In today's world, Indianapolis 500 firsts has become a topic of great relevance and interest to a wide audience. With the advancement of technology and constant changes in society, Indianapolis 500 firsts has generated a significant impact on various aspects of life. Both on a personal and global level, Indianapolis 500 firsts has generated debates, reflections and actions that seek to understand and effectively address the challenges and opportunities that this topic presents. In this article, we will explore different facets of Indianapolis 500 firsts, from its origins to its influence in the contemporary world, with the aim of offering a comprehensive vision that invites reflection and dialogue.
Year | First | Achiever(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1911 | Winning driver | Ray Harroun | Retired from racing competition upon victory |
Winning owner | Nordyke & Marmon Company | Withdrew from racing competition upon victory | |
Rear-view mirror mounted, and winning, car |
Marmon Wasp | First entry with rear-view mirror, all international motorsports competition | |
1913 | Rookie winner (excluding first race) | Jules Goux | First to win in first career start, excluding first race |
Non-American winner | |||
European winner | |||
French winner | |||
1915 | Italian winner | Ralph DePalma | Italian-born DePalma emigrated to America as a child |
1916 | Multiple-winning owner(s) | Peugeot | Winning owners, 1913, 1916 |
British winner | Dario Resta | Italian-born Resta emigrated to Great Britain as a child | |
1922 | Winner from pole position | Jimmy Murphy | |
Winner leading first lap | |||
Driver-Owner winner | |||
Race and Grand Prix winning car | Duesenberg 1921 GP | Won 1921 French Grand Prix | |
1923 | Two-time winner | Tommy Milton | Winner, 1921, 1923 |
1924 | Co-winners | Lora L. Corum Joe Boyer |
Corum starting, Boyer finishing |
1924 | Repeat-winning owner(s) | Duesenberg | |
1925 | |||
1926 | Rain-shortened race winner | Frank Lockhart | Race concluded by rain at 160 laps, 400 miles (640 km), with Lockhart holding a two lap lead |
1936 | Three-time winner | Louis Meyer | Winner, 1928, 1933, 1936 |
1939 | Repeat-winning driver Repeat-winning car |
Wilbur Shaw Maserati 8CTF |
|
1940 | |||
1946 | English winner | George Robson | English-born Robson emigrated to America as a child |
1947 | First-and-second-place finish by teammates | Mauri Rose | Rose victorious |
Bill Holland | Holland second | ||
Three consecutive-winning owner | Lou Moore | ||
1948 | |||
1949 | |||
1952 | Rookie of the Year award winner | Art Cross | First awarded in 36th running of the race |
Youngest winner | Troy Ruttman | Winner with 22 years and 80 days | |
1965 | Race and World Championship winner, and in same year | Jim Clark | |
Scottish winner | Drivers originating from countries within the United Kingdom traditionally operate under British classification | ||
Rear-engined winning car | Lotus 38 | Team Lotus, entrant | |
1966 | Race and Monaco Grand Prix winner | Graham Hill | Winner, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, and 1969 Monaco Grand Prix |
1967 | Race and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, and in same year | A. J. Foyt | Dan Gurney, Le Mans teammate and co-driver |
1969 | Race and Daytona 500 winner | Mario Andretti | Winner, 1967 Daytona 500 |
Race and 12 Hours of Sebring winner | Winner, 1967, 1970, and 1972 12 Hours of Sebring | ||
1972 | Race and 24 Hours of Daytona winner | Mario Andretti | Winner, 1969 and 1978 World Championships First year competed after winning 1972 24 Hours of Daytona |
Wing-mounted winning car | McLaren M16 | Entered by Roger Penske, driven by Mark Donohue | |
1977 | Four-time winner | A. J. Foyt | Winner, 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977 |
Female qualifier | Janet Guthrie | Qualified 26th, finished 29th out of 33 drivers | |
1987 | Oldest winner | Al Unser | Winner with 47 years and 360 days, Winner, 1970, 1971, 1978, 1987 |
1989 | South American winner | Emerson Fittipaldi | |
Brazilian winner | |||
1990 | Dutch winner | Arie Luyendyk | |
1991 | African-American qualifier | Willy T. Ribbs | Qualified 29th, finished 32 out of 33 drivers |
1992 | Female Rookie of the Year | Lyn St. James | Finished 13th |
1993 | Two-time Race and two-time World Championship winner | Emerson Fittipaldi | Winner, 1989; Winner, 1972 and 1974 World Championships |
1995 | Canadian winner | Jacques Villeneuve | Winner, 1997 World Championships |
1999 | Swedish winner | Kenny Bräck | |
2000 | Colombian winner | Juan Pablo Montoya | Winner, 2000, 2015, Won 2003 Monaco Grand Prix and won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2007, 2008 and 2013 |
2001 | Rookie and sophomore winner | Hélio Castroneves | First to win in first two career starts |
2002 | |||
2005 | Female leader | Danica Patrick | Led 19 laps; Lap 192, latest |
2006 | Final lap lead change | Sam Hornish Jr. | Overtook Marco Andretti on the final straight line. |
2008 | New Zealand winner | Scott Dixon | |
2009 | Three females both starting and finishing Race | Danica Patrick Sarah Fisher Milka Duno |
Danica Patrick finished 3rd, becoming the highest finishing female in race history. |
2011 | Winner leading only final lap | Dan Wheldon | Took lead from J. R. Hildebrand on the final lap. |
2017 | Asian winner | Takuma Sato | |
Japanese winner | |||
2018 | Australian winner | Will Power | |
2021 | Non-American four-time winner | Hélio Castroneves | Winner, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2021 |
Year | Speed Barrier |
Race Winner | Time | Average Speed | Notes | |
(mph) | (km/h) | |||||
1911 | 70 mph | Ray Harroun | 6:42:08.92 | 74.602 | 129.060 | First race |
1914 | 80 mph | René Thomas | 6:03:46.12 | 82.47 | 132.72 | |
1922 | 90 mph | Jimmy Murphy | 5:17:30.79 | 94.48 | 152.05 | Victory in 1921 French Grand Prix winning car |
1925 | 100 mph | Peter DePaolo | 4:56:39.45 | 101.127 | 162.748 | First race completed in under 5 hours |
1937 | 110 mph | Wilbur Shaw | 4:24:07.08 | 113.580 | 182.789 | Last two-seat winning car |
1949 | 120 mph | Bill Holland | 4:07:14.97 | 121.327 | 195.257 | |
1954 | 130 mph | Bill Vukovich | 3:49:17.27 | 130.840 | 210.567 | |
1962 | 140 mph | Rodger Ward | 3:33:50.33 | 140.293 | 225.780 | |
1965 | 150 mph | Jim Clark | 3:19:05.34 | 150.686 | 242.506 | |
1972 | 160 mph | Mark Donohue | 3:04:05.54 | 162.962 | 262.262 | |
1986 | 170 mph | Bobby Rahal | 2:55:43.470 | 170.722 | 274.750 | First race completed in under 3 hours |
1990 | 180 mph | Arie Luyendyk | 2:41:18.404 | 185.981 | 299.307 | Currently third-fastest time for 500 miles |
2021 | 190 mph | Hélio Castroneves | 2:37:19.3846 | 190.690 | 306.886 | Currently fastest Indy 500 in average speed |
Year | Speed Barrier |
Driver | Speed | Notes | |
(mph) | (km/h) | ||||
1911 | N/A | Lewis Strang | No full lap | First race; grid determined by entry date | |
1915 | 90 mph | Howdy Wilcox | 98.90 | 159.16 | First year, grid position determined by qualification speed |
1919 | 100 mph | René Thomas | 104.780 | 168.627 | |
1925 | 110 mph | Leon Duray | 113.196 | 182.171 | |
1927 | 120 mph | Frank Lockhart | 120.100 | 193.282 | |
1939 | 130 mph | Jimmy Snyder | 130.138 | 209.437 | |
1954 | 140 mph | Jack McGrath | 141.033 | 226.971 | Engine augmented with nitromethane additive, then legal |
1962 | 150 mph | Parnelli Jones | 150.370 | 241.997 | |
1965 | 160 mph | A. J. Foyt | 161.233 | 259.479 | |
1968 | 170 mph | Joe Leonard | 171.559 | 276.097 | Turbine-engined car |
1972 | 180 mph | Bobby Unser† | 195.940 | 315.335 | 17 mph (27 km/h) increase in pole record speed, largest margin to date |
190 mph | |||||
1978 | 200 mph | Tom Sneva | 202.156 | 325.339 | Broke one-lap 200 mph qualifying barrier in 1977 |
1984 | 210 mph | 210.029 | 338.009 | ||
1989 | 220 mph | Rick Mears | 223.885 | 360.308 | |
1992 | 230 mph | Roberto Guerrero | 232.482 | 374.144 |
†- During time trials, Bill Vukovich II turned his first lap at 185.797 mph (299.011 km/h), to set the one-lap track record, and was the first driver to officially break the 180 mph (290 km/h) barrier. He, however, crashed on his second lap, and did not complete the four-lap qualifying run. Later in the afternoon, Joe Leonard qualified a four-lap average of 185.223 mph (298.088 km/h) to break the four-lap 180 mph (290 km/h) barrier. Later in the day, however, Bobby Unser qualified even faster, over 190 mph (310 km/h), and became the first pole position winner to break 180 mph (290 km/h) and 190 mph (310 km/h) for his four-lap average.