''Indianapolis 500 Evolution'' is a

racing game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a motor racing, racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more re ...

, developed by British studio Brain in a Jar Ltd, based on the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

and

American Championship car racing American open-wheel car racing, generally and commonly known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2025 IndyCar Series, 2025, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sa ...

from 1961 to 1971. It is similar to

Destineer Destineer, Inc. was an American umbrella company covering a holding company, a video game publisher, and video game developer based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The company was founded by Peter Tamte, former executive vice-president of Bungie, in ...

's 2007 game ''

Indianapolis 500 Legends ''Indianapolis 500 Legends'' is a racing game recounting the history of the Indianapolis 500. Players take on the roles of various famous racers between 1961 and 1971, completing tasks such as overtaking a specified number of cars or qualifying ...

''. In the game, players take on the roles of various famous racers from that time period with 21 missions, photos, and movies, as well as competing on courses such as the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, and and formerly the home of the U ...

, as well as the

Milwaukee Mile The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectat ...

, Trenton, Riverside,

Hanford Hanford may refer to: Places *Hanford (constituency), a constituency in Tuen Mun, People's Republic of China *Hanford, Dorset, a village and parish in England *Hanford, Staffordshire, England *Hanford, California, United States *Hanford, Iowa, ...

and

Langhorne Speedway Langhorne Speedway was an automobile racetrack in Middletown Township, Bucks County, near the borough of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. According to the book ''Langhorne! No Man's Land'' by L. Spencer Riggs: "With ...

. Honey Creek, the name for inner road course of the Milwaukee Mile, is also included, and is still used for various club racing events in the present day.

Career

The Career lasts between 1961 and 1971 and also features the " rear-engine revolution" and the final roadster to race at the Indy 500 in 1968. The game also includes 21 missions that reward the player credits for use in career mode, photos and movies of the Indy 500 between 1961 and 1971.

Indy 500 events from 1961 to 1971

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

- New Pennock Grandstands and

Jack Brabham Sir John Arthur Brabham (2 April 1926 – 19 May 2014) was an Australian racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Brabham won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in , and , ...

's Cooper-Climax that finished 9th in the 1961 Indy 500. New rookies such as

Roger McCluskey Roger McCluskey (August 24, 1930 – August 29, 1993) was an American IndyCar driver. He was raised in Tucson, Arizona. He won championship titles in three divisions of the United States Auto Club: Sprints, Stocks, and Champ Cars. He won the US ...

Bobby Marshman George Robert Marshman (September 24, 1936 – December 3, 1964), was an American racecar driver. Born the son of auto race promoters George and Evelyn Marshman in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Marshman died in San Antonio, Texas of injuries sustain ...

, and

Parnelli Jones Rufus Parnell "Parnelli" Jones (August 12, 1933 – June 4, 2024) was an American professional racing driver and racing team owner. He is notable for his accomplishments while competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Baja 1000 desert race, and ...

are introduced.

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

- The final strip of bricks left on the start-finish line, qualification speed, and

Mickey Thompson Marion Lee "Mickey" Thompson (December 7, 1928March 16, 1988) was an American auto racing builder and promoter. A hot rodder since his youth, Thompson increasingly pursued land speed records in his late 20s and early 30s.

's rear-engined

Buick Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...

racer driven by rookie

Dan Gurney Daniel Sexton Gurney (April 13, 1931 – January 14, 2018) was an American racing driver, engineer and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of motorspo ...

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

- Introduction of the "rear-engine revolution" and

Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport categories including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, American Championship Car Racing, Ind ...

Jim Hurtubise James Ernest Hurtubise (December 5, 1932 – January 6, 1989) was an American racing driver who competed in American Championship Car Racing, Championship Cars, Sprint car racing, sprint cars and stock cars. Hurtubise enjoyed much success in spri ...

driving a Novi-powered car, and

Jim Clark James Clark (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British racing driver from Scotland, who competed in Formula One from to . Clark won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with Lotus, and—at the time of his death—held the ...

's and Dan Gurney's Lotus cars.

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

- Decline of the front-engine roadsters begin as the

Halibrand Halibrand is an American maker of racing wheels and quick-change rearend housings. Halibrand started in Culver City, California in 1946. Its first product was a magnesium wheel for Indy car IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing ...

, Huffaker, and

Brabham Motor Racing Developments Ltd., commonly known as Brabham ( ), was a British race car, racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. It was founded in 1960 by the Australian driver Jack Brabham and the British-Australian designer Ron Ta ...

cars are introduced to replace the aging roadsters that dominated Indy since 1911.

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

- The tragic deaths of

Eddie Sachs Edward Julius Sachs Jr, (May 28, 1927 – May 30, 1964) was a United States Auto Club driver who was known as the "Clown Prince of Auto Racing". He coined the phrase "If you can't win, be spectacular". Early life Sachs was born May 28, 1927, in ...

and Dave McDonald after the 1964 Indy 500 forced the fuel to be changed from

gasoline Gasoline ( North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When for ...

methanol Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical compound and the simplest aliphatic Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with the chemical formula (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often ab ...

. The fuel was in fire protective tanks off to the sides of the car with two mandatory pit stops to avoid such a tragic crash. The tanks were smaller in size compared to years previous. Only a handful of front-engine roadsters remains as the rear-engine cars keep dominating the circuit. The fuel change would not happen again in Indy history until 2005 when the fuel was changed to

ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...

, which is what the Indy cars run on today.

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

- With Bobby Grim remaining as one of the final front-engine roadster drivers, the rear-engine cars also gain a few drivers from Europe such as Jim Clark, Sir

Jackie Stewart Sir John Young "Jackie" Stewart (born 11 June 1939) is a British former racing driver, sports broadcasting, broadcaster and motorsport executive from Scotland, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Flying Scottish people, Scot" ...

and

Graham Hill Norman Graham Hill (15 February 1929 – 29 November 1975) was a British racing driver, rower and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "Mr. Monaco", Hill won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles ...

from the

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

series. This also marks the 50th Indy 500 event.

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

Andy Granatelli Anthony "Andy" Granatelli (March 18, 1923 – December 29, 2013) was an American businessman, most prominent as the CEO of STP as well as a major figure in automobile racing events. Granatelli was born in Dallas, Texas. Along with his broth ...

introduces the

STP-Paxton Turbocar The STP-Paxton Turbocar was an American racing car, designed by Ken Wallis as the STP entry in the Indianapolis 500. Parnelli Jones drove it in the 1967 event. After leading for much of the race, a transmission failure with only eight miles left e ...

, while most of the field remains in rear-engined cars. Even though the turbine-powered car lacked handling, it almost won the 1967 Indy 500 until it broke down with eight miles to go. The problem was caused by a transmission bearing. In 1968, the Turbocar crashed into the wall during qualifying at Indy. Today it is now a museum gem of Indy's two brief years of turbine power. This also marks the first Indy race to not feature a front-engine roadster.

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

- Lotus introduces its turbine-powered

Lotus 56 The Lotus 56 was a gas turbine-powered four-wheel-driven racing car, designed by Maurice Philippe as Team Lotus's STP-backed entry in the 1968 Indianapolis 500. All three cars entered and retired from the race with Joe Leonard's car expiring wh ...

, while the

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

Offenhauser The Offenhauser Racing Engine, or Offy, is a racing engine design that dominated American open wheel racing for more than 50 years and is still popular among vintage sprint and midget car racers. History The Offenhauser engine, familiarl ...

engine is still being used in many Indy rear-engined cars. Jim Hurtubise qualifies a front-engine roadster for the roadster's last time in Indy history.

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

- With the turbine-powered cars and front-engined roadsters completely gone, the Indy cars have two choices for engines, both turbocharged: Offenhauser and

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

. However, the Ford engine suffered from high temperatures during racing, qualifying, and practice so most drivers stuck with the turbocharged Offenhauser. Also, the Indy cars now gain aerodynamic enhancements to improve grip and speed.

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

- Offenhauser and Ford engines dominate the field while the aerodynamics between the 1961 front-engine roadsters and the 1970 rear-engine cars are also mentioned. qualification speeds also play a big role in the entire Indy 500 field.

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

- With all the aerodynamic enhancements to the car, the

Coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...

is introduced as the first Indy car to handle the four turns at over and straight-line speed at over .

References

{{Indy Racing League games 2009 video games Brain in a Jar games Destineer games IndyCar Series video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Racing video games set in the United States Racing video games Video games developed in the United Kingdom Video games set in Indianapolis Xbox 360 games Xbox 360-only games