View source for 1997 Indianapolis 500

{{short description|81st running of the Indianapolis 500}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox Indy500
| race_name      = 81st Indianapolis 500
| race_logo      = Indy500winningcar1997.JPG
| sanction       = [[United States Auto Club|USAC]]/[[IndyCar|IRL]]
| season         = [[1996-1997 in IRL|1996-97 IRL season]]
| team           =Treadway Racing
| date           = May 25-26-27, 1997
| winner         = {{flagicon|NED}} [[Arie Luyendyk]]
| mph            = 145.827 mph
| pole           = {{flagicon|NED}} [[Arie Luyendyk]]
| pole_speed     = 218.263
| fast_time      = {{flagicon|NED}} [[Arie Luyendyk]] 
| rookie         = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]]
| leader         = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Stewart]] (64)
| anthem         = [[Florence Henderson]]
| back_home      = [[Jim Nabors]] (recording)
| start_engines  = [[Mari Hulman George]]
| pace_car       = [[Oldsmobile Aurora]]
| pace_driver    = [[Johnny Rutherford]]
| starter        = Bryan Howard
| honorary_start = [[Ronald Fogleman]]
| attendance     = 300,000 (Sun.)<ref>{{cite news|title=Fans, Speedway are big losers when skies open up above track|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11436285/|first=Bill|last=Benner|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|page=38|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=May 26, 1997|access-date=June 2, 2017}}{{Open access}}</ref><br>200,000 (Mon.)<ref>{{cite news|title=The decision not to run race on Saturday adds to the disappointment at the track|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11436376/|first=Robin|last=Miller|author-link=Robin Miller (journalist)|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=May 27, 1997|access-date=June 2, 2017}}{{Open access}}</ref><br>100,000 (Tue.)<ref>{{cite news|title=A Furious Finish|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11436430/|first=Robin|last=Miller|author-link=Robin Miller (journalist)|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|page=2|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=May 28, 1997|access-date=June 2, 2017}}{{Open access}}</ref>
| network        = [[ESPN on ABC|ABC]]
| announcers     = [[Paul Page]], [[Tom Sneva]], [[Bobby Unser]], and [[Danny Sullivan]]
| rating         = 
| share          = 
| previous       = [[1996 Indianapolis 500|1996]]
| next           = [[1998 Indianapolis 500|1998]]
}}

The '''81st Indianapolis 500''' was held at the [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]] in [[Speedway, Indiana]], on May 25–27, 1997. Rain pushed the race from Sunday, May 25, to Monday, May 26, and then halted the race after only fifteen laps had been completed. On Tuesday, May 27, the race was resumed and run to completion. [[Arie Luyendyk]] won the race from the pole position, his second of two Indy victories. [[Treadway Racing]], in only their second season of competition, finished 1st and 2nd with Luyendyk and [[Scott Goodyear]], the first team to sweep the top two at Indianapolis since Leader Cards in [[1962 Indianapolis 500|1962]].

It was the second [[Indianapolis 500]] held as part of the [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]]-sanctioned [[Indy Racing League]], and was part of the [[1996–97 Indy Racing League season|1996-97 Indy Racing League season]]. It marked the introduction of a production-based, normally aspirated engine formula that reduced speeds from [[1996 Indianapolis 500|the previous year]], and of a new chassis design that was noticeably different mechanically and visually.

A controversy during qualifying saw two bumped cars re-added to the starting field after the time trials. The starting grid consisted of 35 cars, up from the [[Indianapolis 500 traditions|traditional 33]]. It was the first time [[1979 Indianapolis 500|1979]], and only the second time since [[1933 Indianapolis 500|1933]] that more than 33 cars made up the field. However, only 29 cars took the green flag after two failed to start due to mechanical problems, and three others were eliminated in a crash during the pace lap.

With two laps to go in the race, Luyendyk led with Goodyear running second. A caution came out on the 199th lap after [[Tony Stewart]] brushed the turn four wall. The pace car did not come out to pack up the field. Drivers and crews expected the race would finish under the caution. Without warning, the green and white flag was displayed at the starter's stand on the final lap, signifying the track was back to racing conditions. None of the cars in the field were prepared for the restart, and yellow lights around the course remained illuminated for many seconds afterwards. Luyendyk held on to win, but the officials' handling of the situation drew criticism. This incident, followed by a scoring snafu two weeks later at [[1997 True Value 500|Texas]], led the [[Indy Racing League|IRL]] to oust [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]] as sanctioning body in favor of in-house officiating.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-sanctioning-duties-assumed-by-irl/|title=IRL: Sanctioning duties assumed by IRL|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-06-16|access-date=2015-11-15|archive-date=2015-11-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117022527/http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-sanctioning-duties-assumed-by-irl/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Luyendyk's win marked the 50th Indianapolis 500 victory on [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]] tires. It was Luyendyk's second Indy victory, after [[1990 Indianapolis 500|1990]]. It was Goodyear's second runner-up finish ([[1992 Indianapolis 500|1992]]) at Indy, and the third time he narrowly lost the race in its closing stages. Luyendyk became the first driver since [[A. J. Foyt]] to win the race with both a turbocharged and a normally-aspirated engine.

==Race schedule==
The 1997 race was the last to use the three-week/four-weekend, 23-day month-of-May schedule established in the mid-1970s. Practice started on Saturday, 22 days before the race. It was also the last to use the traditional [[List of Indianapolis 500 pole-sitters#Schedule|four days of time trials]], along with the original four-day qualifying format that dated to 1952.

A few days before the race, a fire swept through the storage hangar housing the [[Float (parade)|floats]] for the 500 Festival Parade, slated for May 24 in downtown Indianapolis. Only four floats were spared; [[Buddy Lazier]]'s [[1996 Indianapolis 500|1996 winning car]] escaped the fire only because the museum had decided to wait a few days before delivering it to the float staging area. The parade went on as scheduled, but in a slightly retooled format.<ref name="Star05-22-1997a">{{cite news|title=Challenge at hand: saving the parade (part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9406953//|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=May 22, 1997|access-date=March 8, 2017}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="Star05-22-1997b">{{cite news|title=Challenge at hand: saving the parade (part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9406962//|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|page=10|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=May 22, 1997|access-date=March 8, 2017}}{{Open access}}</ref>

{|
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"
|- valign="top"
!colspan=7|Race schedule — May 1997
|-
!scope="col" width="70"|Sun
!scope="col" width="70"|Mon
!scope="col" width="70"|Tue
!scope="col" width="70"|Wed
!scope="col" width="70"|Thu
!scope="col" width="70"|Fri
!scope="col" width="70"|Sat
|-
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
| 1<br />&nbsp;
| 2<br />&nbsp;
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| 3<br /><small>ROP</small>
|-
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 4<br /><small>ROP</small>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 5<br /><small>ROP</small>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 6<br /><small>Practice</small>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 7<br /><small>Practice</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| 8<br /><small>Practice</small>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 9<br /><small>Practice</small>
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"|10<br /><small>Pole Day</small>
|-
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"|11<br /><small>Time Trials</small>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|12<br /><small>Practice</small>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|13<br /><small>Practice</small>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|14<br /><small>Practice</small>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|15<br /><small>Practice</small>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|16<br /><small>Practice</small>
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"|17<br /><small>Time Trials</small>
|-
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"|18<br /><small>Bump Day</small>
|19<br />&nbsp;
|20<br />&nbsp;
|21<br />&nbsp;
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|22<br /><small>Carb Day</small>
|23<br />&nbsp;
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|24<br /><small>Testing</small>
|-
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"|25<br /><small>Indy 500</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"|26<br /><small>Indy 500</small>
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|27<br /><small>Indy 500</small>
|28<br />&nbsp;
|29<br />&nbsp;
|30<br />&nbsp;
|31<br />&nbsp;
|}
|valign="top"|
{|
|
{| style="margin-right:0; font-size:85%; text-align:center;" class="wikitable"
! Color
! Notes
|- style="background:#DFFFDF;"
| Green
| Practice
|- style="background:#CFCFFF;"
| Dark Blue
| Time trials
|- style="background:#DFDFDF;"
| Silver
| Race day
|- style="background:#FFCFCF;"
| Red
| Rained out<nowiki>*</nowiki>
|-
| Blank
| No track activity
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> <small>Includes days where track<br />activity was significantly<br />limited due to rain</small>

<small>ROP — denotes Rookie<br />Orientation Program</small>
|}
|}

==Background==

===New engine and chassis package===
The 1997 race featured new engines and new cars under changes to [[Indy Racing League]] rules intended to cut costs, lower speeds, and bring the racing cars closer together.<ref name="Indy Review">{{cite book |title=Indy Review: Complete Coverage of the IRL Racing Season |publisher=Motorbooks International Publishers & Wholesalers |year=1997 |isbn=0-7603-0531-5 |location=IMS Corporation}}</ref>

The rules required a switch to a [[Naturally aspirated engine|normally aspirated]] production-based formula with 4.0 [[Litre|L]], 32-[[Poppet valve|valve]] production-based engines from two manufacturers: [[Oldsmobile Aurora]] ([[Northstar engine series#L47|L47]]) and [[Infiniti|Nissan Infiniti]] ([[Nissan VH engine|VH]]). 

New chassis rules required parts from [[Dallara]] and [[G-Force Technologies|G-Force]]. ([[Riley & Scott]] also was selected as a chassis manufacturer, but they were not yet ready for competition.) Visible differences from older cars included the [[airbox]] above the engine cowling, larger wings, taller sidepods, and an overall bulkier appearance. The new cars produced more downforce than the previous machines, changing the driving characteristics.

Arie Luyendyk, who had set a track record of over 237&nbsp;mph in [[1996 Indianapolis 500|1996]], managed just 217&nbsp;mph in his best 1997 qualifying lap. 

With turbochargers legislated out of the series, the 1997 race was the first since the early 1960s to feature a full field of [[Reciprocating engine|piston-powered]], [[Naturally aspirated engine|normally aspirated]] [[Internal combustion engine|powerplants]]. The new [[crossplane]] [[crankshaft]] engines were also much louder than their turbocharged, [[flat-plane crank]] counterparts, leading some fans and media to compare them to the sound of NASCAR engines.

===Track changes===
The track was repaved in the fall of 1995. After the [[1996 Brickyard 400]], the apexes of the four turns were breaking up. During the offseason, track crews repaved the apexes with a different compound of asphalt. The result was a better surface, but a visibly darker area in the apexes.

===Continuing split from CART===
The ongoing IRL/CART split continued into its second year, and no teams from the [[Champ Car|CART]] ranks entered at Indianapolis. With the new IRL chassis and engine rules for 1997, the two series now had substantially different and incompatible equipment. CART-based teams that wished to enter the Indy 500 would henceforth be required to purchase all new cars and engines, and few if any had the interest or the budget to do so. The alternative [[Michigan 500|U.S. 500]], however, was cancelled after only one running. Instead of running another race the same day as the Indy 500, CART teams participated in the [[Bommarito Automotive Group 500|Motorola 300]] at the newly opened [[Gateway International Raceway]] on Saturday, May 24, the day before the Indy 500 was scheduled.

The only CART-based team from 1996 that raced at Indy was [[Galles Racing]], which had switched full-time to the IRL during the winter. [[Robby Gordon]], a CART regular from 1992 to 1996, moved to [[NASCAR]] in 1997 to drive for Team SABCO, and owner [[Felix Sabates]] arranged for Gordon to attempt the [[Double Duty (auto racing)|"Double Duty"]], planning to race at Indy and the [[Coca-Cola 600]] in the same day. The effort was well-funded and received considerable media attention. Gordon and [[Scott Goodyear]], who had switched to full-time IRL competition with newcomers [[Panther Racing]], became the first drivers to come back to the Speedway among the 22 starters from 1995 that had not entered the 1996 event; only ten of those 22 would eventually race again at Indy.

On April 11, during a public meeting, Indy Racing League's executive director Leo Mehl stated that [[Champ Car|CART]] had pressured in previous years to reduce the Indianapolis 500 to a three-day race, and emphasized that "is a myth that the other side has all the top drivers and you don't have to look very far back into recent history to see a demonstration of that myth. IRL has plenty of top stars to showcase once the press ends its infatuation with propagating opinion instead of facts". Mehl also quoted the creation of the IRL as "necessary", because of stagnant television ratings, [[NASCAR]]'s rise and the increasing flux of grassroots open wheel drivers into stock car racing.<ref name="Mehl">{{cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-mehl-reveals-rules-adjustment/8442/|title=Mehl Announces Chassis Update Rules|publisher=Motorsport.com|access-date=February 6, 2019|date=April 12, 1997|archive-date=February 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015912/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-mehl-reveals-rules-adjustment/8442/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===1996–97 IRL season===
{{further|1996–97 Indy Racing League}}
The [[Indy Racing League|IRL]] made the [[Indianapolis 500]] its final race of its [[1996 Indy Racing League|first season]], so the IRL champion would be crowned after the race, which might even determine the champion. The second season of the IRL, referred to as the [[1996–1997 Indy Racing League season|1996–97 season]], was originally to begin at [[New Hampshire Motor Speedway|Loudon]] in August 1996, and conclude with the 1997 Indy 500 in May 1997. 

But in October 1996, league officials announced that the series would revert to a traditional calendar-based season. To aid the transition, the 1996–97 season would include the two races run in late 1996 and all races run in the calendar year of 1997. The Indianapolis 500 would no longer serve as the season finale.

===25/8 Rule and locked-in entries===
[[File:Indianapolis 500 ticket 1997.jpg|thumb|upright|1997 Indianapolis 500 ticket.]]
For the second year in a row, 25 of the 33 starting grid positions for the Indianapolis 500 were set aside for the top 25 cars in the [[1996-1997 in IRL|1996-97 season]] [[Indy Racing League|IRL]] points standings. Known as the "25/8 Rule", the controversial arrangement was introduced during the [[1996 in IRL|1996 IRL season]] and had been a key reason that [[Champ Car|CART]] teams boycotted the [[1996 Indianapolis 500|1996 race]]. IRL officials argued that the rule had already served its purpose of guaranteeing a starting field for other races on the IRL schedule, leaving the door open for its demise in 1998.<ref name="Mehl"/> This was eventually confirmed during the month.

The format, which would be mimicked years later by [[NASCAR rules and regulations#Qualifying procedure|NASCAR's Top 35 rule]], guaranteed a "locked-in" starting position for the top 25 entries in owner points (not drivers), as long as they completed a four-lap qualifying run over a minimum prescribed speed: 203&nbsp;mph. The grid would still be arranged by speed rank. The remaining eight positions would be filled by non-top 25 entries, and bumping could only occur among those eight positions and the non-top 25 participants.

The #15 and the #74 entries, both raced at the first two races of the [[1996-97 Indy Racing League|1996-97 season]], never appeared during the month of May. [[Della Penna Motorsports]] had left the Indy Racing League at the end of calendar year 1996 to compete in CART, while [[Bill Tempero|Tempero-Giuffre Racing]] stayed away from the track despite entering an [[Infiniti]]-powered [[Panoz|G-Force]]. Therefore, only 23 of the 25 eligible "locked-in" entries were present to accept their berth, and ten at-large starting positions were up for grabs at the onset of qualifying.<ref name="Trackside report">{{cite book  | title = 1997 Daily Trackside Report for the Media  | publisher = Indy 500 Publications/IMS Corporation  | year = 1997  }}</ref>

==Entry list==
The entry list was published on April 21.<ref name="Entry List">{{Cite news| url =https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-ims-81st-indy-500-entry-list/| title =IMS: 81st Indy 500 Entry List| publisher =Motorsport.com| date =1996-04-21| access-date =2017-12-27| archive-date =2017-12-28| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054249/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-ims-81st-indy-500-entry-list/| url-status =dead}}</ref> The 22 cars that had run the first two rounds of the 1997 year were entered, including the #17 Chitwood Motorsports entry, with [[Affonso Giaffone]] having been confirmed for the rest of the season,<ref name="Giaffone">{{cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/1997/04/14/tidbits.html|title=Cha, Cha, Cha|publisher=The Business Journals|access-date=January 2, 2019|date=April 14, 1997}}</ref> and the #30 [[McCormack Motorsports]] car, initially unassigned as [[Jeret Schroeder]] hadn't yet struck a financial deal with the team. Out of those 22 cars, only the #16 (Blueprint Racing) and the #50 (EuroInternational) were at-large entries.

Apart from [[Robby Gordon]]'s entry, eight further driver/car combinations were registered: [[Eliseo Salazar]], back in his full-time ride with [[Team Scandia]], and [[Lyn St. James]] were making comeback bids from their injuries, as well as [[Alessandro Zampedri]], who was confirmed back in December and would also stay on Scandia afterwards.<ref name="Zampedri">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/155161262/|title=Alessandro Zampedri plans to return to racing in May|publisher=The Daily Journal|access-date=January 8, 2019|date=December 7, 1996}}</ref> [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]], who failed to qualify for the 1995 race, was signed to drive for [[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]]'s second entry on April 10,<ref name="WardCheever">{{cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-cheever-adds-driver-for-indy-500/8423/|title=IRL: Cheever adds driver for Indy 500|publisher=Motorsport.com|access-date=April 2, 2018|date=October 9, 1996|archive-date=January 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108200750/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-cheever-adds-driver-for-indy-500/8423/|url-status=dead}}</ref> while the release of the entry list confirmed the participation of two Indy car debutants: [[Vincenzo Sospiri]], the [[1995 International Formula 3000 season|1995 Formula 3000]] champion and brief [[Formula 1]] driver for the failed [[MasterCard Lola]] team, and [[Greg Ray]], third in the [[1994 Atlantic Championship season|1994 Atlantic Championship]] and 12th in the previous [[1996 Indy Lights season|Indy Lights]] season. Ray was run by Knapp Motorsports, a spin-off team of the Genoa Racing outfit that was competing in Indy Lights.

Besides, [[Tyce Carlson]] was entered by [[PDM Racing]] in their second car, and [[Gary Bettenhausen]] was announced as the driver of the #81 car, an at-large entry fielded by newcomers Terhune-Barnets Racing and run by LP Racing, in an attempt to make his 22nd Indy 500 start.<ref name="Entry List"/> However, on April 25 he was replaced on the entry list by [[Mark Dismore]], backed by Kelley Automotive Group, who had placed orders on the yet-to-be-delivered chassis from [[Riley & Scott]] the previous year.<ref name="Bettenhausen">{{Cite news| url =https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/106712586/| title =Dismore delighted; Bettenhausen bitter| publisher =The Indianapolis Star| date = 1996-04-25| access-date = 2017-12-27}}</ref>

The team also parted ways with LP Racing and his crew chief Larry Nash, and made a deal with [[PDM Racing]] to run the car as his second entry, the #28,<ref name="KelleyPDM">{{Cite news| url =https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/2412153/| title =Bettenhausen bumped... before May?| publisher =The Kokomo Tribune| date = 1996-04-26| access-date = 2017-12-27}}</ref> which had a locked-in berth. This move left [[Tyce Carlson]] out of the ride. Tom Kelley became the owner of the car by the time practice had begun, and the deal with PDM lasted through the season; [[Kelley Racing]] would become a fully independent entity in 1998. [[Stefan Johansson]] originally planned to race in his own entry, but he gave up earlier in the year due to an injury sustained in a fire at his home, as well as a lack of money. [[Scott Harrington (racing driver)|Scott Harrington]] was entered as his driver in late April.<ref name="Harrington">{{cite news|url=http://www.icr.com:80/cgi-win/webster2i.exe?4977%inputnewsId=65|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970625085602/http://www.icr.com/cgi-win/webster2i.exe?4977%inputnewsId=65|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 25, 1997|title=CART and IRL notes - Harrington to Race for Johansson Motorsports at Indy|publisher=IndyCar Magazine|access-date=January 22, 2019|date=April 30, 1997}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 85%;"
|-
!align=center | {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team 
!Chassis
!Engine
!Tires!! Owner points
|-
| align="center" | 1
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Scott Sharp]]{{ref|1|1}}<br><small>(replaced by {{flagicon|USA}} [[Johnny O'Connell]]<br>and by {{flagicon|USA}} [[Paul Durant]])</small>
| [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]
|[[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 104
|-
| align="center" |  2 
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Stewart]]
| [[Team Menard]]
|[[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]{{ref|2|2}}
| align="center" | 101
|-
| align="center" |  3 
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Robbie Buhl]]
| [[Team Menard]]
|[[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]{{ref|2|2}}
| align="center" | 50
|-
| align="center" |  4 
| {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Kenny Bräck]] {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}
| [[Galles Racing]]
|[[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 43
|-
| align="center" |  5 
| {{flagicon|NED}} [[Arie Luyendyk]] {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}
| [[Treadway Racing]]
|[[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]
| align="center" | 75
|-
| align="center" |  6 
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Scott Goodyear]]
| [[Treadway Racing]]
|[[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]
| align="center" | 73
|-
| align="center" |  7 
| {{flagicon|CHL}} [[Eliseo Salazar]]
| [[Team Scandia]]
|[[Dallara]] IR7
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 54
|-
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 8
|style="background:lightblue"| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Vincenzo Sospiri]] {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Team Scandia]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Dallara]] IR7
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Oldsmobile]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" |  9
|-
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 9
|style="background:lightblue"| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Johnny Unser]]{{ref|3|3}}
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Hemelgarn Racing]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Dallara]] IR7
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Infiniti]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" |  25
|-
| align="center" | 10 
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mike Groff]]
| [[Jonathan Byrd's Racing|Byrd-Cunningham Racing]]
|[[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|[[Infiniti]]
|[[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]
| align="center" | 125
|-
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 11
|style="background:lightblue"| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Billy Boat]]{{ref|4|4}} {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}
|style="background:lightblue"| [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Dallara]] IR7
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Oldsmobile]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" |  —
|-
| align="center" | 12 
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Buzz Calkins]]
| [[Bradley Motorsports]]
|[[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 113
|-
| align="center" | 14 
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Davey Hamilton]]
| [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]
|[[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 114
|-
| align="center" | 15
| <small>(vacant)</small>
| [[Bill Tempero|Tempero/Giuffre Racing]]
|[[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|[[Infiniti]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 34
|-
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 16
|style="background:lightblue"| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Sam Schmidt]] {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}
|style="background:lightblue"| Blueprint Racing
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Dallara]] IR7
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Oldsmobile]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 32
|-
| align="center" | 17 
| {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Affonso Giaffone]] {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}
| Chitwood Motorsports
|[[Dallara]] IR7
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 44
|-
| align="center" | 18 
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[John Paul Jr. (racing driver)|John Paul Jr.]]{{ref|5|5}}<br><small>(replaced by {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tyce Carlson]] {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}})</small>
| [[PDM Racing]]
|[[Dallara]] IR7
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 88
|-
| align="center" | 21 
| {{flagicon|COL}} [[Roberto Guerrero]]
| [[Pagan Racing]]
|[[Dallara]] IR7
|[[Infiniti]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 106
|-
| align="center" | 22 
| {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Marco Greco]]
| [[Team Scandia]]
|[[Dallara]] IR7
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 118
|-
| align="center" | 27 
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]]
| Blueprint Racing
|[[Dallara]] IR7
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]
| align="center" | 98
|-
| align="center" | 28 
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mark Dismore]]
| [[Kelley Racing]] - [[PDM Racing|PDM]]
|[[Dallara]] IR7
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 36
|-
| align="center" | 30 
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robbie Groff]] {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}
| [[McCormack Motorsports]]
|[[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 73
|-
| align="center" | 33 
| {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Fermín Vélez]]
| [[Team Scandia]]
|[[Dallara]] IR7
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 109
|-
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 34
|style="background:lightblue"| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Alessandro Zampedri]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Team Scandia]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Dallara]] IR7
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Oldsmobile]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 25 
|-
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 36
|style="background:lightblue"| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Scott Harrington (racing driver)|Scott Harrington]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Stefan Johansson|Johansson Motorsports]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Dallara]] IR7{{ref|6|6}}
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Oldsmobile]]{{ref|6|6}}
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]{{ref|6|6}}
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" |  —
|-
| align="center" | 40 
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jack Miller (driver)|Jack Miller]] {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}
| Arizona Motorsports
|[[Dallara]] IR7
|[[Infiniti]]
|[[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]
| align="center" | 89
|-
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 42
|style="background:lightblue"| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robby Gordon]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Chip Ganassi Racing|Team SABCO]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Oldsmobile]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" |  —
|-
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 44
|style="background:lightblue"| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Steve Kinser]]{{ref|7|7}} {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}
|style="background:lightblue"| Sinden Racing Services
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Dallara]] IR7
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Oldsmobile]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" |  —
|-
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 50
|style="background:lightblue"| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Billy Roe]] {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}
|style="background:lightblue"| [[EuroInternational]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Dallara]] IR7
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Oldsmobile]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 20
|-
| align="center" | 51 
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Eddie Cheever]]
| [[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]]
|[[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 88
|-
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 52
|style="background:lightblue"| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]] {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Oldsmobile]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" |  —
|-
| align="center" | 54 
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Dennis Vitolo]]{{ref|8|8}}
| [[Beck Motorsports]] 
|[[Dallara]] IR7
|[[Infiniti]]
|[[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]
| align="center" | 40
|-
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 72
|style="background:lightblue"| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Claude Bourbonnais]]{{ref|9|9}} {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}
|style="background:lightblue"| Blueprint Racing
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Dallara]] IR7
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Oldsmobile]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" |  —
|-
| align="center" | 77 
| {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Stéphan Grégoire]]
| [[Chastain Motorsports]] 
|[[Panoz|G Force]] GF01
|[[Oldsmobile]]
|[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
| align="center" | 46
|-
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 90
|style="background:lightblue"| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Lyn St. James]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Hemelgarn Racing]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Dallara]] IR7
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Infiniti]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" |  —
|-
| align="center" | 91 
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Buddy Lazier]] {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}
| [[Hemelgarn Racing]] 
|[[Dallara]] IR7
|[[Oldsmobile]]{{ref|10|10}}
|[[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]
| align="center" | 71
|-
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" | 97
|style="background:lightblue"| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Greg Ray]] {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}
|style="background:lightblue"| Knapp Motorsports
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Dallara]] IR7
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Oldsmobile]]
|style="background:lightblue"| [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]
|style="background:lightblue" align="center" |  —
|-
! colspan="7" |Locked-in entry that was not entered
|-
| align="center" | 74
| <small>(not entered)</small>
| [[Della Penna Motorsports]] 
|—
|—
|—
| align="center" | 57
|}
:{{Color box|lightblue|border=silver}} Entries that were not locked-in for the race.
*{{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}} Former winner 
*{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}} Indy 500 Rookie
{{refbegin}}
# {{note|1}} Entered on Bump Day. [[Scott Sharp]], the entry's original driver, was injured in a crash on May 9. [[Johnny O'Connell]], entered on May 13, was also injured in a crash on May 16.
# {{note|2}} Switched to [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]] tires before the start of practice, and went back to Firestones on May 8.
# {{note|3}} Entered on May 10.
# {{note|4}} Entered on May 9.
# {{note|5}} Entered on May 13. [[John Paul Jr. (racing driver)|John Paul Jr.]], the entry's original driver, was injured in a crash on May 9.
# {{note|6}} Tried to qualify with a chassis from [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]. His original combination was a [[Panoz|G Force]] GF01 chassis with [[Infiniti]] engine and [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]] tires.
# {{note|7}} Entered on May 6.
# {{note|8}} Entered on May 11.
# {{note|9}} Entered on May 15.
# {{note|10}} Switched from [[Infiniti]] engines on May 10.
{{refend}}

==Practice (week 1)==

===Saturday May 3 - Opening Day===
The first day of practice, set aside for Rookie Orientation, was rained out.<ref name="DTR Day 1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-indy-500-day-1-sat-may-3/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Saturday May 3, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-03|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054400/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-indy-500-day-1-sat-may-3/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Sunday May 4 - Rookie Orientation===
The first day of track activity saw six rookies take laps, with [[Vincenzo Sospiri]] leading the speed chart at 211.964&nbsp;mph.<ref name="DTR Day 2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-2-indy-500-may-4/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Sunday May 4, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-04|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054322/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-2-indy-500-may-4/|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Jack Miller (racing driver)|Jack Miller]] blew an engine, in what was the only remarkable incident of the day.<ref name="Callahan2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/19970511/news002349.html|title=The Callahan Report from Indianapolis, May 4|publisher=The Auto Channel|date=1997-05-04|access-date=2017-12-27}}</ref> [[Robbie Groff]] also took laps for [[McCormack Motorsports]], as the former Indy Lights driver, with two CART races under his belt back in 1994, had struck a deal to drive with the team, in detriment of [[Jeret Schroeder]].<ref name="McCormack">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/atlantic/news/irl-schroeder-pr/8949/|title=Schroeder Postpones Indy 500 Plans for Now|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=May 5, 1997|access-date=January 8, 2019|archive-date=January 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108201303/https://www.motorsport.com/atlantic/news/irl-schroeder-pr/8949/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In a press conference, [[Team Menard]] confirmed that [[Tony Stewart]] would continue with the team for the remainder of the  [[1996-97 Indy Racing League|1996-97 season]] year and for [[1998 Indy Racing League|1998]]. The lengthening of the season, devised to switch to a calendar schedule for 1998, meant a new deal had to be reached in order for Stewart to finalize his [[NASCAR Xfinity Series|NASCAR Busch Series]] outings. Stewart had already signed a full-season deal with [[Joe Gibbs Racing]] for 1998, and had his sights in a Winston Cup ride for 1999. Menard also confirmed a switch from [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]] to [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]] tires.<ref name="DTR Day 2"/>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=7|Top practice speeds
|-
! {{abbr|Pos|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Best Single Lap Speed (mph)}}
|-
! 1
| style="text-align:center;" | 8
| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Vincenzo Sospiri]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| [[Team Scandia]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 211.964
|-
! 2
| style="text-align:center;" | 51
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| [[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 205.780
|-
! 3
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
| {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Kenny Bräck]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| [[Galles Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 204.997
|}

===Monday May 5 - Rookie Orientation===
A very windy day saw minimal activity, with only four cars taking a total of 80 laps before rain closed the track at 4:30&nbsp;p.m.<ref name="Callahan3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/19970602/news003015.html|title=The Callahan Report from Indianapolis, May 5|publisher=The Auto Channel|date=1997-05-05|access-date=2017-12-27}}</ref> [[Kenny Bräck]] turned the fastest lap at 205.597&nbsp;mph.<ref name="DTR Day 3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-3-indy-500-may-5/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Monday May 5, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-05|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2020-09-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200901173015/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-3-indy-500-may-5/8947/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=7|Top practice speeds
|-
! {{abbr|Pos|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Best Single Lap Speed (mph)}}
|-
! 1
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
| {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Kenny Bräck]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| [[Galles Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 205.597
|-
! 2
| style="text-align:center;" | 16
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Sam Schmidt]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Blueprint Racing
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 198.325
|-
! 3
| style="text-align:center;" | 97
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Greg Ray]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Knapp Motorsports
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 185.494
|}

===Tuesday May 6===
The first full day of practice saw heavy activity. [[Arie Luyendyk]] set the fastest lap thus far of the month at 5:24&nbsp;p.m., at 218.707&nbsp;mph. The only incident of the day occurred early on, when rookie [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]] blew an engine and spun into the wall in turn 3.<ref name="DTR Day 4">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-4-indy-500-may-6|title=Daily Trackside Report - Tuesday May 6, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-06|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228171549/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-4-indy-500-may-6/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Later on, five rookies ([[Kenny Bräck]], [[Robbie Groff]], [[Greg Ray]], [[Vincenzo Sospiri]] and [[Affonso Giaffone]]) completed their rookie test, and Sinden Racing Services confirmed that [[Steve Kinser]], a 14-times [[World of Outlaws]] [[Sprint car racing|sprint car]] champion, would drive their #44 at-large entry.<ref name="DTR Day 4"/> Kinser had tried to qualify for the race 15 years earlier, when a practice crash ended his chances in 1981, and had never competed in an Indy car race.

[[John Andretti]], a seven-time Indianapolis 500 starter between 1988 and 1994, passed the mandatory physical exam. Andretti, who switched to [[Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series|NASCAR Winston Cup]] in 1994 and was driving for [[Cale Yarborough Motorsports]], had expressed an interest in doing the [[Double Duty]] for the second time.<ref name="JohnPhysical">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-andretti-on-andretti/|title=Andretti on Andretti|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-09|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054320/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-andretti-on-andretti/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=7|Top practice speeds
|-
! {{abbr|Pos|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Best Single Lap Speed (mph)}}
|-
! 1
| style="text-align:center;" | 5
| {{flagicon|NED}} [[Arie Luyendyk]]
| [[Treadway Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 218.797
|-
! 2
| style="text-align:center;" | 42
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robby Gordon]]
| [[Chip Ganassi Racing|Team SABCO]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 215.569
|-
! 3
| style="text-align:center;" | 2
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Stewart]]
| [[Team Menard]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 214.337
|}

===Wednesday May 7===
[[Arie Luyendyk]] became the first and only driver to go over 220&nbsp;mph during the month, with a lap of 220.297&nbsp;mph. At 4:12&nbsp;p.m., [[Scott Sharp]] crashed in turn 1, heavily damaging his primary car. He had just run a lap of 217.402&nbsp;mph.<ref name="DTR Day 5">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-5-indy-500-may-7/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Wednesday May 7, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-07|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054358/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-5-indy-500-may-7/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Lyn St. James]]'s 34 laps were her first on a race car since her collision at the [[1996 Indianapolis 500|previous year's Indy 500]], as her broken right wrist had healed improperly. The rain closed the track about 10 minutes early.<ref name="DTR Day 5"/>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=7|Top practice speeds
|-
! {{abbr|Pos|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Best Single Lap Speed (mph)}}
|-
! 1
| style="text-align:center;" | 5
| {{flagicon|NED}} [[Arie Luyendyk]]
| [[Treadway Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 220.297
|-
! 2
| style="text-align:center;" | 1
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Scott Sharp]]
| [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 217.402
|-
! 3
| style="text-align:center;" | 27
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]]
| Blueprint Racing
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 216.076
|}

===Thursday May 8===
Rain kept the track closed until 3 p.m., and the final three hours saw average activity, including the first laps for [[Steve Kinser]] and [[Stéphan Grégoire]]. Just minutes after the track opened, [[Arie Luyendyk]] spun in the southchute, and tagged the wall, suffering minor nose cone damage. He was uninjured. Later, Luyendyk returned to the track, and once again, led the speed chart at 217.318&nbsp;mph.<ref name="DTR Day 6">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-6-indy-500-may-8/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Thursday May 8, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-08|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054353/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-6-indy-500-may-8/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the later stages of the day, [[Alessandro Zampedri]]'s car caught fire, having blown an engine coming out of Turn 4.<ref name="DTR Day 6"/> After struggling to compete for the top spots during two days of practice with [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]] tires, [[Team Menard]] switched back to mounting compounds from [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]].<ref name="DTR Day 6"/> Right away, [[Tony Stewart]] and [[Robbie Buhl]] were able to challenge Luyendyk's lap times, ending the session just behind him.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=7|Top practice speeds
|-
! {{abbr|Pos|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Best Single Lap Speed (mph)}}
|-
! 1
| style="text-align:center;" | 5
| {{flagicon|NED}} [[Arie Luyendyk]]
| [[Treadway Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 217.318
|-
! 2
| style="text-align:center;" | 2T
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Stewart]]
| [[Team Menard]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 215.822
|-
! 3
| style="text-align:center;" | 3T
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robbie Buhl]]
| [[Team Menard]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 215.708
|}

==="Fast" Friday May 9===
The final day of practice before pole qualifying saw heavy action and cool temperatures. The speed chart was competitive, with [[Arie Luyendyk]], [[Tony Stewart]], and [[Robbie Buhl]] trading fast laps for the afternoon. At the end of the day, Luyendyk was fastest, sweeping the chart all four days of veteran practice. His lap of 218.325&nbsp;mph was a mile per hour faster than Stewart in second place.<ref name="DTR Day 7">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-7-indy-500-may-9/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Friday May 9, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-09|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054325/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-7-indy-500-may-9/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Two incidents, however, overshadowed the action. At 12:42&nbsp;p.m., [[John Paul Jr. (racing driver)|John Paul Jr.]] crashed in Turn 4, and suffered a broken lower right leg and a broken left heel. With 43 minutes left, [[Scott Sharp]] also crashed exiting Turn 4, and suffered a concussion. Sharp had been knocked unconscious in the crash with his foot on the throttle, and the destroyed car kept going for a while in the front stretch alongside the outside wall with its wheels spinning. Both Paul and Sharp would be forced to sit out the rest of the month. In another incident, [[Stéphan Grégoire]]'s car suffered minor damage against the inside guard rail after a spin in the warm-up lane.<ref name="DTR Day 7"/>

During the day, [[Jack Miller (racing driver)|Jack Miller]], [[Steve Kinser]] and [[Sam Schmidt]] passed the final phases of their rookie tests,<ref name="DTR Day 7"/> [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]] completed his 20-lap refresher test, and driver-owner [[Eddie Cheever]] turned his first laps of the month, having concentrated so far in getting Ward's car up to speed.<ref name="Callahan4">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/19970510/news002331.html|title=The Callahan Report from Indianapolis, May 9|publisher=The Auto Channel|date=1997-05-09|access-date=2017-12-27}}</ref> [[EuroInternational]] also completed their first laps with [[Billy Roe]], albeit at a slow speed. With them, 30 of the 32 confirmed car-driver combinations had taken to the track before Pole Day qualifying, the exceptions being [[Mark Dismore]] due to the lateness of the ownership and crew switch in the #28 entry, and [[Scott Harrington (racing driver)|Scott Harrington]], as Johansson Motorsports saw its Oldsmobile engine deal being scuppered.

Besides Harrington, some Oldsmobile entries were experiencing engine shortages. After [[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]] had a timing chain failure, Blueprint Racing was left with no powerplants available, as the three engines they had put a deposit on had not been delivered. [[Team Menard]] refused to supply them, having previously committed to [[Steve Kinser]] for technical assistance.<ref name="BlueprintEngine">{{Cite news|url=http://www.icr.com:80/cgi-win/webster2i.exe?4977%inputnewsId=69|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970625085514/http://www.icr.com/cgi-win/webster2i.exe?4977%inputnewsId=69|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 25, 1997|title=Indy Friday Notes|publisher=IndyCar Magazine|date=May 9, 1997|access-date=January 22, 2019}}</ref> Other Aurora-supplied teams also faced similar issues, like [[Team Scandia]], which was switching their few engines between their entries.<ref name="AuroraShortage">{{Cite news|url=http://www.icr.com:80/cgi-win/webster2i.exe?4977%inputnewsId=70|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970625085502/http://www.icr.com/cgi-win/webster2i.exe?4977%inputnewsId=70|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 25, 1997|title=Indy 500 Pole Day Results|publisher=IndyCar Magazine|date=May 10, 1997|access-date=January 22, 2019}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=7|Top practice speeds
|-
! {{abbr|Pos|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Best Single Lap Speed (mph)}}
|-
! 1
| style="text-align:center;" | 5
| {{flagicon|NED}} [[Arie Luyendyk]]
| [[Treadway Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 218.325
|-
! 2
| style="text-align:center;" | 2
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Stewart]]
| [[Team Menard]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 217.355
|-
! 3
| style="text-align:center;" | 3
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robbie Buhl]]
| [[Team Menard]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 216.899
|}

==Time trials (weekend 1)==

===Pole Day - Saturday May 10===
Pole day time trials took place under mostly sunny skies, but cool temperatures, which forced the Pole Day morning practice to be delayed due to low track temperature for the first time in history.<ref name="Callahan5">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/19970510/news002336.html|title=The Callahan Report from Indianapolis, May 10|publisher=The Auto Channel|date=1997-05-10|access-date=2017-12-27}}</ref> [[Tony Stewart]] led the charts at 219.085&nbsp;mph.

After two days of on-truck struggles in the 209&nbsp;mph range, [[Hemelgarn Racing]] announced Saturday morning that [[Buddy Lazier]] would use [[Oldsmobile]] powerplants instead of [[Infiniti]]'s, citing a lack of speed and sponsor deference. Due to contractual obligations on fielding a second [[Infiniti]] engine, the team entered [[Johnny Unser]] to drive in Lazier's car, renumbered as #90, while Lazier would qualify with his back-up. Because of the shortages being faced from Oldsmobile, their first Aurora engine was loaned by driver-owner [[Stan Wattles]], whose upstart operation Metro Racing Systems was yet in the planning process.<ref name="DTR Pole Day">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-pole-day-indy-500-may-10/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Pole Day, Saturday May 10, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-10|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054157/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-pole-day-indy-500-may-10/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The first car out on the track to qualify was [[Mike Groff]]. He became the first driver to complete a run in a normally aspirated car since 1987, and the first to qualify one since 1984. His speed also tentatively broke existing normally aspirated, stock block, track records with an average of 208.537&nbsp;mph.<ref name="DTR Pole Day"/> A total of nine cars went out for runs during the first segment, however, only five were run to completion. [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]] sat on the provisional pole at 214.517&nbsp;mph, which would eventually be good for seventh on the grid.

Shortly after 3 p.m., [[Arie Luyendyk]] took to the track and began the second wave of qualifiers. His run of 218.263&nbsp;mph put him firmly in pole position, with [[Tony Stewart]] close behind at 218.021&nbsp;mph. Rookie [[Vincenzo Sospiri]] surprised many by rounding out the front row at 216.822&nbsp;mph, beating [[Robbie Buhl]], who qualified on his third attempt,<ref name="DTR Pole Day"/> [[Scott Goodyear]] and [[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]], who was on a popularity peak after his surprise [[1997 Phoenix 200|Phoenix 200]] win and had run competitively during the week. Guthrie had been able to qualify after a long overnight rebuild of his lone engine.

With his new engine, [[Buddy Lazier]] substantially improved his pace to qualify in the top 10. There were several wave-offs during qualifying attempts, and three drivers didn't get to complete theirs. [[Robbie Groff]] brushed the wall at the exit of Turn 1 in his second lap and had to wave off, [[Fermín Vélez]] blew an engine during his second lap, and [[Sam Schmidt]] spun on the warm-up lane, hitting the inside wall. Also, [[Eliseo Salazar]] had to wave off his first qualifying attempt after hitting a bird on Lap 3.<ref name="DTR Pole Day"/>

At the end of pole day, 21 cars were in the field, with [[Roberto Guerrero]] slowest thus far at just over 207&nbsp;mph. The Colombian qualified with his back-up car, which left him without his locked-in status, but Pagan's team manager John Barnes, had petitioned for it to become the primary car while it was already in the qualifying lane. The change was not made before Guerrero took to the track, but [[United States Auto Club|USAC]] allowed it to be considered as a primary car the following day, securing Guerrero's place in the grid.<ref name="DTR Second Day">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-9-indy-500-may-11/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Second Qualifying Day, Sunday May 11, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-11|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054131/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-9-indy-500-may-11/|url-status=dead}}</ref> That decision put [[Alessandro Zampedri]] in an early bubble among the at-large entries, having qualified at barely 209&nbsp;mph. A week later, during Bump Day, [[United States Auto Club|USAC]] allowed a similar change to [[Buddy Lazier]]'s car at the request of Ron Hemelgarn, despite being safely in the field at 214.286&nbsp;mph.<ref name="DTR Bump Day">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-16-indy-500-may-18/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Bump Day, Sunday May 18, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-18|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054327/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-16-indy-500-may-18/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=8|Pole Day
|-
! {{abbr|Pos.|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Four-Lap Average Speed}}!! Entry status
|-
! scope="row" | 1
| style="text-align:center;" | 5
| {{flagicon|NED}} [[Arie Luyendyk]]
| [[Treadway Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 218.263
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 2
| style="text-align:center;" | 2
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Stewart]]
| [[Team Menard]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 218.021
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 3
| style="text-align:center;" | 8
| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Vincenzo Sospiri]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| [[Team Scandia]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 216.822
| At-large
|-
! scope="row" | 4
| style="text-align:center;" | 3
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robbie Buhl]]
| [[Team Menard]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 216.102
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 5
| style="text-align:center;" | 6
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Scott Goodyear]]
| [[Treadway Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 215.811
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 6
| style="text-align:center;" | 27
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]]
| Blueprint Racing
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 215.207
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 7
| style="text-align:center;" | 52
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| [[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 214.517
| At-large
|-
! scope="row" | 8
| style="text-align:center;" | 14
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Davey Hamilton]]
| [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 214.484
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 9
| style="text-align:center;" | 7
| {{flagicon|CHL}} [[Eliseo Salazar]]
| [[Team Scandia]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 214.320
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 10
| style="text-align:center;" | 91
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Buddy Lazier]]
| [[Hemelgarn Racing]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 214.286
| Locked-in{{ref|1|1}}
|-
! scope="row" | 11
| style="text-align:center;" | 51
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Eddie Cheever]]
| [[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 214.073
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 12
| style="text-align:center;" | 42
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robby Gordon]]
| [[Chip Ganassi Racing|Team SABCO]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 213.211
| At-large
|-
! scope="row" | 13
| style="text-align:center;" | 77
| {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Stéphan Grégoire]]
| [[Chastain Motorsports]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 213.126
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 14
| style="text-align:center;" | 17
| {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Affonso Giaffone]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Chitwood Motorsports
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 212.974
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 15
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
| {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Kenny Bräck]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| [[Galles Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 211.221
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | - {{ref|2|2}}
| style="text-align:center;" | 90
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Lyn St. James]]
| [[Hemelgarn Racing]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Infiniti]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 210.145
| At-large
|-
! scope="row" | 16
| style="text-align:center;" | 12
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Buzz Calkins]]
| [[Bradley Motorsports]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 209.564
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 17
| style="text-align:center;" | 40
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jack Miller (racing driver)|Jack Miller]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Arizona Motorsports
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Infiniti]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 209.250
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | - {{ref|2|2}}
| style="text-align:center;" | 34
| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Alessandro Zampedri]]
| [[Team Scandia]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 209.094
| At-large
|-
! scope="row" | 18
| style="text-align:center;" | 10
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mike Groff]]
| [[Jonathan Byrd's Racing|Byrd-Cunningham Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Infiniti]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 208.537
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 19
| style="text-align:center;" | 21
| {{flagicon|COL}} [[Roberto Guerrero]]
| [[Pagan Racing]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Infiniti]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 207.371
| Locked-in{{ref|1|1}}
|-
! scope="row" |
| style="text-align:center;" | 33
| {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Fermín Vélez]]
| [[Team Scandia]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | ''Engine trouble''
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" |
| style="text-align:center;" | 30
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robbie Groff]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| [[McCormack Motorsports]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | ''Waved off''
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" |
| style="text-align:center;" | 16
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Sam Schmidt]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Blueprint Racing
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | ''Crashed''
| At-large
|}
{{refbegin}}
# {{note|1}} Qualified as an at-large entry, before his status was reversed.
# {{note|2}} Bumped from the field by other at-large entries on Bump Day.
{{refend}}

===Second Day - Sunday May 11===
As the majority of drivers had qualified by Saturday, only four machines started qualifying attempts on the second day. Two of them were added to the field; [[Steve Kinser]] completed a run early in the day, while [[Robbie Groff]] finished just before the track closed in his last attempt. The first one was nullified by an engine misfire, and the second by a cold track surface. [[Greg Ray]], in an at-large entry, was set for a 215&nbsp;mph qualifying run before he ran out of fuel in his last lap. The priority in engine usage at [[Team Scandia]] forced [[Marco Greco]] to become the only available first-week competitor to sit out during Pole Day weekend.<ref name="DTR Second Day" />

In the morning, [[Dennis Vitolo]] was assigned to the #54 [[Beck Motorsports]] entry, which had a locked-in berth after being raced by [[Robbie Buhl]] in the last two rounds of 1996.<ref name="DTR Second Day"/> [[Billy Boat]], who failed to qualify in 1996 and was yet to debut in an Indy car race, had been recruited on Friday to drive [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises|Foyt]]'s third car, and took to the track for the first time in the #1T car. The boat even took warm-up laps for a tentative late qualifying attempt, with the only purpose of checking some changes to the car. Despite this, his deal had been agreed before Sharp's injury, and he was not slated to replace him.<ref name="Callahan6">{{Cite news |date=1997-05-13 |title=The Callahan Report from Indianapolis, May 13 |publisher=The Auto Channel |url=https://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/19970513/news002393.html |access-date=2017-12-27}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=8|Second Day
|-
! {{abbr|Pos.|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Four-Lap Average Speed}}!! Entry status
|-
! scope="row" | 20
| style="text-align:center;" | 44
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Steve Kinser]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Sinden Racing Services
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 210.793
| At-large
|-
! scope="row" | 21
| style="text-align:center;" | 30
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robbie Groff]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| [[McCormack Motorsports]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 207.792
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" |
| style="text-align:center;" | 97
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Greg Ray]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Knapp Motorsports
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | ''Out of fuel''
| At-large
|-
!
| style="text-align:center;" | 1T
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Billy Boat]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|[[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]
|[[Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | ''Warm-up laps''
|At-large
|}

==Practice (week 2)==

===Monday May 12===
Another cool and windy day saw 18 cars practice. [[Arie Luyendyk]] continued his dominance and led the practice chart for the seventh consecutive day before sitting out for the rest of the week. He did not come back on track until Bump Day practice, which he also led. [[Billy Boat]] was able to complete his refresher test, while [[Billy Roe]] became the ninth driver to pass his rookie test.<ref name="DTR May 12">{{Cite news |date=1997-05-12 |title=Daily Trackside Report - Monday May 12, 1997 |publisher=Motorsport.com |url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-10-indy-500-may-12/ |url-status=dead |access-date=2017-12-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054429/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-10-indy-500-may-12/ |archive-date=2017-12-28}}</ref><ref name="May18PH">{{Cite news |date=1997-05-18 |title=May 18 - Performance History |publisher=Motorsport.com |url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-may-18-performance-history/ |url-status=dead |access-date=2017-12-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054247/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-may-18-performance-history/ |archive-date=2017-12-28}}</ref>

Off the track, [[A. J. Foyt]] announced that he was working on a deal for [[John Andretti]] to replace the injured [[Scott Sharp]] in the #1 entry, providing that travel and scheduling constraints were arranged with his [[NASCAR]] team owner [[Cale Yarborough]].<ref name="DTR May 12"/> [[Stefan Johansson|Johansson Motorsports]] confirmed they would use an [[Infiniti]] engine provided by [[Hemelgarn Racing]], after plans to run an [[Oldsmobile]] engine for [[Scott Harrington (racing driver)|Scott Harrington]] fell through.<ref name="DTR May 12" /><ref name="DTR May 14">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-12-indy-500-may-14/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Wednesday May 14, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-14|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054418/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-12-indy-500-may-14/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=7|Top practice speeds
|-
! {{abbr|Pos|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Best Single Lap Speed (mph)}}
|-
! 1
| style="text-align:center;" | 5
| {{flagicon|NED}} [[Arie Luyendyk]]
| [[Treadway Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 217.103
|-
! 2
| style="text-align:center;" | 6
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Scott Goodyear]]
| [[Treadway Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 216.092
|-
! 3
| style="text-align:center;" | 51
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Eddie Cheever]]
| [[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 215.600
|}

===Tuesday May 13===
Ten drivers turned their fastest laps of the month, including [[Buddy Lazier]], who led the speed chart, and [[Billy Boat]], the fastest of the non-qualified cars. At over 214&nbsp;mph, Boat was four miles per hour faster than the others,<ref name="DTR May 13">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-11-indy-500-may-13/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Tuesday May 13, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-13|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054304/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-11-indy-500-may-13/|url-status=dead}}</ref> including [[Dennis Vitolo]], who blew an engine before getting up to speed.<ref name="Callahan6"/>

[[A. J. Foyt]] conceded defeat in his intentions to bring [[John Andretti]] as a driver, as his [[Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series|NASCAR]] commitment with [[Cale Yarborough Motorsports|Cale Yarborough]] would not provide enough travel time to make it to the [[1997 Coca-Cola 600|Coca-Cola 600]]. [[Johnny O'Connell]] was named to replace [[Scott Sharp]] in the #1 car, and [[PDM Racing]] confirmed [[Tyce Carlson]] to replace the injured [[John Paul Jr. (racing driver)|John Paul Jr.]] in the #18 car.<ref name="DTR May 13"/> Carlson had run two races with the team in 1996, and had been scheduled to make the Indy 500 in the #28 until [[Mark Dismore]]'s deal was arranged in late April.<ref name="Entry List"/><ref name="KelleyPDM"/>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=7|Top practice speeds
|-
! {{abbr|Pos|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Best Single Lap Speed (mph)}}
|-
! 1
| style="text-align:center;" | 91T
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Buddy Lazier]]
| [[Hemelgarn Racing]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 217.040
|-
! 2
| style="text-align:center;" | 51
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Eddie Cheever]]
| [[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 216.909
|-
! 3
| style="text-align:center;" | 6
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Scott Goodyear]]
| [[Treadway Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 216.513
|}

===Wednesday May 14===
[[Buddy Lazier]] and [[Billy Boat]] repeated their efforts from the previous day, as the fastest already-qualified and fastest non-qualified cars of the day.<ref name="DTR May 14"/> High winds blew debris onto the track, causing several yellow lights throughout the afternoon.<ref name="Callahan7">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/19970514/news002444.html|title=The Callahan Report from Indianapolis, May 14|publisher=The Auto Channel|date=1997-05-14|access-date=2017-12-27}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=7|Top practice speeds
|-
! {{abbr|Pos|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Best Single Lap Speed (mph)}}
|-
! 1
| style="text-align:center;" | 91T
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Buddy Lazier]]
| [[Hemelgarn Racing]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 216.570
|-
! 2
| style="text-align:center;" | 2T
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Stewart]]
| [[Team Menard]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 216.466
|-
! 3
| style="text-align:center;" | 14
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Davey Hamilton]]
| [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 215.972
|}

===Thursday May 15===
Most of the cars that took to the track were among those not yet qualified. Several veterans sat out the afternoon. [[Sam Schmidt]] found his way to the top of the speed chart, at over 211&nbsp;mph. His team, Blueprint Racing, confirmed a third entry for [[Claude Bourbonnais]], the [[1993 Atlantic Championship]] runner-up and fourth in the [[1996 Indy Lights season|1996 Indy Lights]] season, who had run five CART races in 1994. Bourbonnais was due to take over [[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]]'s back-up car.<ref name="DTR May 15">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-13-indy-500-may-15/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Thursday May 15, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-15|access-date=2017-12-27}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Like the Canadian, [[Johnny Unser]] and [[Johnny O'Connell]] run laps over 200&nbsp;mph, also taking to the track for the first time all month, as well as [[Mark Dismore]] and his new teammate [[Tyce Carlson]], who passed his refresher test.<ref name="DTR May 15"/> In a windy day, both drivers got to do laps in the 210&nbsp;mph range early in the day before parking the cars early, as [[PDM Racing]] was out of spare engines.<ref name="Callahan8">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/19970515/news002521.html|title=The Callahan Report from Indianapolis, May 15|publisher=The Auto Channel|date=1997-05-15|access-date=2017-12-27}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=7|Top practice speeds
|-
! {{abbr|Pos|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Best Single Lap Speed (mph)}}
|-
! 1
| style="text-align:center;" | 16
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Sam Schmidt]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Blueprint Racing
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 211.989
|-
! 2
| style="text-align:center;" | 14T
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Davey Hamilton]]
| [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 211.456
|-
! 3
| style="text-align:center;" | 42
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robby Gordon]]
| [[Chip Ganassi Racing|Team SABCO]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 211.164
|}

===Friday May 16===
The final full day of practice saw heavy activity among qualified and non-qualified drivers. With [[Arie Luyendyk]] still absent, [[Tony Stewart]] led the speed chart. During the first hour, [[Johnny O'Connell]] lost an engine and crashed hard in the southchute. He dislocated his left foot and was ruled out for the weekend, becoming the second [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises|Foyt]] driver to be sidelined during the month. Later that afternoon, [[Claude Bourbonnais]] was the tenth and last driver to complete his rookie test,<ref name="DTR May 16">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-14-indy-500-may-16/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Friday May 16, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-16|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054317/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-14-indy-500-may-16/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Scott Harrington (racing driver)|Scott Harrington]] finally took his first laps of the month.

Among the unqualified cars, both [[Greg Ray]] and [[Fermín Vélez]] went back on track for the first time since Pole Day weekend. Meanwhile, the three already qualified drivers from [[Team Scandia]] sat out the whole week of practice because of the lingering engine parts shortages, including [[Alessandro Zampedri]], despite his bubble spot. This reduced running for both [[Marco Greco]] and Vélez to a combined 47 laps. Similar issues also kept [[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]] off the track during the week. Up to six locked-in entries were yet to qualify, and the remaining seven un-qualified cars were set to battle on time trials, as well as the slower at-large qualifiers of Pole Day weekend ([[Steve Kinser]], [[Lyn St. James]] and Zampedri), as four open spots were still up for grabs.

Off the track, the Indy Racing League confirmed the technical specifications for 1998 and beyond, which included the elimination of the 25/8 Rule, which had grown in controversy beyond its alleged [[Champ Car World Series|CART]]-blocking purposes.<ref name="Specs">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-technical-specs-manufacturer-guidelines-set/|title=IRL technical specs, Manufacturer guidelines set|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-16|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054403/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-technical-specs-manufacturer-guidelines-set/|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the week, competitors and officials alike were growing apprehensive of the rule, as it became increasingly possible that the "fastest 33 cars", a cornerstone Indy tradition, could not necessarily make the field. At-large entries were expected to be over 210&nbsp;mph to make the race, while four locked-in entries had settled with just being over the 203&nbsp;mph minimum speed required. There had also been some disconformity with some teams that were selling, or trying to sell, their locked-in berths.<ref name="PQQ Day 3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-3rd-qual-quotes-indy-500/|title=3rd Qual. Quotes - Indy 500|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-17|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054307/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-3rd-qual-quotes-indy-500/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=7|Top practice speeds
|-
! {{abbr|Pos|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Best Single Lap Speed (mph)}}
|-
! 1
| style="text-align:center;" | 2T
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Stewart]]
| [[Team Menard]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 216.388
|-
! 2
| style="text-align:center;" | 4T
| {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Kenny Bräck]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| [[Galles Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 215.074
|-
! 3
| style="text-align:center;" | 97
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Greg Ray]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Knapp Motorsports
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 215.069
|}

==Time trials (weekend 2)==

===Third Day - Saturday May 17===
The third day of qualifying saw sunny skies and warm temperatures. A busy day of time trials saw the field fill to 31 cars. [[Billy Boat]] set the early pace with an average of 215.544&nbsp;mph, sixth fastest on the whole grid and faster than team leader [[Davey Hamilton]]. Several "locked-in" drivers took runs, and within an hour, eight consecutive time trials were run to completion, including another 215&nbsp;mph run by Sam Schmidt which closely mirrored that of the sister car of [[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]]. [[Johnny Unser]] couldn't attempt to qualify after a piston failed in the morning practice, [[Greg Ray]] suffered an engine failure during his warm-up lap and [[Claude Bourbonnais]], looking to qualify on the later stages of the day, damaged his car after tagging the wall twice.<ref name="DTR May 17">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-15-indy-500-may-17/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Saturday May 17, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-16|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054424/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-day-15-indy-500-may-17/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

When the track closed for the day, only two positions were unfilled, and 22 of the 23 original "locked-in" entries were already in the field. The only original "locked-in" entry yet unqualified was the #1 of [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]], which had no driver after the injuries suffered by [[Scott Sharp]] and [[Johnny O'Connell]]. Foyt had previously discarded using that berth for Boat, and told reporters he would not sign another replacement driver, reducing the number of cars yet to qualify on Bump Day to just four.<ref name="PQQ Day 3" /><ref name="Callahan9">{{Cite news |date=1997-05-18 |title=The Callahan Report from Indianapolis, May 18 |publisher=The Auto Channel |url=https://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/19970518/news002596.html |access-date=2017-12-27}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=8|Third Day
|-
! {{abbr|Pos.|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Four-Lap Average Speed}}!! Entry status
|-
! scope="row" | 22
| style="text-align:center;" | 11
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Billy Boat]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 215.544
| At-large
|-
! scope="row" | 23
| style="text-align:center;" | 16
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Sam Schmidt]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Blueprint Racing
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 215.141
| At-large
|-
! scope="row" | 24
| style="text-align:center;" | 50
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Billy Roe]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| [[EuroInternational]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 212.752
| At-large
|-
! scope="row" | 25
| style="text-align:center;" | 28
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mark Dismore]]
| [[Kelley Racing]] - [[PDM Racing|PDM]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 212.423
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 26
| style="text-align:center;" | 18
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tyce Carlson]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| [[PDM Racing]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 210.852
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 27
| style="text-align:center;" | 22
| {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Marco Greco]]
| [[Team Scandia]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 210.322
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 28
| style="text-align:center;" | 54
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Dennis Vitolo]]
| [[Beck Motorsports]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Infiniti]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 207.626
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" | 29
| style="text-align:center;" | 33
| {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Fermín Vélez]]
| [[Team Scandia]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 206.512
| Locked-in
|-
! scope="row" |
| style="text-align:center;" | 97
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Greg Ray]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Knapp Motorsports
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | ''engine trouble''
| At-large
|}

===Bump Day - Sunday May 18===
Going into the final day of qualifying, two positions were open. One final "locked-in" position was available ([[A. J. Foyt Enterprises|Foyt]]'s #1), as 22 of the 23 eligible cars had already completed their runs. Once the field was filled to 33 cars, the ten "non-exempt" positions were all up for grabs among the at-large entries.<ref name="DTR Bump Day"/> On Bump Day morning, several non-exempt teams were uneasy about their chances of making the field, despite their speeds being amongst the fastest 33. Despite his earlier remarks about not qualifying the #1 car, [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises|Foyt]] sent team driver [[Davey Hamilton]] out to shake the car down.

In the first fifteen minutes, [[Johnny Unser]] (209.344&nbsp;mph) and [[Greg Ray]] (213.760&nbsp;mph) filled the field to 33 cars with at-large entries.<ref name="DTR Bump Day"/> Since 22 of the cars were locked-in, they put [[Alessandro Zampedri]] on the bubble. Zampedri had qualified 19th on pole day with a 209.09&nbsp;mph, and was the 28th-fastest car on speed at the time, ahead of five "locked-in" cars.

At 11.30 a.m., [[Paul Durant]] secured a drive in the #1 [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises|Foyt]] car, the final entry eligible for a locked-in position.<ref name="DTR Bump Day" /><ref name="Callahan9" /> Durant, who had not run during the whole month, climbed into the car for the first time at 12:17&nbsp;p.m., and was safely in the field by 1:09&nbsp;p.m. His qualifying average of 209.149&nbsp;mph bumped Zampedri from the field of 33. Durant's only previous IRL experience consisted of two early retirements in 1996, one of them at the Indy 500.

[[Johnny Unser]] was now on the bubble with the 26th-fastest car in the field, as the slowest at-large entry. At 2:08&nbsp;p.m., [[Claude Bourbonnais]] easily bumped out Unser with a 210.523&nbsp;mph qualifying attempt, and put [[Lyn St. James]] on the bubble. She had qualified 16th on pole day, was 25th-fastest overall and the fastest [[Infiniti]]-powered car, but the eight cars below her were locked in. Immediately after Bourbonnais' attempt, and with rain approaching, [[Alessandro Zampedri]] took to the track in his backup car. His run of 211.757&nbsp;mph was enough to bump St. James and put Bourbonnais on the bubble.<ref name="DTR Bump Day" />

Minutes later, rain began to fall and closed the track for the next hour. Despite being bumped, [[Hemelgarn Racing]] (which fielded both Unser and St. James) were making no effort to bring their cars back out on the track to re-qualify. In a 2017 interview, St. James said that she confronted IRL official Leo Mehl about the situation, but received an inattentive response. She also pleaded with car owner Ron Hemelgarn, who seemed to her as "curiously unconcerned".<ref>{{Cite episode|title=MP 152: 1997's Strange Indy 500 Field of 35 with Lyn St. james & Johnny Unser|url=https://marshallpruett.podbean.com/e/mp-152-1997s-strange-indy-500-field-of-35-with-lyn-st-james-johnny-unser/|access-date=August 13, 2019|series=The Marshall Pruett Podcast|first=Marshall|last=Pruett|date=May 20, 2017|number=152}}</ref> Rumors had already begun circulating around the garage area that [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]] officials were considering reinstating bumped cars to the field, which was relayed on the [[ESPN]] broadcast.

The track was dried and re-opened at 3:15&nbsp;p.m, with [[Scott Harrington (racing driver)|Scott Harrington]] as the lone car preparing to qualify. Unable to go over 200&nbsp;mph during practice on Saturday, [[Stefan Johansson|Johansson Motorsports]] took possession of [[Davey Hamilton]]'s back-up chassis from [[A. J. Foyt Racing|Foyt]], and changed its number to #36 to make it their primary car.<ref name="Callahan9"/> With just 25 practice laps in the car, Harrington got out to qualify at 5:51&nbsp;p.m, with nine minutes left in the day. After a quick first lap of 214.061&nbsp;mph, he crashed heavily after losing control in the middle of turn 2. Harrington, who was extricated from his car, was awake and alert, and was transferred to [[Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital|Methodist Hospital]], but was not seriously injured.<ref name="DTR Bump Day"/>

====Post-qualifying====
When the closing gun was fired at 6 p.m., [[Hemelgarn Racing]] teammates [[Lyn St. James]] and [[Johnny Unser]] were the lone two drivers to have been bumped out of the starting field. Both of them, like [[Alessandro Zampedri]] before he managed to re-qualify, had posted qualifying speeds among the fastest 33 cars. They were also faster than eight of the "locked-in" entries.

[[United States Automobile Club|USAC]] officials had previously expressed their concern that, due to the soon-to-be-abandoned '25/8 Rule', the fastest 33 cars would not be starting the race. Eventually, a decision was made that afternoon to reinstate any at-large entries that were bumped, provided they were among the "fastest 33" cars overall. The ruling added St. James and Unser back to the field, being placed in the 34th and 35th starting positions, respectively.<ref name="DTR Bump Day"/> It was the first time since [[1979 Indianapolis 500|1979]] that the field would be larger than the traditional 33 cars.

With 13 rookies, it was the second-most number of rookies since 1930, behind only the previous year's race. With nine of the 17 rookies from 1996 also in the field, only 13 drivers had taken part in the Indianapolis 500 prior to the formation of the IRL. [[Scott Harrington (racing driver)|Scott Harrington]] was the lone driver who failed to qualify.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=8|Bump Day
|-
! {{abbr|Pos.|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Four-Lap Average Speed}}!! Entry status
|-
! scope="row" | 30
| style="text-align:center;" | 97
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Greg Ray]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Knapp Motorsports
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 213.760
| At-large
|-
! scope="row" | 31
| style="text-align:center;" | 34
| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Alessandro Zampedri]]
| [[Team Scandia]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 211.757
| At-large
|-
! scope="row" | 32
| style="text-align:center;" | 72
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Claude Bourbonnais]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Blueprint Racing
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 210.523
| At-large
|-
! scope="row" | 33
| style="text-align:center;" | 1
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Paul Durant]]
| [[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 209.149
| Locked-in
|-
!colspan=8|Reinstated
|-
! scope="row" | 34
| style="text-align:center;" | 90
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Lyn St. James]]
| [[Hemelgarn Racing]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Infiniti]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 210.145
| At-large
|-
! scope="row" | 35
| style="text-align:center;" | 9
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Johnny Unser]]
| [[Hemelgarn Racing]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Infiniti]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 209.344
| At-large
|-
!colspan=8|Failed to qualify
|-
! scope="row" |
| style="text-align:center;" | 36
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Scott Harrington (racing driver)|Scott Harrington]]
| [[Stefan Johansson|Johansson Motorsports]]
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| style="text-align:center;" | ''Crashed''
| At-large
|}

==Carburetion Day==

===Final practice - Thursday May 22===
[[Tony Stewart]] turned the fastest lap of the day, at 215.502&nbsp;mph.,<ref name="DTR May 22">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-indy-500day-17-carbueration-day-may-22/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Carb Day, Thursday May 22, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-22|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054200/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-indy-500day-17-carbueration-day-may-22/|url-status=dead}}</ref> while polesitter [[Arie Luyendyk]] completed only two laps at speed, using the session mostly as a system check exercise.

[[Robby Gordon]] blew an engine, while [[Dennis Vitolo]], [[Marco Greco]] and [[Paul Durant]] experienced mechanical trouble.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!colspan=7|Top practice speeds
|-
! {{abbr|Pos|Position}} !! {{abbr|No.|Car Number}} !! Driver !! Team !! Chassis !! Engine !! {{abbr|Speed|Best Single Lap Speed (mph)}}
|-
! 1
| style="text-align:center;" | 2
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Stewart]]
| [[Team Menard]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 215.502
|-
! 2
| style="text-align:center;" | 97
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Greg Ray]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Knapp Motorsports
| [[Dallara]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 214.807
|-
! 3
| style="text-align:center;" | 6
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Scott Goodyear]]
| [[Treadway Racing]]
| [[Panoz|G-Force]]
| [[Oldsmobile]]
| 212.972
|}

===Pit Stop Challenge===
The 21st annual [[Coors Brewing Company|Coors]] [[Pit Stop Challenge]] was held Thursday, May 22. Eight teams competed for a $40,000 top prize. The race pole sitter ([[Arie Luyendyk]]) was automatically qualified, and four additional entries were selected through an Indy Racing League "program" at [[1997 Indy 200 at Walt Disney World|Walt Disney World]] ([[Marco Greco]], [[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]]) and [[1997 Phoenix 200|Phoenix]] ([[Davey Hamilton]], [[Stéphan Grégoire]]).<ref name="DTR May 21">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-wednesday-21-indy-500/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Wednesday May 21, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-21|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054330/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-wednesday-21-indy-500/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The last three berths were determined during a preliminary round on May 12. Seven entries participated, racing against the clock in a single-run format. [[Kenny Bräck]] (12.597 seconds), [[Robby Gordon]] (13.721 seconds) and [[Eddie Cheever]] (14.409 seconds) advanced to the competition. Failed to qualify were: [[Steve Kinser]] (14.721 seconds), [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]] (15.447 seconds), [[Jack Miller (racing driver)|Jack Miller]] (17.245 seconds) and [[Roberto Guerrero]], who failed to register a time.<ref name="DTR May 12"/> However, both Hamilton and Grégoire's entries were withdrawn by Foyt and Chastain from the competition. Kinser and Ward were subsequently elevated into the elimination bracket.<ref name="DTR May 21"/>

[[Galles Racing]] and driver [[Kenny Bräck]] defeated [[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]] with driver/owner [[Eddie Cheever]] in the finals.<ref name="DTR May 22"/> It was the second win in a row for Galles, and the fifth victory overall in the event.

{{8TeamBracket | RD1=Quarterfinals
| RD2=Semifinals
| RD3=Finals
| score-width=
| team-width=
| RD1-seed1=22
| RD1-team1='''[[Marco Greco]]'''<br />''([[Team Scandia]])''
| RD1-score1='''16.863'''
| RD1-seed2=44
| RD1-team2=[[Steve Kinser]]<br />''(Sinden Racing Services)''
| RD1-score2=DQ
| RD1-seed3=4
| RD1-team3='''[[Kenny Bräck]]'''<br />''([[Galles Racing]])''
| RD1-score3='''13.330'''
| RD1-seed4=42
| RD1-team4=[[Robby Gordon]]<br />''([[Team SABCO]])''
| RD1-score4=14.274
| RD1-seed5=51
| RD1-team5='''[[Eddie Cheever]]'''<br />''([[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]])''
| RD1-score5='''15.247'''
| RD1-seed6=5
| RD1-team6=[[Arie Luyendyk]]<br />''([[Treadway Racing]])''
| RD1-score6=17.521
| RD1-seed7=52
| RD1-team7='''[[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]]'''<br />''([[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]])''
| RD1-score7='''N/A'''
| RD1-seed8=27
| RD1-team8=[[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]]<br />''(Blueprint Racing)''
| RD1-score8=Withdrew
| RD2-seed1=22
| RD2-team1=[[Marco Greco]]<br />''([[Team Scandia]])''
| RD2-score1=20.833
| RD2-seed2=4
| RD2-team2='''[[Kenny Bräck]]'''<br />''([[Galles Racing]])''
| RD2-score2='''17.096'''
| RD2-seed3=51
| RD2-team3='''[[Eddie Cheever]]'''<br />''([[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]])''
| RD2-score3='''17.305'''
| RD2-seed4=52
| RD2-team4=[[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]]<br />''([[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]])''
| RD2-score4=DQ
| RD3-seed1=4
| RD3-team1='''[[Kenny Bräck]]'''<br />''([[Galles Racing]])''
| RD3-score1='''14.284'''
| RD3-seed2=51
| RD3-team2=[[Eddie Cheever]]<br />''([[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]])''
| RD3-score2=15.133
}}

===System check runs===
On Saturday, May 24, the day before the race, arrangements were made for a special practice session. Due to the new engine package, some teams had requested additional track time for system check runs. A very brief green light period, with a 190&nbsp;mph speed limit, was conducted for five cars.<ref name="DTR May 24">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-indy-500-may-24-special-practice/|title=Daily Trackside Report - Saturday May 24, 1997|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-24|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054442/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-indy-500-may-24-special-practice/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Starting grid==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
!Row
!Inside
!Middle
!Outside
|-
!1
|{{flagicon|NED}} '''5''' - [[Arie Luyendyk]] '''{{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}'''
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''2''' - [[Tony Stewart]]
|{{flagicon|ITA}} '''8''' - [[Vincenzo Sospiri]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|-
!2
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''3''' - [[Robbie Buhl]]
|{{flagicon|CAN}} '''6''' - [[Scott Goodyear]]
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''27''' - [[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]]
|-
!3
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''52''' - [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''14''' - [[Davey Hamilton]]
|{{flagicon|CHI}} '''7''' - [[Eliseo Salazar]]
|-
!4
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''91''' - [[Buddy Lazier]] '''{{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}'''
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''51''' - [[Eddie Cheever]]
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''42''' - [[Robby Gordon]]
|-
!5
|style="background:yellow"|{{flagicon|FRA}} '''77''' - [[Stéphan Grégoire]]
|style="background:yellow"|{{flagicon|BRA}} '''17''' - [[Affonso Giaffone]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|style="background:yellow"|{{flagicon|SWE}} '''4''' - [[Kenny Bräck]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|-
!6
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''12''' - [[Buzz Calkins]]
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''40''' - [[Jack Miller (driver)|Jack Miller]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''10''' - [[Mike Groff]]
|-
!7
|{{flagicon|COL}} '''21''' - [[Roberto Guerrero]]
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''44''' - [[Steve Kinser]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''30''' - [[Robbie Groff]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|-
!8
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''11''' - [[Billy Boat]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|style="background:yellow"|{{flagicon|USA}} '''16''' - [[Sam Schmidt]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''50''' - [[Billy Roe]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|-
!9
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''28''' - [[Mark Dismore]]
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''18''' - [[Tyce Carlson]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|{{flagicon|BRA}} '''22''' - [[Marco Greco]]
|-
!10
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''54''' - [[Dennis Vitolo]]
|{{flagicon|ESP}} '''33''' - [[Fermín Vélez]]
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''97''' - [[Greg Ray]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|-
!11
|style="background:yellow"|{{flagicon|ITA}} '''34''' - [[Alessandro Zampedri]]
|{{flagicon|CAN}} '''72''' - [[Claude Bourbonnais]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|{{flagicon|USA}} '''1''' - [[Paul Durant]]
|-
!12
|style="background:NavajoWhite"|{{flagicon|USA}} '''90''' - [[Lyn St. James]]
|style="background:NavajoWhite"|{{flagicon|USA}} '''9''' - [[Johnny Unser]]
|&nbsp;
|}

{{Color box|NavajoWhite|border=silver}} Reinstated to the field by the officials after the close of time trials

{{Color box|yellow|border=silver}} Dropped out during the pace laps, and did not start the race

===Alternates===
*First alternate: #34 - No driver listed ([[Alessandro Zampedri]]'s primary entry - bumped)

==Rain delay==

===Sunday May 25===
The race was originally scheduled for 11 a.m. EST on Sunday, May 25. Rain in the morning delayed the activities, but the skies appeared to lighten, and the cars were placed in the grid at 11:45&nbsp;a.m. At 12 p.m., the skies opened up, and heavy rain began to fall. The cars were wheeled back to the garage area. At 1:30&nbsp;p.m., track officials rescheduled the race for Monday.<ref name="Rainout">{{Cite news|url=https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-indy-500-race-day-rained-out/|title=Indy 500 Race Day - Rained Out|publisher=Motorsport.com|date=1997-05-25|access-date=2017-12-27|archive-date=2017-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228054224/https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-indy-500-race-day-rained-out/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Robby Gordon]], driving for [[Felix Sabates]]' [[Chip Ganassi Racing|Team SABCO]], had planned on driving the Indy 500/[[Coca-Cola 600]] "[[Double Duty]]". At 1:45&nbsp;p.m., Gordon left the grounds and flew to [[Charlotte Motor Speedway|Charlotte]]. The Coca-Cola 600 also suffered a rain delay, but did eventually see the green flag fall. Gordon wrecked out on lap 186 and finished 41st.

===Monday May 26===
[[File:1997Indy500PaceLaps.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The pace cars leads the field through turn one on Monday during the parade lap.]]
On [[Memorial Day]], Monday, May 26, the race was scheduled for 11 a.m. EST. Skies were partly cloudy in the morning, but there was no rain at the time. The pre-race ceremonies were held on time, but some subtle changes were made. The [[Purdue All-American Marching Band|Purdue Band]] was unable to return for Monday, and therefore [[Florence Henderson]]'s rendition of "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]" was done [[a cappella]]. In addition, "[[Taps (bugle call)|Taps]]" was played by a local musician as a substitute. The most noteworthy change, however, was the absence of [[Jim Nabors]]. He had left the grounds Sunday night and was not present to sing the traditional "[[Back Home Again in Indiana]]". At his request, a recording from a previous year (1993) was played for the fans. [[Mari Hulman George]] followed, officially taking over the family tradition (from her mother [[Mary Fendrich Hulman|Mary F. Hulman]]) of delivering the starting command. [[Mary Fendrich Hulman|Mary F. Hulman]] had been inducted into the [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum#Auto Racing Hall of Fame|Auto Racing Hall of Fame]] earlier in the month, but was in declining health. Also absent was longtime Speedway public address announcer John Totten, who had fallen ill.

On the first parade lap, Dr. [[Jack Miller (driver)|Jack Miller]] got sideways with cold tires and nearly spun in Turn 4. He continued and rejoined the field. On the final pace lap, all three cars of the fifth row, [[Stéphan Grégoire]], [[Affonso Giaffone]], and [[Kenny Bräck]] came together in Turn 4 and crashed out of the race. TV replays proved inconclusive to determine the cause of the accident, but a fan recording from the grandstands showed that Bräck had forced down Giaffone, whose left front tire touched Grégoire's car, turning him sideways and triggering the three-car incident. The start, therefore, was delayed by five extra pace laps. Afterwards, [[Robbie Groff]] stalled on the backstretch, and [[Sam Schmidt]] and [[Alessandro Zampedri]] ducked into the pits with mechanical trouble before the race was started. As such, only 30 of the 35 cars on the grid started the race.

[[Arie Luyendyk]] led the field to the green flag, but [[Tony Stewart]] slipstreamed past him after Turn 4 to lead the first lap. [[Team Menard]] would later register an official complaint over Luyendyk's start, after Stewart argued that Luyendyk had tried to crowd him towards the outside wall. During these first laps, [[Vincenzo Sospiri]] was overtaken by [[Robbie Buhl]] and a fast-starting [[Robby Gordon]], who climbed eight spots in only two laps. [[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]] also passed Sospiri and briefly pressured Gordon, but at the end of the sixth lap, he pulled into the pits with a sizeable water leak. Also, [[Eddie Cheever]] fell down the order after pitting because of a stuck gearbox.

On Lap 10, [[Claude Bourbonnais]], running in 26th place, blew his engine, the three Blueprint Racing drivers having fallen by the wayside with mechanical issues after the team worked on their engines for the whole week. Moments after the caution came out, a light drizzle started falling around the track. During the caution, Guthrie's crew frantically tried to fix the leak, but he lost seven laps. On lap 15, the rain started to fall harder, and the race was red-flagged. With rain continuing to fall, the cars returned to the garage area at 12:30&nbsp;p.m., and fans began to leave the grounds. The race had to go at least 101 laps to be considered official; with only fifteen laps completed, the race would have to be resumed.

After negotiations between IMS, series officials, and television executives, the decision was made at 2:15&nbsp;p.m. to resume the race on Lap 16 the following day, Tuesday, May 27, at 11 a.m. The arrangement was similar to the one that occurred during the [[1973 Indianapolis 500]], and differed from a similar situation during [[1986 Indianapolis 500|the 1986 race]]. Many expected the conclusion of the race to be postponed until Saturday, May 31, but the officials agreed that, due to [[1997 True Value 500|the upcoming race at]] [[Firestone 550|Texas]] and the good forecast for Tuesday, it was in the best interest to finish the race as soon as possible.

===Tuesday May 27===
With skies finally clearing, the race was finally able to get underway. [[Mari Hulman George]] delivered the "re-start" command at 11 a.m., and the race resumed at lap 16. Of the 35 qualifiers, 29 cars lined up single-file for the restart. The grandstands were only partially full, and it marked the first time since 1973 that the race was held mid-week. [[ESPN on ABC|ABC-TV]] made a special arrangement to cover the race live as planned.

==Race running==
[[File:KennyBrack-AJFoyt1997-Indy500.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Davey Hamilton]] (left) and car owner [[A. J. Foyt]] (right) walk through the pit area on Tuesday after the race.]]

===Re-start===
The race picked up single-file from the pits at lap 16. The first two laps were run under caution as warm-up laps, however, they counted towards the race total. On lap 18, the green flag came out with [[Tony Stewart]] resuming the lead against a very bunched-up field. [[Robby Gordon]] was practically alongside [[Robbie Buhl]] when the green flag dropped, stripped him of the third place and rapidly closed up on [[Arie Luyendyk]] on the backstretch, but he suddenly veered to the warm-up lane in Turn 3, as his engine had caught fire. Gordon jumped out of the car, with his driver's suit burning from leaked methanol in the cockpit, and began [[Stop, drop and roll|rolling vigorously]] in the grass to put the fire out.

The caution came out, and the car was returned to the pits, with Gordon still willing to drive, but he had to retire from the race with first and second-degree burns on his wrists and right thigh, for which he would miss an entire month of [[1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|Winston Cup]] competition. This would eventually lead to Gordon being released at the end of the year, after falling out of grace with [[Felix Sabates]],<ref name="GordonFired">{{cite news|title=NASCAR driver Robby Gordon fired|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/2001/03/21/NASCAR-driver-Robby-Gordon-fired/6561985150800/|newspaper=[[United Press International]]|date=March 21, 2001|access-date=August 29, 2019}}</ref> who later said that his team would not be back to the Indy 500, being displeased with the attitude of the paddock and the style of Indy car racing.<ref name="Sabates">{{cite news|title=Foyt's Texas Scuffle Shows That Boors Will Be Boors|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-13-sp-2910-story.html|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 13, 1997|access-date=August 29, 2019}}</ref>

As the field lined up for the restart on Lap 23, four cars tangled in Turn 4. [[Steve Kinser]], up to tenth place, misjudged the procedure and tagged [[Eliseo Salazar]] from behind. In the ensuing avoiding measures, [[Mark Dismore]] slowed down in 13th place, only to be rear-ended by [[Roberto Guerrero]], retiring on the spot. Salazar and Guerrero would lose laps with extensive repairs, but Kinser only had to replace his front wing. The first significant green flag racing of the week finally began at Lap 28, with Stewart leading Luyendyk and Buhl. [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]] and [[Buddy Lazier]] were fourth and fifth in front of [[Vincenzo Sospiri]] and [[Scott Goodyear]], having gained two and four positions respectively on the previous restart.

===First half===
[[Arie Luyendyk]] tried to pass [[Tony Stewart]] on the inside, but couldn't complete the move. The lost momentum allowed [[Robbie Buhl]] to pass him in Turn 3, and even [[Buddy Lazier]], after passing [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]], had a chance to attack the pole-sitter. The top 4 drivers soon pulled away from their competitors, with Stewart maintaining a two-second lead and Luyendyk repassing Buhl on Lap 44. The leaders made their first pit stop around Lap 50, when [[Team Menard]] discovered they had no telemetry read from Stewart's car. On Lap 59, [[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]] brought out the yellow, as his engine finally gave up. [[Vincenzo Sospiri]] had pitted earlier than anyone else, but had to make an unscheduled pit stop during the caution because of a malfunctioning fuel alarm. He rejoined in tenth place as the last car in the lead lap, behind [[Scott Goodyear]], [[Buzz Calkins]], a recovering [[Eddie Cheever]] and [[Davey Hamilton]].

On the Lap 62 restart, Luyendyk jumped to the front, putting a four-second lead over Stewart in thirteen laps. Buhl and Lazier ran nose-to-tail within ten seconds of Luyendyk, while the other lead lap drivers had fallen at least twenty seconds behind. Luyendyk made his second pit stop on Lap 79, and a brief issue with the air jack put him behind Stewart, but he reclaimed the lead going around the outside in Turn 1. Buhl, hampered by a failed rear wing change, and Ward also lost places to Lazier and Goodyear, although Lazier could not join the two leaders after being held up by the lapped car of [[Steve Kinser]]. At the longest green flag run of the day at 32 laps, [[Davey Hamilton]] was lapped, [[Eddie Cheever]] had to retire with a broken timing chain, and [[Buzz Calkins]] lost two laps after running out of fuel entering the pits.

On Lap 93, a loose brake caliper forced [[Eliseo Salazar]], who was already 23 laps down, to stop the car in Turn 2, bringing out the yellow flag. [[Robbie Buhl]], [[Vincenzo Sospiri]] and [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]] pitted for fuel and tires, but Sospiri was shown the black flag for passing Ward under caution. Sospiri served his penalty on Lap 100, but he stopped again four laps later with an electronic coil failure, and spent much of the second half of the race in the pits trying to figure out the issue. By the halfway point, thirteen cars had dropped out, and six stayed on the lead lap, with [[Billy Boat]], [[Marco Greco]], [[Paul Durant]] and [[Davey Hamilton]] in the top 10.

===Second half===
The race was restarted at the halfway mark, just one lap before the race became official. [[Buddy Lazier]] briefly pressured [[Tony Stewart]], but the latter picked up the pace and caught [[Arie Luyendyk]] within five laps. Luyendyk made his pit stop on Lap 111, one lap before Stewart and [[Scott Goodyear]], but he had issues again, this time on the left front tyre, and Stewart emerged in front of him after his stop. [[Buddy Lazier]], [[Robbie Buhl]] and [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]], meanwhile, elected to stretch their stints, and their choice initially paid off when the fifth caution of the day came out on Lap 114.

From 33rd on the grid, [[Paul Durant]] had climbed up to eighth, and was close to teammate [[Billy Boat]], both one lap down from the leaders. In Turn 3, Boat passed [[Billy Roe]], who was two laps down in 14th place, and Durant tried to do the same, but Roe closed the gap, unaware of Durant's presence, and both collided. Roe emerged unscathed from the heavy impact on the outside wall, but Durant had to be transferred to [[Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis|Methodist Hospital]] with a fractured pelvis and a concussion. Durant became the third injured driver in Foyt's #1 car during the month of May, after [[Scott Sharp]] and [[Johnny O'Connell]]. Durant's car kept accelerating when he got knocked out, just like Sharp's two weeks before.

Ward and Lazier made their pit stop under caution, with Ward rejoining between Stewart and Luyendyk, but Lazier ran out of fuel entering the pits and lost half a minute. Surprisingly, Buhl elected not to pit despite being on the same pit sequence as the leaders and, after the '1 to go' signal prevented a late change of mind, he restarted as the race leader. Luyendyk charged again, passing Ward on the restart and Stewart on Lap 128, and inherited the race lead when Buhl pitted four laps later. Trying to navigate through traffic while losing power, Lazier had a heated argument with [[Marco Greco]] when the Brazilian held him up, waving angrily at him as he made it past.

The yellow flag was waved again on Lap 138, when [[Jack Miller (racing driver)|Jack Miller]], running four laps down, crashed out of 17th place after losing control of his car in Turn 3. [[Mike Groff]], the IRL points leader, spun trying to avoid him, having already lost six laps. Luyendyk, Stewart and Goodyear pitted under caution, leaving Ward and Lazier in front. On the Lap 143 restart, Stewart struck back by passing Luyendyk and Lazier on one lap. Lazier kept dropping back and was swiftly passed by Luyendyk and Goodyear. Despite his great restart, Stewart suffered from a push condition and lost ground to Ward, falling seven seconds back on just five laps. Luyendyk eventually took advantage and passed him on Lap 159, with Goodyear closely behind. Six laps later, [[Tyce Carlson]] spun in Turn 2 just after being passed by Stewart. The caution ended Buhl's chances, as he had pitted just seconds before, losing a lap to the leaders.

Both Ward and Lazier pitted before anyone else on Lap 166 to gain track position, gambling on a caution-less finish. Luyendyk, Stewart and Goodyear pitted three laps later, but Stewart stalled his car and placed behind Goodyear on the Lap 170 restart. Both were able to pass Luyendyk, who also developed understeer in his car, and Lazier became vulnerable against all three of them on Lap 175. Twenty laps from the end, Stewart passed Goodyear but, five laps later, he went high on the exit of Turn 4 to avoid the slowing car of [[Buzz Calkins]], which allowed Goodyear to regain the position. Luyendyk tried to follow his teammate, but Stewart closed the door on him in the backstretch, forcing Luyendyk to put two wheels on the grass. Goodyear was running thirteen seconds behind Ward, but had the potential race lead, as Ward needed one final splash-and-go fuel stop before the finish.

===Controversial finish===
With eleven laps to go, [[Steve Kinser]] crashed out of ninth place when his left rear tire touched with the front right tire of [[Buzz Calkins]], whom he was lapping on the outside of Turn 4. [[Lyn St. James]], coming from behind after being passed by Kinser, ran high trying to avoid him and clipped the wall, damaging her suspension. The ensuing caution flag saw leader [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]] head to the pits for a splash of fuel, as well as [[Tony Stewart]], who was two gallons short per his team. With eight laps left, [[Scott Goodyear]] and his teammate [[Arie Luyendyk]] led the order, followed by [[Buddy Lazier]], while Ward and Stewart had a group of six lapped cars in front. They were the only five drivers on the lead lap.

The green flag came back out on Lap 194, and Luyendyk passed Goodyear on Turn 3 to take the lead. Trying to make it to the end in fifth place, Lazier lost his right-side rear-view mirror two laps later. The mirror got stranded in Turn 2, causing another caution for debris, and the green came back out at the conclusion of Lap 197, with three laps to go. As Luyendyk and Goodyear crossed the start/finish line to complete lap 198, [[Tony Stewart]] brushed the wall in turn 4, bending the right-front suspension. Although Stewart had continued, and the car was not seriously damaged, [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]] immediately brought out the yellow. The pace car did not enter the track to pick up the leader, as was the normal procedure, and both teams and drivers understood the race would finish under caution, as did [[IMS Radio Network]] announcer [[Bob Jenkins]].

As the cars came out of Turn 4, without any warning, [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]] officials suddenly displayed the white and green flags simultaneously at the starter's stand. The race was back underway for the final lap. The entire field hesitated as the yellow caution lights around the track remained illuminated, unsure if the green flag was an error and if the conditions were safe to race. Luyendyk obliged the flagstand, dropped a gear, and accelerated down the front straight, getting a jump on Goodyear and the rest of the field in the process. The yellow lights continued flashing around the track, something Luyendyk noticed on his radio while entering the backstretch, and did not go off until the leaders were nearly at Turn 3. The botched procedure prevented any significant challenge by Goodyear, and [[Arie Luyendyk]] pulled away just enough in the final lap to take the victory. It was Luyendyk's second Indy 500 win, becoming the 16th driver to win from the pole position. Luyendyk was emotional in victory lane as he stated:

''"I saw the green and white flag wave and I thought 'Hell, they better know what they're doing' and I will keep doing what I've been doing. This is a lot better than my first in [[1990 Indianapolis 500|1990]]."''

His teammate [[Scott Goodyear]] was satisfied but still disappointed at the outcome:

''"That's the key lap of the whole race, obviously, because you want to get a draft, get the guy going and lead coming out the backstretch. I don't think [[Arie Luyendyk|Arie]] even expected it. Overall, a 1-2 finish for Treadway is a bonus but...disappointed that I didn't win."''

After brushing the wall late, [[Tony Stewart]] limped around on the final lap with a bent suspension arm. After leading the most laps, he held on to finish in 5th place, the last car on the lead lap. It was his best Indy finish and only career top-five at the Indy 500.

==Box score==
{| class="wikitable"
!{{abbr|Pos|Position}}
!{{abbr|No.|Car Number}}
!Driver
!Team
!Chassis
!Engine
!Tire
!Laps
!Time/Retired
!Grid
!{{abbr|Pts.|Points}}
|-
!1
|align=center|5
| {{flagicon|NED}} [[Arie Luyendyk]] '''{{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}'''
|[[Treadway Racing]]
|[[G-Force GF01|G-Force]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|200
|align=center|3:25:43.388
|align=center|1
|align=center|37
|-
!2
|align=center|6
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Scott Goodyear]]
|[[Treadway Racing]]
|[[G-Force GF01|G-Force]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|200
|align=center| +0.570
|align=center|5
|align=center|33
|-
!3
|align=center|52
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|[[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]]
|[[G-Force GF01|G-Force]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|200
|align=center| +4.081
|align=center|7
|align=center|32
|-
!4
|align=center|91
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Buddy Lazier]] '''{{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}'''
|[[Hemelgarn Racing]]
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|200
|align=center| +10.330
|align=center|10
|align=center|31
|-
!5
|align=center|2
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Stewart]]
|[[Team Menard]]
|[[G-Force GF01|G-Force]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|200
|align=center| +28.613
|align=center|2
|align=center|31
|-
!6
|align=center|14
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Davey Hamilton]]
|[[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]
|[[G-Force GF01|G-Force]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|199
|align=center| -1 lap
|align=center|8
|align=center|29
|-
!7
|align=center|11
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Billy Boat]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|[[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|199
|align=center| -1 lap
|align=center|22
|align=center|28
|-
!8
|align=center|3
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robbie Buhl]]
|[[Team Menard]]
|[[G-Force GF01|G-Force]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|199
|align=center| -1 lap
|align=center|4
|align=center|27
|-
!9
|align=center|30
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robbie Groff]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|[[McCormack Motorsports]]
|[[G-Force GF01|G-Force]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|197
|align=center| -3 laps
|align=center|21
|align=center|26
|-
!10
|align=center|33
| {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Fermín Vélez]]
|[[Team Scandia]]
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|195
|align=center| -5 laps
|align=center|29
|align=center|25
|-
!11
|align=center|12
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Buzz Calkins]]
|[[Bradley Motorsports]]
|[[G-Force GF01|G-Force]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|188
|align=center|Half shaft
|align=center|16
|align=center|24
|-
!12
|align=center|10
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mike Groff]]
|[[Jonathan Byrd's Racing|Byrd-Cunningham Racing]] 
|[[G-Force GF01|G-Force]]
|[[Nissan VRH engine|Infiniti]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|188
|align=center| -12 laps
|align=center|18
|align=center|23
|-
!13
|align=center|90
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Lyn St. James]]
|[[Hemelgarn Racing]] 
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Nissan VRH engine|Infiniti]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|186
|align=center|Accident
|align=center|34
|align=center|22
|-
!14
|align=center|44
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Steve Kinser]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Sinden Racing Services
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|185
|align=center|Accident
|align=center|20
|align=center|21
|-
!15
|align=center|54
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Dennis Vitolo]]
|[[Beck Motorsports]] 
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Nissan VRH engine|Infiniti]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|173
|align=center| -27 laps
|align=center|28
|align=center|20
|- 
!16
|align=center|22
| {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Marco Greco]]
|[[Team Scandia]]
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|166
|align=center|Gearbox
|align=center|27
|align=center|19
|-
!17
|align=center|8
| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Vincenzo Sospiri]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|[[Team Scandia]]
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|163
|align=center| -37 laps
|align=center|3
|align=center|18
|-
!18
|align=center|9
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Johnny Unser]]
|[[Hemelgarn Racing]] 
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Nissan VRH engine|Infiniti]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|158
|align=center|Oil pressure
|align=center|35
|align=center|17
|-
!19
|align=center| 18
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tyce Carlson]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|[[PDM Racing]]
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|156
|align=center|Accident
|align=center|26
|align=center|16
|-
!20
|align=center| 40
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jack Miller (driver)|Jack Miller]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Arizona Motorsports
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Nissan VRH engine|Infiniti]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|131
|align=center|Accident
|align=center|17
|align=center|15
|-
!21
|align=center|1
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Paul Durant]]
|[[A. J. Foyt Enterprises]]
|[[G-Force GF01|G-Force]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|111
|align=center|Accident
|align=center|33
|align=center|14
|-
!22
|align=center| 50
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Billy Roe]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|[[EuroInternational]]
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|110
|align=center|Accident
|align=center|24
|align=center|13
|-
!23
|align=center|51
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Eddie Cheever]]
|[[Cheever Racing|Team Cheever]]
|[[G-Force GF01|G-Force]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|84
|align=center|Timing chain
|align=center|11
|align=center|12
|-
!24
|align=center| 7
| {{flagicon|CHL}} [[Eliseo Salazar]]
|[[Team Scandia]]
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|70
|align=center|Accident
|align=center|9
|align=center|11
|-
!25
|align=center| 97
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Greg Ray]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Knapp Motorsports
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|48
|align=center|Water pump
|align=center|30
|align=center|10
|-
!26
|align=center| 27
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]]
| Blueprint Racing
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|43
|align=center|Engine
|align=center|6
|align=center|9
|-
!27
|align=center| 21
| {{flagicon|COL}} [[Roberto Guerrero]]
|[[Pagan Racing]]
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Nissan VRH engine|Infiniti]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|25
|align=center|Steering
|align=center|19
|align=center|8
|-
!28
|align=center| 28
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mark Dismore]]
|[[Kelley Racing]] - [[PDM Racing|PDM]]
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|24
|align=center|Accident
|align=center|25
|align=center|7
|-
!29
|align=center|42
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Robby Gordon]]
|[[Chip Ganassi Racing|Team SABCO]]
|[[G-Force GF01|G-Force]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|19
|align=center|Fire
|align=center|12
|align=center|6
|-
!30
|align=center| 72
| {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Claude Bourbonnais]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Blueprint Racing
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|9
|align=center|Engine
|align=center|32
|align=center|5
|-
!31
|align=center| 77
| {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Stéphan Grégoire]]
|[[Chastain Motorsports]]
|[[G-Force GF01|G-Force]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|0
|align=center|Accident
|align=center|13
|align=center|4
|-
!32
|align=center| 17
| {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Affonso Giaffone]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Chitwood Motorsports
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|0
|align=center|Accident
|align=center|14
|align=center|3
|-
!33
|align=center| 4
| {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Kenny Bräck]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
|[[Galles Racing]]
|[[G-Force GF01|G-Force]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|0
|align=center|Accident
|align=center|15
|align=center|2
|-
!34
|align=center| 16
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Sam Schmidt]] '''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}'''
| Blueprint Racing
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Firestone}}
|align=center|0
|align=center|Engine
|align=center|23
|align=center|1
|-
!35
|align=center| 34
| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Alessandro Zampedri]]
|[[Team Scandia]]
|[[Dallara IR-7|Dallara]]
|[[Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 engine|Oldsmobile]]
|align=center|{{Goodyear}}
|align=center|0
|align=center|Oil leak
|align=center|31
|align=center|1
|}

'''{{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}''' Former Indianapolis 500 winner

'''{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}''' Indianapolis 500 Rookie

===Race statistics===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan=2|Lap Leaders
|-
!Laps
!Leader
|-
| 1–50 ||[[Tony Stewart]]
|-
| 51 ||[[Billy Boat]]
|-
| 52–62 ||[[Tony Stewart]]
|-
| 63–78 ||[[Arie Luyendyk]]
|-
| 79 ||[[Tony Stewart]]
|-
| 80–82 ||[[Buddy Lazier]]
|-
| 83–109 ||[[Arie Luyendyk]]
|-
| 110–111 ||[[Tony Stewart]]
|-
| 112–115 ||[[Buddy Lazier]]
|-
| 116–131 ||[[Robbie Buhl]]
|-
| 132–140 ||[[Arie Luyendyk]]
|-
| 141 ||[[Scott Goodyear]]
|-
| 142–166 ||[[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]]
|-
| 167–168 ||[[Arie Luyendyk]]
|-
| 169–192 ||[[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]]
|-
| 193 ||[[Scott Goodyear]]
|-
| 194–200 ||[[Arie Luyendyk]]
|}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan=2|Total laps led
|-
!Driver
!Laps
|-
|[[Tony Stewart]] || 64
|-
|[[Arie Luyendyk]] || 61
|-
|[[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]] || 49
|-
|[[Robbie Buhl]] || 16
|-
|[[Buddy Lazier]] || 7
|-
|[[Scott Goodyear]] || 2
|-
|[[Billy Boat]] || 1
|}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan=2|Cautions: 12 for 56 laps
|-
!Laps
!Reason
|-
|colspan=2 align="center"|''Monday May 26''
|-
| Pace lap ||[[Affonso Giaffone|Giafonne]], [[Kenny Bräck|Bräck]], [[Stéphan Grégoire|Grégoire]] crash in turn 4
|-
| 10–15 ||[[Claude Bourbonnais]] blown engine; Rain (red flag)
|-
|colspan=2 align="center"|''Tuesday May 27''
|-
| 16–18 || Warm-up laps for race restart
|-
| 20–28 ||[[Robby Gordon]] fire in turn 3
|-
| 59–62 ||[[Jim Guthrie (racing driver)|Jim Guthrie]] blown engine
|-
| 94–99 ||[[Eliseo Salazar]] stalled in turn 2
|-
| 114–123 ||[[Billy Roe]], [[Paul Durant]] crash in turn 3
|-
| 138–142 ||[[Jack Miller (racing driver)|Jack Miller]] crash in turn 3
|-
| 165–169 ||[[Tyce Carlson]] spin in turn 2
|-
| 189–193 ||[[Steve Kinser]], [[Lyn St. James]] crash in turn 4
|-
| 196–197 || Debris
|-
| 199 ||[[Tony Stewart]] brushed wall in turn 4  
|}
{{col-end}}

{| class="wikitable"
!colspan=2|[[Tire]] participation chart
|-
!Supplier
!No. of starters
|-
|align="center" style="background:blue;"|'''[[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|<span style="color:yellow;">Goodyear</span>]]''' ||align="center"| '''20'''&nbsp;
|-
|align="center" style="background:red;"|'''[[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|<span style="color:white;">Firestone</span>]]''' ||align="center"| '''15'''<nowiki>*</nowiki>
|-
|colspan=2 align=center|<nowiki>*</nowiki> - ''<small>Denotes race winner</small>''
|}

==Standings after the race==
;Drivers' Championship standings
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Pos
! Driver
! Points
|-
| 1
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Mike Groff]]
| 148
|-
| 2
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Davey Hamilton]]
| 143
|-
| 3
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Buzz Calkins]]
| 137
|-
| 4
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tony Stewart]]
| 133
|-
| 5
| {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Marco Greco]]
| 131
|}

* <small>'''Note:''' Only the top five positions are included for the standings.</small>

==Aftermath==
After the 25/8 qualifying controversy, rain delays, and bungling of the final lap by the officials, as well as the scrapping of the split-calendar IRL schedule, the 1997 Indy 500 represented a relative low-point for the then-fledgling [[Indy Racing League|IRL]]. The high attrition exposed growing pains for the new chassis and engine formula. The battle of the engine suppliers was completely one-sided, as [[Oldsmobile Aurora|Oldsmobile]] dominated, taking the top 11 finishing positions. [[Infiniti]] saw no cars in contention during most of the race.

The race also marked the end of the IRL's lucrative initial exclusive contract with [[ESPN on ABC|ABC Sports]], which was not renewed in its entirety. While the Indy 500 itself would remain on [[ESPN on ABC|ABC]], as well as a handful of other races, the IRL would have to complete their TV scheduling with other networks for two and a half years.

The first move to make amends was to drop the 25/8 rule permanently. Two weeks later, at [[Texas Motor Speedway]], during the inaugural [[1997 True Value 500|True Value 500]], the increasing dissatisfaction with [[United States Automobile Club|USAC's]] officiating hit the boiling point. A malfunction in the electronic scoring system scored [[Billy Boat]] as the winner of the race. Meanwhile, Indy 500 winner [[Arie Luyendyk]] [[1997 True Value 500#Race report|stormed in victory lane]], claiming he was robbed of the victory, which led to a physical altercation between him and Boat's car owner A. J. Foyt. The following day, the error was discovered, and it was another black mark on USAC's record. Two weeks later, USAC was officially relieved of the duty of sanctioning the [[IndyCar Series|IRL]], and was replaced by an in-house effort.

On the competition side, Luyendyk became the only driver to win an Indy 500 both before and after the open wheel "[[1996 Indianapolis 500#IRL/CART split|split]]". Luyendyk had previously won the [[1990 Indianapolis 500]], at a time when most of the field consisted of [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART series]] regulars. Luyendyk also had the distinction of winning the race with both a turbocharged (1990) and a normally aspirated (1997) engine, as well as winning a race with [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]] and [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]] tires.

In just his second Indy car race, and as a one-off driver, [[Jeff Ward (motorsports)|Jeff Ward]] finished in a remarkable third place, winning Rookie of the Year honours. After battling with Luyendyk for most of the race, [[Tony Stewart]] could only finish the race in fifth place, behind [[Buddy Lazier]]. Indy car debutant [[Billy Boat]] and rookie [[Robbie Groff]] also finished in the top 10, with [[Robbie Buhl]] in between. [[Mike Groff]] finished as the highest [[Infiniti]] placed driver in twelfth place despite losing twelve laps and retained the IRL points lead, with a five-point advantage over [[Davey Hamilton]], who finished sixth.

==Broadcasting==

===Radio===
The race was carried live on the [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network|IMS Radio Network]]. [[Bob Jenkins]] served as chief announcer for the eighth year. [[Johnny Rutherford]] served as "driver expert", and at the start of the race, also drove the pace car. The race was heard on roughly 500 affiliates.

The crew for the 1997 race remained the same from 1996. The broadcast featured rain delay coverage on Sunday, live coverage of the start on Monday, and live coverage of the conclusion on Tuesday. All members of the crew participated on all three days. After serving as a guest booth analyst the previous two years, [[Chris Economaki]] spent all three days in the pits as a roving reporter. Economaki conducted interviews and offered observations at various points during the race. In the pit area, Mark Jaynes covered the north pits, Mike King began the race in the center pits, and Vince Welch began the race in the south pits. In the second half of the race, King and Welch shared duties in the south and center pits, focusing on the race leaders.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
!colspan=3|[[Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network]] 
|-
!Booth Announcers!!Turn Reporters!![[Sideline reporter|Pit/garage reporters]]
|-
|valign="top" rowspan=2|
'''[[Play-by-play|Chief Announcer]]:''' [[Bob Jenkins]]<br />
'''Driver expert:''' [[Johnny Rutherford]]<br />
'''[[Statistician]]:''' Howdy Bell<br />
'''[[Historian]]:''' [[Donald Davidson (historian)|Donald Davidson]]<br />
|valign="top" rowspan=2|
'''Turn 1:''' [[Jerry Baker (announcer)|Jerry Baker]]<br />    
'''Turn 2:''' Ken Double<br />
'''Turn 3:''' Gary Lee<br />
'''Turn 4:''' [[Bob Lamey]]<br />
|align="center" valign="top"|Chuck Marlowe (garages/hospital)<br />[[Chris Economaki]] (interviews/roving reporter)<br />
|-
|align="center" valign="top"|Mark Jaynes (north pits)<br />[[Mike King (radio announcer)|Mike King]] (center pits)<br />Vince Welch (south pits)<br />
|}

===Television===
The race was carried live, flag-to-flag coverage in the United States on [[ESPN on ABC|ABC Sports]]. [[Paul Page]] served as host and play-by-play announcer. [[Tom Sneva]] joined the crew and served as booth analyst. [[Bobby Unser]] (turn 2) and [[Danny Sullivan]] (turn 4) served as turn reporters, and this would be the final 500 on ABC for both Unser and Sullivan.

The race was scheduled for Sunday, May 25, but rain postponed the start. ABC stayed on as scheduled on Sunday, and the broadcast was filled with highlights, interviews, and talk. On Monday, May 26, ABC returned to broadcast the race live, preempting regularly scheduled programming. The broadcast came on-air live at 11 EDT, and featured a one-hour pre-race, mirroring the traditional Sunday broadcast format. The race started, but was halted again on lap 15 due to rain. When it was announced that the race would be postponed again, ABC signed off and returned to its regularly scheduled lineup.

On Tuesday, May 27, ABC returned once again to air the remainder of the race live. Unlike a similar situation in [[1986 Indianapolis 500|1986]], officials decided to resume the race on Tuesday, rather than wait until Saturday. ABC again preempted their afternoon lineup and carried the entire conclusion.
 
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
!colspan=2|[[ESPN on ABC|ABC]] [[List of Indianapolis 500 broadcasters|Television]]
|-
!Booth Announcers!![[Sideline reporter|Pit/garage reporters]]
|-
|valign="top"|
'''Host/[[Play-by-play|Announcer]]:''' [[Paul Page]]<br />
'''[[Color commentator|Color]]:''' [[Tom Sneva]]<br />
'''[[Color commentator|Color]]/Turn 2:''' [[Bobby Unser]]<br />
'''[[Color commentator|Color]]/Turn 4:''' [[Danny Sullivan]]<br />
|align="center" valign="top"|[[Jack Arute]]<br />[[Gary Gerould]]<br />[[Jerry Punch|Dr. Jerry Punch]]
|}

Practice and time trials were carried over three networks: [[ESPN on ABC|ABC]], [[ESPN]], and [[ESPN2]]. 
*Live Daily Reports (ESPN2): Paul Page, Dave Despain, Jon Beekuis, Dr. Jerry Punch, Gary Gerould, Mike King
*Time trials ([[ESPN on ABC|ABC]]): Paul Page, Tom Sneva, Jack Arute, Gary Gerould
*Time trials ([[ESPN]]): Dave Despain, Tom Sneva, Jack Arute, Dr. Jerry Punch, Gary Gerould
*Time trials ([[ESPN2]]): Paul Page, Tom Sneva, Dr. Jerry Punch, Jon Beekuis, Mike King
*Carb Day (ESPN): Dave Despain, Jon Beekuis, Dr. Jerry Punch, Mike King
*RPM2Day at Indy (ESPN2): Kenny Mayne, Marlo Klain

==Gallery==
{{Commons category}}
<gallery>
File:Luyendyk1997pacecar.jpg|1997 Oldsmobile Aurora pace car
</gallery>

==Notes==

===References===
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
*''1997 Indianapolis 500 Daily Trackside Report for the Media''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120427163136/https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/indy500/history/stats/ Indianapolis 500 History: Race & All-Time Stats] - Official Site
*1997 Indianapolis 500 Radio Broadcast, [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network]]

{{American Championship Car race report footer
| Series = Indy Racing League
| Name_of_race            = [[Indianapolis 500]]
| Year_of_race            = 1996-1997
| Previous_race_in_season = [[1997 Phoenix 200]]
| Next_race_in_season     = [[1997 True Value 500]]
| Previous_year's_race    = [[1996 Indianapolis 500]]
| Next_year's_race        = [[1998 Indianapolis 500]]
}}

{{Indy 500}}
{{IndyCar Series Seasons}}
{{IndyCar Series on ABC}}

[[Category:Indianapolis 500 races]]
[[Category:1996–97 in IndyCar|Indianapolis 500]]
[[Category:1997 in motorsport|Indianapolis 500]]
[[Category:1997 in American motorsport|Indianapolis 500]]
[[Category:1997 in sports in Indiana|Indianapolis 500]]
[[Category:American open-wheel car racing controversies|Indianapolis 500, 1997]]