Vintage 2000 84th Indianapolis 500 T-shirt

Description

Celebrate the 2000 Indy 500 with this genuine event t-shirt marking the 84th running of the race and the historic return of CART teams to the Brickyard. A classic piece of motorsport history.

History

The 2000 Indianapolis 500, held on May 28, 2000, was the 84th running of the historic race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Most notable for the dominant performance of Juan Pablo Montoya, a rookie from Colombia driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. Montoya led 167 of the 200 laps, winning the race and becoming the first rookie winner since Graham Hill in 1966. His victory marked the return of CART-affiliated teams to the Indy 500 after the split between CART and the Indy Racing League (IRL) in 1996. The race was part of the IRL schedule, which made Montoya’s dominance—coming from a CART background—all the more impactful, raising questions about the competitiveness of the IRL field.

Greg Ray started from the pole position with a speed of 223.471 mph, and the race saw seven cautions for 33 laps, with an average speed of 167.607 mph. The event drew a massive crowd of over 400,000 spectators and was broadcast live by ABC Sports. The race used IRL’s technical rules, including naturally aspirated V8 engines from Oldsmobile and Infiniti. Ganassi’s adaptation of CART technology to IRL regulations stirred controversy and admiration. The win was Montoya’s only Indy 500 start until he returned in 2014 with Team Penske.

Color: White

Size: Large