Top Ten Thursday: Top Ten Drivers to Win the Indianapolis 500
With the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 mile race just a mere 10 days away, I compiled a list of the top 10 drivers to have won the 500.
With so many excellent drivers having won the Indy 500, it was extremely hard to narrow it down to just 10.
It takes an incredible amount of skill and determination, and maybe a little luck, to win at this famous speedway.
This list of drivers includes true champions that have earned their respect throughout the racing community.
10. Gordon Johncock
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This two-time Indianapolis 500 champion was truly a great competitor at the Speedway. He competed in 24 Indianapolis 500 races, and won what was perhaps the greatest 500 race in history in 1982. That was his second and final win at the Speedway.
His first win came in 1973 in his ninth start in the race, where Johncock led 64 of the shortened race’s 133 laps.
Additionally, Johncock has eight top-five finishes, 10 top-six finishes, and 11 top-10 finishes in his Indy 500 career. He also ranks third on the list of laps completed at Indianapolis.
9. Mauri Rose
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Not many people will know who Mauri Rose is, but he is a true competitor and deserves to be in the top 10 list. Mauri won three Indy 500s in his career in just 15 starts. His win in 1941 is probably the most bizarre and something that will never happen again.
Mauri started on the pole in that race, but dropped out on lap 60 due to spark plug problems. He then took over a car driven by Fred Davis and ended up winning the race in the car he didn't even start in.
Mauri's three wins came in 1941,1947, and 1948.
His stats include one pole, five front-row starts, six top-three finishes and seven top-six finishes. Mauri also led 256 laps around the Speedway.
8. Louie Meyer
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The first man to drink a glass of milk in victory lane joins my list at eighth.
Meyer has won three Indianapolis 500s starting with his first victory in 1928. This was Meyer’s first try at the Indianapolis 500, and he went on to win two more times in 1933 and 1936.
He was the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 three times, and his career stats are as follows: 12 starts, four top-three finishes, six top-six finishes, and 322 laps led.
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7. Helio Castroneves
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Our most modern and only current Izod Indy Car Series driver on the list comes in at number seven. Although Castroneves has a chance to become the best driver in Speedway history, as of now he comes in at seventh.
Castroneves is one win shy of becoming the fourth man in the four-wins club at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His accomplishment of winning three 500 victories in only 10 starts is remarkable.
Even more extraordinary is the fact that he has had a top six finish six of those 10 times, which includes his five top-three finishes.
Castroneves won the Indianapolis 500 in 2001, 2002 and 2009, with 2001 being his rookie year. He has also started on the pole four times and has five front-row starts.
6. Bobby Unser
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Bobby is the first Unser to appear on my list. He is a part of one of the most successful families in the history of the Indianapolis 500.
Bobby has three of the nine Unser family 500 victories. He won the 1968, 1975 and 1981 races, and he is one of two drivers to win the 500 in three different decades.
His final 500 victory in 1981 was probably one of the most controversial finishes. On lap 149 while the race was under yellow, Unser and Mario Andretti had to make a pit-stop. Both drivers ended up passing cars under yellow which is against the rules. Bobby passed eight cars while Mario passed two.
Bobby ended up winning the race, but the victory was taken away the next morning and given to Mario Andretti. Bobby and his owner Roger Penske appealed the decision to strip him of the victory and later that year in October the win was given back to Bobby.
Bobby has made 19 stars in the 500 and had a top-three finish five times, while finishing in the top six a total of seven times. He also has two poles to his credit and nine front row starts. Bobby has led a total of 440 laps during the Indy 500.
5. Wilbur Shaw
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The man who saved the 500 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway kicks off the top five. Many people don't know this, but Wilbur persuaded then owner Eddie Rickenbacker to sell the famous Speedway Tony Hulman.
Wilbur tire tested for Firestone on the horrible surface while the track was closed due to World War II.
Mr. Rickenbacker informed him on his intentions to sell the Speedway to a housing construction firm. Wilbur, not wanting to see the track turned into a housing addition, asked if he could find someone that would buy the track so the legendary course could live on. Mr. Rickenbacker told him that if he found someone, then he would sell it, but if not it would be torn down.
It didn't take long for Wilbur to find a local businessman from Terre Haute, Indiana named Tony Hulman to purchase the track for $750,000.
Not only did he save the Speedway, but he is also a three-time Indy 500 winner. Wilbur only made 13 starts in the race, but his three wins put him in elite company. His first win came in 1937, and then he became the first back-to-back winner of the race with his victories in 1939 and 1940. Those were his last two wins.
Wilbur led 508 laps in his 500 career, and also has six top-three finishes and seven top-six finishes.
Wilbur also stands as the last Hoosier native to win the Indianapolis 500.
4. Johnny Rutherford
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Lone Star J.R., as he is known, made 24 starts in the famed 500, where he claimed three victories.
His first victory came in 1974 while driving the famous McLaren. His other two victories came in 1976 and 1980, both of which came while starting from the pole position.
J.R. has three poles to his credit and four front-row starts. He has also led 296 laps in his 500 career, and posted four top-three finishes and five top-six finishes.
3. Al Unser
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The most successful Unser comes in on my list at third. Not many can argue that Al Unser is one of the best Indy 500 victors. Al is tied for the most 500 victories, winning four Indianapolis 500 races. He is also the only driver in the history of the 500 to have a sibling, Bobby Unser, and a son, Al Jr., win the 500.
Al made 27 starts in the 500, and as before mentioned won four times. His four wins came in 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987.
Al's final victory in 1987 was the most surprising. It was a great day in which he joined the four-time club. He started the month of May without a ride due to being released from Penske in favor of Danny Ongais and Danny Sullivan.
Ongais was injured in a horrible wreck in the first week of practice, and Penske called Al to sub in. Both of Penske's new car and engine combo were very unreliable and slow. Penske decided to use the back up car, which was a year-old version and a show car at a Sheraton Hotel in Pennsylvania, for actual race day.
They had the car rushed to the Speedway and Al qualified it in the 20th spot. Al stayed in contention all day and ended up going to victory lane for the final time in his 500 career.
Al's stats are remarkable. He has led 644 laps at the Indianapolis Speedway, which is a 500 record that still stands to this day. He has only one pole, but five front-row stats. Additionally, he has finished in the top-three 11 times, and has 13 top-six finishes.
2. A.J. Foyt
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These next two spots are the most debatable. Almost everyone thinks of A.J. as the best driver to ever compete at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
I used to fall into this category until I did this slideshow and really looked at every driver’s career under a microscope. A.J. could easily be number one, but it definitely just depends on who you talk to.
He was the first of the three drivers to have four wins. He competed in 35 consecutive 500s dating from 1958-1992. He is the only driver to win the 500 in both a rear engine and front engine machine, and he holds the record for most 500 races led with a total of 13. He also has the most laps completed in the 500 at 4,909 laps.
A.J's four wins came in 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977, and he has four poles and eight front-row starts.
A.J. has nine top-three finishes in the 500 and 12 top-six finishes. Of the 4,909 laps completed in his career at the Speedway, he led 555 of them.
1. Rick Mears
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The No. 1 spot on my list goes to—drum roll please—Rick Mears.
Mears was dominant in his 15 starts in the Indy 500. In fact, I believe if he had raced in more 500s, he would probably have the record for most wins. Instead he is tied with A.J. and Al Sr. with four.
Four wins in 15 starts is a very astonishing stat. It's almost half of the amount of starts of Al Sr. and a little more than half of A.J.s.
Rick also holds the record of most poles at the Speedway with six, and he started on the front row 11 of 15 races, which is an unheard of accomplishment!
Rick has also finished in the top three seven times and the top six nine times.
His 429 career laps led are close to only 100 less than Foyt's. All of his success came during what is arguably the best competition the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has ever seen.
His wins came in 1979, 1984, 1988 and 1991.
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