| Race Name: | 86th Indianapolis 500 |
| Race Logo: | Indianapolis5002002.jpg |
| Sanction: | Indy Racing League |
| Season: | 2002 IRL season |
| Team: | Penske Racing |
| Date: | May 26, 2002 |
| Winner: |  Hélio Castroneves |
| Mph: | 166.499mph |
| Pole: | Bruno Junqueira |
| Pole Speed: | 231.342mph |
| Fast Time: | Bruno Junqueira |
| Rookie: |  Alex Barron Tomas Scheckter |
| Leader: | Tomas Scheckter (85) |
| Anthem: | Josephine Holmon (West Point cadet) |
| Back Home: | Jim Nabors |
| Start Engines: | Mari Hulman George |
| Pace Car: | Chevrolet Corvette |
| Pace Driver: | James Caviezel |
| Starter: | Bryan Howard |
| Attendance: | 400,000 |
| Network: | ABC |
| Race Start: | 1:00 PM EDT |
| Announcers: | Paul Page, Scott Goodyear |
| Rating: | 4.8 |
| Share: | 15 |
| Previous: | 2001 |
| Next: | 2003 |
The 86th Indianapolis 500miles race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 26, 2002. It was part of the 2002 Indy Racing League season. Rookie Tomas Scheckter led 85 laps, and appeared on his way to a possible victory, which would have marked the third consecutive Indy win for a first-year driver. However, Scheckter crashed on the front stretch while leading with only 27 laps to go. Hélio Castroneves (who also won the 2001 running) became the fifth driver in Indy 500 history to win back-to-back races. It was the second of his four Indy 500 victories. Castroneves became the first repeat winner since Al Unser Sr. (1970–1971). There would not be another repeat winner until Josef Newgarden in 2023–2024.
The 2002 race is largely considered one of the most controversial races in Indy history.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] On the 199th lap, second place Paul Tracy was alongside leader Hélio Castroneves, going for the lead in the third turn. At the same time, a crash occurred on another part of the track, bringing out the caution flag. Indy Racing League officials ruled that the yellow came out before Tracy completed the pass, and Castroneves was declared the victor. After an official protest was filed,[7] [8] and after an appeals hearing,[7] [9] Castroneves' victory was upheld on July 2, 2002.
About 7.46 inches of rain fell during the month of May,[10] considerably interrupting the on-track activities. The second day of time trials was completely washed out, while Bump Day was cut short due to rain. Likewise, six of the ten practice days were either delayed by moisture or halted due to rain showers. Uncomfortably cold temperatures also were observed during most of the month. Private testing and rookie orientation in April was also hampered several times due to rain and cold temperatures. Race day, however, was sunny, warm, and clear.
During the off-season, several CART teams again committed to entries in the IRL-sanctioned Indy 500 for 2002. Penske Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, and Team Green all announced they would return from 2001. Rahal Letterman Racing also announced they would join the CART teams and cross party lines to race at Indy. Due to the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, Team Green announced that they would not have primary sponsor KOOL, but their cars would carry the colors of associate sponsor 7-Eleven.
Robby Gordon announced on March 28 that he would attempt "double duty" for 2002 by racing in the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Tony Stewart, who attempted the feat in 1999 and 2001, announced he would not do so for 2002. John Andretti, who did so in 1994, also announced he would not attempt the double.
During the spring, the asphalt pavement at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway underwent a diamond grinding in an effort to smooth out several bumps.[11] In April, the new SAFER barrier was retrofitted to the retaining walls in the turns at the Speedway. It marked the first installation of the revolutionary-new energy-absorbing technology at an American superspeedway.[12]
For the 2002 race, all pit crew members that work over the wall must wear approved helmets. This requirement was in response to a succession of accidents and injuries (particularly head injuries) involving pit crew members in series sanctioned by members of ACCUS (NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, NHRA, CART, IRL). Many pit crews in the series had already been utilizing optional helmets since about 1999, after Steve Fried, the crew chief for Robby McGehee was critically injured in a pit accident. The accident put Freid in a coma for several weeks.
Prior to 2002, it was only required that the crew member operating the fuel rig was to wear a helmet. It was to protect from fire in case of a fuel spill, and protect him in case he lost his balance. His position between the front and rear axles was deemed particularly precarious. The tire changers did not wear helmets, despite the fact that they were more exposed and vulnerable to injury from other cars entering and exiting the pit lane.
The standardized font car numbers (black numerals on a white box) used from 1999 to 2001 were scrapped. Teams were permitted to utilize any color/font for car numbers decals, provided they were sufficiently visible. Car number decal placement locations were also adjusted. The required car number locations were to be one on the nose, and one on each of the rear wing vertical panels (right & left).