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1995

Indianapolis 500

Quick Overview

Speed, turbo and a spinning race car! Indianapolis 500 is a pinball machine released in 1995 under the Bally brand and built by Midway, bringing the atmosphere of the Indianapolis 500-mile race to the playfield. The machine was designed by Dennis Nordman, who wanted to emphasize speed, which is how the turbo multiball and the spinning car came about. The callouts come from well-known voices of the race, Paul Page, Bobby Unser and the famous track announcer Tom Carnegie. The machine is relatively rare: only 2,249 units were built.

Indianapolis 500

Basics

  • Release1995
  • ManufacturerBally (Midway)
  • DesignerDennis Nordman
  • ArtDan Hughes, Paul Barker
  • SoftwareMike Boon, Craig Sylla
  • AnimationAdam Rhine, Brian Morris
  • MechanicsWin Schilling, Armando Zuniga
  • MusicChris Granner
  • VoicesPaul Page, Bobby Unser, Tom Carnegie
  • GenrePinball
  • ThemeIndianapolis 500 car race
  • Players1–4
  • SystemWilliams WPC-S (WPC Security)
  • Units produced2,249

Creators

Dennis Nordman – designerDan Hughes and Paul Barker – artPaul Page, Bobby Unser and Tom Carnegie – announcers

Standout features:

Spinning race car model on the playfield that makes the machine shakeTurbo Lock – rapid return of the locked ballsPit Stop – two-ball multiball with the ball locked in a car replicaSpeedway objectives, positions and laps toward the Victory LapLight-up targets and a video mode on the displayCallouts by Paul Page, Bobby Unser and Tom Carnegie

Play It Live!

Start your engines! Fire up the Turbo Lock, watch the spinning car, and play the Indianapolis 500 pinball machine at Arcade Museum Budapest!

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Game Objective

Indianapolis 500 is about speed and progress through the race. The game revolves around completing the Speedway objectives, improving your position (passing opponents) and driving as many laps as possible, with the Victory Lap as the goal. One of the game's main features is the Turbo Lock, which captures balls in one of its chambers and fires them back onto the playfield at lightning-fast speed. With the Pit Stop feature, the ball is locked in a car replica and another shot starts a two-ball multiball. The playfield also holds a spinning race car model, which makes the machine shake from time to time, and whose speed increases after the right ramp is hit. The playfield has light-up targets, and a video mode awaits on the display.

Fun Facts

  • It was designed by Dennis Nordman, who wanted to emphasize speed.
  • The spinning race car model makes the machine shake from time to time, and its speed increases after the right ramp is hit.
  • The Turbo Lock fires the locked balls back quickly.
  • With the Pit Stop feature, the ball is locked in a car replica and a two-ball multiball starts.
  • Tom Carnegie is the famous track announcer of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the "Voice of the Indy 500".
  • Paul Page and Bobby Unser are known voices from ABC's television coverage.
  • The playfield has light-up targets.
  • Kineticist ranks it as the fourth best pinball machine of 1995.
  • 2,249 units were produced in total.
  • The Pinball Arcade offered it as a digital version between July 2016 and June 2018.
  • Recommended for fans of car racing and speed.

Why Is It Special?

Indianapolis 500's biggest highlight is its sense of speed: the spinning race car model makes the machine shake from time to time, and the Turbo Lock fires balls back at lightning-fast speed. The Pit Stop feature locks the ball in a car replica, and another shot starts a two-ball multiball. The callouts come from real voices of the race: Paul Page and Bobby Unser from ABC's television coverage, and Tom Carnegie, the famous track announcer of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the "Voice of the Indy 500". Kineticist ranks it as the fourth best pinball machine of 1995 and possibly Dennis Nordman's best game. It was built in a relatively small run of 2,249 units. The Pinball Arcade also offered it as a digital version from 2016 to 2018.