The Four Time Winners

Image Taken May 2011 — 1928 winning car at the IMS Museum (Johnson Collection)

In 1936, Indy legend Louis Meyer became the first driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500 three times. He won the race in 1928, 1933, and 1936. His third victory was historic for its accomplishment as well as being a year in which multiple Indy traditions are traced back to. The Borg-Warner Trophy® was first presented to the winner in 1936, and for the first time the pace car was presented as a prize to the winning driver (technically to the driver that led lap 200). Furthermore, Meyer is noted as the driver that started the tradition of drinking milk in victory lane. It has been told that after his second victory in 1933, Meyer drank a cold bottle of buttermilk to quench his thirst, something he had learned from his mother. After he won in 1936, Meyer again drank a bottle of buttermilk, this time in victory lane in view of the cameras. In the years that followed, other drivers celebrated with milk, and by 1956, it was a permanent tradition of victory lane.

Image Taken May 2021 — 1939-40 winning car at the IMS Museum (Johnson Collection)

Wilbur Shaw (1937, 1939, 1940) became the second driver to win the Indianapolis 500 three times, followed by Mauri Rose (1941, 1947, 1948). Shaw had a chance to win the 1941 race, and in doing so would have been the first four-time winner, as well as the first driver to “three-peat”. A fire swept through the garage area on the morning of the 1941 race. No one was seriously injured, but the car of George Barringer was destroyed, as well as considerable amounts of tools and other equipment. During practice, Shaw had been conducting some tire tests in the days leading up to the race. He encountered a wheel(s) that was out-of-balance, and he used chalk to write write the words “USE LAST” on it. Rather than discard it, this was ostensibly to convey to the crew to not use that tire(s) during the race unless absolutely necessary. It is believed that the firefighters’ water hoses washed off the chalk message, and the bad wheel(s) was inadvertently put on the car during a pit stop. Shaw crashed while leading on lap 152, rupturing his fuel tank. It was his final lap raced at Indianapolis.

Mauri Rose is in the record books as a three-time winner, although his victory in 1941 is shared. Floyd Davis and Mauri Rose were teammates for Lou Moore. Rose dropped out after 60 laps with spark plug problems, while Davis was running outside the top ten. On lap 72, Moore was dissatisfied with Davis’s performance, and called him into the pits. He put Rose in the car, and Rose proceeded to charge up the standings. Rose drove to victory leading 39 laps. Davis and Rose were officially listed as co-winners, similar to the situation that occurred in the 1924 race.

Meyer, Shaw, and Rose reigned as the three three-time winners at the Indianapolis 500 for many years. A.J. Foyt joined them as a three-time winner himself after victories in 1961, 1964, and 1967. Ten years later, in 1977, Foyt made history as the first four-time winner. As of 2021, Al Unser Sr., Rick Mears, and Helio Castroneves have all joined Foyt as four-time winners of the “500”.

A.J. Foyt

Name: Anthony Joseph Foyt, Jr.
Nickname: “Super Tex”
Born: January 16, 1935 at Houston, Texas
Resides: Hockley, Texas

A.J. Foyt became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times after his victory in 1977. Foyt set a record for the most consecutive starts at the Indy 500 (35), and also holds the record for most laps/miles completed in Indy 500 competition. Foyt is regarded as the most successful driver in the history of Indy/Championship Car racing, with 67 victories and seven national championships. Foyt had an accomplished career outside of Indianapolis, with victories in stock cars, sports cars, and other disciplines. Foyt has been enshrined in multiple hall of fame museums, and has received countless honors, and is considered one of the greatest racing drivers of all time.

After his retirement from driving, A.J. Foyt also won the Indianapolis 500 again as an owner (1999) and the Indy Racing League championship as an owner (1996 & 1998). His team also won the pole in 1998 with driver Billy Boat. As of 2021, Foyt is the second-oldest living Indy 500 winner, behind Parnelli Jones. Foyt’s 1961 victory represents the longest ago of all the living Indy 500 winners, and Foyt is the only driver in Indy history to win the race in both front-engine and rear-engine cars. Foyt drove the pace car to start the race in 2011, and is also one of only five Indy 500 winners (and the only of the four time winners) to also have driven in the NASCAR Brickyard 400. Foyt has a notable streak of consecutive years attending the Indianapolis 500, whether as a driver, owner, or spectator. His participation dates consecutively back to 1958, and he claims to have attended every race going back to 1955.

Indianapolis 500 career

1961: The second half of the race shaped up as a two-car battle between pole-sitter Eddie Sachs and A.J. Foyt. On lap 160, Foyt made his third and final scheduled pit stop. However, the fueling nozzle malfunctioned, and the crew was unable to put any fuel in the tank. Foyt was back out on the track, initially unaware of the situation. With the light fuel load Foyt raced into the lead, but was not going to make it to the finish. Nearly out of gas, Foyt gave up the lead on lap 184 to come in for a splash-and-go pit stop. With a borrowed mechanism from another team, they were able to fuel Foyt’s car. Sachs now held a commanding 25-second lead. On lap 197, the warning cords were showing through Sach’s tire. Rather than nurse the car to the finish line, he played it safe and came in to have it changed. Foyt raced into the lead with three laps to go, and held on by 8.28 seconds to win his first “500”.

1964: A tragic day as Dave MacDonald and Eddie Sachs were fatally injured in a fiery crash coming out of turn four on lap 2. After a lengthy red flag, the race was resumed. Contenders Jim Clark, Bobby Marshman, and Parnelli Jones all fell by the wayside, leaving A.J. Foyt in command. Foyt would lead the final 146 laps, and claimed his second “500” victory.

1967: Parnelli Jones dominated the race in Andy Granatelli’s STP Paxton Turbocar four-wheel drive tubine powered machine. On lap 197, Jones coasted to a stop after a $6 transmission bearing failed. Shockingly, Foyt took over the lead with three laps to go. On the final lap, a four-car crash broke out at the exit of turn four, and nearly blocked the frontstretch. Foyt instinctively slowed down, and weaved his way through the wreckage to cross the finish line for his third “500” victory.

1977: In a race remembered for historic moments and milestones, A.J. Foyt became the first four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. Gordon Johncock was leading Foyt by almost 15 seconds in the late stages, but he was suffering from the heat. After their final pit stops, Foyt had narrowed the lead to only 7 seconds. Suddenly Johncock pulled to the inside down the frontstretch and parked his car in turn one with a broken crankshaft. Foyt inherited the lead with 16 laps to go, and cruised to his record-setting fourth “500” victory.

Promotional button from the late 1970s/early 1980s.

Indianapolis 500 Starts: 35 consecutive (1958-1992).
Entered in 1993 but did not attempt to qualify.
Wins: 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977
Pole Positions: 1965, 1969, 1974, 1975
Laps led: 555 (5th all-time)
Laps completed: 4,909 (1st all-time)
Top Five Finishes: 9
Top Ten Finishes: 17
Front Row Starts: 8
Won with front-engine car (1961, 1964) and rear-engine car (1967, 1977)
Won with normally aspirated engine (1961, 1964, 1967) and turbocharged engine (1977)

Indy car career

Indy car victories: 67
Indy car pole positions: 53
USAC National Championships: 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1975, 1979

Additional motorsports career highlights

Won 7 NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup Series races including the 1972 Daytona 500
Won 41 USAC Stock Car series races; USAC Stock Car champion (1968, 1978, 1979)
1960 USAC Sprint Car Series champion
1972 USAC Silver Crown champion
Two-time IROC champion
Won 24 Hours of Le Mans (1967)
Won 24 Hours of Daytona (1983, 1985)
Won 12 Hours of Sebring (1985)

Honors

The “Alley Cats” in Gasoline Alley recognized Foyt’s “5” wins.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame (1978)
International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2000)
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1989)
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (1990)
National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1988)
NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
The Greatest 33 (2011)
Jerry Titus Memorial Trophy Award (1974)
Angelo Angelopolous Award (1993)
The Jigger Award (2004)
Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers Club Louis Meyer Award (1991)

Family

Father Anthony Joseph “Tony” Foyt Sr. (1913-1983) was a mechanic and car builder. For many years he served as A.J.’s chief mechanic.
Adopted son (biological grandson) Larry Foyt drove in NASCAR and IndyCar between 2000 and 2009. Since 2007, he has served as the team manager at A.J. Foyt Enterprises.
Grandson A.J. Foyt IV was the 2002 Indy Pro Series champion, and drove in IndyCar from 2003 to 2010.
A.J. was also the godfather of the late John Andretti.

1961 winning car at the IMS Museum (Johnson Collection)	1964 winning car at the IMS Museum (Johnson Collection)
1967 winning car at the IMS Museum (Johnson Collection)	1977 winning car at the IMS Museum (Johnson Collection)
1999 winning car of Kenny Brack at the IMS Museum (Johnson Collection)

Al Unser Sr.

Al Unser at Indy in 2015 (Johnson collection)

Name: Alfred “Al” Unser Sr.
Nickname: “Big Al”
Born: May 29, 1939 at Albuquerque, New Mexico
Died: December 9, 2021 at Chama, New Mexico
Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Largely considered one of the greatest legends of Indy, Al Unser Sr. is part of the second generation of the famous Unser racing family. Al Unser won the Indy 500 back-to-back in 1970-1971, then again in 1978 to win three times in the decade of the 1970s. In 1987, he accomplished one of the greatest upsets in Indy history. He entered the month of May without a ride, then took over the entry of Danny Ongais, who was injured in a practice crash. In a year-old car, Unser took the lead with 18 laps to go, and became the second driver to win the Indy 500 four times. The car Unser drove to victory was famously on display at motel lobby in Reading, Pennsylvania being used as a show car just weeks before the race. Unser holds the record for the most laps led (644) all-time, and is second only to A.J. Foyt in laps completed at Indy, and third in career Indy starts. In 1983, Al Unser Sr. became the first driver to compete in the Indy 500 against his son, then-rookie Al Unser Jr.

Al Unser notched Indy 500 victories for three legends of the sport. His first two victories were for car owners Parnelli Jones and Vel Miletich. His 1978 win came driving for Jim Hall/Chaparral, which was also the first Indy 500 win for the Cosworth DFX V-8 engine. His fourth Indy win came for Roger Penske, which was incidentally, was the tenth and final Indy win for the Cosworth DFX.

Unser had opportunities to score his fourth Indy victory in both 1979 and 1983. In 1979, he drove Jim Hall’s Chapparal 2K in its first Indy appearance. He dominated the first half leading 85 laps until a failed transmission oil fitting put him out on lap 104. He could have become the first driver to win the Indy 500 in consecutive years twice. Four years later, Unser was locked in a battle with Tom Sneva late in the race. Al Unser Jr., running several laps down, triggered a controversy when it appeared he was blocking for his father. The issue became moot as Sneva passed both Al Sr. and Al Jr. to claim victory.

Unser missed the race two times during his career. In 1969, during the first weekend of time trials (which was almost completely rained out), he suffered a fractured tibia after a motorcycle crash in the infield. He was forced to sit out the race. In 1991, he was unable to secure a ride going into the month. He was approached by teams, including the UNO/Granatelli team (to potentially be a teammate to Arie Luyendyk), but the opportunity ultimately fell through.

In the twilight years of his Indy career, Unser remained competitive. In 1992, he drove for the Menard team (taking over the seat of Nelson Piquet, who was injured in a practice crash). He finished 3rd, becoming the first driver to complete the full 500 miles with Buick V-6 engine. In 1993, his final start, he led 15 laps en route to a 12th place finish. He entered the 1994 race, but since the team was underfunded, he elected to withdraw and retired midway through the month. Unser remained a popular fixture, and attended the race festivities in most years following his retirement. Unser’s final public appearance was during prerace ceremonies at the 2021 Indianapolis 500. Al’s older brother, and three-time winner Bobby Unser died on May 2, 2021, a few weeks prior to the 2021 race. Al Unser retuned to the Speedway later that summer to take part in a photo shoot and roundtable interview session (“The Club”) of the four four-time winners. Later that same year, Unser died after a lengthy battle with cancer.