Indianapolis 500 firsts

Wins, Leaders and Race Competition

Year First Achiever(s) Notes
1911Winning driver Ray HarrounRetired from racing competition upon victory
Winning owner Nordyke & Marmon CompanyWithdrew from racing competition upon victory
Rear-view mirror mounted,
and winning, car
Marmon WaspFirst entry with rear-view mirror, all international motorsports competition
1913Rookie winner (excluding first race) Jules GouxFirst to win in first career start, excluding first race
Non-American winner 
European winner 
French winner 
1915 Italian winner Ralph DePalmaDe Palma obtained his American citizenship in 1920
1916Multiple-winning owner(s) PeugeotWinning owners, 1913, 1916
1922Winner from pole position Jimmy Murphy 
Winner leading first lap 
Driver-Owner winner 
Race and Grand Prix winning car Duesenberg 1921 GPWon 1921 French Grand Prix
1923Two-time winner Tommy MiltonWinner, 1921, 1923
1924Co-winners Lora L. Corum
Joe Boyer
Corum starting, Boyer finishing
1924Repeat-winning owner(s) Duesenberg 
1925 
1926Rain-shortened race winner Frank LockhartRace concluded by rain at 160 laps, 400 miles (640 km), with Lockhart holding a two lap lead
1936Three-time winner Louis MeyerWinner, 1928, 1933, 1936
1939Repeat-winning driver
Repeat-winning car
Wilbur Shaw
Maserati 8CTF
 
1940
1947First-and-second-place finish by teammates Mauri RoseRose victorious
Bill HollandHolland second
Three consecutive-winning owner Lou Moore 
1948 
1949 
1952Rookie of the Year award winner Art CrossFirst awarded in 36th running of the race
Youngest winner Troy RuttmanWinner with 22 years and 80 days
1965Race and World Championship winner, and in same year Jim Clark 
British winner Dario Resta, 1916 winning driver, was Italian-born; George Robson, 1946 winning driver, was a British-born American national
Scottish winnerDrivers originating from countries within the United Kingdom traditionally operate under British classification
Rear-engined winning car Lotus 38 Team Lotus, entrant
1966Race and Monaco Grand Prix winner Graham HillWinner, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, and 1969 Monaco Grand Prix
English winner
1967Race and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, and in same year A. J. Foyt Dan Gurney, Le Mans teammate and co-driver
1969Race and Daytona 500 winner Mario AndrettiWinner, 1967 Daytona 500
Race and 12 Hours of Sebring winnerWinner, 1967, 1970, and 1972 12 Hours of Sebring
1972Race and 24 Hours of Daytona winner Mario AndrettiWinner, 1969 and 1978 World Championships
First year competed after winning 1972 24 Hours of Daytona
Wing-mounted winning car McLaren M16Entered by Roger Penske, driven by Mark Donohue
1977Four-time winner A. J. FoytWinner, 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977
Female qualifier Janet GuthrieQualified 26th
1987Oldest winner Al UnserWinner with 47 years and 360 days, Winner, 1970, 1971, 1978, 1987
1989South American winner Emerson Fittipaldi 
Brazilian winner 
1990 Dutch winner Arie Luyendyk 
1991African-American qualifier Willy T. RibbsQualified 29th
1992Female Rookie of the Year Lyn St. JamesFinished 13th
1993Two-time Race and two-time World Championship winner Emerson FittipaldiWinner, 1989;
Winner, 1972 and 1974 World Championships
1995 Canadian winner Jacques VilleneuveWinner, 1997 World Championships
1999 Swedish winner Kenny Bräck 
2000 Colombian winner Juan Pablo MontoyaWinner, 2000, 2015, Won 2003 Monaco Grand Prix and won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2007, 2008 and 2013
2001Rookie and sophomore winner Hélio CastronevesFirst to win in first two career starts
2002
2005Female leader Danica PatrickLed 19 laps; Lap 192, latest
2006Final lap lead change Sam Hornish Jr.Overtook Marco Andretti on the final straight line.
2008 New Zealand winner Scott Dixon
2009Three females both starting and finishing Race Danica Patrick
Sarah Fisher
Milka Duno
Danica Patrick finished 3rd, becoming the highest finishing female in race history.
2011Winner leading only final lap Dan WheldonTook lead from J.R. Hildebrand on the final lap.
2017 Japanese winner Takuma Sato 
2018 Australian winner Will Power 

Race Average Finishing Speeds

Year Speed
Barrier
Race Winner Time Average Speed Notes
(mph) (km/h)
191170 mph Ray Harroun6:42:08.9274.602129.060First race
191480 mph René Thomas6:03:46.1282.47132.72 
192290 mph Jimmy Murphy5:17:30.7994.48152.05Victory in 1921 French Grand Prix winning car
1925100 mph Peter DePaolo4:56:39.45101.127162.748First race completed in under 5 hours
1937110 mph Wilbur Shaw4:24:07.08113.580182.789Last two-seat winning car
1949120 mph Bill Holland4:07:14.97121.327195.257 
1954130 mph Bill Vukovich3:49:17.27130.840210.567 
1962140 mph Rodger Ward3:33:50.33140.293225.780 
1965150 mph Jim Clark3:19:05.34150.686242.506 
1972160 mph Mark Donohue3:04:05.54162.962262.262 
1986170 mph Bobby Rahal2:55:43.470170.722274.750First race completed in under 3 hours
1990180 mph Arie Luyendyk2:41:18.404185.981299.307Currently third-fastest time for 500 miles

Qualifications

Pole Position

Year Speed
Barrier
Driver Speed Notes
(mph) (km/h)
1911N/A Lewis StrangNo full lapFirst race; grid determined by entry date
191590 mph Howdy Wilcox98.90159.16First year, grid position determined by qualification speed
1919100 mph René Thomas104.780168.627 
1925110 mph Leon Duray113.196182.171 
1927120 mph Frank Lockhart120.100193.282 
1939130 mph Jimmy Snyder130.138209.437 
1954140 mph Jack McGrath141.033226.971Engine augmented with nitromethane additive, then legal
1962150 mph Parnelli Jones150.370241.997 
1965160 mph A. J. Foyt161.233259.479 
1968170 mph Joe Leonard171.559276.097Turbine-engined car
1972180 mph Bobby Unser195.940315.33517 mph (27 km/h) increase in pole record speed, largest margin to date
190 mph
1978200 mph Tom Sneva202.156325.339Broke one-lap 200 mph qualifying barrier in 1977
1984210 mph210.029338.009 
1989220 mph Rick Mears223.885360.308 
1992230 mph Roberto Guerrero232.482374.144 

†- During time trials, Bill Vukovich II turned his first lap at 185.797 mph (299.011 km/h), to set the one-lap track record, and was the first driver to officially break the 180 mph (290 km/h) barrier. He, however, crashed on his second lap, and did not complete the four-lap qualifying run. Later in the afternoon, Joe Leonard qualified a four-lap average of 185.223 mph (298.088 km/h) to break the four-lap 180 mph (290 km/h) barrier. Later in the day, however, Bobby Unser qualified even faster, over 190 mph (310 km/h), and became the first pole position winner to break 180 mph (290 km/h) and 190 mph (310 km/h) for his four-lap average.

Miscellenia

  • 1913: Jules Goux is the first winner to go the full race distance without a relief driver, and is both the first French and European victor. Goux's Peugeot entry is the first to win using wire wheels instead of wooden-spoke wheels.
  • 1915: Ralph DePalma is the first Italian-born victor.
  • 1919: Victory by state native Howdy Wilcox prompts crowd to sing Back Home Again in Indiana for the first time, immediately after conclusion of the race. Wilcox's Peugeot is owned and entered by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the first winning entry to be directly affiliated with the facility itself.
  • 1920: Gaston Chevrolet is killed in a race at Beverly Hills and is the first '500' winner to die.
  • 1921: Howdy Wilcox is the first driver to finish in first and last place (1919 & 1921).
  • 1923: Jimmy Murphy is the first defending winner to lead the first lap.
  • 1929: Cliff Woodbury is the first pole winner to finish last (crash on lap 3).
  • 1936: Louis Meyer becomes the first driver to drink milk in victory lane. He also becomes the first driver to receive the pace car for his winning effort. The Borg-Warner Trophy makes its first appearance.
  • 1946: George Robson is the first English-born victor.
  • 1948: The Speedway institutes its own 'Safety Patrol' to replace the Indiana National Guard as policing force for the event, which had served in such capacity since the inaugural race.
  • 1949: Local station WTTV provides television coverage of the race during competition for the first time.
  • 1950: Walt Faulkner becomes the first rookie to qualify for the pole position.
  • 1952: Art Cross becomes the first Rookie of the Year. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network broadcasts flag-to-flag coverage of the race for the first time.
  • 1958: The front row drivers (Dick Rathmann, Ed Elisian and Jimmy Reece) fail to lead a lap, the only time this has occurred to date.
  • 1965: Jim Clark is the first former World Drivers' Champion to win the race, the first driver to win the race en route to winning the Formula 1 World Championship, and the first Scottish victor.
  • 1966: Rookie Graham Hill, the first English-born victor, wins the race but not the Rookie of the Year award (instead awarded to teammate Jackie Stewart), the only time this has occurred to date. Jim Clark is the first driver to spin and recover twice in the same race.
  • 1971: Bettie Cadou becomes the first female reporter to be given a silver credential badge that permits access to the pit and garage areas.
  • 1974: The Speedway rescinds its "never on a Sunday" policy, altering a tradition dating to 1911; the race is scheduled to be run, for the first time, on the Sunday before the national observance of Memorial Day, the last Monday of May.
  • 1978: The timing and scoring computer system designed by Arthur W Graham III (Indianapolis 500 Director) was first used to accurately track drivers times and simultaneously display race leaders and laps.
  • 1983: Al Unser and son Al Unser, Jr. are the first father and son to compete together in the same race.
  • 1984: Michael Andretti becomes the first son of a previous Rookie of the Year award winner (Mario Andretti, 1965) to win the award himself, shared with Colombian Roberto Guerrero.
  • 1986: ABC Sports provides flag-to-flag television coverage for the first time.
  • 1988: Bill Vukovich III becomes the first third-generation driver to qualify and drive in the race, following his two-time winning grandfather and once second-place finishing father.
  • 1992: Al Unser, Jr. becomes the first second-generation winner of the race, following his four-time winning father.
  • 2002: Hélio Castroneves becomes the first rookie winner to become a multiple-race winner.
  • 2005: Danica Patrick becomes the first female driver to lead the race, for a total of 19 laps.
  • 2006: Marco Andretti becomes the first third-generation winner of the Rookie of the Year award (Mario Andretti, 1965; Michael Andretti, co-1984).
  • 2007: First Indy 500 race with three women competing in the field (Duno, Fisher, Patrick); also the first race where two women were running at the completion of the event (Fisher, Patrick).
  • 2009: First Indy 500 race where three females finished the race, (Duno, Fisher, Patrick). Also the highest finish for a woman, 3rd(Patrick).
  • 2010: First Indy 500 race with four women competing in the field (Fisher, Patrick, Silvestro, Beatriz); The Rookie of the year it was for the Swiss driver (Silvestro).
  • 2017: Takuma Sato of Japan becomes the first Asian-born victor.
  • 2018: Will Power of Australia becomes the first Australian-born victor.
  • 2019: First Indy 500 race broadcast by NBC Sports.
  • 2020: First Indy 500 to be run in August.

References

  • Indianapolis 500 Chronicle, John Pope, copyright 1999
  • 2005 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race Program
  • 2006 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race Program
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