Indianapolis 500 Firsts
Encyclopedia

Wins, Leaders and Race Competition

{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! First
! Achiever(s)
! Notes
|-
|style="text-align:center" rowspan="2" | 1911
1911 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...

 || Winning driver ||   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...

 || Retired from racing competition upon victory
|-
| Winning owner ||   Nordyke & Marmon Company
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...

 || Withdrew from racing competition upon victory
|-
|style="text-align:center" rowspan="4" | 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:...

 || Rookie winner (excluding first race) ||rowspan="4"|   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:...

 || First to win in first career start, excluding first race
|-
| Non-American winner ||  
|-
| European winner ||  
|-
| French winner ||  
|-
| 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 ....

 || Multiple-winning owner(s) ||   Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...

 || Winning owners, 1913, 1916
|-
| style="text-align:center" rowspan="3" | 1922
1922 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1922 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1922....

 || Winner from pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...

 ||rowspan="2"|   Jimmy Murphy
James Anthony Murphy
James Anthony Murphy was a race car driver who was the American Racing Champion in 1922 and 1924.-Background:...

 ||  
|-
| Owner/Driver winner ||  
|-
| Race and Grand Prix
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...

 winning car ||   Duesenberg 1921 GP || Won 1921 French Grand Prix
1921 French Grand Prix
The 1921 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Le Mans on 25 July 1921.- Classification :-References:...


|-
| 1923
1923 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1923 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1923....

 || Two-time winner ||   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...

 || Winner, 1921
1921 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1921 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1921....

, 1923
|-
| 1924
1924 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1924 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1924....

 || Co-winners ||   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:...


  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...

 || Corum starting, Boyer finishing
|-
| 1924
1924 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1924 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1924....

 ||rowspan="2"| Repeat-winning owner(s) ||rowspan="2"|   Duesenberg
Duesenberg
Duesenberg was an Auburn, Indiana based American luxury automobile company active in various forms from 1913 to 1937, most famous for its high-quality passenger cars and record-breaking racing cars.-History:...

 ||  
|-
| 1925
1925 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1925 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1925....

 ||  
|-
| 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:...

 || Rain-shortened race winner ||   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:...

 || Race concluded by rain at 160 laps, 400 miles (643.7 km), with Lockhart holding a two lap lead
|-
| 1936
1936 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1936 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 1936....

 || Three-time winner ||   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....

 || Winner, 1928
1928 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1928 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1928....

, 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 ....

, 1936
|-
| 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...

 ||rowspan="2"| Repeat-winning driver
Repeat-winning car ||rowspan="2"|   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...


  Maserati 8CTF ||rowspan="2"| 
|-
| 1940
1940 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...


|-
|rowspan="3"| 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...

 ||rowspan="2"| First-and-second place finish by teammates ||   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....

 || Rose victorious
|-
||   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...

 || Holland second
|-
|rowspan="3"| Three consecutive-winning owner ||rowspan="3"|   Lou Moore
Lou Moore
Lewis Henry 'Lou' Moore was an American racecar driver, most known during his career for qualifying for the pole position of the 1932 Indianapolis 500. After his driving career, Moore became a legendary car owner...

 ||  
|-
| 1948
1948 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1948 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 31, 1948....

 ||  
|-
| 1949
1949 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1949 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 30, 1949....

 ||  
|-
| 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...

 || Rookie of the Year award winner ||   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:...

 || First awarded in 36th running of the race
|-
| style="text-align:center" rowspan="3" | 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....

 || Race and World Championship winner, and in same year ||rowspan="2"|   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....

 ||  
|-
| British winner ||  
|-
| Rear-engined winning car ||   Lotus 38
Lotus 38
The Lotus 38 was the first mid-engined car to win the Indianapolis 500, in 1965, driven by the great Jim Clark. It was run by Lotus at Indianapolis from 1965 to 1967; a total of 8 were built, most for use by Lotus, but several were sold for use by other drivers, including A. J...

||   Team Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...

, entrant
|-
| 1966
1966 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1966 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 30, 1966....

 || Race and Monaco Grand Prix
Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world, alongside the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans...

 winner ||   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...

 || Winner, 1963
1963 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1963 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 26, 1963. It was won by British driver Graham Hill driving a BRM P57.- Classification :* After de Beaufort withdrew, his entry was taken over by Bernard Collomb...

, 1964
1964 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1964 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 10, 1964. Peter Arundell scored his first podium finish, and Mike Hailwood his first point.-Classification:-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings...

, 1965
1965 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1965 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 30, 1965.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Graham Hill - 1:32.5* Fastest Lap: Graham Hill - 1:31.7 on lap 82...

, 1968
1968 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1968 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Monte Carlo Circuit on May 26, 1968. It was the third round of the 1968 Formula One season. The race was won by Lotus driver Graham Hill, who started from pole position...

, and 1969 Monaco Grand Prix
1969 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1969 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on May 18, 1969. It was the third round of the 1969 Formula One season.- Qualifying :- Race :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings...


|-
| 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...

 || Race and 24 Hours of 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...

 winner, and in same year ||   A.J. Foyt ||   Dan Gurney
Dan Gurney
Daniel Sexton Gurney is an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner.The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager...

, Le Mans teammate and co-driver
|-
| style="text-align:center" rowspan="2" | 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...

 || Race and Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....

 winner ||rowspan="2"|   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...

 || Winner, 1967 Daytona 500
1967 Daytona 500
The 1967 Daytona 500 was run on February 26, 1967. Mario Andretti, better known for his accomplishments in open-wheel and USAC competition won his first and only NASCAR Grand National event. He ran in a Holman-Moody Ford. Thirty years later in 1997, his nephew John Andretti would win his first...


|-
| Race and 12 Hours of Sebring
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...

 winner || Winner, 1967, 1970, and 1972 12 Hours of Sebring
|-
| style="text-align:center" rowspan="2" | 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...

 || Race and 24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...

 winner ||   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...

 || Winner, 1969;
First year competed after winning 1972 24 Hours of Daytona
|-
| Wing-mounted winning car ||   McLaren M16 || Entered by   Roger Penske
Roger Penske
Roger S. Penske is the owner of the automobile racing team Penske Racing, the Penske Corporation, and other automotive related businesses. A winning racer in the late 1950s, Penske was named 1961's Sports Car Club of America Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated...

, driven by   Mark Donohue
Mark Donohue
Mark Neary Donohue, Jr. , nicknamed "Captain Nice", was an American racecar driver known for his ability to set up his own race car as well as driving it to victories. Donohue is probably best known as the driver of the 1500+ bhp “Can-Am Killer” Porsche 917-30 and as the winner of the 1972...


|-
| style="text-align:center" rowspan="2" | 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...

 || Four-time winner ||   A.J. Foyt || Winner, 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....

, 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...

, 1967, 1977
|-
| Female competitor ||   Janet Guthrie
Janet Guthrie
Janet Guthrie is a retired professional race car driver and the first woman to qualify and compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500....

 || Qualified 26th
|-
| style="text-align:center" rowspan="2" | 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...

 || South American winner ||rowspan="2"|   Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi |São Paulo]], Brazil) is a Brazilian automobile racing driver who throughout a long and successful career won the Indianapolis 500 twice and championships in both Formula One and CART.-Early and personal life:...

 ||  
|-
| Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian winner ||  
|-
| 1990
1990 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...

 || Dutch winner ||   Arie Luyendyk
Arie Luyendyk
Arie Luyendyk, originally Arie Luijendijk is a Dutch auto racing driver, twice winner of the Indianapolis 500....

 ||  
|-
| 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...

 || Female Rookie of the Year ||   Lyn St. James
Lyn St. James
Lyn St. James is a retired professional IndyCar driver with 8 CART and 5 Indy Racing League starts to her name. She is just one of seven women who successfully qualified for the Indianapolis 500, and became the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award...

 || Finished 13th
|-
| 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...

 || Two-time Race and two-time World Championship winner ||   Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi |São Paulo]], Brazil) is a Brazilian automobile racing driver who throughout a long and successful career won the Indianapolis 500 twice and championships in both Formula One and CART.-Early and personal life:...

 || Winner, 1972
1972 Formula One season
The 1972 Formula One season was the 23rd FIA Formula One season. It featured the 23rd World Championship of Drivers, the 15th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers and numerous non-championship Formula One races. The World Championship season commenced on January 23 and ended on October 8 after...

 and 1974
1974 Formula One season
The 1974 Formula One season was the 25th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1974 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, contested concurrently over a fifteen race series which commenced on 13 January and ended on 6 October...

 World Championships;
Winner, 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...


|-
| 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...

 || Canadian winner ||   Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, , is a Canadian musician and automobile racing driver. He is the son of the late Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle...

 ||  
|-
| 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...

 || Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 winner ||   Kenny Bräck
Kenny Bräck
Kenny Bräck is a race car driver from Sweden. Until his retirement from racing, he competed in the CART, Indy Racing League and the IROC series. He is the winner of the 1999 Indianapolis 500 and the 1998 driving champion of the Indy Racing League. He survived one of the racing sport's biggest...

 ||  
|-
| 2000
2000 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...

 || Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

n winner ||   Juan Pablo Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán is a Colombian race car driver known internationally for participating and winning in Formula One and CART race competitions. He has enjoyed great success. Currently, he competes in NASCAR, driving the #42 Target Chevrolet Impala for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the Sprint...

 ||  
|-
| 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:...

 ||rowspan="2"| Rookie and sophomore winner ||rowspan="2"|   Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves is a Brazilian auto racing driver currently competing in the North American IndyCar Series. In IndyCar competition, Castroneves has 14 wins and 28 poles, and has never placed lower than sixth in the standings in a complete season of racing...

 ||rowspan="2"| First to win in first two career starts
|-
| 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....


|-
| 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...

 || Female leader ||   Danica Patrick
Danica Patrick
Danica Sue Patrick is an American auto racing driver, model and advertising spokeswoman. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing, being the only woman to win in the IndyCar Series as well as holding the highest finish by a woman at the Indianapolis 500 of 3rd...

 || Led 19 laps; Lap 192, latest
|-
| 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...

 || New Zealand winner ||   Scott Dixon
Scott Dixon
Scott Ronald Dixon, MNZM is a New Zealand motor racer who became the most successful all-time driver in the Indy Racing League championship in the United States when he won the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio in August 2009. This took his total to 21 wins...

 ||
|-
| 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....

 || Three females both starting and finishing Race ||   Danica Patrick
Danica Patrick
Danica Sue Patrick is an American auto racing driver, model and advertising spokeswoman. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing, being the only woman to win in the IndyCar Series as well as holding the highest finish by a woman at the Indianapolis 500 of 3rd...


  Sarah Fisher
Sarah Fisher
Sarah Marie Fisher is a retired American professional racecar driver who competed in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500...


  Milka Duno
Milka Duno
Milka Duno is a Venezuelan race car driver who competed in the IndyCar Series, and competes in the ARCA Racing Series. She is best known for holding the record of highest finish for a female driver in the 24 Hours of Daytona....

 || Danica Patrick finished 3rd, becoming the highest finishing female in race history.
|-
| 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...

 || Winner only having led the last lap ||   Dan Wheldon
Dan Wheldon
Daniel Clive "Dan" Wheldon was a British racing driver from England. He was the 2005 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series champion, and winner of the Indianapolis 500 in both 2005 and 2011...

 || Took lead from J.R. Hildebrand on the final lap.
|-

Race Average Finishing Speeds

{| class="wikitable"
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align=center rowspan="2"|Year
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align=center rowspan="2"|Speed
Barrier
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align=center rowspan="2"|Race Winner
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align=center colspan="2"|Average Speed
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align=center rowspan="2"|Notes
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align=center|(mph)
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align=center|(km/h)
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|1911
1911 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...

||align=right| 70 mph ||   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...

 ||align=center| 74.602 ||align=center| 129.060 || First race
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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....

||align=right| 80 mph ||   René Thomas ||align=center| 82.47 ||align=center| 132.72 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|1922
1922 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1922 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1922....

||align=right| 90 mph ||   Jimmy Murphy
James Anthony Murphy
James Anthony Murphy was a race car driver who was the American Racing Champion in 1922 and 1924.-Background:...

 ||align=center| 94.48 ||align=center| 152.05 || Victory in 1921 French Grand Prix
1921 French Grand Prix
The 1921 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Le Mans on 25 July 1921.- Classification :-References:...

 winning car
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|1925
1925 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1925 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1925....

||align=right| 100 mph ||   Peter DePaolo ||align=center| 101.127 ||align=center| 162.748 || First race completed in under 5 hours
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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...

||align=right| 110 mph ||   Wilbur Shaw ||align=center| 113.580 ||align=center| 182.789 || Last two-seat
Riding mechanic
A riding mechanic was a mechanic that rode along with a race car during the race who was tasked with maintaining, monitoring, and repairing the car during the race. They communicated with the pits and spotted from inside the car. Riding mechanics were used by most cars in the Indianapolis 500 from...

 winning car
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|1949
1949 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1949 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 30, 1949....

||align=right| 120 mph ||   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...

 ||align=center| 121.327 ||align=center| 195.257 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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 :...

||align=right| 130 mph ||   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...

 ||align=center| 130.840 ||align=center| 210.567 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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 ....

||align=right| 140 mph ||   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:...

 ||align=center| 140.293 ||align=center| 225.780 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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....

||align=right| 150 mph ||   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....

 ||align=center| 150.686 ||align=center| 242.506 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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...

||align=right| 160 mph ||   Mark Donohue
Mark Donohue
Mark Neary Donohue, Jr. , nicknamed "Captain Nice", was an American racecar driver known for his ability to set up his own race car as well as driving it to victories. Donohue is probably best known as the driver of the 1500+ bhp “Can-Am Killer” Porsche 917-30 and as the winner of the 1972...

 ||align=center| 162.962 ||align=center| 262.262 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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...

||align=right| 170 mph ||   Bobby Rahal
Bobby Rahal
Robert "Bobby" Woodward Rahal is an American auto racing driver and team owner. As a driver, he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500...

 ||align=center| 170.722 ||align=center| 274.750 || First race completed in under 3 hours
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|1990
1990 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...

||align=right| 180 mph ||   Arie Luyendyk
Arie Luyendyk
Arie Luyendyk, originally Arie Luijendijk is a Dutch auto racing driver, twice winner of the Indianapolis 500....

 ||align=center| 185.981 ||align=center| 299.307 || Current race record average speed
|}

Pole Position

{| class="wikitable"
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align=center rowspan="2"|Year
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align=center rowspan="2"|Speed
Barrier
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align=center rowspan="2"|Driver
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align=center colspan="2"|Speed
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align=center rowspan="2"|Notes
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align=center|(mph)
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align=center|(km/h)
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|1911
1911 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...

 ||align="center"| N/A ||   Lewis Strang
Lewis Strang
Lewis Strang was an American racecar driver. Strang was pole sitter for the inaugural Indianapolis 500. He was killed in a testing accident, becoming the first Indy 500 veteran to die....

 ||align="center" colspan="2"| No full lap || First race; grid determined by entry date
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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...

 ||align="right"| 90 mph ||   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,...

 ||align="center"| 98.90 ||align="center"| 159.16 || First year, grid position determined by qualification speed
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|1919
1919 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1919 Liberty Sweepstakes held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 31, 1919....

 ||align="right"| 100 mph ||   René Thomas ||align="center"| 104.780 ||align="center"| 168.627 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|1925
1925 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1925 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1925....

 ||align="right"| 110 mph ||   Leon Duray
Leon Duray
Leon Duray was an American racecar driver active in the 1920s...

 ||align="center"| 113.196 ||align="center"| 182.171 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|1927
1927 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1927 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1927....

 ||align="right"| 120 mph ||   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:...

 ||align="center"| 120.100 ||align="center"| 193.282 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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...

 ||align="right"| 130 mph ||   Jimmy Snyder
Jimmy Snyder (driver)
Jimmy Snyder was an American racecar driver.Snyder was part of the midget car "Chicago Gang" with Emil Andres, Tony Bettenhausen, Cowboy O'Rourke, Paul Russo, and Wally Zale. They toured tracks in the Midwest and East Coast of the United States.Snyder won the 1937 track championship at the Chicago...

 ||align="center"| 130.138 ||align="center"| 209.437 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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 :...

 ||align="right"| 140 mph ||   Jack McGrath
Jack McGrath
John James "Jack" McGrath was an American racecar driver.A major player in the "mighty midgets" at Los Angeles' Gilmore Speedway in the late 1940s, McGrath won the first CRA championship in 1946 and was dubbed "King of the Hot Rods." His efforts, along with those of friend and teammate Manuel...

 ||align="center"| 141.033 ||align="center"| 226.971 || Engine augmented with nitromethane
Nitromethane
Nitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...

 additive, then legal
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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 ....

 ||align="right"| 150 mph ||   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...

 ||align="center"| 150.370 ||align="center"| 241.997 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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....

 ||align="right"| 160 mph ||   A.J. Foyt ||align="center"| 161.233 ||align="center"| 259.479 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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...

 ||align="right"| 170 mph ||   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...

 ||align="center"| 171.559 ||align="center"| 276.097 || Turbine-engined car
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2" align="center" rowspan="2" | 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...

 ||align="right"| 180 mph ||rowspan="2"|   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...

† ||align="center" rowspan="2"| 195.940 ||align="center" rowspan="2"| 315.335 ||rowspan="2"| 17 mi/h increase in pole record speed, largest margin to date
|-
| 190 mph
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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....

 ||align="right"| 200 mph ||rowspan="2"|   Tom Sneva
Tom Sneva
Tom Sneva is a former Indy Car driver who was named to the prestigious Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2005. Sneva is best remembered for winning the 1983 Indianapolis 500. Nicknamed "The Gas Man," Sneva was an outstanding qualifier, winning the pole position for the Indianapolis 500 three...

 ||align="center"| 202.156 ||align="center"| 325.339 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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,...

 ||align="right"| 210 mph ||align="center"| 210.029 ||align="center"| 338.009 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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...

 ||align="right"| 220 mph ||   Rick Mears
Rick Mears
Rick Ravon Mears is a retired American race car driver. He is one of three men to have won the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race four times , and the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six...

 ||align="center"| 223.885 ||align="center"| 360.308 ||  
|-
|bgcolor="F2F2F2"|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...

 ||align="right"| 230 mph ||   Roberto Guerrero
Roberto Guerrero
Roberto José Guerrero Isaza is a former racing driver from Colombia. He participated in 29 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 23 January 1982...

 ||align="center"| 232.482 ||align="center"| 374.144 ||  
|}

†- During time trials, Bill Vukovich II
Bill Vukovich II
William John Vukovich, Jr. , better known as Bill Vukovich II is a former driver in the championship car division of USAC and CART series....

 turned his first lap at 185.797 mi/h, to set the one-lap track record, and was the first driver to officially break the 180 mi/h barrier. He, however, crashed on his second lap, and did not complete the four-lap qualifying run. Later in the afternoon, 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...

 qualified a four-lap average of 185.223 mi/h to break the four-lap 180 mi/h barrier. Later in the day, however, Bobby Unser qualified even faster, over 190 mi/h, and became the first pole position winner to break 180 mi/h and 190 mi/h for his four-lap average.

Miscellenia

  • 1911: Winner 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...

     develops first known use of rear-view mirror on his # 32 Marmon "Wasp".

  • 1913: 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:...

     is the first winner to go the full race distance without a relief driver, and is both the first French and European victor. Goux's Peugeot
    Peugeot
    Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...

     entry is the first to win using wire wheels instead of wooden-spoke wheels.

  • 1915: 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...

     is the first Italian-born victor.

  • 1919: Victory by state-native 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,...

     prompts crowd to sing Back Home Again in Indiana
    Back Home Again in Indiana
    " Indiana" is a song composed by Ballard MacDonald and James F. Hanley, first published in January of 1917. While it is not the official state song of the U.S...

    for the first time, immediately after conclusion of the race. Wilcox's Peugeot is owned and entered by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
    Indianapolis Motor Speedway
    The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....

    , the first winning entry to be directly affiliated with the facility itself.

  • 1920: Gaston Chevrolet
    Gaston Chevrolet
    Gaston Chevrolet was a French-born American racecar champion driver and automobile manufacturer.-Early life:...

     is killed in a race at Beverly Hills and is the first '500' winner to die.

  • 1921: Howdy Wilcox is the first driver to finish in first and last place (1919 & 1921).

  • 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 from pole and lead the first and last lap of the same race in 1922.

  • 1923: Jimmy Murphy is the first defending winner to lead the first lap.

  • 1929: Cliff Woodbury
    Cliff Woodbury
    Cliff Woodbury was an American racecar driver. After crashing on the third lap of the 1929 Indianapolis 500, Woodbury becomes the first Indy pole-sitter to finish in last place. This feat will not be repeated until Pancho Carter retires with mechanical problems six laps into the 1985 Indianapolis...

     is the first pole winner to finish last (crash on lap 3).

  • 1936: 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....

     becomes the first driver to drink milk in victory lane. He also becomes the first driver to receive the pace car for his winning effort. 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...

     makes its first appearance.

  • 1946: 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...

     is the first English-born victor.

  • 1948: The Speedway institutes its own 'Safety Patrol' to replace the 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...

     National Guard
    United States National Guard
    The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...

     as policing force for the event, which had served in such capacity since the inaugural race.

  • 1949: Local station WTTV provides television coverage of the race during competition for the first time.

  • 1950: Walt Faulkner
    Walt Faulkner
    Walt Faulkner was an American racing driver from Tell, Texas, who moved to Milledgeville, Georgia at the age of two-and-a-half, and to Lake Wales, Florida at the age of eight. He then moved to Los Angeles, California in 1936. Faulkner competed mainly in the National Championship and in stock car...

     becomes the first rookie to qualify for the pole position
    Pole position
    The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...

    .

  • 1952: 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:...

     becomes the first Rookie of the Year. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
    Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
    The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network , is an in-house radio syndication arrangement which broadcasts the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar, and the Brickyard 400 to radio stations covering most of North America....

     broadcasts flag-to-flag coverage of the race for the first time.

  • 1958: The front row drivers (Dick Rathmann
    Dick Rathmann
    Dick Rathmann was an American racecar driver....

    , Ed Elisian
    Ed Elisian
    Ed Elisian was an American racing driver, mainly competing in the National Championship...

     and Jimmy Reece
    Jimmy Reece
    Jimmy Reece was an American racecar driver. He died in a racing accident during a 1958 champ car race at Trenton International Speedway.-Indy 500 results:...

    ) fail to lead a lap, the only time this has occurred to date.

  • 1965: 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....

     is the first former World Drivers' Champion to win the race, the first driver to win the race en route to winning the Formula 1 World Championship, and the first Scottish
    Scotland
    Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

     victor.

  • 1966: 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...

    , the first English-born victor, wins the race but not the Rookie of the Year award (instead awarded to teammate 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...

    ), the only time this has occurred to date. Jim Clark is the first driver to spin and recover twice in the same race.

  • 1974: The Speedway rescinds its "never on a Sunday" policy, altering a tradition dating to 1911; the race is scheduled to be run, for the first time, on the Sunday before the national observance of Memorial Day, the last Monday of May.

  • 1978: The timing and scoring computer system designed by Arthur W Graham III (Indianapolis 500 Director) was first used to accurately track drivers times and simultaneously display race leaders and laps.

  • 1983: 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....

     and son Al Unser, Jr.
    Al Unser, Jr.
    Alfred Unser, Jr. , nicknamed "Little Al", "Al Junior" or simply "Junior" is a retired American race car driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.-History:...

     are the first father and son to compete together in the same race.

  • 1984: Michael Andretti
    Michael Andretti
    Michael Mario Andretti is a retired American CART and Formula One driver and owner of the Andretti Autosport team in the IndyCar Series. Andretti is the son of Mario Andretti. His son is Marco Andretti.-Early career:...

     becomes the first son of a previous Rookie of the Year award winner (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...

    , 1965) to win the award himself, shared with Colombia
    Colombia
    Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

    n Roberto Guerrero.

  • 1986: ABC Sports televises flag-to-flag coverage of the race for the first time.

  • 1988: Bill Vukovich III becomes the first third-generation driver to qualify and drive in the race, following his two-time winning grandfather
    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...

     and once second-place finishing father
    Bill Vukovich II
    William John Vukovich, Jr. , better known as Bill Vukovich II is a former driver in the championship car division of USAC and CART series....

    .

  • 1992: Al Unser, Jr.
    Al Unser, Jr.
    Alfred Unser, Jr. , nicknamed "Little Al", "Al Junior" or simply "Junior" is a retired American race car driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.-History:...

     becomes the first second-generation winner of the race, following his four-time winning father
    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....

    .

  • 2002: Hélio Castroneves
    Hélio Castroneves
    Hélio Castroneves is a Brazilian auto racing driver currently competing in the North American IndyCar Series. In IndyCar competition, Castroneves has 14 wins and 28 poles, and has never placed lower than sixth in the standings in a complete season of racing...

     becomes the first rookie winner to become a multiple-race winner.

  • 2005: Danica Patrick
    Danica Patrick
    Danica Sue Patrick is an American auto racing driver, model and advertising spokeswoman. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing, being the only woman to win in the IndyCar Series as well as holding the highest finish by a woman at the Indianapolis 500 of 3rd...

     becomes the first female driver to lead the race, for a total of 19 laps.

  • 2006: Marco Andretti
    Marco Andretti
    Marco Michael Andretti is an Italian American auto racing driver who drives the #26 car for Andretti Autosport in the IndyCar Series. He is the son of 1991 IndyCar World Series champion Michael Andretti and the grandson of racing legend Mario Andretti...

     becomes the first third-generation winner of the Rookie of the Year award (Mario Andretti, 1965; Michael Andretti, co-1984).

  • 2007: First Indy-500 race with three women competing in the field (Duno
    Milka Duno
    Milka Duno is a Venezuelan race car driver who competed in the IndyCar Series, and competes in the ARCA Racing Series. She is best known for holding the record of highest finish for a female driver in the 24 Hours of Daytona....

    , Fisher
    Sarah Fisher
    Sarah Marie Fisher is a retired American professional racecar driver who competed in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500...

    , Patrick
    Danica Patrick
    Danica Sue Patrick is an American auto racing driver, model and advertising spokeswoman. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing, being the only woman to win in the IndyCar Series as well as holding the highest finish by a woman at the Indianapolis 500 of 3rd...

    ); also the first race where two women were running at the completion of the event (Fisher, Patrick).

  • 2009: First Indy-500 race where three females finished the race, Duno
    Milka Duno
    Milka Duno is a Venezuelan race car driver who competed in the IndyCar Series, and competes in the ARCA Racing Series. She is best known for holding the record of highest finish for a female driver in the 24 Hours of Daytona....

    , Fisher
    Sarah Fisher
    Sarah Marie Fisher is a retired American professional racecar driver who competed in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500...

    , Patrick
    Danica Patrick
    Danica Sue Patrick is an American auto racing driver, model and advertising spokeswoman. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing, being the only woman to win in the IndyCar Series as well as holding the highest finish by a woman at the Indianapolis 500 of 3rd...

    ). Also the highest finish for a woman, 3rd(Patrick).
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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