For over a century, a superstition has existed at the Indianapolis 500 involving race cars painted the color green. With ambiguous origins, and various degrees of following, the green car superstition has been a topic of discussion in racing circles since at least the 1920s. Many participants, media, and fans share a belief that cars painted the color green bring bad luck at the Indianapolis 500. It extends not only to cars painted entirely in shades of green, but for some, to cars carrying any sort of green striping, patterns, shapes, pinstriping, graphics, or simple decals. Some drivers and owners have been known to take cautious measures to avoid any display or appearance of green on their cars, while others dismiss it and ignore the so-called superstition outright. Only two green cars have ever won the Indianapolis 500, and 2025 marked the 60th anniversary since the last green car victory at the “500”.

A number of similar (usually negative) superstitions have existed at Indianapolis over the decades, including use of the number 13, the so-called Andretti Curse, eating peanuts around the cars, and the more recently detailed here Second Starting Position Jinx. In addition, there is the so-called Curse of the Smiths – no driver with the last name “Smith” has ever qualified for the Indianapolis 500. Many drivers over the years have been notoriously superstitious. Some were known to carry good luck charms with them in the car (rabbit’s foot, coins, and other trinkets), while others exhibited more arcane habits. Some drivers insisted on climbing in and out of their cars on a specific side, and some refused to have their photographs taken before going out on the track. For the first many decades, women and children were kept away from the cars, so much that women were not allowed in the pits and garage area until 1971. On the flip side, bunny rabbits and ladybugs have often been associated with good fortune at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Most superstitions have lost their followings, or have been forgotten to history, but In the 109 previous runnings, only two green-painted cars have been driven to victory at the Indianapolis 500. In 1920, Gaston Chevrolet drove a Frontenac to win the 8th annual 500-mile race. The second, and most recent (as of 2025) green-painted car to win the “500” was the Lotus-Ford of Jim Clark in 1965. Put another way, it has been sixty years since a green car has won, and that stands as the lone victory in more than a century’s time.

In total from 1911 to 2025, there have been 109 editions of the Indianapolis 500. In those 109 races, there have been 3,528 starters – most years have had exactly 33 starters. Of those, there have been approximately 164 green cars – this includes solid green cars and cars that were green and another color (e.g., green/white, green/black, green/red, etc.) Another 88 cars had green sponsor decals and/or green stripes/pinstriping only. Only two solid green cars have been driven to victory. The purpose of this article is to take a deep look and comprehensive examination of the various fortunes and misfortunes of green cars at the Indianapolis 500.  Based on the documented results, you can be your own judge as to the validity of a green car “back luck” or “jinx” at Indy. Does this so-called superstition have justification, or is simply a source of racing folklore?

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Superstitions

About six months after his victory at the 1920 Indianapolis 500, Gaston Chevrolet was fatally injured in a AAA Championship Car race at the Beverly Hills Speedway, a board track outside of Los Angeles. He was driving the same green car with which he won the “500”. Some have referenced this incident – or a succession of incidents involving green cars around the same timeframe – as the possible origin of the green car myth. Another prevailing theory is that it may have stemmed from a crash that involved Lee Oldfield on September 16, 1911 in a race at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, New York. Oldfield lost control of the car, and it plunged through the outside retaining fence and plowed through the crowd, resulting in the deaths of eleven spectators.

There exist a famous phrase “correlation does not imply causation”. This refers to the fallacy that – in this case – painting a car green, and entering it in the Indy 500, will result in not winning the race, and/or experiencing some level of back luck in said race. That there exists no true cause-and-effect to the color of a car and its performance in the race must be obvious, after all, superstitions are just that, superstitions.

Multiple cars have been wheeled into victory lane at the Indianapolis 500 carrying the color green in some way, shape, or form. Aside from Gaston Chevrolet and Jim Clark, Pat Flaherty won the 1956 race with a green shamrock painted on his helmet. Wilbur Shaw’s Boyle Special (winner of back-to-back races in 1939–1940) had a green shamrock on a white clay pipe painted on the sides. Every car in the 1995 starting field had a little bit of green, as that year’s race logo was gray, maroon, and dark green – and USAC’s technical inspection/qualifying stickers had the race logo on it. A similar situation is expected to be repeated in 2025. Various contingency sponsor decals had small bits of green, one example being Raybestos, which was affixed to the winning cars in both 1997 and 1998 (and possibly others). More recently, Takuma Sato went to victory lane in 2017 driving a blue and white Dallara, which had dark green trim on the wingplates.

Regardless of the exact year in which the superstition was born (whether it was 1911, 1920, or another year altogether), the myth seemed to gain momentum in the 1920s and 1930s. A handful of green cars appeared in the “500” in the late-1920s and early-1930s, roughly one per year on average, but none were victorious. A succession of crashes involving green cars around that timeframe – whether actual or perceived – seemed to strengthen the myth. This list of alleged green car crashes is nearly impossible to compile or substantiate, because by most accounts, they occurred not just at the Indianapolis 500, but other AAA Championship Car events, and at various local tracks (midget cars, sprint cars, stocks cars, and jalopy races). The word-of-mouth accounts seemed to have spread so wildly that by the late-1930s and early 1940s, fewer and fewer cars were arriving at the Speedway painted green, suggesting the myth had gained noticeable traction. The 1930s in particular was era of the Speedway fraught with danger. Speeds were climbing, and safety in motorsports still had a long way to go. From 1929 to 1940, a total of twenty-five people were killed at the Speedway alone, and many more suffered injuries. Some participants became leery about temping the fate.

The height of the green car superstition awareness was probably the post-World War II era, particularly the 1940s–1970s. Many car owners and drivers of that era vehemently refused to enter and/or drive cars with even the smallest hint of green in their livery – a fact that the press seemed never hesitant to exploit. Some were openly hostile to the color green, and even opposed their fellow competitors carrying green, feeling it was tempting bad luck for the entire field. Fred Agabashian, for one, was so deeply affected that in 1952, he ordered his team to repaint his car (which had been initially painted green). Furthermore, he insisted that they sandblast the green paint off of the bodywork. To him, simply painting over it was not acceptable. Others while largely unfazed, were still aware of the opinions of their peers. For example, two-time Indy 500 winner Rodger Ward was not personally apprehensive of the color green on his cars. However, he still knew about the superstition, and kept green off of his cars in deference to his fellow competitors.

Also in 1952, Studebaker arrived at the beginning of the month with their Studebaker Commander pace car painted a “pleasant shade” of green. The competitors reacted so negatively that prior to race day, the car was brought back to the factory to be repainted blue.

At the 1978 NASCAR Daytona 500, Dr. Steve Olvey (an renowned physician who for many years worked on the medical safety team in CART as well as at Indianapolis) was attending the race with A.J. Foyt. Foyt had invited Olvey to accompany him to Daytona, as he felt that NASCAR’s medical facilities at the time were inadequate – he trusted Olvey and wanted him on-call were he to be involved in a crash. On race morning, Olvey had gone to the local 7-Eleven convenience store to purchase a Styrofoam cooler to fill with drinks and ice for the crew, since it was a muggy, hot day. When Foyt spotted the green cooler sitting in his pit area, Olvey says Foyt went berserk and started smashing it into pieces with a tire iron.

As A.J. approached, he couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of the bright green cooler out of the corner of his eye. He came totally unglued! He grabbed a tire iron and, as his face turned a deep purple, he smashed the cooler to smithereens. Again and again, he pummeled the hapless cooler until there was nothing left and cans were scattered everywhere.

“What mutha–ka put this here!” he yelled. “I’ll kill the sumb—h!”

-Excerpts from “Rapid Response: My Inside Story as a Motor Racing Life-Saver” (pg. 62-63), by Dr. Steve Olvey

It was clear to Dr. Olvey that A.J. Foyt, part of the legendary ‘old guard’ of the racing fraternity, still adhered to the green superstition. On lap 68, Benny Parsons cut a tire, and Foyt got caught up in the incident. Foyt spun to the infield grass and flipped over several times. Foyt was transported to the local hospital unconscious, and taking control of the situation, Dr. Olvey immediately ordered X-rays and a CT scan. Foyt awakened a short time later, having suffered a shoulder separation, but no critical injuries. He would make a full recovery, but the incident caught people’s attention.

Duke Nalon, who made ten starts at the “500” and won the pole position twice, was also apprehensive of the color green. He did not like people wearing green neckties in his presence. Peter DePaolo, the 1925 Indianapolis 500 winner, was known to tie a baby’s shoe to his car frame for good luck, and Bill Cummings (the 1934 winner) believed that peanuts were indeed bad luck.

The peanut superstition, while also of ambiguous origins, may have actually started with a driver named Johnny Watters. In 1921, Watters was involved in a bad crash at Atlanta where he was seriously injured. Watters claimed that a young boy had dropped peanut shells in his car as he was about to go out on the track. On the second lap, Watters went off the track and through the fence, and spent six months in the hospital. Fred Agabashian believed that the aversion to peanuts stemmed more from a mechanical standpoint than a superstitious point of view. When engines were equipped with down draft carburetors, the intakes protruded outside of the hood – making them susceptible to onlookers accidentally dropping things into them. Peanuts, a popular snack at the track, were common offenders. In the board track era, the cars were sometimes parked and pitted beneath the grandstands. Discarded peanut shells and other garbage and debris from the spectators above would sometimes fall down into the work area, to the point where peanuts “became like a plague“.

Eddie Cheever, the 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner, once referred to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a “living, breathing organism“, and three-time winner Johnny Rutherford said on quiet days “you can hear the history whispering back to you.” Others insist that the Speedway ‘choses its winners‘, and Al Unser Sr. once told his son Al Jr. that “[things] come back to you at Indianapolis”.

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Car Colors

In order to examine the green car superstition, it is important to first present the color green’s results as a comparison to other common colors. The first Indianapolis 500, held in 1911, was won by Ray Harroun in the six-cylinder Marmon “Wasp”. Early on, the car was nicknamed the “Wasp” due to its bright yellow paint job, as observers likened it to the yellow jacket insect. In the very early years of racing, car colors were dictated sometimes by the manufacturers. Each car company might have had a color or color combination associated with them, and that might extend to their racing exploits. Others may just select a favorite color with or without meaning behind it. In some cases, colors may have been chosen for ease of identification out on the track. In Grand Prix racing over in Europe, each country had a color or color scheme assigned to them. They were required at all times to carry their standardized international racing colors, and further to that point, sponsorship was not allowed in Formula One until 1968. In that year, unrestricted sponsorship was first allowed by the FIA, and little by little, teams started painting their cars to instead match and reflect their sponsor’s branding. When some European-based teams showed up at Indianapolis, particularly during a notable period in the 1950s–1960s, in most cases, the cars simply carried the colors assigned to their nationality, with Great Britain incidentally, assigned to green (“British Racing Green” or “BRG”).

A complete and unabridged list of car colors for machines that have appeared at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is probably impossible, as detailed records and photographs do not exist for every car that has been entered. However, nearly complete records – and photographs – exist for the colors of the cars that actually qualified for the race (and were subsequently driven in the race). According to historian Donald Davidson, this list was originally researched and compiled by Jack C. Fox in the 1950s–1960s, and was included in the box scores in the first edition of the book The Indianapolis 500 Pictorial History 1911–1966. A second edition, now titled The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 (released by Carl Hungness Publishing) was published in 1975, a third edition in 1984, and a fourth edition in 1994, each including the car colors for subsequent years. This car color information was seemingly repeated in the 1998 book Indianapolis 500 Chronicle, and elsewhere, though Davidson maintains that Fox should be regarded as the original source. In more recent years, readily available photographs, videos, and official “spotter guides” can be used to establish the car colors for each starting field.

Traditionally during Time Trials, every car that completes a qualifying attempt for the Indianapolis 500 is immediately wheeled to a specified location along pit lane for an official photograph (actually a series of photographs). This practice began decades ago. Each car, with driver – and for some photos, also the owner(s), crew, etc. – has pictures taken for posterity, as well as for marketing, media use, and souvenirs. The morning after pole qualifying, a separate photo shoot is conducted on the frontstretch with the three cars/drivers that comprise the front row, and additional shots are taken of the pole position-winning car singly. The day after the race, another similar photo session is conducted with the race-winning car. It should be emphasized that the official qualifying photographs depict the cars only as they appeared during qualifying – which occurred one or two weeks prior to race day. It is not unusual for some cars to look different come race day. Some teams pick up last-minute sponsorship after qualifying, necessitating additional decals, or even a complete repainting. In some cases, two or more cars may have identical (or nearly identical) liveries during practice/qualifying, and in order to better differentiate the machines during the race, subtle differences may added (bright trim, striping, etc.) Other times, a qualified car may become wrecked, and replaced with a back-up car (or be substantially rebuilt/repaired) for race day. Almost always, this results in visual differences come race day. In the heydays of “Bump Day”, there were instances where a team acquired a back-up car from another team, and successfully put that car in the field. Before race day, they would repaint the car to their own livery. Some examples of these changes are are as follows:

• In 1985, Scott Brayton won the pole position. After qualifying, he picked up sponsorship from Hardee’s, which was added to the car for race day.
• In 1987, A.J. Foyt qualified 4th. His car was black with red wings and red trim along the sidepods and engine cover. However, he crashed the car on Carburetion Day, necessitating major repairs. The team used spare parts and borrowed pieces from back-up cars, and on race day, the car was a lot more red. The sidepods were solid red, and the “Copenhagen” decals on the sides were changed from red to white.
• In 1989, Danny Sullivan crashed his primary car during practice, and qualified a back-up car on the second weekend of time trials. The back-up car had been prepared, but was not yet painted. Qualifying photos were taken of the plain white car. A few days later, it was repainted in the team’s original livery, and the car was rolled out for a ‘re-shoot’. New qualifying photos were taken in the new livery.
• In 1994, Bobby Rahal and Mike Groff (Rahal-Hogan Racing) borrowed two Penske PC-22/Ilmor machines after their Honda-powered Lolas were unable to qualify. The cars were still painted in their basic red & white Marlboro liveries during qualifying, but had Miller and Motorola decals. After the cars were safely in the field, they were repainted in their full Miller and Motorala liveries.

The bottom line, the official qualifying photos, while widely and most readily available, are not always exactly representative of the car’s livery on race day.

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Winning Colors

The winning cars of the Indianapolis 500 have carried the colors and liveries as follows. Note that the colors listed represent the overall basic livery, and may not necessarily reflect every stripe or decal, or graphics that may be of a different color. Different shades and variations of the primary colors are noted in some circumstances, though most are grouped together without much distinction.

Different Shades of Red

White and Combination of White with other colors
White	1922, 1923, 1926, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934,
White with Orange	1999, 2011
White with Teal/Blue	1995 (Player’s LTD.)
Different Shades/Combinations of Blue
Blue	1912, 1913, 1914, 1916, 1919, 1946, 1972
Dark Blue	1947, 1948, 1949, 1951
Light Blue	1960, 1975
Blue and White	1981, 1992, 2017, 2020
Blue and Yellow	1970, 1971, 2016
Teal	1941 (teal & red), 1998
Shades of Red
Red (Budweiser)	1986
Red (Target)	2000, 2008, 2010, 2012
Fluorescent Red (STP/Granatelli)	1969, 1973, 1982 (red/blue)
Maroon	1924, 1939, 1940
Combinations of Red and White
Red and White	1936, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1983, 1985, 2005, 2015, 2022
Marlboro livery	1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2009
Red, White, Blue	1963, 1978, 1979, 1990, 1997, 2004
Red, White, Yellow	2023, 2024
Red, White, Yellow, Black	1968
Solid Black Combinations
Black with orange	2007
Black with various color graphics	2013
Black with pink	2021
Silver or Gray colors
Gray	1927, 1930, 1953, 1954
Silver	2018
Pink colors
White and “Tropical Rose”	1955, 1956
Purple colors
Plum	1921
Purple	1996
Yellow colors
Yellow	1911, 1950, 1957, 1958, 1987, 2014, 2019, 2025
Yellow (Pennzoil)	1980, 1984, 1988
“Banana”	1925
Cream	1915, 1933, 1935, 1937, 1952
Gold	1928
Orange colors
“Coyote” Orange (Foyt)	1967, 1977
“Papaya” Orange (McLaren)	1974, 1976
Green
Green (with red grill)	1920
Green (“BRG”)	1965

The chart above summarizes the winning car colors to the best and most concise as possible, but not without some vagueness and interpretation. For instance, the Fluorescent Red traditionally used by Grantelli entries has been separated out as its own color under the “red” category. In person, the cars sometimes appear orange depending upon the light, and they translate differently on film and television as well. Gordon Johncock’s 1982 STP Wildcat is included under that line, even though it was more blue. But it is important to emphasize the inclusion of the distinct STP fluorescent red in its livery. The “Pink Zinks” as they have often been called, entered by John Zink, which won the race in 1955 and 1956 are technically painted in what was described as white with “Tropical Rose”.

The very familiar and iconic Marlboro livery, which notched nine wins at the Indianapolis 500, is a combination of white and red, with black lettering. It has been separated out as its own color scheme above. The shade of red, however, does not match the cigarette carton. It is said to be a fluorescent shade of red, appearing more orange in person, used so it translates better on film and television.

It should be noted that Lee Wallard’s 1951 winning car, though it may appear to be black with gold accents in photographs and film, is actually a very dark shade of blue.

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Sponsors

Sponsorship in some form has been part of automobile racing since the beginning. Some entries have been “factory” or “works” teams supported by the manufacturers. In some cases the respective car owners (and/or drivers) have supported their entries with funding from their own businesses or business partners. In most cases, however, sponsorship dollars have come from the corporate and business world. Millions of dollars are pumped into the sport by companies large and small. The sponsors typically have considerable influence over their car’s livery, including colors, logos, and graphics. As such, corporate sponsors that happen to utilize green in their company’s logos tend to want their cars painted to match for better brand identification.

Over the years, there have been several corporate sponsors with the color green prominent in their branding, resulting in solid or mostly solid green cars. Brands such as Sprite, Skoal, 7-Eleven, Quaker State, Interstate Batteries, and Go Daddy have all appeared at the Indianapolis 500 with green cars. From 1982 to 1984, 7-Eleven appeared as a sponsor on the car of Bobby Rahal (Truesports Racing). Then it was carried by Emerson Fittipaldi in 1985 and Kevin Cogan in 1986 (both of Patrick Racing). Except for the first two years – when 7-Eleven was just a small associate sponsor – all three eschewed the green and white in favor of dark blue and white for the cars’ liveries. When 7-Eleven returned as a prominent sponsor in the early 2000s, it was back to green and white. As of 2024, despite some near-misses, no 7-Eleven sponsored car, whether painted green or not, has managed to win the “500”.

Skoal, which is a product of the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, first appeared at Indy on the car of polesitter Teo Fabi in 1983. Using the Skoal Bandit brand, the car was painted dark green and white, which came as a bit of surprise to some in the establishment. The green Skoal Bandit cars (later they were painted solid green at Indy) became a familiar sight at the Indy 500 over the next few years. Not one, however, was ever running at the finish, much less ever drove to victory lane at Indy. In 1986, Tom Sneva infamously crashed his car on the pace lap, and he finished last (33rd). Over on the NASCAR circuit, though, Harry Gant experienced success, winning several races in the green and white #33 Skoal Bandit Winston Cup stock car.

Another prominent green sponsor was Quaker State. The motor oil company sponsored the Porsche Indy Car team in 1988–1990, then King Racing (owned by Kenny Bernstein) in 1991–1992. During that stretch at the Indy 500, not once was a green Quaker State-sponsored car running at the finish, much less notching a victory. Roberto Guerrero triumphantly won the pole position for the 1992 race, but on race day crashed out in humbling fashion on the parade lap. Due to cold temperatures, Guerrero lost control and hit the inside wall – in nearly the same spot that Tom Sneva did six years earlier. Guerrero placed 33rd (last) that day, never even making it to the green flag. Incidentally, Guerrero drove the same exact chassis to another 33rd place finish two years later in the 1994 race. This time the car was painted green and black, carrying the colors of sponsor Interstate Batteries.

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Nationality flags

In more recent decades, drivers often carry the flag of their nationality next to their name on the car. The flag of Brazil, for one, has a prominent a green field. Brazilian drivers who have won the Indy 500 include Emerson Fittipaldi, Helio Castroneves, Gil de Ferran, and Tony Kanaan. It appears, however, that Fittipaldi, Castroneves, and de Ferran raced without a Brazilian flag next to their names in each of their wins. Tony Kanaan did have a Brazilian flag next to his name during his 2013 victory. It is worth noting that Fittipaldi’s second victory (1993), the first three victories for Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009), and de Ferran’s victory (2003), all came driving for Team Penske. As the Penske team in general is known for eschewing green on their cars, that might have been a factor as to why they were absent.

Other countries that have green in their nations’ flags (and have had drivers in the Indy 500 field) include Mexico, Italy, and Ireland.

Green Cars from 1911–1999

The following is a list of green cars that have competed at the Indianapolis 500 from the first “500” in 1911 through 1999. Non-qualifying green cars are included if the information is available. The specific year in which the perceived green car superstition began is unclear and debatable, but races prior to 1920 are included along the the rest for completion. The primary source for the car colors, particularly the races prior to World War II is The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 by Jack C. Fox. Corroborating sources are added where possible.

1911

Bill Endicott started 37th and finished 26th in a green car. He was flagged after completing approximately 126 laps. He referred to the paint job as “a good Irish green“.

1912

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1913

Four cars painted green were listed in the field for 1913. The first was Bob Burman, who drove a green Keeton. He started 4th, led 41 laps, and finished 11th (10 laps down).

The Italian Isotta Fraschini team qualified three cars for the race, each painted red and green. Teddy Tetzlaff started 8th and finished 17th. He dropped out after 118 laps with a broken real axle. Vincenzo Trucco started 18th and finished 20th. He dropped out on lap 39 with a loose gas tank. Harry Grant started 6th, but dropped out after only 14 laps with a broken gas tank, and placed 24th.

1914

George Mason, the only driver to carry car #13 during the first 86 years of the Indianapolis 500, did so in a green and red Duesenberg Mason Special. He started 13th and finished 23rd. he dropped out after 66 laps with piston failure.

Ray Gilhooley drove the Italian Isotta entry. It was painted “Italian green”. He started 20th and finished 27th. He crashed out on lap 41.

The car of Jean Chassagne was listed as painted green. He started 20th and finished 29th. He crashed out on lap 20.

1915

The Sunbeam Motor Car Company qualified two cars for the 1915 race, both painted green. Noel Van Raalte started 14th and finished 10th (200 laps). Jean Porporato started 6th, but dropped out on lap 164 with a broken piston. He finished 14th.

1916

The 1916 race was scheduled for 120 laps (300 miles). The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Team entered several cars to help ensure a strong field. Three of their cars were listed as having been painted green.

Howdy Wilcox started 6th and finished 7th in a Premier. Gil Anderson started 3rd and finished 13th. His car dropped out after 75 laps with a broken oil line. Tom Rooney started 7th and finished 17th. He crashed out on lap 48. Anderson took over Wilcox’s car towards the end of the race, and drove it to the finish.

Josef Christiaens drove the Sunbeam Motor Car Company entry. The car was described as unpainted, though it was reported as having a green frame. He started 14th and finished 4th. He completed all 120 laps (the 1916 race was scheduled for 120 laps/300 miles).

1917–1918

The Indianapolis 500 was not held in 1917–1918 due to World War I.

1919

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1920

The Monroe team, entered by the William Small Company, and tended to by the Chevrolet brothers (Louis, Arthur, and Gaston) entered as many as seven cars for the 1920 Indianapolis 500. They qualified four green cars – each a Frontenac – for the starting lineup. Roscoe Sarles started 7th but crashed out on lap 58 to finish 20th. Louis Chevrolet qualified 3rd, but his car also dropped out. (The car was driven in relief by Salvatore Barbarino and Jerry Wunderlich). The car retired on lap 94 with steering failure. Joe Thomas (with relief by Art Klein and Harry Thicksten) started 19th and finished 8th, completing all 200 laps.

The best result of the four was Gaston Chevrolet. He qualified 6th, led 14 laps, and won the race. It was the first of two green cars (as of 2024) to win the Indianapolis 500. Ralph DePalma was leading the race by a margin of about two laps when he stalled (reports are that he ran out of fuel) with 13 laps to go. By the time DePalma got going again, Gaston Chevrolet had taken the lead. Chevrolet ran out of fuel himself on lap 197, but he was able to coast to the pit area and take on fuel. Chevrolet won by 6 minutes and 19 second over second place René Thomas.

While no color photographs exist of Gaston Chevrolet’s green-painted #4 Monroe-Frontenac, numerous drawings and models have been made. A sketch of the car by David Story, published at FirstSuperspeedway.com illustrates the green body and red nose/grill. Other sketches, such as trading cards seen over the years, have sometimes neglected to accurately depict the red nose/grill area. Various models created by hobbyists have differed in the shades of green and red used.

On Thanksgiving Day, Thursday November 25, 1920 (roughly six months after his “500” victory), Gaston Chevrolet was fatally injured in a crash at Beverly Hills Speedway. The race was the season finale for the 1920 AAA National Championship season, held on the board track outside of Los Angeles. On lap 146 (of 200), Chevrolet collided with Eddie O’Donnell, and both cars tumbled down the steep baking. Chevrolet was killed, as was O’Donnell’s riding mechanic Lyall Jolls. Despite the crash, Chevrolet had accumulated enough points to win the 1920 AAA championship posthumously (although some publications erroneously changed the 1920 champion to Tommy Milton). Gaston Chevrolet’s green Frontenac driven to victory at Indianapolis was destroyed in the wreck at Beverly Hills, and likely dismantled and salvaged a short time afterwards.

1921

C.W. Van Ranst started 23rd (last) and finished 16th in a Frontenac, reported to be painted green and white. He worked his way up to the top five at one point, but dropped out with a broken water hose after 87 laps.

1922

Two years after their victory with driver Gaston Chevrolet, the Monroe team was back at the Speedway for 1922. Entered by the William Small Company, three green Frontenacs were entered for drivers L.L. Corum, Wilbur D’Alene, and Tom Alley. Of the three, only one finished in the top ten. Alley started 12th and placed 9th, completing all 200 laps. D’Alene started 18th and finished 15th. He was flagged after completing 160 laps. Corum started 15th and finished 17th. He dropped out with engine trouble after 169 laps.

Another green car was driven in the race by Frank Elliott. He started 8th and finished 16th driving a Miller. The car dropped out with a broken real axle after 195 laps.

A fifth car in the field may have also been green. According to one account, the car of Ora Haibe was painted “moss green“. However, Jack Fox lists the car as “gray”. Haibe started 14th and finished 5th in a Duesenberg. Jules Eligboe drove relief for the final 23 laps.

1923

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1924

No green-painted cars qualified for the race. Jack Fox listed second place finisher Earl Cooper as having driven a green car. However, that appears to be an error. Accounts at the time described it as “robin egg blue“.

1925

Phil Shafer started 22nd (last) and finished 3rd in a Duesenberg. It was reported to be the same car driven to victory in the 1924 race. The car suffered a broken crankshaft during practice, and he was not able to qualify until the day before the race. When the car won the “500” in 1924 (L.L. Corum & Joe Boyer), it was painted maroon. However, Jack Fox list’s the car as having been re-painted in “apple green” for 1925.

Shafer quickly charged from the rear of the field, and led 13 laps. Wade Morton took over behind the wheel on lap 160, and drove for the final 100 miles. The car came home third, behind Duesenberg teammate Peter DePaolo and Dave Lewis.

Earl Cooper entered two cars for the 1925 race: a Junior Eight and a Miller Special. They were both painted “jade and apple green“. Cooper apparently drove a different Junior Eight in the race (one entered by the Locomobile Co.), but had his green Junior Eight Special garaged as a back-up car. The Miller was the same car Cooper drove to victory in a 250-mile race at Charlotte about two weeks earlier on May 12, and drove to second place in the 1924 “500”. Ralph Hepburn drove the Miller Special in the “500”. He qualified 6th and finished 16th. Hepburn led 15 laps, but dropped out with a broken fuel tank. Cooper himself was described as “superstitious“, known for carrying good luck items in the car.

1926

Earl Cooper entered his Miller Special for the 1926 race, presumably the same car he had entered in 1925 (driven by Ralph Hepburn). During the offseason, the car must have been stripped or rebodied, because accounts reported it was being driven with raw metal and “no signs of paint”. On May 27, Cooper won the pole position with a four-lap average of 111.725 mph. By this time, the car had been painted green. On race day, Cooper dropped out with transmission failure after 73 laps. He placed 16th.

Frank Elliott drove a white and green Miller. He started 8th and finished 6th.

Ernest “E.A.D.” Eldridge and W. Douglas Hawkes, both of England, arrived at the Speedway with two Eldridge-Anzini machines, which were built in Europe. E.A.D. Eldridge’s car is listing as green. It is possible that the car was painted green because green was the international color for the British in racing, and they simply adhering to that standard. Eldridge started 23rd but dropped out on lap 45 with a broken tie rod. He placed 19th. Hawkes started 17th. At some point after Eldridge dropped out, he relieved Hawkes, but that car did not last long either. It dropped out after 91 laps with a broken camshaft, and placed 14th.

The Green Super Ford Special, entered by the Green Engineering Company, struggled getting up to speed. The car would fail to qualify. It is unclear, however, if the car was actually painted the color green.

1927

Cliff Bergere drove a green Miller Special for the Muller Brothers. He qualified 14th, and finished 9th. On lap 49, Henry Kohlert (driving the car started by Fred Lecklider), was trying to make a pass on the outside of turn one when he got too close and may have clipped wheels with Bergere. Kohlert crashed, flipping over three times. He was thrown from his car, and suffered a fractured skull. Bergere either broke or lost a wheel, but was able to limp back to the pits. Kohlert lie on the track critically injured, but was dragged to safety and taken to the hospital where he eventually recovered. Bergere’s crew was able to put on new wheels, and after two stints of relief by Wesley Crawford, the car came home 9th, completing all 200 laps.

The car of rookie Al Melcher was reportedly painted green. He started the race, then handed to car over to relief drivers Jack Petticord, then Fred Lecklider. The car dropped out after 144 laps with supercharger failure.

Sam Swank and Sam Ross drove the Green Special for the Green Engineering Company. The car failed to qualify. It is not confirmed if the car was actually painted green.

1928

Driver Clarence “C.W.” Belt drove the Green Engineering Company entry. It is not clear, however, if the car was actually painted green. He started 25th and finished 27th. He dropped out after 32 laps with a broken valve.

1929

Lou Moore started 13th and finished 13th in a dark green Miller entered by Charles Haase. On race day, Moore led 22 laps in the first half. He was relieved by Barney Kleopfer on lap 93, and he drove it until suffering a broken rod after 198 laps. Even though the car was just two laps shy of the full distance, under the rules at the time, cars running at the finish were placed ahead of cars that dropped out (regardless of lap count). Rather than a likely top ten finish, the car placed in the ‘unlucky’ 13th spot – a somewhat dubious footnote in the green car superstition.

1930

Two green cars are listed as having qualified for the race, and both suffered misfortunes. Chet Gardner qualified 5th, but broke a wheel in turn one on the first lap. He dropped out and finished last (38th). Cy Marshall drove a Duesenberg entered by George A. Henry. On lap 31, Marshall suffered a crash over the retaining wall in turn three. His brother Paul Marshall was serving as riding mechanic. Cy was pinned under the wreckage, but survived with injuries. Paul was thrown from the car and was fatally injured, suffering a fractured skull.

1931

Two cars were listed as painted green for the 1931 race. Tony Gulotta had started the month out with the Bowes Seal Fast Team, but he instead moved over to drive the Hunt Special entered by Ab Jenkins. The car was a green Rigling-Studebaker. He qualified 6th-fastest, but as a second day qualifier, was forced to line up 19th. On race day, Gulotta charged up through the standings, and was running in the top three by the halfway point. On lap 167, however, while running in third position (or possibly second), he wrecked badly in turn four. The car bounced off the inside wall, then impacted the outside retaining wall, ripping out a portion of the barrier. Gulotta and his riding mechanic Carl Riscigno escaped with only minor injuries. Gulotta was credited with 18th place.

The other green car was a Fronty-Ford drive by Gene Haustein. He started 34th and finished 23rd. He lost a wheel and dropped out on lap 117.

1932

Zeke Meyer started 38th and finished 6th in the Rigling Hunt Studebaker Special. His improvement of 32 positions still stands as the Indy record for most improved positions from the starting grid. Meyer drove the #37 Studebaker Special, which was painted in a shade of Willow Green. It was the same car, the Hunt-Jenkins Special (also sometimes listed as the Hunt Special or simply the Studebaker Special), which was driven – and crashed – by Tony Gullota in the 1931 race, and raced again by L.L. Corum in the 1933 race . The car was also raced at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, where Chuck Meyers was the overall winner in the 1931 event. The car survived over the decades, and was fully-restored in 1980s.

1933

The Studebaker team entered five cars for the 1933 race. L.L. Corum drove the aforementioned “willow green” Studebaker Special – the same car that Tony Gulotta drove (and crashed) in 1931, and that Zeke Meyer drove to 6th place in 1932. Corum qualified 18th and finished 12th, completing all 200 laps.

Raul Riganti started 27th and finished 14th in a Chrysler. He completed all 200 laps, though Juan Gaurdino took over the wheel for 38 laps during two stints of relief. Jack Fox listed the car as painted green.

1934

Two cars were listed as painted green for the 1934 race. Race veteran Phil “Red” Shafer started 6th in his Shafer 8 Buick. On lap 19, Shafer went off-course on the backstretch. He did not suffer any significant damage or injury, and was able to re-join the race. Zeke Meyer relieved Shafer on lap 97, and drove the car until it broke down on lap 130. The car dropped out with a broken camshaft drive, and placed 16th.

The Shafer 8 driven by Phil Shafer in the 1934 race is reported to have been restored, and has been seen at vintage events in Europe.

The second green car was that of Johnny Sawyer. He started 21st and finished 25th, he dropped out on lap 27 with a broken rod.

1935

Cliff Bergere reportedly drove a green Buick. He started 17th and ran as high as 10th. He ran out of gas near the end of the race and slipped to 13th finishing position. He completed 196 laps.

1936

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1937

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1938

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1939

Wilbur Shaw drove the Boyle Special Maserati to victory 1939–1940, becoming the first driver to win the “500” in back-to-back years. The car was painted a deep shade of maroon. Painted on the sides in white lettering was the name “Boyle Spl.”, along with a white clay pipe on which there was a tiny green shamrock.

Former winner Kelly Petillo’s car was reportedly painted “olive” and silver. He struggled during time trials waving off his first two attempts. One for a bad piston, the other due to a slick track as a result of a rainstorm. He managed to put the car in the field his third and final attempt. On race day he dropped out after 141 laps with mechanical failure. He started 24th and finished 18th.

1940

Wilbur Shaw drove the Boyle Special Maserati to victory 1939–1940, becoming the first driver to win the “500” in back-to-back years. The car was painted a deep shade of maroon, almost identical to the 1939 livery, except that the car number was changed from #2 to #1 for 1940. Painted on the sides in white lettering was the name “Boyle Spl.”, along with a white clay pipe on which there was a tiny green shamrock (see above).

Al Putnam’s #44 Refinoil Special was listed by Jack Fox as green. Black and white photos suggest it was half-green/half-white, and a 1940 film posted on the official IMS YouTube channel seems to confirm that the bottom half was indeed green. Putnam qualified 28th and finished 19th. The final 50 laps of the 1940 race were run under yellow light condition due to rain. The first three cars were permitted to complete the 500 miles, then rest of the cars were flagged off. When the race was ended, Putman was flagged off having completed 179 laps.

1941

No green-painted cars qualified for the race. On the morning of the 1941 race, a fire swept through the garage area. Part of the south bank of garages was burned down and as many as three cars were destroyed (one of the cars, the rear-engined car of George Barringer, had qualified for the race). After the race, the garage area was demolished and rebuilt. However, after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States was thrust into World War II. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was closed for the duration of the war, was largely abandoned, and subsequently fell into a dilapidated state of disrepair.

1942–1945

The Indianapolis 500 was not held in 1942–1945 due to World War II. In November 1945, the track was purchased by Anton “Tony” Hulman Jr. The facility was renovated and repaired and would be ready in time for the 1946 race.

1946

The first “500” after World War II, and the first race for new owner Tony Hulman, took place in 1946. First year starter (and former riding mechanic) Jimmy Jackson purchased an ex-Mike Boyle owned front-wheel drive Miller (originally entered for George Connor), and re-named it the Jackson Special. The car was the same machine that Ted Horn drove to 4th place in both 1939 and 1940, which Chet Miller drove to 6th place in 1941, and carried the engine from Bill Cummings’ winning car of 1934. Jackson was a graduate and former football player and track star at Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis. He painted the car green as a gesture to the school’s colors (the “Big Green“). Jackson wore a green driver’s uniform, complete with green gloves and a green helmet. His crew even donned green t-shirts and green pith helmets. This despite the already well-known green car superstition.

Jackson qualified 5th and led a total of five laps (88–92) during a pit stop exchange. Despite some carburetor trouble during the late stages, he finished a close second to race winner George Robson. Jackson claims to have nearly been caught up with the crash of Henry Banks, but he slipped by unscathed. After the race, Jackson protested to the officials that Robson violated the rules by not exiting his car during refueling. Jackson and others also complained that Robson illegally improved his position during two yellow light periods. The protests were dismissed, and Robson was not disqualified, but he was issued a $1,000 fine for the refueling violation.

This was the first of four straight top-ten finishes at Indianapolis for Jimmy Jackson, and this second place would be his best career result.

1947

Jimmy Jackson was back in 1947 with his green front-wheel drive Miller, this time carrying #7 and called the Jim Hussey Special. It is believed to be the same car he drove in 1946. Jackson qualified 10th and finished 5th. At one point, he was penalized one lap for having his car towed, and he officially finished about 8 minutes behind race winner Mauri Rose.

1948

No green-painted cars qualified for the race. Jimmy Jackson, who had notably driven green cars the previous two years, was instead driving for Howard Keck in 1948. Keck and his crew reportedly refused to allow the car to be painted green, and it was instead painted maroon with gold lettering. The car dropped out after 193 laps with a broken spindle, but he still finished in 10th place.

1949

No green-painted cars qualified for the race. One again, Jimmy Jackson was driving the maroon-painted Howard Keck entry. Though he was not allowed to paint his car green, Jackson donned a pair of green leather gloves. Jackson started 7th and finished 6th.

1950

The Cummins Diesel Special arrived at Indianapolis in 1950, with Jimmy Jackson as the driver. It was the first competitive diesel entered at the “500” since Dave Evans drove the Cummins Diesel Special entered by Clessie Cummins in both 1931 and 1934.

Jackson was able to convince the team to paint the car his preferred color of green, again, as a homage to his alma mater Arsenal Tech. Jackson turned over 300 practice laps in the car, and despite some difficulties, managed to put the six-cylinder diesel-powered machine in the field on the last day of time trials. Jackson qualified for the 32nd starting positon, and when time trials concluded, he was the slowest car in the field. On race day, Jackson dropped out after 52 laps with a broken supercharger shaft. It would be Jackson’s final “500” start, and it was the only year that he did not finish in the top ten. (Note that Jackson would subsequently drive a stint of relief for Duane Carter in 1954).

1951

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1952

Fred Agabashian was so deeply affected by the green car superstition that in 1952, he ordered his team to repaint his new Cummins Diesel Special (which is said to have originally been painted green). Furthermore, he insisted that they sandblast the green paint off of the bodywork. To him, simply painting over it was not acceptable. During race week, a fan sent 33 four-leaf clovers to a local newspapers to distribute to the drivers as good luck charms. Agabashian rejected the gift on the basis that it was green.

Agabashian ended up winning the pole position, but he was not a factor on race day. He dropped out after 71 laps with turbocharger failure and finished 27th.

Also in 1952, Studebaker arrived at the beginning of the month with their Studebaker Commander pace car painted a pleasant shade of green. The car was used for some promotional functions in April. But the competitors and some members of the press reacted so negatively that prior to race day, the car was brought back to the factory to be repainted blue.

1953

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1954

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1955

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1956

No green-painted cars qualified for the race. However, race winner Pat Flaherty famously drove with a green shamrock painted on his helmet. Flaherty was of Irish decent, and regularly wore a shamrock as a good luck charm, and it was considered his trademark. The green was noticed by the press at the time, but that did nothing to deter Flaherty. He qualified one of John Zink’s white and pink Watson/Offys (the colors were described as white and “Tropical Rose”) for the pole position, led 127 laps, and won the race by 20 seconds over Sam Hanks. Flaherty’s luck almost ran out, however. He claimed that shortly after he crossed the finish line, his throttle linkage broke, preventing him taking any victory laps or extra “insurance” laps as many drivers were known to do at the time.

1957

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1958

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1959

Jack Turner arrived at the Speedway on May 13 with a Barney Christianson-built Watson/Offenhauser painted a brilliant shade of “sage green“, drawing some attention in the press and among the competitors. Turner’s chief mechanic Willie Utzman convinced car owner Ernie Ruiz to paint the car green as he had experienced success with a green midget race car. The roll bar on the car was painted a bright phosphorescent shade of green, and the crew wore white with green lettering on the backs of their coveralls. It was the first green car in the “500” since 1950. Turner qualified 14th but dropped out on lap 47 with a fuel leak. He finished 27th.

1960

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1961

The so-called “British Invasion” began at Indianapolis in 1961. Then two-time Formula One World Champion Sir Jack Brabham arrived with a British-built, low-slung, rear-engined Cooper T54 chassis, powered by a Coventry-Climax engine. The diminutive machine was considered by some at the time a “funny car” compared to the familiar front-engined roadsters. The powerful Offenhauser engines made the roadsters much faster down the long straightaways, but Brabham’s Cooper had superior handling in the corners, which kept it competitive. Brabham qualified 13th, and finished a respectable 9th. It was not the first rear-engined car at Indy, but it was the first notable post-World War II appearance of a rear-engined car (technically a rear mid-engine), and it marked the beginning of the end for the front-engined roadsters. The rear-engine revolution quickly took over, and by the end of the decade, all 33 starters would be rear-engined cars.

Over the years, there may have been some misunderstanding and conflicting accounts as to the color of Brabham’s 1961 car. It was a very rich, very dark shade of blue, which depending upon the light, sometimes could appear to the eye as a very dark green or even black. Photographs and films likewise tend to distort the colors. The car was restored in the 1990s, and visually speaking, the current color is undoubtedly blue.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum owns a Cooper T53, which is said to haven been the backup car entered for Jack Brabham in 1961. The T53 – painted in the recognizable British Racing Green –  turned laps on the Speedway during a private test in October 1960. During the month of May 1961, however, the car entered only as a backup, was not driven. Rather it is stated that it ‘did not leave the garage’. Since its acquisition in 1969, the car has been on periodic display at the IMS Museum, and has been driven from time to time. Jack Brabham’s son Geoff Brabham drove the T53 in a demonstration run on the grounds of the Speedway in 1981. The car was receiving some routine service at the IMS Museum’s restoration garages (the former garages of the old HOW Racing Team) at the then-Goodyear parking lot adjacent to the Speedway Golf Course. Geoff’s brief spin the machine was documented on the 1981 Indy 500 highlight film.

It is possible that some people over the years have seen the back-up car in the museum (which was green) and believed it to be the actual car that Brabham drove in the 1961 race. Not to mention, some contemporary newspapers articles incorrectly reported the T54 as green. In subsequent years, the “British Invasion” at Indy did see cars painted British Racing Green; these could all be reasons as to why the T54 has sometimes been erroneously described as having been dark green.

1962

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1963

The Lotus team arrived at Indianapolis in 1963 with drivers Dan Gurney and rookie Jim Clark of Scotland. Jim Clark drove a green and yellow Lotus 29. Clark qualified 5th, and one point, Clark and Gurney were running 1st–2nd. For most of the race, Clark found himself locked in a battle with polesitter Parnelli Jones. Jones was driving the #98 Watson roadster, nicknamed “Calhoun” and owned by prolific owner J.C. Agajanian. While Clark’s rear-engined Lotus had superior handling in the corners, Jones’ front-engined Offenhauser overpowered with top speed down the long straightaways.

Around lap 80, observers began to notice oil smoke intermittently trailing Jones’ car. A small crack in the oil tank was the culprit. Jones stretched out to a 43-second lead over Clark at the 150-lap mark. The yellow light came on at lap 160 due to a blown engine by Duane Carter. Jones made a pit stop, which reduced his lead to only 10 seconds. With the green flag back out, Clark began charging, and narrowed the gap to less than 6 seconds. Over the final 20 laps, controversy started to grow over the oil leaking from Jones’ oil tank.

On lap 189, Eddie Sachs spun and crashed in turn three. The incident was blamed on an oil slick caused by oil leaking from Jones’ car. USAC officials were contemplating putting out the black flag for Parnelli Jones. Car owner J.C. Agajanian confronted chief steward Harlan Fengler, as did Colin Chapman of the Lotus team. A black flag would have sent Jones to the pits for consultation, and undoubtedly would have handed the lead (and likely the victory) to Clark.

Ultimately, Fengler elected not to penalize Jones, maintaining that the leak had subsided and he did not want to “take this race away from a man on a snap judgement”.  The Lotus team was unhappy with the decision, and the perception of favoritism offered to the American participants. However, they declined to protest, acknowledging Jones’ superiority. In addition, Ford representatives recognized that a victory through disqualification of Clark’s biggest competitor would not be well received by the American public. Clark’s efforts did earn him Rookie of the Year honors.

 

Going into the race, the British-based Lotus team was seemingly unaware of, and/or unfazed by any green car superstition that existed at Indianapolis. Clark’s car (chassis 29/3) was painted in a dark shade of green, with a yellow stripe down the middle, and yellow lettering. The color selection was merely an adherence to the national colors mandated to them in Grand Prix racing at the time. The color green was official livery assigned to Great Britain (“British Racing Green”), and without equivocation, would be utilized at Indianapolis by the Lotus entries on multiple occasions. Gurney’s machines, however (chassis 29/2 which he crashed in practice, and chassis 29/1 which he drove in the race) were painted white with a blue stripe down the middle. Gurney being an American driving for the British-based team, carried the traditional international racing colors for the U.S.A. on his car.

1964

Jim Clark won the pole position for the 1964 Indianapolis 500 with a new four-lap track record of 158.828 mph in the Lotus-Ford. He shattered the old qualifying record by more than 7 mph putting his Lotus 34 on the inside of the front row in only his second appearance at Indy. Clark’s car was once again painted green with a yellow stripe down the middle. Teammate Dan Gurney qualified 6th (his car was painted white and blue).

On race day, Jim Clark grabbed the lead at the start. But the Dave MacDonald/Eddie Sachs crash on lap 2 put out the red flag. When the race resumed, Clark was passed by Bobby Marshman (driving a year-old Lotus 29) on lap 7. Marshman led until he dropped out lap 40 with an oil leak, caused by running too low on the apron and bottoming out. Clark re-assumed the lead on lap 40, but his time at the front was short-lived.

During practice, the Lotus team had been experiencing wear issues with their Dunlop tires. Ultimately, Colin Chapman elected to stay with the Dunlop tires, which were a softer compound and faster for qualifying, but questions persisted if they could last the 500 miles. Generally speaking, harder compound tires were preferred for use during the race, and many teams were planning to not make any tire changes during the race (unless necessary). USAC rules required teams to start the race on the same tires used during qualifying, thus Clark had to race with the softer compound Dunlops. The tires began to wear out prematurely, and on lap 48, the tread on his left-rear tire began to shred. This caused an uncontrollable vibration, which snapped the left-rear suspension and broke the universal joint and drive shaft. The left-rear wheel collapsed, but Clark was able to nurse the car safely to a stop in the infield of turn one. Clark was out of the race, having led 14 laps. He finished 24th.

 

1965

The rear-engine revolution, the so-called “British Invasion”, and the green car superstition at Indianapolis all converged in 1965. Jim Clark of Scotland won the race in dominating fashion, becoming the first foreign-born winner since Gaston Chevrolet in 1920. Clark led 190 laps, and won by a margin of nearly 2 minutes over second place Parnelli Jones.

Clark’s drove a green Lotus 38 powered by a normally aspirated dual-overhead cam Ford V-8 engine. It was the first green car to win the Indianapolis 500 since Gaston Chevrolet (1920), and as of 2024, the most recent green car to win the race.

The Lotus team entered two cars for the 1965 race. Clark drove #82, and Bobby Johns drove the #83, which was painted nearly identical to Clark’s car. Johns qualified 22nd and finished 7th (flagged after 197 laps). One of the most talked about aspects of the Lotus team in 1965 was that the Wood Brothers from NASCAR circuit were invited to service the two cars during pit stops. Their arrival at the Speedway immediately created a stir in the garage area. They were well known for their rapid pit stop work in NASCAR, and their presence drew the attention of the press. It took them only a short time to acclimatize to the open wheel championship cars’ equipment.

Their contributions to the victory, however, have been considered a bit overstated at times. Most observers agree that Clark was capable of winning the race handily without the added help of the Wood Brothers. In fact, the only work done on the cars was routine refueling, as they did not change any tires during the race. Clark made only two stops all day, and the quickness of the refueling process was largely attributed to a specially-designed gravity fueling rig with a venturi tube. One of the things they did ahead of time was to “break in” the new fueling hose nozzles by simply working them in and out of the coupling for a period of time.

1966

Jerry Grant’s #88 Bardahl-Pacesetter Homes Eagle-Ford, entered by All-American Racers was blue and yellow. But on race day it apparently had bright green tape around the roll bar, ostensibly for identification purposes as it was similar in appearance to other cars in the field. Grant qualified 10th and finished 10th. He started in the same row as Billy Foster, who triggered the big crash on the opening lap, but Grant slipped by unscathed. He was flagged, running 33 laps down and completed 167 laps, the last car of seven that were still running at the finish.

1967

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1968

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1969

Wally Dallenbach drove the #22 Sprite Special for car owner Lindsey Hopkins Jr. Hopkins – a longtime Indy owner and businessman who was a significant stockholder in The Coca-Cola Company – arrived with the car sponsored by the Sprite soft drink, one of the Coke brands. The car was primarily white and red with gold stripes. On the nose and on the sides, the car number was in a green circle. Dallenbach qualified 19th and would go on to lead 7 laps during the race. He dropped out on lap 82 with clutch problems, and finished 21st.

1970

Car owner Lindey Hopkins entered two Sprite Specials for 1970. Wally Dallenbach drove the #22, and Mel Kenyon drove the #23. Both cars were primarily white and reddish-orange, with gold stripes, similar to the 1969 paint scheme. The car numbers, however, were not in green circles like the 1969 livery. This time only traces of green appeared on the cars – in the images of glass Sprite bottles on the noses and “Sprite” can logos on the sidepods.

Both cars dropped out of the race. Dallenbach qualified 24th and finished 17th. He dropped out with a failed magneto having completed 143 laps. Kenyon handed his car over to Roger McCluskey on lap 112. Late in the race, McCluskey was involved in a big crash. On lap 172, he spun going into turn three, and crashed hard into the outside wall. Ronnie Bucknum was collected in the crash. Sammy Sessions locked up the brakes and nearly slid into the crashed cars. Sessions gained control, weaved his way through, and continued in the race. Spilled fuel started pouring from one of the crashed cars, and a small fire broke out. As the field approached the scene, several cars got into the fluid and spun. Wally Dallenbach in the other Sprite Special (who was still running, but at that point, was many laps down) and Jack Brabham spun but continued. Mario Andretti nearly spun out, but he made it through the scene unscathed. The fire was quickly extinguished, but the yellow light was on for over 14 minutes (laps 172 through 181).

Car owner Rolla Vollstedt entered two cars for Canadian rookie driver John Cannon. His first ride, the #21 car was painted two shades of green. During practice on May 10, Cannon suffered a heavy crash in turn one. The car was damaged, and Cannon suffered a sprained wrist. He switched to the #17 car (which was instead painted red & white). The team experienced a bevy of mechanical problems with the back-up machine. Cannon took two wave-offs on the second weekend of time trials, and he ultimately failed to qualify. When asked about the green car superstition, Cannon laughed it off, “No it was my green right foot”.

Jack Brabham arrived at the 1970 race with a newly-constructed Brabham BT32 for Gilmore Racing. Officially, the car was considered “blue“, but the paint color has been interpreted by some as more of a blueish-green. It is up to debate as to whether Brabham’s car should be considered “green”. In any case, despite the car arriving late to the track (due to a truckers’ strike), and some very minor mechanical gremlins, Brabham qualified solidly for the inside of row 9. On race day Brabham, led one lap during a sequence of pit stops, and ran in the top ten for a time. He got caught up in the aforementioned Roger McCluskey crash, and spun to the infield grass. He was able to re-join the race, but he did not last much longer. He dropped out after completing 175 laps with piston failure and finished 13th.

1971

Car owner Lindsey Hopkins Jr.  entered three cars for the 1971 race, all again sponsored by the Sprite soft drink, one of the Coke brands. The three green and white Sprite Specials were driven by Roger McCluskey, Wally Dallenbach, and Mel Kenyon. All three drivers made the starting field on the second weekend of time trials, this despite some various struggles during the month.

On race day, Kenyon was eliminated in a crash in turn three on lap 12 (finished 32nd). Kenyon spun in an oil slick caused when Steve Krisiloff’s car blew an engine. Kenyon’s crashed car was struck by Gordon Johncock, who careened over top of it. Kenyon saw Johncock approaching, and was able to duck down into the cockpit. His helmet had tire marks on it, but he was not seriously injured.

Dallenbach dropped out after 69 laps with valve failure and placed 24th. McCluskey was the only one of the three cars running at the finish. He wound up placing 9th, 12 laps down. Prior to the race, a rabbit ran in front of his machine, which some superstitious types hoped was a good omen.

1972

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1973

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1974

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1975

Defending Indy 500 winner Johnny Rutherford drove the #2 green and white McLaren M16E sponsored by sports drink Gatorade. The paint scheme resembled the Gatorade livery that Darrell Waltrip would carry in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 1976 to 1980. Rutherford qualified 7th, experiencing some minor handling problems during practice and time trials. On race day, Rutherford was major factor, charging towards the front from the start. He led five laps during the race. Late in the going, Bobby Unser was leading with Rutherford second, and A.J. Foyt third. Rain was approaching the vicinity. On lap 170, the yellow light came on after Gary Bettenhausen’s car blew a hub and lost a wheel. Both Unser and Rutherford ducked into the pits for fuel, and back out on the track, Unser had about a half-lap lead. Moments later, the skies opened up, and rain starting flooding the track. Some cars began to hydroplane and spin out, and the red and checkered flags were displayed on lap 174 to end the race. Unser was declared the winner, with Rutherford second, and Foyt third.

Settling for second, Rutherford failed in his bid to win back-to-back races. About a month after Indy, Rutherford wrecked the car (chassis M16E-001) during qualifying for the 1975 Pocono 500. He switched to a back-up car (chassis M16E-002), and used that car again for superspeedway races in 1976. He won the 1976 Indianapolis 500 in chassis 002 (this time his car was painted “Papaya Orange”) to post finishes of 1st–2nd–1st over a three-year span.

Rutherford’s 1975 second-place car (chassis M16E-001) changed hands several times over the next number of years, and was eventually restored to the 1975 #2 Gatorade livery by a private collector. It was on display for a brief time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in 2018.

Later in life, in reference to the green car superstition, Rutherford once referred to his 1975 McLaren as a “Hoodoo Wagon“. That was a reference to the 1949 Mickey Rooney film “The Big Wheel“, in which Rooney’s character Billy Coy is driving a green car, nicknamed the “Hoodoo Wagon” due to the green car superstition. In the movie, Coy’s father “Cannonball” Coy had been fatally injured at the Indianapolis 500 while driving a green car. In the scene, Billy was racing at Culver City when a rival driver Vic Sullivan forces him off the track and he crashes through the outside wall.

One other car in the starting field had traces of green in its livery. Jerry Grant’s car, named the “Spirit of Orange County”, was white and orange, with images of oranges (the citrus fruit) adorning the sidepods and wings. The oranges had little green foliage. Grant qualified 14th and finished 20th. He dropped out after 137 laps with a burned piston.

1976

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1977

In 1977, Janet Guthrie became the first female driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Guthrie started 26th, driving the Bryant Heating & Cooling Lighting/Drake-Offenhauser for owner Rolla Vollsted. Guthrie’s historic accomplishments during Time Trials were well-reported in the media. On race day, however, Guthrie suffered from mechanical problems. The headaches began even before the race started. On race morning, the hose on her pit crew’s pitside fuel tank was leaking, drawing the attention of officials, and requiring the team to make hasty repairs. On lap 15, Guthrie came to the pits for an unscheduled stop. She would make five agonizingly long pit stops, and at one point even had methanol spilled on her uniform. The team finally called it quits after over an hour and a half (the leaders were on lap 149). Guthrie completed 27 laps, and placed 29th.

1978

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1979

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1980

No green-painted cars qualified for the race.

1981

There were no solid green cars in the starting lineup for the 1981 race, but three cars had the color green prominent in their liveries. The Psachie-Garza Racing team was a partnership among David Psachie, Mexican-born Indy 500 rookie Josele Garza, as well as Garza’s widowed mother Nadina. Three Penske-Cosworth machines were entered for Garza, fellow Indy rookie Geoff Brabham (son of Jack Brabham), and veteran driver Steve Krisiloff.

The three cars were white, with red and green stripes, the colors of the Mexican flag. Psachie first attended the “500” in 1963. He said he became intrigued with the race after reading an article about Team Lotus entering Jim Clark in a car painted green (the color green of course being a superstitious no-no). Psachie eventually put a team together with the Garza family, and in 1980 entered the USAC Mini Indy Series (the precursor to the modern day Indy Lights or Indy NXT series). Garza won the Mini Indy race at Pocono, and finished 3rd in the 1980 season points standings. Garza was ready to move up to Indy cars and the Indy 500 for 1981. He participated in the inaugural Rookie Orientation Program in April, where he impressed observers and posted the fastest single lap of the four-day session.

During Time Trials, Garza (#55) qualified 6th, the outside of row two and was the fastest rookie qualifier. Brabham (#50) qualified 15th, and Krisiloff (#53) qualified 17th. On race day, Garza made a splash, leading two times for 13 laps. He was running in the top five when he crashed in turn three on lap 139. Garza finished 23rd but would still be voted the Rookie of the Year. Brabham finished 5th (3 laps down), and Krisiloff finished 8th (5 laps down).

It should be noted that in some photos of Krisiloff’s car (on race day), the green stripes appear black. This would suggest that his car might have been repainted at some point after time trials to eschew the green. Krisiloff was a USAC veteran, the only American of the three drivers on the team, and the one whom the green car superstition would probably be the most familiar. However, there is no confirmation of the car having been repainted, and the seemingly darker appearance of the stripes on the #53 is probably attributed to poor lighting due to the overcast conditions of the day.

1982

No green-painted cars qualified for the race. Rookie Bobby Rahal, driving the Red Roof Inns machine for Truesports Racing, carried associate sponsorship from 7-Eleven. A small 7-Eleven logo (with a tiny bit of green) was on either side of the car. Rahal started 17th and finished 11th. He dropped out on lap 174 with engine failure.

1983

Rookie Teo Fabi won the pole position driving a green and white March-Cosworth sponsored by Skoal Bandit. Driving for Forsythe Racing, Fabi set new 1-lap and 4-lap track records and became the first rookie polesitter since Walk Faulkner in 1950. Fabi grabbed the lead at the start and led the first 23 laps. He dropped out on lap 47, however, due a bad fuel gasket. During a routine pit stop, as the fueler disengaged, fuel started pouring from the buckeye. The crew quickly doused the car with water, and no fire broke out. Fabi placed 26th, but was still voted the Rookie of the Year.

Fabi drew some attention carrying the color green on his car. Just before the start of the month, Forsythe Racing signed a sponsorship deal with Skoal Bandit (U.S. Tobacco). It was first appearance for Skoal at Indy; the brand had been sponsoring in NASCAR already for a couple of seasons.

Bobby Rahal, driving for Truesports, again had a small 7-Eleven decal on his car, which had a tiny bit of green. Rahal started 6th and led 15 laps in the first half. He dropped out with a punctured radiator after 110 laps, and placed 20th.

1984

Teo Fabi drove the green and white #33 Skoal Bandit March-Cosworth for Forsythe Racing. He started 14th and finished 24th. He led 14 laps, but was nearly caught up in the aftermath of the Pat Bedard crash. He later suffered from engine trouble, and dropped out after 104 laps due to fuel system failure.

Bobby Rahal, driving for Truesports Racing, carried primary sponsorship from 7-Eleven for 1984. The car was painted white and blue, with red stripes. Though the 7-Eleven logo contains the color green, no green appeared on the car. The green that was part of the logo was replaced with blue. Over the next few years, other 7-Eleven sponsored cars would carry a similar blue and white livery, and eschew any visual appearance of the color green. Without any green this time, Rahal finished 3 laps down in 7th place.

1985

Curb Racing entered three cars sponsored by Skoal Bandit, for drivers Tom Sneva (#2), Tony Bettenhausen (#97) and rookie Ed Pimm (#98). Only two of the cars were painted in green and white (those of Sneva and Bettenhausen). Pimm’s was painted dark blue and white.

Sneva qualified 13th and crashed out in turn one with Rich Vogler on lap 123. Sneva placed 20th. Bettenhausen started 29th and finished 29th. He dropped out on lap 31 with a bad wheel bearing. Pimm, in the non-green car finished 9th.

1986

Curb Racing teammates Tom Sneva (#33) and Ed Pimm (#66) started 7th and 10th in dark green Skoal-sponsored cars. For 1986, the liveries were solid green (in previous years, the Skoal cars were combinations of green and white). On the parade lap, Tom Sneva nearly got left behind. The pace car and the rest of the drivers pulled away, but Sneva was stationary on the grid. Sneva was experiencing difficulty getting his steering wheel to attached properly. Moments later, though, he was on his way and caught up to the field. On the pace lap, Sneva’s car veered coming out of turn two, and he hit the inside wall at the beginning of the backstretch. Sneva was out of the race before the green flag and finished last (33rd). Pimm dropped out after 168 laps due to electrical problems, and finished 17th.

1987

Curb Racing once again fielded teammates Tom Sneva (#33) and Ed Pimm (#98) in Skoal-sponsored cars. This time, only Sneva’s car was green. Sneva’s car had a little bit more white on it than his ’86 car, but still more green than the early Skoal cars. Pimm’s car sported a red-white-blue livery. Sneva struggled getting his car up to speed, crashing twice in practice before qualifying 21st. On race day, Sneva briefly ran as high as 5th, but lost power due to a loose turbocharger hose. He eventually crashed on lap 143, and placed 17th.

1988

Three cars in the 1988 Indianapolis 500 carried the color green, and all three suffered misfortunes. For 1988, the Miller Brewing Company, the sponsor of Danny Sullivan’s car at Penske Racing, introduced a sharp new paint scheme of gold and white with red lettering. In the previous three seasons (including for his 1985 Indy victory) Sullivan’s car featured the red and white “Miller American” livery. Before that in 1984, Al Unser Sr. drove the Miller car, which was red and white with gold accents. This new predominantly gold paint scheme, promoted the Miller High Life label, and more closely resembled the beer can. Sullivan’s Indy car sported the new livery for 1988, as did the Stavola Brothers NASCAR team with drivers including Bobby Allison and Bobby Hillin Jr. The colors were also used in IMSA GTP and NHRA. Bobby Allison won the 1988 Daytona 500 in February, and Busby Racing won the 1989 SunBank 24 Hours of Daytona carrying the colors. Green pinstriping accented the Miller paint job, and despite some misgivings from the Penske team, they agreed to allow it.

For the second time in three years, Danny Sullivan started in the middle of the front row. He again set 1-lap and 4-lap qualifying records on pole day, but again was beaten for the pole later in the day by his teammate Rick Mears. Sullivan was part of an all-Penske front row with Mears on the pole, Sullivan himself in the middle, and Al Unser Sr. on the outside. On Carburetion Day, Sullivan’s Miller High Life team won the Pit Stop Contest, and Sullivan set the second-fastest lap of the final practice session. Come race day, Sullivan grabbed the lead at the start and dominated the first half. He 91 of the first 101 laps, at times running laps in the 210 mph range. While running fourth on lap 102, a front wing adjuster broke, sending his car crashing hard into the outside wall in turn one. Sullivan was not injured, but his day was over in 23rd place. At the time, it was a record for the lowest finishing position for the driver who had led the most laps.

Sullivan’s crash in the 1988 race raised some eyebrows about the green superstition. Away from Indianapolis, however, Sullivan had a tremendous year in the CART PPG Indy Car World Series season. He won four races, including the Michigan 500, nine pole positions, and won the 1988 CART championship. Over on the NASCAR side, though, in June 1988, Bobby Allison suffered a career-ending crash at Pocono.

Sam Posey: Well, as we look at the car of Danny Sullivan, the whole issue of superstitions at Indianapolis comes up. Penske has never entered a car with green on it. He dislikes green, and through the years has forbidden his friends and relatives wearing green even to enter the pits. But the sponsor of this car wanted a little green, and some green pinstriping on that car – so it looked more like the product. And Roger, who likes a certain color of green more than anything else, that is the color of money, decided to go with it. So the car with the ‘unlucky’ Penske green is currently leading the race.

Paul Page: And turning laps at 200 miles per hour. And speaking of green and luck, the Porsche is a green-trimmed car, and it has now been pushed back into Gasoline Alley and retired from the race.

The Porsche Indy car team’s first appearance at the Indianapolis 500 came in 1988. Sponsored by motor oil company Quaker State, the car was white and green. The team had debuted in the CART Indy Car circuit during the fall of 1987. However, their initial efforts with an in-house Porsche 2708 chassis were termed “disastrous” and proved uncompetitive. Al Unser Sr. tried the car out at Laguna Seca, but quit the team after only that one race. Al Holbert, the team principal for Porsche Motorsports in North America, and IMSA GTP champion, drove it at Tamiami Park, but failed to qualify. Over the offseason, Porsche dropped its chassis program to concentrate solely on their engine development. For 1988, they mated their engine to the March 88C chassis, and hired Teo Fabi as driver.

Teo Fabi was making his return to Indy car racing after a few seasons of racing in Formula One. Fabi qualified 17th in the green and white Quaker State March-Porsche. During the first scheduled pit stop on lap 30, Fabi pulled away from his pit stall with the left-rear wheel not fully secured. The wheel came off, causing the car to spin and hit the inside pit wall. The car also reportedly bottomed out, causing an irreparable oil leak. He placed 28th.

Curb Racing entered rookie John Andretti in a dark green and white, Skoal Bandit-sponsored Lola. The team experienced engine-related issues, which forced them to qualify on the second weekend of Time Trials. Andretti qualified 27th and ran as high as 8th at one point. He dropped out with a blown engine after 114 laps and placed 21st.

1989

At the 1989 Indianapolis 500, Danny Sullivan was back, again driving the gold/white/red/green Miller High Life-sponsored Penske-Chevrolet. During a practice run on May 11, his car suddenly lost the engine cowling, causing it to break into a hard spin going into turn three. He slammed the wall and suffered a broken arm and a mild concussion. After undergoing surgery, Sullivan qualified a back-up car during the second weekend of time trials. Wearing a special cast on his right arm, he started the race, but was never a factor. He dropped out with clutch failure on lap 41 and placed 28th.

After Indy, Sullivan eventually made a full recovery. He won two races, including the Pocono 500 in August, and finished 7th in points. After 1989, the gold/white/red/green Miller High Life livery was retired. Beginning in 1990, the Miller Brewing Company switched their racing liveries primarily to the black and gold Miller Genuine Draft branding. Miller sponsorship shifted over to the Patrick Racing Alfa Romeo team in 1990, with Roberto Guerrero as the primary driver. At the 1990 Indy 500, a second car was run for Al Unser Sr. at Patrick Racing. His car carried Miller High Life as the sponsor, but by then the livery was changed to white/red/gold, with green omitted (see 1990 below).

The second green car in 1989 was once again the Porsche Indy entry driven by Teo Fabi. Sponsored by Quaker State, the car was green and white, very similar to their 1988 livery. In their second full season of Indy car competition, the Porsche team had made progress in their engine development, but were still a little off the pace compared to the Chevrolets (particularly on ovals). March Engineering, no longer participating in the so-called “customer car” market, built a special chassis just for Porsche, dubbed the March 89P (they also made one for the Alfa Romeo team, the 89C). Fabi turned some fast laps during practice, but during qualifying, settled for the “unlucky” 13th starting position. On race day, he dropped out early with ignition problems. Fabi finished 30th (23 laps). Fabi’s season improved after Indy. He finished second at the Michigan 500, won the race at Mid-Ohio, and posted nine top-fives to place 4th in the final points standings.

One other car carried a miniscule bit of green. Bobby Rahal drove the familiar #18 blue and yellow KRACO-sponsored car for Maurice Kraines and KRACO Racing. He had associate sponsorship from Otter Pops, and that logo contained a tiny green asterisk in the middle, which appeared on both sides of the tub. Rahal had departed Truesports at the end of the 1988 season, and for 1989 was fielding the new Cosworth DFS “short-stroke” engine for KRACO Racing. Rahal posted a 224 mph lap during practice, and qualified 7th. On Carburetion Day, Rahal’s car suffered an oil leak, and the team was forced to changes engines. On the IMS Radio Network, it was reported that the team may have switched back to a Cosworth DFX for race day, but that could have been a misunderstanding, and the team may have still run a DFS. In either case, during the race Rahal dropped a valve – and in his words, the car “started making expensive noises“. He coasted to a stop and dropped out after 58 laps. He placed 26th, continuing a now eight-year streak in which he had good finishes in even years, and poor finishes in odd years.

1990

Whether through deliberate means, or various other circumstances, not much green appeared on cars in the 1990 race. Numerous team and driver changes occurred during the offseason, including several important changes involving Team Penske and Patrick Racing. The Miller Brewing Company sponsorship departed Penske, and ended up going to Patrick. Chip Ganassi had taken over the assets of the original Patrick Racing team, and formed Chip Ganassi Racing for 1990. U.E. “Pat” Patrick then took over the Alfa Romeo engine program (previously spearheaded by Alex Morales Motorsports) and formed a new Patrick Racing team. Roberto Guerrero was the driver, and he carried the sponsorship of the Miller Brewing Company, in this case, the Miller Genuine Draft brand (resulting in a new black and gold livery). This new black and gold livery was similar to one now being carried by Rusty Wallace over on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series circuit.

A second car was entered by the Patrick team for Al Unser Sr. at the Indy 500 and at the Michigan 500.  Unser’s car carried the sponsorship of the Miller High Life brand, as had Danny Sullivan’s car in 1988–1989. An important change, though, was that the green pinstriping was removed for 1990. An early rendering of the car on a promotional poster had green stripes, but they were certainly removed (and changed to red) before the car arrived at Indy in May. The only tiny bit of green that appeared on Unser’s car (and Guerrero’s as well, for that matter) was the green snake which is part of the Alfa Romeo logo. Though there was no green on the car, Al Unser’s helmet appears to have had two thin green stripes.

The Miller High Life livery for 1990 was decidedly more plain and certainly less eye-catching than the 1988–1989 version. When Unser crashed the car in practice at Michigan (suffering a broken collarbone and broken leg), it was the last we would see of that livery. Back at Indy, both Guerrero and Unser were down on power in the Alfas. Guerrero wrecked his primary car, an ended up qualifying a back-up car 28th. Unser qualified 30th. On race day, Guerrero dropped out on lap 118 and finished 23rd. Unser, running in last place for a time, hung in there all day. He slowly moved up through attrition, and finished 13th (14 laps down) in the “green-less” Miller High Life car. Numerous photos of Unser’s car are available HERE.

Over at the Porsche Indy car team, they were making their third attempt at the Indy 500. A rather tumultuous offseason was experienced by the team, as their brand new, all carbon fiber monocoque chassis was disallowed by the CART board of directors. Porsche and their chassis partner March Engineering had embarked on an all-carbon fiber chassis effort, under the impression that they were going to receive a waiver to allow it for the 1990 season (all carbon fiber chassis were set to be made legal for 1991, but teams were given the opportunity to seek permission to run then in 1990). That permission was denied, forcing the team to scramble to put together an aluminum honeycomb-bottomed car in time for the season opener. Aside from the technical squabbles, the Porsche team expanded to a two-car effort, retaining Teo Fabi, and adding John Andretti. Foster’s beer was brought in as a primary sponsor, with Quaker State motor oil retained, but taking much-less prominence. The cars were now blue and white, and the only green that remained was the lettering of “Quaker State” on the sidepods and wingplates.

Fabi qualified 23rd, and Andretti qualified 10th. Fabi was 11th fastest, but he missed out on qualifying during the pole round. On race day, John Andretti dropped out after 136 laps. He tagged the wall in turn four, damaged his right side suspension, then spun lazily in turn one; he placed 21st. Fabi dropped out with transmission failure. He completed 162 laps, and finished 18th. It was the final lap turned at the Speedway by one of the Porsche Indy cars.

Bobby Rahal once again drove the blue and yellow #18 KRACO entry. Car owner Maurice Kraines had merged his team with Rick Galles to create Galles-KRACO Racing for 1990. Rahal became teammates with Al Unser Jr., and Rahal’s KRACO livery was refreshed to more closely resemble the ‘swoosh’ style of Unser’s Valvoline car. The blue top curved upwards and no longer stretched to the rear, and a thick red stripe was added. Rahal again carried associate sponsorship from Otter Pops, and again had a green “*” in the logo. He qualified 4th, and was a factor all afternoon. Rahal led 37 laps, and had a chance to win his second “500”. In final 40 laps or so, however, Rahal’s handling started to go away. Arie Luyendyk chased him down, and took the lead on lap 168. Luyendyk led the rest of the way, and Rahal ended up finishing 2nd. As an aside (as of 2024), car #18 has never won the Indy 500. Perhaps it is of no coincidence that “yellow and blue make green”.

1991

King Racing – owned by Kenny Bernstein – did not compete at Indianapolis in 1990, but was back for 1991 with driver Jim Crawford. The team picked up primary sponsorship from Quaker State motor oil, which had previously been a sponsor of the now-defunct Porsche Indy car team. Quaker State also was the sponsor for King Racing’s NASCAR Winston Cup team, and also appeared on the sides of Bernstein’s NHRA drag racing machines. Bernstein had a several-years relationship with Quaker State, and even appeared in a series of commercials for the product with actor Burt Reynolds. The car was solid green, with white accents and lettering. The famous “Big Q” logo had a prominent spot of the engine cover, although not as conspicuous as the “Q” on the NASCAR hood. Fielding the Buick V-6, Crawford qualified a respectable 8th. On race day, his day was cut short. He suffered brake issues early on, then blew the engine after 49 laps. He finished 26th.

For the third and final time at Indy, Bobby Rahal drove the blue and yellow #18 KRACO car, with associate sponsorship from Otter Pops (the green “*”). He ran in the top five, but blew the engine on lap 130 and finished 19th.

1992

King Racing entered two cars for 1992 with Roberto Guerrero joining Jim Crawford. They drove two nearly identical solid green and white Lola-Buicks sponsored by Quaker State. During private testing in March, Guerrero and Crawford made headlines, posting laps faster than the existing track record. Guerrero turned an unofficial lap of 230.279 mph, the first-ever lap over 230 at the Speedway. Crawford was close behind, with a best lap of 226 mph. The King Racing team entered the month of May as one of the favorites for the pole position. With engine development on the Buick V-6 progressing, they had high hopes for race day. By the end of the month, however, their jubilation had turned to anguish.

During the first week of practice, Jim Crawford in the #26 car turned the fastest practice lap in Indy history to that point. His lap of 233.433 mph on Monday May 4 was an unofficial track record. Guerrero in the #36 was also practicing at over 230 mph. On Pole Day, morning rain delayed the start of time trials until 4 p.m. During the warm-up practice session, Crawford suffered a blown engine, a big setback to his chances for the pole. The day would belong to Roberto Guerrero, who put his car on the pole position with a new track record of 232.482 mph. Guerrero became the first driver to officially break the 230 mph barrier, and was the only driver with all four laps over 230 mph. Crawford’s crew had to install an new engine, however, and he was forced to be a second day qualifier. Crawford qualified 6th-fastest overall, but would line up in 21st starting position.

On race day, cold temperatures turned the race into a crash-filled, marathon day. After his success on Pole Day, Roberto Guerrero suffered an unfortunate crash on the parade lap. He lost control of the car down the backstretch, and spun into the inside wall. The damage was enough that Guerrero could not continue, and he was out of the race before the green flag. Crawford’s day also ended against the wall. On a restart on lap 75, Crawford spun in turn one on cold tires. He collected Rick Mears, and both cars crashed hard into the outside wall in the south shortchute. Emerson Fittipaldi then crashed behind them. The final box score had Guerrero in last place (33rd) with zero laps, and Crawford in 25th place with 74 laps. It was a difficult and devastating day for many participants, with King Racing being no exception. The 1992 race would be the final time King Racing ran with the Buick V-6 engine.

Rookie Brian Bonner was entered with Dale Coyne Racing. Bonner and fellow rookie Eric Bachelart began the month sharing a ’90 Lola-Buick. After Bonner passed his rookie test, the team bought one of King Racing’s back up cars. Bonner took over a ’91 Lola-Buick, a car in which Roberto Guerrero had turned a lap of 227 mph days earlier, and the same car Jim Crawford drove in the 1991 race. The car was painted in the green Quaker State livery, but for qualifying, those decals were removed and replaced with “Applebee’s”. Prior to race day, the car was repainted orange, white, and green. Bonner started 26th and finished 19th. He crashed out on lap 97 in one of the many crashes that occurred during the race.

1993

The 1993 race saw one green car, one with some green graphics, and one with a small green sponsor decal. Jeff Andretti drove the #21 Interstate Batteries/Gillette ’92 Lola-Buick for Pagan Racing. The car was green and black and was a King Racing car from 1992. Some early conjecture was that it was Roberto Guerrero’s pole-winning car from 1992, but it was later confirmed to be Jim Crawford’s car from the 1992 race. It was also the car that Jeff Andretti drove in a private test at Texas World Speedway, turning an unofficial closed-course record lap of 234.5 mph. Andretti waved off on pole day, then put the car in the field on the second day of time trials. He qualified in 16th starting position. Andretti was making a return to the cockpit after suffering serious leg injuries in a crash during the 1992 race. The team actually secured the Interstate Batteries sponsorship midway through the month, after qualifying. As a result, the car was repainted in time for race day

Roberto Guerrero’s 1992 pole-winning car (nicknamed “Leroy”) was entered as a back-up car (#21T) for Jeff Andretti at Pagan Racing. Andretti took few, if any, laps in the car, and it was later leased to Arciero Racing for Mark Smith. On Bump Day, the car was rolled out for Smith at the last minute, but the 6 o’clock gun went off before Smith made it to the front of the qualifying line.

Rookie Stephan Gregoire drove the #36 car for Formula Project. The car was multi-colored, with green blocks near the rear. Gregoire qualified 15th as the fastest rookie (faster than Nigel Mansell). On race day, Gregoire led 1 lap during a pit stop shuffle, and finished 19th (5 laps down).

King Racing went full-time in the CART series for 1993, with Roberto Guerrero staying on as the primary driver. Veteran Jim Crawford and four-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Sr. joined for a three-car effort at Indianapolis. The team dropped the Buick engine program and switched to the Ilmor-Chevrolet engine. The Buick, competitive only at Indy (and not at the other CART series races) due to turbocharger boost rules, was seemingly not a feasible option for the team going forward. King Racing also changed to Budweiser primary sponsorship in 1993 (taking it from Truesports), changing their cars colors to solid red. Quaker State remained on as an associate sponsor, but their “Big Q” logo on the car for 1993 was white – no green appeared on the King Racing cars.

Arie Luyendyk drove the #10 Target/Scotch Lola Ford-Cosworth XB for Chip Ganassi Racing. The car was red and black, but had a tiny green 7-Up decal. Luyendyk won the pole position and finished 2nd.

One other car had green decals. Mark Smith, who was bumped and failed to qualify, ended up as the First Alternate. Smith’s #25 Craftsman Tools car was painted solid black with white decals. There were also racing flags on the sidepods – a checkered flag, a red, a white, a yellow, and a green flag.

1994

Roberto Guerrero moved over to Pagan Racing, and drove the green and black Interstate Batteries car. He was reunited with his ’92 Lola-Buick (“Leroy”), the same chassis he drove in 1992 and won the pole position with King Racing (see above). Guerrero’s backup car was the former Jim Crawford, King Racing ’92 Lola (the car also driven by Jeff Andretti in 1993). During practice on May 21, Guerrero suffered an engine fire. He was able to stop the car and get out, but not before he suffered burns to his arm. Guerrero qualified 20th, and while his speed was only satisfactory, he was safe enough to not get close to the bubble spot. On race day, Guerrero crashed in turn two on lap 20. He finished last (33rd), the second time in three years that he finished last in that particular green Lola chassis.

Eddie Cheever drove the Glidden Lola-Buick for Team Menard. The car was solid green with yellow and red stripes. Cheever qualified 11th and finished 8th (3 laps down). Cheever was assessed a stop-and-go penalty around lap 40. It dropped him from 4th to 15th at the time, and probably cost him a couple positions at the end.

Rookie Adrian Fernandez drove the #30 Tecate/Quaker State Reynard for Galles Racing. The car was green and red. On lap 30, Dominic Dobson and Mike Groff crashed in turn one. Fernandez hit a piece of debris, and suffered a damaged rear suspension. He was towed back to the pits, but he was forced to drop out. He finished 28th with 30 laps.

Raul Boesel, driving for Dick Simon Racing, qualified for the middle of the front row. His Duracell-sponsored car was a dark orange and black, but had a green “Fujifilm” decal on either side of the engine cover. A year earlier in 1993, Boesel had a strong car and could have won the race except for two stop-and-go penalties. He would finish a strong 4th. The 1994 race did not go as well for Boesel. His car suffered from overheating, and was down on power. He dropped out after 100 laps and finished 21st.

Michael Andretti drove the #8 Target/Scotch Reynard Ford-Cosworth XB for Chip Ganassi Racing.  The car was solid red with black trim, but there was a small green 7-Up decal on both sides of the engine cowling. Andretti, who missed the 1993 race due to him participating in Formula One, returned to Indy car racing for 1994. He qualified 5th and was a factor early on. On lap 40, Andretti was running third as the field was preparing to go back to green on a restart. But he had unknowingly suffered a punctured tire. In turn four, he nearly spun, and was passed by Eddie Cheever at the line. Going into turn one, Andretti had to slow way down, and circulate the rest of the lap to safely get back to the pits. The crew was able to change tires and get him back in the race, but not before he fell a lap down. Late in the race, he was penalized for passing under the yellow, and was dropped from 3rd place to 6th place (2 laps down).

Mark Smith was bumped and failed to qualify for the second year in a row. Smith’s #15 Craftsman Tools car was painted half-black and half-red. Once again there were racing flags along the sides – a checkered flag, a green flag, a white, a yellow, a blue, and a red. On Bump day, he got in his backup car (#15) and attempted to bump his way back into the field. However, he crashed on the first lap of his qualifying attempt.

One last car had green in 1994. Michael Greenfield (Greenfield Industries) entered two ’93 Lolas powered by the 209 c.i.d. Greenfield pushrod engine. The engine was an independent effort, exploiting the same engine regulations that the Penske/Ilmor Mercedes-Benz 500I purpose-built pushrod engine (“The Beast”) was built to. Unlike Penske, however, the Greenfield team experienced a lot of difficulty getting the car up to speed. Greenfield was supposed to be the driver, but he missed rookie orientation due to engine problems. As a result, veteran Johnny Parsons was hired to drive the car. The car was solid white, but had green numbers and decals. A series of engine problems, electrical problems, and handling problems plagued the team. They were never able to complete a qualifying attempt.

1995

The 1995 race had perhaps the most cars carrying the color green to-date. No less than ten cars had some – or a lot of – green, including Scott Brayton, who won the pole position. Rookie Christian Fittipaldi finished 2nd, his car was painted green, yellow, and blue, resembling the Brazilian flag. Arie Luyendyk, a teammate to Brayton, qualified second in another Team Menard entry. His car was yellow and red/orange, but had small green “Quaker State” decals on the nose and near the rear.

Buddy Lazier qualified a Team Menard backup car. It was originally #60T, painted solid green with red/yellow stripes (mostly identical to Brayton’s #60). By race day, however, Lazier’s car was changed slightly to green with red/yellow sidepods and renumbered to #80.

Technically, all 33 cars in the 1995 starting field carried the color green in some form. That year’s USAC qualifying/technical inspection stickers had the 1995 race logo on it. The logo was gray, maroon, and dark green.

Of the ten green-specific cars, seven were running at the finish. Carlos Guerrero got caught up in the Stan Fox crash on the first lap and finished last. Polesitter Scott Brayton and next to him Arie Luyendyk, allegedly were issued a 50 inHG pop-off valve for race day (rather than a 55) due to a technical illegality that occurred during time trials. Brayton was not a factor all day, and finished 10 laps down in 17th place. Luyendyk managed to lead 7 laps, and came home 7th, the final car on the lead lap (he unlapped himself just as race winner Jacques Villeneuve was crossing the finish line).

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
15	Christian Fittipaldi	Green, yellow blue	27th	2nd	200	Running	Image
7	Eliseo Salazar	White and dark green	24th	4th	200	Running	Image
40	Arie Luyendyk	Green “Quaker State” decals	2nd	7th	200	Running	Image
21	Roberto Guerrero	Green “Upper Deck” decal	13th	12th	198	Running	Image
4	Bryan Herta	Green “7-Up” logo	33rd	13th	198	Running	Image
60	Scott Brayton	Green, with red/yellow stripes	1st	17th	190	Running	Image
31	Andre Ribiero	Green “Tang” decal	12th	18th	187	Running	Image
10	Adrian Fernandez	Green and red	25th	21st	176	Engine	Image
80	Buddy Lazier	Green, with red/yellow sidepods	23rd	27th	45	Fuel System	Image
22	Carlos Guerrero	Green, white, and red	29th	33rd	0	Crash	Image

1996

Team Menard had four cars in the 1996 field, all with the familiar colorful “Glidden” schemes – combinations of yellow, orange, red, and green. It appears that the individual cars’ liveries varied as the month of May progressed. Quaker State was a primary or associate sponsor on each entry. Pole position winner Scott Brayton’s car (#32 and #2), Eddie Cheever’s car (#3), Mark Dismore’s car (#30), and Tony Stewart’s car (#20), all had some or a lot of green, at minimum small green Quaker State decals. Brayton was fatally injured testing a team backup car on May 17. He was replaced on race day by Danny Ongais. The car was moved to the rear of the field, and started 33rd on race day. Ongais had a spin early on, but recovered to finish 7th.

Scott Brayton’s path the pole was exciting. He originally qualified car #32, which had green sidepods. The team withdrew the car, and he requalified in a team back-up car (#2) to win the pole position. At some point, the car was repainted to have green sidepods, and re-numbered back to #32 when Ongais took over. The car Brayton crashed was a team backup car (#23), which had green sidepods.

Cheever’s car was solid green with yellow/orange/red stripes; he had an eventful day. While running in the top five early in the race, a long pit stop due to a bad air wrench cost his a lot time. Later, he suffered a spin in the pits. Despite being laps down, he turned the fastest single lap of the race (236.103 mph), a record that still stands as of 2024. Cheever wound up 11th, 11 laps down.

Eventual rookie of the year Tony Stewart’s car (#20) had the least amount of green of the Menard cars – at least on race day. His car was yellow/red/orange, with only Quaker State decals. During practice and on pole day, however, Stewart was seen in cars with considerably more green. Come race day, most of the green had been removed.

Eliseo Salazar drove a green and white car, similar to his 1995 livery, but the green was not as dark as the year before. Salazar started 3rd, and finished 6th. He was caught up in three incidents during the race. On lap 95, he collided with Arie Luyendyk while exiting the pits. He spun wildly out of the warm-up lane, but was able to continue. Later on lap 169, he threw a block on Davy Jones, forcing Jones to brush the inside wall. Then on the last lap, he became caught up in the multi-car crash that involved Roberto Guerrero and Alessandro Zampedri. Salazar was not seriously injured, and despite the crash, still managed to place 6th (197 laps).

Davy Jones’ car had a tiny green Quaker State decal on the nose. Jones started 2nd and finished 2nd, losing the lead to Buddy Lazier with 7 laps to go.

1997

The Team Menard cars once again carried sponsorship from Glidden paints. Robbie Buhl’s car had primary sponsorship from Quaker State. His car was solid green with yellow and orange stripes (and associate sponsorship from Glidden). Tony Stewart’s car was yellow and orange with Glidden as the primary sponsor (the car had small green Quaker State decals). Buhl started 4th, led 16 laps, and finished 8th (1 lap down). Stewart qualified 2nd and led the most laps (64). Late in the race, he brushed the wall, and finished 5th, the last car on the lead lap.

The car of Eliseo Salazar was green and white, with red accents. Affonso Giaffone’s car was yellow, blue, and white, with a green stripe (plus a Brazilian flag decal). Salazar stalled in turn two on lap 93 with a loose brake caliper. It would force him to drop out and place 24th. Giaffone never saw the green flag. On the pace lap, the three cars of Row 5 (Stephan Gregoire, Giaffone, and Kenny Brack) tangled and crashed out. Giaffone finished 32nd (of 35 cars) with 0 laps. He would not qualify for the race again.

A few other cars had tiny bits of green. The Team Cheever cars of Eddie Cheever and Jeff Ward carried associate sponsorship from Tabasco Sauce. A small sauce bottle appeared on the sides of the tub, which had a green label on the neck of the bottle. Cheever dropped out with a broken timing chain and placed 23rd. Ward led 49 laps and came home third. Ward would be voted rookie of the year.

The winning car of Arie Luyendyk even had a some green contingency sponsor logos. There was a green “Dallara” logo on the nose, and a Raybestos brakes decal near the rear wheel, which contained a tiny green flag as part of its logo.

1998

Billy Boat, driving for A.J. Foyt Racing, put his dark green Conseco-sponsored machine on the pole position for the 1998 Indianapolis 500. After wrecking his primary car on Fast Friday, he put the #11T on the pole with surprising 224.573 mph on his first lap. Boat would lead 12 laps, but dropped out with on lap 111 with a broken drive train. He placed 23rd.

J.J. Yeley’s car was green and blue, with yellow/orange/red stripes. Yeley spun in turn one on the first lap, but recovered. He finished 9th (3 laps down).

Jeff Ward drove the #35 Tabasco car, which had a mix of black, green, red and white, mimicking the product label. Ward started 27th and finished 13th (6 laps down).

After driving a solid green car in 1997, Robbie Buhl’s Glidden Menard’s car was changed to light blue. The Quaker State logos were changed to white, with no apparent green anywhere. Nevertheless, Buhl dropped out early and placed 31st. Tony Stewart, also driving for Team Menard, qualified 4th. His car was yellow and red, but had a green “Quaker State” logo on the sides. He took the lead on lap 21, but only seconds later, his engine blew. He coasted to a stop in turn one, and dejectedly climbed from the cockpit. He finished last (33rd) with only 21 laps completed.

1999

Eliseo Salazar drove a green and yellow #6 for Nienhouse Motorsports. He qualified 18th. Salazar spun and crashed in turn two on lap 7 and finished last (33rd).

Two other cars had a tiny bit of green. The Team Menard cars of Greg Ray (yellow and red) and Robby Gordon (yellow and blue) had green Quaker State decals on the sides of their engine covers. Ray qualified 2nd but dropped out on lap 120 after an accident in the pits. Gordon was leading the race in the closing stages. He was very close on fuel, and was desperately trying to make it to the finish. The car ran out of fuel in turn four as he was approaching the white flag. He was forced to pit for a splash-and-go on the final lap, and wound up finishing a disappointing 4th.

Green Cars from 2000–2025

The following is a list of cars that have carried the color green at the Indianapolis 500 since 2000. By the 1970s–1980s, car colors were less and less by personal choice and dictated more by sponsors’ desired liveries. By the 21st century, this was even more so the case. With advancements in graphics, including elaborate car “wraps”, this era has seen much more exotic liveries, resplendent with complex graphics, and oftentimes multi-color combinations.

A noticeable proliferation of green cars, cars with green logos, and various green graphics and striping, has occurred, suggesting that the green car superstition has lost much of its following. As new generations of drivers and owners compete in the sport (alongside some longtime mainstays), the younger participants may simply dismiss and ignore the superstition, and/or have little or no knowledge of it. Notwithstanding the apparent changing attitudes, there has still not been a green car – at least a solid green car – to win the Indianapolis 500 since 1965. Counting just since 2000, there have been multiple instances of “bad luck” and near-misses involving green cars.

One noticeable fact was the return of 7-Eleven as a sponsor at Indy. The convenience store had appeared on cars in the 1980s, but in most cases, the color blue was substituted for company’s green appearance. When brought back starting in 2002, the 7-Eleven cars were green and white. Despite several close calls, and multiple top-fives, a 7-Eleven car still never rolled into victory lane at the Indy 500.

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2000

Greg Ray won the pole position in the #1 Team Conseco-Quaker State Dallara for Team Menard. Ray led the first 26 laps, but lost the lead on lap 27 to eventual race winner Juan Pablo Montoya. On lap 66, Ray got caught up in a wind gust, and hit the outside wall existing turn two. He fell to 33rd place. The team elected to return to the garage area to make repairs (a new rule allowing such work was implemented just two years earlier in 1998). On the leaders’ lap 143, Ray returned to the track. His return was brief. On his second lap back out, he drifted high into the marbles, and smacked the wall in turn two, close to the same place he had hit earlier. He was out of the race for good with 67 laps completed, and finished 33rd. He became the fourth polesitter in Indy history to finish last; and the first since Roberto Guerrero – also in a green car – in 1992 (see above).

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
11	Eliseo Salazar	Green “Rio” logo	3rd	3rd	200	Running	Image
75	Richie Hearn	Green trim	23rd	27th	97	Electrical	Image
1	Greg Ray	Green	1st	33rd	67	Crash	Image
2000 Liveries from OpenWheel.com | Starting Lineup from The Indianapolis Star

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2001

Robby Gordon started on the outside of the front row and led the first 22 laps. He was driving a green and white machine sponsored by Conseco, for A.J. Foyt Racing. Though he led at the start, almost all of those laps were run under caution. Gordon’s day was mostly a frustration. He experienced a long pit stop on lap 42 when the fueler could not engage properly. By lap 50, it was evident that he was having engine problems. Gordon finished 16 laps down in 21st place.

Robby McGehee’s car changed liveries at some point after qualifying. On race day, the car had a bright green nose, green rear wing and green trim.​

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
21	Felipe Giaffone (R)	Green on nose	33rd	10th	199	Running	Image
10	Robby McGehee	Green nose, wing, trim	14th	11th	199	Running	Image
41	Robby Gordon	Green and White	3rd	21st	184	Running	Image
2001 Liveries from OpenWheel.com | Starting Lineup from The Indianapolis Star

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2002

In one of the most controversial finishes in Indy 500 history, Paul Tracy – driving the green and white #26 7-Eleven Dallara – finished second to Helio Castroneves. Tracy suffered a heavy crash in turn two during practice on May 11, forcing him to sit out the first weekend of time trials. Tracy and teammate Dario Franchitti drove nearly identical 7-Eleven sponsored machines for Team KOOL Green. Due to restrictions put in place by the MSA, the team was not permitted to carry the branding of their primary sponsor in the CART series, KOOL cigarettes (Brown & Williamson Tobacco). For Indy only, the team instead featured their associate sponsor 7-Eleven, which did not change the looks of the cars very much at all. Tracy’s wrecked car was repaired during the week, and both Tracy and Franchitti managed to qualify safely on Bump Day.

On race day, Franchitti was not much of a factor, but Tracy was charging in the closing laps. Felipe Giaffone (driving for Mo Nunn Racing) was running second, but got held up by the lapped car of Franchitti, allowing Tracy to move up to second place. On the 199th lap, Tracy attempted to pass Castroneves for the lead, but a crash occurred in turn two, bring out the yellow flag. Indy Racing League officials ruled that the yellow commenced before Tracy completed the pass, and Castroneves was declared the winner. Giaffone finished third.

Indy 500 rookie Tony Kanaan, driving as a teammate to Giaffone, was leading the race on lap 90 when he hit an oil slick and crashed in turn three. The cars of Kanaan and Giaffone were sponsored by Hollywood cigarettes, and were multi-colored. Both had a green zig-zag graphic on the nose.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
26	Paul Tracy	Green and White (7-Eleven)	29th	2nd	200	Running	Image
21	Felipe Giaffone	Green on nose	4th	3rd	200	Running	Image
27	Dario Franchitti (R)	Green and White (7-Eleven)	28th	19th	197	Running	Image
17	Tony Kanaan (R)	Green on nose	5th	28th	89	Crash	Image
2002 Liveries from OpenWheel.com | 2002 Starting Lineup from Indianapolis Star (Part 1) (Part 2)

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2003

During the summer of 2002, it was announced that Michael Andretti was going to acquire controlling interest of Team Green (also known as Team KOOL Green), effective December 1, 2002. Starting with the 2003 IndyCar Series season, the team would known as Andretti Green Racing. The sponsorship of Kool cigarettes was replaced full time with 7-Eleven. Andretti himself planned to race in the 2003 Indy 500, then retire from driving to focus on team ownership going forward. Tony Kanaan joined the team, and both Kanaan and Andretti drove nearly identical, green and white 7-Eleven sponsored machines.

Though the liveries were basically the same, there were subtle differences between Kanaan’s #11 and Andretti’s #7, mostly having to do with the associate sponsorship decals. Kanaan’s car even had green Gatorade logos, not seen on an Indy car possibly since Johnny Rutherford’s in 1975. The 2003 race was planned to be Michael’s last, and much fanfare surrounded his final “500” (he would actually come out of retirement and raced again in 2006-2007).

On April 15, Tony Kanaan suffered a radial fracture of his arm in a crash at Motegi. When the team arrived at Indy for private testing on April 23, Mario Andretti came out of retirement to test the #11 7-Eleven car, as Kanaan was not yet cleared to drive. Tentative plans were even being floated that Mario might qualify the car for Kanaan – if Kanaan’s injuries still prevented him from doing so – then handing the car over on race day. No realistic plans, however, existed for Mario to drive in the race. After nearly a day of testing, the 63-year-old Mario Andretti was turning laps over 223 mph, creating quite the stir. In what was being deemed a successful test, however, had a shocking finish. With about two minutes left in the session, Kenny Bräck crashed in turn one. Mario came up on the scene, and struck a piece of debris. The car flipped up into the air, did a double summersault, and clipped the top of the catch fence. The car landed on the track upright, and Andretti walked away with only minor injuries. A day later, Mario Andretti announced he would not be driving any more laps for the team.

On race day, Michael Andretti’s day was cut short with a broken throttle linkage. What was expected to be Michael’s final “500” ended on lap 94. He finished 27th. Tony Kanaan led 2 laps and finished 3rd.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
11	Tony Kanaan	Green and White (7-Eleven)	2nd	3rd	200	Running	Image
32	Tony Renna (R)	Green trim	8th	7th	200	Running	Image
14	A.J. Foyt IV (R)	Green and White	23rd	18th	189	Running	Image
7	Michael Andretti	Green and White (7-Eleven)	13th	27th	94	Throttle linkage	Image
21	Felipe Giaffone	Green block on nose	16th	33rd	6	Electrical	Image
2003 Paint Schemes from OpenWheel.com | Starting Lineup from The Indianapolis Star

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2004

After a strong third place finish in 2004, Tony Kanaan drove the #11 7-Eleven machine to a second place finish in 2004. The race was halted after 180 laps due to rain. Kanaan led 28 laps, and Andretti-Green entries finished 2nd–3rd–4th. Adrian Fernandez also had a shot to win. He was leading the race on lap 169 with rain fast approaching. All of the leaders were cycling through pits stops, and Fernandez attempted to stretch his fuel as long as possible. The gamble did not pay off, and Fernandez was forced to pit on lap 171. When the race was over, Fernandez came hone 7th.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
11	Tony Kanaan	Green and White (7-Eleven)	5th	2nd	180	Running	Image
5	Adrian Fernandez	Green and Red	6th	7th	180	Running	Image
16	Roger Yasukawa	Green, Black, and White	12th	10th	180	Running	Image
20	Al Unser Jr. (W)	Green decal only (Subway)	17th	17th	179	Running	Image
14	A.J. Foyt IV	Green and White	21st	33rd	26	Crash/Handling	Image
2004 Liveries from OpenWheel.com | Starting Lineup from The Indianapolis Star

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2005

Tony Kanaan won the pole position in the #11 green and white 7-Eleven Dallara. Kanaan led 54 laps, but faded in the final 50 laps. He came home 8th.

Race winner Dan Wheldon drove the red and white Jim Beam/Klein Tools #26. One of the associate sponsors on his car was the Palms resort in Las Vegas. Small lime green “Palms” decals appeared on both sides of the tub, and by the mirrors (visible from the on-board cameras).

Paul Dana was scheduled to drive the #91 Ethanol-sponsored car for Hemelgarn Racing. However, Dana wrecked on Fast Friday, and was sidelined for the remainder of the month. Jimmy Kite was hired as a replacement. Kite qualified 32nd. He dropped out after 47 laps with handling problems. Dana would miss the remainder of the 2005 IndyCar Series season while recuperating from a spinal fracture. He was then fatally injured in a crash at Homestead in March 2006. He never managed to qualify for the “500”.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
26	Tony Kanaan	Green decals only (Palms)	16th	1st	200	Running	Image
11	Tony Kanaan	Green and White (7-Eleven)	1st	8th	200	Running	Image
91	Paul Dana (R) Jimmy Kite	Green, Blue, Black (Ethanol)	32nd	32nd	47	Handling	Image
Starting Lineup from The Indianapolis Star

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2006

In 2006, two cars carried the color green. Tony Kanaan in the 7-Eleven car, and Jeff Simmons on the Ethanol car. Simmons crashed out on lap 152. Kanaan started 5th and led 12 laps. Kanaan moved to the front on lap 183, after Dan Wheldon got into the marbles and suffered a tire puncture (forcing him to pit a few laps earlier than scheduled). As the laps dwindled down, most of the leaders needed to make one final pit stop for fuel. While the other leaders were cycling through stops, a caution suddenly came out on lap 190, trapping Kanaan out on the track. He had to pit under the caution, and shuffled back to 4th position for the final restart. He was running 4th at the white flag, but was passed on the last lap down the backstretch by Dan Wheldon, and finished 5th.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
11	Tony Kanaan	Green and White (7-Eleven)	5th	5th	200	Running	Image
17	Jeff Simmons	Green, Blue, Black (Ethanol)	26th	23rd	152	Crash
2006 Liveries from OpenWheel.com | Starting Lineup from The Indianapolis Star (Part 1) (Part 2)

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2007

The 2007 race was stopped on lap 113 due to rain. The red flag was put out, and after a three-hour delay, the race was resumed. On lap 166, rain fell again, and the race was halted with Dario Franchitti declared the winner. Franchitti, driving for Andretti Green Racing, drove a black and orange Dallara sponsored by Canadian Club. One of the associate sponsors on his car was the Palms resort in Las Vegas. A small lime green “Palms” decal appeared on either side of the tub. His helmet also had some lime green colors.

Tony Kanaan, driving the green and white 7-Eleven sponsored machine, started 2nd and was leading the race when the red flag was first displayed on lap 113. He grabbed the lead from teammate Marco Andretti on a restart on lap 107. Seconds later, Phil Giebler crashed in turn one, and before the incident could be cleared, rain put out the red flag. Since the race was beyond lap 101, it was official. If the rain had continued the rest of the day, and the race could not be resumed, Kanaan would have been declared the winner. After a lengthy wait, the race went back to green at about 6 p.m. Kanaan continued to lead, and led a total of 83 laps (he led the most laps that day). During a caution on laps 151–156, Kanaan and many of the leaders went to the pits. Some drivers, including Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon, elected to stay out. On the ensuing restart, Kanaan was mired in traffic, and came up on the back of Jacques Lazier. Lazier went into the wall, and Kanaan spun in turn four, blowing out one of his tires. When the race was ended, Kanaan was running 12th. It was a major disappointment, after nearly being declared the winner, another instance of bad luck at the Speedway for Kanaan.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
27	Dario Franchitti	Green decals only (Palms)	3rd	1st	166	Running	Image
8	Scott Sharp	Black and Green (Patrón)	12th	6th	166	Running
17	Jeff Simmons	Green, Blue, Black (Ethanol)	13th	11th	166	Running
11	Tony Kanaan	Green and White (7-Eleven)	2nd	12th	166	Running
20	Ed Carpenter	Bright Green with White & Black	14th	17th	164	Running
24	Roger Yasukawa	Lime green trim only	23rd	21st	164	Running	Image
2007 Liveries from OpenWheel.com | Starting Lineup from The Indianapolis Star (Part 1) (Part 2)

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2008

In 2008, Chevrolet provided two pace cars for that year’s Indianapolis 500. The first was a metallic green Corvette Z06 E85, a customized concept car which ran on E85 ethanol fuel. Two-time Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi drove the car during the parade and pace laps at the start of the race. The other was a black and silver Z06 which ran on gasoline, and was used during caution periods. The black and silver paint job was a gesture to the 30th anniversary of the 1978 Corvette, the first Corvette to pace the “500”. It had green stripes running along the both sides and on the hood. The green Corvette used at the start was the first green pace car at Indy since the 1952 Studebaker (but that car was repainted blue before race day).

Six cars carried  the color green in 2008. Three finished all 200 laps, and the other three dropped out. Tony Kannan, driving the familiar 7-Eleven machine for Andretti Green Racing, suffered another bout of back luck at the “500”. Kanaan took the lead for the first time on lap 94, setting a new Indy 500 record by the leading at least one lap in seven consecutive races. While dicing through heavy traffic on lap 106, Scott Dixon got by him on the outside down the backstretch to take the lead. Kanaan and teammate Marco Andretti then went side-by-side going into turn three. Andretti got by Kanaan, then Kanaan’s car washed up into the gray area in the outside of turn three. He lost traction in the marbles, and brushed the wall in the north short chute. The car came off the wall, and into the path of Sarah Fisher. The two cars made heavy contact, and both were out of the race.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
17	Ryan Hunter-Reay (R)	Green, Blue, Black (Ethanol)	20th	6th	200	Running	Image
99	Townsend Bell	Dark Green and Orange	12th	10th	200	Running	Image
8	Will Power (R)	Green, Yellow, Black	23rd	13th	200	Running
16	Alex Lloyd (R)	Green and White	19th	25th	151	Crash
33	E.J. Viso (R)	Green and Black	26th	26th	139	Mechanical	Image
11	Tony Kanaan	Green and White (7-Eleven)	6th	29th	105	Crash
2008 Liveries from OpenWheel.com | Starting Lineup from The Indianapolis Star (Part 1) (Part 2)

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2009

Six green cars were in the 2009 race – three finished all 200 laps, and three dropped out. Dan Wheldon (Panther Racing) sported a new National Guard camouflage livery, achieved with an elaborate wrap. Wheldon finished second, the second consecutive year Panther Racing was runner-up.

Tony Kanaan, driving his familiar #11 7-Eleven car, started 6th and was running third on lap 98. Going down the backstretch, the car suddenly suffered a broken driveshaft, and the car veered to the right into the outside wall at approximately 175 Gs. The car then pancaked along the wall in turn three, and came to rest in the north shortchute. Kanaan was shaken, but not seriously injured. For Kanaan, it was yet another in a string of back luck outings at Indianapolis.

E.J. Viso drove the black and green #13 car for HVM Racing. He dropped out on lap 139 with steering failure and finished 24th. Viso tempted two Indy superstitions in 2009 (green and the #13), and his overall season results provide little consolation. For the 2009 IndyCar Series season (17 races), Viso dropped out of the first seven consecutive races (including Indy). He had only one top ten all year, and wound up 18th in points – the last among the drivers who participated in all 17 races (and behind two drivers who actually missed a race).

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
4	Dan Wheldon (W)	Green/Black camouflage	18th	2nd	200	Running	Image
8	Townsend Bell	Green & White with Orange	24th	4th	200	Running	Image
16	Scott Sharp	Black and Green (Patrón)	20th	14th	200	Running	Image
13	E.J. Viso	Green and Black	29th	24th	139	Steering
00	Nelson Phillippe (R)	Green with Black & Yellow	31st	25th	130	Crash	Image
11	Tony Kanaan	Green and White (7-Eleven)	6th	27th	97	Crash
Spotter Guide | 2009 Liveries from OpenWheel.com | Starting Lineup from The Indianapolis Star

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2010

Dan Wheldon finished 2nd in the Panther Racing National Guard machine. It was Wheldon’s second consecutive runner-up, and Panther’s third.
New for 2010 was Danica’s Patrick’s bright neon green and black GoDaddy.com car. The whole Andretti Autosport team was a little off the pace in 2010, and struggled during qualifying. Patrick started only 23rd, but worked her way up to a 6th place finish. Unchanged: New for 2010 was Danica’s Patrick’s bright neon green and black GoDaddy.com car. The whole Andretti Autosport team was a little off the pace in 2010, and struggled during qualifying. Patrick started only 23rd, but worked her way up to a 6th place finish.

Having much more difficulties at Andretti was Tony Kanaan in the green and white 7-Eleven machine. On Pole Day, Kanaan wrecked during his qualifying attempt, and was forced to switch to a back-up car. On Sunday, Kanaan then wrecked the back-up during the morning practice session. With time starting to run out, Kanaan was in danger of missing the race. The crew worked diligently to put the car back together, and at 5:23 p.m., Kanaan rolled out for a qualifying attempt. He put in a fair speed of 224.072 mph, and sweated out the final half hour of qualifying. Kanaan held on to make the field (he qualified 32nd), and avoided a terrible heartbreak. During the days leading up to the race, the team repaired Kanaan’s primary car, and elected to put Kanaan back into that machine. It required him to move to the rear of the field, but that meant moving back only one spot back to 33rd. On race day, Kanaan put in a solid performance. He charged to high as 2nd position (and he came close to leading a lap). He was running 2nd on lap 196 when he was forced to pit for a splash of fuel. He slipped to 11th at the checkered flag, and fell short of his bid to become the first driver in Indy history to win the race from the last starting position (33rd).

One other car carried some green in 2010. Paul Tracy drove the #15 car for KV Racing Technology. The car was sponsored by insurance company GEICO, and was painted blue and red. The green GEICO “Gecko” mascot logo was on the nose of the car, on Tracy’s uniform, and Tracy wore a black helmet with green Monster Energy drink logos. Tracy was a key fixture on Bump Day, and missed the field in dramatic fashion as time expired. Sitting on the “bubble” with less than 10 minutes before the 6 o’clock gun, Tracy’s team withdrew their qualified car to make another attempt – ostensibly to post a safer speed, put the pressure on Jay Howard, and likewise keep Howard off of the track. The gamble went awry, however, as the hot conditions made Tracy’s car too loose. He waved off after two laps, and scrambled to get back in line. Time ran out, and the gun went off with Tracy still waiting in line. He missed the field, as did Jay Howard. Rookie Sebastien Saavedra shockingly took the 33rd starting spot while laying in a hospital bed downtown. Saavedra had crashed his car Sunday afternoon during a practice run, and would be unable to defend his speed and re-qualify if he were to be bumped. At the end of the day, his speed held up and was later named the “Bump Day Miracle” for the then-fledgling Bryan Herta Autosport team.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
4	Dan Wheldon (W)	Green/Black camouflage	18th	2nd	200	Running
7	Danica Patrick	Green and Black (Go Daddy)	23rd	6th	200	Running
11	Tony Kanaan	Green and White (7-Eleven)	33rd	11th	200	Running
99	Townsend Bell	Green, White, Orange	10th	16th	199	Running
5	Takuma Sato (R)	Green & Yellow (Lotus)	31st	20th	198	Running
15	Paul Tracy	Green GEICO “Gecko” logo	DNQ	–	–	–
2010 Starting Lineup from The Indianapolis Star

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2011

The green car “curse” was nearly put to rest at the 2011 Indianapolis 500. The event was the culmination of the three-year Centennial Era, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening of the track (1909) and the first “500” (1911). Rookie J.R. Hildebrand, driving for Panther Racing, took the lead with just over two laps to go. As the leaders were cycling through pits stops for fuel, Hildebrand was attempting to stretch his tank to the finish line. Panther Racing, who had finished second at Indianapolis the previous three years, carried the National Guard sponsorship, sporting a green camouflage livery. After notching two IRL season championships, and three runner-up finishes at Indy, Panther was still searching for their first Indy 500 victory.

On the last turn of the last lap, Hildebrand drifted high, trying to get around the slower car of Charlie Kimball. The car hit the outside wall coming out of turn four, and Dan Wheldon slipped by in the final 1,000 feet to take the victory. Hildebrand’s wrecked machine slid across the finish line to finish second. It was a heartbreaking loss for Panther and Hildebrand, and marked Panther’s fourth-consecutive 2nd place finish at the “500”. Panther would never manage to win the “500”.

A total of seven cars in the field were green, or had a significant amount of green in their liveries. Charlie Kimball’s machine is excluded, as the graphics appear to have been d more of a light teal or turquoise. He started 28th and finished 13th (1 lap down). Of note, three of the green cars finished in the last three positions (31st–32nd–33rd.)

Hours later, at the Coca-Cola 600, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was leading the race on the final lap. Earnhardt was also carrying the sponsorship of the National Guard, however his car was not green, it was red/white/blue. In turn four on the final lap, Earnhardt’s car ran out of fuel, and Kevin Harvick drove by to win the race. Earnhardt coasted across the line to place 7th.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
4	J.R. Hildebrand (R)	Green/Black camouflage	12th	2nd	200	Crash	Image
82	Tony Kanaan	Green and Yellow	22nd	4th	200	Running	Image
7	Danica Patrick	Green and Black (Go Daddy)	25th	10th	200	Running	Image
99	Townsend Bell	Black with Green trim	4th	26th	157	Crash	Image
78	Simona De Silvestro	Green and White	23rd	31st	44	Handling	Image
59	E.J. Viso	Green and Yellow	18th	32nd	27	Crash	Image
5	Takuma Sato	Green/Yellow/White	10th	33rd	20	Crash
2011 Official Spotter Guide

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2012

James Hinchcliffe took over the ride sponsored by Go Daddy. Danica Patrick, who previously drove bright, solid green GoDaddy machine, moved over to NASCAR, and Dan Wheldon, who was slated to move to Andretti Autosport and drive the GoDaddy entry, was fatally injured at Las Vegas on October 16. Hinchcliffe led five laps and ran in the top ten for a good portion of the race. One bad pit stop put him down in the standings, and in the middle portion of the race, he was forced to play catch up. He finished 6th.

Bryan Clauson’s car was blue and black during practice and qualifying, but by Carb Day, had been repainted green and black.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
11	Tony Kanaan	Green stripe only	8th	3rd	200	Running	Image
27	James Hinchcliffe	Green and Black (Go Daddy)	2nd	6th	200	Running	Image
8	Rubens Barrichello (R)	Green decals only	10th	11th	200	Running	Image
4	J.R. Hildebrand	Green/Black camouflage	18th	14th	200	Running	Image
20	Ed Carpenter	Green, White, and Gold (Fuzzy’s)	28th	21st	199	Running	Image
30	Michael Jourdain Jr.	Green, White, and Red	22nd	19th	19	Running	Image
39	Bryan Clauson (R)	Green and Black	31st	30th	46	Mechanical	Image
78	Simona de Silvestro	Green, Yellow, and White	32nd	32nd	10	Black flagged
2012 Official Spotter Guide

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2013

Ed Carpenter, driving the green/white/gold Fuzzy’s vodka-sponsored machine, won his first Indy 500 pole position. Carpenter led the most laps (37), but wound up finishing 10th. James Hinchcliffe, driving the Go Daddy car, finished a lap down in 21st.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
20	Ed Carpenter	Green, White, and Gold (Fuzzy’s)	1st	10th	200	Running
8	Ryan Briscoe	Green “Hulu” decal	23rd	12th	200	Running	Image
78	Simona de Silvestro	Green decals only	24th	17st	200	Running	Image
27	James Hinchcliffe	Green and Black (Go Daddy)	9th	21st	199	Running	Image
81	Katherine Legge	Green and Black	33rd	26th	193	Running	Image
2013 Official Spotter Guide

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2014

Ed Carpenter won his second-consecutive pole position driving the #20 Fuzzy’s Vodka entry. Carpenter led 26 laps during the race, but during a restart on lap 176, he was taken out in a crash with James Hinchcliffe in turn one.

The other three cars with green completed all 200 laps, led by Carlos Muñoz who finished 4th.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
34	Carlos Muñoz	Light Green and White	7th	4th	200	Running	Image
11	Sebastien Bourdais	Green trim	17th	7th	200	Running	Image
98	Jack Hawksworth (R)	Light Green and Black	13th	20th	200	Running	Image
20	Ed Carpenter	Green, White, and Gold	1st	27th	175	Crash	Image
2014 Official Spotter Guide | 2014 Liveries from OpenWheel.com

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2015

Five cars had the color green. None of the five finished in the top ten. Ed Carpenter drove the #20 Fuzzy’s Vodka entry, this time with a solid green paint job with gold accents. Carpenter had won back-to-back poles in 2013–2014, but on the morning of time trials, suffered a bad flip-over crash in a practice run. Carpenter was not seriously injured, but qualified only 12th. On race day, he crashed out and placed 30th.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
11	Sebastien Bourdais	Green trim	7th	11th	200	Running
24	Townsend Bell	Green trim	23rd	14th	200	Running	Image
26	Carlos Muñoz	Green, White and Black	11th	20th	200	Running	Image
20	Ed Carpenter	Green and Gold (Fuzzy’s)	12th	30th	112	Crash	Image
8	Sage Karam	Green trim and logo	21st	32th	0	Crash
2015 Official Spotter Guide | 2015 Liveries from OpenWheel.com

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2016

At the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016, six cars in the starting lineup featured the color green. Only the car of Ed Carpenter had a significant amount of solid green. The rest were merely green stripes, decals, or minor trim.

None of the six cars qualified particularly high, and four out of the five dropped out on race day. Carpenter and Karam placed 31st and 32nd, respectively. Chaves and Clauson (both 1 lap down) were the only ones still running at the finish.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
19	Gabby Chaves	Green “Sycar” decal	21st	20th	199	Running	Image
88	Bryan Clauson	Green stripes and logos	28th	23rd	198	Running	Image
25	Stephan Wilson (R)	Lime Green stripes	30th	28th	119	Electrical	Image
4	Buddy Lazier (W)	Green “Quiznos” decal	32nd	30th	100	Mechanical	Image
20	Ed Carpenter	Green and Gold (Fuzzy’s)	20th	31st	98	Mechanical
24	Sage Karam	Green stripes and logos	23rd	32nd	93	Crash
2016 Official Spotter Guide | 2016 Liveries from OpenWheel.com

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2017

The 2017 race was a good year for cars carrying the color green. Seven such cars qualified for the race, and five were running at the finish. Takuma Sato drove the Ruoff Home Mortgage #26 Honda for Andretti Autosport to his first Indy 500 victory. The car was blue and white, but had some dark green accents. The front wings had green endplates, and the rear wing had two small green winglets. The rearview mirrors and the roll bar camera pod were also green, plus one of the “Ruoff” decals on the sidepods had green in its logo.

Since only a relatively small amount of green appeared on Sato’s winning car, it is debatable as to whether or not it counts a “500” victory for the color green. Sponsor Ruoff Mortgage did have some green lines in its company logo. The dark green that appeared on Sato’s wings does not match the light green that other subsequent Ruoff-sponsored cars were seen with. In any case, it was probably the first time since 1965 that any amount of solid painted green (not just sponsor decals) appeared on the winning entry.

The car of Helio Castroneves, the #3 Shell Fuel Rewards Chevrolet (Team Penske) was painted in a “throwback” livery inspired by Danny Sullivan’s 1988–1989 Miller High Life livery. The car was gold and white (with logos for Shell and other associate sponsors taking the place of Miller). But the green pinstriping from Sullivan’s car was eschewed in favor of red and black pinstriping. Castroneves was aiming for his record-tying fourth Indy 500 victory, but he came up short that day, finishing second to Takuma Sato.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
26	Takuma Sato	Blue & White with Green accents	4th	1st	200	Running
22	Juan Pablo Montoya (W)	Black with Green lettering	18th	6th	200	Running
20	Ed Carpenter	Green and Gold (Fuzzy’s)	2nd	11th	200	Running
17	Sebastian Saavedra	Green, White, and Orange	31st	15th	200	Running
11	Spencer Pigot	Green, White, and Orange	29th	18th	194	Running
19	James Davison	Green “Cruz” logos	33rd	20th	183	Crash
24	Sage Karam	Green “Comfort Revolution” logos	21st	28th	125	Battery
2017 Official Spotter Guide | 2017 Liveries from OpenWheel.com

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2018

Five cars in the starting lineup had green. The most notable of the five was Danica Patrick. After six seasons of racing in NASCAR, Patrick returned to the Indianapolis 500 for her eight and final “500”. It was to be her final start in professional racing before retirement. She signed a one-race deal with Ed Carpenter Racing, and carried the colors of her longtime sponsor GoDaddy. The car was a bright shade of neon green, with black trim. Also notable was that she utilized #13. It was only the fifth time that #13 had been used at the Indy 500. Temping both the “unlucky” color and number, Patrick qualified a strong 7th. On race day, her drive was short-lived. On lap 68, she spun and crashed in turn two. It was her first ever rash at the Speedway (not counting a relatively minor pit tangle with Ryan Briscoe in 2008). She concluded her racing career with a lowly 30th place, her worst finish at Indy, and worst finish in 116 career IndyCar Series starts.

Of the other four cars, only one finished in the top ten. Carlos Muñoz led four laps and came home 7th in what would be his final “500”.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
29	Carlos Muñoz	Green and Blue	21st	7th	200	Running	Image
7	Jay Howard	Green and Black	28th	24th	193	Running	Image
24	Sage Karam	Lime Green trim only	24th	26th	154	Crash	Image
32	Kyle Kaiser (R)	Green, White, and Orange	17th	29th	110	Mechanical	Image
13	Danica Patrick	Green with Black trim (Go Daddy)	7th	30th	67	Crash	Image
2018 Official Spotter Guide | 2018 Liveries from OpenWheel.com

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2019

Six cars had green in their liveries, and five of them made the starting lineup. Rookie Pato O’Ward’s car had some lime green stripes and trim, but he failed to qualify. None of the cars carrying green finished in the top ten. Of the five, Colton Herta finished last.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
25	Connor Daly	Lime Green trim	11th	10th	200	Running	Image
39	Pippa Mann	Light Green trim	30th	16th	200	Running	Image
77	Oriol Servia	Green and Black	19th	22nd	199	Running	Image
10	Felix Rosenqvist (R)	Green stripe	29th	28th	176	Crash
32	Kyle Kaiser	Green, White, Orange	33rd	31st	71	Crash	Image
88	Colton Herta (R)	White with Green	5th	33rd	3	Gearbox	Image
31	Pato O’Ward (R)	Green trim	DNQ	–	–	–
2019 Official Spotter Guide | 2019 Liveries from OpenWheel.com

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2020

There were no green cars in the lineup of 2020 race. Three cars (Fernando Alonso, Dalton Kellett, and Colton Herta) had aqua or turquoise in their liveries (but not close enough to be interpreted as a shade of green).

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2021

Only one car had a significant amount of green in its livery. Santino Ferrucci (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) drove the #45 HyVee/Mountain Dew entry. The car was red with green “splash” graphics. It also had white lettering and white trim on the aeroscreen. He led two laps and finished 6th.

The #24 car of Sage Karam had a tiny bit of green pinstriping.

The #4 car of Dalton Kellett (A.J. Foyt Racing) had black and white, with aqua or turquoise (but not close enough to be interpreted as a shade of green). Kellett started 30th and finished one lap down in 23rd.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
45	Santino Ferrucci	Green “Mountain Dew” graphics	23rd	6th	200	Running	Image
24	Sage Karam	Green pinstriping only	31st	7th	200	Running	Image
2021 Official Spotter Guide | 2021 Liveries from OpenWheel.com

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2022

In 2022, Josef Newgarden’s #2 Shell Fuel Rewards Dallara-Chevrolet was painted in a “throwback” livery inspired by Danny Sullivan’s 1988–1989 Miller High Life livery. The car was gold and white (with logos for Shell and other associate sponsors taking the place of Miller). But the green pinstriping from Sullivan’s car was eschewed in favor of red and black pinstriping.

For 2022, the three Arrow McLaren SP cars (O’Ward, Rosenqvist, Montoya) were random multi-colored. Each had a varied amount of “army green” somewhere on the bodywork. All three finished in the top-11, but none of them won – O’Ward finished 2nd.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
5	Pato O’Ward	Army green on sidepod	7th	2nd	200	Running	Image
7	Felix Rosenqvist	Army green on nose and rear	8th	4th	200	Running	Image
20	Conor Daly	Lime green decals only	18th	6th	200	Running	Image
23	Santino Ferrucci	Lime green trim	15th	10th	200	Running	Image
6	Juan Pablo Montoya (W)	Army green on rear	30th	11th	200	Running	Image
24	Sage Karam	Green pinstriping only	32nd	23rd	199	Crash	Image
45	Jack Harvey	Green “Mountain Dew” logo	32nd	24th	199	Running	Image
28	Roman Grosjean (R)	Green on “DHL” logo	9th	31st	105	Crash	Image
77	Calum Ilott (R)	Black, white, green	19th	32nd	68	Crash	Image
2022 Official Spotter Guide | 2022 Liveries from OpenWheel.com

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2023

Five cars carried green, however, for four of them, the green was only trim or logos. Three of the cars were involved in crashes. Takuma Sato led two laps and finished 7th.

Ryan Hunter-Reay’s #23 car was black with bright green trim on the aeroscreen during practice and time trials. However, by race day, the green trim had been replaced with bright orange/red.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
11	Takuma Sato (W)	Green trim only	8th	7th	200	Running	Image
77	Calum Ilott	Black with green	27th	12st	200	Running	Image
33	Ed Carpenter	“TurnOnGreen” logo	13th	20th	197	Crash	Image
28	Roman Grosjean	Green on “DHL” logo	19th	30th	149	Crash	Image
51	Sting Ray Robb (R)	Lime green trim	31st	31st	31	Crash	Image
2023 Official Spotter Guide | 2023 Liveries from OpenWheel.com

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2024

Marcus Armstrong’s car was the first solid green car since Danica Patrick’s in 2018. He dropped out with mechanical problems after only 6 laps. After running a few years with a black and pink car, Helio Castroneves’ livery changed to white and blue. His sponsor Cleveland-Cliffs had a little bit of green in its logo, and some green trim was seen on the car. He started 20th and finished 20th, and was not much of a factor on the day.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
10	Alex Palou	Green on “DHL” logo	14th	5th	200	Running	Image
21	Rinus Veekay	Green and black	7th	9th	200	Running	Image
75	Takuma Sato (W)	Green trim only	10th	14th	200	Running	Image
77	Romain Grosjean	Black and green	26th	19th	200	Running	Image
06	Helio Castroneves (W)	Green trim only	20th	20th	200	Running	Image
78	Agustin Canapino	Black and green	22nd	22nd	199	Running	Image
11	Marcus Armstrong (R)	Solid green	16th	30th	6	Mechanical	Image
2024 Official Spotter Guide | 2024 Liveries from OpenWheel.com

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2025

Wood Brothers Racing of the NASCAR Cup Series announced that the #21 car driven by Josh Berry would carry a “throwback” paint scheme inspired by Jim Clark’s 1965 Indianapolis 500 winning car. The NASCAR throwback weekend was slated for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on April 5–6. The Wood Brothers have a connection to the 1965 winner (see above), as they were brought in to service the Lotus-Ford machines of Jim Clark and Bobby Johns. The gesture celebrated both the 75th anniversary of Wood Brothers Racing and the 60th anniversary of Clark’s Indy victory.

Berry started 21st and finished 36th. He crashed out while running in 5th position on lap 195 (of 293).

There were no solid green cars in the 2025 race. Jack Harvey’s machine was green and black, the most green of any of the entries. The Prema Racing cars of Robert Shwartzman and Callum Illot were red-white-green, the colors of the Italian flag. Shwartzman surprisingly won the pole position, the first rookie pole winner since 1983. He led 8 laps but dropped out, however, after contact in the pit area. His teammate Ilot initially finished 12th, but was dropped to 33rd after failing post-race technical inspection.

Race winner Alex Palou drove the yellow and red DHL-sponsored machine, a livery similar to that of Ryan Hunter-Reay’s from 2014. In a minute, but noteworthy change, the DHL sponsorship logos on Palou’s car were slightly different from the previous three years. In 2022–2024, the DHL logo had a little bit of green on the sides. For 2025, this part of the graphic was gone – and Palou drove to victory, his first “500” win and first IndyCar Series win on an oval.

#	Driver	Color	Start	Finish	Laps	Status	Image
06	Helio Castroneves (W)	Green, blue, and white	22nd	10th	200	Running	Image
33	Ed Carpenter	Green “Splenda Stevia” decals only	14th	15th	199	Running	Image
24	Jack Harvey	Green and black	26th	19th	198	Running	Image
83	Robert Shwartzman (R)	Red, white, and green	1st	26th	87	Contact	Image
90	Callum Ilott	Red, white, and green	21st	33rd	200	Penalized	Image
2025 Official Spotter Guide

Green cars in other races

The green car superstition, while widespread in its earlier years, seems confined in recent decades to the Indianapolis 500 only. It does not seem to have any following – or demonstrative effects – in other forms of racing, or even at other races contested at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Bobby Labonte won the 2000 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis in the green Interstate Batteries Pontiac, and even Jeff Gordon’s 1994 Chevrolet Lumina had a green stripe in its DuPont livery when he won the Inaugural Brickyard 400. Gordon finished just ahead of Brett Bodine, who drove the solid green Quaker State car to second place for King Racing. More recently, at the 2024 IMSA Battle on the Bricks (which takes place on the IMS road course) the AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (922) won the GTD class. The car carried the green “Rexy” livery.

Some older generation NASCAR drivers adhered to the green car superstition, but it faded with time, especially after green cars like Darrell Waltrips’s Gatorade cars, Harry Gant’s Skoal car, and the King Racing entries (Quaker State) won races on the Winston Cup circuit. Dale Jarrett won the 1993 Daytona 500 in the Interstate Batteries Chevrolet (green and black), erasing any suggestions of the superstition extending to NASCAR’s biggest race. Apropos to that, at the 1994 Brickyard 400, Jarrett’s Interstate Batteries car was caught up and eliminated in the infamous crash triggered by the Bodine brothers.

Indy car races outside of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway seems to have nay affect when it comes to green cars. In 1988, Danny Sullivan’s aforementioned gold, white, red, and green Miller High Life livery carried him to victory at four CART series races including the Michigan 500. Even though he crashed out of the Indy 500 that year, he notched nine poles and 11 top-fives, and went on to win the 1988 CART championship. In 1989, after breaking his arm in the crash at Indy, he rebounded to win two races in that same Miller high Life livery, including the Pocono 500. Despite sitting out two races that year during his recuperation, Sullivan still finished a respectable 7th in the 1989 points standings.

Even on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway grounds, the color green is no stranger. For decades, the old Gasoline Alley garage area was painted in white and green. The barn-like garages had green and white doors until it demolished in 1985. In the early decades of the Speedway, several of the support building were also painted in the green and white scheme. Along the mainstretch for many years, many of the seats were actually green folding chairs and around the circuit, green bleachers were at multiple locations.

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Additional References

• Fox, Jack C., “The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500”, Fourth Edition, Carl Hungness Publishing, 1994.
• Popely, Rick, “Indianapolis 500 Chronicle”, Publications International Ltd., 1998.
• Olvey, Dr. Stephen, “Rapid Response: My inside story as a motor racing life-saver”, Haynes Publishing, 2006.
• Davidson, Donald, Green not ‘unlucky’ in history of race, “Donald Davidson’s Indy 500”, The Indianapolis Star, May 2, 1989
• ChampCarStats.com – Champ Car Stats
• The First Superspeedway – Mark Dill
• “The Dreaded Color Green” at OilPressure.com
• “March-Porsche 90P – The last oddball at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway” at Forix.com – by Henri Greuter
• “Fiasco Italo-Brittanico: The March-Alfa Romeo 90CA” at Forix.com – by Henri Greuter
• “Ray Hopes No. 13 Brings New Team Good Luck” at IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com – by Dick Mittman
• The Indianapolis Star via Newspapers.com
• The Indianapolis News via Newspapers.com
• The Talk of Gasoline Alley (Network Indiana): May 6, 2004
• The Talk of Gasoline Alley: May 6, 2004
• The Talk of Gasoline Alley (Network Indiana): May 24, 2009
• The Talk of Gasoline Alley: May 24, 2009
• The Talk of Gasoline Alley: May 26, 2011
• The Talk of Gasoline Alley: May 23, 2012
• The Talk of Gasoline Alley: May 12, 2013
• The Talk of Gasoline Alley: July 24, 2013
• The Talk of Gasoline Alley: May 5, 2015
• The Talk of Gasoline Alley: August 20, 2020
• OpenWheel.com: 1984 Paint Schemes
• OpenWheel.com: 1985 Paint Schemes