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?
1Al UnserFour-time Indy 500 champion (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987) who became the oldest winner in race history at 47 years old.1000pts
2Dario FranchittiScottish three-time Indy 500 champion (2007, 2010, 2012) who dominated IndyCar during the late 2000s and early 2010s.751pts
3Ralph DePalmaWon the 1915 race and led 612 laps across his starts, a record that stood until 1987, but is best remembered for pushing his car home in 1912.716pts
4Scott DixonNew Zealand's greatest racing driver, the 2008 Indy 500 winner and a six-time IndyCar champion, second only to A.J. Foyt's seven titles.704pts
5Bobby RahalWon the 1986 race by passing Kevin Cogan on the final restart, days before his team owner Jim Trueman died of cancer.657pts
6Mauri RoseThree-time winner who shared the 1941 victory as a relief driver and then won again in 1947 and 1948.635pts
7Bill VukovichWon back-to-back in 1953 and 1954 and was leading in 1955 when he was killed, having led 485 laps in just five starts.635pts
8Rodger WardWon in 1959 and 1962 and finished in the top four in six straight races from 1959 to 1964.586pts
9Takuma SatoJapanese driver who won the Indy 500 twice (2017, 2020), becoming the first Japanese winner and one of the most beloved figures in modern IndyCar.586pts
10Josef NewgardenAmerican driver who won back-to-back Indy 500s in 2023 and 2024, the first repeat winner since Hélio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002.586pts
11Bobby UnserThree-time winner (1968, 1975, 1981) whose 1981 victory was only confirmed months later after a famous penalty appeal.469pts
12Jim ClarkScot who won the 1965 race in a rear-engined Lotus, leading 190 of 200 laps and ending the roadster era.469pts
13Louis MeyerThe first three-time Indy 500 winner (1928, 1933, 1936) and the man who started the tradition of drinking milk in Victory Lane.469pts
14Mario AndrettiThe 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.469pts
15Al Unser Jr.Won in 1992 by 0.043 seconds over Scott Goodyear, then the closest finish ever, and again in 1994 for Penske.397pts
16Hélio CastronevesFour-time champion (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021) known as 'Spider-Man' for climbing the fence to celebrate his historic wins.397pts
17Rick MearsFour-time winner (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991) and record six-time pole sitter, widely ranked the greatest driver the Brickyard has seen.397pts
18Juan Pablo MontoyaColombian who won on his Indy 500 debut in 2000 and won again in 2015, fifteen years apart.397pts
19Ray HarrounWon the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911 in the Marmon Wasp, using one of the first rear-view mirrors in motor racing.397pts
20Ryan Hunter-ReayAmerican who won the 2014 race by 0.06 seconds after a last-lap duel with Hélio Castroneves.397pts
21Johnny RutherfordThree-time winner (1974, 1976, 1980) who won twice from pole position and was nicknamed 'Lone Star J.R.'397pts
22Arie LuyendykDutch two-time winner (1990, 1997) whose 1990 victory stood as the fastest Indy 500 ever until 2013.397pts
23Álex PalouSpanish five-time IndyCar champion who won the 2025 Indy 500 for Chip Ganassi Racing.313pts
24Jimmy MurphyWon the 1922 race from pole, the first driver to do so, a year after winning the French Grand Prix.313pts
25Dan WheldonTwo-time Indy 500 winner (2005, 2011) who was killed in the season finale at Las Vegas months after his second victory.313pts
26Parnelli JonesWon the 1963 race and dominated in the STP turbine car in 1967 until a bearing failed three laps from the end.313pts
27Tony KanaanBrazilian fan favorite whose patient brilliance finally paid off with a popular Indy 500 win in 2013 after years of heartbreak.313pts
28Danny SullivanWon the 1985 race after his famous 'spin and win', looping his car in front of Mario Andretti and recovering to take the lead.313pts
29A. J. FoytThe first four-time Indy 500 winner (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977), who also holds the record of 35 consecutive starts at the Speedway.213pts
30Wilbur ShawThree-time winner (1937, 1939, 1940) who later, as Speedway president, saved the track from demolition after the Second World War.213pts
31Emerson FittipaldiTwo-time Formula One world champion who won the Indy 500 in 1989 and 1993, famously reaching for orange juice instead of milk.213pts
32Gil de FerranBrazilian who won the 2003 race for Penske in his final season before retiring from driving.213pts
33Gordon JohncockWon the rain-shortened 1973 race and the 1982 duel with Rick Mears by 0.16 seconds, then the closest finish in race history.213pts
34Ted HornFinished in the top four in nine consecutive Indy 500s from 1936 to 1948 without ever winning the race.0pts
35Tommy MiltonThe first two-time Indy 500 winner, taking the 1921 and 1923 races.0pts
Photo credits
- Bobby Rahal — Wolkenjaeger, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bobby Unser — SarahStierch, CC BY 4.0
- Al Unser Jr. — Manningmbd, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rick Mears — Manningmbd, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ryan Hunter-Reay — File:Ryan_Hunter-Reay_at_Road_America_in_2021.png, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Arie Luyendyk — Manningmbd, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Parnelli Jones — Zach Catanzareti Photo, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Danny Sullivan — Doctorindy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- A. J. Foyt — SarahStierch, CC BY 4.0
- Emerson Fittipaldi — Palácio do Planalto, CC BY 2.0
- Gil de Ferran — Manningmbd, CC BY-SA 3.0
