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2008: Danica Patrick (Sat. 5/10/08)
For the second year in a row, it appeared that Ryan Briscoe would earn the honor of first in the field. He completed the run at 224.833 mph. Six cars followed, the came Danica Patrick, who completed a run of 225.197 mph. Later in the day, Briscoe withdrew his time, and the next six either withdrew their times, were bumped, and one was disqualified. Patrick stood on her time all day, and was the first car to qualify and make the field with the respective speed. On race day, she was clipped by Ryan Briscoe exiting the pits, and dropped out, credited with 22nd place.
2007: Ryan Briscoe (Sat. 5/12/07)
Pole Day qualifying was held without a rain delay for the first time since 2001. New qualifying rules, which were implemented in 2005, but not fully utilitzed until 2007, saw only 11 cars qualify per day. Bumping would begin on Pole Day once 11 cars were qualified. At 12:03 p.m., qualifying began with Buddy Rice running a 221.766 mph. Scott Dixon went out second at 224.351 mph. However, later in the day, Rice was bumped, and Dixon's time was withdrawn. The third qualifier, Ryan Briscoe, ran 224.410 mph, and was the first qualifier to actually make the field. On race day, Briscoe spent most of the day in the top ten, and finished 5th.
2006: Jeff Bucknum (Sat. 5/20/06)
The entire first weekend was rained out, and only a short practice session was held Sunday before rain returned. Pole day was moved to the next Saturday. Jeff Bucknum was the first car to make a qualifying attempted, and qualified at 221.461 mph. He would start 22nd. On race day he was involved in a crash with his teammate P.J. Chesson on the second lap, and finished 32nd.
2005: Scott Sharp (Sun. 5/15/05)
Pole Day qualifying was delayed one day due to rain. Scott Sharp drew the first qualifying attempt and accepted the opportunity to qualify. He wound up finishing at 227.126 mph, a speed that held up for the pole position for less than ten minutes. Two cars later Tony Kannan bested the speed and secured the pole position at 227.566 mph. Sam Hornish, Jr. withdrew his first qualifying speed (incidently he was originally the second car to go out, immediately after Sharp) and improved his starting position from 10th to 2nd, just ahead of Sharp. Sharp remained on the front row, in third starting position. On race day, Sharp finished 7th, on the lead lap.
2004: Roger Yasukawa (Sat. 5/15/04)
Pole Day qualifying was delayed until 2:19 PM due to morning rain. Rookie Ed Carpenter drew first to qualify, but he did not make an attempt at that time. Second in line was Robby Gordon's primary car, however, that car had been involved in a crash the previous Monday. The next two cars were the back-ups of Tony Kanaan and Bruno Junqueira, neither of which went out. Fifth in line was Roger Yasukawa, who took to the track first. Yasukawa qualified at 220.030 mph, which put him in the 12th starting position. He would finish 10th on race day.
2003: Robbie Buhl (Sun. 5/11/03)
Pole Day was rained out on Saturday May 10, so qualifying was rescheduled for the following day. Robbie Buhl drew first and was the first out to qualify, He completed his run at 224.369 mph, and started 22nd. On race day, Buhl dropped out after 147 laps due to engine trouble and finished 23rd.
2002: Bruno Junquiera (Sat. 5/11/02)
Rookie George Mack's back-up car drew first to qualify, but it was not presented. Rookie Bruno Junquiera was the first car out to qualify, completing his run at a four-lap average of 231.342 mph. His speed held up all day, and he wound up winning the pole position. It was the first time since 1990 (Emerson Fittpaldi) that the first car out to qualify ultimately won the pole position. On race day, Junquera dropped out after 87 laps due to gearbox problems.
2001: Arie Luyendyk (Sat. 5/12/01)
The first car in the qualifying order was the back-up of Shigeaki Hattori, which was not presented. Second was Stan Wattles, but he two skipped the moment to qualify. Arie Luyendyk, returning from a year of retirement, was the first driver to make a qualifying attempt. Luyendyk completed his run at a four-lap average of 224.257 mph, and he started 6th. On race day, Luyendyk wasn't a factor, and finished 13th, two laps down.
2000: Al Unser, Jr. (Sat. 5/20/00)
Four cars that were either back-up machines or unassigned drew the first four spots in the qualifying order. None of the four were presented for an attempt.
Buzz Calkins, fifth in line, was the first driver to make an attempt to qualify at 11:20 AM, but he waved off after two laps. Another back-up car was next, then the car of rookie Ross Cheever, who didn't make an attempt either. Three more back-up skipped the line, so the 11th car in the order, the back-up of Al Unser, Jr. took to the track. Unser, trying to qualify at Indy for the first time since 1994, was only the second car on the track, but 11th in line, one of the lowest draws for the first car in the field. He began his run at 11:08 AM, and completed it at a speed of 220.293, good enough for 18th starting position. On race day, Unser dropped out after 89 laps due to overheating caused by a puncture.
1999: Tony Stewart (Sat. 5/22/99)
A wet track delayed the start of the morning practice session, and the start of qualifying by about one hour. Eddie Cheever, Jr. drew first and went out to make an attempt to qualify at 12:04 PM. He was the first defending champion to be first to qualify since Emerson Fittpaldi in 1990. Cheever waved off after three questionable laps. Tony Stewart, now a NASCAR regular, with luck, drew the second qualifying position. He needed to qualify as early in the day as possible since he needed to fly to Charlotte that afternoon to particpate in The Winston that evening. Stewart completed his run at 220.653 mph, rather slow, but he had to take it in order to make it to Charlotte on time. Stewart slowly dropped in the lineup as the day wore on, and wound up in the 24th starting position. On race day, Stewart wasn't much of a factor, but did finish 10th. Stewart then flew to Charlotte where he participated in the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR event.
1998: John Paul, Jr. (Sat. 5/16/98)
Rookie Jack Hewitt was the first driver to make an attempt at 11 AM, but waved off after three laps. Eddie Cheever, Jr. was second five minutes later, but he too waved off. At 11:09 AM, John Paul, Jr. was the third driver to take to the track, and completed his run at 217.351 mph. Paul wound up starting 16th, and on race day, he had decent race, finishing 7th, three laps down.
1997: Mike Groff (Sat. 5/10/97)
Mike Groff was the first car out to qualify at 11 AM. Groff's four-lap average of 208.537 mph put him in the 18th starting position. On race day, Groff spun on the 137 lap, but was able to continue. He finished 12th, 12 laps down.
1996: Lyn St. James (Sat. 5/11/96)
Lyn St. James drew first in line to qualify. Rain delayed the start of Pole Day until 2 PM, and St. James qualified at 224.594 mph. She would start 18th. On race day, she crashed out after 153 laps, finishing 14th.
1995: Alessandro Zampedri (Sat. 5/13/95)
Rain delayed the start of Pole Day until 4:45 PM. Dean Hall was the first car to take to the track, but waved off after three laps. Rookie Alessandro Zampedri was the second car out, qualifying at 225.753 mph, good enough for 17th position. On race day, Zampedri finished 11th, two laps down.
1994: Hideshi Matsuda (Sat. 5/14/94)
After a 1 hour and 15 minute rain delay, Hideshi Matsuda was the first car to make a qualifying attempt. He completed his run at a speed of 222.545 mph, which was good enough for the 14th starting position. On race day, Matsuda was involved in a crash, finishing 24th after completing 90 laps.
1993: Mario Andretti (Sat. 5/15/93)
Stan Fox was the first car to make an attempt at 11:02 AM, but waved off after three questionable laps. A reconfigured warm-up lane, with the old track apron removed, caused a lot of concern for drivers and teams. They did not know remotely what speed would be required to make the field. Mario Andretti was the second car on the track. He completed his run at an average of 223.414 mph, which put him in the second starting position. In the first hour and a half of qualifying, ten qualifying attempts were waved off, or never took the green flag, while only five were completed. Andretti's speed held the pole until the final hour, when Arie Luyendyk outqualified him at 5:01 PM. On race day, Andretti led the most laps, and finished 5th.
1992: Arie Luyendyk (Sat. 5/9/92)
Rain delayed the start of Pole Day until 4 PM. Arie Luyendyk was the first out on the track, and set a new track record of 228.967 mph the first time around. His second lap was faster at 229.305 mph, and his four-lap average was a record 229.127 mph. His speed did not hold up though, and he wound up starting fourth. On race day, Luyendyk was a factor, but crashed out on the 135th lap, finishing 15th.
1991: A.J. Foyt (Sat. 5/11/91)
A.J. Foyt, who announced that he would retire after the 1991 race, was the first car to make an attempt at 11 AM. His four-lap qualifying run was completed at a speed of 222.443. He held the pole for nearly two hours, through fourteen attempts, but was finally bumped to second by Rick Mears. Rain ended the day early, leaving several cars out of the run for the pole. Foyt's second place starting position held up, even though when qualifying was complete, he was only the fourth fastest overall in the field. On race day, from his second starting position, Foyt dropped back rather quickly. On the 24th lap, Foyt ran over a piece of debris from an accident involving Kevin Cogan and Roberto Guererro, and his day was done, finishing 28th. Foyt would return to qualify in 1992.
1990: Emerson Fittipaldi (Sun. 5/12/90)
Rain cancelled qualifying on Saturday May 11, which was moved to the following day. On Sunday May 12, rain again delayed qualifying, which finally got underway at 4:30 PM. Defending champion Emerson Fittipaldi took the green flag at 4:34 PM, and set a track record on his first lap of 225.006 mph (39.999 seconds), the first official lap over 225 mph ever at the Speedway. Each lap was increasingly faster, and the fourth was run at 225.575 mph. His four lap average of 225.301 mph was the fastest of the day until the track closed at 6 PM. Pole Day qualifying extended into the following weekend, but no cars were able to knock Fittipaldi off the pole. On race day, Fittipaldi dominated the first half of the race, and finished third.
1989: Al Unser, Sr. (Sun. 5/14/89)
Rains cancelled qualifying on Saturday May 11, so Pole Day was rescheduled for the following day. Al Unser, Sr. took to the track first at noon, and set one-lap track records on each of his four laps, with the last at 223.803 mph. His final four-lap average speed was also a record at 223.471 mph. A little over two hours later, Unser was bumped to second place by his teammate Rick Mears. On race day, Unser dropped out from clutch problems after 68 laps, and finished 24th.
1988: Mario Andretti (Sat. 5/14/88)
Mario Andretti was the first out to qualify at 11:03 AM. His first lap of 217.014 mph was nearly a record. However, his subsequent laps fell dramatically, and his four-lap average was 214.692, putting him in the fourth position. On race day, Andretti dropped out from electrical problems after 118 laps, finishing 20th.
1987: Rick Mears (Sat. 5/9/87)
Michael Andretti was the first car to make an attempt to qualify, on a hot, windy pole day, at 11 AM. However, after two laps, he was waved off by his crew because of an ill-handling car. Ludwig Heimrath's car failed technical inspection, so the second car to take to the track was George Snider, who also waved off after two laps. A year-old Penske back-up car was the next in line, and by luck of a coin toss between himself and Danny Sullivan, Rick Mears took to the track in it to qualify. Mears's speed of 211.467 mph would be good enough for third on the grid. On race day, Mears wasn't much of a factor, dropped out after 75 laps, and finished 23rd.
1986: Mario Andretti (Sat. 5/10/86)
Dick Simon was the first driver to make an attempt, at 11:07 AM, but waved off after three laps. Al Unser, Sr. was the next car in line to qualify, but a dissapointing morning practice session promted his team to wait until later to qualify. At 11:18 AM, Mario Andretti took to the track, and qualified at 212.300 mph, good enough for fifth on the grid. On Wednesday May 14, Andretti crashed his qualified car in practice, and was forced to run his back-up car in the race, moving to the rear of the field. On race day, he started 30th, but dropped out after 19 laps, finishing 32nd.
1985: Scott Brayton (Sat. 5/11/85)
The first car chosen in the draw was unassigned, so the first driver to make an attempt was the second in the order, Scott Brayton at 11:02 AM. His first lap was a one lap track record of 211.815 mph, and his four lap run was a record 212.354. It was also an all-time record for stock-block engines. His third lap was his fastest, at 214.199 mph. Although his one-lap record stood, his four lap record was beaten by Pancho Carter three cars later. Brayton started second on race day, but fell out after 19 laps, and finished 30th.
1984: Rick Mears (Sat. 5/12/84)
Dennis Firestone was the first car out to make a qualifying attempt at 12:15 PM, but waved off before completing a lap. Overnight rains had delayed the track opening for about an hour. Rick Mears went out second at 12:25 PM, and set a one lap track record on his first lap of 208.502 mph. His four lap qualifying speed of 207.847 was also a new record. Mears wound up qualifying third, and won the race. The first driver to qualify first-in-the-field and win the race since A.J. Foyt 1977.
1983: Patrick Bedard (Sat. 5/21/83)
On Friday May 13, Gary Bettenhausen drew first in line to qualify. On Pole Day (May 14), rains delayed any track action until after 4 PM, and ultimately cancel qualifying for the weekend. On Saturday May 21, Pole Day was held, and Bettenhausen was the first car out to make an attempt at 11:05 AM. After one slow lap, he was waved off by his crew. The second car out was rookie Patrick Bedard, who completed his run at 195.941 mph. Bedard wound up starting 17th, and on race day he crashed out and finished 30th.
1982: Kevin Cogan (Sat. 5/15/82)
Bill Alsup drew fiurst in line to qualifiy, and an unassigned Penske Team back-up car picked second. Alsup didn't present for an attempt, and the Penske car was presented for team driver Kevin Cogan. At 11:03 AM, on his second lap, Cogan set a new one lap track record of 203.351, then bettered it at 204.638 on the third. His four-lap average was a then-record at 204.092 mph. The very next car out to qualify was Cogan's teammate, Rick Mears, who blistered Cogan's five minute old records, and finished at 207.004 mph for the pole. Cogan's speed held up all day for second. On race day, at the start, Cogan's car veered into A.J. Foyt, then collided with Mario Andretti, putting them both out of the race. Cogan was credited with 30th place.
1981: A.J. Foyt (Sat. 5/9/81)
Tom Sneva drew first in line to qualify, and was the first car out to make an attempt. After a lengthly rain delay, Sneva took to the track at 3:34 PM. He was waved off after three somewhat inconsistent laps. Second in the lineup, Danny Ongias, skipped his turn, and third in the order, A.J. Foyt took to the track. After a fast first lap of 198.369 mph, Foyt completed his four-lap run inconsistently at 196.078, brushing the wall on the third lap. Foyt wound up starting third, and finishing 13th on race day. Only 9 nines qualified on the first day, when rain closed the track early. Sunday brought day-long rain, and pole qualifying was exteneded into the following weekend. Sneva missed out on the pole position rounds, and ultimately qualified as a "third-day" qualifier. He wound up being the fastest qualifier in the field at 200.691, but had to start 20th, behind the pole day qualifiers.
1980: Rick Mears (Sat. 5/10/80)
Sheldon Kinser drew first in line to qualify, but defending champion Rick Mears was the first car on the track to make an attempt. Mears took the green at 11:05 AM, and qualified at 187.490 mph. Mears would end up starting 6th, and finishing 5th.
1979: Johnny Rutherford (Sun. 5/13/79)
Rain postponed qualifying on Saturday 5/12, so Pole Day qualifying was delayed until the next day. At 12:06 PM, Joe Saldana, who drew first in line to qualify, took the green flag to attempt to qualify. Saldana, however, was waved off after three laps. Pancho Carter went out second, but he was waved off after three laps. Johnny Rutherdord, the third car out onto the track was the first to complete a run. Rutherford took the green at 12:23 PM, and qualified first in the field for the second year in a row, this time at 188.137. Rutherford's speed put him in the 8th starting position, and he finished 18th in the race.
1978: Johnny Rutherford (Sat. 5/20/78)
The entire first weekend of qualifying (5/13-5/14) was completely rained out. Pole qualifying was delayed until the second weekend of time trials. Johnny Rutherford's bak-up car was actually drawn first to qualify, and Rutherford qualified it first in the field at 197.098 mph. Rutherford's speed put him in the 4th starting position, and he would finish 13th on race day.
1977: A.J. Foyt (Sat. 5/14/77)
Danny Ongias drew first in line to qualify, but he blew his engine practicing the morning of Pole Day, and was forced to pass on his qualifying attempt. A.J. Foyt, who drew second in line, was the first car to go out onto the track and complete a qualifying attempt. Foyt qualified at 193.465 mph and wound up starting 4th. Foyt would go on to win the race, his fourth career victory.
1976: Larry Cannon (Sat. 5/15/76)
Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon drew second in line to qualify (the first car in line was a back-up with no driver listed). Rqain delayed the start of qualifying, and Cannon took the green flag at 2:28 PM, qualifying at 181.388 mph. Cannon wound up starting 10th, and finishing 17th.
1975: Jerry Karl (Sat. 5/10/75)
Rookie Al Loquasto drew the first in line to qualify, and was the first driver to complete a attempt. Loquasto took the green at 11:05 AM, and qualified at 180.723 mph, tenatively the second-slowest car in the field. The following weekend, Loquasto was bumped, and failed to requalify. The second car that made an attempt, Jerry Karl, who drew second in line to qualify, was the second car to complete an attempt, but was the first car to truely qualify. Karl qualified at 182.537 mph, starting 20th, and finished 13th.
1974: A.J. Foyt (Sat. 5/10/74)
A.J. Foyt drew first in line to qualify and was the first car in the field. Foyt qualified at 191.632 mph, and managed to hold onto the pole position all day until rain halted qualifying at 4:20 PM. Time trials would be resumed the following Saturday (5/18), and no cars elegible for the pole positon were able to knock Foyt off the pole. Foyt's starting position of first place led him only to a 15th place finish in the race, dropping out with mechanical problems.
1973: Peter Revson (Sat. 5/12/73)
Larry Dixon drew first in line, but Peter Revson, who drew thrid in line was the first driver to make a qualifying attempt. Revson took the green at 11:03 AM, and qualified at 192.606 mph, which would give him 10th starting position. Revson would finish 31st in the race after an accident.
1972 Joe Leonard (Sun. 5/14/72)
John Mahler picked first in the qualifying draw, but the first car to make an official attempt on Pole Day (Sat. 5/13) was A.J. Foyt, who was sixth in line. Rains delayed qualifying until 5:50 PM, when Denny Zimmerman went out onto the track, but never took the green. Roger McCluskey also took a few warm-up laps, but again, did not take the green flag. A.J. Foyt was the third car to take to the track, but was the first to take the green flag, which he did at 5:57 PM. On his first lap, however, Foyt's engine quit in a puff of smoke, and qualifying was closed for the day. On the next day, Joe Leonard, who had been eleventh in the qualifying order, was the first driver to complete a qualifying run. Leonard qualified at 185.223 mph, which would give him the 6th starting position. Leonard finished 3rd on race day.
1971: A.J. Foyt (Sat. 5/15/71)
Bud Tinglestad drew first in line for qualifying, but Mike Mosely, the third car in line was the first car out on the track (Larry Dickson drew second in line, but also passed). Mosely took the green flag at 11:12 AM, but spun in the north chute on his first lap. A.J. Foyt, who actually had drew the tenth in the qualifying order, was the next car to go out onto the track. Foyt qualified at 174.317 mph, which would place him 6th on the grid. Foyt would finish 3rd on race day.
1970: Rick Muther (Sat. 5/16/70)
Muther was the first driver on the track for practice in 1970, and drew the first in line for qualifying. Muther qualified at 165.654 mph, and would start 15th, the third-slowest car on Pole Day. On race day, Muther finished 8th
1969: Arnie Kenpper (Sat. 5/24/69)
Rookie Jigger Sirois drew first in line for qualifying, and went out first on Pole Day (Saturday May 17). Sirois took the green flag at 4:12 PM, but was waved off after only three laps. Minutes later, it began to rain, and rained for two days, postponing any further qualifying until the following weekend. On Saturday May 24, quliafying was resumed, and Arnie Knepper was the first to qualify. Knepper qualified at 166.220 mph, and would start 21st and finish 22nd.
1968: Graham Hill (Sat. 5/18/68)
Hill took the green flag at 11:09 AM, and qualified the Granatelli Turbine at a four-lap track record of 171.208 mph. Hill wound up qualifying second, and finishing 19th after an accident.Hill was the third car in the qualifying draw, the cars of Bob Hurt and Masten Gregory passed on their attempts to be first in the field.
1967: Ronnie Duman (Sat. 5/13/67)
Duman took the green flag at 12:53 PM, and finished with a four-lap average of 162.903 mph. He would wind up starting 17th, and on race day he finished 23rd.