USA Today Special Edition of the 100th Running of the Indy 500

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uHow Indy toys with drivers’ legacies

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100TH INDY 500

2 SPECIAL EDITION USA TODAY SPORTS

BRIAN SPURLOCK, USA TODAY SPORTS

Drivers are on the grid at Indianapolis Motor Speedwaybefore last year’s Indy 500. The 100th running of “TheGreatest Spectacle in Racing” is May 29.

RACE CELEBRATESMAJOR MILESTONEUSA TODAY is committed to accuracy. To reach us, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones at 800-872-7073 or e-mail

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For accuracy questions, call 800-872-7073 or send ane-mail to [email protected].

John Zidich, PublisherDave Morgan, President, Sports Media GroupDavid Meeks, Managing editorJosh Barnett, Assistant managing editor

Stephen Borelli and Mike Brehm, issue editors

Motor sports editors: Heather Tucker, Ellen J. HorrowDesigners: Leslie Spalding, Joyce RichardsGraphics: Greg HesterPhoto editors: David Cooper, Sean Dougherty, Tim Loehrke,Jud McCrehinCopy desk chief: Joe RayosCopy editors: Florence Brown, Lou Cortina, Matt Fogleson,Mark Hayes, Brad WindsorStaff writers: Brant James; Curt Cavin, Dana Hunsinger Benbowand Zak Keefer of The Indianapolis StarContributing writers: Mike Hembree, Jeff Olson

Special edition

3 Indy’s opportunity: Evenas the iconic race reaches No. 100and perhaps a draw of morethan 300,000 fans, it faces a cross-roads as to whether its popularitycan be sustained.

8 Finding a legacy: Driversstrive for consistency, but master-ing the Indy 500 might be theirultimate challenge. uThe biggest winners, Page 31

12 Building a dream:Founder Carl Fisher put his faith inthe promise of cars and Americaningenuity into a site and race thathave become a national treasure.uTrack and race details, Page 10

16 Andrettis’ agony:Disappointment followed Marioand his sons after his one Indy500 victory. Still, the name remainssynonymous with success.uMario’s memorabilia, Page 46

18 Penske’s passions: Inhis 50th year in motor sports, theteam owner and magnate has alove for the nautical life and driveto keep winning.

20 Pop culture: The 500assumes a firm presence acrossthe entertainment landscape.

22Women’s challenges:Danica Patrick’s arrival to IndyCarinspired change, but financialobstacles remain.

24 100 most influential:We list an assemblage of trackowners, drivers, media membersand other important figures.uRace winners, Page 54

28 Evolution of the car: Agraphical look at the transforma-tion and enhancement of the racecar over 100 years.

32 Through the years:From the highlights and lowlights,controversies and exhilaratingfinishes, we take an extensive lookat the previous 99 races.

43 Victory lane: Reflec-tions from past winners.uBobby Unser: ‘Unserville’ is alivewith memories, Page 43uHelio Castroneves considers hisfuture, Page 52u Ryan Hunter-Reay takes a leapof faith, Page 53

COVER CREDITThe Pagoda (background) andthe Borg-Warner Trophy areshown before the 2015 Indianapo-lis 500 at Indianapolis MotorSpeedway. By Thomas J. Russo,USA TODAY Sports.

INSIDE

USA TODAY SPORTS SPECIAL EDITION 3

INDIANAPOLIS The speedway isat a brick-paved crossroads.

In one direction is the path tothe future vitality of IndianapolisMotor Speedway, its continuedplace as one of America’s greatsporting cathedrals. In another, aroad to ruin. Or so goes the anec-

dotal theory percolating throughthe Hoosier State.

The prospect of one or bothoccupies those charged with tak-ing care of the speedway’s presentand future and those whose in-delible memories of the place helpform its glorious past.

No doubt, the 100th running ofthe Indianapolis 500 on May 29 isa hallmark moment in the historyof the 105-year-old track at 16thand Georgetown. But the 101st

might be more important as anindicator of whether it becomes arevitalized center of a revitalizedsport or a fading icon. The turn-stiles will decide it.

“A hundred years is sort of atent-pole year, and that’s whywe’ve all along tried to position itas, ‘This isn’t an ending point, thisis just one more in what has so farbeen 99 really important events,’ ”IMS President Doug Boles toldUSA TODAY Sports. “The hun-

dredth will be an important one.So will the 101st.”

Theory on the future of IMS islike religion in Indiana, becauseconnections with the 21⁄2-miletrack are so personal for devoteestracing bloodlines back decades toafternoons under blue skies, porkloin sandwiches, whatever was inthe cooler and (Back Home Againin) Indiana raising goose bumpson skin just beginning to sunburn.

Everywhere there is seeminglyan anecdotal uncle from Bloom-ington or Terre Haute who fell inlove with the racing when ParnelliJones and Mario Andretti wereforging legends and who has at-tended every race since the 1960sreligiously. He trudges toward the100th running like some elephantgraveyard, whereupon he canfinally rest, either too old or tooinfirm or just too outpriced and

disgusted with the hassle of it all.Boles said that repeat custom-

ers are the main driver of theaudience each year, and he hasspoken with a few subscriberswho said they would not returnafter this running. A mass exodusof longtime subscribers, eacheliminating multiple-ticket ac-counts from the stands, couldproduce a stark reduction in at-tendance from the 2016 expecta-tion to whatever 2017 generates.Boles’ hope is that fans who donot renew will pass the race as afamily tradition on to the nextgeneration as it had been to them.

“When I talk to folks, especiallyones who have been long term,there are people who are gettingto the point where coming with400,000 people in a venue andparking and walking is taxing,”Boles said. “But those are the

MARK J. REBILAS, USA TODAY SPORTS

The grandstands at Indianapolis Motor Speedway are expected to be packed with 235,000-plus fans this year for the 100th running of the Indy 500.

SPEEDWAY’S FUTURE:FULL SPEED AHEAD? Building fan base beyond milestone race is challengeBrant James@brantjamesUSA TODAY Sports


same folks who have introducedtheir kids and grandkids to theevent. And those tickets, as peopledecide they’re done, typically theyhave that next generation of thefamily that picks them up andcontinues to move forward.”

But it never hurts to work thephones. Since January, Boles hastried to make about 10 calls dailyto some of the 235,000-plus whohave purchased grandstandtickets, targeting those whobought the same day, several whohave renewed tickets for seven to15 years and then long-termbuyers.

“It’s interesting, especially tosomeone who is brand new, theexcitement around it, and howthey want to be here for the hun-dredth and they followed IndyCarracing but never felt that magnetof, ‘Oh, I’ve got to go see this

one,’ ” Boles said. “And then Ithink there are a lot of conversa-tions where there are people whohave gone for 20, 30, 40 years andthen quit going for whateverreason. Life change, kids, what-ever. For them to come back isexciting.

“So we have to deliver thatexperience when they get here,both on track and o�, that makesthem say, ‘You know what? This iswhat I am going to continue to doon Memorial Day weekend.’That’s how we try to keep thatmomentum going. It’s a greatopportunity for us.”

OLD FANS, NEW FANSNo doubt, the sold-out reservedgrandstand seats will becrammed. The Indianapolis Starestimates IMS holds 235,000grandstand seats after downsizing

in recent years. Boles has spokenoptimistically of an infield crowdin excess of 100,000. The expectedthrong would be the largest sincethe sport’s apex before the acri-monious CART-Indy RacingLeague split in the mid-1990s.IMS typically does not releaseo�cial attendance figures, butBoles has dabbled the prospect ofa crowd in excess of 300,000,generating euphoria and skepti-cism from di�erent camps.

There will be an opportunitythere, Zak Brown, Group CEO,CSM Sport & Entertainment, toldUSA TODAY Sports.

“IndyCar is growing,” he said.“Attendance and television (rat-ings are) up. and competition isgreat. And with the 100th runningof the Indy 500, they have a realopportunity to convert new fans.Demand is the highest I’ve ever

seen it at Indy since I’ve been inthe business.”

But this milestone is not theonly potential indicator of thespeedway’s momentum.

A lengthy “Centennial” period,which began in 2009 with com-memorations of the anniversaryof the opening of the speedway, isconcluding.

The final NASCAR season fortransplanted Hoosier and four-time Sprint Cup champion Je�Gordon spiked sales for the Brick-yard 400 last July, as he was cen-tral to the track’s marketingcampaign. Native son Tony Stew-art will enter his final edition ofthe Cup race this season, albeit ina more understated manner,removing one more natural hookfor a local fan base that has be-come increasingly tepid towardwhat once was a marquee event.

“When you think about it fromthe Brickyard standpoint, ourticket sales were better than theyhad been for a long time (in 2015),and we attribute a lot of that toJe� Gordon,” Boles said. “We gota little bit of that with the TonyStewart e�ect. I think Tony notrunning all season (because of aninjury) made it a little harder forus to grab that moment and sur-round that particular event.”

Track o�cials say there isn’tany evidence of a potential ticket-buying hangover for the 500.They should know much moreabout that soon after the race.Boles said traditionally 70% to80% of ticket subscribers renewfor the following year and most doit in the two weeks after the event.

Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman &Company, which owns IndyCarand IMS, said he had heard anec-dotes of older fans not renewingbut added, “That’s not a big num-ber, and most of those people aresuch hardcore fans I think they’vealready converted their kids andtheir grandkids.”

Boles said, “(Non-renewals) is arisk, but I’ve had very few con-versations with people who havesaid to me, ‘I’ve come for 50 years,and I’m going to be at the hun-dredth and I’m not going to comeback.’ As we start thinking abouthow we continue to make sure the500 is healthy, that’s one of thosetargeted groups of people we wantto make sure, ‘Hey, you’ve beenfor 50, but the 51st is going to bejust as important as the 50th.’

“It’s definitely something we’repaying attention to, but in myconversations I haven’t felt likethat’s an overwhelming consensusof the long-term customer.”

Some consider Indianapolis Motor Speedway a concert venue.Bringing big acts in on race weekends is a fairly recent development.

The first headline act for Carb Day was the Hamilton Brothers in1998. Since then, rock acts have become the norm (The BlackCrowes, Kid Rock, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd) while Legends Day hasstarted to feature country acts (Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean).

Even a former Indianapolis 500 driver, Kenny Brack, took thestage as a Carb Day warm-up act a couple of times.

This year’s headliner on Carb Day, held May 27, is Journey. TheLegends Day headliner on May 28 is Blake Shelton.

The Indianapolis Star

MATT DETRICH, THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Michael Cartellone performs May25, 2012, during the Carb Day show.

MUSICIANS GET IN ON ACTDURING RACE WEEKEND

CHARLIE NYE, THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Helio Castroneves leads the pack in 2009, when Indianapolis Motor Speedway celebrated the100th anniversary of its opening. Castroneves went on to win the race for the third time.


The Indianapolis 500 joins arespected list of North Americansporting events to celebrate its100th edition. A sampling:

KENTUCKY DERBYFirst event: 1875100th event: 1974The Kentucky Derby is the

longest-running uninterruptedsporting event in America. Can-nonade won the 100th race by21⁄4 lengths, competing in a rec-ord field of 23 horses in 1974. Thecentennial event set a record forlargest crowd in Churchill Downshistory — until it was broken in2012 — with 163,628 fans.

U.S. OPEN (TENNIS)First event: 1881100th event: 1980First contested as the men’s-

only U.S. National Championshipin Newport, R.I., America’sGrand Slam tournament eventu-ally moved to New York andallowed women to participate. Inthe 100th U.S. Open, John McEn-roe defeated Bjorn Borg in amarathon five-set final, and ChrisEvert-Lloyd won her 14th careerGrand Slam title beating HanaMandlikova. Billie Jean King(women’s doubles) won her 39thand final Grand Slam title andStan Smith (men’s doubles) wonhis seventh and final one.

BOSTON MARATHONFirst event: 1897100th event: 1996Inspired by the marathon at

the first modern Olympic Gamesin Athens in 1896, Boston in-stituted its long-distance race thefollowing year. The 100th mara-thon attracted 36,748 startersand had 35,868 o�cial finishers,which stood as the largest field offinishers in the history of thesport until the 2004 New YorkCity Marathon. Germany’s UtaPippig picked up her third con-secutive victory, and Kenya’sMoses Tanui earned the first ofhis two wins.

U.S. OPEN (GOLF)First event: 1895100th event: 2000The first tournament was held

in Newport, R.I., moved aroundand took breaks because ofWorld War I and World War II.In 2000, Tiger Woods shot a12-under 272 in Pebble Beach,

Calif., to beat Ernie Els and Mi-guel Angel Jimenez by 15 strokes,the largest margin of victory inthe four men’s golf majors.

WORLD SERIESFirst event: 1903100th event: 2004The 100th World Series would

have taken place in 2003 if astrike hadn’t canceled the re-mainder of the 1994 season.Perhaps it was fitting. The Bos-ton Americans (later renamedthe Red Sox) beat the PittsburghPirates in 1903. In the 2004Series, Boston broke the “Curseof the Bambino” and ended an86-year drought.

STANLEY CUPFirst event: 1893100th event: 1993The Stanley Cup, the oldest

trophy competed for in NorthAmerican professional team

sports, was first awarded to Mon-treal A.A.A, which won the Cana-dian amateur hockey champion-ship after the 1892-93 season.The NHL assumed control ofStanley Cup competition after1926. In 1993, the Montreal Can-adiens beat the Los AngelesKings for their 24th title.

ROSE BOWLFirst event: 1902100th event: 2014The 1902 Tournament of Ros-

es football game was the firstpostseason football game in thenation. Michigan routed Stan-ford 49-0, dampening enthusi-asm for the game, which did notreturn until 1916. The 100th RoseBowl also featured Stanford anda team from Michigan. MichiganState won, but at least the scorewas closer, 24-20.

Ellen J. Horrow

Horse racing, golf, tennis,baseball share in longevity

ERIC RISBERG, AP

Tiger Woods won the 100th U.S. Open in 2000 by 15 strokes,the largest margin of victory in golf’s four majors.

‘TRADITION YOU CAN’T BUY’A.J. Foyt knows a thing or twoabout American classics. He wasthe first driver to win the Indian-apolis 500 four times, a recordshared with Al Unser Sr. and RickMears. Foyt also won the Daytona500 and the Rolex 24 twice. Buthe said despite NASCAR’s advan-tages in market share and thegrandeur of revitalized DaytonaInternational Speedway, the Indi-anapolis 500 remains paramount.

Stunned that he lived to see the100th edition of the race he saidmade him, Foyt said the event’sfuture was secure. It will continueto define its time, he said.

“Indianapolis is like the Ken-tucky Derby,” he said. “You canhave the sorriest horse alive. If hewins one race, if he wins the Der-by, he’s a Kentucky Derby winner,and that’s the same way withIndianapolis. Daytona is great, it’sbeautiful, I enjoyed it, but it’s notIndianapolis.

“It’s tradition you can’t buy.”Foyt’s analogy works on more

levels than he might realize, somethat could worry the IndyCarcommunity.

The Kentucky Derby has sur-vived for 142 installments as thenation grew from an agrarian to amechanized society and horsesbecame more of a nostalgic re-membrance of a bucolic past thana relevant part of the present.Horse racing as a sport and anindustry captures the Americanfancy for generally no more thanthe first Saturday in May, exceptwhen a 3-year-old reaches theBelmont Stakes with the opportu-nity to win a Triple Crown.

Similarly, open-wheel racing —its prestige ravaged by fractiouspolitics that resulted in the cre-ation of a rival but diminished

series, until reunification in 2008,and the opportunistic ascendancyof NASCAR — captivates themainstream at the end of May.But it struggles for relevancethereafter. Being a part of Ameri-cana is a wonderful thing, exceptwhen formulating a sustainable,12-month business plan.

“Highlighting its history andtradition matters, but so, too, doesthe overall positioning of thesport the other 364 days a year,especially given the clutter thistime of year with so much goingon,” said David Carter, executivedirector of the Sports BusinessInstitute at the University ofSouthern California. “Successfullyleveraging its history, when com-plemented by the positioning andfeaturing of the drivers as thesport utilizes new forms of mediato captivate (young) fans, is vital.”

Television ratings have im-proved relative to poor showingsin recent years, but they have yetto match the earnest insistence ofcompetitors and series o�cialsthat IndyCar’s product is as wor-thy as it has ever been.

“I think its opportunitycouldn’t come at a better time,because I think we’re in a positionas a series to take advantage of it,”Rahal Letterman Lanigan co-owner Bobby Rahal said. “I look atthis as our opportunity to use thisas a springboard to the future, notas, ‘This is it. It’s not going to bethis good again.’ ”

Prospects of a return to grandtimes — with his son and driverGraham part of it — made the1986 Indy 500 winner smile.

“I know it’s going to be nuts,crazy, huge,” Rahal said. “But I’mprobably understating it.”

The moment and the opportu-nity.

AP

A.J. Foyt celebrates the second of his four Indy 500 wins in 1964.


It was as if Scott Dixon wasattempting to distance himselffrom this newly established labelof “legend.”

Sitting at a small table in aglass-walled room atop the Pe-tersen Automotive Museum inLos Angeles in April, conductinginterviews and awaiting a banquetin which he and the most success-ful drivers in open-wheel racingwould be hailed, the four-timeVerizon IndyCar Series championpondered a question.

How much does performance inthe Indianapolis 500 color a driv-er’s legacy?

“Yeah,” he said in contempla-tive tone. “It’s very important.”

But is that emphasis fair, espe-cially compared to other wins andchampionships?

“They’re very di�erent. Achampionship, the obvious factoris you’ve got a whole year to sort itout,” Dixon explained. “They’revery tough to win but very toughin a di�erent way. The 500, to tryand get everything right in athree-hour period, it’s almostimpossible.”

He grinned, as if thinking backto the 12 he didn’t win.

“The 500 is funny, man.”Cruelly funny, to some more

than others.A winner of 39 open-wheel

races over 16 seasons, which tieshim with Al Unser Sr. for fourthall time and places him threebehind Michael Andretti, 13 be-hind Mario Andretti and a distant28 behind A.J. Foyt, Dixon hasone Indianapolis 500 victory, in2008, to burnish an otherwisesterling career.

As is his bent when consideringhis accomplishments in the mo-ment, Dixon was self-deprecating,but there was evidence in the

room for and against his premise.Unser, a three-time champion,will become a milepost behindDixon on the wins list but will beforever immortalized with hisresemblance four times a�xed onthe Borg-Warner Trophy. Foytcemented his place as arguablyAmerica’s greatest racing son bydoing the same. Rick Mears, athree-time series champion, wononly 29 open-wheel races but withfour Indianapolis wins has beengilded with Foyt and Unser since1991.

Mario Andretti, generally thecounterpoint to any debate overFoyt’s place in the American rac-ing pantheon, despite a lifetime ofordeal, won just the 1969 Indian-apolis 500 in 29 attempts.

Michael Andretti went 0-for-16despite leading in nine starts (for160 laps in 1992) and at timesdominating. But his best finishwas second in 1991, as Mearspassed him to win in the final 13laps.

While Mario Andretti’s legacyis unquestioned, as he is the onlydriver to win a Formula Onechampionship, the Daytona 500and the Indianapolis 500, helaments how the month of Mayhas defined his son’s career.

“I always said that it’s unfairbecause your career in many waysis judged by your performancethere,” Mario Andretti said. “Ihate to say it, but look at Michael.How many multi-winners havedominated that race like he has?Because of that you might look athis career as if it wasn’t as suc-cessful as, say, Al Unser Sr. orsomeone like that. But he was.And you look at the laps he ledand all that.”

The father applies the samesalve to his Indianapolis history,including 1987, with that littledetail of a race win the only miss-ing facet of another otherwiseimpeccable month that year.

“My consolation is also that,”he said of racing well at Indian-apolis. “I’m looking at the lapsthat I led, that at least I had that,

you know? So you only had onewin, but I dominated at times.You look at ’87, you look at therecord, ’87, every single day I wason the track I was quickest. I wason the pole. I even won the pitstop competition. And I led prettymuch every lap — except for stops— and I was over a lap in the lead,23 laps to go ... .”

And his engine surrenderedbecause of a reported harmonicimbalance caused by insu�cientrevs. So Andretti left with a ninth-place finish after leading 170 of200 laps, memories of excellenceunrequited. His legacy assuredfrom other deeds, he presents it asif that will su�ce. It must.

“Those were satisfying mo-ments even though I don’t havethe trophy to show for it. And I’mgood with that,” he said.

There is the sense that Juan

Pablo Montoya was good with hislegacy before he won the Indian-apolis 500 for the second time lastyear, establishing the longest gap(15 years) between victories. Arepeat would make him the eighthwith three victories in the race,including Team Penske teammateHelio Castroneves, and doing soin the 100th installment wouldseal his image as an iconic one forperpetuity.

That’s not to say he or any ofhis peers could possibly want thisone more, he said.

“It’s, yeah, cooler, yes,” he con-ceded. “(But) if you think you cando something di�erent, do better,that means you haven’t beendoing your job.”

Dario Franchitti had beendoing his exceedingly well, legen-darily well, before back injuriesand a concussion su�ered in a

crash in Houston in 2013 prompt-ed his retirement. A friend andformer teammate of Dixon’s atGanassi Racing, the Scot has 31wins. But Dixon doesn’t sound asif he’s out front. Perhaps if hereaches it, winning two more Indy500s, Dixon can eventually bepersonally satisfied with the lega-cy he’s not yet allowed himself toconsider in depth.

“Dario won quite importantthings, with four championshipsand three Indy 500s,” Dixon said.“Right there, that’s petty stout.”

Which makes this Indianapolis500 important on multiple levels.

“Yeah,” Dixon repeated. “It’svery important.”

FAIR OR NOT,500 SHAPESLEGACIES‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’can turn drivers into legends

FOLLOW REPORTERBRANT JAMES

@brantjames for motor sportsbreaking news and analysis


Juan Pablo Montoya hopes to join the 10 drivers who have won the Indy 500 three or more times.

Brant [email protected] TODAY Sports


INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Ray Harroun won the initial Indianapolis 500 in 1911,averaging just under 75 mph in the Marmon Wasp.

AP

Fans flock from all over the world, filling the IndianapolisMotor Speedway grandstands on race day.

AP

Johnnie Parsons, left, running ahead of Mauri Rose, wonthe 1950 race, which was cut short because of rain.


INDIANAPOLIS The idea behindthe whole thing sprouted in aworld of dirt roads and bigdreams. America was restless at

the turn of the 20th century, acurious, defiant and ambitiousnation chasing the most human ofdesires: more. Life was speedingup. America wanted further.America wanted faster. So CarlFisher gave it to them.

It started with six words. Hewas furious that day, sulking on

the side of one of those dirt roads,somewhere outside the tiny townof Dublin, Ind., in the fall of 1908.Fisher’s car had broken down onthe way home from Dayton, Ohio.Tire failure. Again. And that’swhen his friend, Lem Trotter,asked the question that wouldchange auto racing forever.

“Why don’t you build thattrack?”

The man had a point. Fisherhad talked for years about con-structing a massive testing trackto show o� the nation’s new phe-nomenon — the automobile — buthad yet to follow through. Hisgoals: spark interest, stimulateadvancement and sell some cars.The problem was finding the rightslice of land. French Lick, the siteFisher initially proposed,wouldn’t do. Too hilly. So a day ortwo after their disastrous triphome from Dayton, Fisher andTrotter drove out a few miles west

of Indianapolis and got out at thecorner of Crawfordsville Pike.They gazed out at 320 acres offlat-as-can-be farmland. Fisherwas sold.

He lured three businessmen —Arthur Newby, Frank Wheelerand James Allison. They forkedover $72,000 for the land. ThePressley Farm became Indianapo-lis Motor Parkway. A speedwaywas born.

Built to serve as an automotivetesting ground — come see howfar our cars can go before blowingup! — it instead became an auto-motive proving ground. But notwithout a few casualties. Thedeaths piled up in those earlyyears, mostly because of thetrack’s shoddy surface, and thecalls came, one after another, forFisher to shut the place down.“(These races) are an amusementcongenial only to savages andshould be stopped,” wrote The

New York Times. “There is abun-dant legal warrant for doing so.”

But Fisher wouldn’t blink. Heimprovised. He repaved his 2.5-mile oval with bricks anddreamed up “the grandest grindever,” an exhaustive competitionset for Memorial Day weekend1911 that promised to test manand machine like nothing else onearth. Indianapolis would host a500-mile race.

In a country ripe for amuse-ment, Fisher’s race became aninimitable spectacle. It became anode to America’s rebellious past,yet an embodiment of the forwardthinking it was founded upon. Itbecame the relentless pursuit ofprogress. The speed was alluring,the danger real, the drama unri-valed. It was deadly. It was exhila-rating. It was addictive.

It became a celebration ofAmerican ingenuity, of Americanaudacity, of American triumph. It

AP

George Souders crosses the finish line in a Duesenberg to win the Indy 500 in 1927, the year famed World War I pilot Eddie Rickenbacker bought the speedway.

ICONIC TRACKROSE FROMHUMBLE STARTFounder Fisher couldn’t possiblyhave dreamed what was to comeZak Keefer@zkeeferUSA TODAY Sports


became an American original. Itbecame 33 drivers sco�ng at theirown mortality — “a most barba-rous form of excitement” was howthe Times put it. No matter. Thisis a country that loves cars, lovesbuilding them, fixing them andracing them. This is a country thatloves the Indianapolis 500.

Fisher’s track became a cathe-dral, the birthplace of Americanmotor sports, a Midwestern melt-ing pot. His 500-mile race becamean institution, held at the sametime on the same day at the sameplace every year, a toast to sum-mer and sunshine and pork ten-derloins and light beer and fastcars. It became “a nnnewwwwtrrrrracccckkk rrrrecordddd!” and(Back Home Again in) Indianaand “Gentlemen, start your en-gines!” and a bottle of milk andthe Borg-Warner Trophy andkissing the bricks.

It became that spine-tinglingroar that arrives just after noonon the last Sunday in May at 16thStreet and Georgetown Road as33 cars tear down the most fam-ous straightaway in motor sportsat 220-and-change mph while thehair on the necks of a quarter-million people stands straight up.

“There was nothing else like it,”says Donald Davidson, the track’svenerable historian. “It just tooko�. There was Christmas, therewas Easter and there was theIndianapolis 500.”

No, Fisher couldn’t have seenall that was to come. Notsome-400,000 fans packing hisspeedway during its mid-1980speak. Not a Dutch driver namedArie Luyendyk burning aroundhis oval at more than 236 mph (in1996). Not the innovations histrack would pioneer, from the firstseat belt to the first use of four-wheel drive to countless engineoverhauls. It changed everything.He changed everything.

“I don’t think Carl Fisher hadany clue as to what he was cre-ating,” Indianapolis Motor Speed-way President Doug Boles says.

And to think, the man was justtrying to sell cars. His track is 107years old. It has been abandoned,expanded and renovated. The firstIndianapolis 500 was in the booksbefore the Titanic sailed. Fanswho didn’t arrive by train that daydid so by horse. Thousands ofhitching posts lined the outskirtsof the speedway. Bookmakerstook wagers on whether driverswould win, lose or die.

The 100th running arrivesMay 29. Fans will get updates onthe race leaders via their iPhones.

Fisher was a visionary. Heknew if he put these marvels ofmachinery on display, interest in

the automobile would surge andbusiness would boom. In the early1900s, Indianapolis was home todozens of auto manufacturerslarge and small, from Marmon toCole to Overland (Stutz and Due-senberg would come quickly).

Yet the miracle a century laterisn’t that the Indianapolis 500was born. It’s that it survived.

BUMPY STARTFirst, it was saved by the bricks.The mixture of tar and asphaltthat blanketed the speedway in itsinfancy was such a disaster itnearly cost the track its livelihood.After five deaths in a 1909 race,according to Charles Leerhsen’s2011 book, Blood and Smoke,America’s newspapers were readyto bury the idea of auto racing.Indy was to blame. “This is thefinal straw,” wrote The DetroitNews. “The blood of the Indian-apolis Motor Speedway has prob-ably rung the knell on track racingin the United States.”

Families of the victims claimed

Fisher was culpable in the deaths.A young driver out of Texas, TobinDeHymal, told The San AntonioLight that Fisher’s speedway was“a total and complete failure.”And for a while that sure seemedto be the case.

Fisher remained stunninglyundeterred. Enter: 3.2 millionbricks. Fisher commissioned arepaving of his speedway in thewinter of 1909 and announcedplans for a 500-mile race, a gru-eling competition that would lastmost of the day but still get thepaying customers home in timefor dinner.

It did just that. The inaugural500 was a roaring success, despitethe fact that it took all of 13 lapsfor the race to claim its first fatal-ity (a 44-year-old mechanicnamed Samuel Dickson). “I’mtired,” race winner Ray Harrounsaid after puttering to victory in 6 hours, 42 minutes. “May I havesome water and perhaps a sand-wich, please?”

And so it went from there. Ayear later, they named the townSpeedway. Just as Fisher imag-ined, technology improved, thusthe cars improved, thus the racingimproved. Speeds rose. Popularityclimbed. Legends were scripted.Lives were lost.

In 1924, the race was heard onthe radio for the first time. In1927, former driver and WorldWar I flying ace Eddie Ricken-backer bought the speedway andsaved the 500, pulling it throughthe depths of the Great Depres-sion. In 1936, Louis Meyer gulpedbuttermilk in victory lane. By1938, most of the oval was covered

in asphalt, save a stretch along thefront straightaway.

Then, the speedway went dark.Then, Tony Hulman saved it.

By 1945 Fisher’s cathedral wasready to die. It had been silencedfor four years by World War II. Ithad become a crumbling, dilapi-dated, weed-infested ghost town.It was set to be gutted and turnedinto a shopping plaza.

And that’s when Anton HulmanJr. of Terre Haute bought thespeedway and turned the Indian-apolis 500 into the “GreatestSpectacle in Racing.”

More than anything, Hulmansold the 500. He drove around thestate each spring, his trunk loadedwith posters, spreading the gospelof speed. He reminded Hoosiersabout the Memorial Day classicthey’d fallen in love with all thoseyears ago and told them it wasback and that it was better thanever.

He enchanted race day withtraditions that live on 70 yearslater. In 1946, James Melton sang(Back Home Again in) Indiana forthe first time. By the mid-1950s,no race started without Hulman’siconic command: “Gentlemen,start your engines.” The Indian-apolis 500 was entering its goldenera.

Speeds soared. Engineers ex-perimented. Cars evolved. In-terest swelled. Held o� localtelevision until 1986 — to this daythe race is never broadcast live inIndianapolis — the romance ofthe radio added to its unspeakableallure. Fans from all over theworld tuned into the IMS RadioNetwork to hear Sid Collins andhis crew.

“I remember getting lettersfrom fans in Antarctica and oncefrom a priest who was hiding outin the Congo but found a way tolisten to the race on a transistorradio,” says Paul Page, Collins’handpicked successor.

Soon the speedway was floodedwith fearless drivers addicted tospeed who drove their roadstersand rear-engine creations likebats out of hell and risked every-thing for glory. They becameimmortal. Bill Vukovich. RodgerWard. Eddie Sachs. Parnelli Jones.A.J. Foyt. Johnny Rutherford.Mario Andretti. Al Unser. BobbyUnser. Rick Mears. Eventually theracing season was carved in half:There was Indianapolis, and therewas everywhere else.

“There are a bunch of beautifulracetracks all over the country,but, let’s be honest, everyone hasone favorite,” says A.J. Foyt, therace’s first four-time winner andthe driver considered by most asthe best the speedway has ever

seen. “Tradition is something youjust can’t buy.”

FRENZY GROWSIt kept getting bigger. And bigger.And bigger. Teams would competeyear-round just to earn enoughcash to have a crack at Indy. Morethan 50 cars would try to qualify.Pole day, narrated by the belovedTom Carnegie, ballooned into anevent itself, drawing upwards of100,000 fans. In the waning hours,as the last few rows were decided,drivers would hop from car to carand from team to team, desperatefor a spot. The drama was real.The spectacle grew.

“It was the ultimate,” recallsthe oldest living winner, 82-year-old Jones. “The height of automo-bile racing. And I don’t just meanin the United States. I mean thewhole world.”

It became the world’s largestsingle-day sporting event, a party,a ritual. It became that iconicsound a car makes when it dartsdown the homestretch and to-ward the yard of bricks at 220mph, the soundtrack to speed andMay and Indianapolis. It becamethe agony of losing by 0.043 sec-onds (Scott Goodyear, 1992) andthe ecstasy of a last-second pass(Sam Hornish Jr., 2006).

Win at Indy, and your namelives on forever.

“I’ve said this a million times,”Foyt explains. “I’ve won races allover the world, but if it wasn’t forthe Indianapolis 500, none of youwould’ve ever heard of me.”

He’s probably right.Above all, the 500 is a survivor.

It survived shoddy surfaces anddemands it be stopped. It survivedtwo World Wars, the Great De-pression and three ownershipgroups. It survived the messyopen-wheel racing split of the1990s, dipping attendance num-bers and stalling speeds.

It still carries immeasurableappeal. The 500 is an event woventightly into the fabric of a city andstate, a one-of-a-kind impetusthat, according to VisitIndy.com,annually pumps $100 million intothe Indianapolis economy.

Now a city celebrates the 100thrunning of its race. It began withtire failure and Fisher’s disastroustrip home. With six words fromTrotter. With 320 acres of flat-as-can-be farmland, a 2.5-mile ovaland a new phenomenon — theautomobile.

America wanted further. Amer-ica wanted faster.

So Fisher gave America theIndianapolis 500.

Keefer writes for The Indianapolis Star,part of the USA TODAY NETWORK.

AP

A.J. Foyt became the first to win four Indianapolis 500s in 1977.

UNDATED AP PHOTO

Founder Carl Fisher saw thetrack as a ticket to sell cars.


NAZARETH, PA. Although MarioAndretti’s history at IndianapolisMotor Speedway can be viewedthrough a tortured lens, the trackcontinues to call to the interna-tional motor sports champion and1969 Indy 500 winner.

At 76, Andretti remains a fix-ture at IMS during May. Hechecks on his son Michael’s team,makes appearances, gives pas-sengers lightning-quick ridesaround the track in a two-seatHonda race car and spends a fairamount of time simply beingMario Andretti.

“I embrace my opportunities todo the two-seater program,” An-dretti told USA TODAY Sports. “Ihave to have a reason to be at atrack — not just as a spectator. Ihave to have a business reason.Having my family involved is areason itself. I will always be ontop of it, talking to them. It willalways be a part of my life.”

When Andretti zoomed to the500 win in 1969 as the highlight ofa career in acceleration, there wasthe assumption that he would addother Indy trophies. He was only29 and commanded rides thatwere among the best.

Instead of more victory lanegarlands, however, Indy dumpedrepeated disappointment onAndretti. He would not win the500 again.

In 1972, his potentially victo-rious car ran out of fuel with sixlaps to go. In 1981, he was thewinner of the race for five monthsafter one of Indy’s most contro-versial races. Bobby Unser fin-ished first and Andretti second,but Unser passed cars during acaution period and was penalizedone position — to second — byU.S. Auto Club o�cials, and theo�cial posting of the race resultsthe day after the event showedAndretti as the winner.

A protest followed, and, afterhearings and discussions, o�cialsdecided to return the win to Un-ser and fine him $40,000 for thecaution-flag infraction.

Andretti still wears the 1981Indy winner’s ring, however.

“Every time I see Bobby, I showthe ring and say, ‘See that?’ ” hesaid, smiling.

Andretti finished second toDanny Sullivan in 1985 and ledmost of the race in 1987 before afaulty valve spring ended his runat the checkers.

Andretti’s son, Michael, and hisgrandson, Marco, are winless atIndy as drivers, a continuation ofwhat has been labeled the An-dretti Curse at the world-famoustrack. Michael won the 500 as ateam owner with Dan Wheldon in2005, Dario Franchitti in 2007and Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2014.

Mario Andretti long ago accept-ed the sunlight-and-shadowsnature of his relationship withIMS and the 500.

“All I can do is look back at thelaps led and the years I had a shotat winning and things like that,”he said. Andretti led 557 laps in29 races at Indy, good for third onthe all-time list behind Al Unser

Sr. and Ralph DePalma.Andretti said when he jumped

into Indy car racing he set hissights on A.J. Foyt, who would winfour Indy 500s.

“You always had to look at theusual suspects,” Andretti said.“When I broke into Indy cars, itwas A.J. who was doing the mostwinning. So he’s your objective,your goal. If you finish second toA.J., it’s a hell of a good day. If youwin, it’s marvelous — likeChristmas.”

In a career that brought successin Indy-car racing, NASCAR (aDaytona 500 win) and FormulaOne (the 1978 world champi-onship), Andretti said he alwaysreached high.

“As long as you’re going to setgoals, it might as well be for thestars,” he said. “When you reachone, that’s the reward you’re look-ing for. I had no Plan B in mycareer. I was going to be a race cardriver no matter what. I didn’t

want to hear about any otherpossibility.

“My dream when I started wasto make a living just driving.When I reached that point, that

was goal No. 1. It was one step-pingstone to the next.”

With Indianapolis as the placehe conquered — and was con-quered by.

The Andretti name is synonymous with the Indianapolis 500, withfive members of the family racing in U.S. open-wheel’s largestevent. Patriarch Mario is the only one to win, in 1969. Sons Michaeland Jeff, nephew John and grandson Marco have been compet-itive but not victorious. Michael, who has won the race as a teamowner, holds the record for laps led by a driver who didn’t win theIndy 500. Marco is routinely fast, but his heart was broken by a0.0635-second loss at the hands of Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006, whenhe was a rookie.

Driver Starts Best finish Avg. finish Laps ledMario Andretti 29 1969, 1st 17.9 557Michael Andretti 16 1991, 2nd 11.8 431Jeff Andretti 3 1991, 15th 20.7 0John Andretti 12 1991, 5th 18.1 2Marco Andretti 10 2006, 2nd 10.8 141Source: USA TODAY Sports research

A FAMILY AFFAIR

INDY SITE OF TRIUMPH, TRIBULATIONSAndretti won race in 1969 but never again Mike Hembree@mikehembreeSpecial for USA TODAY Sports

JASEN VINLOVE, USA TODAY SPORTS

Three Andrettis — from left, Michael, his son Marco and his dad Mario — watch practice for the 2016 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.


ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. RogerPenske was ensconced behind hisdesk in a darkened middle cham-ber of “RP1,” the rolling commandcenter for his bustling, four-driverIndyCar team. Practice for theopening race of the season wouldcommence soon, but Penske wasdisarmed, uncharacteristicallydiverted from his daily flow ofracing and billionaire magnateenterprise.

In a good way, too. Staying fitwhile traveling is a concern, butthe presence of a deepwater har-bor at the local Coast Guard sta-tion had provided the opportunityfor some peace of mind. The 79-year-old had managed a fullmorning workout on the tread-mill, crosstrainer, elliptical andcycle in the gym aboard his yacht,and he was feeling refreshed andinvigorated.

That put “the boat” forefront inhis mind.

Fingering through a collectionof photos on his iPhone, he mut-tered, “Where’s that one? You’regoing to love this.”

Penske finally found the photohe sought, his one extravagancenot necessarily directly associatedwith furthering the businessobjectives of Penske Corporation.It served commercial needs onsome occasions, sure, but ThePodium, the 197-foot yacht builtin Amsterdam four years ago, isfor fun.

And this trip from May 2015,past Bergen, Norway, and as farup the fjords as The Podium couldmuster, was extremely fun.

“This is great stu� here,” saidPenske, who leads all team own-ers with 16 victories at the Indian-apolis 500.

“We had some work done on itover in Antwerp and then wewent all the way up the fjords toBergen, as far as you can go, andthen we had a tender so we evenwent up to places, where theglacier comes right down to thewater,” he told USA TODAYSports.

Penske often professes thatracing is his weekend golf game,

but The Podium — which re-placed the iconic Detroit Eagle —is his indulgence. His mandate tohis engineers is for “more stain-less (steel)” each time he’s aboard.

For a man whose image is one

of control and austerity, evenamid the expensive trappings ofhis success and ambition, therevelation of a temptation wasrevealing. He wasn’t alone in thisobsession, he suggested.

“Ask (Rick) Hendrick. He’sanother boat guy,” Penske said ofhis friend and NASCAR teamowner.

The boat guys were once amajor part of NASCAR, as formerseries chairman Bill France Jr.,Penske, Hendrick and Felix Sa-bates used to sail together in theweeks after the Daytona 500 as acommunal and businessendeavor.

Penske’s love for the waterbegan as a youngster and hasevolved into ocean racing o� thecoast of Catalina Island in Cali-fornia and cruising to Europewith friends.

“That’s my only hobby, thatboat,” Penske said. “As a kid, backin Cleveland, I had a 15-foot Ly-man with an outboard on it, thengot a speed boat. A guy neverkeeps the same size boat. And thething is, there’s always a guy with

a bigger boat.”And therein, perhaps, the in-

centive to keep working for thenext one.

All four of his drivers are capa-ble of giving him another win inwhat surely would be a landmarkmoment for Penske, who is cele-brating his 50th year in motorsports and will drive the pace carfor the 100th Indianapolis 500.

Racing for Team Penske aredefending champion Juan PabloMontoya; Simon Pagenaud, whoin his second year with the teamhas established himself as a titlecontender this season; 2014 In-dyCar champion Will Power, andHelio Castroneves, who is goingfor his fourth Indy 500 win.Should he achieve that featMay 29, he would join elite com-pany. A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. andRick Mears are the only driverswith four wins at the Brickyard.

Al Unser Sr., a three-timeIndianapolis 500 winner, cameto Indianapolis Motor Speedwayin 1987 without a ride. Teamowner Roger Penske couldn’tguarantee Unser anything. But ifall of Penske’s other entries werein the field after one weekend ofqualifying, he said, he’d try togive Unser a shot on the secondweekend.

But where would the car comefrom? It was a recently retiredcar sitting in a hotel lobby in

Scranton, Pa. Penske had itshipped to the speedway, theengineers got it in racing shapeand Unser qualified 20th in it.

Mario Andretti was almost afull lap ahead of second placewhen a mechanical issue side-lined him after 180 laps (he hadled 170). Unser took over thelead with 18 laps remaining andwent on to tie A.J. Foyt for themost wins in race history.

The Indianapolis Star

FROM HOTEL TO HISTORY

PASSION FOR RACING EXTENDS TO SEAYacht is teamowner Penske’sbig indulgenceBrant James@brantjamesUSA TODAY Sports


Roger Penske’s image is one of control and austerity, not owning a luxury yacht. “That’s my only hobby, that boat,” he says.


INDIANAPOLIS Fred Flintstonetransforms into a hot hunk of aman, in his wife’s eyes at least,after racing in the Indianrockolis500 in 1964.

Greg Brady claims to have thehottest set of wheels this side ofIndianapolis in 1971 as he revealsa souped-up lemon of a car to hisBrady Bunch family.

An authentic Firestone Indian-apolis 500 poster hangs in thegarage during the Greased Light-ning song-and-dance scene in the1978 movie Grease.

Charlie Daniels gives a shout-out to Mario Andretti in his 1973hit song Uneasy Rider.

The number of times the Indi-anapolis 500 — its characters, itsfanfare, its track — has been men-tioned in pop culture is too manyto count.

Ralphie’s father in A ChristmasStory always wanted to work thepits of the Indianapolis 500. TheBeach Boys sang, “She makes theIndy 500 look like a Roman chari-ot race now” in Fun, Fun, Fun,released in 1964. On The Jef-fersons, a friend interested inautomobiles said he wants to bethe “first black driver in the Indi-anapolis 500.”

Breathless? There are hun-dreds more.

“It’s been talked about so much,it just rolls o� the tongue,” racinghistorian Donald Davidson said.“The race really transcends motorsports in the U.S.”

There is no database for justhow many references to “TheGreatest Spectacle in Racing”have been made. But when itcomes to popular culture, the racehas been thoroughly infused,though less so of late.

The majority of references tothe Indy 500 are found from the1950s to the early 1990s. Few arenoted after 1996, when the IndyRacing League and Championship

Auto Racing Teams (CART) wentthrough a contentious split, leav-ing both open-wheel leaguessu�ering.

Still, the Indy 500 has found itsway into mainstream media.

Three years ago, Turbo hit thebig screen. The DreamWorksAnimation film featured a speed-obsessed snail with a dream ofbecoming the world’s greatestracer. The movie surrounds Tur-bo’s quest to enter and win theIndianapolis 500. The 2013 moviemade nearly $283 million at thebox o�ce.

Here’s a look at some classicIndy 500 mentions:

GOGGLES PAESANOIt was Season 5, episode 13 of TheFlintstones on Dec. 10, 1964, whenFred Flintstone — racing as Gog-gles Paesano — sped into theIndianrockolis 500. He and palBarney Rubble decide to enterRubble’s handmade car. After theflag is waved, Paesano, in whitegoggles and the No. 8 white car,races around the track.

Ultimately, Paesano wins, evenas his tires disintegrate.

“Oh, you big wonderful hunk ofman,” Wilma Flintstone swoonsas she wraps her arms around herhusband.

Soon, an announcement ismade over the loud speakers:Paesano was disqualified for fin-ishing the race using his feet rath-er than his tires.

‘THE WHEELER-DEALER’The eldest Brady child, Greg, hadjust gotten his driver’s license. Hegets swindled when his buddy,Eddie, persuades him to buy a carfrom him.

As Greg pulls the 1956 ChevyBel-Air convertible into the drive-way during the 1971 episode calledThe Wheeler-Dealer, the car hiss-es, smokes and moans. After beingteased and mocked, Greg spendshis days revamping the car.

Soon, his entire family is stand-ing outside waiting for Greg tounveil his finished work. As he

gets ready to pull o� the tarp,Greg says, “All right, everybody,you’re about to see the hottest setof wheels this side ofIndianapolis.”

‘UNEASY RIDER’This Charlie Daniels classic was anovel concept of a song when itwas released in 1973.

Narrated, rather than sung,over a catchy guitar tune, UneasyRider details the trials of a manwho is caught with a flat tire inJackson, Miss., while on a roadtrip.

While he’s at a local bar waitingfor his car to be fixed, some hooli-gans decide they want to fight thisout-of-towner. As he’s trying toescape the men and get his carback, Daniels sings:

“When I hit the ground I wasmaking tracks

“And they were just taking mycar down o� the jacks

“So I threw the man a twentyand jumped in and fired thatmother up

“Mario Andretti woulda surebeen proud

“Of the way I was movin’ whenI passed that crowd.”

NO NEED FOR IMPROVEMENTThere might be no other sitcomthat made more references to theIndianapolis 500 than HomeImprovement. The race was a keytheme of the show during itseight-year run from 1991 to 1999.Co-creator David McFadzean’sfather-in-law worked for ThomasW. Binford, who at the time wasthe chief steward for the 500.That’s how fictional Binford Toolscame to be.

Throughout the series, driversMario and Michael Andretti,Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser Sr.,Al Unser Jr. and Robby Gordonmade guest appearances.

During a 1995 episode, a friendof Tim Taylor (played by TimAllen) announces he will be get-ting married Memorial Day week-end. Panicked Taylor quickly letshim know that’s the weekend ofthe Indy 500, and the friend re-schedules his wedding.

INDY 500 FOR $1 MILLIONThe race is, technically, respon-sible for one of the most memora-ble game show moments inhistory ... or at least the start of it.

It was a Nov. 19, 1999, episode

of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,then hosted by Regis Philbin. Thefastest finger question was: “Putthe following races in order ac-cording to their length, from theshortest to the longest.” The Indi-anapolis 500 was one of the fouranswers.

Contestant John Carpenterwas the first player to correctlyanswer the question. He also wasthe first player on the Americanversion of the show to win the$1 million prize.

‘DAYS OF THUNDER’When actor Tom Cruise, knownbest at the time for Top Gun, tookon a racing movie in 1990, theIndy 500 wasn’t forgotten.

The race’s mention happenedin a scene when Cole Trickle(played by Cruise) was asked whathis goal was in open-wheel autoracing.

Trickle replies: “Indianapolis,but you can’t win Indy without agreat car and my name isn’t Unseror Andretti.”

Benbow writes for The IndianapolisStar, part of the USA TODAY NET-WORK.

INDY FUELS POP CULTUREREFERENCES From ‘Flintstones’ to ‘Turbo,’ great race is part of Americana Dana Hunsinger Benbow@DanaBenbowUSA TODAY Sports

STEPHEN VAUGHAN, PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORP.

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise starred in the 1990 film “Days of Thunder,” in which an open-wheel driver played by Cruise shifts to stock car racing.


Danica Patrick made history bybecoming the first woman to leadthe Indianapolis 500.

That was 11 years ago. Patrickfinished fourth in 2005, the bestresult for a female driver in histo-ry, a feat she topped in 2009 witha third-place finish.

As the Indy 500 prepares tocelebrate its 100th running, thequestion lurks in the background.Will a woman win the race soon?Or ever?

“I want to say yes, but I thinkfirst we have to get the sponsor-

ship behind female drivers so theycan race consistently in IndyCarthroughout the year in front-running teams,” Pippa Mann, whohas started four Indy 500s, toldUSA TODAY Sports. “When wehave female drivers doing that —like Danica was able to do formany years in her (IndyCar)career — then you’re going to havea female driver contending yearafter year. When you have that,you know a winner is coming.”

It could be as simple as anothertype of math.

“If it takes 100 guys to comethrough to find the talented one,that doesn’t take very long,” Pat-rick told USA TODAY Sports. “Butif it takes 100 girls to comethrough to find the one with tal-ent, it’s going to take a lot longer.There are more girls racing now,but whether one will comethrough and win, well, that’s whatmakes sports so exciting. You

have to watch to find out.”And that woman could come

from anywhere. Patrick was an inspiration to

many, including a girl in Norway.Ayla Agren has begun a journey

she hopes will someday put her inthe Indy 500. On May 29, 2005, asan 11-year-old in Baerum, Norway,she decided she wanted to dowhat Patrick was doing, and shewasn’t alone. Today, Agren is onher way to her goal by competingin a feeder series that leads driv-ers toward the top level of In-dyCar racing.

“It’s thanks to her that I’m heretoday,” Agren told USA TODAYSports. “Without that, I might nothave started thinking about In-

dyCar, but because of that mo-ment, my dream became IndyCar.It started when I read about herin the newspaper and saw her onTV.”

When told of Agren’s story andthe source of her inspiration,Patrick took a moment to reflect.

“It’s not something you mightdo a lot of while you’re in themidst of your career,” Patrick said.“You might not always thinkabout the bigger picture or thinkabout what you’re doing and howthat might a�ect others. It’s a nicepause to look at the bigger picturea little bit and be grateful forwhere I’ve been and what I’vedone.”

But the path for female racers

TOM STRICKLAND, AP

Danica Patrick talks with her father, T.J., after finishing third in the 2009 Indy 500, the best result among her seven starts in the race. She last raced there in 2011.

CAN FEMALE DRIVER BREAK THROUGH?Di�culty attracting sponsorshipsto keep engines revving remains key obstacle to women’s success

Jeff Olson@jeffolson77Special for USA TODAY Sports


into the Indy 500 hasn’t beenrepaved recently. In 2013, therecord for female drivers in thefield (four) was tied as Mann,Katherine Legge, Ana Beatriz andSimona de Silvestro took thecheckered flag. This year —through May 11 — only Mann andLegge were entered.

Since Janet Guthrie broke thegender barrier at Indy in 1977,eight other women have compet-ed in the race. Only Patrick, whomoved to the NASCAR Sprint CupSeries in 2012, achieved the main-stream fame that allowed her theability to land multimillion-dollarsponsorship deals required torace at the highest levels.

“Danica has been able to breakthrough and really create thisbrand,” Mann said. “She’s the onlyfemale driver I can think of that’sbeen able to create an incrediblystrong brand to attract all of thatdi�erent, diverse sponsorship tobe able to keep racing at a toplevel. There are so many femalerace winners who haven’t beenable to attract the sponsorship tokeep racing.”

When Patrick looks back on the2005 Indy 500, she understandsits significance.

Agren knew from that momentin 2005 that her goal was theVerizon IndyCar Series. She is inthe entry-level Cooper TiresUSF2000 Championship, the firstof the three-level Mazda Road to

Indy ladder system. While most ofher karting contemporaries weredreaming of Formula One, Agrenwas dreaming of Indy.

“Other drivers in Europe talkabout F1, while I always knew Iwanted to do IndyCar. But thenthe question became how? ... Istarted learning about the MazdaRoad to Indy and I spoke with afellow Norwegian who had beenracing in the U.S., Anders Krohn.He said there is a clear path, theracing is competitive, and that’show it all started.”

While women are accepted bytheir male competitors, they oftenfind similar obstacles. Namely,money. A competitive car at Indycan eat more than $1 million; afull season in the IndyCar Seriescan cost six to 10 times that.

Mann, who has competed in13 IndyCar races in her four yearsin the series, spends more timeraising money than racing — afrustration shared by male andfemale drivers alike.

“The challenge that endures isin raising the sponsorship to keepracing,” Mann said. “It’s definitelytough for everyone. It takes mealmost every moment of the yearfrom the moment I step out of thecar until the moment I get backinto it — and sometimes right upuntil Carb Day (the final on-trackpractice session) — to try to pullin those dollar amounts to makethe race car run.”

Danica Patrick made a markon the Indianapolis 500, but hermost memorable moment is upfor debate.

Was it marching toward RyanBriscoe’s parked car after hepulled his car out in front of herson pit road in 2008?

Was it her near-crash in qual-ifying as a rookie in 2005?

Was it taking the lead on a laterestart in her first race?

The choices are plentiful.Patrick drove some of her best

IndyCar races at IndianapolisMotor Speedway, finishing in thetop 10 of the 500 six times inseven starts. The highlights:

The 2005 race: It was any-thing but her best drive, but thecrowd’s gasp as she took the leadon lap 190 might have been thetrack’s loudest in history.

Her first qualifying e�ort:How Patrick didn’t crash on herfirst pass through Turn 1 is be-yond comprehension, but sheheld on to earn the No. 4 startingspot.

Pit road with Briscoe: Theircars made rear-wheel contactafter he pulled out in front of herwhile leaving his pit box. Her carmade a complete spin, but thereal excitement came as shewalked toward him. The crowd

roared with anticipation, but asecurity o�cer redirected herjust ahead of Team Penske’s pitbox. Briscoe stayed in his carduring the march.

The 2006 race: Patrickmight have led 19 laps as a roo-kie, but she drove her best500 miles as a sophomore infinishing eighth.

Accumulating 29 laps led:Four 500 winners (Jacques Ville-neuve, Gaston Chevrolet, Gra-ham Hill and Joe Dawson) didn’tlead that many in their Indycareers.

Curt Cavin, The Indianapolis Star

Here are the nine women who have made starts in the Indianapo-lis 500. The list does not include Desiré Wilson, who attempted toqualify but did not make a race.

Driver Starts Avg. start Avg. finish Best finishAna Beatriz 4 23.8 20 15 (2013)Simona de Silvestro 5 23.8 22.6 14 (2010)Milka Duno 3 28.7 23.3 19 (2008)Sarah Fisher 9 19.9 25.4 17 (2009)Janet Guthrie 3 18.3 24 9 (1978)Katherine Legge 2 31.5 24 22 (2012)Pippa Mann 4 27 24 20 (2011)Danica Patrick 7 12.1 8.7 3 (2009)Lyn St. James 7 23.7 20.9 11 (1992)

WOMEN AT INDY

SCOTT ROVAK, USA TODAY SPORTS

Danica Patrick, left, walks toward Ryan Briscoe’s car during the 2008 Indianapolis 500.

Patrick packed excitementinto her seven Indy 500s

AJ MAST, THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Danica Patrick, left, passes Dan Wheldon on a restart duringthe Indy 500 in 2005, when she finished in fourth place.


planned the first coast-to-coasthighway.

While property in French Lick,Ind., was considered, Fisher’s ideafor IMS wasn’t in motion until a1908 ride home from Dayton,Ohio. Traveling with friend LemTrotter, their car su�ered yetanother tire failure amid poorroad conditions, sending Fisherinto a tirade. A few days later,Trotter, a real estate agent, droveFisher to the parcels of flat farm-land for sale, and Fisher’s groupended up paying $72,000 for thefour 80-acre plots west of town.

INDIANAPOLIS One was itsdreamer and co-founder, theother its savior.

So who is the most importantfigure of the Indianapolis 500’sfirst 100 editions? Carl Fisher orTony Hulman?

In between them in Indianapo-lis Motor Speedway ownershipwas Eddie Rickenbacker, whobought from Fisher and sold toHulman. His reign sheds light.

Rickenbacker assumed controlof IMS in August 1927, largelybecause Fisher and his partnershad lost interest. Do the math:Fisher’s group bought the land inDecember 1908, giving themnearly 19 years as owners. Yes, thetrack was Fisher’s idea as early as1903, and his group put the firstshovel in the ground, but theproperty likely would be coveredwith homes today if not forHulman.

Once World War II broke out,Rickenbacker did little in terms ofmaintenance, which explains thedecaying grandstands and over-grown infield when Hulman laideyes on the track in the fall of1945. What happened under hisstewardship? The Greatest Spec-tacle in Racing.

With Hulman’s family wealthfrom the wholesale grocery busi-ness and Clabber Girl BakingPowder, IMS got more than asprucing up. The investmentHulman made for even the 1946race — the first after the war —was impressive. An iron and steelpaddock was installed, the cracksin the track freed of weeds, newbleachers rose in Turn 2 andseating was built on either side ofthe pagoda along pit road.

Confidence in Hulman’s in-vestment was so high that 56 cars,including nine from overseas,showed up for the rebirth race,and a larger-than-expected crowdattended.

The resources Hulman in-vested went beyond financial; heprovided a team that included JoeCloutier and Joe Quinn, and theyhelped stabilize the sport. Three-

time race winner Wilbur Shaw,who connected Rickenbacker andHulman, became president andgeneral manager.

Physical improvements becameannual as Hulman stuck to hisplan of putting proceeds back intothe facility. Hulman was a fatherfigure to many of the drivers.

“He was bigger than life in somany ways, but he was so ap-proachable,” Mario Andretti said.“He had all the qualities. You alsowonder where the sport would beif he hadn’t taken over. That’s abig part of (his legacy).”

Hulman died in the fall of 1977,leaving the ever-evolving facilityto future generations of his fam-ily. His grandson, Tony George,became track president in 1990,and, while he was central to open-wheel racing’s split a few yearslater, he secured a financiallysuccessful NASCAR race and ledanother overhaul of the propertyin 1999-2000.

Fisher was more of a visionary,and he’s credited with turningMiami Beach’s swamplands into adestination. He also led the Lin-coln Highway Commission, which

Fisher’s influence was im-mense, and his track attracted thelikes of early winners Ray Har-roun and Ralph DePalma. In thefirst years, the 500 drew entrantsfrom a host of small companiesbuilding cars one at a time. Latercame the manufacturers.

Because Hulman’s direct own-ership spanned more than twiceas many 500s as Fisher’s — 32 to15 — more drivers in his erareached a larger audience, therebycreating more interest. Thosewere the heydays of Rodger Ward,Jim Rathmann, Parnelli Jones,

100 WHO INFLUENCED INDY

1968 PHOTO BY LEROY PATTON, THE INDIANAPOLIS NEWS

Tony Hulman bought a track in disrepair after World War II. He salvaged it and took the Indianapolis 500 to new heights.

Founder, driversand others maderace what it isCurt Cavin@curtcavinUSA TODAY Sports


Andretti, the Unsers, JohnnyRutherford and one of Hulman’sfavorites, A.J. Foyt. That also wasthe start of Team Penske’s rise toprominence.

So from this seat, Hulman wasthe most influential.

A look at other figures whohave played a part in the history,lore and pageantry of the 500:

3. Wilbur Shaw: His four-year run between 1937-40 — first,second, first, first — likely willnever be matched.

4. A.J. Foyt: He’s the firstdriver to win the race four times(1961, ’64, ’67, ’77). He has re-mained loyal to the Speedway,frequently saying that nobodywould know anything about him ifnot for the race. He stuck with theIndy Racing League during theopen-wheel split. His blunt ap-proach and longevity — a race-record 35 starts — make himlegendary.

5. Mario Andretti: He wonthe race just once, in 1969, but hisworldwide success and ability tobe a contender for decades makehim a fan favorite to this day. Hemade 29 starts and finished in thetop 10 on 10 other occasions.

6. Parnelli Jones: Though hewon the race just once, in 1963,he’s one of the great pursuers ofspeed. He was the first to top150 mph in qualifying and startedthe race twice from the pole. Healso won the race as a team ownerin 1970 and ’71, two of Al Un-ser Sr.’s four victories.

7. Roger Penske: He is in his50th year in racing and has beenat the top of Indy-car ownershipfor almost all of that span. He hasa record 16 victories as a teamowner and has a good chance toadd another this year with three-time winner Helio Castroneves,series points leader Simon Page-naud, defending and two-timerace champion Juan Pablo Mon-toya and last year’s runner-up,Will Power.

8. Sid Collins: He brought therace to people worldwide as chiefradio voice from 1952-76, longbefore TV became prominent incoverage.

9. Eddie Rickenbacker: TheWorld War I flying ace bought theSpeedway in 1927 and expandedits appeal despite the challengesof the Great Depression. He of-fered the track to the armedforces during World War II butwas rebu�ed.

10. Tom Carnegie: Carnegie’svoice booming over the public-address system became a vitalpart of the fans’ experience. Hedid most of the PA work from1946-2006. “It’s a new track rec-ord!” hasn’t been heard in a while,

but it was ubiquitous for decades.11. Louis Meyer: He’s the first

three-time race winner (1928, ’33,’36). He started a tradition byasking for milk (buttermilk at thetime) in victory lane in ’36.

12. James Allison: One of thefour founders of IMS and founderof many automotive parts compa-nies, one of which became a hugeIndianapolis employer after it wastaken over by General Motors.

13. Rick Mears: Winner of therace four times (1979, ’84, ’88, ’91)and winner of the pole position arecord six times. He won the racethree times from the pole.

14. Andy Granatelli: CEO ofmotor oil company STP. Heowned and/or promoted scores ofIndy cars, most notably the 1969winning car driven by MarioAndretti.

15. Bill Vukovich: Race win-ner in 1953 and ’54 who was killedin the ’55 race. Though he com-peted in just five 500s, he led 485career laps.

16. Colin Chapman: Founderof the Lotus car company. JimClark drove a Lotus to victory in1965, revolutionizing the way cardesigners approached Indy-carracing.

17. Tom Sneva: He won therace in 1983 and finished secondon three occasions. He also won

the pole three times. The “GasMan” was the first driver to qual-ify at better than 200 mph.

18. Nigel Mansell: Thoughhe competed at Indy just twice,the Formula One championbrought it greater internationalrelevance in the early ’90s.

19. Bobby Unser: Race win-ner in 1968, ’75 and ’81, and hehad seven other top-10 finishes.He retired soon after the ’81 vic-tory and announced races on TV.

20. Tony George: A grand-son of Tony Hulman, he led theSpeedway for 20 years. He createdthe Indy Racing League, whichbattled the former CART seriesfor U.S. open-wheel racing su-premacy. The groups have sincebeen reunified into IndyCar.

21. Al Unser Sr.: He was thesecond driver to earn a fourth 500win, taking the checkered flag in1970, ’71, ’78 and ’87. He holds thecareer record with 644 laps led.

22. Jim Clark: He won therace in 1965 and finished secondin two of his four other starts. Aleader in the British invasion ofFormula One racers to drive atIndy in the 1960s.

23. Emerson Fittipaldi: Hewon the race in 1989 and ’93. Hewas the first Brazilian to winthere, spreading its lore to SouthAmerica. Fittipaldi, who owned

orange groves, created a stir whenhe qua�ed orange juice instead ofmilk in the winner’s circle.

24. Rodger Ward: He wonthe race in 1959 and ’62 and fin-ished no worse than fourth be-tween 1959 and ’64.

25. Johnny Rutherford: Hewon the race in 1974, ’76 and ’80,and competed 24 times. He alsowon the pole three times, twicewinning from that starting spot.

26. Jim McKay: A voice syn-onymous with the race, he an-nounced it on ABC for 18 yearsfrom the 1960s to the ’80s.

27. A.J. Watson: Primarybuilder of cars that won several500s, including the first two byA.J. Foyt in 1961 and ’64. He waspart of Indy-car racing for 35years.

28. Dan Gurney: Runner-upin 1968 and ’69, he was consideredas good or better as a race engi-neer and team owner than he wasa driver. He was part of the own-ership team for Bobby Unser’s ’75victory.

29. Ralph DePalma: A par-ticipant in the inaugural race in1911, he won in 1915 and finishedin the top 10 six times, includingseventh in his final Indy start in1925.

30. Bill Simpson: A developerof racing safety products for dec-

ades. He once set himself on firefor 20 seconds to show his confi-dence in his fire-retardant suits.

31. Mauri Rose: He won the1941, ’47 and ’48 races. His racingcareer spanned 15 starts between1933 and 1951.

32. Jim Rathmann: He wonthe 1960 race and finished secondin ’52, ’57 and ’59.

33. Danny Sullivan: Heproduced one of the most famousvictories with the “spin and win”in 1985, when he passed MarioAndretti on lap 120, spun out withno one around him 100 yardslater, pitted for tires, regained thelead on lap 140 and went on towin. He drove in the race 12 timeswith four other top-10 finishes.

34. Jim Nabors: His rendi-tion of (Back Home Again in)Indiana made him beloved by fansat the Speedway for decades.

35. Mari Hulman George:Chairwoman of the IMS boardwho for decades has given thecommand to start.

36. Jackie Stewart: Thoughhe only competed twice in theIndy 500, his worldwide cachebrought the race a wider audiencein the 1960s. He also announcedthe race on TV.

37. Joe Cloutier: Speedwaypresident after Tony Hulman diedin 1977 and, before that, tracktreasurer. He helped persuadeHulman to buy IMS in 1945.

38. Tom Binford: He was therace’s chief steward from 1974-95.He also was one of Indianapolis’leading businessmen andphilanthropists.

39. Chip Ganassi: He hasfour race wins as a team owner.He also drove in the race fivetimes, with a best finish of eighthin 1982.

40. Lou Moore: Driver andcar owner. Cars he owned won the1947-49 races. As a driver, hefinished second as a rookie in1928 and third twice. He alsostarted from the pole in ’32.

41. Ray Harroun: He won theinaugural race in 1911 in the Mar-mon Wasp. The rearview mirrorhe used in the race is believed tobe the first ever used on a car. Henever drove in the 500 again.

42. Sam Hanks: He won thelast of his 13 Indy starts, in 1957.He also finished second in ’56 andthird on two occasions.

43. Eddie Sachs: A fan favor-ite and two-time pole starter whofinished runner-up in 1961. Hecoined the phrase, “If you can’twin, be spectacular.” He died in a1964 crash in the 500.

44. George Bignotti: Me-chanic and crew chief for Al Un-ser Sr.’s wins in 1970 and ’71 in thefamed Johnny Lightning car. Also

2014 PHOTO BY ROBERT SCHEER, THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Indy 500 fans for decades enjoyed Jim Nabors’ rendition of (Back Home Again in) Indiana.


was chief mechanic for A.J. Foyt’swins in ’61 and ’64. He was a crewchief for decades.

45. Leo Mehl: Goodyearexecutive brought the tiremakerinto Indy car racing from the1970s to the ’90s. Goodyear leftthe series in 1999, after 36 years,as the Indy Racing League- CARTfeud continued.

46. Al Unser Jr.: Won therace in 1992 and ’94 and finishedsecond in a spirited duel withEmerson Fittipaldi in 1989. Hemade 19 Indy starts.

47. J.C. Agajanian: Stetson-wearing team owner led the win-ning e�orts of Troy Ruttman in1952 and Parnelli Jones in 1963.Cars he owned won the pole posi-tion three times.

48. Danica Patrick: Scoredthe highest Indy finish for afemale driver by taking third in2009. She was named rookie ofthe year in 2005, when she be-came the first female to lead lapsin the 500. In seven starts, shefinished outside the top 10 once.

49. Paul Newman: His1960s movie Winning added tothe race’s allure, and he laterbecame a team co-owner.

50. Jim Hurtubise: A fanfavorite who competed in the race10 times, starting on the front rowtwice.

51. Arie Luyendyk: He wonthe race in 1990 and ’97 and holdsthe one- and four-lap qualifyingrecords. His 236.986 mph qualify-ing average in 1996 remains arecord.

52. James Garner: The actorwas a dedicated race fan andbrought star power to IMS fordecades. He drove the pace carthree times.

53. Helio Castroneves: Hewon the race as a rookie in 2001and prevailed in ’02 and ’09. Hewill go for a fourth title this yearin an e�ort to tie A.J. Foyt, AlUnser Sr. and Rick Mears for themost in history. He has two run-ner-up finishes.

54. Tony Stewart: The Co-lumbus, Ind., native drove in five500s, twice starting on the frontrow and three times finishing inthe top 10.

55. Paul Page: Race radioand TV announcer. He was thelead radio voice for the race from1977-87.

56. Jack Brabham: Part ofthe British Invasion of Formu-la One drivers who competed atIMS in the 1960s. He drove in four500s.

57. Fred Offenhauser: Carbuilder whose “O�y” engines havewon the race 27 times. An O�ywon every race between 1947-64.

58. Frank Kurtis: Car builder

whose machines won the race fivetimes.

59. Alberto Ascari: He drovethe first Ferrari at the speedwayin 1952, finishing 31st.

60. Clint Brawner: Chiefmechanic built the car MarioAndretti Sr. drove to victory in1969. He hired Andretti to drivean Indy car.

61. Clarence Cagle: Speed-way superintendent for nearlythree decades. He was hired byTony Hulman shortly after Hul-man bought the Speedway.

62. Tim Richmond: A two-time 500 starter, he finished ninthin 1980 and earned rookie of theyear honors. He moved on toNASCAR racing after 1981.

63. Dean Sicking: He waspart of the team that developedthe SAFER barrier and receivedthe speedway’s engineering awardin 2002. IMS was the first track toinstall the barrier, or “soft walls.”

64. Fred Duesenberg: Carbuilder who powered severalcontenders starting in 1913. Due-senbergs won four races in the1920s.

65. Billy Arnold: He won the1930 race from the pole, leadingfrom lap 3 to the finish and win-ning by more than seven minutes.He crashed during the race thenext two years and retired.

66. Michael Andretti: Hedrove in 16 500s and was a race-winning team owner in 2014 withRyan Hunter-Reay. His runner-upfinish in 1991 was one of ninetop-10s as a driver. Son of Mario.

67. Mike Boyle: Owner of thedeep purple Maserati that Wilbur

Shaw drove to victory in 1939 and’40.

68. Rex Mays: He was run-ner-up in 1940 and ’41. He led therace in nine of his 12 starts.

69. Thomas Hanna: Long-time IMS medical director whoover his 50-year career at thefacility transformed motor sportsemergency care.

70. Al Dean: Chief of DeanVan Lines sponsored cars duringthe 1950s and ’60s. Cars he spon-sored won the pole four times andfinished second twice.

71. David Letterman: Life-long fan and team co-owner ofRahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.Won the 2004 race with BuddyRice as driver. He gave the seriesnationwide exposure for decadeson his late-night TV shows.

72. Harry Miller: His compa-ny built nine cars that won therace, and engines he developedwon three more. His cars ac-counted for roughly 80% of theentries in the 500 between1923-28.

73. Tony Kanaan: He wonthe 2013 race, which featured arace-record 68 lead changes. Hehas six other top-10 finishes in 14starts, including a runner-up in2004.

74. Mark Donohue: He wonthe race in 1972 — Roger Penske’sfirst as a team owner — and wasrunner-up in ’70. He raced inmany series and died during a1975 Formula One test.

75. Dario Franchitti: He wonthe race three times (2007, ’10,’12) in 10 starts. A back injurysu�ered in a race accident in 2013

ended his career. He continues towork with Chip Ganassi Racing asa consultant.

76. Gordon Johncock: Hewon the 1973 and ’82 races, thelatter over Rick Mears by a razor-thin margin of 0.16 seconds, thefourth-closest finish in history. Hemade 24 starts and finished in thetop 10 on nine other occasions.

77. Tommy Milton: He wonthe race in 1921 and ’23, the firstto become a multiple winner. Hemade eight starts and later servedas chief steward.

78. Bobby Rahal: He wonthe 1986 race and has been alongtime team owner. In 13 starts,he also was runner-up in 1990 andthird on two occasions.

79. Dan Wheldon: He wonthe race in 2005 and in ’11 over hisnine starts. He also finished sec-ond in 2009 and ’10. He was killedin a racing accident in 2011.

80. Lloyd Ruby: The third-place finisher in 1964 and a top-10finisher on six other occasions in18 starts. He led laps in five In-dy 500s and is considered one ofthe best never to win.

81. Jimmy Bryan: He com-peted in nine 500s, winning in1958. He also finished second in’54 and third in ’57.

82. Arthur Chevrolet: Hedrove in two 500s, including theinaugural. He and his Swiss-bornbrothers, Louis and Gaston, wereearly racing and consumer auto-mobile pioneers.

83. Louis Chevrolet: Hecompeted in four 500s in its firstdecade, with a best finish of sev-enth. He founded the car compa-ny that bears his name.

84. Smokey Yunick: Cardesigner whose e�orts helped JimRathmann win the 1960 race. Heintroduced Indy-car racing toaerodynamic wings on Rath-mann’s 1962 car.

85. Jim Hall: Team ownerwho refined the use of wings oncars and had winning entries withAl Unser Sr. in 1978 and JohnnyRutherford in ’80.

86. Lem Trotter: He suggest-ed Memorial Day as the race date.He was a colleague of speedwayco-founders Carl Fisher andJames Allison.

87. Jim McGee: Longtimerace mechanic and pioneer in racestrategy. He worked on MarioAndretti’s winning car in 1969 andwas a team leader for the Patrickand Newman-Haas teams.

88. Harlan Fengler: Race’schief steward from 1958-74. Healso drove in the race in 1923.

89. Donald Davidson: Raceand IMS historian. Want to knowjust about anything about racehistory? He wrote the book on it.

90. Bob Collins: Longtimesports editor and columnist atThe Indianapolis Star. He spreadthe word of the race far and widefrom the 1940s well into the ’80s.

91. Sarah Fisher: A popularnine-time Indy 500 starter whomade the transition into teamownership. Her nine Indy 500sare the most by a woman, and shenow is a speedway businessowner.

92. Peter DePaolo: He wonthe 1925 Indy 500 and competedseven times between 1922-30.Though he was relieved for 21 lapsmid-race because of blisteredhands, he was the first driver toaverage more than 100 mph in arace.

93. Steve Hannigan: He wasone of the track’s earliest andmost successful public relationsrepresentatives, primarily in the1920s and ’30s.

94. Frank Lockhart: Hedrove in two Indy 500s, winningas a rookie in 1926 and startingfrom the pole in ’27. He also wasan engineer. He died in 1928 try-ing to set a land speed record.

95. Willy T. Ribbs: He wasthe first African-American driverin the race, competing in 1991 and’93. When he wasn’t in the car, hewore a cowboy hat.

96. Kevin Forbes: Speed-way’s director of engineering andconstruction for a couple of dec-ades, until last year. His tenureincluded the development of theSAFER barrier and the infieldroad course.

97. Janet Guthrie: In 1977she became the first woman toearn a spot in the race and scoreda top finish of ninth the followingyear. No other woman would earna spot in the race until the 1990s.

98. Johnnie Parsons: Hewon the 1950 race, his secondstart, and was runner-up as arookie one year earlier. He com-peted in 10 Indy 500s, finishing inthe top 10 on two other occasions.

99. Frank Wheeler: One ofthe speedway’s founders whopooled resources to develop auto-mobile testing grounds. The own-er of a carburetor company, hesu�ered from diabetes and com-mitted suicide in 1921 when com-plications from the diseasebecame too di�cult.

100. Joe Leonard: He fin-ished third twice (1967 and ’72)and earned a pole during a nine-race span from 1965-73. Leonardearned the pole in 1968 in a revo-lutionary Lotus and was nine lapsfrom victory when his ignitionfailed.

Cavin writes for The Indianapolis Star,part of the USA TODAY NETWORK.

AP

Bobby Rahal celebrates his 1986 Indy 500 win. As a team owner,he claimed victory in 2004, when Buddy Rice prevailed.

28 SPECIAL EDITION USA TODAY SPORTS USA TODAY SPORTS SPECIAL EDITION 29


Josef Newgarden acknowledgeshis good fortune.

At 25, he’s in his fifth season asa regular in the Verizon IndyCarSeries. He’s one of the lucky oneswho reached the top level at anearly age.

For most, it has been a farsteeper climb. Only eight otherdrivers 25 or younger are expect-ed to compete for a place in the100th Indianapolis 500 onMay 29: Jack Hawksworth (25),Max Chilton (25), Carlos Munoz(24), Conor Daly (24), AlexanderRossi (24), Matthew Brabham(22), Spencer Pigot (22) and SageKaram (21).

The di�culty for young driversis breaking through in the firstplace.

“There’s more disadvantage toyouth for many reasons,” New-garden told USA TODAY Sports.“What I’ve noticed is that peopleput a lot more stock into experi-ence in IndyCar, whether it’s teamowners, engineers or team man-agers. Your value as an individualwithin the paddock is brought outmore so from the experience sidethan from the youth side.”

Once at the top level, youngdrivers face an arduous task get-ting seat time with a highly fund-ed team. Only one of the under-25drivers — Chilton with Chip Ga-nassi Racing — is with one of thefavored, deep-pocketed teams.

“It’s going to take one of the topteams to give us a shot,” Daly said.“It’s very di�cult going up againstPenske or Ganassi and their driv-ers, who are very good and veryexperienced. … When one of thosebig teams, who really have thebest shot at the Indy 500, believesin a young talent, and in turn theyoung talent does the job, then Ibelieve we’ll see young winners atIndy.”

IndyCar’s wide array of tracksand disciplines — from large ovalssuch as Indianapolis’s 2.5-milesurface to road and street courses— demands a variety of skillsoften gained only through experi-ence. That makes it tough for ayoung driver to work through to

the top.“From a driving point of view, it

does help quite a bit to have expe-rience,” said Newgarden, whodrives for Ed Carpenter Racing.“It pays dividends because of thediversity of the calendar. It’s notone discipline throughout thewhole year. If it was just one dis-cipline, you could get by with lessexperience and have the speedelement there.

“Here there are so many di�er-ent disciplines with ovals, roadcourse and street courses. Thereare so many di�erent complex-ities to all of those di�erent typesof races. The experience of beingable to switch back and forth andunderstand what to do for eachone helps a lot.”

Daly, son of former FormulaOne driver Derek Daly, has strug-gled to break through to the Veri-zon IndyCar Series despite arésumé that includes GP2 andGP3 series races. He signed afull-season deal with Dale Coyne

Racing this year and will competein his third Indy 500.

He’ll be facing established starssuch as three-time Indy 500 win-ner Helio Castroneves (41) andJuan Pablo Montoya (40), whohas won twice in three Indy 500tries, , including last year.

“The majority of our series isvery experienced guys,” Daly said.“It’s taken a long time for us tobreak in. Josef was the first guy toreally break in and establish him-self. Whenever there are opportu-nities when guys need to sub in ifsomeone gets injured, very fewtimes will a young driver be calledupon to serve that time in the car.I was one of the lucky ones.”

After winning an Indy Lightschampionship in 2011, Newgar-den broke through in 2012 withSarah Fisher Hartman Racing.

He won twice last year — atBarber Motorsports Park in Bir-mingham, Ala., and in Toronto —establishing himself as the sport’smost promising and sought-after

young driver.“It’s gotten a lot better for

young drivers,” he said. “As di�-cult as it is to work your way intoa top team, it was even moredi�cult five or 10 years ago.There’s a lot more interest in theyouth in the sport and the youngtalent being groomed in NorthAmerica. The Mazda Road to Indyhas helped that a lot. There’s aprogram in place. It’s gottenenough credibility over the yearsthat there’s more value being putto the drivers that come throughthose steps. I think that will onlyget better over the next couple ofyears, too.”

One hurdle young drivers faceis being trusted for a short-termsubstitution. When 2014 IndyCarchampion Will Power fell ill be-fore the season opener in St. Pe-tersburg, Fla., Team Penskesummoned veteran Oriol Servia(41) to drive Power’s car.

“Teams aren’t willing to giveyoung guys a shot on such short

notice like that,” Daly said. “I’dlike to see that change. It’s why wehave the Indy Lights Series. Theseyoung drivers are itching to get achance in the IndyCar Series.That’s why Formula One teamshave a reserve driver, and it’susually a young driver. It’s not aguy with lots of experience.”

Does a 25-or-younger driverhave a chance to win the 100thIndy 500? Certainly. But the oddsare with the high-dollar teams towin the biggest-money race, andfew young drivers are establishedwith those teams.

“I’m not saying no one has ashot of winning the Indy 500,”Newgarden said. “It’s just morelikely that you’re going to win it ina top team than you are in asmaller organization, especially inan event like this when all thedetails are more crucial in orderto win. ... The odds are probably abit more skewed toward the topteams, and there aren’t manyyoung guys in those seats.”

YOUNG DRIVERS FACE ROUGH ROAD Variety of tracksin IndyCar gives edge to veteransJeff Olson@jeffolson77Special for USA TODAY Sports


Driver Josef Newgarden, who’s 25, says, “What I’ve noticed is that people put a lot more stock into experience in IndyCar.”

The USA TODAY NETWORKtakes a race-by-race look at theIndianapolis 500. Race recaps andbreakouts by The IndianapolisStar sta�. Contributing: Je� Olson

1912The story goes that Joe Dawson

walks into his mother’s home onNorth Illinois Street and tells herhe just won the Indianapolis 500.With only radio, telegrams andlimited use of the telephone, hismother is unaware of the turn ofevents until her son makes a bee-line home to announce the news.Joe Dawson indeed has won the1912 Indy 500 by leading two veryimportant laps, the last two. Daw-son sweeps past Ralph DePalmaon DePalma’s 199th lap, as a smil-ing but heartsick DePalma pusheshis crippled Mercedes across thefinish line after leading virtuallyall the way.

1913The arrival of the Peugeot team

in Indianapolis reveals an ad-vanced engine that will be thebasis of Indy-car motor design forthe next 75 years. Even thoughFrenchman Jules Goux is by crafta road racer, he dominates the1913 Indy 500. Qua�ng a bottle ofwine to cool down during his pitstops, Goux leaves the likes ofSpencer Wishart’s Mercer andCharles Merz’s Stutz in his wake.1914

The French have a lock onIndianapolis Motor Speedway in1914. When the results of theIndianapolis 500 are posted, thenames read Rene Thomas (in aDelage), Arthur Duray (Peugeot),Albert Guyot (Delage) and JulesGoux (Peugeot). In fifth place isBarney Oldfield in a Stutz. Also ofnote, the name Duesenberg ap-pears for the first time. The driveris Eddie Rickenbacker. Bothwould be heard from again.1915

Scheduled for May 29, the raceis postponed until Monday be-cause of rain. After battling withthe Peugeot of Dario Resta andthe Stutz racers of Howdy Wilcoxand Gil Anderson, Ralph DePalmasurges back in the lead when, inthe later stages, leader Resta skidsand has to pit for tires.

1916Resta has the distinction of

being the sole Indianapolis 500winner to go the full distance, winand drive only 300 miles. Thatunique situation develops becausein 1916 the management of theSpeedway schedules the race for300 miles. It also is a unique yearin that the management, fearing ashortage of cars because of thewar in Europe, orders three racecars to be built and owned by theSpeedway. It is a fortuitous move,as only 21 racers come to the lineon race day.1917-18

No races are held because ofWorld War I. The track is placedat the disposal of the U.S.government.1919

Indianapolis’ Howdy Wilcoxwins in the first postwar race inan IMS-owned Peugeot, whichessentially is a 1916 race car. For-mer 500 victor Rene Thomasbecomes the first man to breakthe 100-mph barrier in qualifying.Fatalities mar the event whendrivers Arthur Thurman andLouis LeCocq, along with hisriding mechanic Robert Bandini,are killed in separate accidents.


The first Indy 500, wonby Ray Harroun in theMarmon Wasp, intro-duces the rearview mir-ror and aerodynamics tothe fledgling automotiveindustry. The averagespeed is 74.602 mph.

1911

By the time the inaugural Indianapolis 500 was run in1911, Indianapolis Motor Speedway o�cials already hadattempted two other forms of racing.

A hot air balloon race was contested June 5, 1909. Ninegas-filled balloons competed, and a few thousand fanspaid either 50 cents or $1 to watch on the speedwaygrounds.

In August 1909, motorcycles were scheduled to race ona track with a mixture of crushed stone and tar. Thatsummer was particularly hot, humid and rainy, and thetrack’s surface never settled. A few races were started, butconditions never allowed a full race with a full field tofinish.

Cars got their turn on the oval in late August, when theweather began to cooperate. Several short races were con-tested over three days, some as short as two laps. Howev-er, a planned 300-mile finale did not reach completionbecause of persistent track problems.

SPEEDWAY HADFALSE STARTS

THROUGH THE YEARS

AP

In the first Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 1911, mechanics rode along with the drivers.

UNDATED AP PHOTO

Dario Resta won the 1916 race, which was 300 miles because thespeedway feared a shortage of cars due to the war in Europe.


1920Gaston Chevrolet, the youngest

Chevrolet brother, drives a LouisChevrolet-built Monroe to vic-tory. The race car actually is aFrontenac that is built with aMonroe nameplate when WilliamSmall, an Indianapolis distributorof the Monroe automobile, putsup the money for the car. Thevictory highlights three historicalfactors. It breaks the strangleholdof the Europeans at the speedway.It also is the first race for the183-cubic-inch engines ratherthan 300-cubic-inchers, and it isthe last time until 1934 that afour-cylinder-powered car wins.1921

The race is another victory forLouis Chevrolet, but Chevroletaccepted the laurels with a heavyheart. Louis’ brother Gaston haddied after crashing during a raceat Beverly Hills Speedway justseven months after his Indy 500triumph in 1920. Tommy Miltonhas been given Gaston’s seat be-hind the wheel of Chevrolet’s newstraight-eight Frontenac. Milton,

on his way to being the first mul-ti-500 winner in speedway histo-ry, justifies Chevrolet’s faith inhim by taking the checkered flagtwo laps ahead of runner-up Ros-coe Sarles in a Duesenberg.1922

Irishman Jimmy Murphy getsto the finish line ahead of every-one else in a car called the Mur-phy Special. The chassis is aDuesenberg, but the engine is oneof Harry Miller’s newly conceivedstraight-eights. Murphy starts onthe pole after qualifying with aspeed of 100.50 mph, sets a racerecord of 94.48 mph and helpsestablish the foundation for theMiller dynasty.1923

Milton, driving one of Harry C.Stutz’s H.C.S. cars from the pole ata record qualifying speed of 108.17mph, becomes the first two-timewinner. Behind Milton, HarryHartz, Jimmy Murphy and EddieHearne follow in Durant Specials.Tom Alley, driving relief for EarlCooper, crashes through the back-stretch fence, killing teenager

Bert Shoup, who is watching therace through a knothole.1924

In the first of only two times inIndianapolis 500 history, there

are co-winners. L.L. Corum andJoe Boyer share the laurels intheir revolutionary Indianapolis-built Duesenberg. The Duesen-berg team had spent years tryingto win the 500.

1925Responding to Pete DePaolo’s

charging driving style, the No. 12Duesenberg finishes the 1925Indianapolis 500 at an averagespeed of 101.13 mph, a record thatstands for seven years. With theshoes of his young son strapped tothe front axle and the battle cry of“Push ’em up baby shoes,” DePao-lo shows pole-sitter Leon Durayand everybody else in the 22-carfield the cream-colored tail of theNo. 12.

1926Frank Lockhart, 23, is given the

chance to drive when car owner/driver Pete Kreis becomes ill withthe flu. Even though it was thedebut of smaller engines — 91cubic inches instead of the 122s of1925 — Lockhart sets a lap recordof 115.488 mph. He is out in frontwith Kreis’ Miller on the secondleg of the event when rain stopsthe race at 400 miles.

INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY PHOTO VIA AP

Tommy Milton, left, flanking Harry Stutz with Howdy Wilcox, right, became the first two-time Indianapolis 500 winner in 1923. Wilcox relieved him for laps 103-151.

INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY PHOTO VIA AP

Gaston Chevrolet, right, in his car with riding mechanic JohnnyBresnahan on a practice day in 1920, went on to win the race.


1927For 120 laps, it is virtually all

Frank Lockhart, but when the full200 laps are completed, the nameon top of the scoreboard is rookieGeorge Souders in an “old” Due-senberg. The Duesey reportedly isPete De Paolo’s 1925 winner, astory always denied by Souders.The race also sees the lap-prizefund rise to $100 per lap, an in-crease that permits Lockhart towin $10,900.1928

Louis Meyer has come to Indi-anapolis to help Augie Duesen-berg prepare a Duesey. But theDuesenbergs are out of moneyand brother Fred has to sell thecar. Just when things look themost troublesome for them, carowner Alden Sampson II pur-chases the A.C. Spark Plug Millerfrom entrant Phil Shafer and putsMeyer behind the wheel of it.Tony Gulotta’s fuel line clogs onlap 181, and Meyer, who has beenriding along within striking dis-tance, goes on to take the check-ered flag.1929

Lockhart’s cars finish 1-2 in the1929 race in the hands of RayKeech and Meyer. Meyer is aheadby a comfortable margin, but theoil pressure suddenly drops tozero on Lap 157. He notices thepressure drop and eases the carback to the pits to replenish thesupply, but Keech takes the leadfor good. Driver Bill Spence, pilot-ing a Duesenberg, is killed whenhe crashes on the 15th lap.1930

The AAA Contest Board takestwo steps backward, changing therules away from the sleek, pure-bred, supercharged race car to theso-called “junk formula.” Therules call for 366 cubic incheswithout superchargers, a formuladesigned to encourage the use of

stock blocks. They also requireriding mechanics in the cars, adecision that endangers two livesrather than one. Billy Arnoldwrestles the lead from Meyer in aSampson 16-cylinder twin-Milleron the third lap. Arnold neverrelinquishes the top spot, fin-ishing more than seven minutesahead of runner-up ShortyCantlon.1931

By the time a race that seemsmore like a demolition derby isover, Louis Schneider and ridingmechanic Jigger Johnson havebeaten Fred Frame and mechanicL.M. “Shorty” Barnes to the finishline. Dave Evans drives the firstdiesel-powered car in the Indian-apolis 500 to 13th place after hisCummins Diesel is guaranteed astarting position in the 40-carfield.1932

Fred Frame, with mechanicJerry Houck riding beside him,wins the Indianapolis 500 at104.144 mph, a speed that breaksthe 7-year-old race record set byPete De Paolo. It is the secondIndy 500 victory for car owner/builder Harty Hartz. Frame’sMiller-Hartz Special is a combina-tion of the front-wheel drive as-sembly from the 1927 DetroitSpecial and a new chassis and the182-cubic inch straight-eightMiller-Hartz 151 driven by BillyArnold.1933

Five men are killed and one isseriously injured. The Great De-pression tightens its grip, forcingIndianapolis Motor Speedway toreduce its purse. The lap fund islargely unsubscribed, and there isa short-lived drivers’ strike. Mey-er, with mechanic Lawson Harri-son, gets his second Indianapolis500 win ahead of Wilbur Shawand Lou Moore in a record-break-ing speed of 104.162 mph.

AP

Rookie George Souders won the 1927 race in a Duesenberg.

AP

In 1933, Louis Meyer, with mechanic Lawson Harrison, earned his second Indy 500 victory.


1939Jimmy Snyder sets a qual-

1934To slow the cars and make the

event safer, the AAA ContestBoard limits the race fuel to 45gallons and the oil supply to 6gallons. The e�orts are not thatsuccessful as an Indianapolisproduct, “Wild” Bill Cummings,and mechanic Earl Unversaw winat a record speed of 104.863 mph.The pair are a scant 27 secondsahead of runner-up Mauri Roseand mechanic Walt Myers. Thesafety factor doesn’t fare too well,either, as Pete Kreis and mechan-ic Bob Hahn are killed in practiceon the southwest turn when theircar goes over the wall and wrapsitself around a tree.

1935Kelly Petillo, with Jimmy Dun-

ham as his mechanic, sets a racerecord of 106.240 mph to beatrunner-up Wilbur Shaw and me-chanic Myron Stevens. Petilloneeds three qualifying attempts tomake the race. Rookie JohnnyHannon, the 1934 Eastern dirttrack champion, is killed in prac-tice, which helps lead to the estab-lishment of formal rookie drivertests, beginning in 1936.

1937Supercharging — the use of an

air compressor to force moreoxygen to an engine and increasepower — is permitted, althoughcommercial fuel is required. Butthere are no limits on the amountof fuel used. Despite horsepowercoming back into favor via su-percharging, Shaw and mechanicJigger Johnson win in a four-cylinder, normally aspirated 255O�y. The four-banger still hassu�cient power to propel the pairover the distance at a recordspeed of 113.580 mph.

1938The cars return to single-seat-

ers, removing the dangerousaspect of carrying a mechanic.The engine size is reduced to183.06 cubic inches superchargedand 274.59 non-supercharged.Any type and amount of fuel ispermitted. This enables mechan-ics to use alcohol, a fuel partic-ularly helpful to superchargedengines. Despite the return toexotica, Floyd Roberts in LouMoore’s rather conventionalfour-cylinder Miller 270 beatsWilbur Shaw and Chet Miller tothe checkered flag at a recordspeed of 117.200 mph. ification record of 130.138 mph in

a Joe Thorne machine. Snyder,however, places second to Shaw,

who wraps up his second 500 win.Defending champion Floyd Rob-erts is killed in a three-car acci-

dent in the second turn. Thespeedway returns to the four-lapqualification trials that were lastused in 1932. 1940

Shaw becomes the first to winthe Indy 500 back to back. He isleading the race when it begins torain at 375 miles. He completesthe last 125 miles in a drizzle andunder the yellow flag at 100 mph.1941

A fire at 6:50 a.m. on race day inthe south section of the garagearea destroys three race cars. Thespeedway closes all gates until8 a.m. and delays the start of therace by an hour. It is the last timethe speedway has co-winners.Mauri Rose leads early, but carbu-retor trouble sidelines his car. Herelieves Floyd Davis in the Noc-Out Hose Clamp Special on lap 72and moves up from 12th to win.1942-45

No races are held because ofU.S. involvement in World War II.

AP

A morning fire in 1941 destroyed three cars and caused a one-hour delay in the Indy 500 start.

Louis Meyer becomes the firstthree-time winner of the Indy500, the first driver to go homewith the pace car (a Packardconvertible) and the only driverto win under a fuel limitation of37.5 gallons.

Meyer, with mechanic LawsonHarris, sets a race record of109.069 mph despite the limitson fuel. They finish a lap ahead ofTed Horn (with mechanic WilburWolf ) and third-place finisherDoc MacKenzie (with mechanicHerschel Catlin).

Meyer’s path to victory isn’teasy. He cracks two cylinder

blocks and has a third flown infrom the West Coast for a last-minute 114.171 mph qualifyingrun. Then he has to work allnight the day before the race tofix a valve problem in the engine.

But things go better once hegets underway from the 28thposition. That’s the farthest backany winner had started.

AP

Louis Meyer is congratulated May 30, 1928, after his first Indianapolis 500 victory.

1936

There were concerns thatthe Indianapolis 500wouldn’t resume after WorldWar II.

Indianapolis Motor Speed-way owner Eddie Ricken-backer prepared for a 1942race even after the Dec. 7,1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.A few entries were receivedbefore he called off the race.

The U.S. government or-dered all racing stopped July15, 1942, leaving the speed-way without a race until thewar ended. Rickenbacker, aWorld War I fighter pilot,offered the speedway for thewar effort, but the govern-ment considered the infieldtoo small to handle the larg-er, faster aircraft of the day.

The facility was left un-attended for three years,and Rickenbacker sold it toTerre Haute businessmanTony Hulman in 1945. Hulmanand his family often arecredited with saving thetrack. Hulman was able toget the facility, which was ina state of disrepair, ready fora race in 1946, just a fewmonths after the sale wentthrough. Three-time Indy 500winner Wilbur Shaw assistedHulman with the project andthe running of the speedwayuntil his death in 1954.

WARTIME


1946In the first race since 1941,

George Robson edges JimmyJackson in a close finish. Robsonhad never won a major auto racebefore his victory. Jackson, anIndianapolis Tech High Schoolgraduate, defies superstition bydriving a green-colored race car.The track receives a face lift whenthousands of old boards are re-placed and thousands of gallons ofpaint are applied to give the oldplace a new face. A new grand-stand and pit parquet seats arebuilt as well.1947

On the 193rd lap, Mauri Rosepasses Bill Holland, who thinks hestill is in first place. When carowner Lou Moore’s pit crewflashes “P-1” to Rose, Moore isfabled to have said, “Don’t letHolland see that sign.” Rose winsby 32 seconds. Holland calls it “alousy deal.” A number of driversboycott qualifying when theAmerican Society of ProfessionalAuto Racers (ASPAR) demandsmore than the traditional$75,000. Speedway owner AntonHulman Jr. is forced to personallyguarantee prize money.

1948Mauri Rose wins again, and Bill

Holland again finishes second.They are in Blue Crowns that are5 mph faster than the year before.Rose wins the race with a record119.814-mph average and one pitstop. When Rose arrives at victorylane, he apologizes to actressBarbara Britton for not acceptinga victory kiss until he first haskissed his fiancée, Mary RuthWentworth.1949

Bill Holland wins the race thatmarks the first live televisionbroadcasts in Indianapolis withEarl Townsend Jr. serving as thechief announcer. After two years,IMS owner Tony Hulman pullsthe plug on the local broadcastafter attendance drops 20%. Hol-land’s win is the third in a row forcar owner Lou Moore.1950

Johnnie Parsons, who placedsecond in 1949, wins the race. It isstopped after 345 miles becauseof rain. His car has a small crackin the engine block, but chiefmechanic Harry Stephens discov-ers it the morning of the race andseals it successfully. The car also

is sold before the race to JimRobbins, who doesn’t share inany of the 1950 prize earnings.1951

The race is completed in lessthan four hours for the first time.It is a safe race, although themechanical attrition is monu-mental. Only eight cars are run-ning at the finish. The cheers goto Lee Wallard, a likable 40-year-old driver making his fourth Indystart. He runs away with the racealthough in the late stages his caris a “moving wreck.” It is out ofbrakes, a shock absorber wasdangling, and its driver was tiredand blistered.1952

Bill Vukovich seems to havethe race wrapped up, but witheight laps to go the steering failsin the new Howard Keck car.Troy Ruttman, 22, gets the check-ered flag to become the race’syoungest-ever winner. His No. 98Agajanian car is only 19 secondsbehind when Vukovich’s car hasmechanical issues in the north-east turn.

An Indianapolis 500 becomeso�cial after the leader com-pletes 101 laps. So guessing theforecast correctly can be a criti-cal part of race preparation.

The most recent rain-short-ened Indy 500 was in 2007,when the race was stopped foralmost three hours on lap 113,then declared complete when

rain fell again after 166 laps.Dario Franchitti drove 415 milesto win.

Other rain-shortened races:1926 (160 laps, 400 miles, wonby Frank Lockhart); 1950 (138laps, 345 miles, Johnnie Par-sons); 1973 (133 laps, 332.5miles, Gordon Johncock); 1975(174 laps, 435 miles, Bobby Un-ser); 1976 (102 laps, 255 miles,Johnny Rutherford); 2004 (180laps, 450 miles, Buddy Rice).

CHARLES KROBLOCK, AP

Johnnie Parsons won the rain-shortened 1950 race.

WET WINS

CHARLES KNOBLOCK, AP

Troy Ruttman, left, with car owner J.C. Agajanian, set the record for youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at age 22 in 1952. The mark still stands.


1953The hot, humid atmosphere

takes its toll on drivers on raceday, contributing to the death ofone — Carl Scarborough — andcausing several others to seekrelief drivers. Bill Vukovich finallypicks up his first Indy triumph inthe Howard Keck roadster. Heleads 195 of the 200 laps and sayshe could have driven 100 moremiles. He air-conditions his sit-ting area by resting his left elbowon the cockpit, directing the airflow to his body.1954

Vukovich repeats, winning inthe Howard Keck Fuel InjectionSpecial that gave him all sorts oftrouble early in the month. Hedoesn’t qualify until the third dayand has to start from the 19thposition. This also is the monthwhen Ed Elisian qualifies in thedark after a hassle with AAA Con-test Board o�cials over handsignals. Troy Ruttman draws a$25 fine because he doesn’t stopafter three warm-up laps on aqualifying day. Three veterandrivers retire: Henry Banks,George Connor and Lee Wallard. 1955

At the halfway mark, it’s ArtCross, Don Freeland and BobSweikert racing for the win. Crossand Freeland drop out and Sweik-ert wins in a car prepared by A.J.Watson, who will reign supremein the early 1960s as the top chas-sis builder. The race is marred bythe death of Vukovich, who iskilled in a harrowing crash on the57th lap when he strikes JohnnyBoyd’s overturned car and beginsa series of end-over-end flips.1956

The United States Auto Club’sfirst 500-mile race (replacing AAA

as the sanctioning body) has ev-erything, including rain and acci-dents. Some believe the race willnot be held, as water edges towithin 3 feet of the track in thefirst turn. Pat Flaherty, an Irish-man from Chicago, wins the racefrom the pole position in his pinkand white racer. He leads for124 laps.1957

The remodeled track sports anew control tower — eight storieshigh and the centerpiece for thou-sands of new infield seats. A tun-nel is built under the backstretch,and the drivers and mechanicshave a new, safer pit area walledo� from the main stretch. SamHanks drives a flawless race in theBelond Special with the laydownengine. He starts 13th and leads141 laps. After winning, the 42-year-old announces his retire-ment. A new wrinkle is attemptedfor the start of the race — “Gentle-men start your engines” — andthe parade lap begins in the newpits.1958

The race features the biggestaccident to date at IndianapolisMotor Speedway, involving 15 carsand killing Pat O’Connor, who

flips over Jimmy Reece and landsin the middle of the track. JerryUnser cartwheels over the outsidewall and dislocates his shoulder.The incident wipes out eight carsand hastens a mandatory rule forthe 1959 race that all cars must beequipped with a roll bar and alldrivers must wear fireproof uni-forms. Jimmy Bryan wins, edgingrookie George Amick. Rookie A.J.Foyt spins out in the southstraightaway after 148 laps in theDean Van Lines Special.1959

In one of the most competitiveIndianapolis 500s, Johnny Thom-son, Flaherty, Jim Rathmann andRodger Ward endure a seesawsizzler. Flaherty’s accident — hespins on the straightaway, hits thepit wall and blocks the pit en-trance on his 162nd lap — andThomson’s mechanical troublesnarrow the chase to two cars.Ward wins by a 23-second marginand has three quick pit stops —73 seconds total. He gets his finallead on the 85th lap. During prac-tice earlier in the month, JerryUnser Jr. — the first of the Unserfamily to compete at IndianapolisMotor Speedway — crashes in thefourth turn and his car catchesfire. He dies days later.

Jim Rathmann catchesRodger Ward’s ailing carto win after the two tradethe lead 14 times in thefinal 100 laps. Two peo-ple, Fred H. Linder andWilliam C. Craig, arekilled when a multifloorhomemade grandstandcollapses in the infield.Forty others are injured,some seriously. Thatmarks the end of home-made grandstands.

1960

AP

After starting 13th, Sam Hanks led 141 laps en route to winning the 1957 Indianapolis 500. He retired after the race.

AP

Bill Vukovich celebrates his 1953 Indy 500 win. He also pre-vailed in 1954 but was killed in a crash in the 1955 race.


finishes of 12th and seventh re-spectively. But in 1963, it is a cleansweep for Parnelli. He turns thefastest practice speed and sets atrack record of 151.153 mph inwinning the pole. He breaks theold race record by nearly 3 mph.1964

A boiling inferno on the secondlap kills Eddie Sachs and DaveMacDonald and probably turnso� more spectators than anyother accident in track history.The second 500 triumph in Foyt’scareer almost is lost in the contro-versy over the use of gasolineinstead of alcohol racing fuel inthe Sachs and MacDonald rear-engine Fords. Afterward, theChicago Tribune urges that therace be discontinued. The Wash-ington Post senses a “new re-vulsion” toward the 500. But it isan extremely notable triumph inthat it marks the end of an era. Itis the last Indianapolis 500 vic-tory for a front-engine car. Foytcalls his car “Old Betsy” and sets arace record of 147.350 mph in theWatson/O�enhauser.1965

In the first nationally televised500, albeit tape-delayed on ABC,Jim Clark makes history. TheScotsman leads all but 10 laps inhis Ford-powered Lotus, the firstrear-engine car to go to victorylane at Indianapolis Motor Speed-way. Clark finishes 1 minute, 59.98seconds ahead of runner-upJones, also driving a Lotus-Ford.1966

A first-lap crash that takes out

1961The golden anniversary 500 is

so evenly matched that a littlemore than 3 mph separates thefastest qualifier, Eddie Sachs at147.481 mph, and the slowest,Bobby Grim at 144.029. On A.J.Foyt’s last scheduled pit stopwhile leading, the refueling equip-ment malfunctiones. He doesn’tget enough fuel to finish and hasto pit again on the 184th lap. Itlooks like Sachs is going to win.But with three laps to go, he has topit for a tire, and Foyt zooms intothe lead and holds it. Sachs fin-ishes second. The month ismarred by the death of MelvinEugene “Tony” Bettenhausenwhile test-driving Paul Russo’sStearly Motor Freight racer whenthe steering failed.1962

Rodger Ward returns to victorylane and was on a spree that even-tually would give him the dis-tinction of being the only Indy500 driver to complete six consec-utive races (200 laps) and neverplace lower than fourth. The mainstretch of Indianapolis MotorSpeedway had been black-toppedin 1961 with the exception of asmall strip of nostalgic bricks —which remains today — at thestart-finish line. Parnelli Jonesbecomes the first 150-mph qualifi-er at 150.37 mph in the Agajanian98.1963

Jones has victory in hand inboth 1961 and 1962 when me-chanical mishaps slow him to

11 cars, including the one drivenby Foyt, leads to a record-lowseven cars running at the finish.With 10 laps to go, ScotsmanJackie Stewart is in the lead. Buthe loses oil pressure, allowing BritGraham Hill to scoot by for thevictory. Defending championClark takes second ahead of JimMcElreath. During qualifying,Chuck Rodee is killed when hecrashed on his second warm-uplap.1967

Foyt claims his third winagainst what many believe wasthe greatest Indianapolis 500 fieldever. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Al andBobby Unser, Johnny Rutherford,Jones, Gordon Johncock, DanGurney, Cale Yarborough andLloyd Ruby were joined by foreignstars Stewart, Clark, Graham Hilland Jochen Rindt. The race isspread over two days because ofrain, and a four-car crash on thelast lap forces Foyt to pick his waythrough debris to take the check-ered flag.1968

For the second year in a row,car owner Andy Granatelli hasvictory in his grasp only to see itsnatched away at the very end.Joe Leonard, who wins the pole ata record 171.558 mph, is leadingthe race with nine laps to go whenhis turbine stalls on a restart.Granatelli has to look on help-lessly as Bobby Unser goes tovictory lane.

AP

A.J. Foyt edges Eddie Sachs in the 50th anniversary race in 1961.

BOB DAUGHERTY, AP

Eddie Sachs was killed in an accident on the second lap in 1964.

Mario Andretti claimsthe only Indianapolis 500victory of his career de-spite a right rear tire thatcan’t be removed andstays on his car through-out the entire race.

1969

AP

Mario Andretti went to thewinner’s circle in 1969.

The 1990 Indianapolis 500field featured eight drivers whohad won the race’s rookie of theyear award. Did that title signalgreatness to come?

Here are the rookies of theyear who competed in 1990, withtheir rookie finish and theircareer 500 highlights:

1965: Mario Andretti (third;won race in 1969, three runner-up finishes, 29 starts)

1974: Pancho Carter (seventh;17 starts, with best finish of thirdin 1982)

1978: Rick Mears (23rd afterstarting third; won the race fourtimes)

1983: Teo Fabi (26th afterstarting on the pole; best finish ofseventh in eight starts).

1984: Roberto Guerrero (sec-ond; also second in 1987 and polewinner in ’92; 11 starts); MichaelAndretti (fifth; runner-up in 1991and third twice in 16 starts)

1985: Arie Luyendyk (sev-

enth; won the race in 1990 and’97; 17 starts)

1988: Bill Vukovich III (14th;was 12th in 1989; three starts).

The top rookie in 1990 wasEddie Cheever, who finishedeighth. He won the 1998 race andhad 14 starts.

ROOKIES REUNION STARTED IN ’65

BOB D'OLIVO, GETTY IMAGES

Pancho Carter (seventh) was top rookie in the 1974 Indy 500.


1970Al Unser’s first of four victories

in the 500 comes driving a PJ (forParnelli Jones) Colt chassis pow-ered by a Ford engine. Unser putsit on the pole at 170.221 mph andthen leads 190 of 200 laps in therace. He laps all but four cars andfinishes 32.19 seconds ahead ofrunner-up Mark Donohue.1971

Peter Revson wins the pole at arecord 178.696 mph and has MarkDonohue alongside in an identicalMcLaren M16. But Al Unser,starting fifth, methodically workshis way to the front and takes thelead to stay on lap 118. Revsonfinishes second without leading alap. The start is aborted whenIndianapolis auto dealer EldonPalmer crashes the Dodge Chal-lenger pace car into a photog-raphers stand. More than 20people are injured.1972

The scheduled singer doesn’tshow, so track owner Tony Hul-man asks Jim Nabors to sing(Back Home Again in) Indiana, astaple of the prerace ceremoniessince 1946. Nabors holds the jobfor more than 40 years. The lookof the cars changes forever withthe first bolt-on rear wings. BobbyUnser’s pole speed of 195.940mph is a 17 mph jump from theprevious year. Mark Donohue’srace-winning average speed of162.962 mph stands as a recordfor a dozen years. Al Unser fin-ishes second in his bid for threewins in a row.1974

Johnny Rutherford battles A.J.Foyt for much of the race until abroken oil fitting ends Foyt’s dayand sends “Lone Star J.R.” on theway to the first of his three 500victories. The win from 25th onthe starting grid kicks o� a domi-nant three-year run for Ruther-ford in which he pilots hisMcLaren to finishes of first, sec-

ond and first, respectively, eachwith Denis Daviss as his chiefmechanic.1975

A rainstorm shortens the racefrom 500 to 435 miles. BobbyUnser is ripping down the back-stretch when a wall of waterwashes across his visor. As hesplashes down the main straight-away at a snail’s pace, starter PatVidan waves the red and check-ered flags, and Unser is declaredthe winner over Rutherford andFoyt. On the 126th lap, Tom Snevais running fifth when he encoun-ters the lapped car of Canadianrookie Eldon Rasmussen. Theycollide, and Sneva is launchedinto a fiery series of flips.

The race finally ends onWednesday. It includes twodriver fatalities, the death of acrewmember, multiple faninjuries, two rainouts and just133 laps in what was known asthe “72 hours of Indianapolis.”

The month begins on anominous note when Art Pollardis killed in practice. Then onthe first lap of the race, SaltWalther crashes on the frontstraightaway, injuring 13 spec-tators and sending Walther tothe hospital with severe burns.

Rain soon stops the race, anddoes so again the next day,before the race finally startsagain. Then Swede Savage iscritically injured in a fierycrash. (He dies two monthslater.) Armando Teran, a crew-member for Savage teammateGraham McRae, is killed whenhe is struck by an emergencyvehicle on pit road as he ran tothe scene of Savage’s crash.

A somber Gordon Johncockgoes to victory lane when an-other rainstorm mercifullyhalts the race for good.

1973

It was in the garage where theUnser prowess began and hisengineering creativity flowed.

Jerry Unser, whose sons Jer-ry Jr., Bobby and Al raced in the500, started a service station onthis Route 66 property in 1935,and part of the concrete blockgarage remains. The site waschosen, Bobby says, because itwas easily the westernmost partof town.

The Unser boys were raisedhere; when they were older, theirfather gave them land.

Today, Bobby’s spread covers 5 acres, with a daughter living ina home on the property.

ALBUQUERQUE For years, LisaUnser struggled to keep pace ashusband Bobby shared racingstories. She needed a visual roadmap.

Today, such a collection hangssteps inside their home, a year-by-year organization of pho-tographs of each Indianapo-lis 500 car Bobby Unser qualifiedat Indianapolis Motor Speedway.There are 19, spanning threedecades.

One wall speaks to Unser’sprowess at Pikes Peak Hill Climb,which he won 13 times. Justinside the door are the trophieshe received for winning the 500(1968, 1975, 1981), and close byare the awards for the other500-mile Indy-car races he won.

There are rings earned, tro-phies he took home, other keep-sakes — one is an “award” forflipping the most times in the1961 season — and all this occu-pies the middle portion of thehome built in three phases.

The walls of the kitchen anddining room are covered withphotographs, mostly black-and-white tales of his family’s rise toracing prominence. One photoshows how badly his car wasdamaged at Phoenix Interna-tional Raceway in 1965 after itwent under a guardrail.

Unser has scads of old hel-mets, sign boards, a life-sizecuto� of himself and a pinballmachine he and broadcaster PaulPage voiced.

“I’ve saved everything,” hesays.

He has the ashtray and lampreceived for winning a 1965sprint car race at Ascot Park inLos Angeles. He has the fadingsatchel that once carried hishelmet, uniform and gloves. Hehas boxes of vitamins — called“brain chargers” — he endorsedyears ago.

In garages, Unser has threeIndy-winning pace cars, cases ofthe Amsoil synthetic motor oil hehelped develop, welding equip-ment, two engine dynamom-eters, even a record-settingChaparral snowmobile he built.

Bobby has long called thisplace Unserville, but everythingaround it has changed. No longeris it miles from town; now it’spart of a town.

“I shot rifles out the back doorall my life,” Bobby says, laughing.“We used to be in the middle ofnowhere; now we’re in the mid-dle of somewhere.”

Bobby is 82. While spry, sharpand feisty, he figures Lisa willhave to decide what to do with allthese prized possessions. Itshould be turned into its ownmuseum. Call it Unserville.


MEMORABILIA TELLSBOBBY UNSER’S STORY

AP

Bobby Unser celebrates his 1981 Indianapolis 500 victory, histhird. His house is full of memories from his career.

AP

“I’ve saved everything,” says Unser, in the lead at the 1968Indianapolis 500, which he won.

AP

Johnny Rutherford waves after winning the 1974 Indy 500.


1976Five years after women are

allowed in the pits at IndianapolisMotor Speedway, sports car racerJanet Guthrie makes her debut atthe Speedway in a car owned byRolla Vollstedt. Guthrie never getsup to speed, and the car is with-drawn. Guthrie gets one morechance when A.J. Foyt provides acar for a demonstration run, butshe is unable to qualify. The racebelongs to Johnny Rutherfordand Mother Nature. The Texanwins his second 500 in the shor-test race in its history: rain-short-ened to 102 laps. Rutherfordbecomes the first driver to walk tovictory lane.

1978Al Unser holds o� Tom Sneva

by eight seconds, the second-closest finish to that point, andwins the Indy 500 for the thirdtime. In qualifying, Sneva be-comes the first driver to run allfour laps at more than 200 mph.Guthrie, driving with a brokenwrist, finishes ninth, which standsas the best finish by a womanuntil Danica Patrick’s fourth-place finish in 2005.1979

The formation of a car owner’sassociation, known as CART,dominates the o�season news.United States Auto Club, whichsanctions the 500, rejects theentries of CART’s six teams, but ajudge rules the Speedway haspreviously accepted them. Evenqualifying has legal drama. Elevencars are allowed another chanceto qualify after a court injunction,and the result is an expandedstarting field (35 cars). In qualify-ing, Rick Mears prevents Sneva

from winning his third consec-utive pole. Mears goes on to gethis first 500 win in his secondstart.1980

Rutherford earns his thirdvictory after winning the pole bymore than 1 mph at 192.256.Flamboyant rookie Tim Rich-mond runs out of fuel on the lastlap. Sneva finishes second afterstarting 22rd and Gary Betten-hausen third after starting 32nd.1981

The key moment comes duringa lap 144 caution. The leaders pit,and Bobby Unser passes 11 cars onthe track as he roars back up tospeed after leaving pit road. Unserfinishes 5.18 seconds ahead ofMario Andretti to take the victory.Or does he? The next morning,chief steward Tom Binford an-nounces Unser has passed thecars illegally and Andretti isnamed the winner and is honoredat the victory banquet. But Oct. 8,an arbitration committee rulesUnser’s move had no e�ect on theoutcome, and he gets his third andfinal win.

JOE YOUNG, THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Janet Guthrie, with car owner Rolla Vollstedt, failed to qualify in 1976, but she would race from 1977 to 1979, finishing ninth in ’78.

AP

Rick Mears picked up the first of his four Indy 500 wins in 1979.

A.J. Foyt chases down Gor-don Johncock to win the racefor the fourth time, becomingthe first driver to accomplishthe feat.

1977

Danny Ongais’ approachto racing wouldn’t workthese days.

Today’s drivers promotethemselves, their sponsors orthe Verizon IndyCar Seriesanywhere they can.

Ongais used to put upsigns by his IndianapolisMotor Speedway garageentrance stating he wouldnot grant interviews.

The Hawaiian only want-ed to race, and he did onmotorcycles, in hot rods andin Formula One cars as wellas his 11 Indianapolis 500starts. He earned the secondstarting spot in 1978, his sec-ond 500, and finished acareer-best fourth in 1979.

He is perhaps best knownfor surviving a harrowingcrash in the 1981 race.

His last 500 start came in1996 at age 53, 10 years afterhis previous Indy start, whenteam owner John Menardasked him to fill the spot leftby Scott Brayton’s death inan accident in practice. On-gais started last but finishedseventh.

He remains the only na-tive Hawaiian to compete inthe Indy 500.

SILENT TYPE


1982The finish sees Gordon John-

cock stave o� Rick Mears’ furiousfinal attack for the closest finish inhistory (0.16 seconds). The start isnotable as a broken halfshaft wasblamed for Kevin Cogan’s suddenveering into fellow front-rowstarter A.J. Foyt coming to thegreen flag. Cogan’s car is struck byMario Andretti’s. Cogan is vilifiedby the former race winners on thetelecast. In qualifying, GordonSmiley dies in a gruesome Turn 3crash.1983

Tom Sneva overcomes theteamwork of Al Unser and son AlJr. (age 21) for his first win. Theyounger Unser, who was severallaps down in part because of atwo-lap penalty, let his father —but not Sneva — pass on a lap 178restart. With a track record of207.395, Teo Fabi becomes thefirst rookie to win the 500 polesince Walt Faulkner in 1950.1984

Rick Mears starts third andwins the race, the only time hewins without capturing the pole.He finishes two laps ahead of thefield. Rookies grab three of the topfive finishing positions, with Ro-berto Guerrero second in theGeorge Bignotti car vacated bySneva. Sneva leads at 31 laps buthis car eventually fails him. Mearssays afterward it would have been“one helluva shootout” with himhad he remained in the race. AlHolbert finishes fourth. MichaelAndretti (fifth) and EmersonFittipaldi (out after 37 laps)debut.1985

Danny Sullivan delivers a mem-orable victory for Roger Penskeafter taking the lead for about

100 yards. Sullivan spins out infront of Mario Andretti on lap 120but successfully passes him in thesame part of Turn 1 some 20 lapslater. Sullivan never flat-spots histires or touches anything duringthe spin. As the tire smoke clears,Sullivan sees the Turn 2 suites,takes his foot o� the brake andsays to himself, “Let’s go.”1986

For the first time in event his-tory, the race is postponed to thenext weekend because of theweather. The first live televisioncoverage in 37 years is key to thedecision to push back the race.Kevin Cogan appears to havevictory in hand until Arie Luyen-dyk brushes the Turn 4 wall. Thatcaution sets up a two-lap shoot-out, and Bobby Rahal gets the bestof Cogan and passes him. Termi-nally ill car owner Jim Truemandies two weeks later.1987

Unser Sr. is a last-minute sub-stitute for injured Danny Ongais,who seriously injures his head in aTurn 4 crash in practice, andearns his fourth Indy win. Unserinherits the lead when Andrettiloses power and Roberto Guerre-ro stalls on pit road, the latter theresult of hitting a tire earlier inthe race. That tire flies into thestands and kills a fan, the firstspectator fatality at Indy since1938.1988

Team owner Penske hiresfamed engineer Nigel Bennett todesign the PC-17 chassis, and it isa rocket. Mears uses one to winhis fourth pole, tying the recordheld by Rex Mays and Foyt. Mearsgoes on to win the race, too, withonly Fittipaldi left on the lead lap.The win is Mears’ third of four.

NAZARETH, PA. Mario Andretticredits his wife, Dee Ann, fordesigning the presentation of hisracing trophies and memorabiliain their home. The lack of racinggems in the garage is on him.

Andretti owns just one of therace cars he drove, the Lola/Ford-Cosworth from his finalIndyCar race, at Laguna SecaRaceway in 1994. He said heshould have more.

“Just for asking I could haveeasily had a lot of them,” he said.“I could have had the Ferrari Iwon my very first Formula Onerace with in South Africa (in1971). I could have had the LotusI won the world championshipwith (in 1978).”

Andretti said Lotus teammateRonnie Peterson not only hadone of the team’s cars, he had onehanging upside down in his livingroom before that season ended.

Even the Laguna Seca cardidn’t work out as Andretti envi-sioned. He wanted the car as itcame o� the track — dirt, grimeand all. But the well-meaningNewman/Haas Racing crewpresented it to him clean, rightdown to a fresh Cosworth-sup-plied engine.

Andretti has kept it immac-ulate, of course, and he remainsappreciative. “The mechanics

made me a table with the (race)engine,” he said.

A tour of the racing legend’scollection begins at the frontdoor of the 22,000-square-foothome up the hill from the decay-ing and overgrown NazarethSpeedway where he once raced.Steps inside are trophy cases oneither side rising from the floorto about 7 feet. They house hisFormula One championshiptrophy along with awards fromseemingly every corner of themotor sports world, includingthe 1967 Daytona 500. In In-dyCar, his 52 race wins ranksecond all-time, and he won fourseries championships.

Andretti can scan his accom-plishments with glances fromevery angle of the home’s secondfloor, because the upstairs ishorseshoe-shaped.

The lowest level of the house iswhere Andretti showcases hiscollectibles, and it starts with thesignature piece at the bottom ofthe staircase. Andretti won hisonly Indianapolis 500 in 1969 forcar owner Andy Granatelli. In

those days, the Indy winnerreceived a modest woodenplaque with a replica piece of theBorg-Warner Trophy on thefront. Granatelli wanted some-thing grand for his driver, so hehad something made. Thusstands a wooden plaque as tall asAndretti was in 1969; it matchedhis weight at the time, too.

“It’s so huge it has to have itsown space, and it properly fits inthat corner,” Andretti said.

The actual Indy plaque hangsin Andretti’s o�ce down the hall,and he sees it almost every daywhen he’s home. His personalassistant for 30 years, Amy Hol-lowbush, estimates Andretti doessomething work-related almostevery day.

Andretti, 76, doesn’t haveevery major trophy he won, buthe has most. A few from his 12Formula One race wins wereshipped to famed car designerColin Chapman for an openhouse in England in 1982, butChapman died before they couldbe returned.

Andretti still has one of thefinest motor sports presentationsin the USA, even if the garagedoesn’t hold up its end of thebargain.

Curt Cavin, The Indianapolis StarCHARLIE BENNETT, AP

Tom Sneva earned his first Indy 500 win in 1983 after 10 previ-ous starts. It was owner George Bignotti’s seventh car to win.

MIKE HEMBREE FOR USA TODAY SPORTS

Racing legend Mario Andretti shows o� his trophy case at his home in Nazareth, Pa.

MARIO’S MEMENTOS


1989New paving of the track and the

removal of the former Prest-O-Lite plant chimney long visible o�Turn 1 are the physical changesfor this 500. Emerson Fittipaldi’sonly obstacle is Al Unser Jr., whopulls o� a surprising pass on lap195. But as they approachedlapped tra�c four laps later, Un-ser gets bogged down in Turn 2,allowing Fittipaldi to close. Withmomentum, Fittipaldi makes hismove to pass in Turn 3, but his cardrifts up and touches Unser’s car.Unser crashes; Fittipaldi wins.1990

Emerson Fittipaldi leads thefirst 92 laps of the race to breakFrank Lockhart’s 1927 record(leading the first 81). But Fitti-paldi blisters his tires and finishedthird. Arie Luyendyk takes thelead on lap 168 and finishes therace in 2 hours, 41 minutes, 18.404 sec-onds, averaging 185.981 mph forthe race, to become the fastestwinner in history.

1993Emerson Fittipaldi wins the

race, but reigning Formula Onechampion Nigel Mansell wins theattention. Mansell, who is in theseat because of Michael Andretti’smove to F1, has never raced on anoval — he crashes during practiceat Phoenix — but he qualifieseighth and finishes third. The racealso is noteworthy for the absenceof four-time winners Rick Mearsand A.J. Foyt, who make surpris-ing retirement announcements.Foyt made a record 35 starts.1994

Fittipaldi leads 145 laps and iscruising on lap 185 when he hitsthe rumble strip in Turn 4 andcrashes trying to lap Al Unser Jr.That leaves the win to the second-generation star. Also of note: LynSt. James starts sixth, out-qualifying Nigel Mansell (sev-enth), Arie Luyendyk (eight) andMario Andretti (ninth); the retire-ments of Al Unser and JohnnyRutherford; and Dennis Vitolo’scar landing on Mansell’s afterrunning over a wheel on thewarm-up lane in Turn 3.

1995From the return of Firestone to

the speed struggle to the forma-tion of the Indy Racing League toStan Fox’s horrific crash to a pairof driver penalties in the race, thisevent has it all. Roger Penske’steam failing to earn a starting spotis the most stunning of the com-petition news.

Jacques Villeneuve is penalized

two laps on lap 36 for passing thepace car on what he believes is awave-around, but Scott Good-year’s jumping of the final restartcosts him the win, which goes toVilleneuve.1996

The first race in the Indy Rac-ing League era is marred by CARTteams balking at the 25 startingspots guaranteed to IRL regulars.

The absence of many of thesport’s stars creates a chance for17 rookies to make the race, themost since 1930. Buddy Lazier,recovering from back fracturessu�ered a few weeks earlier in the Phoenix race, holds on for hisfirst victory. Arie Luyendyk setstrack records for qualifying:236.986 mph overall and 237.498for a single lap.

How many Andrettis can youfit into an Indianapolis 500 field?

For a couple of years, fourmembers of the famed familytook the green flag.

Perhaps the best year for theAndrettis at Indianapolis MotorSpeedway — other than Mario’s1969 victory — was 1991. Michaelfinished second, John took fifthand Mario seventh. Je� finished15th.

The same quartet raced in1992: John finished eighth, Mi-chael 13th, Je� 18th and Mario23rd.

Michael tried Formula Oneracing in 1993, so three Andrettisraced that year: Mario (fifth),

John (10th) and Je� (29th).Mario is Michael and Je�’s

father and the grandfather of

IndyCar driver Marco Andretti.John is the son of Aldo Andretti,Mario’s twin brother.

THOMAS J. RUSSO, USA TODAY SPORTS

Mario Andretti was on hand for 2015 Pole Day with his grandson Marco Andretti.

Andrettis take on Indy

PASCAL RONDEAU, GETTY IMAGES

In 1993, Michael Andretti raced in the Formula One series.

Al Unser Jr. edges ScottGoodyear by 0.043 seconds, theclosest finish in Indy history.

1992

Rick Mears crashes beforequalifying, uses a backup car towin the pole and wins the racefor his fourth 500 victory, tyingA.J. Foyt and Al Unser for themost Indy 500 wins in history.

1991

AL BEHRMAN, AP

Jacques Villeneuve celebrates his 1995 Indy 500 victory.


the landscape of the competition.Chip Ganassi’s team brings in thereigning champion, Juan PabloMontoya, and veteran JimmyVasser. No one can match Mon-toya, who leads 167 laps to be-come the first rookie winner sinceGraham Hill in 1966. Lazier issecond, 7.184 seconds behind.2001

The transformation of compet-itors continues with Team Penskeentering cars for CART drivers Gilde Ferran and Helio Castroneves.Also in the field: Michael Andrettiin a program assisted by PantherRacing; Tony Stewart driving forGanassi Racing; and Luyendykmaking a comeback with Tread-way Racing.

Castroneves gives the event itsfirst back-to-back rookie winnerssince 1927. He and de Ferran alsogive Team Penske its first 1-2finish.

1997The look and sound of the cars

change dramatically with theintroduction of the Indy RacingLeague’s new equipment package,and speeds fall as a result. ArieLuyendyk wins a two-lap finalshootout with Treadway Racingteammate Scott Goodyear. Themargin of victory is 0.570 seconds,providing the first 1-2 finish for ateam since 1962.1998

Eddie Cheever, who pilotsEmerson Fittipaldi’s 1989-win-ning car the next year as a rookie,capitalizes on the engine failuresof Team Menard drivers TonyStewart and Robbie Buhl to scorethe biggest win of his career.Cheever leads six times for 76laps, holding o� Buddy Lazier atthe finish by 3.191 seconds.1999

Robby Gordon skips a latechance to take on extra fuel inorder to have the lead and runsdry less than two laps from thefinish. Kenny Brack and his A.J.Foyt crew don’t gamble, and theconservatism allows them to driveinto victory lane with what Foytdescribes as his fifth win. It isBrack’s first.2000

The arrival of Ganassi Racing,which has won the past fourCART championships, changes

2002This 500 is known for the yel-

low light controversy. Did thelight come on ahead of Paul Tra-cy’s lap 199 pass of Castroneves inTurn 3 or after it? The yellowlight had come on for an accidentbehind the lead cars in Turn 2.The debate rages for six weeksafter Castroneves goes to victorylane. Indy Racing League CEOTony George ultimately decidesthat Brian Barnhart’s race-dayruling for Castroneves stands.2003

Roger Penske matches LouMoore’s car owner mark of threeconsecutive 500s wins, butPenske doesn’t achieve it withCastroneves. He loses the lead tode Ferran on lap 170 when hemisjudges the speed of rookie A.J.Foyt IV. De Ferran, who starts10th, leads the rest of the way.

Scandinavia isn’t known as a racing hotbed, so when Sweden’sKenny Brack won the 1999 Indianapolis 500, it was a huge deal backhome.

How big? He got a postrace call from the king of Sweden.That didn’t impress Brack’s team owner, A.J. Foyt, who was tired

and in pain after standing on pit road all day.When informed that Brack was on the phone with his highness,

Foyt responded: “I don’t care who he’s on the phone with. Tell himthe king of Texas is tired and wants to go back to the garage.”

Brack remains the only Scandinavian 500 champ.

POSTRACE CALL TO BRACKA ROYAL PAIN FOR FOYT

The Indianapolis 500 is no stranger to controversy, but it usuallyhappens on the track, such as issues involving driver etiquette orrace o�ciating.

But in 2001, controversy erupted before drivers got into theircars.

The Star-Spangled Banner was sung by Aerosmith lead manSteven Tyler, who started with a harmonica solo, added some scatalong the way and finished by replacing the word “brave” with“Indianapolis 500.”

Those used to more traditional renditions by Sandi Patty orFlorence Henderson let Indianapolis Motor Speedway o�cialsknow about it.

Singers representing the armed forces or law enforcement sungthe national anthem in six of the next eight years. This year, it willbe sung by rock and country singer Darius Rucker.

MATT KRYGER, THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Steven Tyler caused a stir with his rendition in 2001.

STICK WITH ‘BRAVE’

SETH ROSSMAN, AP

Arie Luyendyk, center, won a two-lap shootout with Scott Goodyear to win the 1997 Indianapolis500, his second Indy 500 win. Luyendyk also won in 1990.

AL BERHMAN, AP

Eddie Cheever led six times for 76 laps en route to winning the1998 Indianapolis 500.


2004Buddy Rice takes the lead on

lap 172, and the race is called ninelaps later because of rain. Thestart is delayed by two hours, andthe race is delayed for two morehours after 27 laps. With torna-does in the area and the trackflooding, victory lane is movedindoors. Andretti Green Racing’scars take second (Tony Kanaan),third (Dan Wheldon) and fourth(Bryan Herta).2005

Wheldon wins the race that willbe remembered for Danica Pat-rick’s thrilling debut. Patrick,driving Rahal Letterman Racing’sPanoz-Honda, nearly wins thepole with a qualifying run slowedonly by a bobble in her first cor-ner. She still manages the No. 4starting spot. Patrick is the dar-ling of the month from that pointforward, and the crowd of about250,000 roars nearly as one as shepasses Wheldon for the lead onlap 190. She becomes the firstwoman in Indy 500 history tolead laps, leading three times for19 laps. Patrick ends up fourth,setting the best finish by a wom-an. Janet Guthrie had finishedninth in 1978.

Wheldon becomes the thirdEnglishman to win the 500, fol-lowing George Robson in 1946and Graham Hill in 1966. It is aclub he longed to join since at-tending his first race in 1999. “Idon’t think people understandwhat this means to me. It’s thefirst time I’ve ever cried in myhelmet,” Wheldon said.

2006Five drivers hold the lead in the

final 18 laps. Wheldon, who leads148 laps, is bidding to win for thesecond year in a row with di�er-ent teams. Then Tony Kanaantakes the lead. Michael Andretti,in his 15th 500 without a win,goes to the point with seven lapsto go, but he is passed by 18-year-old son Marco. Sam Hornish Jr.,the pole-sitter, makes a bid to passMarco in Turn 3 of lap 199 buthas to get out of the throttle toavoid contact. He recovers in timeto pass coming to the checkeredflag.2007

Dario Franchitti is in front onlap 166 when the downpourcomes and the checkered flagwaves. Franchitti, in front whenMichael Andretti flips on thebackstretch in a multicar tangle in

his final 500, is in the right placeat the right time. Kanaan is theleader at the time of the first redflag, for rain at lap 114. Kanaanleads 83 laps to Franchitti’s 34.2008

New Zealander Scott Dixoncapitalizes on Ganassi Racing’sstrong stretch of 500s by winningthe pole, leading 115 laps andwinning the race. Dixon leads thefinal 29 laps and holds o� PantherRacing’s Vitor Meira by 1.75 sec-onds at the finish.2009

Helio Castroneves wins fromthe pole for his third Indy 500victory, equaling a record forthree wins in a decade. He wonback-to-back in 2001-02. DanWheldon finishes second andPatrick third to break her markfor best Indy 500 finish by awoman.

BRIAN SPURLOCK, USA TODAY SPORTS

Dario Franchitti and then-wife actress Ashley Judd celebrate in 2007 after his first Indy 500 win.

JEFF ROBERTS, AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Danica Patrick made history with her fourth-place run in 2005.

FORT LAUDERDALE Helio Cas-troneves lives so much in themoment, he refuses to imaginelife in the future.

Which is what makes a recentconversation in his waterfronthome interesting. The Brazilianoutlines his first step toward nolonger chasing checkered flags.

Castroneves has signed on as apartner in a New Holland, Pa.,car dealership. He hopes this isthe first of many dealerships inhis portfolio, though he recog-nizes the awkwardness of hisemployer, Roger Penske, encour-aging the investment.

“I’m not sure if that’s a goodsign or a bad sign,” the longest-tenured driver in Team Penskehistory says. “Are you retiringme, or is it a sign I’ve (provedmyself )?”

Castroneves, in his 19th Indy-car season, is a threat to winevery race. His 29 wins tie himwith Rick Mears, the gold stan-dard of Team Penske. He ranksfourth in IndyCar poles behindMario Andretti, A.J. Foyt andBobby Unser.

Castroneves has never won anIndyCar championship, but hehas three Indy 500 victories(2001, 2002 and 2009).

In the same month he in-vested in the car dealership withPenske and Penske’s nephew,Geo� Penske, Castroneves be-came eligible to apply for U.S.citizenship. He expects to exer-cise that right.

“America gave me a very goodopportunity, and I love thisplace,” he says. “I feel like anAmerican after all I’ve beenthrough.”

That includes his acquittal in

2009 on six counts of federal taxevasion. He emerged without somuch as a public relations scar.

“One thing that situation alsodid was change my perspective,”says Castroneves, 41. “It mademe notice di�erent things. Now Ilook at the beautiful sky, thewater, the green grass. I believein good energy, and this (homeand its location) are goodenergy.”

The home Castronevesbought with his girlfriend, Adri-ana Henao, in 2011 sits on one ofFort Lauderdale’s many canals,but the fiscally conservativeCastroneves doesn’t have a yachtlike many of his neighbors. “Ihave friends for that,” he jokes.

Castroneves and Henao don’thave plans to marry, but he saysthey’re enjoying time withdaughter Mikaella, who is inkindergarten. As he says that,Mikaella’s young Yorkie, Lolli-pop, hops through the room andslides across the marble floor.

As for the New Holland AutoGroup, which o�ers the Toyota,Ford and Chrysler brands, Cas-troneves says he won’t push for aname change because he’s al-ready versed in brand equity.

“You want to keep it the same(name), because it’s been thatway for 15 years and peoplethere know it,” he says. “Castro-what-is-it? You can’t sell carsthat way.”



“America gave me a very good opportunity, and I love thisplace,” Brazilian-born Helio Castroneves says.

CASTRONEVES PLOTSPOST-RETIREMENT LIFE


FORT LAUDERDALE Ryan Hunt-er-Reay stands proud on hisbaby, all 36 feet of her.

Lest one think the one-timeIndyCar Series champion and2014 Indianapolis 500 winner ismost comfortable in a race car,try seeing him here.

On a boat, he’s fit for a king. “A Yellowfin 36,” Hunter-Reay

says. “With triple Honda 250s.”For a 35-year-old father of two

who once stood close to beingoverboard personally and profes-sionally, Hunter-Reay is sailingstrong.

Hunter-Reay’s career includes16 Indy-car victories. Throughseven seasons with AndrettiAutosport, he has establishedhimself as one of IndyCar’s sixbest drivers.

But the sun wasn’t alwaysshining on the Floridian.

Hunter-Reay didn’t have a ridefor the 2006 season and the nextyear was spent in similar open-wheel unemployment untilBobby Rahal gave him a chanceto replace Je� Simmons inIndyCar’s July race at Mid-OhioSports Car Course. From thatseventh-place finish cameenough momentum for a full-

season opportunity with RahalLetterman Racing in 2008 andstints to follow with Vision Rac-ing and A.J. Foyt Racing in 2009.

Late in the summer of 2009,Hunter-Reay had enough confi-dence to invest in a depressedhousing market. He and wifeBeccy bought what he long de-sired: a 4,000-square-foot homeon one of Fort Lauderdale’s ca-nals. A boat was secured. Fi-nances weren’t necessarily agiven, because his 2010 contractwith Michael Andretti was foronly the first three races.

“We kind of dove in with bothfeet, a really gutsy move,” Hunt-er-Reay says. “You kind of forgetnow, but (the career) could havegone the other way at that pointand nothing was assured. It was abig leap of faith.”

The biggest stress of all: Hunt-er-Reay’s mother, Lydia, died ofcolon cancer that fall.

But in Hunter-Reay’s first racewith Andretti, he finished secondto Will Power in São Paulo. A

month later, he won the race inLong Beach.

Hunter-Reay got his secondwin for Andretti in 2011 and useda string of three consecutivevictories and four in all to winthe series championship in 2012.Son Ryden was born in Decem-ber that year. In March 2015,Rocsen was born. His middlename is Indy.

“Amazing,” Hunter-Reay says.“We’re so blessed.”

Hunter-Reay was able tosneak a few hours of boat time inMarch because the Indianapolismedia wanted to see his lifeoutside of the IndyCar paddock.Ryden joined his father for theride.

“I love this place,” Hunter-Reay says. “We can run the boatdown to Miami on the (ocean)side for dinner or just hang outaround here.

“We’ve got everything fromreally good raw bars to fancierplaces, and the great part is wedon’t even need to take the car.It’s another benefit to being onthe water, and it makes for areally cool lifestyle.”


CURT CAVIN, THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Ryan Hunter-Reay’s “big leap of faith,” which he calls his Fort Lauderdale home, has paid o�.

2010Dario Franchitti is more domi-

nant in his second Indianapolis500 victory — he leads 155 laps —but needs timely help to seal thewin. With a host of cars runningout of fuel, including his own,Franchitti nurses his GanassiRacing machine to the finishunder a lap-199 caution for MikeConway’s vicious crash.2011

Dan Wheldon, who has finishedsecond in the last two 500s, navi-gates the debris from a crash onthe final lap involving JR Hilde-brand enough to pass Hildebrandahead of the checkered flag. Hil-debrand settles for a heartbreak-ing second-place finish.Wheldon’s win comes on the100th anniversary of the first 500.It is his last IndyCar victory. Hedies of injuries su�ered in a crashat an October IndyCar race in LasVegas.2012

Seven months after Wheldon’sfatal accident, his former team-mates finish first, second andthird in the 500. Franchitti’s vic-tory is his third in this event,making him the 10th driver withas many. Scott Dixon finishessecond with Tony Kanaan third.They join Franchitti on the frontstraightaway to salute their fallenfriend.

2013Kanaan can thank Franchitti

for the caution flag ensuring theBrazilian’s long-awaited first500 victory. With three laps left,IndyCar’s king of restarts sweepspast leader Ryan Hunter-Reayinto the top spot. Seconds later,Franchitti crashes behind them inTurn 1, freezing the running or-der. Kanaan and Hunter-Reaychange leads four times in thefinal 11 laps, part of a record-setting 68 lead changes among 14drivers.2014

Ryan Hunter-Reay and HelioCastroneves stage a dramaticdrafting duel, with Hunter-Reaymaking a memorable dive to theinside in Turn 3 on lap 197 beforemaking the winning move on theoutside of Castroneves coming tothe white flag. Hunter-Reay’s firstIndy win denies Castroneves arecord-tying fourth victory, andthe final margin is 0.06 seconds,the second closest in race history.2015

Juan Pablo Montoya wins 15years after his previous Indy 500victory. His first came with Ga-nassi Racing and this one withTeam Penske. The final pass forthe lead comes on the outside ofPenske teammate Will Powerwith four laps left. Montoya’swinning margin: 0.1046 seconds.

ROBERT SCHEER, THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Dan Wheldon celebrates his 2011 Indianapolis 500 win, his finalIndyCar victory, which came five months before his death.

OFF TRACK, HUNTER-REAYLOVES FLORIDA LIFESTYLE


Year Driver Start Chassis/Engine Avg. mph Team2015 Juan Pablo Montoya 15 Dallara/Chevrolet 161.341 Team Penske2014 Ryan Hunter-Reay 19 Dallara/Honda 186.563 Andretti Autosport2013 Tony Kanaan 12 Dallara/Chevrolet 187.433 KV Racing Technology2012 Dario Franchitti 16 Dallara/Honda 167.734 Ganassi2011 Dan Wheldon 6 Dallara/Honda 170.265 Bryan Herta2010 Dario Franchitti 3 Dallara/Honda 161.623 Ganassi2009 Helio Castroneves 1 Dallara/Honda 150.318 Penske2008 Scott Dixon 1 Dallara/Honda 143.567 Ganassi2007 Dario Franchitti 3 Dallara/Honda 151.774 Andretti-Green2006 Sam Hornish Jr. 1 Dallara/Honda 157.085 Penske2005 Dan Wheldon 16 Dallara/Honda 157.603 Andretti-Green2004 Buddy Rice 1 G Force/Honda 138.518 Rahal-Letterman2003 Gil de Ferran 10 G Force/Toyota 156.291 Penske2002 Helio Castroneves 13 Dallara/Chevrolet 166.499 Penske2001 Helio Castroneves 11 Dallara/Oldsmobile 141.574 Penske2000 Juan Pablo Montoya 2 Dallara/Oldsmobile 167.607 Ganassi1999 Kenny Brack 8 Dallara/Aurora 153.176 A.J. Foyt1998 Eddie Cheever Jr. 17 Dallara/Aurora 145.155 Cheever1997 Arie Luyendyk 1 G Force/Aurora 145.827 Treadway1996 Buddy Lazier 5 Reynard/Ford 147.956 Hemelgarn1995 Jacques Villeneuve 5 Reynard/Ford 153.616 Green1994 Al Unser Jr. 1 Penske/Mercedes 160.872 Penske1993 Emerson Fittipaldi 9 Penske/Chevrolet 157.207 Penske1992 Al Unser Jr. 12 Galmer/Chevrolet 134.477 Galles-Kraco1991 Rick Mears 1 Penske/Chevrolet 176.457 Penske1990 Arie Luyendyk 3 Lola/Chevrolet 185.981 Shierson1989 Emerson Fittipaldi 3 Penske/Chevrolet 167.581 Patrick1988 Rick Mears 1 Penske/Chevrolet 144.809 Penske1987 Al Unser Sr. 20 March/Cosworth 162.175 Penske1986 Bobby Rahal 4 March/Cosworth 170.722 Truesports1985 Danny Sullivan 8 March/Cosworth 152.982 Penske1984 Rick Mears 3 March/Cosworth 163.612 Penske1983 Tom Sneva 4 March/Cosworth 162.117 Bignotti-Cotter1982 Gordon Johncock 5 Wildcat/Cosworth 162.029 STP/Patrick1981 Bobby Unser 1 Penske/Cosworth 139.084 Penske1980 Johnny Rutherford 1 Chaparral/Cosworth 142.862 Chaparral1979 Rick Mears 1 Penske/Cosworth 158.899 Penske1978 Al Unser Sr. 5 Lola/Cosworth 161.363 Chaparral1977 A.J. Foyt 4 Coyote/Foyt 161.331 A.J. Foyt1976 Johnny Rutherford 1 McLaren/Offy 148.725 McLaren1975 Bobby Unser 3 Eagle/Offy 149.213 All American Racers1974 Johnny Rutherford 25 McLaren/Offy 158.589 McLaren1973 Gordon Johncock 11 Eagle/Offy 159.036 Patrick1972 Mark Donohue 3 McLaren/Offy 162.962 Penske1971 Al Unser Sr. 5 Colt/Ford 157.735 P. Jones1970 Al Unser Sr. 1 Colt/Ford 155.749 P. Jones1969 Mario Andretti 2 Hawk/Ford 156.867 STP1968 Bobby Unser 1 Eagle/Offy 152.882 Leader Cards1967 A.J. Foyt 4 Coyote/Ford 151.207 Ansted-Thompson1966 Graham Hill 15 Lola/Ford 144.317 J. Mecom Jr.1965 Jim Clark 2 Lotus/Ford 150.686 Lotus1964 A.J. Foyt 5 Watson/Offy 147.35 Ansted-Thompson1963 Parnelli Jones 1 Watson/Offy 143.137 J.C. Agajanian1962 Rodger Ward 2 Watson/Offy 140.293 Leader Cards1961 A.J. Foyt 7 Trevis/Offy 139.13 Bignotti-Bowes1960 Jim Rathman 2 Watson/Offy 138.767 Ken-Paul1959 Rodger Ward 6 Watson/Offy 135.857 Leader Cards1958 Jimmy Bryan 7 Salih/Offy 133.791 G. Salih1957 Sam Hanks 13 Salih/Offy 135.601 G. Salih1956 Pat Flaherty 1 Watson/Offy 128.49 J. Zink1955 Bob Sweikert 14 KK500C/Offy 128.213 J. Zink1954 Bill Vukovich 19 KK500A/Offy 130.84 H. Keck1953 Bill Vukovich 1 KK500A/Offy 128.74 H. Keck1952 Troy Ruttman 7 Kuzma/Offy 128.922 J.C. Agajanian1951 Lee Wallard 2 Kurtis/Offy 126.244 M. Belanger1950 Johnnie Parsons 5 Kurtis/Offy 124.002 Kurtis-Kraft1949 Bill Holland 4 Deidt/Offy 121.327 L. Moore1948 Mauri Rose 3 Deidt/Offy 119.814 L. Moore1947 Mauri Rose 3 Deidt/Offy 116.338 L. Moore1946 George Robson 15 Adams/Sparks 114.82 Thorne1942-1945 Not held (World War II)*1941 Floyd Davis/Mauri Rose 17 Wetteroth/Offy 115.117 L. Moore1940 Wilbur Shaw 2 Maserati/Maserati 114.277 Boyle

1939 Wilbur Shaw 3 Maserati/Maserati 115.035 Boyle1938 Floyd Roberts 1 Wetteroth/Miller 117.2 L. Moore1937 Wilbur Shaw 2 Shaw/Offy 113.58 W. Shaw1936 Louis Meyer 28 Stevens/Miller 109.069 L. Meyer1935 Kelly Petillo 22 Wetteroth/Offy 106.24 K. Petillo1934 Bill Cummings 10 Miller/Miller 104.863 H.C. Henning1933 Louis Meyer 6 Miller/Miller 104.162 L. Meyer1932 Fred Frame 27 Wetteroth/Miller 104.144 H. Hartz1931 Louis Schneider 13 Stevens/Miller 96.629 B.L Schneider1930 Billy Arnold 1 Summers/Miller 100.448 H. Hartz1929 Ray Keech 6 Miller/Miller 97.585 M.A. Yagle1928 Louis Meyer 13 Miller/Miller 99.482 A. Sampson II1927 George Souders 22 Duesenberg/Duesenberg 97.545 W.S. White1926 Frank Lockhart 20 Miller/Miller 95.904 P. Kreis1925 Peter DePaolo 2 Duesenberg/Duesenberg 101.127 Duesenberg1924 Joe Boyer/L.L. Corum 21 Duesenberg/Duesenberg 98.234 Duesenberg1923 Tommy Milton 1 Miller/Miller 90.954 H.C.S. Motor1922 Jimmy Murphy 1 Duesenberg/Miller 94.484 J. Murphy1921 Tommy Milton 20 Frontenac/Frontenac 89.621 L. Chevrolet1920 Gaston Chevrolet 6 Frontenac/Frontenac 88.618 W. Small1919 Howdy Wilcox 2 Peugeot/Peugeot 88.05 Indianapolis Speedway1917-18 Not held (World War I)1916 Dario Resta 4 Peugeot/Peugeot 84.001 Peugeot1915 Ralph DePalma 2 Mercedes/Mercedes 89.84 E.C. Patterson1914 Rene Thomas 15 Delage/Delage 82.474 L. Delage1913 Jules Goux 7 Peugeot/Peugeot 75.933 Peugeot1912 Joe Dawson 7 National/National 78.719 National Motor1911 Ray Harroun 28 Marmon/Marmon 74.602 Nordyke & Marmon*Davis was relieved by Rose on lap 72 of the 1941 race.Source: USA TODAY Sports research

INDIANAPOLIS 500 WINNERS

MIKE CONROY, AP

Al Unser Sr. is one of three drivers to win four Indy 500s, earning No. 4 in 1987.

USA Today Special Edition of the 100th Running of the Indy 500

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