1987: Al Unser comes from nowhere to win his fourth 500.
Despite being a three-time champion and one of the most successful drivers in Indy 500, Al Unser sat out the first week of practice for the 1987 race without a ride. Penske Racing asked Unser to fill in for injured driver Danny Ongais, and Unser qualified on the eighth row in a back-up car.
The 48-year-old Unser slowly worked his way through the field, finally taking the lead on lap 183. Unser held onto the lead and became the oldest winner in the history of the race. (His brother, Bobby Unser, had previously held the record.) The win gave Unser four Indianapolis 500 victories, tying A.J. Foyt for most all-time.
Al Unser stayed out of trouble and found a way to win his fourth Indy 500 in 1987. (Photo from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
1991: Rick Mears passes Michael Andretti late, takes his fourth checkered flag.
Wichita native Rick Mears qualified for his first Indianapolis 500 in 1978. The following year he took the checkered flag.
From 1979 to 1991 Mears had a 13-year run unlike anything anyone had ever seen at the Brickyard. Mears won the race a record-tying four times, took pole position a record six times, and posted eight top-five finishes.
His 1991 victory may have been his most impressive.
Mears trailed Michael Andretti late in the race but managed to take the lead briefly when Andretti pitted under yellow. When the race resumed Andretti passed Mears to regain first place. One lap later Mears returned the favor. Mears turned up his turbocharger and held the lead the rest of the way.
1992: Al Unser, Jr. wins his first 500, by the narrowest margin ever.
The 1992 Indianapolis 500 field featured a record ten former champions, including all three four-time winners. But Al Unser, Jr., the defending CART circuit champion and two-time International Race of Champions winner, was not among them.
The younger Unser was leading the 1989 race with two laps to go but touched wheels with eventual winner Emerson Fittipaldi and spun into the turn 3 wall.
With 11 laps to go in the 1992 race, Little Al passed Scott Goodyear to move into second place behind Michael Andretti, who led 160 of the race’s 200 laps. Shortly thereafter, Andretti had car problems and coasted to a halt. Unser took the lead under yellow.
Racing resumed with 7 laps remaining, and Goodyear chased Unser to the finish line. Goodyear never took the lead, but Unser won by a margin of only 0.043 seconds, the smallest margin of victory in Indy 500 history.
Big Al—Al Unser, Sr.—finished third in 1992. Little Al won again in 1994.
2002: Hélio Castroneves follows his win as a rookie with a win as a sophomore.
When Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George ended the race’s relationship with CART in 1994, he also ended its relationship with many of the sport’s top stars. But the Indianapolis 500 remained open-wheel racing’s premiere event and had the potential to create new stars for the fledgling Indy Racing League (IRL).
In 2001 Brazilian rookie Hélio Castroneves won at the Brickyard. It was the second consecutive race won by a rookie. (Colombian rookie Juan Pablo Montoya won the 2000 Indy 500. Montoya was the first rookie winner since Graham Hill in 1966.)
Castroneves returned to Indianapolis the following year and won a second consecutive race, making him the only driver to win his first two Indy 500s. The IRL had a new star. In 2003 Castroneves finished second.
After winning the third season of Dancing With the Stars and being acquitted on six counts of tax evasion, Castroneves won a third Indianapolis 500, in 2009. He is currently second in this year’s IRL standings.
Hélio Castroneves wins celebrates his second Indy 500 victory in as many starts. (Photo from IndyStar.com)
2005: Danica Patrick becomes first woman to lead a lap at Indianapolis.
Danica Patrick today has a reputation for failing to live up to the hype that surrounds her. But in 2005 the hype was justified.
As a rookie in Indianapolis Patrick posted the month’s fastest practice lap. She qualified fourth, the best starting position for a woman at Indianapolis and an impressive accomplishment for a rookie, regardless of gender.
Patrick briefly took the lead early in the race. And, after falling out of the top ten, she worked her way into the lead twice more late in the race. She held the lead going into lap 194 (of 200) when her her team gambled, deciding to dial down the fuel mixture instead of bringing in Patrick for one last pit stop.
The gamble didn’t quite work out. Three drivers passed Patrick, but she finished fourth, and on the lead lap, the best finish for a woman in race history. Patrick would finish in the top 10 at Indianapolis five more times, including a third-place finish in 2009.
Patrick went on to have a good, but not great, IRL career, winning only a single race but finishing in the top 10 of the IRL standings for six consecutive seasons before moving full-time to NASCAR’s Nationwide Series.
2011: Dan Wheldon passes J.R. Hildebrand on the final lap to take the checkered flag, after Panther Racing had dumped Wheldon and replaced him with Hildebrand.
The 2005 race is often remembered as Danica’s coming out party, but the winner of the 2005 Indianapolis 500 was British driver Dan Wheldon. Wheldon finished second in the 2009 and 2010 races but was nonetheless dropped by his team, Panther Racing, before the 2011 Indianapolis 500. Panther replaced Wheldon with rookie driver J.R. Hildebrand.
Wheldon found a ride for Indianapolis and qualified on the second row.
With only a few laps remaining, Hildebrand passed race leaders Bertrand Baguette (who made a pit stop) and Scott Dixon (who was conserving fuel) and appeared to be en route to his first checkered flag. But on the final stretch Hildebrand went high to avoid traffic and hit the wall. Dan Wheldon, who had not led a single lap, overtook his Panther Racing teammate and won his second Indianapolis 500. Hildebrand slid across the finish line and finished in second place.
Months later Wheldon would die in a 15-car accident at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the final race of the IRL season.
Two-time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon in 2010. (Photo from Wikipedia)
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What is your favorite Indianapolis 500 moment? There are many more great ones than just 12. Comment below.
About Josh Tinley
Why would anyone put a picture of Danica Patrick with a headline reading 12 greatest moments. If this wasnt such a joke Id call it demeaning to the history of the race. Im done with this website. Forever.
Michael, thanks for the visit, and I’m sorry you’ve reacted so harshly. Frankly, “greatest” moments in anything are always up for debate, and we post these articles to get that debate/discussion started. Also, I would not be so quick to dismiss Danica’s achievement as one of the storied race’s greatest moments. Women in the Indy 500 has always been a big story, and she is the only one to actually lead the race, coming damn close to winning it. Certainly her winning would be an undisputed entrant on the list. Frankly, I think what she accomplished even finishing 4th warrants entry.
Also, as editor, I can tell you two things: 1) the author’s original headline was 12 “Great” moments. I changed it to be bolder; 2) The picture of Danica was used on the main page because, quite frankly, she’ll drive more click-throughs and strong reactions than anyone…case in point, your comment.
Now, I would love for you to expound on your comment. Why is including Danica “demeaning to the history of the race”? That is a strong statement. I’d love to know your reasoning for it.
Anyone can lead a lap or two. “She” is not worthy of a “moment”…..
What are you smoking there Ehorne4? “Anyone can lead a lap or two”
You know not if which you speak.
The top 12 moments list for the woman who has won one whopping one race, eh? If she looked like Phyllis Diller, she never would have made the list and would probably be scrambling for a sponsor, to boot. The truth is that she has proven herself as a qualified, journeyman driver who almost never escapes the pack in the end.That simple.
Sorry, but I am weary of the media making her into something she’s not, apparently based upon… well, you can fill it in.
Janet Guthrie and Shirley Muldowney are worthy of recognition, because they were truly the first in the field and had to fight through enormous adversity as well as drive well. And where’s Willy T. Ribbs, the first African American to drive in the 500? Are you honestly suggesting that Patrick’s first-lap-led “feat” surpasses Ribbs entry? Come ON!!!!
I think that was His point Jerod. He was saying you are a greedy clueless scumbag for posting that and the only reason to denegrate the sport is shameless greed for undeserved attention and the deception and low down nature of people like yourself will do to get. He thought you were a worthless piece of crap for doing it. I believe I have interpreted that right. I don’t think he was hoping you would agree with him and remote any doubt anyone might have had that there was another reason.
But as for me, I find you ridicious and disenginious. You admitted that you wanted to use absurdity to drive more clicks through but then you ask Michael4yah to answer why the thing you knew was absurd and upsetting was absurd and upsetting and demeaning to the sport. She is not demeaning to the sport. You are. He wasn’t made at Danica, he was mad at some guy named Jerod Morris for extreme hubris. At least, thats the way I see it…
you have to be kidding jerod,she only led because they let her stay out longer while the leaders were in for refuleing,it was contrived and a meaningless stunt,just like her win in Japan,were she was 8th and everyone was given orders to slow down so she could win,what a circus
Jerod is truly an idiot. Danica does not deserve to be on any list involving the Indy 500. Lets see, where are names like Ray Harroun, Bill Vukovich, Sam Hornish, Arie for the fastest lap ever. So much has been missed. I could write a better story.
For me, it was really cool when Penske finished 1-2-3. Also, I think I would have put the 1989 race up here with Bob Lamey screaming, “They touched wheels! THEY TOUCHED WHEELS!”
Those (along with 1992) are the best of my lifetime…but this was a great list.
Roberto Guerro having trouble in the pits with a big lead as the crowd anxiously watched it play out. Being there, watching the pit action was heart wrenching. His pit crew hesitated a few seconds and allowed Al Unser, Sr. to win his fourth.
Too bad the Indy 500 is no longer worth watching. No inovation, no real heros, no real racing…it was fun while it lasted. Thank you Unser Family, Granetelli Family, Smokey, PJ, Andretti Family, Mr. Ruthaford, and of course The Mears Gang.
Thank God my mom took some pictures.
While we are handing out “Thank You’s” you had better include Gordy Johncock and Pat Patrick Racing!!
Just what I dream for, a white trash WOMAN, supposedly, who drives Nascar. I can only imagine that she drinks beer out of the bottle, likes country music, fishing, camping, hunting and drives a pickup truck. So this is news because she is a so called successful REDNECK WHITE TRASH WOMAN WHO WINS NOTHING? Sorry, honey, go buy some Coors and fish in the dirty cannals of San Antonio. Would love to pay you see hunting an elk, weaponless, and the elk jabbs you a;;;; to death. Now That would be a sport. I bet when the elk chases you, you would be taking a left turn…..
And, ur a dipshit… so get over it!
How about the year 1995? Jacques Villeneuve won after getting a 2-Lap penalty. A lot more worthy that Danika Patrick’s “achievement”, don’t you think?
You missed the boat on this one…… stating Danica’s leading at the Indy 500 in 2005 (with no victory) and not mentioning Sam Hornsh Jr victory over Marco Andrettti in 2006 is sad……
Are you kidding me???
The single greatest moment was the 1982 Johncock/Mears finish by a LONG SHOT. It has been called the greatest lap in motorsports history. Gordie does not get near the recognitionhe deserves as a great racing driver.
I agree 100%
As a side note I also consider this Jim McKay’s finest moment announcing a live sporting event in his long, storied career.
Danny Sullivan spinnig on the fron stretch and still winning is one of my favorites.
The closer I got to the end, the more impressed I was going to be when I would see that you put Tom Sneva in the top 3 for being the first to break the 200 mph barrier. This was back in the day when Pole Day would draw 100,000+ fans. You are almost immediately discredited. Then, to draw attention to Bobby Rahal’s mildly (by comparison) win to Sam Hornish’s thrilling down-the-stretch pass of Marco Andretti is pathetic.
Danny Sullivan “SPiN and WiN” a top 5 for sure!
American motor Sports suffers every time they try to sell us Danica Patrick. She reps everything that isn’t great about Racing.
ur an idiot
like i said ur an idiot
Janet Guthrie, 1st woman to start Indpls 500 in ’78, would put nasty D. Patrick to shame, would be eating dust & fumes. Drivers are elated D. Patrick couldn’t handle IndyCar racing, and so will NASCAR when Patrick returns to the dirt track circuit in SW Indiana in the near future. Tony Stewart may enjoy her $$ hefty endorsements now, but will forgo that funding to ship D. Patrick back where she belongs. D. Patrick is a menace behind the wheel. She’s nasty, that’s why she’s at GoDaddy.
/ps/ I was there in ’78.
give DANICA credit where credit is due-she’s a great driver u people are anti women. ffor some of the men race drivers, even a blind hog will find an acorn, now and then
And why is Danica Patrick on here again? She only finished 4th at Indy because everyone else crashed out. Please do not make a big deal about her. She is NOT competitive. What a joke.
All that and you leave off Jacques Villenueve coming from 2 laps down to win??? Seriously?????