Driver Records & Milestones
Indianapolis 500
Race Milestones
Victories
- Most victories: 4 – A.J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977), Al Unser (1970-1971, 1978, 1987), Rick Mears (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991), Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021)
- Most consecutive victories: 2 – Wilbur Shaw (1939-1940), Mauri Rose (1947-48), Bill Vukovich (1953-1954), Al Unser (1970-71), Helio Castroneves (2001-2002)
- Longest span between first and last victory: 20 years – Helio Castroneves (2001 to 2021)
- Youngest winner: Troy Ruttman (1952) 22 years, 80 days old
- Oldest winner: Al Unser (1987) 47 years, 360 days old
- Most victories from pole position: 3 – Rick Mears (1979, 1988, 1991)
- Lowest starting position, winner: 28th – Ray Harroun (1911), Louis Meyer (1936)
- First two-time winner: Tommy Milton (1921, 1923)
- First three-time winner: Louis Meyer (1928, 1933, 1936)
- First four-time winner: A.J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977)
- Largest margin of victory: 13 minutes, 8.40 seconds – Jules Goux over Spencer Wishart (1913)
- Closest margin of victory: .043 of a second – Al Unser Jr. over Scott Goodyear (1992)
- Fastest average winning speed: 190.690 mph – Helio Castroneves (2021)
- Slowest average winning speed: 74.602 mph – Ray Harroun (1911)
Field
- Most career starts: 35 – A.J. Foyt (1958-1992, consecutive)
- Fewest starters, single race: 21 – 1916
- Most starters, single race: 42 – 1933
- Most former Rookies of the Year in field: 8 – 1990
- Most former winners in field: 10 – 1992
- Most rookies in field: 19 – 1919, 1930 (Not counting the 40 starters in 1911)
- Fewest rookies in field: 1 – 1939, 1979
- Most cars entered: 117 – 1984
Lap Leaders
- Most laps led, career: 665 – Scott Dixon
- Most laps led, single race: 198 – Billy Arnold (1930)
- Most consecutive laps led, single race: 198 (Laps 3-200) – Billy Arnold (1930)
- Most laps led by winner, single race: 198 – Billy Arnold (1930)
- Fewest laps led by winner, single race: 1 (Laps 200) – Dan Wheldon (2011)
- Most laps led without winning, single race: 196 – Ralph DePalma (1912)
- Most laps led without winning, career: 431 – Michael Andretti
- Most times leading without winning, single race: 15 - Ryan Hunter-Reay (2016)
- Most races led: 15 – Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon
- Most races led without winning, career: 9 – Rex Mays
- Most times led, single race: 15 – Tony Kanaan (2013); Marco Andretti (2013)
- Most times led, career: 70 – Scott Dixon
- Most consecutive races led: 7 – Tony Kanaan (2002-2008)
- Most lead changes, single race: 68 – 2013
- Fewest lead changes, single race: 1 – 1930
- Most lap leaders, single race: 14 – 2013
- Fewest lap leaders, single race: 2 – 1930, 1965
- Most competitive laps/miles, career: 4,904 laps / 12,272.5 miles – A.J. Foyt
- Most consecutive laps/miles, career: 1,366 laps / 3,415 miles – Scott Dixon
- Most laps completed, entire field: 6,308 - 2021
- Fewest laps completed, entire field (when winner completed 500 miles): 2,647 – 1966
- Fewest laps completed, entire field (when race was shortened by rain): 2,556 – 1973
Miscellaneous
- Most cars running at finish: 30 – 2021
- Fewest cars running at finish: 7 – 1966
- Most times running at finish: 18 – Al Unser
- Best finish, first two races: Helio Castroneves – 1st, 1st (2001-2002), Louis Meyer – 1st, 2nd (1928-1929), Dario Resta – 2nd, 1st (1915-1916), Johnnie Parsons – 2nd, 1st (1949-1950), Jacques Villeneuve – 2nd, 1st (1994-1995)
- Best finish, first three races: Helio Castroneves – 1st, 1st, 2nd (2001-2003)
- Best finish, first four races: Bill Holland – 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 2nd (1947-1950)
- Best finish first five races: Harry Hartz – 2nd, 2nd, 4th, 4th, 2nd (1922-1926)
- Best finish, woman: 3rd – Danica Patrick (2009)
- Greatest improvement from starting position: 32 spots – Zeke Meyer (38th to 6th – 1932)
- Most races served as chief steward: 22 – Tom Binford (1974-1995)
- Most races served as chief starter: 18 – Pat Vidan (1962-1979)
- Number of cars that have completed race without a pit stop: 4 – the drivers were Dave Evans in the Cummins Diesel (1931 – 13th), Cliff Bergere in the Noc Out Hose Clamp (1941 – 5th ), Jimmy Jackson in the Howard Keck (1949 – 6th) and Johnny Mantz in the Agajanian (1949 – 7th)
Qualifications Milestones
- Most pole positions: 6 – Rick Mears (1979, 1982, 1986, 1988-1989, 1991)
- Most consecutive pole positions: 2 (11 times) – Ralph DePalma (1920-1921), Rex Mays (1935-1936), Eddie Sachs (1960-1961), Parnelli Jones (1962-1963), Mario Andretti (1966-1967), A.J. Foyt (1974-1975), Tom Sneva (1977-1978), Rick Mears (1988-1989), Scott Brayton (1995-1996), Helio Castroneves (2009-2010, Ed Carpenter (2013-14), Scott Dixon (2021-22)
- Most times starting on front row: 11 – Rick Mears (1978-1979, 1982-1984, 1986-1991)
- Most consecutive times starting on front row: 6 – Rick Mears (1986-1991)
- Highest starting position, rookie: Pole – Lewis Strang (1911, first entered), Jean Chassagne (1914, drew pole), Walt Faulkner (1950), Teo Fabi (1983), Tony Stewart (1996*)
- Highest starting position, woman: 4th – Danica Patrick (2005)
- Worst finish from pole: 33rd – Cliff Woodbury (1929), Pancho Carter (1985), Roberto Guerrero (1992), Greg Ray (2000), Scott Sharp (2001)
- Most consistent qualifying laps: .0049 of a second difference – Scott Dixon (2008) - set in qualifying attempt that was later withdrawn.
- Smallest time difference between the two fastest qualifiers: .01 of a second – Al Unser over Johnny Rutherford (1970)
- Largest time difference between the two fastest qualifiers: 13.13 seconds – Tommy Milton over Jimmy Murphy (1923)
- Youngest Pole Winner: Rex Mays, 22 years, 81 days (1935)
- Oldest Pole Winner: Cliff Bergere, 49 years, 175 days (1946)