Arie Luyendyk

Lore & Background

Luyendyk won a total of seven Indy car races, including three in the CART series, all of them on ovals. He started racing in the early 1970s, winning a number of Dutch national titles. In 1977, he won the European Super Vee championship, and switched to Formula Three. He moved to the United States in 1984, where he immediately won the Super Vee championship. With the help of sponsor Provimi Veal, Luyendyk ran his first full Champ Car season in 1985, winning the rookie of the year title both for the season and the Indianapolis 500. His first win in the series came in 1990 at the Indianapolis 500, with a record average speed of 185.981 mph (299.307 km/h). He won the 1990 Indianapolis 500 for Doug Shierson Racing. His average speed record stood for 23 years until broken in the 2013 Indianapolis 500 by Tony Kanaan. Luyendyk scored pole positions at Indianapolis in 1993, 1997 and 1999, and retired from the race while leading on three occasions. In 1995, he controlled the race early until an incident with Scott Sharp put him several laps down; he made up all his laps and barely beat eventual winner Jacques Villeneuve to get his final lap back and finish on the lead lap. In 1996, he set the qualifying lap record at 237.498 mph (382.216 km/h), though he did not start on the pole because he qualified on the second day of time trials. He won the 1997 Indianapolis 500 from the pole over Treadway Racing teammate Scott Goodyear; the race ended in controversy when on the final restart the white and green flag waved to end a caution but the yellow lights stayed on. At the 1997 True Value 500 at Texas, a scoring error by USAC resulted in Billy Boat being declared the winner; Luyendyk protested, was slapped by A. J. Foyt, and both were fined. Officials later reviewed the tape and declared Luyendyk the official winner. Luyendyk also participated in the 1992, 1993, and 1998 editions of the International Race of Champions. After 1997, he won only one race in the following season. After 1998, he cut down to a part-time schedule, only racing in the 1999 Indianapolis 500 where he won the pole and dropped out because of a crash. He retired from racing after the 1999 season, and for a short time joined ABC Sports as a color commentator. He returned to the Indy 500 in 2001 and 2002. In 2003, he entered at Indianapolis for the final time, suffered a crash during practice, and did not

In Their Own Story

The pit lane at Indianapolis, May 1997. The air smells of burnt rubber and high-octane fuel. Luyendyk sits in the cockpit, hands resting on the wheel, eyes closed. The noise of the grandstands is a low, constant roar, like the ocean heard through a seashell. His engineer leans in, voice barely audible over the idling engine: 'Track's fast. You know what to do.' A nod. No speech. No rally cry. Just the quiet click of the harness locking. He peels out of the pit box, the car sliding gently into the flow of traffic, and for the next three hours and forty minutes, he simply drives. Lap after lap. No drama. No miracle. Just a Dutchman, a machine, and the road, doing what they've done a hundred times before. The checkered flag falls, and he's already looking at the next race.

Reader's Guide

Luyendyk is known for his Indianapolis 500 wins in 1990 and 1997, setting the 1990 race average speed record (185.981 mph) that stood for 23 years, and a qualifying lap record of 237.498 mph in 1996. He won three CART races, all on ovals, and totaled seven Indy car wins. He also won the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring.

Did You Know?

• Luyendyk's 1990 Indianapolis 500 average speed record of 185.981 mph stood for 23 years until broken by Tony Kanaan in 2013.
• He set the Indianapolis 500 qualifying lap record in 1996 at 237.498 mph, but did not start on the pole because he qualified on the second day of time trials.
• After a scoring controversy at the 1997 True Value 500, Luyendyk was initially denied the win; officials later declared him the winner, and a duplicate trophy was awarded after A. J. Foyt refused to surrender the origina
• The last corner of the Zandvoort track in the Netherlands is named after Luyendyk.