Winners of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Speedway, Indiana. First held in 1911, the Indianapolis 500 has traditionally been held on or around Memorial Day in late May. The Indianapolis 500 has been held every year since 1911 except for 1917–1918 (due to World War I) and 1942–1945 (due to World War II). In 2020, the race was postponed from May until August of that year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indianapolis 500 Winners

# Day
Date/Year
Winner Time Average
Speed
(mph)
Notes
1 Tuesday
5/30/1911
Ray Harroun** 6:42:08.92 74.602*
2 Thursday
5/30/1912
Joe Dawson**
Harry Martin (Riding Mechanic)
6:21:05.85 78.719*
3 Friday
5/30/1913
Jules Goux
Emil Begin (Riding Mechanic)
6:35:06.05 75.933
4 Saturday
5/30/1914
René Thomas
Robert Laly (Riding Mechanic)
6:03:46.12 82.474*
5 Monday
5/31/1915
Ralph DePalma
Louis Fontaine (Riding Mechanic)
5:33:55.51 89.840*
6 Tuesday
5/30/1916
Dario Resta
Bob Dahnke (Riding Mechanic)
3:34:17.14 84.001 Scheduled for 300 miles
1917–1918: No Race due to World War I
7 Saturday
5/31/1919
Howdy Wilcox
Leo Banks (Riding Mechanic)
5:40:42.87 88.050*
8 Monday
5/31/1920
Gaston Chevrolet
John Bresnahan (Riding Mechanic)
5:38:31.44 88.618
9 Monday
5/30/1921
Tommy Milton (1)
Harry Franck (Riding Mechanic)
5:34:44.65 89.621*
10 Tuesday
5/30/1922
Jimmy Murphy
Ernie Olson (Riding Mechanic)
5:17:30.79 94.484*
11 Wednesday
5/30/1923
Tommy Milton** (2) 5:29:50.17 90.545
12 Friday
5/30/1924
Lora L. Corum**
Joe Boyer
5:05:23.51 98.234*
13 Saturday
5/30/1925
Peter DePaolo** 4:56:39.45 101.127*
14 Monday
5/31/1926
Frank Lockhart 4:10:14.95 95.904 400 miles due to rain
15 Monday
5/30/1927
George Souders 5:07:33.08 97.545
16 Wednesday
5/30/1928
Louis Meyer (1) 5:01:33.75 99.482
17 Thursday
5/30/1929
Ray Keech 5:07:25.42 97.585
18 Friday
5/30/1930
Billy Arnold
Spider Matlock (Riding Mechanic)
4:58:39.72 100.448
19 Saturday
5/30/1931
Louis Schneider
Jigger Johnson (Riding Mechanic)
5:10:27.93 96.629
20 Monday
5/30/1932
Fred Frame
Jerry Houck (Riding Mechanic)
4:48:03.79 104.144*
21 Tuesday
5/30/1933
Louis Meyer (2)
Lawson Harris (Riding Mechanic)
4:48:00.75 104.162*
22 Wednesday
5/30/1934
Bill Cummings
Earl Unversaw (Riding Mechanic)
4:46:05.20 104.863*
23 Thursday
5/30/1935
Kelly Petillo
Jimmy Dunham (Riding Mechanic)
4:42:22.71 106.240*
24 Saturday
5/30/1936
Louis Meyer (3)
Lawson Harris (Riding Mechanic)
4:35:03.39 109.069*
25 Monday
5/31/1937
Wilbur Shaw (1)
Jigger Johnson (Riding Mechanic)
4:24:07.80 113.580*
26 Monday
5/30/1938
Floyd Roberts 4:15:58.40 117.200*
27 Tuesday
5/30/1939
Wilbur Shaw (2) 4:20:47.39 115.035
28 Thursday
5/30/1940
Wilbur Shaw (3) 4:22:31.17 114.277
29 Friday
5/30/1941
Floyd Davis**
Mauri Rose (1)
4:20:36.24 115.117
1942–1945: No Race due to World War II
30 Thursday
5/30/1946
George Robson 4:21:16.71 114.820
31 Friday
5/30/1947
Mauri Rose (2) 4:17:52.17 116.338
32 Monday
5/31/1948
Mauri Rose (3) 4:10:23.33 119.814*
33 Monday
5/30/1949
Bill Holland 4:07:14.97 121.327*
34 Tuesday
5/30/1950
Johnnie Parsons 2:46:55.97 124.002* 345 miles due to rain
35 Wednesday
5/30/1951
Lee Wallard 3:57:38.05 126.244*
36 Friday
5/30/1952
Troy Ruttman 3:52:41.88 128.922*
37 Saturday
5/30/1953
Bill Vukovich (1) 3:53:01.69 128.740
38 Monday
5/31/1954
Bill Vukovich (2) 3:49:17.27 130.840*
39 Monday
5/30/1955
Bob Sweikert 3:53:59.13 128.209
40 Wednesday
5/30/1956
Pat Flaherty 3:53:28.84 128.490
41 Thursday
5/30/1957
Sam Hanks 3:41:14.25 135.601*
42 Friday
5/30/1958
Jimmy Bryan 3:44:13.80 133.719
43 Saturday
5/30/1959
Rodger Ward (1) 3:40:49.20 135.875*
44 Monday
5/30/1960
Jim Rathmann 3:36:11.36 138.767*
45 Tuesday
5/30/1961
A.J. Foyt (1) 3:35:37.49 139.130*
46 Wednesday
5/30/1962
Rodger Ward (2) 3:33:50.33 140.293*
47 Thursday
5/30/1963
Parnelli Jones 3:29:35.40 143.137*
48 Saturday
5/30/1964
A.J. Foyt (2) 3:23:35.83 147.350*
49 Monday
5/31/1965
Jim Clark 3:19:05.34 150.686*
50 Monday
5/30/1966
Graham Hill 3:27:52.53 144.137
51 Wednesday
5/31/1967
A.J. Foyt (3) 3:18:24.22 151.207*
52 Thursday
5/30/1968
Bobby Unser (1) 3:16:13.76 152.882*
53 Friday
5/30/1969
Mario Andretti 3:11:14.71 156.867*
54 Saturday
5/30/1970
Al Unser Sr. (1) 3:12:37.24 155.749
55 Saturday
5/29/1971
Al Unser Sr. (2) 3:10:11.56 157.735*
56 Saturday
5/27/1972
Mark Donohue 3:04:05.54 162.692*
57 Wednesday
5/30/1973
Gordon Johncock (1) 2:05:26.59 159.063 332.5 miles due to rain
58 Sunday
5/26/1974
Johnny Rutherford (1) 3:09:10.06 158.589
59 Sunday
5/25/1975
Bobby Unser (2) 2:54:55.08 149.213 435 miles due to rain
60 Sunday
5/30/1976
Johnny Rutherford (2) 1:42:52.48 148.725 255 miles due to rain
61 Sunday
5/29/1977
A.J. Foyt (4) 3:05:57.16 161.331
62 Sunday
5/28/1978
Al Unser Sr. (3) 3:05:54.99 161.363
63 Sunday
5/27/1979
Rick Mears (1) 3:08:47.97 158.899
64 Sunday
5/25/1980
Johnny Rutherford (3) 3:29:59.56 142.862
65 Sunday
5/24/1981
Bobby Unser (3) 3:35:41.78 139.084
66 Sunday
5/30/1982
Gordon Johncock (2) 3:05:09.14 162.029
67 Sunday
5/29/1983
Tom Sneva 3:05:03.066 162.117
68 Sunday
5/27/1984
Rick Mears (2) 3:03:21.660 163.612*
69 Sunday
5/26/1985
Danny Sullivan 3:16:06.069 152.982
70 Saturday
5/31/1986
Bobby Rahal 2:55:43.470 170.722*
71 Sunday
5/24/1987
Al Unser Sr. (4) 3:04:59.147 162.175
72 Sunday
5/29/1988
Rick Mears (3) 3:27:10.204 144.809
73 Sunday
5/28/1989
Emerson Fittipaldi (1) 2:59:01.040 167.581
74 Sunday
5/27/1990
Arie Luyendyk (1) 2:41:18.414 185.981*
75 Sunday
5/26/1991
Rick Mears (4) 2:50:00.785 176.457
76 Sunday
5/24/1992
Al Unser Jr. (1) 3:43:05.148 134.477
77 Sunday
5/30/1993
Emerson Fittipaldi (2) 3:10:49.860 157.207
78 Sunday
5/29/1994
Al Unser Jr. (2) 3:06:29.006 160.872
79 Sunday
5/28/1995
Jacques Villeneuve 3:15:17.529 153.616
80 Sunday
5/26/1996
Buddy Lazier 3:22:45.753 147.956
81 Tuesday
5/27/1997
Arie Luyendyk (2) 3:25:43.388 145.827
82 Sunday
5/24/1998
Eddie Cheever 3:26:40.524 145.155
83 Sunday
5/30/1999
Kenny Bräck 3:15:51.182 153.176
84 Sunday
5/28/2000
Juan Pablo Montoya (1) 2:58:59.431 167.607
85 Sunday
5/27/2001
Hélio Castroneves (1) 3:15:18.673 153.601
86 Sunday
5/26/2002
Hélio Castroneves (2) 3:00:10.8714 166.499
87 Sunday
5/25/2003
Gil de Ferran 3:11:56.9891 156.291
88 Sunday
5/30/2004
Buddy Rice 3:14:55.2395 138.518 450 miles due to rain
89 Sunday
5/29/2005
Dan Wheldon (1) 3:10:21.0769 157.603
90 Sunday
5/28/2006
Sam Hornish Jr. 3:10:58.7590 157.085
91 Sunday
5/27/2007
Dario Franchitti (1) 2:44:03.5608 151.774 415 miles due to rain
92 Sunday
5/25/2008
Scott Dixon 3:28:57.6792 143.567
93 Sunday
5/24/2009
Hélio Castroneves (3) 3:19:34.6427 150.318
94 Sunday
5/30/2010
Dario Franchitti (2) 3:05:37.0131 161.623
95 Sunday
5/29/2011
Dan Wheldon (2) 2:56:11.7267 170.265
96 Sunday
5/27/2012
Dario Franchitti (3) 2:58:51.2532 167.734
97 Sunday
5/26/2013
Tony Kanaan 2:40:03.4181 187.433*
98 Sunday
5/25/2014
Ryan Hunter-Reay 2:40:48.2305 186.563
99 Sunday
5/24/2015
Juan Pablo Montoya (2) 3:05:56.5286 161.341
100 Sunday
5/29/2016
Alexander Rossi 3:00:02.0872 166.634
101 Sunday
5/28/2017
Takuma Sato (1) 3:13:03.3584 155.395
102 Sunday
5/27/2018
Will Power 2:59:42.6365 166.935
103 Sunday
5/26/2019
Simon Pagenaud 2:50:39.2797 175.794
104 Sunday
8/23/2020
Takuma Sato (2) 3:10:05.0880 157.824
105 Sunday
5/30/2021
Hélio Castroneves (4) 2:37:19.3846 190.690*
106 Sunday
5/29/2022
Marcus Ericsson 2:51:00.6432 175.428
107 Sunday
5/28/2023
Josef Newgarden 2:58:21.9611 168.193
108 Sunday
5/26/2024

* Race Record Speed at Time

** Winner Had Relief Help (See Below)
1911: Cyrus Patschke relieved Ray Harroun for laps 71–102
1912: Don Herr relieved Joe Dawson; Dawson finished race
1923: Howard Wilcox relieved Tommy Milton for laps 103–149
1924: Joe Boyer relieved L.L Corum for laps 112–200; both credited with win
1925: Norman Batten relieved Peter DePaolo for laps 106–127
1941: Mauri Rose relieved Floyd Davis for laps 72–200; both credited with win

 

Race postponements and rain delays

1915: The race was originally scheduled for Saturday May 29. Heavy rain storms in the days leading up to the race flooded the grounds and roads leading to the track. Track management decided to postpone the race until Monday May 31 to allow time for the facility to dry out.

1967: The race was scheduled for Tuesday May 30. After 18 laps, rain halted the race. On Wednesday May 31, the race was resumed and run to completion.

1973: The race was scheduled for Monday May 28. Rain delayed the start until mid-afternoon. A major crash at the start involving Salt Walther put out the red flag, and rain washed out the rest of the day. On Tuesday May 29, rain once again postponed the race. On Wednesday May 30, the race was finally started in the mid-afternoon. The race ended after 332.5 miles when rain returned.

1986: Rain postponed the race on Sunday May 25 and Monday May 26. The race was rescheduled for Saturday May 31.

1997: Rain postponed the race on Sunday May 25. On Monday May 26, the race began, but was halted on lap 15 due to rain. On Tuesday May 27, the race was resumed and run to completion.

2004: The race was red flagged after 28 laps due to rain, restarted, then ended after 180 laps (450 miles) when rain returned.

2007: The race was red flagged after 113 laps due to rain, restarted, then ended after 166 laps (415 miles) when rain returned.

2020: The race was postponed from May 24 to August 23 due to the COVID-19 pandemic


Statistics

Most Indianapolis 500 Wins (Driver)

  • 4 — A.J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977)
  • 4 — Al Unser Sr. (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987)
  • 4 — Rick Mears (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991)
  • 4 — Hélio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021) ACTIVE
  • 3 — Louis Meyer (1928, 1933, 1936)
  • 3 — Wilbur Shaw (1937, 1939, 1940)
  • 3 — Mauri Rose (1941, 1947, 1948)
  • 3 — Bobby Unser (1968, 1975, 1981)
  • 3 — Johnny Rutherford (1974, 1976, 1980)
  • 3 — Dario Franchitti (2007, 2010, 2012)
  • 2 — Tommy Milton (1921, 1923)
  • 2 — Bill Vukovich (1953, 1954)
  • 2 — Rodger Ward (1959, 1962)
  • 2 — Gordon Johncock (1973, 1982)
  • 2 — Emerson Fittipaldi (1989, 1993)
  • 2 — Arie Luyendyk (1990, 1997)
  • 2 — Al Unser Jr. (1992, 1994)
  • 2 — Juan Pablo Montoya (2000, 2015)
  • 2 — Dan Wheldon (2005, 2011)
  • 2 — Takuma Sato (2017, 2020) ACTIVE

Most Consecutive Indianapolis 500 Wins (Driver)

  • 2 — Wilbur Shaw (1939–1940)
  • 2 — Mauri Rose (1947–1948)
  • 2 — Bill Vukovich (1953–1954)
  • 2 — Al Unser Sr. (1970–1971)
  • 2 — Hélio Castroneves (2001–2002)

Most Indianapolis 500 Wins (Team/Owner)

  • 19 — Penske Racing / Team Penske (Roger Penske)
  • 6 — Team Green / Andretti-Green Racing / Andretti Autosport
  • 5 — Lou Moore
  • 5 — Chip Ganassi Racing (Chip Ganassi)
  • 3 — A.J. Foyt Enterprises (A.J. Foyt)
  • 3 — Leader Cards Racing (Bob Wilke)
  • 3 — Patrick Racing (U.E. “Pat” Patrick)

Team/Owner finishing 1st-2nd

  • 1947 — Lou Moore / Blue Crown Spark Plugs (Mauri Rose & Bill Holland)
  • 1948 — Lou Moore / Blue Crown Spark Plugs (Mauri Rose & Bill Holland)
  • 1962 — Leader Cards, Inc. (Rodger Ward & Len Sutton)
  • 1997 — Fred Treadway / Treadway Racing (Arie Luyendyk & Scott Goodyear)
  • 2001 — Roger Penske / Marlboro Team Penske (Helio Castroneves & Gil de Ferran)
  • 2003 — Roger Penske / Marlboro Team Penske (Gil de Ferran & Helio Castroneves)
  • 2012 — Chip Ganassi / Target Chip Ganassi Racing (Dario Franchitti & Scott Dixon)
  • 2015 — Roger Penske / Verizon Team Penske (Juan Pablo Montoya & Will Power)
  • 2016 — Michael Andretti / Andretti Autosport / Andretti Herta Autosport (Alexander Rossi & Carlos Munoz)

Attempts for First Indy 500 victory

A total of 75 different drivers have won the Indianapolis 500 at least one time. The following list indicates the number of times the driver qualified and started the Indianapolis 500 before he won it for the first time. It does not include years in which the driver arrived at the Speedway and failed to qualify (or entered but did not make a qualifying attempt). It also does not include years which the driver did not enter, or years that the race was not held (1917-1918 due to WWI and 1942-1945 due to WWII). Note that 1909-1910, numerous shorter races were held at the Speedway before the inaugural Indianapolis 500 was held in 1911. Several drivers from the pre-500 era would go on to race in the Indy 500 in subsequent years, and four of those drivers would go on to win the “500”. Through 2023:

First Start (Rookie): 10 drivers

  • Ray Harroun – 1911 (Inaugural race; Harroun also competed in pre-500 races)
  • Jules Goux – 1913
  • Rene Thomas – 1914
  • Frank Lockhart – 1926
  • Louis Meyer – 1928 (2nd year; drove relief in 1927)
  • George Souders – 1927
  • Graham Hill – 1966 (2nd year; failed to qualify in 1963)
  • Juan Montoya – 2000
  • Helio Castroneves – 2001
  • Alexander Rossi – 2016

Second Start: 8 drivers

  • Joe Dawson – 1912 (Dawson also competed in pre-500 races)
  • Dario Resta – 1916
  • Gaston Chevrolet – 1920
  • Ray Keech – 1929
  • Johnnie Parsons – 1950
  • Rick Mears – 1979 (third year; did not qualify in 1977)
  • Jacques Villeneuve – 1995
  • Buddy Rice – 2004

Third Start: 13 drivers

  • Tommy Milton – 1921
  • Jimmy Murphy – 1922
  • L.L. Corum – 1924
  • Peter DePaolo – 1925
  • Billy Arnold – 1930
  • George Robson – 1946 (4th year: failed to qualify in 1939, was First Alternate))
  • Bill Holland – 1949
  • Bill Vukovich – 1953 (4th year: failed to qualify in 1950)
  • Parnelli Jones – 1963
  • Jimmy Clark – 1965
  • Danny Sullivan – 1985
  • Kenny Brack – 1999
  • Dan Wheldon – 2005

Fourth Start: 14 drivers

  • Ralph DePalma – 1915 (5th year; qualified but withdrew in 1914. DePalma also drove in pre-500 races)
  • Louis Schneider – 1931
  • Kelly Petillo – 1935 (5th year; failed to qualify in 1928)
  • Floyd Roberts – 1938
  • Floyd Davis – 1941 (5th year; failed to qualify in 1938)
  • Lee Wallard – 1951
  • Troy Ruttman – 1952
  • Bob Sweikert – 1955 (6th year; failed to qualify in 1950, 1951)
  • Pat Flaherty – 1956
  • A.J. Foyt – 1961
  • Mark Donohue – 1972
  • Buddy Lazier – 1996 (8th year; failed to qualify in 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994)
  • Gil de Ferran – 2003
  • Marcus Ericsson – 2022

Fifth Start: 6 drivers

  • Fred Frame – 1932
  • Bill Cummings – 1934
  • Mario Andretti – 1969
  • Al Unser, Sr. – 1970 (6th year; entered in 1969, but withdrew due to injury, see below)
  • Bobby Rahal – 1986
  • Dario Franchitti – 2007

Sixth Attempt: 5 drivers

  • Joe Boyer – 1924
  • Bobby Unser – 1968
  • Emerson Fittipaldi – 1989
  • Arie Luyendyk – 1990
  • Scott Dixon – 2008

Seventh Start: 4 drivers

  • Howdy Wilcox – 1919 (Wilcox also competed in pre-500 races)
  • Jimmy Bryan – 1958 (8th year: failed to qualify in 1951)
  • Sam Hornish Jr. – 2006
  • Ryan Hunter-Reay – 2014

Eighth Start: 1 driver

  • Simon Pagenaud – 2019

Ninth Start: 5 drivers

  • Wilbur Shaw – 1937 (10th year; failed to qualify in 1931, drove relief in 1931 race)
  • Rodger Ward – 1959
  • Gordon Johncock – 1973
  • Eddie Cheever – 1998
  • Takuma Sato – 2017

Tenth Start: 3 drivers

  • Mauri Rose – 1941 (11th year; failed to qualify in 1932)
  • Tom Sneva – 1983 (11th year; passed rookie test in 1973, but did not qualify)
  • Al Unser Jr. – 1992

Eleventh Start: 3 drivers

  • Jim Rathmann – 1960
  • Johnny Rutherford – 1974
  • Will Power – 2018

Twelfth Start: 2 drivers

  • Tony Kanaan – 2013
  • Josef Newgarden – 2023

Thirteenth Start: 1 driver

  • Sam Hanks – 1957 (qualified but withdrew in 1941, see below)

Notes:

Louis Meyer drove relief in the 1927 race, but was not credited with a start. Therefore he won the “500” in the first race in which he qualified and started. But it was the second race overall he had participated in.

Sam Hanks qualified 27th for the 1941 “500”. On the day before the race, he was injured in a practice crash and his car was withdrawn. Officials elected not to elevate the First Alternate, and simply credited Hanks with 33rd finishing position. Thus, he qualified for the race 13th times but only actually raced 12 times.

Al Unser Sr. was entered in 1969, and practiced during the first week of practice. On the afternoon of the first day of Time Trials (which was almost completely rained out), Unser suffered a compound fracture of his left leg in a motorcycle accident in the track infield. He had not yet made a qualifying attempt. He withdrew and replaced by Bud Tinglestad.


Riding mechanic data courtesy of “Forgotten Heroes of the Speedways: The Riding Mechanics” by John E. Blazier and Tom Rollings, 1994. According to AUTOCOURSE Official History of the Indianapolis 500, 2006, Speedway historian Donald Davidson states that the winning riding mechanic for 1919 was Leo banks, and not the originally listed Maurice Becker, because Becker had fallen ill on race day.