Qualifications
Most Pole Postions
Most Consecutive Victories: 2
Longest Span Between First and Last Victories: 17 years
Youngest Winner
Oldest Winner
Most Victories from the Pole Position:
Most Victories from the Front Row: 4
Most Victories, Owner
Most Consecutive Victories, Owner
Most Victories, Chief Mechanic
Lowest Starting Position, Winner (All-Time)
Lowest Starting Position, Winner (33-Car Field)
Fewest Starts in Becoming a Two-Time Winner
Fewest Starts in Becoming a Three-Time Winner
Fewest Starts in Becoming a Four-Time Winner
Most Victories Without Winning From the Front Row: 4 (A.J. Foyt, started on front row 8 times, but in none of his four wins)
Fastest Winning Average Speed (Full 500 Miles)
Slowest Winning Average Speed (Full 500 Miles)
Most Top Five Finishes, All-Time
Most Top Ten Finishes, All-Time
Most Consecutive Top Five Finishes, All-Time
Most Consecutive Pole Positions
Most Time Starting on Front Row:
Most Consecutive Time Starting on Front Row:
Three Former Winners on the Front Row:
Most Pole Postions, Owner/Team
Owner/Team qualifying 1st-2nd-3rd
Owner/Team qualifying 1st-2nd
Working...
Most Cars Qualified on Front Row, All-Time, Owner
Highest Starting Position, Rookie
Worst Finish from Pole Position
Lowest Starting Position for the Overall Fastest Qualifier (except 1911-1914): 27th (Chet Miller 1952)
Lowest Starting Position for the Overall Fastest Qualifier (all-time): 29th (Georges Boillot 1914, line-up set by blind draw)
Highest Starting Position for the Overall Slowest Qualifier (modern era, four or fewer qualifying days): 14th (Kevin Cogan 1993)
Highest Starting Position for the Overall Slowest Qualifier (all-time): 8th (Howdy Wilcox 1923, Louis Tomei 1936)
Lowest Speed Rank for Pole Position Winner: 10th fastest (Jerry Hoyt 1955, 9 cars qualified faster than the pole winner)
Most Consistent Qualifying Laps (4 decimal places)
Most Consistent Qualifying Laps (3 decimal places)
Closest Time Between Top Two Qualifiers
Closest Time Between Top Three Qualifiers
Largest Time Between Top Two Qualifiers: 13.13 seconds (1923, Tommy Milton over Jimmy Murphy)
Most Qualifying Attempts, Single Year: 6 attempts (1993- Eddie Cheever; 6 attempts in three different cars, two run to completion, one ultimately bumped, four waved off)
Most Cars Bumped: 11 (1979, 1981)
Fewest Cars Bumped
Most Winnings, Single Race, Non-Winner
Most Winnings, Single Race, Last Place Finisher
Most Winnings, Career
Largest Total Race Purse
Most Consecutive Starts, Career: 35 (A.J. Foyt 1958-1992)
Most Starters, Single Race: 42 (1933)
Fewest Starters, Single Race: 21 (1916)
Most Former Winners, Single Race: 10 (1992- A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Sr., Rick Mears, Tom Sneva, Danny Sullivan, Bobby Rahal, Emerson Fittipaldi, Arie Luyendyk)
Most Former Rookies of the Year, Single Race: 8 (1990- Mario Andretti, Pancho Carter, Rick Mears, Teo Fabi, Michael Andretti, Roberto Guerrero, Arie Luyendyk, Scott Pruett)
Most Rookies, Field (All-Time): 40 (1911, First Race)
Most Rookies, Field (Besides 1911): 19 (1919, 1930)
Fewest Rookies, Field: 1 (1939, 1979)
Most Cars Entered: 117 (1984)
Most Laps Led, Single Race: 198 of 200 possible (Billy Arnold 1930)
Most Consecutive Laps Led: 198 (Billy Arnold 1930, laps 3-200)
Most Consecutive Laps Led, Rookie: 143 (Juan Montoya 2000, laps 33-175)
Most Consecutive Laps Led From the Start of the Race: 92 (Emerson Fittipaldi 1990)
Most Consecutive Laps Led To Finish the Race: 198 (Billy Arnold 1930, Laps 3-200)
Most Laps Led by Winner: 198 (Billy Arnold 1930)
Fewest Laps Led by Winner: 2 (Joe Dawson 1912, laps 199-200)
Most Laps Led, Non-Winner, Career: 431 (Michael Andretti 1984-1992, 1994-1995, 2001-2003, 2006-2007)
Most Laps Led, Single Race, Driver Did Not Win That Race: 196 (Ralph DePalma 1915)
Most Laps Led, Single Race, Driver Did Not Win That Race, Nor Ever Won Race: 160 (Michael Andretti 1992)
Lowest Total Laps Led by the Driver Who Led the Most Laps in Single Race: 47 (Roberto Guerreo 1996)
Lowest Finishing Position By Driver Leading Most Laps: 23rd (Danny Sullivan, 1988; led 91 laps then crashed on lap 102)
Most Laps Led By the Pole Position Starter: 198 (Billy Arnold 1930)
Fewest Laps Led By the Pole Position Starter: 0 (Many Times, Most Recent- Scott Sharp 2001)
Most Laps Led By The First Two Front Row Starters, Combined: 200 all (1930, 1965)
Most Laps Led By The Three Front Row Starters, Combined: 200 all (1930, 1940, 1965)
Fewest Laps Led By All Three Front Row Starters, Combined: 0 (1958)
Most Laps Led, Rookie, Single Race: 167 (Juan Montoya 2000)
Most Races Led: 13 (A.J. Foyt)
Most Races Led, Career Non-Winner: 9 (Rex Mays)
Most Times Led, Career: 39 (A.J. Foyt)
Most Times Led, Single Race: 13 (Tommy Milton 1923)
Most Times Led, Single Race, Non-Winner of that Race: 10 (Rodger Ward 1960)
Most Consecutive Races Leading at Least One Lap
Most Lead Changes, Single Race: 29 (1960)
Fewest Lead Changes, Single Race: 1 (1930)
Most Different Leaders, Single Race: 12 (1993)
Fewest Different Leaders, Single Race: 2 (1930, 1965)
Most Times Leading the Opening Lap: 6 (Rex Mays, 1935-1936, 1938, 1940-1941, 1948)
Most Times Leading the Most Laps, Career: 4 (Mario Andretti- 1969, 1985, 1987, 1993)
Most Consecutive Times Leading Most Laps: 3 (Bill Vukovich, 1952-1954)
Most Times Leading the Most Laps in a Losing Effort, Career: 3 (Mario Andretti 1985, 1987, 1993)
Most Consecutive Times Leading Most Laps in a Losing Effort 2 (Michael Andretti 1991-1992)
Most Consecutive Laps/Miles Completed
Most Times Completing Full 500 Miles, Career
Most Consecutive Times Completing Full 500 Miles
Most Times Completing Full Race Distance, Career
Most Cars Completing the Full 500 Miles
Fewest Cars Completing the Full 500 Miles
Fewest Laps Completed By Race Winner
Shortest Official Race
Most Laps Completed, Field, Single Race
Fewest Laps Completed, Field, 500-mile Race
Fewest Laps Completed, Field, All-Time
Most Caution Laps, Single Race
Fewest Caution Periods, Single Race
Fewest Caution Laps, Single Race
Fewest laps completed from the start before first caution
Most Laps Completed From Start Before First Caution
Longest Strech of Laps Completed Without Caution Period
Longest Strech of Laps Completed Without Caution Period to Finish the Race
Longest Total Yellow Light Time (Years Prior to 1979) 1 hr., 11 mins., 15 secs. (1956)
Shortest Total Yellow Light Time (Years Prior to 1979) 8 mins., 30 secs. (1949, 1950)
Fewest Cars Running at the Finish: 7 (1966)
Most Times Running at the Finish, Career: 18 (Al Unser, Sr.)
Best Finish, First Start
Best Finish, First Two Starts: 1st-1st (Helio Castroneves 2001-2002)
Best Finish, First Three Starts: 1st-1st-2nd (Helio Castroneves 2001-2003)
Best Finish, First Four Starts: 2nd-2nd-1st-2nd (Bill Holland 1947-50)
Best Finish, First Five Starts: 2nd-2nd-4th-4th-2nd (Harry Hartz 1922-26)
Most Improved Positions, 33-car field
Most Improved Positions, All-time
Most Lost Positions, 33-car field
Most Lost Positions, All-time: 34 positions (2nd to 36th- Frank Brisco 1933, 42 starters in field)
Most Times Finishing in Last Place
Most Consecutive Times Finishing in Last Place (33rd, unless noted)
Most Times Finishing in 33rd Position (Not Necessarily Last Place): 3 (David "Salt" Walther- 1972, 1973, 1975), (George Snider 1971, 1979, 1987)
Fastest Average Speed for 500 Miles (Non Winner): 185.772 mph (Bobby Rahal- 2nd place, 1990)
Slowest Average Speed for 500 Miles (Non Winner): 56.29 mph (Ralph Mulford- 10th place, 1912)
Calendar Date With the Most Races Held: May 30th (52 of 91 races held)
Day of the Week With the Most Races Held: Sunday (32 of 91 races held)
Most Races Served as Chief Steward: 22 (Tom Binford 1974-1995)
Most Races Served as Chief Starter: 18 (Pat Vidan 1962-1979)
Fewest Pit Stops, Single Race: 0 (Dave Evans, finished 13th- 1931), (Cliff Bergere, 5th- 1941), (Jimmy Jackson, 6th- 1949), (Johnny Mantz, 7th- 1949)
Most Female Drivers in the Field
Best Finishing Position, Female Driver
Most Laps/Miles Completed, Single Race, Female Driver
Most Laps Led, Single Race, Female Driver
Most Laps Led, Career, Female Driver
Best Starting Position for a Female Driver
Fastest 4-lap Qualifying Average, Female Driver
Fastest Single Qualifying Lap, Female Driver
Fastest Single Practice Lap, Female Driver
1913: Jules Goux of France becomes the first foreign born winner.
1915: Ralph DePalma's winning time of 5:33:55.51 was the first time quicker than six hours.
1919: Rene Thomas becomes the first driver to qualify over 100 mph. He won the pole position at a speed of 104.78 mph.
1920: Lap prize money was awarded to the leaders of the race for the first time.
1921: Ralph DePalma started from the pole position for the second consecutive year, the first time a driver has ever done so.
1922: Jimmy Murphy becomes the first driver to win the race starting from the pole position.
1923: Tommy Milton became the first two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500.
1925: Peter DePaolo's winning time of 4:56:39.46 was the first time quicker than five hours. He averages 101.13 mph.
1926: Frank Lockhart wins the first rain-shortened Indianapolis 500. Only 400 miles were completed.
1927: All 33 starters qualified over 100 mph for the first time.
1929: Cliff Woodbury became the first pole-position winner to finish the race in last place.
1931: Slowest qualifier Dave Evans started 17th, and fastest qualifier Billy Arnold started 18th. This is the first time the fastest and slowest qualifiers ever started in consecutive positions.
1931: Dave Evans finished 13th in a Cummins Diesel and became the first driver to complete the 500 miles without a pit stop.
1933: Louis Meyer won, and Louis Schneider finished last, the first time former winners finished first and last in the same race.
1935: Yellow caution lights were first used to warn drivers of possible on-track incidents.
1936: The Borg-Warner Trophy was first presented to the winner. It was won by the first three-time winner, Louis Meyer, who was the first driver to drink the traditional milk in Victory Lane.
1939: The top three qualifiers finished the race in the top three for the first time. Wilbur Shaw started 2nd & finished 1st, Rex Mays started 1st & finished 2nd, Mauri Rose started 3rd & finished 3rd.
1941: Mauri Rose, Rex Mays and Wilbur Shaw started from the front row for the second year in a row, the first time back-to-back front rows contained the same drivers.
1949: Lou Moore won his third consecutive Indy 500 as a car owner, the only owner ever to do so.
1950: Walt Faulkner became the first rookie to qualify for the pole position.
1951: Lee Wallard's winning time of 3:57:38.05 was the first time quicker than four hours.
1952: A four-lap qualification record was set on three different qualifying days for the first and only time in Indianapolis 500 history.
1954: All 33 cars used fuel injection instead of carburetors for the first time.
1954: Bill Vukovich became the first driver to lead the most laps three years in a row.
1956: Paul Russo became the first driver to lead the race in a car that finished in last place.
1960: Dempsey Wilson became the first driver to both start and finish in last position.
1963: Parnelli Jones became the first driver to win the pole position for the second year in a row, and then win the race.
1964: The 33-car starting field had a qualifying average over 150 mph for the first time. It was 152.540 mph.
1965: Jim Clark was the first driver to win the race in a rear-engine car.
1965: For the first time all driver qualified over 150 mph or faster.
1966: Bobby Grim qualified the first methanol-fueled turbo-charged car for the 500.
1967: For the first time, there were no front-engine cars in the field. There were 32 rear-engine cars, and one side-mounted turbine.
1969: For the first time the starting field was comprised entirely of rear-engine cars.
1970: For the first time, the race purse totaled over $1 million.
1971: Bobby Unser and Al Unser became the first brothers to lead the same race.
1975: For the first time, the front row consisted of all former winners. A.J. Foyt, Gordon Johncock and Bobby Unser.
1976: Rain stopped the race after 255 miles, and the drivers waited to restart. Johnny Rutherford was declared the winner after it began to rain again, and he became the first driver to walk to Victory Lane.
1977: Tom Sneva breaks the 200 mph barrier with a lap of 200.535 mph.
1977: Janet Guthrie becomes the first woman to qualify for the 500.
1977: A.J. Foyt becomes the first four-time winner of the 500.
1978: Tom Sneva, A.J. Foyt and Rick Mears make up the first all 200 mph front row, and Mears is the first rookie to qualify over 200 mph.
1979: The first year the pace car was used during yellow flag conditions to "pack-up" the field.
1980: Tom Sneva becomes the first and only driver to lead an Indianapolis 500 event starting from the 33rd and last position.
1980: Johnny Rutherford started 1st and finished 1st, Tom Sneva started 33rd and finished 2nd. The first time the first and last place starters finished first and second.
1982: Bill, Dale and Don Whittington became the first trio of brothers to start in the same race.
1985: Rich Vogler became the first driver to start last with a qualifying speed over 200 mph.
1986: The 500 is broadcasted live in its entirety on network television for the first time.
1986: Bobby Rahal becomes the first driver to complete the 500 miles in under 3 hours. His time of 2:55:43.470 was a record average speed of 170.722 mph.
1988: Owner Roger Penske became the first to ever have all three qualifying positions on the front row. Rick Mears, Danny Sullivan and Al Unser, Sr. started 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively.
1989: Emerson Fittipaldi was the first winner to recieve over $1 million for a single race.
1991: Mario Andretti, his sons, Michael and Jeff, and his nephew, John became the first family to field four members in the same race.
1992: Al Unser, Sr. and Al Unser, Jr. became the first father-and-son combination to finish the full 500 miles in the same race. Unser, Jr. also became the first second-generation driver to win the race.
1994: John Andretti became the first driver to race at Indianapolis, then travel to Charlotte, NC to compete in the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 in the same day.
2000: For the first time, two women qualify for the same race. Incidently, Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher were the oldest and youngest starters respectively, and they crashed out together.
2001: Tony Stewart became the first driver to complete the full 500 miles at Indianapolis, then travel to Charlotte, NC and complete the full 600 miles in the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 in the same day.
2002: Defending champion Helio Castroneves, who won as a rookie in 2001, became the first driver to win the race in both of his first two starts.
2002: For the first time, the total race purse was over $10 million.
2005: Danica Patrick became the first female to lead a lpa in the 500.
2006: Sam Hornish, Jr. passed Marco Andretti on the mainstrech on the last lap, becoming the first driver to pass for the lead to win the race on the final lap.
The Hard-Luck Andretti family
When Mario Andretti arrived as a rookie in 1965, his career was looked at with great anticipation. He won the pole position in 1966 and 1967, and won the race in 1969. After that day, however, he and his family was riddled with bad luck. Even finishing the race was becoming a novelty. Over the next 23 years, he was only running at the finish 6 times, and completed the full 500 miles only three times. Some of his defeats were the most famous ever. In 1981, winner Bobby Unser was stripped of the title in a post-race scoring penalty. Andretti was awarded the win only to have the decision reversed. In 1982, he was taken out at the start by the controversal Kevin Cogan crash. His teamate Gordon Johncock, whom he was faster than all month, wound up winning the race. In 1985, eventual winner Danny Sullivan spun out directly in front of Andretti. In 1987, after winning the pole position and leading 166 laps, Andretti stalled with 23 laps to go. Mario's son Michael Andretti has also experienced bad Indy luck. He blew an engine while leading in 1989. He led 160 laps in 1992, only to drop out with 10 laps to go while leading. In the closing laps of 1991, he made a despiration outside pass to take the lead over Rick Mears, only to have the same thing done to him a lap later. In 1994 he had a rare blown tire, and was penalized a lap for a pit violation when the final standings were released. In his final race in 2003, Michael led occasionally, running comfortably until mechanical trouble forced him to drop out just short of the halfway point. Michael stands as the driver having led the most career laps (430) without ever winning. Mario's other son Jeff Andretti has also not enjoyed success at Indianapolis. A devistating 1992 crash shattered his legs, and in three starts he never finished the race. In 2006, Michael's son Marco Andretti entered the Indy 500 as a rookie, and qualified 9th. On race day, Marco took the lead from Michael with three laps to go, only to lose the race when Sam Hornish, Jr. passed him with only about 100 yards to the finish line. Hornish won the second-closest Indy 500 in history, and Marco became the next Andretti to lose the Indy 500 in a frustrating manner. Never before had a driver at Indy taken the white flag as the leader, and failed to win the race.
How Close was the Closest Finish?
The closest finish in the history of the Indianapolis 500 was in 1992. Officially, Al Unser, Jr. beat second place Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds. However, theoretically speaking, it is likely that Unser's winning margin was in fact closer. Scoring was kept using individual transponders in the cars, which, when driven over antennas imbedded in the track, would signal a scoring computer. The standard location for the transponders in 1992 was in the left sidepod, next to the driver, near the middle of the car. Unser, Jr.'s car, the Galmer chassis, was not able to accomodate the transponder. The unit, about the size of a remote control, had to be placed in the car's nose. When the two cars crossed the finish line, side-by-side, Unser's car technically was scored the instant the nose crossed the line, whereas Goodyear's car wasn't recognized until the mid-point of the car crossed the line. A longer lag time was attained, but it would be nearly impossible to calculate it. Had Goodyear been able to edge out Unser by the nose of his car, it is quite possible that the computer would have unintentionally scored Unser as the winner. If Goodyear's nose touched the line first, but his transponder didn't hit it until after Unser's nose (where his transponsder was) touched the line, poor Scott Goodyear might have lost in a technicality. Although the error is known to exist, the official margin is still accepted as 0.043 seconds.
Odds and Evens
From 1982 to 1994, Bobby Rahal experienced an incredible odd/even, good/bad streak. In the even-numbered years, Rahal finished well (12th-1982, 7th-1984, 1st-1986, 4th-1988, 2nd-1990, 6th-1992, 3rd-1994). In the odd-numbered years, Rahal's results had been poor. (20th-1983, 27th-1985, 26th-1987, 26th-1989, 19th-1991, and he was bumped in 1993). In 1995, his final start, he finally broke the streak with a 3rd place finish. Incidently, Rahal returned to Indy as an owner in 2002, and won in 2004, an even year, with driver Buddy Rice.
Unser's Lucky Day
Until the early seventies, the "500" was almost always scheduled on May 30th. Beginning in 1974, the race was to be scheduled for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. The race was held on May 24th for the first time in 1981, and it was won by Bobby Unser. It was held on May 24th again in 1987, and Al Unser, Sr. won that year. In 1992, the race was held for a third time on May 24th, this time it was won by Al Unser, Jr. Eddie Cheever, Jr. finally broke the lucky day streak on May 24th, 1998.
Missed Chance
Pole Day in 1969 started with Mario Andretti as the big favorite. The rules for the qualifying procedure were different than they are today, such that the drivers could only have a shot at the pole on the first day, and were not guaranteed a actual attempt if weather interferred. Rookie driver Jigger Sorois was the first car to make an attempt. He was waved off after three laps when the crew did not think his qualifying time was strong enough. Minutes later, rain began to fall, and it continued for two days. Had Sorios finished his run, he would have been the only qualifier that day, and would have secured the pole position. Instead, he was not able to make another decent run, failed to qualify, and never would make the field in his career. It wound up that the speed he put up the first time would have probably made the field anyway.
| Controversal National Anthem? | ||
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For the pre-race ceremonies for the 2001 Indianapolis 500, the Speedway invited Steven Tyler, lead singer for the widely famous rock group Aerosmith, to sing the National Anthem. Backed up by the Purdue University "All-American Marching Band," Tyler began the song with a harmonica solo, then tossed the instrument into the crowd. Known to be a controversal figure, Tyler took his artistic imagination to the extreme, and altered the the last line of the song from "...the home of the brave" to "...the home of the Indianapolis 500." The crowd, along with military Medal of Honor recipients in attendance, had mixed feelings about the performance, propting Tyler to apologize and state he meant no disrespect. Said Tyler, "I'm very proud to be an American, and live in the home of the brave." Speedway president Tony George released a statement the following Tuesday citing "While we are certainly sorry that some were offended, it was neither our intention nor that of Mr. Tyler to be disrespectful. All of us have the utmost respect for the sacrifice our veterans have made for us." The rendition will go down in history with the dubious distinction of being the most remembered "Star Spangled Banner" in Indy history, and the day that Purdue Marching Band trupeter David Horthal recovered a prized Aerosmith harmonica. |
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