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Three-time Indy 500 pole position winner Ed Carpenter has a best finish of second in 2019 race
(Johnson Collection)

Indy 500 — All-time Runner-Ups

The following is a list of drivers at the Indianapolis 500 whose best finish was second place. This list does not include race winners that have finished second at one or more times in their career. Through 2022.

Drivers active as of 2023 are denoted with ►.

Three Second Place Finishes

  • Harry Hartz (1922, 1923, 1926)

Two Second Place Finishes

  • Rex Mays (1940, 1941)
  • Dan Gurney (1968, 1969)
  • Roberto Guerrero (1984, 1987)
  • Scott Goodyear (1992, 1997)
  • Vítor Meira (2005, 2008)
  • Carlos Muñoz (2013, 2016)

One Second Place Finish

Scott Goodyear has finished second twice. In 1992, he was beat at the finish line by Al Unser Jr. by 0.043 seconds in the closest finish in Indy 500 history.
  • Ralph Mulford (1911)
  • Teddy Tetzlaff (1912)
  • Spencer Wishart (1913)
  • Arthur Duray (1914)
  • Wilbur D’Alene (1916)
  • Eddie Hearne (1919)
  • Roscoe Sarles (1921)
  • Earl Cooper (1924)
  • Dave Lewis (1925)
  • Earl Devore (1927)
  • Lou Moore (1928)
  • Shorty Cantlon (1930)
  • Howdy Wilcox II (1932)
  • Ted Horn (1936)
  • Ralph Hepburn (1937)
  • Jimmy Snyder (1939)
  • Jimmy Jackson (1946)
  • Mike Nazaruk (1951)
  • Art Cross (1953)
  • Tony Bettenhausen (1955)
  • George Amick (1958)
  • Eddie Sachs (1961)
  • Len Sutton (1962)
  • Peter Revson (1971)
  • Bill Vukovich II (1973)
  • Kevin Cogan (1986)
  • Michael Andretti (1991)
  • Christian Fittipaldi (1995)
  • Davy Jones (1996)
  • Jeff Ward (1999)
  • Paul Tracy (2002)
  • ►Marco Andretti (2006)
  • J.R. Hildebrand (2011)
  • ►Ed Carpenter (2018)
  • ►Álex Palou (2021)
  • ►Pato O’Ward (2022)

The following runner-ups have each won the race subsequently as a car owner.
Harry Hartz (1930)
Lou Moore (1938, 1941, 1947, 1948, 1949)
Dan Gurney (1975)
Michael Andretti (2005, 2007, 2014, 2016, 2017)

Roberto Guerrero (#9) finished second in his rookie year in 1984, and was named co-Rookie of the Year.
(Johnson Photograph)

Roberto Guerrero’s car parked in his garage in Gasoline Alley in 1987. He would finish a strong but disappointing second for the second time in his career.
(Johnson Photograph)

 

Kevin Cogan finished second in 1986. Photo taken during Time Trials
(Johnson Collection)

Indy 500 winners that have also been Runner-Ups

The following is a list of drivers who have won the Indianapolis 500 and have also finished second at least once in their career. Through 2023.

Drivers active as of 2023 are denoted with ►.

Driver Race win(s) Second place(s)
René Thomas 1914 1920
Dario Resta 1916 1915
Louis Meyer 1928, 1933, 1936 1929
Fred Frame 1932 1931
Wilbur Shaw 1937, 1939, 1940 1933, 1935, 1938
Mauri Rose 1941, 1947, 1948 1934, 1939
Bill Holland 1949 1947, 1948, 1950
Johnnie Parsons 1950 1949
Sam Hanks 1957 1956
Jimmy Bryan 1958 1954
Rodger Ward 1959, 1962 1960, 1964
Jim Rathmann 1960 1952, 1957, 1959
A.J. Foyt 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977 1976, 1979
Parnelli Jones 1963 1965
Jim Clark 1965 1963, 1966
Bobby Unser 1968, 1975, 1981 1974
Mario Andretti 1969 1981, 1985
Al Unser Sr. 1970, 1971, 1978, 1987 1967, 1972, 1983
Johnny Rutherford 1974, 1976, 1980 1975
Mark Donohue 1972 1970
Rick Mears 1979, 1984, 1988, 1991 1982
Tom Sneva 1983 1977, 1978, 1980
Bobby Rahal 1986 1990
Emerson Fittipaldi 1989, 1993 1988
Arie Luyendyk 1990, 1997 1993
Al Unser Jr. 1992, 1994 1989
Jacques Villeneuve 1995 1994
Buddy Lazier 1996 1998, 2000
►Hélio Castroneves 2001, 2002, 2009, 2021 2003, 2014, 2017
Gil de Ferran 2003 2001
Dan Wheldon 2005, 2011 2009, 2010
►Scott Dixon 2008 2007, 2012, 2020
►Tony Kanaan 2013 2004
►Will Power 2018 2015
►Alexander Rossi 2016 2019
►Marcus Ericsson 2022 2023
Screenshot © 2020 NBC Sports
2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon (right) has finished second three times, once prior to his victory, and twice afterwards, including in 2020.

Indy 500 — All-time Third Place finishers

The following is a list of drivers whose best finish in the Indianapolis 500 was third place. Does not include drivers that had a third place finish, but also finished first and/or second at some point in their career. Through 2022.

Drivers active as of 2023 are denoted with ►.

Two Third Place Finishes

  • Cliff Bergere (1932, 1939)
  • Jack McGrath (1951, 1954)
  • Joe Leonard (1967, 1972)
  • ►Graham Rahal (2011, 2020)

One Third Place Finish

  • David Bruce-Brown (1911)
  • Hughie Hughes (1912)
  • Charlie Merz (1913)
  • Albert Guyot (1914)
  • Gil Andersen (1915)
  • Percy Ford (1921)
  • Phil Shafer (1925)
  • Cliff Woodbury (1926)
  • Tony Gulotta (1927)
  • Jimmy Gleason (1929)
  • Doc MacKenzie (1936)
  • Chet Miller (1938)
  • Duke Nalon (1948)
  • George Connor (1949)
  • Jimmy Davies (1955)
  • Don Freelans (1956)
  • Johnny Boyd (1958)
  • Johnny Thompson (1959)
  • Paul Goldsmith (1960)
  • Lloyd Ruby (1964)
  • Jim McElreath (1966)
  • Mel Kenyon (1968)
  • Roger McCluskey (1973)
  • Mike Mosley (1979)
  • Gary Bettenhausen (1980)
  • Vern Schuppan (1981)
  • Pancho Carter (1982)
  • Fabrizio Barbazza (1987)
  • Raul Boesel (1989)
  • Nigel Mansell (1993)
  • Richie Hearn (1996)
  • Steve Knapp (1998)
  • Billy Boat (1999)
  • Eliseo Salazar (2000)
  • Felipe Giaffone (2002)
  • Bryan Herta (2005)
  • Danica Patrick (2009)
  • Charlie Kimball (2015)
  • Ed Jones (2018)
  • ►Santino Ferrucci (2023)
Michael Andretti’s 1991 second place car. Car on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in May 2023.
(Johnson Photograph)

Indy 500 — Runner-Up Teams/Entrants

The following are Teams/Entrants that have a best finish of second place on multiple occasions. Through 2023.

Four Second Place Finishes

  • Panther Racing (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)

Three Second Place Finishes

  • R. Cliff Durant (1919, 1923, 1925)

Two Second Place Finishes

  • Leon Duray (1933, 1934)
  • Bowes Racing, Inc. (1940, 1941)
  • Lindsey Hopkins (1957, 1959)
  • Newman-Haas Racing (1985, 1991)
Bill Vukovich II’s 1973 second place car. Car on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in May 2023.
(Johnson Photograph)

Works Cited and References

Scott Goodyear’s 1997 second place car. Car on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in May 2023.
(Johnson Photograph)
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