Indianapolis 500 records explained

As of 107th race, May 28, 2023.

Race records

Victories

Quantity

Most driver victories
Wins	Driver	Years
4	A. J. Foyt	1961	1964	1967	1977
	Al Unser	1970	1971	1978	1987
	Rick Mears	1979	1984	1988	1991
	Hélio Castroneves	2001	2002	2009	2021
See Multiple victories for full listing

Most owner victories Owners with at least four victories
Wins	Owner	Years
20	Roger Penske	1972	1979	1981	1984	1985
		1987	1988	1991	1993	1994
		2001	2002	2003	2006	2009
		2015	2018	2019	2023	2024
5	Lou Moore	1938	1941	1947	1948	1949
Michael Andretti	2005	2007	2014	2016	2017
Chip Ganassi	2000	2008	2010	2012	2022
4	A. J. Foyt	1964	1967	1977	1999
See Owners for full listing

Most driver-owner victories Driver-owners with at least two victories
Wins	Driver-Owner	Years			Notes
3	A. J. Foyt	1964	1967	1977	Driver, 1961 winning entry; owner, 1999 winning entry
2	Louis Meyer	1933	1936		Driver, 1928 winning entry
See Driver/Owners for full listing

Most victorious chassis Chassis-makes with at least five victories
Wins	Chassis	Years
24*	Dallara	1998	1999	2001	2002	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
		2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
		2021	2022	2023	2024
7	Penske	1979	1981	1988	1989	1991	1993	1994
6	Miller	1923	1926	1928	1929	1933	1934
	Watson	1956	1959	1960	1962	1963	1964
5	Kurtis Kraft	1950	1951	1953	1954	1955
	March	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987
Independent, team-constructed chassis entries prohibited, 1997 - present.

Most victorious engines Engine-makes with at least five victories
Wins	Engine	Years
27	Offenhauser	1935	1937	1941	1947	1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953
		1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963
		1964	1968	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976
15	Honda	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2014
		2016	2017	2020	2021	2022
13	Chevrolet	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	2002	2013	2015	2018
		2019	2023	2024
12	Miller	1922	1923	1926	1928	1929	1930	1931	1932	1933	1934
		1936	1938
10	Cosworth	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987
8	Ford*	1965	1966	1967	1969	1970	1971	1995	1996
5	Oldsmobile	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
1995 and 1996 races won by engines labelled as "Ford-Cosworth", but developed by Ford Motor Company, and thus considered Ford entries, after latter's acquisition of the rights to the Cosworth engine after the 1991 season.

Victorious tire brands
Wins	Tire	Years
75		1911	1913	1920	1921	1922	1923	1924	1925	1926	1927
		1928	1929	1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935	1936	1937
		1938	1939	1940	1941	1946	1947	1948	1949	1950	1951
		1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961
		1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1969	1970	1971	1996	1997
		2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
		2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
		2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
29		1919	1967	1968	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978
		1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988
		1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1998	1999
2		1915	1916
1		1912
		1914

Most victorious car numbers Car numbers carried by at least five winning entries
Wins	No	Years
11	3	1919	1948	1962	1968	1974	1981	1986	1991	1992	2002	2009
	2	1915	1921	1929	1939	1969	1970	1976	1978	2015	2023	2024
7	1	1923	1940	1950	1958	1961	1964	1971
6	5	1935	1959	1983	1985	1988	1997
	14	1928	1953	1954	1967	1977	1999
5	4	1920	1930	1960	1980	1993
	6	1937	1955	1984	2003	2006
Entries assigned one of the first seven digits have won fifty out of one hundred seven races, 46.73%. See Winning car numbers for full listing

Most victorious starting positions Starting positions held by at least ten race winners
Wins		Years
21	1 (Pole)	1922	1923	1930	1938	1953	1956	1963	1970	1976	1979
		1980	1981	1988	1991	1994	1997	2004	2006	2008	2009
		2019
14	3	1939	1947	1948	1968	1972	1975	1984	1989	1990	2007
		2010	2018	2020	2024
11	2	1915	1919	1925	1937	1940	1951	1960	1962	1965	1969
		2000
Entries starting from the first row have won forty-five out of one hundred seven races, 42.05%. See Winning starting positions for full listing

Quality

Rookie winners Inaugural race inclusive, ten drivers have won the race in their first start*, and one driver has won it in his first two starts. Rookie winners have occurred in ten out of one hundred races, 10%, in two consecutive years twice (1913 - 1914, 2000 - 2001), and in three consecutive years once (1926 - 1928).
Years		Driver	Career Victories
1911		Ray Harroun	1911
1913		Jules Goux	1913
1914		René Thomas	1914
1926		Frank Lockhart	1926
1927		George Souders	1927
1928		Louis Meyer	1928	1933	1936
1966		Graham Hill	1966
2000		Juan Pablo Montoya	2000	2015
2001	2002	Hélio Castroneves	2001	2002	2009	2021
2016		Alexander Rossi	2016
Louis Meyer won in his first start in 1928, but had competed a year earlier as a relief driver for Wilbur Shaw.

Consecutive driver victories
Wins	Driver	Career Victories
2	Wilbur Shaw	1937	1939	1940
	Mauri Rose	1941	1947	1948
	Bill Vukovich	1953	1954
	Al Unser	1970	1971	1978	1987
	Hélio Castroneves	2001	2002	2009	2021
	Josef Newgarden	2023	2024

Most races between victories Ten drivers have intervals between race victories extending five or more races*.
Years	Driver	Career Victories
15	Juan Pablo Montoya	2000	2015
12	Hélio Castroneves	2001	2002	2009	2021
10	A. J. Foyt	1961	1964	1967	1977
9	Gordon Johncock	1973	1982
	Al Unser	1970	1971	1978	1987
7	Bobby Unser	1968	1975	1981
	Arie Luyendyk	1990	1997
	Hélio Castroneves	2001	2002	2009	2021
6	Bobby Unser	1968	1975	1981
	Dan Wheldon	2005	2011
5	Louis Meyer	1928	1933	1936
	Rick Mears	1979	1984	1988	1991
Mauri Rose's 1947 victory occurred six years after his co-victory with Floyd Davis in 1941, but only two races later due to the cancellation of the race, 1942 - 1945, due to World War II.

Most races between first and last victories Five drivers have won multiple victories across a time period of at least ten races.
Years	Driver	Career Victories
20	Hélio Castroneves	2001	2002	2009	2021
17	Al Unser	1970	1971	1978	1987
16	A. J. Foyt	1961	1964	1967	1977
15	Juan Pablo Montoya	2000	2015
13	Bobby Unser	1968	1975	1981
12	Rick Mears	1979	1984	1988	1991

Most starts before first victory Eight drivers have won the race for the first time after ten or more career starts.
Starts	Driver	Career Victories
13	Sam Hanks	1957
12	Tony Kanaan	2013
Josef Newgarden	2023
11	Jim Rathmann	1960
	Johnny Rutherford	1974	1976	1980
	Will Power	2018
10	Tom Sneva	1983
	Al Unser Jr.	1992	1994

• Defending champion finishing second: 9
  • Louis Meyer, 1929
  • Wilbur Shaw, 1938
  • Bill Holland, 1950
  • Rodger Ward, 1960
  • Jim Clark, 1966
  • Al Unser, 1972
  • Johnny Rutherford, 1975
  • Hélio Castroneves, 2003
  • Marcus Ericsson, 2023
• Defending second place-finisher winning: 14
  • Dario Resta, 1916
  • Fred Frame, 1932
  • Wilbur Shaw, 1939
  • Bill Holland*, 1949
  • Johnnie Parsons, 1950
  • Sam Hanks, 1957
  • Jim Rathmann, 1960
  • Bobby Unser, 1975
  • Johnny Rutherford, 1976
  • A. J. Foyt, 1977
  • Emerson Fittipaldi, 1989
  • Jacques Villeneuve, 1995
  • Scott Dixon, 2008
  • Dan Wheldon*, 2011

* Won after two consecutive second-place finishes.

• Co-winners (one driver starting a race but another driver finishing in the same winning entry): 2
  • Lora L. Corum / Joe Boyer, 1924
  • Floyd Davis / Mauri Rose, 1941
• Victories by drivers who never led a race lap in career: 2 (Corum and Davis, in those same years)
• Won Triple Crown of Motorsport (Indianapolis 500, Monaco Grand Prix, and 24 Hours of Le Mans):
  • Graham Hill (1966 / 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969 / 1972)
• Won Indianapolis 500, F1 World Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans):
  • Graham Hill (1966 / 1962, 1968 / 1972)
• Won Indianapolis 500 and F1 World Championship: 5
  • Jim Clark (1965 / 1963, 1965)
  • Graham Hill (1966 / 1962, 1968)
  • Mario Andretti (1969 / 1978)
  • Emerson Fittipaldi (1989, 1993 / 1972, 1974)
  • Jacques Villeneuve (1995 / 1997)
• Won Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans: 2
  • A. J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977 / 1967)
  • Graham Hill (1966 / 1972)
• Won Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours of Daytona:
  • A. J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977 / 1983, 1985)
  • Al Unser (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987 / 1985)
  • Mark Donohue (1972 / 1969)
  • Mario Andretti (1969 / 1972* shortened due to gas shortage)
  • Bobby Rahal (1986 / 1981)
  • Arie Luyendyk (1990, 1997 / 1998)
  • Al Unser Jr. (1992, 1994 / 1986, 1987)
  • Juan Pablo Montoya (2000, 2015 / 2007, 2008, 2013)
  • Dan Wheldon (2005, 2011 / 2006)
  • Scott Dixon (2008 / 2006, 2015, 2020)
  • Buddy Rice (2004 / 2009)
  • Dario Franchitti (2007, 2010, 2012 / 2008)
  • Tony Kanaan (2013 / 2015)
  • Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021 / 2021, 2022, 2023)
  • Alexander Rossi (2016 / 2021)
  • Simon Pagenaud (2019 / 2022, 2023)
  • Josef Newgarden (2023 / 2024)
• Won Indianapolis 500 and Monaco Grand Prix:
  • Graham Hill (1966 / 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969)
  • Juan Pablo Montoya (2000, 2015 / 2003)
• Won Indianapolis 500 and 12 Hours of Sebring:
  • Mario Andretti (1969 / 1967, 1970, 1972)
  • A. J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977 / 1985)
  • Bobby Rahal (1986 / 1987)
  • Arie Luyendyk (1990, 1997 / 1989)
  • Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014 / 2020)
• Won Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500:
  • Mario Andretti (1969 / 1967)
  • A. J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977 / 1972)
• Won Indianapolis 500 and Petit Le Mans:
  • Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014 / 2018)
  • Scott Dixon (2008 / 2020)
  • Hélio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021 / 2022, 2023)
• Won Indianapolis 500, F1 World Championship, and Daytona 500:
  • Mario Andretti (1969 / 1978 / 1967)
• Won Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Daytona 500:
  • A. J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977 / 1967 / 1972)

Narrowest Margin of Victory:

• Al Unser Jr. over Scott Goodyear, 1992
  • Official margin: 0.043 second
  • Unofficial margin: 0.033 second https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEFD6113DF930A35754C0A964958260

Widest Margin of Victory:

• Preceding 1966 (first year of top five finishing entry being flagged off before completing 500 miles):
  • 13 minutes, 8 seconds, Jules Goux over Spencer Wishart, 1913
• Succeeding 1966 (year inclusive):
  • 2 laps +0:00.021, Rick Mears over Roberto Guerrero, 1984
  • 2 laps, A. J. Foyt over Al Unser, 1967 (race red flagged, second place reverted to last completed lap)
  • 2 laps, Emerson Fittipaldi over Al Unser Jr., 1989 (second place car did not finish 199th lap, third place 6 laps behind leader)

Speed and qualification records

Lap speed records

All-Time Lap Speed Records
Type	Distance			Driver	Time	Average Speed		Date
	Laps	Mi	Km			mph	km/h
Practice (unofficial)*	1	2.5	4.0	Arie Luyendyk	00:37.616	239.260	385.052	10 May 1996
Qualifying	1	2.5	4.0	Arie Luyendyk	00:37.895	237.498	382.216	12 May 1996
	4	10.0	16.1	Arie Luyendyk	02:31.908	236.986	381.392	12 May 1996
Qualifying (Pole Run)	4	10.0	16.1	Scott McLaughlin	02:33.7017	234.220	376.940	19 May 2024
Race	1	2.5	4.0	Eddie Cheever	00:38.119	236.103	379.971	26 May 1996
Official time and speed records recorded only in direct qualifying or race competition

Pole positions

Most pole positions Ten drivers have qualified for at least three pole positions
Poles	Driver	Years
6	Rick Mears	1979	1982	1986	1988	1989	1991
5	Scott Dixon	2008	2015	2017	2021	2022
4	Rex Mays	1935	1936	1940	1948
	A. J. Foyt	1965	1969	1974	1975
	Hélio Castroneves	2003	2007	2009	2010
3	Mario Andretti	1966	1967	1987
	Johnny Rutherford	1973	1976	1980
	Tom Sneva	1977	1978	1984
	Arie Luyendyk	1993	1997	1999
	Ed Carpenter	2013	2014	2018
See Multiple pole positions for full list, multiple-pole-winning drivers

Consecutive pole position qualifications Twelve drivers have qualified for the pole position in consecutive years.
Poles	Driver	Career Pole Positions
2	Ralph DePalma	1920	1921
	Rex Mays	1935	1936	1940	1948
	Eddie Sachs	1960	1961
	Parnelli Jones	1962	1963
	Mario Andretti	1966	1967	1987
	A. J. Foyt	1965	1969	1974	1975
	Tom Sneva	1977	1978	1984
	Rick Mears	1979	1982	1986	1988	1989	1991
	Scott Brayton*	1995	1996
	Hélio Castroneves	2003	2007	2009	2010
	Ed Carpenter	2013	2014	2018
	Scott Dixon	2008	2015	2017	2021	2022
Scott Brayton qualified for the pole position in 1996, but was killed in a practice session accident nine days before the race in a backup car. Tony Stewart, the second qualifier, moved onto the pole position Brayton's stead, while Danny Ongais, per regulations, started the pole-winning car from the final starting position.

Most races between pole position qualifications Five* drivers have intervals between pole positions extending five or more races.
Years	Driver	Career Pole Positions
20	Mario Andretti	1966	1967	1987
9	Bobby Unser	1972	1981
7	Scott Dixon	2008	2015	2017	2021	2022
5	A. J. Foyt	1965	1969	1974	1975
Rex Mays' 1948 pole position qualification occurred eight years after qualifying for it in 1940, but only four races later due to the cancellation of the race, from 1942 - 1945, due to World War II.

Average race speeds

Fastest Races Fourteen races have been run in under three hours.
Year	Driver	Team	Time	Average Speed (mph)
2021	Hélio Castroneves	Meyer Shank Racing	2:37:19.4043	190.690
2013	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	2:40:03.4181	187.433
2014	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	2:40:48.2305	186.563
1990	Arie Luyendyk	Doug Shierson Racing	2:41:18.414	185.981
1991	Rick Mears	Penske Racing	2:50:00.785	176.460
2019	Simon Pagenaud	Team Penske	2:50:39.2797	175.794
2022	Marcus Ericsson	Chip Ganassi Racing	2:51:00.6432	175.428
1986	Bobby Rahal	Truesports	2:55:43.470	170.722
2011	Dan Wheldon	Bryan Herta Autosport	2:56:11.7267	170.265
2023	Josef Newgarden	Team Penske	2:58:21.9611	168.193
2024	Josef Newgarden	Team Penske	2:58:49.4079	167.763
2012	Dario Franchitti	Chip Ganassi Racing	2:58:51.2532	167.734
2000	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chip Ganassi Racing	2:58:59.431	167.607
1989	Emerson Fittipaldi	Patrick Racing	2:59:01.040	167.581

Decade Slowest Winning Average Speed
Year	Driver	Team	Time	Average Speed (mph)
1911	Ray Harroun	Marmon	6:42:08	74.602
1920	Gaston Chevrolet	Frontenac	5:38:32	88.618
1931	Louis Schneider	Bowes Seal Fast	5:10:27.93	96.629
1940	Wilbur Shaw	Maserati	4:22:31.17	114.277
1950	Johnnie Parsons	Kurtis Kraft	2:46:55.97*	124.022
1960	Jim Rathmann	Ken-Paul	3:36:11.36	138.767
1976	Johnny Rutherford	Team McLaren	1:42:52.48*	148.725
1981	Bobby Unser	Penske Racing	3:35:41.78	139.184
1992	Al Unser Jr.	Galles-Kraco	3:43:05.148	134.477
2004	Buddy Rice	Rahal Letterman	3:14:55.2395*	138.518
2017	Takuma Sato	Andretti Autosport	3:13:03.3584	155.395
Rain-shortened

Slowest Finishing Average Speed
Year	Driver	Team	Time	Average Speed (mph)	Pos
1912	Ralph Mulford	Knox	8:53:00	56.29	10

Lap leader records

Most career laps led Seven drivers have led five hundred or more race laps during their career.
Rank	Driver	Laps Led	Career Laps Run	Career Lap Leader Percentage	Race Wins	Years Won
1		677	Active driver		1
2		644	4,356	14.78%	4				1987
3		612	1,594	38.39%	1
4		556	3,040	18.29%	1
5		555	4,909	11.31%	4				1977
6		508	2,019	25.16%	3
7		505	1,785	28.29%	2
See Lap Leaders for full listing

Most races led Eight drivers have led at least ten races Background colors designate finishing position
Races Led	Driver	Years
16	Scott Dixon	2003	2006	2007	2008	2009
		2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
		2017	2019	2020	2021	2022
		2024
15	Tony Kanaan	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
		2007	2008	2012	2013	2014
		2015	2016	2017	2018	2022
14	Hélio Castroneves	2001	2002	2003	2006	2007
		2009	2010	2013	2014	2015
		2016	2017	2021	2023
13	A. J. Foyt	1961	1962	1964	1965	1967
		1969	1970	1974	1975	1976
		1977	1979	1982
11	Al Unser	1970	1971	1973	1977	1978
		1979	1983	1987	1988	1992
		1993
11	Mario Andretti	1966	1969	1980	1981	1984
		1985	1987	1989	1991	1992
		1993
10	Bobby Unser	1968	1971	1972	1973	1974
		1975	1977	1979	1980	1981
10	Will Power	2010	2013	2014	2015	2016
		2017	2018	2019	2020	2023

Most consecutive races led Eleven drivers have led in five or more consecutive* races.
Years		Driver
8	2013 - 2020	Will Power
7	2002 - 2008	Tony Kanaan
	2012 - 2018	Tony Kanaan
6	1979 - 1984	Rick Mears
	2011 - 2016	Alex Tagliani
5	1938 - 1946	Rex Mays
	1940 - 1948	Mauri Rose
	1971 - 1975	Bobby Unser
	1980 - 1984	Tom Sneva
	2011 - 2015	Scott Dixon
	2013 - 2017	Hélio Castroneves
Rex Mays and Mauri Rose led the race in periods extending nine years each, but are counted as leading in five consecutive due to the cancellation of the race, from 1942 - 1945, due to World War II.

Most race laps led by winning entry Seven entries, all to date starting from the front row**, have won in dominant fashion, leading eighty percent or more of a given race's completed laps.
Laps Led	Distance Led		Percent Race Led	Year	Winning Driver	Start Pos
	mi	km
198	495	796.6	99.0%	1930	Billy Arnold	1
195	487.5	784.6	97.5%	1953	Bill Vukovich	1
190	475	764.4	95.0%	1965	Jim Clark	2
1970	Al Unser	1
167	417.5	671.9	83.5%	1963	Parnelli Jones	1
2000	Juan Pablo Montoya	2
103*	257.5*	414.4*	85.8%*	1916	Dario Resta	4**
Race scheduled for 120 laps, 300 mi. (482.8 km) ** With four-wide starts occurring in years 1913 - 1920, Dario Resta started on the front row in 1916.

Fewest race laps led by winning entry Five entries have won despite leading only five percent or less of a given race's completed laps.
Laps Led	Distance Led		Percent Race Led	Year	Driver	Start Pos
	mi	km
1	2.5	4.0	0.5%	2011	Dan Wheldon	6
2	5	8.1	1.0%	1912	Joe Dawson	3
5	12.5	20.1	2.5%	2023	Josef Newgarden	17
9	22.5	36.2	4.5%	2015	Juan Pablo Montoya	15
10	25	40.2	5.0%	1966	Graham Hill	15

Most race laps led by non-winning entry Four entries have failed to win despite dominating to lead eighty percent or more of a given race's completed laps.
Laps Led	Distance Led		Percent Race Led	Year	Driver	Start Pos	Final Pos
	mi	km
196	490	788.6	98.0%	1912	Ralph DePalma	7	11
171	427.5	688.0	85.5%	1967	Parnelli Jones	6	6
170	425	684.0	85.0%	1987	Mario Andretti	1	9
160	400	643.7	80.0%	1992	Michael Andretti	6	13

Most laps led from start Two entries, both starting from the pole position, have led the opening forty percent or further of a given race's completed laps.
Laps	Year	Driver	Full Laps Led	Percent Race Led	Start Pos	Final Pos
92	1990	Emerson Fittipaldi	128	64.0%	1	3
81	1927	Frank Lockhart	110	55.0%	1	18

Latest lead change Races with final lead change taking place at or within three laps of finish
Lap	Year	Winner	Overtaken
200	2006	Sam Hornish Jr.	Marco Andretti
	2011	Dan Wheldon	J. R. Hildebrand
	2023	Josef Newgarden	Marcus Ericsson
199	1912	Joe Dawson	Ralph DePalma
	1989	Emerson Fittipaldi	Al Unser Jr.
	1999	Kenny Bräck	Robby Gordon
	2012	Dario Franchitti	Scott Dixon
	2019	Simon Pagenaud	Alexander Rossi
	2021	Hélio Castroneves	Álex Palou
198	1961	A. J. Foyt	Eddie Sachs
	1986	Bobby Rahal	Kevin Cogan
	2013	Tony Kanaan	Ryan Hunter-Reay

Led opening lap and final lap: 21 entries among 19 drivers

• Jimmy Murphy, 1922
• Joe Boyer, 1924 (only occasion of occurrence in separate entries)
• Peter DePaolo, 1925
• Lee Wallard, 1951
• Bill Vukovich, 1953
• Jimmy Bryan, 1958
• Jim Clark, 1965
• Mario Andretti, 1969
• Al Unser, 1970
• Johnny Rutherford, 1976
• Johnny Rutherford, 1980
• Bobby Unser, 1981
• Rick Mears, 1984
• Emerson Fittipaldi, 1989
• Rick Mears, 1991
• Al Unser Jr., 1994
• Buddy Rice, 2004
• Scott Dixon, 2008
• Hélio Castroneves, 2009
• Dario Franchitti, 2010
• Simon Pagenaud, 2019

Led opening lap, consecutive races Nine drivers have led the opening race lap in consecutive races.
Years		Driver
2	1922 - 1923	Jimmy Murphy
	1928 - 1929	Leon Duray
	1935 - 1936	Rex Mays
	1940 - 1941
	1954 - 1955	Jack McGrath
	1964 - 1965	Jim Clark
	1972 - 1973	Bobby Unser
	1989 - 1990	Emerson Fittipaldi
	1996 - 1997	Tony Stewart
	2022 - 2023	Álex Palou

Most laps led by rookie Six drivers have led forty percent or further distance of a given race in their first year of competition.
Laps	Percent Race Led	Year	Driver	Start Pos	Final Pos
167	83.5%	2000	Juan Pablo Montoya	2	1
143	71.5%	1947	Bill Holland	8	2
138	69.0%	1913	Jules Goux	7	1
102	51.0%	1914	René Thomas	15	1
95	59.4%	1926	Frank Lockhart	20	1
85	42.5%	2002	Tomas Scheckter	10	26

Age records

Top ten oldest winners
Year	Driver	Age
		Descriptive		Exact Days
		Years	Days
1987	Al Unser	47	360	17,527
1981	Bobby Unser	47	93	17,260
1993	Emerson Fittipaldi	46	169	16,971
2021	Hélio Castroneves	46	20	16,822
1982	Gordon Johncock	45	278	16,714
1997	Arie Luyendyk	43	248	15,954
2020	Takuma Sato	43	208	15,913
1957	Sam Hanks	42	320	15,661
1989	Emerson Fittipaldi	42	167	15,508
1977	A. J. Foyt	42	133	15,474

Top ten youngest winners
Year	Driver	Age
		Descriptive		Exact Days
		Years	Days
1952	Troy Ruttman	22	80	8,116
1912	Joe Dawson	22	318	8,352
1926	Frank Lockhart	23	53	8,454
1928	Louis Meyer	23	314	8,714
1995	Jacques Villeneuve	24	49	8,815
1930	Billy Arnold	24	165	8,931
2016	Alexander Rossi	24	247	9,013
2000	Juan Pablo Montoya	24	251	9,017
1924	Lora L. Corum*	25	143	9,273
2001	Hélio Castroneves	26	17	9,514
1924 winning entry credited with two winning drivers, with Corum starting, but race lead assumed only after relief, and eventual drive to victory, by Joe Boyer.

Oldest Starter:

• A. J. Foyt Jr., 57 years, 128 days old, 1992

Youngest Starter:

• A. J. Foyt IV, 19 years, 0 days old, 2003

Miscellaneous competitive records

Most race starts Twelve drivers have started at least twenty races.
Starts	Driver	Career Victories				Notes
35	A. J. Foyt	1961	1964	1967	1977	1958 - 1992, consecutive
29	Mario Andretti	1969
27	Al Unser	1970	1971	1978	1987
24	Johnny Rutherford	1974	1976	1980
	Gordon Johncock	1973	1982
	Hélio Castroneves	2001	2002	2009	2021
22	George Snider					Most starts without winning
	Tony Kanaan	2013
	Scott Dixon	2008
21	Gary Bettenhausen
	Ed Carpenter
20	Buddy Lazier	1996

Best Female Driver Finishes Races with one or more female drivers finishing in the top ten
Year	Start Pos	Final Pos	Driver	Notes
2009	10	3	Danica Patrick
2005	4	4	Danica Patrick	Led 19 laps; first female driver leader
2010	23	6	Danica Patrick
2006	10	8	Danica Patrick
2007	8	8	Danica Patrick
1978	15	9	Janet Guthrie	First top ten, female driver
2011	25	10	Danica Patrick	Led 10 laps; most recent female driver leader

Most Leaders in Race Races with more than ten race leaders
Leaders	Year	Winner
16	2024	Josef Newgarden
15	2017	Takuma Sato
	2018	Will Power
14	2013	Tony Kanaan
	2023	Josef Newgarden
13	2016	Alexander Rossi
	2021	Hélio Castroneves
12	1993	Emerson Fittipaldi
11	2014	Ryan Hunter-Reay

Fewest Leaders in Race Races with three or fewer race leaders
Leaders	Year	Winner
2	1930	Billy Arnold
	1965	Jim Clark
3	1912	Joe Dawson
	1916	Dario Resta
	1919	Howdy Wilcox
	1938	Floyd Roberts
	1940	Wilbur Shaw
	1947	Mauri Rose
	1950	Johnnie Parsons
	1952	Troy Ruttman
	1967	A. J. Foyt
	1968	Bobby Unser
	1990	Arie Luyendyk
	1994	Al Unser Jr.

Most Starters in Race Races with more than 33 starting entries
Started	Year	Winner	Notes
42	1933	Louis Meyer	Full field
40	1911	Ray Harroun	Unlimited potential field size; 40 entries achieving required minimum speed
	1931	Louis Schneider	Full field
	1932	Fred Frame	Full field
38	1930	Billy Arnold	40 potential starting positions
35	1979	Rick Mears	2 further starting positions allotted from technical regulations ruling
	1997	Arie Luyendyk	2 further starting positions allotted from technical regulations ruling

Fewest Starters in Race Races with fewer than 33 starting entries
Started	Year	Winner	Notes
21	1916	Dario Resta	30 potential starting positions
22	1924	Lora L. Corum	33 potential starting positions Corum and Boyer, co-drivers of winning entry
		Joe Boyer
	1925	Peter DePaolo	33 potential starting positions
23	1920	Gaston Chevrolet	33 potential starting positions
	1921	Tommy Milton	33 potential starting positions
24	1912	Joe Dawson	30 potential starting positions
	1915	Ralph DePalma	33 potential starting positions
	1923	Tommy Milton	33 potential starting positions
27	1913	Jules Goux	30 potential starting positions
	1922	Jimmy Murphy	33 potential starting positions
28	1926	Frank Lockhart	33 potential starting positions
29	1928	Louis Meyer	33 potential starting positions
30	1914	René Thomas	Full field
	1947	Mauri Rose	33 potential starting positions

Most Lead Changes in Race Races with twenty-five or more lead changes
Lead Changes	Year	Winner
68	2013	Tony Kanaan
54	2016	Alexander Rossi
52	2023	Josef Newgarden
48	2024	Josef Newgarden
38	2022	Marcus Ericsson
37	2015	Juan Pablo Montoya
35	2017	Takuma Sato
	2021	Hélio Castroneves
34	2012	Dario Franchitti
	2014	Ryan Hunter-Reay
30	2018	Will Power
29	1960	Jim Rathmann
	2019	Simon Pagenaud
28	1923	Tommy Milton
27	2005	Dan Wheldon

Fewest Lead Changes in Race Races with three or fewer lead changes
Lead Changes	Year	Winner
1	1930	Billy Arnold
2	1912	Joe Dawson
	1916	Dario Resta
3	1919	Howdy Wilcox
	1931	Louis Schneider
	1949	Bill Holland

Most former winners starting race:

• 10 – 1992

Fewest former winners starting race:

• 0 – 1912

Most rookies starting race:

• 19 – 1919, 1930 (excluding first race's 40 starters)

Fewest rookies starting race:

• 1 – 1939, 1979

Most cars running at finish:

• 30 – 2021

Fewest cars running at finish:

• 7 – 1966

Most occasions running at finish:

• 2: 18, A. J. Foyt and Al Unser

Greatest improvement from starting position to finishing position (all-time):

• 32 positions, 38th to 6th, Zeke Meyer, 1932

Greatest improvement from starting position to finishing position (33-car field):

• 31 positions, 33rd to 2nd Tom Sneva, 1980
• 31 positions, 33rd to 2nd Scott Goodyear, 1992

Most consecutive laps completed without falling out of competition:

• 2,310 laps, Hélio Castroneves, 2007-2018 (from the start of the 2007 race through lap 145 of 2018 race)

Most cars and teams entered

• 117, 1984

Race conditions

Highest Race Temperatures^[1] Races with air temperature equaling or exceeding 90°F (32°C)
Year	Degrees		Race Winner	Notes
	°F	°C
1937	92°	33°	Wilbur Shaw
1953	91°	33°	Bill Vukovich	With anecdotal, "unofficial" testimony placing air temperature at the track itself during the race near, at or exceeding 100 °F / 38 °C, potentially the hottest race in history, with at least one fatality, Carl Scarborough, due to heat illness
1919	91°	33°	Howdy Wilcox
2012	91°	33°	Dario Franchitti	Reports at the track claimed temperature of 93 °F / 34 °C
2018	91°	33°	Will Power
1978	90°	32°	Al Unser
1977	90°	32°	A. J. Foyt

Lowest Race Temperatures Races with highest air temperature not exceeding 65°F (18°C)
Year	Degrees		Race Winner	Notes
	°F	°C
1992	58°	14°	Al Unser Jr.	51 °F / 11 °C, lowest air temperature at start of race; 38 °F / 3 °C, coldest recorded wind chill during race
1997	60°	16°	Arie Luyendyk
1930	62°	17°	Billy Arnold
1947	63°	17°	Mauri Rose	37 °F / 3 °C, lowest air temperature on race morning; 50 °F / 10 °C, lowest average air temperature throughout race day
1915	65°	18°	Ralph DePalma	56 °F lowest air temperature on race morning; 58 °F air temperature at start of race^[2] ^[3]
2003	65°	18°	Gil de Ferran
1924	65°	18°	Lora L. Corum
			Joe Boyer

Rain-shortened races
Year	Laps	Distance		Race Winner
		(miles)	(km)
1926	160	400.000	673.738	Frank Lockhart
1950	138	345.000	555.224	Johnnie Parsons
1973	133	332.500	535.107	Gordon Johncock
1975	174	435.000	700.065	Bobby Unser
1976	102	255.000	410.383	Johnny Rutherford
2004	180	450.000	724.205	Buddy Rice
2007	166	415.000	667.878	Dario Franchitti

Distance records

Career Furthest Distance Competed Twelve drivers have completed at least three thousand laps, or seven thousand five hundred miles, in race competition.
Rank	Driver	Laps	Miles	Starts	Race Victories
1	A. J. Foyt	4,909	12,272.5	35	1961	1964	1967	1977
2	Hélio Castroneves	4,598	11,495.0	24	2001	2002	2009	2021
3	Al Unser	4,356	10,890.0	27	1970	1971	1978	1987
4	Scott Dixon	4,069	10,172.5	22	2008
5	Tony Kanaan	3,951	9,877.5	22	2013
6	Ed Carpenter	3,791	9,477.5	21	None
7	Marco Andretti	3,513	8,782.5	19	None
8	Will Power	3,198	7,998.0	17	2018
9	Al Unser Jr.	3,173	7,932.5	19	1992	1994
10	Gordon Johncock	3,158	7,895.0	24	1973	1982
11	Mario Andretti	3,040	7,600.0	29	1969
12	Buddy Lazier	3,015	7,537.5	20	1996

Most years completing the full 500 miles

• 18 Hélio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

Most consecutive years completing the full 500 miles

• 7 Scott Dixon (2018–2024)
• 6 Wilbur Shaw (1935-1940)
• 6 Rodger Ward (1959-1964)
• 6 Hélio Castroneves (2012-2017)

Most consecutive laps completed

• 1,400* Scott Dixon (from the start of the 2018 race through the end of the 2024 race)

* Streak still active as of the end of the 2024 race.

Interval average speed records

Laps	Distance (miles)	Driver	Team	Time*	Average Speed (mph)	Year
1	2.5	Tony Kanaan	Andretti-Green Racing	0:00:41.3359	217.728	2007
align=center	2	5	Tony Stewart	Team Menard	0:01:21.0940	221.965	1996
4	10	Hélio Castroneves	Penske Racing	0:02:43.7710	219.819	2003
10	25	Tony Kanaan	Andretti-Green Racing	0:06:45.7841	221.703	2005
20	50	Bruno Junqueira	Chip Ganassi Racing	0:13:36.0110	220.585	2002
30	75	JR Hildebrand	Ed Carpenter Racing	0:20:34.6615	218.683	2017
40	100	Fernando Alonso	McLaren Honda Andretti	0:27:55.7591	214.828	2017
50	125	Fernando Alonso	McLaren Honda Andretti	0:34:43.4310	215.990	2017
60	150	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	0:42:12.2288	213.251	2014
70	175	Hélio Castroneves	Penske Racing	0:49:41.5486	211.300	2014
80	200	Hélio Castroneves	Penske Racing	0:56:32.6565	212.223	2014
90	225	Hélio Castroneves	Penske Racing	1:03:21.4821	213.075	2014
100	250	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	1:10:47.8745	211.871	2014
110	275	Hélio Castroneves	Penske Racing	1:17:37.1795	212.575	2014
120	300	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	1:24:24.0448	213.268	2014
130	325	Juan Pablo Montoya	Penske Racing	1:31:17.6531	213.595	2014
140	350	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	1:38:42.8021	212.737	2014
150	375	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	1:45:51.7817	212.539	2014
160	400	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	1:58:29.5150	202.543	2014
170	425	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	2:06:41.8255	201.267	2014
180	450	Carlos Muñoz	Andretti Autosport	2:20:41.0171	191.920	2013
190	475	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	2:28:09.0275	192.372	2013
200	500	Hélio Castroneves	Meyer Shank Racing	2:37:19.4043	190.690	2021
With official timing and scoring first recording ten-thousandth-second intervals in 2004, years previous assigned zero as decimal placeholder.

Related lists

Drivers who crashed while leading during final one hundred miles of race (Lap 160+)

• 1931

Billy Arnold - Arnold charged from 18th starting position to lead the race by lap 7. Arnold, who had dominated the 1930 race (led 198 laps), proceeded to lead the next 155 laps, and built up a five-lap lead over second place. His rear axle broke on lap 162. He spun in turn four, was hit by another car, and went over the outside wall. One of his errant wheels bounced across Georgetown Road, and struck and killed a 12-year-old boy, Wilbur C. Brink. Arnold suffered a broken pelvis, and his riding mechanic, Spider Matlock, broke his shoulder.

• 1952

Bill Vukovich - Vukovich led 150 laps, and was leading on lap 192 when a steering linkage failed. Vukovich nursed his car to a stop by driving up against the outside wall at the end of the back straightaway at the beginning of turn three, preventing other drivers from getting involved in the incident.

• 1989

Al Unser Jr. - On the 199th lap, Al Unser Jr. was leading Fittipaldi down the backstretch. The two cars weaving through lap traffic, and Fittipaldi dove underneath Unser exiting turn two. Racing side-with Unser drawing back ahead by a nose entering turn three, the two cars touched wheels, and Unser spun out, crashing into the outside wall. Fittipaldi coasted around the final lap under caution to score his first race victory.

• 1994

Emerson Fittipaldi - while leading the race on lap 184, Fittipaldi was attempting to lap his teammate Al Unser Jr., who was running second. Coming out of turn four, Fittipaldi's left wheels touched the rumble strips on the inside, causing the left side tires to lose adhesion, and the rear of the car to swing wide at the turn exit, resulting in the rear tagging the outside wall and knocking Fittipaldi out of the race. Unser Jr. went on to win.

• 2002

Tomas Scheckter - After leading 85 laps during the race, the rookie was leading on lap 173. Coming out of turn 4, he slid high and smacked the outside wall down the frontstretch.

• 2011

J. R. Hildebrand - During the final ten laps, a sequence of green flag pit stops shuffled the field. Rookie J. R. Hildebrand was attempting to stretch his fuel to the finish, and took over the lead with just over two laps to go. On the final lap, he was leading going into the final turn, when he came up on the lapped car of Charlie Kimball, who was slowing to the inside. Hildebrand went high, got into the "marbles," and smacked the outside wall. Without steering, and only on three wheels, his car slid down the frontstretch towards the finish line and the checkered flag. However, Hildebrand was passed by Dan Wheldon on the final 1,000 feet and Hildebrand finished second.

Notes

1. Web site: National Weather Service. NWS Indianapolis, IN; Indianapolis 500.
2. News: Weather Forecast. The Indianapolis Star. 1. Newspapers.com. June 1, 1915. December 12, 2017.
3. News: Weather Indications. The Indianapolis News. 1. Newspapers.com. June 1, 1915. December 12, 2017.