|| *Comments on the 2006 Indianapolis 500:* View the most recent comment <#37> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Ryan posted: 02.02.2009 - 5:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Andretti curse strikes again. Michael should have held up Sam for another turn or two longer and Marco would be the champ. 2. samfan09 posted: 02.03.2009 - 1:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was my greatest day in racing as a fan. To be able to say that my hometown produced an Indy 500 champion, and especially with the finish. With 1 to go after he made the run too soon, I thought Sam had no shot and was going to be happy for Marco. With everything the Andretti's have been through at Indy, it would have been great to see him win for sure. 3. RaceFanX posted: 02.03.2009 - 11:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sam Hornish Jr. FINALLY wins the Indy 500 Sole IRL race to date for Arie Luyendyk Jr. Michael Andretti returns to the IRL after a three-year absence to be in his son Marco's first Indy 500. He had a decent chance to win after pit stragety gave him the lead late but Marco and Hornish easily passed him. Opinion: Michael wasn't trying hard enough to win the race at the end of this one. He just moved over and let Marco pass. Come on, you'd never see Dale pull over for Dale Jr. 4. Indycar1 posted: 02.09.2009 - 11:04 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) This was the first Indy 500 in history that was settled by a last lap pass. Sam Hornish passed Marco Andretti with 100 yards to go. First time Helio Castroneves had a DNF. He crashed out with Buddy Rice in turn 4 at lap 109. 5. Ryan posted: 02.10.2009 - 8:17 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Michael had nothing for Marco and knew that. He knew that it would ruin the chances for the team to win if he held him up too long. Dale did let Jr. pass him in the 2000 All-Star race so Jr. could catch and pass Dale Jarrett at the end. I swear if I was Marco I would have did anything to get in the way of Hornish. I would have blocked so much. INEXPERIENCE! 6. samfan09 posted: 02.23.2009 - 11:28 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Also interesting to point out, this was the first time that Hornish finished all 500 miles at Indy. He probably had a couple possible winning cars in there, but a couple years he had terrible luck, a couple years he was trying too hard too early, and they just couldn't get to the finish. Looked like the same type of thing would happen here with the pit problem. 7. RaceFanX posted: 02.27.2009 - 4:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Okay Ryan, thank you for correcting me. I didn't remember Big doing that in the 2000 All-Star race. No matter what Michael Andretti did at the end of this race, it still worked a bit for him. He matched his best career IRL finish of 3rd. It was also his last top-5 and top-10 8. Willy on Wheels posted: 04.04.2009 - 11:01 am Rate this comment: (1) (6) This is what flukes are made of. Sideways Sam winning the Indy 500. I would have never believed it considering his tendency to suck 9. RaceFanX posted: 04.16.2009 - 11:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Al Unser Jr came out of retirement to run this race in a car fielded by the USA A1 Grand Prix team. Sadly, the former two-time Indy 500 winner was little more than a backmarker until he crashed out. 10. Pacer posted: 04.21.2009 - 5:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The pace car for this Indy 500 was a Chevrolet Corvette ZO6. 11. Team Gordon posted: 08.17.2009 - 3:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "This is what flukes are made of. Sideways Sam winning the Indy 500. I would have never believed it considering his tendency to suck." Acutually one of the best IRL drivers and is coming around in cup. Also lead the most laps the year before, and was the only competitive chevy in the '03 500. Jeff Bucknums' #92 is listed in the program as a Hemelgarn Racing entry. 12. CFob posted: 11.04.2009 - 3:44 am Rate this comment: (1) (1) "This is what flukes are made of. Sideways Sam winning the Indy 500. I would have never believed it considering his tendency to suck " For the love of God, go to a local short track, watch some racing, lose your annoying NASCAR-fan mindset and THEN come back to this site, 13. jamie88fan posted: 03.09.2010 - 10:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The week before the race I was down there for time trials and bought garage passes best two hounderd dollars i ever spent i think i got three quarters of the fields autograh.. 14. luigistarted06 posted: 03.13.2010 - 12:33 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I was so upset when Hornish passed Marco on that last straight. I mean my head thought there was no way Hornish would make up that much ground on the final lap, but I just had a bad feeling Hornish some how would, and he did. I forget what, but when Hornish crossed the line I threw something across my room in utter frustration. Again the Andrettis are cursed at the Indy 500, not even running 1-2 with 2 to go could they pull it off. I still cringe thinking how close it was, I mean that last straightaway seemed to go on forever 15. Talon64 posted: 12.10.2010 - 6:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I was so upset when Hornish passed Marco on that last straight. I mean my head thought there was no way Hornish would make up that much ground on the final lap, but I just had a bad feeling Hornish some how would, and he did. I forget what, but when Hornish crossed the line I threw something across my room in utter frustration." I was the same way and did the exact same thing, and to date it's the only time I've been so pissed about a race or a game that I've thrown something. So this is what it feels like when doves cry. LOL 16. Anonymous posted: 12.29.2010 - 2:27 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Coming out of the final corner, Marco Andretti (26) leads IRL legend Sam Hornish, Jr. (6) on the final lap. Andretti tries to block Hornish, Jr., but can't pull it off. Hornish, Jr. slipstreams past Andretti and wins his 15th carrer Indy Racing League race, 1st of 2006, by 64/1000ths of a second ahead of Marco Andretti. 17. Unser1 posted: 05.26.2011 - 10:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Stephan Gregoire makes his first IRL start since the 2001 Indy 500 and his last to date. 18. Ain't Nobody Better Than Penske posted: 09.14.2011 - 12:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Marco did a great job in this race, but the only thing he didn't have was Penske power! 19. RaceFanX posted: 09.18.2011 - 11:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tomas Scheckter's car was sponsored by Rock & Republic / Vision Racing in this race 20. RaceFanX posted: 11.18.2011 - 11:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Did not qualify: #12 Jon Herb- Playa Del Racing P/H/F #25 Marty Roth- Roth Racing (Marty Roth) D/H/F 21. Evan posted: 12.19.2011 - 9:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) * Crazy finish and one of the best ones I had seen, outside of the JR Hildebrand mishap that allowed the late Dan Wheldon by this year. Rest In Peace Dan. * This was the first broadcast for Rusty Wallace in ESPN. He screwed up several times, including calling the race "the most exciting DAYTONA 500 EVER!" but it was a forgivable lapse because Rusty said it out of excitement. However, Rusty would use this in prepwork to be an analyst when NASCAR moved to ESPN in 2007, however ESPN has been horrible since it picked up NASCAR. 22. b4il3y posted: 06.13.2013 - 12:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Willy on Wheels - Trollin' this Site since 2009. 23. Indycar1 posted: 02.15.2014 - 11:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Crew Chief list #2 Tony George #3 Tim Cindric #4 John Barnes #5 John O'Gara #6 Roger Penske #7 George Klotz #8 Tom Anderson #9 Mike Hull #10 Barry Wanser #11 Kim Green #14 A. J. Foyt #15 Jeff Britton #16 Ray Leto #17 Steve Dickson #18 A. J. Watson #20 Larry Curry #26 Kyle Moyer #27 John Anderson #31 Robbie Buhl #41 Bruce Ashmore #51 Iain Watt #55 Chris Finch #61 Skip Faul #91 Lee Kunzman 24. Avorstfire posted: 07.22.2014 - 11:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) According to Wikipedia, Ryan Briscoe was entered into the 500 in the #48 car for A.J. Foyt Racing, but the deal came so late he was still getting his seat fitted a half an hour before Bump Day, but never got to attempt qualify. 25. Dave #38 Fan-Go Gilliland! posted: 03.26.2015 - 9:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Right after Tomas Scheckter's crash, Jaques Lazier ran over a piece of his rear wing that was sitting in the middle of the track and sent it flying into the grandstands. Five fans were injured, none seriously. All five were treated and released from the infield care center. 26. FortiFord posted: 04.09.2015 - 12:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Airton Daré came out of retirement to run this race. 27. JRacingFast posted: 05.23.2016 - 11:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race is currently being aired on ESPN CLASSIC 28. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 08.31.2016 - 1:13 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) First Indy 500 starts for Marco Andretti and Townsend Bell. Only Indy 500 starts for Arie Luyendyk, Jr., Thiago Medeiros, and P. J. Chesson. Last Indy 500 starts for Eddie Cheever, Jr., Max Papis, Airton Dare, P. J. Jones, Bryan Herta, Felipe Giaffone, Stephan Gregoire, Larry Foyt, and Jeff Bucknum. 29. Damon posted: 11.28.2016 - 2:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Going into the 2006 Indy 500, 17 of the 33 drivers who started this race had won an IndyCar race, with average number of starts to get that first win being 33.4 Fewest number of starts to get first win - Dixon 3 Most number of starts to get first win- Cheever 87 The number of starts to get first win for the remaining 16 drivers in the field from fewest to most- Hornish 9, Scheckter 11, Unser Jr 19, Wheldon 19, Buddy Rice 22, Sharp 22, Jacques Lazier 23, Giaffone 25, Franchitti 30, A.Dare 31, Kanaan 31, Michael Andretti 36, Buddy Lazier 57, Max Papis 60, Herta 71 30. Damon posted: 11.28.2016 - 2:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Quick correction on my post, 18 drivers had won an IndyCar race, not 17....I forgot Castroneves and his 46 starts. 31. Damon posted: 11.29.2016 - 5:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hornish dominated the speedcharts all month, posting the fastest lap of the day 9 times in 10 practices, including morning pole day and Carb Day. Only Dan Wheldon kept him from a perfect month in that regard by posting the fastest lap on May 14. 32. Nathan Milliron posted: 03.12.2018 - 11:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Weren't Larry, Little Arie and Count Gregoire black-flagged? 33. Unser1 posted: 05.24.2019 - 9:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) IndyCar in 2006 was in a bad place with a only one engine manufacturer, a still raging open wheel civil war, and declining interest as NASCAR continued to dominate the American motorsports scene. There was a lot of hope that Marco Andretti's speed throughout the month could translate into the victory and that the sport could use the hype a long-awaited Andretti family win at the Brickyard could bring to get back into the mainstream. You could feel the excitement on the final lap with Marco out front and seemingly headed for victory only to have Hornish get him right at the finish and pull almost all the excitement right out of the air. While it was great to see Hornish finally get his 500 win after all his success many were disappointed Andretti couldn't hold on and yet again it was the Marlboro Penske car in victory lane. If there's a silver lining though the coming years have seen IndyCar doing better. And the finish in 2006 will certainly never be forgotten. 34. RaceFanX posted: 05.24.2019 - 9:54 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Sponsor: #41 Larry Foyt- ABC Supply Co. #18 Thiago Medeiros- Etanol Brasil / STP Thiago Medeiros, the 2004 Infiniti Pro Series/Indy Lights champion, made his only IRL start in this one and it was more dramatic than it looks. Medeiros crashed his #18 hard just two days before qualifying and it left the PDM Racing team scrambling to repair it in time for qualifying. Incredibly they did, using a Panoz chassis tub Fernandez Racing loaned them, and with the car now adorned in a patchwork of non-matching multi-colored bodywork Medeiros proceeded to go out and bump into the field as he claimed the last spot on the starting grid. PDM Racing had considered switching out Medeiros earlier in the week but stuck with him and were reward with a spot in the race. The team had the car back in its two-tone blue paint scheme for race day but Medeiros' run would be a short one as electrical issues quickly sidelined the #18. The Bump Day drama didn't end with Medeiros' charge as Marty Roth and Ryan Briscoe both planned last hour runs at the grid. Briscoe had been watching a Champ Car World Series race on TV earlier that afternoon when A.J. Foyt called him to get to the track as they were going to ready a backup car for a last minute run at the field and they wanted him to drive it. He raced to the track and quickly passed the required medical checks to be cleared to drive with just about one hour left in qualifying. The PDM team looked on nervously as Briscoe and Foyt readied their car while Roth practiced for his attempt. Roth looked like he might be fast enough for him to bump in but the excitement would end anti-climatically as he crashed into the Turn 1 wall with just under 25 minutes left in the session before he even started his attempt. The cleanup doomed any chance of Briscoe getting on the track at all and Medeiros' Bump Day run would be the only one this year. I don't even think Briscoe was officially entered in the race. 35. 33kalam posted: 11.08.2019 - 1:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The accident with Bucknum and Chesson driving for Hemelgarn racing would force the team shut down full time efforts after finishing 32nd and 33rd. They would only run the indy 500 years later. 36. SweetRich posted: 02.26.2020 - 10:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Commentators For The Race Were Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear And Rusty Wallace. The Pit Road Reporters Were Jerry Punch, Jack Arute, Vince Welch And Jamie Little. 37. Rich posted: 12.23.2020 - 6:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brent Musburger was the studio host. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: