Indianapolis 500 list of winners and records

The Indianapolis 500 has celebrated 108 editions since the first race in 1911. During that time dozens of drivers have lifted the trophy - some of them have even been crowned on more than one occasion. A.J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977), Al Unser (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987), Rick Mears (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991) and Hélio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021), form the select group who have a record four Borg Warner trophies.

A total of 110 sculpted faces appear on the cup. The faces date back to Ray Harroun, winner of the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, and include two sets of double winners (one driver started the race and the other finished it) in 1924 and 1941.

Tom Sneva (1983) is the the only champion who appears on the trophy wearing his glasses, at his request. The last driver to place his image on the original trophy was Bobby Rahal in 1986, as all the places had been filled after Gil de Ferran’s victory in 2003. In 2004, Borg Warner commissioned a new base.

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The 19 drivers who won the Indy 500 more than once

A.J. Foyt (USA) - 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977

One of the great legends of American motorsports. In addition to being one of three drivers with four victories in the Indy 500, he was the first to achieve it. Among his successes, a record of seven titles in the USAC (formerly IndyCar), seven victories in Nascar and triumphs in the three great events of the Resistance: Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring.

Al Unser (USA) - 1970, 1971, 1978, 1987

His merit is not only having won the Indy 500 four times, but also being one of the five who have done so consecutively. With 39 victories in the American single-seater championship, which he won three times, he is only surpassed by A. J, Foyt and the Andrettis (Mario and Michael). His brother Bobby and son Al Unser Jr are also winners at Indy.

Rick Mears (USA) - 1979, 1984, 1988, 1991

Three-time CART champion, he is the last driver, also American, to reach the Olympus of the Indianapolis oval with his four victories equaling A. J. Foyt and Al Unser. But there is a record that he does not have to share with any of them because he holds it alone, that of the number of poles he won in the legendary race: six.

Hélio Castroneves (Brazil)- 2001, 2002, 2009, 2021

The Brazilian is the first non-American to appear on the list of multiple winners of the Indy 500. He also did it four times and three times, the same times he finished second. He is also one of the seven who won it as a rookie and the driver without a title with the most victories in Indy: 30. His last victory was the one he fought until the last meter with Álex Palou, in 2021.

Louis Meyer (USA) - 1928, 1933, 1936

A. J. Foyt may be the first to win the Indy 500 four times, but his first legend was Meyer. He did it three times when no one had ever done it so many times before, and he almost did it a fourth time in 1939, when he was second.

Wilbur Shaw (USA) - 1937, 1939, 1940

If Meyer was the first to win the Indy 500 three times, no one before Shaw did it twice in a row. And he could be in a higher position in the statistics if he had not hit the post on three more occasions, finishing second.

Mauri Rose (USA) 1941, 1947 and 1948

15 starts in the Indy 500 for this professional mechanic allowed him to win three times, finish in the Top 5 seven times and start from the front row five times. Two of his participations were in the F1 World Championship, which in its first years included the event in Indianapolis.

Johnny Rutherford (USA) - 1974, 1976, 1980

Three wins in the Indy 500 made this 1980 CART champion a legend of American motorsports, but it is not the only trio of historic victories he has on his record: he was the first to win the Indy 500 in Pocono and from Michigan.

Bobby Unser (USA) - 1968, 1975, 1981

He appears one place below his brother Al on this list, but he was able to join him at the top because he also almost won in 1974, but finished second. He won the Pikes Peak climb three times and in '68 participated in two F1 races.

Dario Franchitti (Great Britain) - 2007, 2010, 2012

The Scotsman is the most successful non-American driver in the history of single-seaters in the United States. Because to Castroneves' three victories, with whom he ties as the most victorious foreigner on the oval, we must add four IndyCar titles (2007, 09, 10 and 11).

Tommy Milton (USA) - 1921, 1923

Milton opens the list of drivers with a double victory in the Indy 500, something he was the first in history to achieve. Furthermore, in 1921 he was crowned the fourth AAA champion, the seed of what is today IndyCar.

Bill Vukovich (USA) - 1953, 1954

Vukovich's life is linked to the history of the Indy 500 forever and not only because of his two wins (which he added in consecutive years), but because he lost it there in a pile-up in the '55 edition when he was leading.

Rodger Ward (USA) - 1959, 1962

He recounts his successes in American single-seaters in pairs: two championship titles and two victories on the Indianapolis oval, all in the same years. After retiring, he went from running the 500 to commenting on them on TV and radio.

Gordon Johncock (USA) - 1973, 1982

Another who repeated victory in the Indy 500 and between both, in 1976, he was USAC champion. He combined his first years in single-seaters with some Nascar races: he participated in 21, but could not win any.

Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazil) - 1989, 1993

The Brazilian legend and two-time Formula 1 champion continued his career in the United States four years after leaving the World Championship. He competed there even longer, from '84 to '96, won twice at Indy and was champion in '89.

Al Unser Jr. (USA) - 1992, 1994

Al Unser's son contributed to the prolific family legacy with a double Indy 500 victory and two CART championships. He also won twice the great American Resistance event: the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Arie Luyendyk (Netherlands) - 1990, 1997

Despite not having competed in F1, he managed to be one of the most important drivers in his country thanks to a long career in the United States with successes such as a double victory in the Indy 500 and Resistencia triumphs in Daytona and Sebring.

Dan Wheldon (Great Britain) - 2005, 2011

This British driver had a career in the United States and tragically died in Las Vegas 2011 in a multiple accident involving 15 cars. In his 10 seasons in IndyCar he won the 500 twice, and in Endurance, the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) - 2000, 2015

The Colombian, surely the best-known contemporary driver on the list, closes the review of the multiple winners of the Indy 500. He won in his debut and when he returned after F1 and Nascar. He is missing Le Mans (in the top category, he won them in LMP2) for the Triple Crown.

Josef Newgarden made it back-to-back wins in 2024, edging out Mexico’s Pato O’Ward in a tense final lap which saw the lead change hands three times with O’Ward and Romain Grosjean both edging in front in the fourth-closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history.

Newgarden recorded a best lap speed of 223.875 mph and becomes one of six repeat winners. Wilbur Shaw (1939, 1940), Mauri Rose (1947, 1948), Bill Vukovich (1953, 1954), Al Unser (1970, 1971) and Hélio Castroneves (2001, 2002) all won back-to-back titles.

Newgarden will split his cash prize with Team Penske and his chosen charities: SeriousFun Children’s Network and Wags and Walks Nashville, as part of the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge.