The 81st Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana over three days, May 25–27, 1997. It was originally scheduled for Sunday May 25, however, rain washed out all activities for the day. The race was started on Monday May 26, but rain halted the race after only 15 laps had been completed. On Tuesday May 27, the race was resumed, and was run to completion. The rain delay, as well as two controversies (one during time trials, and one during the race), put a damper on the month.
It was the second Indianapolis 500 held as part of the USAC-sanctioned Indy Racing League, and was part of the 1996-97 Pep Boys Indy Racing League season. It marked the introduction of a new production-based, normally aspirated engine formula as well as a new chassis design.
A controversy during qualifying saw two additional cars added to the field after the close of time trials. It was only the second time since 1933 that more than the traditional 33 cars comprised the starting grid.
With two laps to go, polesitter Arie Luyendyk led teammate Scott Goodyear. A caution came out on the 199th lap, but the pace car did not come out to pick up the field. Drivers and crews expected the race would finish under the caution. Without warning, the green and white flag were 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 controversy erupted regarding the officials' poor handling of the situation. Less than a month later, USAC was permanently removed from sanctioning the IRL and Indy 500, in favor of in-house officiating.[1]
The win by Arie Luyendyk marked the milestone 50th Indianapolis 500 victory for Firestone. It was Luyendyk's second Indy victory (he also won in 1990), as well as Scott Goodyear's second runner-up finish (1992). It was the third time in his career that Goodyear narrowly lost the Indy 500 in the closing stages. Taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Indianapolis_500
Starting Lineup:
| Row | Inside | Middle | Outside |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  5 - Arie Luyendyk (W) |
 2 - Tony Stewart |
 8 - Vincenzo Sospiri (R) |
| 2 | 3 - Robbie Buhl |
 6 - Scott Goodyear |
27 - Jim Guthrie |
| 3 | 52 - Jeff Ward (R) |
14 - Davey Hamilton |
 7 - Eliseo Salazar |
| 4 | 91 - Buddy Lazier (W) |
51 - Eddie Cheever, Jr. |
42 - Robby Gordon |
| 5 |  77 - Stéphane Grégoire |
 17 - Affonso Giaffone (R) |
 4 - Kenny Bräck (R) |
| 6 | 12 - Buzz Calkins |
40 - Dr. Jack Miller (R) |
10 - Mike Groff |
| 7 |  21 - Roberto Guerrero |
44 - Steve Kinser (R) |
30 - Robbie Groff (R) |
| 8 | 11 - Billy Boat (R) |
16 - Sam Schmidt (R) |
50 - Billy Roe (R) |
| 9 | 28 - Mark Dismore |
18 - Tyce Carlson (R) |
22 - Marco Greco |
| 10 | 54 - Dennis Vitolo |
 33 - Fermín Velez |
97 - Greg Ray (R) |
| 11 | 34 - Alessandro Zampedri |
72 - Claude Bourbonnais (R) |
1 - Paul Durant |
| 12 | 90 - Lyn St. James |
9 - Johnny Unser |
Other Drivers on Entry List:
| John Paul, Jr. |
| Johnny O'Connell |
| Scott Harrington |
| Scott Sharp |
Lap-By-Lap Summery:
Pace Lap: Car #4 Kenny Brack, Car #17 Affonso Giaffone, and Car #77 Stephane Gregoire Crashed in Turn 4
Green Flag: Tony Stewart Leads Lap 1
Lap 10: Caution #1 Car #72 Claude Bourbonnais Blew and Engine; It also started Raining
Lap 15: Red Flag: Race was Postponed to the next day.
Lap 18: Green Flag
Lap 19: Caution #2 Car #42 Robby Gordon Tow-In
Lap 23: Green Flag
Lap 24: Caution #3 Car #7 Eliseo Salazar, Car #21 Roberto Guerrero, Car #28 Mark Dismore, and Car #44 Steve Kinser Crashed in Turn 4
Lap 28: Green Flag
Lap 51: Billy Boat Took the lead
Lap 52: Tony Stewart Took the lead
Lap 59: Caution #4 Car #27 Jim Guthrie Blew an Engine
Lap 62: Green Flag
Lap 63: Arie Luyendyk Took the lead
Lap 79: Tony Stewart Took the lead
Lap 80: Buddy Lazier Took the lead
Lap 83: Arie Luyendyk Took the lead
Lap 94: Caution #5 Car #7 Eliseo Salazar Tow-In
Lap 99: Green Flag
Lap 110: Tony Stewart Took the lead
Lap 112: Buddy Lazier Took the lead
Lap 114: Caution #6 Car #1 Paul Durant, and Car #50 Billy Roe Crashed in Turn 3
Lap 116: Robbie Buhl Took the lead
Lap 123: Green Flag
Lap 132: Arie Luyendyk Took the lead
Lap 137: Caution #7 Car #10 Mike Groff, and Car #40 Jack Miller Crashed in Turns 3-4
Lap 141: Scott Goodyear Took the lead
Lap 142: Green Flag: Jeff Ward Took the lead
Lap 165: Caution #8 Car #18 Tyce Carlson Crashed in Turn 2; also Car #9 Johnny Unser Tow-In
Lap 167: Arie Luyendyk Took the lead
Lap 169: Green Flag: Jeff Ward Took the lead
Lap 189: Caution #9 Car #44 Steve Kinser, and Car #90 Lyn St. James Crashed in Turn 4
Lap 193: Green Flag: Scott Goodyear Took the lead
Lap 194: Arie Luyendyk Took the lead
Lap 196: Caution #10 Debris on the Track
Lap 197: Green Flag
Lap 198: Caution #11 Car #2 Tony Stewart Brushed the wall in Turn 4
Lap 199: Green Flag; and White Flag
Lap 200: Checkered Flag: Arie Luyendyk Wins his 2nd and final Indy 500.
Race Results:
| Finish | Driver | Laps | Status | Prize Money |
| 1 | Arie Luyendyk | 200 | 145.827 | $1,568,150 |
| 2 | Scott Goodyear | 200 | 145.82 | $513,300 |
| 3 | Jeff Ward | 200 | 145.779 | $414,250 |
| 4 | Buddy Lazier | 200 | 145.705 | $279,250 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | 200 | 145.49 | $345,050 |
| 6 | Davey Hamilton | 199 | Running | $214,000 |
| 7 | Billy Boat | 199 | Running | $269,700 |
| 8 | Robbie Buhl | 199 | Running | $235,200 |
| 9 | Robbie Groff | 197 | Running | $222,350 |
| 10 | Fermin Velez | 195 | Running | $216,400 |
| 11 | Buzz Calkins | 188 | Half shaft | $201,000 |
| 12 | Mike Groff | 188 | Running | $197,300 |
| 13 | Lyn St. James | 186 | Accident | $188,000 |
| 14 | Steve Kinser | 185 | Accident | $193,250 |
| 15 | Dennis Vitolo | 173 | Running | $210,000 |
| 16 | Marco Greco | 166 | Gear box | $193,000 |
| 17 | Vincenzo Sospiri | 163 | Running | $196,250 |
| 18 | Johnny Unser | 158 | Oil pressure | $158,000 |
| 19 | Tyce Carlson | 156 | Accident | $173,250 |
| 20 | Jack Miller | 131 | Accident | $171,250 |
| 21 | Paul Durant | 111 | Accident | $178,000 |
| 22 | Billy Roe | 110 | Accident | $150,250 |
| 23 | Eddie Cheever Jr. | 84 | Timing chain | $176,000 |
| 24 | Eliseo Salazar | 70 | Accident | $164,000 |
| 25 | Greg Ray | 48 | Water pump | $171,250 |
| 26 | Jim Guthrie | 43 | Engine | $164,500 |
| 27 | Roberto Guerrero | 25 | Steering | $160,000 |
| 28 | Mark Dismore | 24 | Accident | $159,000 |
| 29 | Robby Gordon | 19 | Fire | $139,500 |
| 30 | Claude Bourbonnais | 9 | Engine | $152,250 |
| 31 | Stephan Gregoire | 0 | Accident | $158,000 |
| 32 | Affonso Giaffone | 0 | Accident | $158,250 |
| 33 | Kenny Brack | 0 | Accident | $202,250 |
| 34 | Sam Schmidt | 0 | Engine | $150,250 |
| 35 | Alessandro Zampedri | 0 | Oil leak | $145,000 |
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