh dude you' be at 100k in no time

I had been thinking of suggesting you this race to make a video about, but you beat me to it. Great job, keep them coming!

I feel like the 81 race was more controversial because Bobby Unser did not win that race according to USAC rules, he had seven or eight different spots he could’ve slid into line but he just continued passing cars under caution. But they gave Bobby the win and took it from Mario

I would love to see the onboard from any car in the field to observe when the dash-mounted yellow came on. The wall camera exiting turn 2 showed the light come on after Redon had slid past the camera, long after PT had passed Helio.

And on this day, the term "IRL crapwagons" was born.

Great race remember that day like yesterday! Been saying for 21 years that can on the track as called by Bob Jenkins made the difference

As much as I've thought about this finish for 21 years, and as well versed as I am in it's bullshit outcome, I somehow glazed over the fact that, for Paul, it was the Penske #3 that this happened with. The car he personally had so much success in, and ALSO the car that should have been his friend and compatriots, Greg Moore. Like, of all cars to be cheated out of the 500 by, it was once again Penske giving him the shaft.

On a side note, what a great fucking time it was to be a Brazilian Indy fan

It’s amazing how now we have announcers who are aware of and convey different race strategies and explain the situations that each car is going through during the race…I love Paul Page but he and Goodyear really seem to have no situational awareness to anything happening on track…they have no clue that Kanaan spins in the oil Junqueria had JUST spilled. No explanation of the fuel saving by the cars at the end, other than saying they ARE saving fuel. It’s amazing how far the commentating has evolved.

Second most controversial, actually. See the 1981 Indy 500.

I was working for Team Green on Paul’s car. This still pisses me off.

Great Video 👍🏁🏎

1:40 Can any long time Indy fan explain why many of the older race starts had massive gaps between the rows unlike nowadays (past 3 years that I've followed actively) where it must be almost no gaps at all?

Most Canadian racing fans don't like talking about this

Next,The Brawl Ricky Rudd vs Kevin Harvick at 2003 Nascar Cup Series Richmond Night Race.

I'll just say this.... As a person who truly loves open-wheel racing, has actually covered it at times....for over 50 years..Tony George ruined things..(Thats a fact) CART was legitimately the biggest, most popular form of auto racing in the world. (Bigger than NASCAR, F1, etc..) His ego, power destroyed it....and its never fully recovered. I usually dont play the "age game"...but I actually do believe this is a situation you had to live through to fully understand. There is zero doubt in my mind that Tracy actually won, but George wasnt going to allow that. (And I'm not even a Tracy fan)

Insane how Will Power gets a bigger punishment for pushing an official than what Graham Rahal got for driving off with the fuel hose attached 🤦🏼 Raced brilliantly but for me should never have been able to win it, should have had a drive-though.

my favourite phrase from this Indianapolis 500 by the legendary Gary Gerould. "and in the Penske pit Paul they are sweating bullets literally. they know the white flag's up next time by as Tracy stalks and closes..." simultaneously showing the captain Roger Penske intensely watching

By this ruling jr Hildebrand should be declared winner as well. If the yellow comes out immediately when the car touches the wall then the field freezes and his damaged car rolls across the line.

The rules are clear, but I do feel bad for Paul, as he would have probably won it if not for that pesky caution. But that's racing!

We attended this race (sitting in the stands on the exit of Turn 4) and heard the BOOM! first, then saw Tomas Scheckter slide along the wall in front of us. We were stunned. Sadly I remembered that yes, poor Tony Kanaan slammed the wall while leading as well in this race. As for the finish, everyone in our section was confused as plenty of people thought Paul Tracy won. I only knew who won by listening to the IMS Radio Network on my radio and headset. As for MOST controversial, well, there's 1981 as others have pointed out, and 1963 (SHOULD Parnelli Jones have been given the black flag for dripping oil?), and some folks might say this year. 😁 And poor Scott Goodyear. Screwed in 1995 AND 1997 (Are the track lights green? Do I follow the flag, what?)

Someone has to have the raw footage of this race that hasn't been monkeyed with. But I'm positive that Paul Page's comment "Scoring goes back to the previous lap" was added to the feed after the race. Because, I remember him saying it, but it wasn't in the sentence that you played on here. And I believe it was taken out of context. Like after the fact he said "It could be the scoring goes back to the previous lap". The yellow did not come on the split second that the wreck occurred. And you can see plainly in the video that Paul Tracy had passed Hélio Castroneves by a nose when you can see the yellow light on the track. The race was PT's. And unfortunately the IRL wasn't going to allow a CART team to win for the 3rd year in a row.

it's ironic the last guy who had this situation come up scott Goodyear had to witness this

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾❤❤❤❤❤ for the video

15:55 this threw me off the first time I saw it lol

Those Dallaras were prettier than the abomination from 2003-2011.

You get a like sir for speaking the truth. YES Paul page is legendary....

Robbie Gordon was the man, love these old races Demise90 thank you for posting them. I feel bad for Sheckter I think that is something that AJ and Al Sr. always did well was not overdrive the car when they were leading. I feel a little bad for Paul Tracy but you are always in danger of a yellow coming out the best place to be is in the lead. Just recently with Sato and Dixon about 3 years ago. It really is too bad this race didn't finish under green because there was great racing throughout the whole race. I do think Tracy would have got him. Could have been another one of the best finishes in Indy history.

I would also consider 2023 to be a really controversial

It's always a trip to see my uncle Mark Weida being interviewed haha

This was my first Indy 500 in person when I was 8 almost 9 years old Castroneves has always been my favorite Indycar driver I was in Turn 3 where I still sit to this day I firmly believe Helio was the right winner however if the crash with 2 to go didn't happen Paul Tracy would have won

Tracy got robbed. Helio would have ran out of fuel under green conditions. They should've used NASCAR's rules of racing til the end of lap before they declare caution.

Demise90, would you consider highlighting V8 Supercars via a video titled “Greatest Bathurst 500 Ever”? It’s a tragedy that V8 Supercars has such great racing that doesn’t get decent US coverage, because they deserve it

Really enjoy the content you release! Just know that all your hard work is enjoyed by some random punk rocker in downtown San Francisco!

TY 👍

What ever happened to the LR tire changer for DeFerran? Been wondering for over 20 years

PT won that race. I remember watching it and I didn't watch another Indy 500 during "the split".

You're going to end up having to do a video for 2023 as a controversial finish.

Bobby Unser passing six cars under yellow for the win was way more controversial than this.

2002. Arguably the most controversial Indy 500 ever along with 1981.

Paul Page was amazing. He'd raced Formula Fords as a youngster and during a race one time starts talking about how he'd been allowed to take Teo Fabi's car around the Nurburgring. Hilarious!

If that was European racing, Paul would have been in a spot of trouble for passing under yellow

Do 2023 next

Nice start??. My god the front and back were an entire straightaway apart!.. And they wondered why people wanted to watch nascar instead

I was at this race. Helio climbed the fence right in front of us.

You said they went back to the previous scoring loop but I don't think that's correct. I don't think the IRL ever used scoring loops like NASCAR started doing in 2003. They froze the field at the precise instant the caution came out, but I guess the question is when the precise instant the caution came out was. They didn't use scoring loops and they didn't go back to the previous lap (Paul Page misspoke.) What I find more interesting is that there is also a controversy in 2001 that no one else seems to have acknowledged. de Ferran was leading Castroneves entering the pits and Castroneves beat him out of the pits but then was penalized for switching lanes in the pits to cut off Tony Stewart, which was against IRL rules. The IRL officials ordered Stewart in front on the ensuing restart but Castroneves was still allowed to restart in front of de Ferran, even though I do not think de Ferran committed any such violation since he never attempted to cut anyone off nor did he switch lanes. After Stewart pitted later, this meant Castroneves was now in front of de Ferran and that ultimately decided the race. I have never seen an explanation of why Castroneves was allowed to cut off Stewart, penalized, but then was allowed to restart in front of de Ferran (who as far as I can tell committed no such penalty.) I honestly think this is just as controversial a call as 2002 but nobody ever seems to talk about this one. Could you potentially sort out this one for me, because it's a much more obscure incident that no one ever talks about but was also controversial and race-deciding. Considering the bulk of his legacy is based on two different controversial race calls at the start of his career, I was not excited to watch him join the four-timers club, but I will admit that his win in 2021 was certainly the best race he ever drove.

The real driver who got royally shafted that nobody talks about is Giaffone if not for Dario he passes Helio clean into turn 3 and wins the race. As much as people think Paul Tracy got screwed that’s a legitimate argument too. But Felipe Giaffone got screwed as well. Nobody ever talks about that.

Yeah, this was a bullshit call on IRL.

It was a dirty piece of politics worthy of Max Mosley. Tony George just couldn't accept a CART team winning again. There's a few good videos and articles out there that prove pretty conclusively Tracy won. I like both Paul and Helio, but you could say Tracy had the last laugh. Since Castroneves never won the series title.

What a botched start.. They would have not gave the green at the start if this was 2023.

"The most CONTROVERSIAL Indy 500"??? 1981 Mario Andretti would like to object.

*I wanna go fast* 🏁🏁🏁🏁

00:17 because if the fuel sprays everywhere, it will go on the gas man ONLY..lol 🙄🤔

Did Indycar have the same rule as F1 about being able to pass any car driving unnecessarily slowly when under caution? If Paul had passed Helio under yellow to take the win, that would have been TRULY controversial.

We need Paul Page back for one last go at Indy

Paul certainly put a pass on him...

Holy shit that first yellow. The wheel was close to taking out the guy. And to think people actually were against the halo / aeroscreen.

This race is a good example of why they should let the cars race back to the line, specifically if the incident is behind the leaders. Racing back to the line would make for a clear winner and not allow for a subjective decision like who was in the lead at the moment someone farted.

We have seen this so many times in auto racing with a lap to go a no-name driver can't somehow make it one lap without a mistake that changes the whole outcome of the race that guy that wrecked into the wall all he had to do was know that he could not win I don't know if he was racing for a position but smarter heads prevail he obviously did a dumb thing lost control of his car changed the outcome and stole the wind from Tony Kannon and it seems that politics once again played a role in that Roger Penske was one day the owner of Indianapolis so he definitely had a political say in the outcome it's not always the best driver that wins but it's the driver with the owner who has the most influence and the most money that wins sadly that's the world we live in generally speaking always the man with the most money controls the masses,

Retrospectly, give the win to both of them, 2 legends, i bet helio would accept this too.

I miss Paul Page's commentary! Helio won. 😊

Kanaan a rookie... im old..

The karma got to Castronevez in the end. After all, he is the one with highest amount of wins in the Indy 500, but surprisingly or not, has never been an IndyCar season champion!

94 is pretty controversial . I mean it basically caused the split .....

5:23

when in the broadcast they look back at the incident and point to the yellow light being on tracy's already ahead, so personally i think it should've been his win but i just wish there was more conclusive evidence no matter who is in the right here, also can anyone tell me of any other time where the scoring going back to previous lap thing happened in the irl?

No controversy, PT won.

Why no red flag like in this year’s indy 500? Oh, that’s right. Stay yellow if a Penske car is in front. Throw the red if the Penske car is in 2nd. Got it

With all the data it was 100% the right choice, bummer PT never got a deserving 500 win but this was 100% Helio’s. Cool vid btw

Wow just like in the '04 Stanley Cup finals...canadian team robbed on the biggest stage lol

Tracy won plain and simple

Tracy won, you can see he's past Helio when Green goes Yellow into North Chute

This is nothing compared to 1981 and Bobby Unser cheating his way to a win, passing cars on the yellow...

the both won, but Indy lost. Nascar has it right with the race-to-the-finish on yellows, Indy's rule left room for controversy

Terrible start - should not have been green flagged IMO. Minor to the rest of the story though.

greg ray was overhyped i remember

I am grew in Indianapolis where a friend of mine would take me the track i listen to the race with my father

Too close to call. Anybody shouting one way or the other with any level of certainty is a bit of a fool.

What I never see talked about are the idiot backmarkers who were racing for a who-cares position, couldn't make the pass and ended up robbing us of a fantastic green flag finish.

Looked pretty obvious to me that Castroneves won. The yellow came on right before Tracy completed his pass so the field freezes at that moment.

That start was trash.

I wonder how much Roger Penske paid that guy to crash?

Whut

Perfect example of a controversy that wasn't a controversy, the rules were stated and followed. It was just writers trying to create fake news.

Paul Tracy was robbed

23:50 In order for Paul Tracy to have won this race, the caution would have had to have come out 4 seconds after the crash. No way did that happen.