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Who is the greatest Indianapolis 500 driver of all time?

By YPB Team

Four-time champions, Spider-Man fence-climbers, and speed-record holders — the Indianapolis 500 has been graced by some of motorsport's all-time greats. Who is the greatest Indy 500 driver ever?

  1. Al Unser — ranked #11
    Al Unser
    Four-time Indy 500 champion (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987) who became the oldest winner in race history at 47 years old.
  2. Hélio Castroneves — ranked #22
    Hélio Castroneves
    Four-time champion (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021) known as 'Spider-Man' for climbing the fence to celebrate his historic wins.
  3. Mario Andretti — ranked #33
    Mario Andretti
    The 1969 Indy 500 winner and one of the only drivers ever to win the Formula 1 World Championship and Indy 500 in the same career.
  4. Johnny Rutherford — ranked #44
    Johnny Rutherford
    Three-time winner (1974, 1976, 1980) who won the Indy 500 from pole position three times and was nicknamed 'Lone Star J.R.'
  5. Dario Franchitti — ranked #55
    Dario Franchitti
    Scottish three-time Indy 500 champion (2007, 2010, 2012) who dominated IndyCar during the late 2000s and early 2010s.
  6. Dan Wheldon — ranked #66
    Dan Wheldon
    Two-time Indy 500 winner (2005, 2011) whose tragic passing mid-season made his final victory even more poignant for IndyCar fans.
  7. Scott Dixon — ranked #77
    Scott Dixon
    New Zealand's greatest racing driver and a one-time Indy 500 winner (2008) who has accumulated more IndyCar championships than anyone.
  8. Tony Kanaan — ranked #88
    Tony Kanaan
    Brazilian fan favorite whose patient brilliance finally paid off with a popular Indy 500 win in 2013 after years of heartbreak.
  9. Josef Newgarden — ranked #99
    Josef Newgarden
    American driver who won back-to-back Indy 500s (2023, 2024), becoming the first American-born champion at the Brickyard in nearly two decades.
  10. Takuma Sato — ranked #1010
    Takuma Sato
    Japanese driver who won the Indy 500 twice (2017, 2020), becoming the first Japanese winner and one of the most beloved figures in modern IndyCar.

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