Looking through the results for Indy 500, there have been many outstanding winners throughout history. Certainly, different people may have varying opinions on their greatness. Accordingly, here’s our list of the greatest Indy 500 winners.
- A.J. Foyt
The first four-time winner of the Indy 500 (winning in 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977), Foyt is also the only driver to have also won the Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Additionally, Foyt is the only driver to have won the Indy 500 in both front- and rear-engined cars. - Al Unser Sr.
“Big Al” won the Indy 500 in 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987, and is the only driver in history to have both a sibling and a child also win one of the biggest races in the world. Unser’s victory in 1987 came when he was 47 years old– the oldest driver to ever win the Indy 500. - Bill Vukovich
Vukovich is a two-time winner of the Indy 500, having won in 1953 and 1954. However, the promising career of Vukovich ended in tragedy at the age of 36 when he was killed in a crash during the 1955 Indy 500. At the time of the fatal crash, he was leading the field by 17 seconds. - Bobby Unser
The older brother of Al Unser, Bobby is a three-time Indy 500 winner. In addition, Unser was the first driver to win the Indy 500 in three different decades (1968, 1975, 1981). - Dario Franchitti
Franchitti is a three-time winner of the Indy 500 (2007, 2010, 2012). However, Franchitti’s promising career was ended in 2013 when a crash caused severe injuries.
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- Helio Castroneves
Castrovenes is one of four drivers to have won the Indianapolis 500 four times: in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021. Since Castroneves is still active, will he become the first five-time Indy 500 winner in history? - Johnny Rutherford
“Lone Star JR” won the Indianapolis 500 three times, winning in 1974, 1976, and 1980. Despite wearing the flag of Texas on his helmet, Rutherford is actually a native son of Kansas. - Louis Meyer
Meyer is a three-time Indy 500 winner (1928, 1933, 1936). In fact, Meyer started the tradition of drinking milk (buttermilk at the time) after his 1933, which is continued to this day. - Rick Mears
Mears has won the Indy 500 four times (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991) and is the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six (1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991). Mears spent his entire 15-year Indianapolis 500 career with Penske. - Wilbur Shaw
Wilbur Shaw won the Indianapolis 500 race three times, in 1937, 1939 and 1940. Shaw was the second person to win the 500 three times, and the first to win it twice in a row. Additionally, Shaw served as president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death in 1954.
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