2003 Indianapolis 500

The 87th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 25, 2003. Two-time defending champion Hélio Castroneves won the pole position and was trying to become the first driver in Indy history to win three in a row. With 31 laps to go, however, Castroneves was passed by his Team Penske teammate Gil de Ferran. The duo finished 1st–2nd, with de Ferran winning his first and only Indy 500. It was Penske's second 1–2 finish (after 2001. The race was sanctioned by the Indy Racing League and was part of the 2003 IndyCar Series season.

For the 2003 season, the series adopted a new chassis package and saw the introduction of Toyota and Honda to the field. It was Honda's third period of involvement at Indy. They partnered with the Judd program in the 1987 race, and was an engine provider in CART in 1990s, entering at Indy in 1994–1995. Their return in 2003 started a more than two-decade period of involvement, which is still continuous as of 2026. Honda's third place finish (with Tony Kannan) was their best-ever Indy result at the time, a precursor to their first Indy victory, which would come in a year later. Toyota, previously an engine provider in CART, was making their first-ever attempt at Indy. They won in their first outing and recorded the first Indy 500 win for a Japanese engine manufacturer. But it would prove to be Toyota's only Indy 500 victory – they would depart IndyCar after 2005 and allocate their efforts towards NASCAR.

Due to cost issues, and a shortage of engines and drivers, there was considerable concern going into the month of May that the field might fall short of the traditional 33 starters. On the final day of qualifying, the field was filled, avoiding a PR "black eye". No cars were bumped from the field for the first time since 1947.

Former presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton were in attendance, the first time in Indy history that two former presidents were at the race. It was the elder Bush's second visit to the Speedway; he previously presided over the opening ceremonies of the 1987 Pan American Games, which was held at the track. Rookie A. J. Foyt IV, racing on his 19th birthday, became the youngest driver ever to compete in the race.

For the first time since the 1970s, the race was not announced as a sell-out. Since 1985, the race was usually sold out by July of the previous year.