May Madness

“I think when people see it, they move out of the way,” Pagenaud says of the car’s gaudy color scheme. “It’s disturbing. So it’s perfect.”

“The Indy 500 is one of the true iconic motorsport events, and to get to drive with a legend like Mario in this 100th race is indescribable,” Urban said in a statement.

“It’s not a poem about cars. It’s a poem about people who love cars.”

Sugarmann—whose work “engages the automotive industry as a manufacturer of human identity” and has been shown nationally and internationally—interviewed, photographed, and filmed each participant. The result is an oral and visual history of the Indianapolis 500, exhibited at Big Car’s new cultural center, the Tube Factory.

“I’m honored to sing the national anthem at the Indianapolis 500 and be invited to celebrate the milestone of the 100th Running,” Rucker said in a statement.

Pace car driver Roger Penske notches his 50th year as an owner this year, and his teams have won the Indy 500 16 times.

The stars are lining up for a big month of May in Indianapolis. Best-selling novelist and Indianapolis resident John Green will serve as the honorary pace car driver for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on Saturday, May 14.

The graphic will cover 74,538 square feet and include images of the Borg-Warner Trophy, an Indy car, the 100th Running logo, and the words, “Epic Race. Epic Place.”

2014 Voice champ and IUPUI graduate will sing “Back Home Again in Indiana” with accompaniment by the Indianapolis Children’s Choir for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 this year.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines. And let the bass drop!”

May Madness photographer and writer Kate Shoup spent race day trackside with her husband, Olivier Boisson, a KVSH Racing engineer and Team Sebastien Bourdais crew member.

“There’s a hundred ways to throw this race away,” said Montoya. “But there’s only one way of winning it.”

IndyCar drivers present and past gather at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for introductions ahead of the 2015 Indianapolis 500, as well as celebrities (Dave Letterman, Adam Carolla) and performers (Jordin Sparks, Straight No Chaser).

As IndyCar drivers prepared for the 2015 Indianapolis 500, their families got in some playtime during a photo shoot outside the Pagoda at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.