Indianapolis 500 year by year
Encyclopedia
This article discusses the year-by-year history of the Indianapolis 500 race.
: An accident disrupts the official timing and scoring stand mid-way through the race. Ray Harroun
receives the checkered flag first but a few believe Ralph Mulford
, classified second, actually won the race. Harroun received the accolades and goes down in history as the winner of the first "International 500-Mile Sweepstakes." Harroun, the defending AAA
champion, retires after winning the race in the six-cylinder Marmon
Wasp, a car he personally designed. Mulford's claim to victory fizzled and despite some occasional rehashing, is not regarded by knowledgeable historians as a valid claim.
1912
: Ralph DePalma
's Mercedes
breaks its connecting rod after leading 196 laps. Joe Dawson
, in a National, wins after leading the only 2 laps of his Indy career. No driver has ever matched DePalma's 196 fruitless laps in the lead, (only not being in the lead for the first two and the last two laps) and only Billy Arnold's 198 lap domination of the 1930 race tops DePalma’s time at the front; no driver has equalled or undercut Dawson's 2 laps led by a winner, the fewest ever.
1913
: A five-story, wooden pagoda-style timing and scoring tower on the inside of the main straightaway gives the Speedway an enduring landmark; the style reflects Speedway President Carl Fisher's
apparent interest in Oriental architecture
. French
born Jules Goux
drinks six bottles of champagne on his way to a record 13 minute, 8 second victory over second place Spencer Wishart. He averages approximately 10 miles per gallon of fuel — and an unknown quantity of champagne per stop. Goux's victory is the first race, excluding the first, won by a rookie driver.
1914
: France takes its second consecutive 500 victory, this time with René Thomas, the first occasion for consecutive rookie winners. Also, in a technological breakthrough, inaugural race winner Ray Harroun, in charge of the United States Motor Company
team, develops a fuel-sipping carburetor
that runs on kerosene
. Driver Willie Carlson's Maxwell chassis proceeds to run the race to an eventual ninth-place finish on a mere 30 gallons; with the price at $0.06 a gallon, Carlson's total $1.80 fuel bill stands as the most economical performance in motor racing history.
1915
: Ralph DePalma's Mercedes again begins to slow with connecting rod problems late in the race. This time though he makes it to the finish to win.
1916
: Dario Resta
wins the race, which was shortened to 300 miles (500 km) due to the ongoing war in Europe
. The field of 21 cars is the smallest ever. Later in the year, the Harvest Auto Racing Classic is also held.
1917-1918: Race is not held on account of World War I
. Other tracks continue to host smaller events, but Indianapolis voluntarily suspends the race. Though closed to racing, the Speedway is used as an airstrip, serving as a fuel stop between Air Force
bases in Dayton, Ohio
and Rantoul, Illinois
.
1919
: With the track reopened after the war, local Indiana
-born driver Howdy Wilcox
breaks a four-race winning streak by Europeans. There are 19 rookies who start this year's race, the most newcomers in one Indy 500 field (if one discounts the "all-rookie" field of 1911).
: Ralph DePalma leads by 2 laps with 13 to go when his engine catches fire. Gaston Chevrolet
, brother to Chevrolet company founder Louis
, takes the lead and wins. DePalma finishes 5th. Seven months later, Chevrolet is killed during a race at Beverly Hills, becoming the first winner of the '500' to die.
1921
: The race is won by Tommy Milton
. Ralph DePalma leads 109 laps but once again his connecting rod breaks and he rolls to a halt. DePalma never leads another Indianapolis 500, retiring after the 1922 race. His final career total is 612 laps led for 1 win. DePalma's record number of circuits in front is finally topped by Al Unser
67 years later.
1922
: Jimmy Murphy
is the first driver to win the race from the pole position.
1923
: Despite suffering loss of circulation and blistering in his hands due to shrinkage of his tight-fitting, 'White Kid' gloves, Tommy Milton becomes the first driver to win the race twice (Milton was relieved by Howdy Wilcox for laps 103-151).
1924
: Lora L. Corum
's car is taken over by Joe Boyer
, who goes on to win. Corum wins without leading a single lap in his racing career at Indianapolis, the first driver to do so.
1925
: The race is won by Ralph DePalma's nephew, and former riding mechanic, Peter DePaolo. Depaolo was the first to average over 100 mi/h on his way to victory.
1926
: 23 year-old racing sensation Frank Lockhart
wins the race as a rookie. He is the first winner born in the 20th century. Rain hampered the race, and it was called at the 400-mile mark.
1927
: Rookie George Souders
wins by eight laps, the largest margin since 1913; consecutive rookie winners occurs for the second time. Many racing pundits view Souders' race as the most surprising, 'longest-shot' 500-Mile Race win in history until 1987. Souders becomes the first driver to win the full-500 mile race solo, with neither any relief help, nor a riding mechanic.
1928
: Jimmy Gleason
has a good lead when he stops for water for the radiator on lap 195. A crew member misses the radiator and douses the car's magneto. Gleason is out and Louis Meyer
wins.
1929
: Louis Meyer stalls on his final pitstop, handing the race to Ray Keech
, who is killed in a racing crash just two weeks after the '500'.
: Billy Arnold
takes the lead on lap three and is never headed again. Arnold's 198 laps led in a race has never been bettered.
1931
: 1930 winner Billy Arnold is 5 laps ahead on lap 162 when his rear axle breaks and Arnold crashes. His wheel flies over a fence and hits and kills 12 year old Wilbur Brink who is sitting in his garden on Georgetown Road. Arnold and his mechanic are injured. Louis Schneider
leads the remaining laps.
1932
: Fred Frame
wins the race from 27th starting position, and is the eighth different leader of the race, a record at the time.
1933
: The largest field to date with 42 starters. Louis Meyer wins after one of the most violent races ever, with five drivers or mechanics killed and several others seriously injured. The standard Victory Banquet after the race is not held, and the predominance of safety as chief concern for race organizers begins 'in force'. Prior to the 1933 race, Howdy Wilcox II (no relation to the 1919 winner) was disqualified when officials found out that he was a diabetic.
1934
: Bill Cummings
wins by 27 seconds from Mauri Rose
, the closest ever finish at the time.
1935
: The newly introduced yellow 'caution' light, requiring drivers to slow and hold position, makes its first appearance in race, to eventual race winner Kelly Petillo
's advantage as many of the late laps are disrupted by rain, neutralising Petillo's race long battle with Rex Mays
and Wilbur Shaw
.
1936
: Louis Meyer becomes the first driver to win a third time, drink milk
(in actuality buttermilk) in Victory Lane, and receive the Borg-Warner Trophy
.
1937
: Wilbur Shaw
leads most of the way but must slow late on to conserve engine oil. Ralph Hepburn
catches Shaw in turn 4 on the final lap, but Shaw steps on the gas and pulls away to win by 2.16 seconds - the closest finish at that time.
1938
: Floyd Roberts
, driving the ill-fated Burd Piston Ring Special, dominates to win by three laps.
1939
: Defending winner Floyd Roberts, driving the same car he drove into victory circle in 1938, dies in a crash coming off the second turn onto the backstretch on lap 107. Wilbur Shaw wins his second 500, driving a Maserati
. Interesting fact: The Maserati used by Wilbur Shaw was also used by Bill Vukovich
to accomplish his rookie test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
: Wilbur Shaw sets up a commanding lead until rain brings out the caution for the last 50 laps and guides Shaw to his third victory, and the first by a driver in consecutive years. This is the last time a native Hoosier
has won the 500.
1941
: Floyd Davis
' car is relieved by Mauri Rose, who goes on to win. Davis joins L.L. Corum as a winner who not only didn't lead a lap during the race they won, but never led any laps at Indy. The race was marred by a morning fire which engulfed the entire garage area.
Only one car, that of George Barringer, is destroyed in the blaze. Sam Hanks
's car wrecked on the day before the race, and only 31 cars took the green flag.
1942-1945: Race is not held due to World War II
. The 1942 race was originally scheduled, but was cancelled in the days following Pearl Harbor
. Unlike during WWI
, all automobile racing is banned in the United States, primarily due to rationing
. The Speedway gates were locked, and the facility was abandoned, left in a state of disrepair.
1946
: Tony Hulman
, the new Speedway President presides over his first race, won by George Robson
. Sadly, Robson would be killed later that year.
1947
: Bill Holland
leads 143 laps before he is overtaken in the closing laps by team mate Mauri Rose. The team had displayed an 'EZY' signal, telling the drivers to hold station to the finish. Holland thought Rose was a lap behind and let him past, even waving at him as he went by. The confusion cost Holland the win, as Rose cruised to victory. Only 30 cars start the 1947 race because of a union dispute.
1948
: Mauri Rose becomes the second back-to-back winner. Unlike last year's race, however, no controversy erupts in the way that Rose and Holland finish.
1949
: After two years of failures to his teammate, Bill Holland finally wins one for himself, giving Lou Moore his third consecutive victory. Mauri Rose is fired by the team after the race when he again ignores orders and tries to pass Holland, only for his car to fail.
: A rumor circulated race morning that Johnnie Parsons
' engine had an irreparable crack. During the race, his hard charging performance sees him leading, and picking up lap leader prizes. At 345 miles (555 km) the rain comes, and Parsons is declared the winner as the race is called at lap 138. Clark Gable
and Barbara Stanwyck
film scenes from the movie To Please a Lady
during the race.
1951
: Four days after winning the 500 Lee Wallard
is severely burned in a sprint car race and lives the rest of his life unable to perspire properly and without the strength to drive a car.
1952
: Bill Vukovich
leads 150 laps until his steering pin breaks on lap 192. He stopped the car by brushing it against the outside wall, a move which prevented other cars from becoming involved in the sudden incident. Twenty-two-year-old Troy Ruttman
takes the checkered flag, the youngest-ever winner. On the pole for the '52 race was Fred Agabashian
's Diesel-powered racer that succumbed to supercharger trouble on lap 71.
1953
: On the hottest day on record for the running of the 500, Bill Vukovich
leads 195 laps and cruises to a win by nearly three laps over 1952 rookie of the year Art Cross
. Vukovich wins without relief help in a race that sees one entry being driven by as many as five separate drivers, and suffers the death of driver Carl Scarborough
due to heat prostration.
1954
: Picking up where he left off, Bill Vukovich
wins again by one lap over Jimmy Bryan
, after taking the lead for the final time just past the halfway point. Incredibly, for the second straight year one entry on race day is driven by five separate drivers, in temperatures only just below the previous year's record.
1955
: After two wins and 485 laps led of a possible 656 (74%), Bill Vukovich is killed on lap 57 after crashing out of the lead. Rodger Ward broke a rear axle and a back marker tangled with him in front of Vukovich, whose car hits them and vaults over the backstretch wall into a car park.
Bob Sweikert
wins after Art Cross
blows his engine on lap 169 and Don Freeland
loses drive on lap 179. Sweikert dies in a sprint car race a year later. Interesting fact: Sweikert built the Offenhauser engine that brought him the victory, while his car owner (AJ Watson) was at his wife's bedside while she was in labor.
1956
: AAA
drops out of sanctioning racing after the 1955 Vukovich crash and public outcry that briefly followed, and the tragedy at Le Mans
that same year, so USAC
is formed to sanction Indianapolis style racing. Torrential rains flood the facility the week of the race and threaten to postpone, or outright cancel the race. Track superintendent Clarence Cagle pulls off what becomes known as "Cagle's miracle" and has the track cleaned up in time for race morning. Pat Flaherty
wins.
1957
: After thirteen years of trying, Sam Hanks
finally wins the 500, and then, amidst tears, becomes the second winner, after Ray Harroun
in 1911, to announce his retirement in victory lane. Hanks' win comes in a radical "lay-down" roadster chassis design created by engineer George Salih that, with the engine tilting 72-degrees to the right, gives the car a profile of a mere 21 inches (533.4 mm) off the ground. Salih builds the car next to his California
home, and is rewarded with victory as both designer and owner after stepping out on a financial limb in entering the car himself.
1958
: A huge wreck in turn three on the opening lap wipes out several cars, and driver Pat O'Connor
is fatally injured. Jimmy Bryan
goes on to win. Little-known rookie A.J. Foyt spins out and finishes 16th.
1959
: A record sixteen cars finish the entire 500 miles (804.7 km) as Rodger Ward
holds off Jim Rathmann
for the win.
: Defending winner Rodger Ward takes the lead from three-time runner up Jim Rathmann on lap 194 but slows with tire trouble and Rathmann retakes the lead on lap 197 and wins. Tragically, two spectators in the infield are killed, and several are injured, when a homemade scaffolding
collapses at the start of the race.
1961
: A.J. Foyt, in his fourth 500, looks set for a win, leading Eddie Sachs
, until his crew signal that Foyt's last pit stop didn't get enough fuel in car. Foyt gives up the lead on lap 184 for a splash-and-go. Sachs leads by 25 seconds until the warning tread shows through on his rear tire and Sachs decides to play safe. Foyt returns to the lead when Sachs stops on lap 197 for tires and wins (on the first of four occasions) by 8.28 seconds. (Sachs would be killed in a crash at the start of the 1964 race, a race which would also be won by Foyt.) Also, Jack Brabham
drives in this race in a low-slung, rear-engined Cooper-Climax. In October 1961, the mainstrech is paved over in asphalt, and thus the entire track is now paved in asphalt. A single yard of bricks at the start/finish line is left exposed from the original 1909 surface. The remainder of the original 3,200,000 bricks now lie underneath the asphalt surface.
1962
: A historic pole day as Parnelli Jones
breaks the 150 mi/h barrier in qualifying. Rodger Ward and Len Sutton finish 1-2 for Leader Cards Racing.
1963
: Parnelli Jones
wins despite his car (nicknamed "Calhoun") spewing oil from a broken tank for many laps. Officials put off black flagging him until the oil level drops and the trail stops. Colin Chapman
, whose English built, rear-engined Lotus Ford finishes second in the hands of Scotsman Jim Clark
, accuses the officials of being biased towards the American driver and car. Additionally, driver Eddie Sachs
is punched by Jones at a victory dinner after Sachs tells Jones his win is tainted. Ironic fact: During a pitstop by the Andy Granatelli team, who was running a Novi
machine, some oil went out of the engine due to a sudden stop. The car was black flagged. Andy Granatelli wound the Novi up to full song, and no oil came out. The wrong car was taken out of the race.
1964
: A tragic day as fan favorite Eddie Sachs
and rookie Dave MacDonald
are killed in a fiery crash on lap 2. Fans look on in horror while the billowing black smoke becomes visible for miles, and the race is stopped for almost two hours. When the race resumes, Bobby Marshman
dominates the early laps before driving too low in the third turn and tearing off the radiator cap to drop out, which then puts pole-sitter Jim Clark into a commanding lead before his Dunlop tires shred and break the car's suspension. Parnelli Jones takes the lead but he suffers a pit fire and is now out of the race. A.J. Foyt takes the checkered flag for the second time (the last win by a front-engined roadster), but is visibly subdued in victory lane, after losing his competitor and friend Sachs.
1965
: The five-year old "British Invasion" finally breaks through as Jim Clark and Colin Chapman triumph in dominating fashion with the first rear-engined winning car, a Lotus. ABC
covers the race for the first time on Wide World of Sports
.
1966
: Jackie Stewart
leads by over a lap when his oil pressure drops too low on Lap 192 and his car stalls. Fellow rookie Graham Hill
leads a total of 10 laps to win, the first rookie winner since 1927. Eleven of the 33 starters, a whole third of the field, are eliminated in a first lap accident. Only seven cars, the fewest finishers ever, are still running by the end of the race. Interesting fact: Jim Clark's machine was supposed to have a 16 cylinder engine, which was supposed to give extra power, but the factory that made the engine was robbed, and the engine was lost. An 8-cylinder engine was put in, and he spun twice due to the improperly balanced weight.
1967
: The race is stopped on lap 19 (May 30) due to rain and completed the next day (May 31). Parnelli Jones
' STP-Paxton Turbocar
("Silent Sam") leads 171 laps until a transmission bearing fails on lap 197 and Jones coasts to a halt. A.J. Foyt wins a third 500 after working his way through a multi-car crash, involving Bobby Grim
and Chuck Hulse
, coming off of turn four of his 200th lap. The race is stopped immediately leaving Foyt as the only finisher (Officials stip second place, Al Unser on his 198th lap; under current scoring, 16 cars would be scored as finished.
1968
: On lap 174 Lloyd Ruby
’s engine misfires allowing Joe Leonard
’s STP Lotus 56
turbine
into the lead. Leonard’s leading Lotus flames out on a lap 190 restart and rolls to a silent halt. Bobby Unser
goes by to win. Jim Hurtubise
's entry, which drops out after nine laps, is the last front-engine car to race in the 500.
1969
: Mario Andretti
crashes in practice and suffers burns two weeks before the race, but he hops into a back-up car and wins going away. Andy Granatelli
, who abandoned the turbine cars for 1969, plants a famous kiss on his cheek in victory lane. Interesting fact: The type of engine in his car was known to overheat, so Cliff Brawner, his chief mechanic, managed to insert a radiator underneath Mario's seat, making it the hottest ride Mario had ever driven at the speedway. Also, for the official front row picture, Mario's twin brother Aldo was standing in for him.
· 1971
· 1972
· 1973
· 1974
· 1975
· 1976
· 1977
· 1978
· 1979
· 1981
· 1982
· 1983
· 1984
· 1985
· 1986
· 1987
· 1988
· 1989
· 1991
· 1992
· 1993
· 1994
· 1995
· 1996
· 1997
· 1998
· 1999
· 2001
· 2002
· 2003
· 2004
· 2005
· 2006
· 2007
· 2008
· 2009
· 2011
· 2012
1909 & 1910
The first auto races held the Indianapolis Motor Speedway occur on August 19-21, 1909. After a series of races held in the summer of 1910, it was decided that one large event per year be held. The track founders settled on a Memorial Day event scheduled for a then-fantastic distance of 500 miles (804.7 km).- See Indianapolis Motor Speedway race results
1911 to 1919
19111911 Indianapolis 500
The 1911 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1911...
: An accident disrupts the official timing and scoring stand mid-way through the race. Ray Harroun
Ray Harroun
Ray Harroun was an American racecar driver, born in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania.-Early driving:As noted in the Columbia Car webpages, Harroun participated in the original setting of the record from Chicago to New York in 1903, and the re-taking of that record in 1904...
receives the checkered flag first but a few believe Ralph Mulford
Ralph Mulford
Ralph Mulford was an American racecar driver active during the formative years of the auto racing....
, classified second, actually won the race. Harroun received the accolades and goes down in history as the winner of the first "International 500-Mile Sweepstakes." Harroun, the defending AAA
American Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
champion, retires after winning the race in the six-cylinder Marmon
Marmon
Marmon Motor Car Company was an automobile manufacturer founded by Howard Marmon and owned by Nordyke Marmon & Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It was established in 1902 and was merged and renamed in 1933. They produced cars under the Marmon brand. It was succeeded by Marmon-Herrington and...
Wasp, a car he personally designed. Mulford's claim to victory fizzled and despite some occasional rehashing, is not regarded by knowledgeable historians as a valid claim.
1912
1912 Indianapolis 500
The 1912 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race, the second such race in history, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1912....
: Ralph DePalma
Ralph DePalma
Ralph De Palma was an Italian-American racecar driving champion, most notably winner of the 1915 Indianapolis 500. His entry at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame estimates that he won about 2000 races...
's Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz in motorsport
Throughout its long history, Mercedes-Benz has been involved in a range of motorsport activities, including sportscar racing and rallying, and is currently active in Formula Three, DTM and Formula One.-Early history:...
breaks its connecting rod after leading 196 laps. Joe Dawson
Joe Dawson (racecar driver)
Joe Dawson was an American race car driver.-Biography:Born in Odon, Indiana, Dawson competed in the Indianapolis 500 race three times, beginning in 1911 when he drove a Marmon to a fifth place finish. The following year, Dawson won after Ralph DePalma, who had led for 196 laps of the 200 lap race,...
, in a National, wins after leading the only 2 laps of his Indy career. No driver has ever matched DePalma's 196 fruitless laps in the lead, (only not being in the lead for the first two and the last two laps) and only Billy Arnold's 198 lap domination of the 1930 race tops DePalma’s time at the front; no driver has equalled or undercut Dawson's 2 laps led by a winner, the fewest ever.
1913
1913 Indianapolis 500
The 1913 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race, the third such race in history, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1913.-Qualification results:...
: A five-story, wooden pagoda-style timing and scoring tower on the inside of the main straightaway gives the Speedway an enduring landmark; the style reflects Speedway President Carl Fisher's
Carl G. Fisher
Carl Graham Fisher was an American entrepreneur. Despite having severe astigmatism, he became a seemingly tireless pioneer and promoter of the automotive, auto racing, and real estate development industries...
apparent interest in Oriental architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
. French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
born Jules Goux
Jules Goux
Jules Goux, born Valentigney 6 April 1885 - died Valentigney 6 March 1965, was a Grand Prix motor racing champion and the first Frenchman, and the first European, to win the Indianapolis 500.-Biography:...
drinks six bottles of champagne on his way to a record 13 minute, 8 second victory over second place Spencer Wishart. He averages approximately 10 miles per gallon of fuel — and an unknown quantity of champagne per stop. Goux's victory is the first race, excluding the first, won by a rookie driver.
1914
1914 Indianapolis 500
The 1914 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race, the fourth such race in history, was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1914....
: France takes its second consecutive 500 victory, this time with René Thomas, the first occasion for consecutive rookie winners. Also, in a technological breakthrough, inaugural race winner Ray Harroun, in charge of the United States Motor Company
United States Motor Company
The United States Motor Company was organized by Benjamin Briscoe in 1910 as a selling company, to represent various manufacturers. It had begun life as the International Motor Company in 1908 in an attempt to create the first major consolidation within the industry with Maxwell-Briscoe and Buick,...
team, develops a fuel-sipping carburetor
Carburetor
A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
that runs on kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
. Driver Willie Carlson's Maxwell chassis proceeds to run the race to an eventual ninth-place finish on a mere 30 gallons; with the price at $0.06 a gallon, Carlson's total $1.80 fuel bill stands as the most economical performance in motor racing history.
1915
1915 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1915 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1915.-Notes:1 - Louis Chevrolet is usually shown as American but his application for a US passport reveals that he did not become a US citizen until June 1915...
: Ralph DePalma's Mercedes again begins to slow with connecting rod problems late in the race. This time though he makes it to the finish to win.
1916
1916 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1916 300-Mile International Sweepstakes Race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1916.The race is notable because it covered because of World War I, and it was the only Indianapolis 500 scheduled for less than ....
: Dario Resta
Dario Resta
Dario Resta , nicknamed "Dolly", was an Italian Briton race car driver. Raised in England from the age of two, he began racing there starting in 1907. He took part in the Montagu Cup the very first race of the now historic Brooklands track. He set a record of in a half-mile run a few years later...
wins the race, which was shortened to 300 miles (500 km) due to the ongoing war in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The field of 21 cars is the smallest ever. Later in the year, the Harvest Auto Racing Classic is also held.
1917-1918: Race is not held on account of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Other tracks continue to host smaller events, but Indianapolis voluntarily suspends the race. Though closed to racing, the Speedway is used as an airstrip, serving as a fuel stop between Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
bases in Dayton, Ohio
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties in the state of Ohio. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. Patterson Field is located approximately...
and Rantoul, Illinois
Chanute Air Force Base
Chanute Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located south of and adjacent to Rantoul, Illinois, about south of Chicago. Its primary mission throughout its existence was Air Force technical training....
.
1919
1919 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1919 Liberty Sweepstakes held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 31, 1919....
: With the track reopened after the war, local Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
-born driver Howdy Wilcox
Howdy Wilcox
Howard Samuel Wilcox was an American racecar driver active in formative years of auto racing.Born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, Howdy Wilcox led the last 98 laps of the 1919 Indianapolis 500 after starting in the 2nd position. He died in a wreck in 1923 at the Altoona Speedway board track in Tyrone,...
breaks a four-race winning streak by Europeans. There are 19 rookies who start this year's race, the most newcomers in one Indy 500 field (if one discounts the "all-rookie" field of 1911).
1920 to 1929
19201920 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1920 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1920....
: Ralph DePalma leads by 2 laps with 13 to go when his engine catches fire. Gaston Chevrolet
Gaston Chevrolet
Gaston Chevrolet was a French-born American racecar champion driver and automobile manufacturer.-Early life:...
, brother to Chevrolet company founder Louis
Louis Chevrolet
Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was a Swiss-born American race car driver of French descent, co-founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911 and later, the Frontenac Motor Corporation in 1916 which made racing parts for Ford's Model T.-Early life:Born in 1878 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a center of...
, takes the lead and wins. DePalma finishes 5th. Seven months later, Chevrolet is killed during a race at Beverly Hills, becoming the first winner of the '500' to die.
1921
1921 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1921 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1921....
: The race is won by Tommy Milton
Tommy Milton
Tommy Milton was an American race car driver best known as the first two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. He was notable for having only one functional eye -- a disability that would have disqualified him from competing in modern motorsports.Born in St...
. Ralph DePalma leads 109 laps but once again his connecting rod breaks and he rolls to a halt. DePalma never leads another Indianapolis 500, retiring after the 1922 race. His final career total is 612 laps led for 1 win. DePalma's record number of circuits in front is finally topped by Al Unser
Al Unser
Alfred "Al" Unser is a former American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser, Jr....
67 years later.
1922
1922 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1922 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1922....
: Jimmy Murphy
James Anthony Murphy
James Anthony Murphy was a race car driver who was the American Racing Champion in 1922 and 1924.-Background:...
is the first driver to win the race from the pole position.
1923
1923 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1923 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1923....
: Despite suffering loss of circulation and blistering in his hands due to shrinkage of his tight-fitting, 'White Kid' gloves, Tommy Milton becomes the first driver to win the race twice (Milton was relieved by Howdy Wilcox for laps 103-151).
1924
1924 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1924 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1924....
: Lora L. Corum
Lora L. Corum
Lora L. Corum was co-winner of the 1924 Indianapolis 500.Corum was replaced by Joe Boyer on lap 109, despite the fact that it required Boyer to be relieved in his own car.-Indy 500 results:...
's car is taken over by Joe Boyer
Joe Boyer
Joe Boyer was a co-winner of the 1924 Indianapolis 500. Boyer was born in Detroit, Michigan.At the 1924 Indianapolis 500, Boyer participated in two different cars during the race. In his original entry , he qualified 4th. On the 109th lap he was relieved. His relief driver went on to race until...
, who goes on to win. Corum wins without leading a single lap in his racing career at Indianapolis, the first driver to do so.
1925
1925 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1925 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1925....
: The race is won by Ralph DePalma's nephew, and former riding mechanic, Peter DePaolo. Depaolo was the first to average over 100 mi/h on his way to victory.
1926
1926 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1926 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1926. "Twenty-eight cars, groomed to mirror brilliance, wheeled in behind Louis Chevrolet and his Chrysler pace car for the start." -Footnotes:...
: 23 year-old racing sensation Frank Lockhart
Frank Lockhart
Frank Lockhart was an American automobile racing driver, and Indianapolis 500 winner, and considered a legend in the sport by many historians.-Racing career:...
wins the race as a rookie. He is the first winner born in the 20th century. Rain hampered the race, and it was called at the 400-mile mark.
1927
1927 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1927 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1927....
: Rookie George Souders
George Souders
George Souders won the 1927 Indianapolis 500.Born in Lafayette, Indiana, George Souders led the last 51 laps of the 1927 race after starting in 22nd position as a race rookie.-Indy 500 results:-External links:...
wins by eight laps, the largest margin since 1913; consecutive rookie winners occurs for the second time. Many racing pundits view Souders' race as the most surprising, 'longest-shot' 500-Mile Race win in history until 1987. Souders becomes the first driver to win the full-500 mile race solo, with neither any relief help, nor a riding mechanic.
1928
1928 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1928 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1928....
: Jimmy Gleason
Jimmy Gleason
Jimmy Gleason was an American racecar driver. He was killed in an AAA National Championship race at Syracuse a week after he captured his first Championship Car victory at Altoona.-Indy 500 results:...
has a good lead when he stops for water for the radiator on lap 195. A crew member misses the radiator and douses the car's magneto. Gleason is out and Louis Meyer
Louis Meyer
Louis Meyer was an American Hall of Fame race car driver best known as the first three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500....
wins.
1929
1929 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1929 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1929.*Ray Keech reigned as champion for only 17 days; he was killed at Altoona Speedway June 15, 1929....
: Louis Meyer stalls on his final pitstop, handing the race to Ray Keech
Ray Keech
Ray Keech was a board track and brick track racer in the 1920s. He is best remembered for winning the 1929 Indianapolis 500, and for setting a land speed record.-Land speed record:...
, who is killed in a racing crash just two weeks after the '500'.
1930 to 1939
19301930 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1930 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1930.Note: Cars not finishing were awarded positions in the order in which they left the track, regardless of lap count...
: Billy Arnold
Billy Arnold
For the professional baseball player & manager, see Billy Arnold Richard William Arnold won the 1930 Indianapolis 500 after leading all but first two laps of the race, the most ever by a winner of the race. He won by a margin of 7 minutes and 17 seconds. He was 24 years old at the time...
takes the lead on lap three and is never headed again. Arnold's 198 laps led in a race has never been bettered.
1931
1931 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1931 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1931....
: 1930 winner Billy Arnold is 5 laps ahead on lap 162 when his rear axle breaks and Arnold crashes. His wheel flies over a fence and hits and kills 12 year old Wilbur Brink who is sitting in his garden on Georgetown Road. Arnold and his mechanic are injured. Louis Schneider
Louis Schneider
Louis F. Schneider won the 1931 Indianapolis 500.-Indy 500 results:-External links:...
leads the remaining laps.
1932
1932 Indianapolis 500
-Race Summary:Fred Frame won the 1932 after several strong showings in previous Indy 500 events. Frame, with mechanic Jerry Houck riding beside him, won with an average speed of , a speed that broke the seven-year-old record set by Peter DePaolo....
: Fred Frame
Fred Frame
Fredrick William Frame won the 1932 Indianapolis 500.-Indy 500 results:...
wins the race from 27th starting position, and is the eighth different leader of the race, a record at the time.
1933
1933 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1933 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Tuesday, May 30, 1933. Louis Meyer defeated Wilbur Shaw by a time of 401.89 seconds . The average speed of the race was while Bill Cummings achieved the pole position with a speed of ....
: The largest field to date with 42 starters. Louis Meyer wins after one of the most violent races ever, with five drivers or mechanics killed and several others seriously injured. The standard Victory Banquet after the race is not held, and the predominance of safety as chief concern for race organizers begins 'in force'. Prior to the 1933 race, Howdy Wilcox II (no relation to the 1919 winner) was disqualified when officials found out that he was a diabetic.
1934
1934 Indianapolis 500
The 22nd running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on May 30, 1934. The winner was the number seven car driven by Bill Cummings, an Indianapolis native, at an average speed of 104.863 miles per hour. Cummings led for 57 laps total, including the last 26. Of the 33 cars that began the race, only 12...
: Bill Cummings
Bill Cummings
Bill Cummings knicknamed "Wild Bill", won the 1934 Indianapolis 500 and set the diesel . Cummings died driving a passenger automobile on State Road 29 in Indianapolis, when he hit a guard rail and plunged into Lick Creek...
wins by 27 seconds from Mauri Rose
Mauri Rose
Mauri Rose was an American racecar driver.He started from the pole position driving a Maserati in the 1941 Indianapolis 500, but spark plug problems put him out of the race after sixty laps. He then took over the Wetteroth/Offenhauser car being driven by Floyd Davis that had started in 17th place....
, the closest ever finish at the time.
1935
1935 Indianapolis 500
The 1935 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Thursday, May 30, 1935. Despite attempts to improve participant safety by requiring crash helmets and installing green and yellow lights around the track, the event that year would prove to be one of the worst in terms of fatalities.-Pre-race and...
: The newly introduced yellow 'caution' light, requiring drivers to slow and hold position, makes its first appearance in race, to eventual race winner Kelly Petillo
Kelly Petillo
Cavino Michele "Kelly" Petillo, was an American race car driver....
's advantage as many of the late laps are disrupted by rain, neutralising Petillo's race long battle with Rex Mays
Rex Mays
Rex Mays is a former AAA Championship Car race driver from Riverside, California. He made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 1934 and won the pole in 1935, 1936, and again in 1940 and finished second, he returned the next year and finished second again. Mays won the AAA National Championship in 1940...
and Wilbur Shaw
Wilbur Shaw
Warren Wilbur Shaw was a noted American racing driver and president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death. Shaw was the automotive test evaluator for Popular Science magazine...
.
1936
1936 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1936 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 1936....
: Louis Meyer becomes the first driver to win a third time, drink milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
(in actuality buttermilk) in Victory Lane, and receive the Borg-Warner Trophy
Borg-Warner Trophy
The Borg-Warner Trophy, named for United States automotive supplier BorgWarner, is symbolic of victory in the Indianapolis 500 automobile race...
.
1937
1937 Indianapolis 500
The 25th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1937.Late in the race, Wilbur Shaw held a comfortable lead, and had lapped second place Ralph Hepburn. With about 20 laps to go, however, Shaw's car had been leaking oil, and had nearly lost...
: Wilbur Shaw
Wilbur Shaw
Warren Wilbur Shaw was a noted American racing driver and president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death. Shaw was the automotive test evaluator for Popular Science magazine...
leads most of the way but must slow late on to conserve engine oil. Ralph Hepburn
Ralph Hepburn
Ralph Hepburn was a pioneer of American motorcycle racing champion and an Indianapolis 500 racing driver.Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Hepburn's family moved to Los Angeles, California when he was ten years old...
catches Shaw in turn 4 on the final lap, but Shaw steps on the gas and pulls away to win by 2.16 seconds - the closest finish at that time.
1938
1938 Indianapolis 500
The 26th running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on Monday, May 30, 1938. The race was won by the number 23 car driven by Floyd Roberts. Roberts' car started in the pole position, and was the first car to win from that start since 1930. Roberts led 92 laps, posted an average speed of 117.200...
: Floyd Roberts
Floyd Roberts
Floyd Roberts is a former Championship Car racing driver from Jamestown, North Dakota. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 1938 with a record speed of . He led for 92 laps. The following year, 1939, driving the same car, he was killed in a crash on the backstretch after hitting a wooden fence at near...
, driving the ill-fated Burd Piston Ring Special, dominates to win by three laps.
1939
1939 Indianapolis 500
The 27th Indianapolis 500 took place May 30, 1939. The race was won by the number two car of Wilbur Shaw, who started in the third position. The race was notable for a three car accident on lap 109, when Floyd Roberts the reigning champion, was killed when his car went through the wooden outer wall...
: Defending winner Floyd Roberts, driving the same car he drove into victory circle in 1938, dies in a crash coming off the second turn onto the backstretch on lap 107. Wilbur Shaw wins his second 500, driving a Maserati
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
. Interesting fact: The Maserati used by Wilbur Shaw was also used by Bill Vukovich
Bill Vukovich
Bill Vukovich was a Serbian American automobile racing driver. He won the 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500 plus two more American Automobile Association National Championship races...
to accomplish his rookie test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
1940 to 1949
19401940 Indianapolis 500
The 28th running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on May 30, 1940. The winner was Wilbur Shaw in the number one car Maserati 8 CTF, the same car Shaw had driven to victory in 1939. Shaw became the first driver in the history of the race to win in consecutive years. It also marked Shaw's third...
: Wilbur Shaw sets up a commanding lead until rain brings out the caution for the last 50 laps and guides Shaw to his third victory, and the first by a driver in consecutive years. This is the last time a native Hoosier
Hoosier
Hoosier is the official demonym for a resident of the U.S. state of Indiana. Although residents of most U.S. states typically adopt a derivative of the state name, e.g., "Indianan" or "Indianian", natives of Indiana rarely use these. Indiana adopted the nickname "Hoosier State" more than 150...
has won the 500.
1941
1941 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1941 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1941.Notes*Floyd Davis was the starting driver for the #16 car. On lap 72, Davis came in for a pit stop, and was relieved by Mauri Rose. Rose had started the race in another car and dropped out earlier. Rose went on to...
: Floyd Davis
Floyd Davis
Floyd Eldon Davis was the co-winner of the 1941 Indianapolis 500....
' car is relieved by Mauri Rose, who goes on to win. Davis joins L.L. Corum as a winner who not only didn't lead a lap during the race they won, but never led any laps at Indy. The race was marred by a morning fire which engulfed the entire garage area.
Only one car, that of George Barringer, is destroyed in the blaze. Sam Hanks
Sam Hanks
Sam Hanks was an American racecar driver who won the 1957 Indianapolis 500. He was a barnstormer, and raced midget and Champ cars.-Racing career:...
's car wrecked on the day before the race, and only 31 cars took the green flag.
1942-1945: Race is not held due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The 1942 race was originally scheduled, but was cancelled in the days following Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. Unlike during WWI
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, all automobile racing is banned in the United States, primarily due to rationing
Rationing
Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, or services. Rationing controls the size of the ration, one's allotted portion of the resources being distributed on a particular day or at a particular time.- In economics :...
. The Speedway gates were locked, and the facility was abandoned, left in a state of disrepair.
1946
1946 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1946 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Thursday, May 30, 1946....
: Tony Hulman
Tony Hulman
Anton "Tony" Hulman, Jr. was a businessman from Terre Haute, Indiana who rescued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945 and made the Indianapolis 500 popular....
, the new Speedway President presides over his first race, won by George Robson
George Robson
George Robson was a Canadian racecar driver active in the 1940s. Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, Robson later moved to Ontario and finally to the U.S. in 1924. Robson died with George Barringer in an accident at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta, Georgia. Robson's brother Hal also competed in the...
. Sadly, Robson would be killed later that year.
1947
1947 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1947 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1947.Late in the race, Lou Moore teammates Bill Holland and Mauri Rose were running 1st-2nd. The pit crew displayed a confusing chalkboard sign with the letters "EZY" to Holland, presumably meaning for him to take the...
: Bill Holland
Bill Holland
Bill Holland was an American race car driver from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1949. He nearly won as a rookie in 1947 but slowed and allowed teammate Mauri Rose to pass him seven laps from the end, mistakenly believing that Rose was a lap down...
leads 143 laps before he is overtaken in the closing laps by team mate Mauri Rose. The team had displayed an 'EZY' signal, telling the drivers to hold station to the finish. Holland thought Rose was a lap behind and let him past, even waving at him as he went by. The confusion cost Holland the win, as Rose cruised to victory. Only 30 cars start the 1947 race because of a union dispute.
1948
1948 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1948 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 31, 1948....
: Mauri Rose becomes the second back-to-back winner. Unlike last year's race, however, no controversy erupts in the way that Rose and Holland finish.
1949
1949 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1949 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 30, 1949....
: After two years of failures to his teammate, Bill Holland finally wins one for himself, giving Lou Moore his third consecutive victory. Mauri Rose is fired by the team after the race when he again ignores orders and tries to pass Holland, only for his car to fail.
1950 to 1959
19501950 Indianapolis 500
The 1950 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race which was held on Tuesday, May 30, 1950 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the third round of the 1950 World Drivers' Championship...
: A rumor circulated race morning that Johnnie Parsons
Johnnie Parsons
Johnnie Parsons was an American race car driver from Los Angeles, California who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1950....
' engine had an irreparable crack. During the race, his hard charging performance sees him leading, and picking up lap leader prizes. At 345 miles (555 km) the rain comes, and Parsons is declared the winner as the race is called at lap 138. Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
and Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
film scenes from the movie To Please a Lady
To Please a Lady
To Please a Lady is a 1950 drama film produced and directed by Clarence Brown and starring Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck. The climactic race scene was shot at the Indianapolis Speedway, Indiana, USA.-Plot synopsis:...
during the race.
1951
1951 Indianapolis 500
The 1951 Indianapolis 500 an automobile race which was held on Wednesday, May 30, 1951 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the opening race of the 1951 AAA National Championship Trail and the second race of the 1951 World Championship of Drivers....
: Four days after winning the 500 Lee Wallard
Lee Wallard
Lee Wallard was an American race car driver. In the 1951 Indianapolis 500 Wallard drove the Number 99 Belanger Special to victory, at age 40. Tony Bettenhausen had passed up the car, because he wanted to drive a newer front-wheel drive vehicle....
is severely burned in a sprint car race and lives the rest of his life unable to perspire properly and without the strength to drive a car.
1952
1952 Indianapolis 500
The 1952 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Friday, May 30, 1952 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the second round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship. Troy Ruttman won the race, bringing the Borg-Warner Trophy home for car owner J.C. Agajanian.Bill Vukovich led...
: Bill Vukovich
Bill Vukovich
Bill Vukovich was a Serbian American automobile racing driver. He won the 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500 plus two more American Automobile Association National Championship races...
leads 150 laps until his steering pin breaks on lap 192. He stopped the car by brushing it against the outside wall, a move which prevented other cars from becoming involved in the sudden incident. Twenty-two-year-old Troy Ruttman
Troy Ruttman
Troy Ruttman was an American race car driver. He was the older brother of NASCAR driver Joe Ruttman.Ruttman won the Indianapolis 500 in 1952, and , he is the youngest winner of the race....
takes the checkered flag, the youngest-ever winner. On the pole for the '52 race was Fred Agabashian
Fred Agabashian
Fred Agabashian was an Armenian-American racer of midget cars and Indy cars.-Midget car:...
's Diesel-powered racer that succumbed to supercharger trouble on lap 71.
1953
1953 Indianapolis 500
The 1953 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Saturday, May 30, 1953 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the second round of the 1953 World Drivers' Championship.-Race:...
: On the hottest day on record for the running of the 500, Bill Vukovich
Bill Vukovich
Bill Vukovich was a Serbian American automobile racing driver. He won the 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500 plus two more American Automobile Association National Championship races...
leads 195 laps and cruises to a win by nearly three laps over 1952 rookie of the year Art Cross
Art Cross
Art Cross was an American racecar driver. He was the first recipient of the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Award in 1952.-Racing career:...
. Vukovich wins without relief help in a race that sees one entry being driven by as many as five separate drivers, and suffers the death of driver Carl Scarborough
Carl Scarborough
Carl Scarborough was an American racecar driver. He died from heat exhaustion shortly after his 12th place finish in the 1953 Indianapolis 500, which was one of the hottest-temperature Indianapolis 500s that drivers had competed in up to 1956.He was elected to the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of...
due to heat prostration.
1954
1954 Indianapolis 500
The 1954 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Monday, May 31, 1954 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the second round of the 1954 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :...
: Picking up where he left off, Bill Vukovich
Bill Vukovich
Bill Vukovich was a Serbian American automobile racing driver. He won the 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500 plus two more American Automobile Association National Championship races...
wins again by one lap over Jimmy Bryan
Jimmy Bryan
James Ernest Bryan was an American racecar driver. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Bryan died as a result of injuries sustained in a champ car race at Langhorne Speedway.-Career:...
, after taking the lead for the final time just past the halfway point. Incredibly, for the second straight year one entry on race day is driven by five separate drivers, in temperatures only just below the previous year's record.
1955
1955 Indianapolis 500
The 1955 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Monday, May 30, 1955 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the third round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship...
: After two wins and 485 laps led of a possible 656 (74%), Bill Vukovich is killed on lap 57 after crashing out of the lead. Rodger Ward broke a rear axle and a back marker tangled with him in front of Vukovich, whose car hits them and vaults over the backstretch wall into a car park.
Bob Sweikert
Bob Sweikert
Robert Charles 'Bob' Sweikert was an American racing driver, best known as the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis 500 and the 1955 National Championship, as well as the 1955 Midwest Sprint car championship - the only driver in history to sweep all three in a single season...
wins after Art Cross
Art Cross
Art Cross was an American racecar driver. He was the first recipient of the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Award in 1952.-Racing career:...
blows his engine on lap 169 and Don Freeland
Don Freeland
Don Freeland was an American racecar driver who is best known for competing in the Indianapolis 500 eight times....
loses drive on lap 179. Sweikert dies in a sprint car race a year later. Interesting fact: Sweikert built the Offenhauser engine that brought him the victory, while his car owner (AJ Watson) was at his wife's bedside while she was in labor.
1956
1956 Indianapolis 500
The 1956 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Wednesday, May 30, 1956 at Indianapolis. It was the third round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship....
: AAA
American Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
drops out of sanctioning racing after the 1955 Vukovich crash and public outcry that briefly followed, and the tragedy at Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
that same year, so USAC
United States Automobile Club
The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...
is formed to sanction Indianapolis style racing. Torrential rains flood the facility the week of the race and threaten to postpone, or outright cancel the race. Track superintendent Clarence Cagle pulls off what becomes known as "Cagle's miracle" and has the track cleaned up in time for race morning. Pat Flaherty
Pat Flaherty
George Francis 'Pat' Flaherty, Jr. was an American racecar driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1956....
wins.
1957
1957 Indianapolis 500
The 1957 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Thursday, May 30, 1957 at Indianapolis. The event was the third round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship and the first round of the 1957 USAC Championship Car season.- Classification :- Notes :...
: After thirteen years of trying, Sam Hanks
Sam Hanks
Sam Hanks was an American racecar driver who won the 1957 Indianapolis 500. He was a barnstormer, and raced midget and Champ cars.-Racing career:...
finally wins the 500, and then, amidst tears, becomes the second winner, after Ray Harroun
Ray Harroun
Ray Harroun was an American racecar driver, born in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania.-Early driving:As noted in the Columbia Car webpages, Harroun participated in the original setting of the record from Chicago to New York in 1903, and the re-taking of that record in 1904...
in 1911, to announce his retirement in victory lane. Hanks' win comes in a radical "lay-down" roadster chassis design created by engineer George Salih that, with the engine tilting 72-degrees to the right, gives the car a profile of a mere 21 inches (533.4 mm) off the ground. Salih builds the car next to his California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
home, and is rewarded with victory as both designer and owner after stepping out on a financial limb in entering the car himself.
1958
1958 Indianapolis 500
The 1958 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Friday, May 30, 1958 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the fourth round of the 1958 World Drivers' Championship....
: A huge wreck in turn three on the opening lap wipes out several cars, and driver Pat O'Connor
Pat O'Connor (auto racer)
Pat O'Connor was an American racecar driver. He was killed in a 15-car pileup, after sustaining a fatal head injury after rolling his car and catching fire on the first lap of the 1958 Indianapolis 500.He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in May 1958 adding to the legend of the Sports...
is fatally injured. Jimmy Bryan
Jimmy Bryan
James Ernest Bryan was an American racecar driver. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Bryan died as a result of injuries sustained in a champ car race at Langhorne Speedway.-Career:...
goes on to win. Little-known rookie A.J. Foyt spins out and finishes 16th.
1959
1959 Indianapolis 500
The 1959 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 1959. The event was part of the 1959 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest Lead Lap: Johnny Thomson - 1:01.89...
: A record sixteen cars finish the entire 500 miles (804.7 km) as Rodger Ward
Rodger Ward
Rodger M. Ward was an American racecar driver who won the 1959 and 1962 Indianapolis 500. He also was the 1959 and 1962 USAC Championship Car champion.-Early history:...
holds off Jim Rathmann
Jim Rathmann
Jim Rathmann was an American race car driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1960....
for the win.
1960 to 1969
19601960 Indianapolis 500
The 1960 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 30, 1960. The event was part of the 1960 World Drivers' Championship; the last Indianapolis 500 to be included in the Championship.- Classification :...
: Defending winner Rodger Ward takes the lead from three-time runner up Jim Rathmann on lap 194 but slows with tire trouble and Rathmann retakes the lead on lap 197 and wins. Tragically, two spectators in the infield are killed, and several are injured, when a homemade scaffolding
Scaffolding
Scaffolding is a temporary structure used to support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures. It is usually a modular system of metal pipes or tubes, although it can be from other materials...
collapses at the start of the race.
1961
1961 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1961 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Tuesday, May 30, 1961. This was the first Indianapolis 500 not to be included in the Formula One World Championship since 1949....
: A.J. Foyt, in his fourth 500, looks set for a win, leading Eddie Sachs
Eddie Sachs
Edward Julius Sachs, Jr, born May 28, 1927 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, died May 30, 1964 in Speedway, Indiana 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."...
, until his crew signal that Foyt's last pit stop didn't get enough fuel in car. Foyt gives up the lead on lap 184 for a splash-and-go. Sachs leads by 25 seconds until the warning tread shows through on his rear tire and Sachs decides to play safe. Foyt returns to the lead when Sachs stops on lap 197 for tires and wins (on the first of four occasions) by 8.28 seconds. (Sachs would be killed in a crash at the start of the 1964 race, a race which would also be won by Foyt.) Also, Jack Brabham
Jack Brabham
Sir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One champion in , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name....
drives in this race in a low-slung, rear-engined Cooper-Climax. In October 1961, the mainstrech is paved over in asphalt, and thus the entire track is now paved in asphalt. A single yard of bricks at the start/finish line is left exposed from the original 1909 surface. The remainder of the original 3,200,000 bricks now lie underneath the asphalt surface.
1962
1962 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1962 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Wednesday, May 30, 1962.-Trivia:Parnelli Jones became the first driver to officially qualify for the race at ....
: A historic pole day as Parnelli Jones
Parnelli Jones
Rufus Parnell "Parnelli" Jones , is a retired American racing driver and racecar owner. He is most remembered for his 1963 Indianapolis 500 win, and almost winning the 1967 Indy 500 in a turbine car...
breaks the 150 mi/h barrier in qualifying. Rodger Ward and Len Sutton finish 1-2 for Leader Cards Racing.
1963
1963 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1963 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Thursday, May 30, 1963....
: Parnelli Jones
Parnelli Jones
Rufus Parnell "Parnelli" Jones , is a retired American racing driver and racecar owner. He is most remembered for his 1963 Indianapolis 500 win, and almost winning the 1967 Indy 500 in a turbine car...
wins despite his car (nicknamed "Calhoun") spewing oil from a broken tank for many laps. Officials put off black flagging him until the oil level drops and the trail stops. Colin Chapman
Colin Chapman
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an influential British designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars....
, whose English built, rear-engined Lotus Ford finishes second in the hands of Scotsman Jim Clark
Jim Clark
James "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....
, accuses the officials of being biased towards the American driver and car. Additionally, driver Eddie Sachs
Eddie Sachs
Edward Julius Sachs, Jr, born May 28, 1927 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, died May 30, 1964 in Speedway, Indiana 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."...
is punched by Jones at a victory dinner after Sachs tells Jones his win is tainted. Ironic fact: During a pitstop by the Andy Granatelli team, who was running a Novi
Novi engine
The Novi engine was a dual overhead cam supercharged V8 engine used in the Indianapolis 500. It was designed by Bud Winfield and Leo Goossen and built by Fred Offenhauser.-Early years:...
machine, some oil went out of the engine due to a sudden stop. The car was black flagged. Andy Granatelli wound the Novi up to full song, and no oil came out. The wrong car was taken out of the race.
1964
1964 Indianapolis 500
The 1964 Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1964. It was won by A.J. Foyt, but is best known for a fiery seven-car, second-lap accident that resulted in the deaths of Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald...
: A tragic day as fan favorite Eddie Sachs
Eddie Sachs
Edward Julius Sachs, Jr, born May 28, 1927 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, died May 30, 1964 in Speedway, Indiana 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."...
and rookie Dave MacDonald
Dave MacDonald
David George MacDonald was an American road racing champion noted for his successes driving Corvettes and Shelby Cobras in the early 1960s. His promising career ended abruptly after a crash in the 1964 Indianapolis 500 in which he was one of two drivers killed in a fiery inferno that directly led...
are killed in a fiery crash on lap 2. Fans look on in horror while the billowing black smoke becomes visible for miles, and the race is stopped for almost two hours. When the race resumes, Bobby Marshman
Bobby Marshman
Bobby Marshman , was an American racecar driver.Born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Marshman died in San Antonio, Texas from injuries sustained in a tire test in Phoenix, Arizona. He drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1961-1964 seasons, with 49 career starts, including each...
dominates the early laps before driving too low in the third turn and tearing off the radiator cap to drop out, which then puts pole-sitter Jim Clark into a commanding lead before his Dunlop tires shred and break the car's suspension. Parnelli Jones takes the lead but he suffers a pit fire and is now out of the race. A.J. Foyt takes the checkered flag for the second time (the last win by a front-engined roadster), but is visibly subdued in victory lane, after losing his competitor and friend Sachs.
1965
1965 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1965 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 31, 1965.-Trivia:* It was the first time that the Indianapolis 500 was nationally televised on ABC Sports, this race was shown as part of ABC's Wide World of Sports, anchored by Charlie Brockman....
: The five-year old "British Invasion" finally breaks through as Jim Clark and Colin Chapman triumph in dominating fashion with the first rear-engined winning car, a Lotus. ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
covers the race for the first time on Wide World of Sports
Wide World of Sports (US TV series)
ABC's Wide World of Sports is a sports anthology series on American television that ran from 1961 to 1998 and was originally hosted by Jim McKay. The title continued to be used for general sports programs until 2006...
.
1966
1966 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1966 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 30, 1966....
: Jackie Stewart
Jackie Stewart
Sir John Young Stewart, OBE , better known as Jackie Stewart, and nicknamed The Flying Scotsman, is a Scottish former racing driver and team owner. He competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am...
leads by over a lap when his oil pressure drops too low on Lap 192 and his car stalls. Fellow rookie Graham Hill
Graham Hill
Norman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to...
leads a total of 10 laps to win, the first rookie winner since 1927. Eleven of the 33 starters, a whole third of the field, are eliminated in a first lap accident. Only seven cars, the fewest finishers ever, are still running by the end of the race. Interesting fact: Jim Clark's machine was supposed to have a 16 cylinder engine, which was supposed to give extra power, but the factory that made the engine was robbed, and the engine was lost. An 8-cylinder engine was put in, and he spun twice due to the improperly balanced weight.
1967
1967 Indianapolis 500
-Race schedule:- Race Summary :This unexpected 2 day event began with gray skies but the race was underway as Parnelli Jones in the STP-Paxton Turbocar is in first place before half a lap, with Gurney second and A.J. Foyt in third. Parnelli leads all 18 laps before rain halts the race...
: The race is stopped on lap 19 (May 30) due to rain and completed the next day (May 31). Parnelli Jones
Parnelli Jones
Rufus Parnell "Parnelli" Jones , is a retired American racing driver and racecar owner. He is most remembered for his 1963 Indianapolis 500 win, and almost winning the 1967 Indy 500 in a turbine car...
' STP-Paxton Turbocar
STP-Paxton Turbocar
The STP-Paxton Turbocar was a racing car, designed by Ken Wallis as the STP entry in the Indianapolis 500.- History :Wallis, a distant relative of famed British engineer Barnes Wallis, had developed a workable plan for harnessing a gas turbine to a race car. He first presented the idea to Dan...
("Silent Sam") leads 171 laps until a transmission bearing fails on lap 197 and Jones coasts to a halt. A.J. Foyt wins a third 500 after working his way through a multi-car crash, involving Bobby Grim
Bobby Grim
Robert "Bobby" Grim was an American racecar driver.Born in Coal City, Indiana, Grim died of cancer in Indianapolis, Indiana. He drove in the and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1958-1969 seasons with 66 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races each year from 1959-1968 except 1965...
and Chuck Hulse
Chuck Hulse
Chuck Hulse is a retired American racecar driver.Hulse raced in the USAC Championship Car series in the 1959-1964 and 1966-1968 seasons, with 60 career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in 1962, 1963, 1966 and 1967. He finished in the top ten 26 times, with his best finish in 2nd...
, coming off of turn four of his 200th lap. The race is stopped immediately leaving Foyt as the only finisher (Officials stip second place, Al Unser on his 198th lap; under current scoring, 16 cars would be scored as finished.
1968
1968 Indianapolis 500
-Race schedule:- Time Trials :1968 was the second and eventually the final year the controversial turbine cars were running in the 1968 race classic. Turbine cars were entered by STP and by Carroll Shelby...
: On lap 174 Lloyd Ruby
Lloyd Ruby
Lloyd Ruby was an American racecar driver.Ruby raced in the USAC Championship Car series in the 1958-1977 seasons, with 177 career starts, including every Indianapolis 500 race during 1960-1977. He finished in the top ten 88 times, with 7 victories. His best Indy finish was 3rd in 1964...
’s engine misfires allowing Joe Leonard
Joe Leonard
Joe Leonard , is a retired American motorcycle racer and racecar driver.Leonard won the first A.M.A. Grand National Championship Series in 1954 and won it again in 1956 and 1957. His record totals 27 wins, including the 1957 and 1958 Daytona 200...
’s STP Lotus 56
Lotus 56
The Lotus 56 was a racing car, designed by Maurice Philippe as Team Lotus' 1968 entry in the Indianapolis 500, replacing the successful Lotus 38. The Lotus 56 was not based on the STP-Paxton Turbocar that almost won in 1967, but was an entirely new and more advanced design...
turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
into the lead. Leonard’s leading Lotus flames out on a lap 190 restart and rolls to a silent halt. Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
goes by to win. Jim Hurtubise
Jim Hurtubise
In 1957, Hurtubise started his NASCAR career running two races. Over the next twenty years, he would race 36 races, winning one race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and amassing eleven top ten finishes.-Award:...
's entry, which drops out after nine laps, is the last front-engine car to race in the 500.
1969
1969 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1969 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1969.-Race schedule:-Jigger Sirois:On pole day, Saturday May 17, rain threatened to wash out the afternoon. At the time, the rules did not specifically provide for rain delay extensions during the pole round...
: Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
crashes in practice and suffers burns two weeks before the race, but he hops into a back-up car and wins going away. Andy Granatelli
Andy Granatelli
Anthony "Andy" Granatelli was the CEO of STP.Along with brothers Vince and Joe, Andy first worked as an auto mechanic and 'speed-shop' entrepreneur, modifying engines such as the 'flathead' Ford into racing-quality equipment...
, who abandoned the turbine cars for 1969, plants a famous kiss on his cheek in victory lane. Interesting fact: The type of engine in his car was known to overheat, so Cliff Brawner, his chief mechanic, managed to insert a radiator underneath Mario's seat, making it the hottest ride Mario had ever driven at the speedway. Also, for the official front row picture, Mario's twin brother Aldo was standing in for him.
1970 to 1979
19701970 Indianapolis 500
The 1970 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 1970.Following in the footsteps of his brother, Bobby, Al Unser dominates the 500, leading 190 laps, matching Jim Clark's total in 1965, and the most since 1953, when Bill Vukovich led all but five laps in the race...
· 1971
1971 Indianapolis 500
The 1971 Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 29, 1971. ABC television broadcast the race for the first time in same-day tape delay....
· 1972
1972 Indianapolis 500
The 1972 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 27, 1972.Gary Bettenhausen leads 138 laps until his engine blows on lap 176. Jerry Grant gets the lead but pits for new tires on lap 188 in team mate Bobby Unser’s pit. Bettenhausen’s Penske team mate Mark Donohue...
· 1973
1973 Indianapolis 500
The 57th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Wednesday, May 30, 1973. The race was held over three days due to rain and 2 major accidents. After 133 laps , rain halted the race, and Gordon Johncock was declared the winner....
· 1974
1974 Indianapolis 500
The 58th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26, 1974. Johnny Rutherford, in his eleventh attempt, won the race from the 25th starting position, the farthest back since Fred Frame in 1932....
· 1975
1975 Indianapolis 500
The 1975 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 25, 1975.Wally Dallenbach Sr. had a twenty-second lead when he retired on lap 162 with a burned piston. Johnny Rutherford lost the inherited lead to Bobby Unser when he pitted. On lap 171 the yellow came out for rain and the two...
· 1976
1976 Indianapolis 500
The 1976 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 30, 1976.Rain stopped the race on lap 102. Two hours later, the race was about to be restarted, but the rain fell again. Officials called the race at that point and Johnny Rutherford was declared the winner...
· 1977
1977 Indianapolis 500
The 1977 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 29, 1977.Gordon Johncock led 129 laps and had a 16 second lead on A.J. Foyt one lap after final pit stops when his crankshaft broke. Foyt became the first driver to win four times. Tom Sneva broke the barrier in qualifying, and...
· 1978
1978 Indianapolis 500
The 1978 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 28, 1978. For the first time, Mary Fendrich Hulman, widow of Tony Hulman, delivered the command for drivers to start engines....
· 1979
1979 Indianapolis 500
The 1979 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 27, 1979.The month was filled with controversy on and off the track. A court injunction was issued after USAC denied entries by the start-up CART series. During time trials, several cars were disqualified due to illegal wastegate...
1980 to 1989
19801980 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1980 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 25, 1980.-Recap:After failing in its 1979 debut, Jim Hall's radically new Chaparral chassis is driven to easy victory by Johnny Rutherford. Tom Sneva becomes the first driver to place second after starting last. He also...
· 1981
1981 Indianapolis 500
The 65th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24, 1981. A hectic month of May was interrupted several times by rain. Bobby Unser took the checkered flag as the winner, with Mario Andretti second...
· 1982
1982 Indianapolis 500
The 66th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 30, 1982. Gordon Johncock, who had previously won the rain-shortened 1973 race, was the winner...
· 1983
1983 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1983 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 29, 1983.-Recap:Three-time runner up Tom Sneva is stuck behind the lapped car of Al Unser, Jr., who is helping protect the lead of his father Al Unser despite being shown the blue "move-over" flag...
· 1984
1984 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1984 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 27, 1984.-Recap:An exciting first half turns dull as defending champion Tom Sneva and Mario Andretti fall out late with mechanical trouble, leaving Rick Mears the winner by over two laps. Rookies Roberto Guerrero, Al Holbert,...
· 1985
1985 Indianapolis 500
The 69th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis, United States on Sunday, May 26, 1985. Due to a dramatic spin by eventual race winner Danny Sullivan, the race is known in auto racing lore as the "Spin and Win".-Recap:...
· 1986
1986 Indianapolis 500
The 70th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 31, 1986. After being rained out on May 25–26, the race was rescheduled for the following weekend...
· 1987
1987 Indianapolis 500
The 71st Indianapolis 500 was held Sunday May 24, 1987 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During the month of May, an unusually high 25 crashes occurred during practice and qualifying. After dominating practice, qualifying, and most of the race, leader Mario Andretti slowed with mechanical...
· 1988
1988 Indianapolis 500
The 72nd Indianapolis 500 was held Sunday May 29, 1988 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Team Penske dominated the month, sweeping the top three starting positions with Rick Mears winning the pole position, Danny Sullivan on the inside of the front row, and Al Unser, Sr. on the outside...
· 1989
1989 Indianapolis 500
The 73rd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28, 1989. Emerson Fittipaldi became the first foreign winner of the race since 1966. Though Fittipaldi dominated most of the race, he dropped to second in the waning laps. On the 199th lap, Al Unser, Jr. was...
1990 to 1999
19901990 Indianapolis 500
The 74th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 27, 1990. Arie Luyendyk took the lead with 32 laps to go, and earned his first-ever victory in championship-level competition...
· 1991
1991 Indianapolis 500
The 75th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26, 1991. Rick Mears won from the pole position, becoming the third four-time winner of the Indy 500, joining A. J. Foyt and Al Unser....
· 1992
1992 Indianapolis 500
The 76th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24, 1992. The race is famous for the fierce battle in the closing laps, as race winner Al Unser, Jr...
· 1993
1993 Indianapolis 500
The 77th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 30, 1993. Emerson Fittipaldi took the lead with 16 laps to go, and won his second career Indy 500 victory...
· 1994
1994 Indianapolis 500
The 78th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 29, 1994. Al Unser, Jr. won from the pole position, his second Indy 500 victory. Much to the surprise of competitors, media, and fans, Marlboro Team Penske arrived at the Speedway with a brand new, secretly-built...
· 1995
1995 Indianapolis 500
The 79th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28, 1995. Sanctioned by USAC, it was part of the 1995 CART Indycar season. Jacques Villenueve won in his second start. After dominating the 1994 race and the 1994 IndyCar season, Marlboro Team Penske failed to...
· 1996
1996 Indianapolis 500
The 80th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26, 1996. This was the first Indy 500 contested by the Indy Racing League, under the overall sanctioning umbrella of USAC. It was the third and final race of the 1996 IRL season. Buddy Lazier won the race, his...
· 1997
1997 Indianapolis 500
The 81st Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway over three days, May 25–27, 1997. It was originally scheduled Sunday, May 25, however, rain washed out all activities for the day. The race was started on Monday May 26, but rain halted the race after only 15 laps...
· 1998
1998 Indianapolis 500
The 82nd Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 24, 1998. This was the first Indianapolis 500 fully sanctioned by the Indy Racing League after the IRL relied on USAC to sanction the 1996–1997 races...
· 1999
1999 Indianapolis 500
The 1999 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 30, 1999.-Recap:Robby Gordon and Team Menard take a major gamble late in the race, and try to stretch their fuel for the win. Gordon had last pit on lap 164, and attempted to run the final 36 laps on one tank...
2000 to 2009
20002000 Indianapolis 500
The 2000 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28, 2000.-Recap:Chip Ganassi Racing became the first regular CART series team to break ranks and compete at Indianapolis since the CART/IRL split in 1996, entering 1996 CART series champion Jimmy Vasser and reigning...
· 2001
2001 Indianapolis 500
The 85th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 27, 2001. Race rookie Hélio Castroneves led the final 52 laps and won his first Indy 500.-Changes for 2001:...
· 2002
2002 Indianapolis 500
The 86th Indianapolis race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26, 2002. It was the seventh Indianapolis 500 held as part of the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series schedule, and was part of the 2002 Indy Racing League season....
· 2003
2003 Indianapolis 500
The 2003 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 25, 2003.-Recap:The "curse of the Indy three-peat" prevailed again on lap 169, as pole-sitter and two-time defending champion Hélio Castroneves was held up behind lap car A.J. Foyt IV coming out of the second turn, allowing teammate...
· 2004
2004 Indianapolis 500
The 2004 Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis on Sunday, May 30, 2004. It was part of the 2004 IndyCar Series season and the ninth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. Pole winner Buddy Rice led the most laps and won the race for team owners Bobby Rahal and David Letterman.After...
· 2005
2005 Indianapolis 500
The 89th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 29, 2005. It was the premier event of the 2005 IndyCar Series season, and the tenth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. Dan Wheldon won the race under a yellow flag...
· 2006
2006 Indianapolis 500
The 90th Indianapolis 500 was held on Sunday, May 28, 2006. Sam Hornish, Jr. won the race by passing rookie Marco Andretti on the final straightaway, about 450 feet from the finish line...
· 2007
2007 Indianapolis 500
The 91st Indianapolis 500 ran on Sunday, May 27, 2007 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the 12th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and marked the fifth race of the 2007 IndyCar Series season just after the 2007 Kansas Lottery Indy 300 and just before the 2007 ABC Supply...
· 2008
2008 Indianapolis 500
The 92nd Indianapolis 500-Mile Race was run on Sunday May 25, 2008 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, USA. Scott Dixon of New Zealand won the race from the pole position. It was the thirteenth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and served as the showcase event of...
· 2009
2009 Indianapolis 500
The 93rd Indianapolis 500 was held on Sunday May 24, 2009, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. It was the 14th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and the premier event of the 2009 IndyCar Series season....
2010 to 2019
20102010 Indianapolis 500
The 94th Indianapolis 500 was held on Sunday, May 30, 2010, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the 15th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and was the premier event of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season. The race was won by Dario Franchitti, ahead of Dan Wheldon and Marco...
· 2011
2011 Indianapolis 500
The 95th Indianapolis 500 was held on May 29, 2011 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the premier event of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season. The track opened for practice on May 14, and time trials were held on May 21–22. The race was won by Dan Wheldon and was the final win of his...
· 2012
2012 Indianapolis 500
The 96th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to be run on Sunday May 27, 2012 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It will be the premier event of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season....