Indy 500 winners: A complete list of all-time race champions, records, most wins

Tadd Haislop

Indy 500 winners: A complete list of all-time race champions, records, most wins image

In the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, Helio Castroneves became the fourth driver ever to win four races when he finished with the all-time fastest time of 2:39:50.

Castroneves passed Alex Palou late before cruising to the win in the final stretch to join some elite company in dousing himself with his fourth bottle of milk. 

MORE: Watch the Indy 500 live with fuboTV (7-day trial)

As detailed below, the record for the most Indy 500 wins is four, and four drivers now share that record. Of all the winners in the 102-year history of the Indy 500, only five have won the race in consecutive years. Twenty Indy 500 winners have won the race after starting from the pole position, the most wins from any starting position, and there have been 10 rookie Indy 500 winners in the history of the race.

As for the car number with the most Indy 500 wins, the No. 3, currently used by Penske Racing's Scott McLaughlin, has been to victory lane at Indianapolis 11 times.

The fact that in 105 years only 20 drivers have become an Indy 500 winner more than once should tell you all you need to know about this race — it is extremely difficult to win.

Below is the list of all-time Indy 500 winners, plus some all-time Indy 500 records.

MORE: SN Q&A with Hélio Castroneves

Indianapolis 500 winners list

Among active IndyCar drivers, Castroneves has the most career Indy 500 wins with three. He is also the only active driver who has become an Indy 500 winner more than once in his career.

Below is the all-time list of Indy 500 winners.

Year Indy 500 winner
2021 Helio Castroneves
2020 Takuma Sato
2019 Simon Pagenaud
2018 Will Power
2017 Takuma Sato
2016 Alexander Rossi
2015 Juan Pablo Montoya
2014 Ryan Hunter-Reay
2013 Tony Kanaan
2012 Dario Franchitti
2011 Dan Wheldon
2010 Dario Franchitti
2009 Helio Castroneves
2008 Scott Dixon
2007 Dario Franchitti
2006 Sam Hornish Jr.
2005 Dan Wheldon
2004 Buddy Rice
2003 Gil de Ferran
2002 Helio Castroneves
2001 Helio Castroneves
2000 Juan Pablo Montoya
1999 Kenny Brack
1998 Eddie Cheever Jr.
1997 Arie Luyendyk
1996 Buddy Lazier
1995 Jacques Villeneuve
1994 Al Unser Jr.
1993 Emerson Fittipaldi
1992 Al Unser Jr.
1991 Rick Mears
1990 Arie Luyendyk
1989 Emerson Fittipaldi
1988 Rick Mears
1987 Al Unser
1986 Bobby Rahal
1985 Danny Sullivan
1984 Rick Mears
1983 Tom Sneva
1982 Gordon Johncock
1981 Bobby Unser
1980 Johnny Rutherford
1979 Rick Mears
1978 Al Unser
1977 A.J. Foyt Jr.
1976 Johnny Rutherford
1975 Bobby Unser
1974 Johnny Rutherford
1973 Gordon Johncock
1972 Mark Donohue
1971 Al Unser
1970 Al Unser
1969 Mario Andretti
1968 Bobby Unser
1967 A.J. Foyt
1966 Graham Hill
1965 Jim Clark
1964 A.J. Foyt Jr.
1963 Parnelli Jones
1962 Rodger Ward
1961 A.J. Foyt
1960 Jim Rathman
1959 Rodger Ward
1958 Jimmy Bryan
1957 Sam Hanks
1956 Pat Flaherty
1955 Bob Sweikert
1954 Bill Vukovich
1953 Bill Vukovich
1952 Troy Ruttman
1951 Lee Wallard
1950 Johnnie Parsons
1949 Bill Holland
1948 Mauri Rose
1947 Mauri Rose
1946 George Robson
1945 No race (WWII)
1944 No race (WWII)
1943 No race (WWII)
1942 No race (WWII)
1941 Floyd Davis/Mauri Rose
1940 Wilbur Shaw
1939 Wilbur Shaw
1938 Floyd Roberts
1937 Wilbur Shaw
1936 Louis Meyer
1935 Kelly Petillo
1934 Bill Cummings
1933 Louis Meyer
1932 Fred Frame
1931 Louis Schneider
1930 Billy Arnold
1929 Ray Keech
1928 Louis Meyer
1927 George Souders
1926 Frank Lockhart
1925 Peter DePaolo
1924 Joe Boyer/L.L. Corum
1923 Tommy Milton
1922 Jimmy Murphy
1921 Tommy Milton
1920 Gaston Chevrolet
1919 Howdy Wilcox
1918 No race (WWI)
1917 No race (WWI)
1916 Dario Resta
1915 Ralph DePalma
1914 Rene Thomas
1913 Jules Goux
1912 Joe Dawson
1911 Ray Harroun

Why does the Indy 500 winner drink milk?

This strange tradition is all Louis Meyer's fault.

We'll let Indianapolis Motor Speedway do the explaining:

"Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Louis Meyer regularly drank buttermilk to refresh himself on a hot day and happened to drink some in victory lane as a matter of habit after winning the 1936 race. An executive with what was then the Milk Foundation was so elated when he saw the moment captured in a photograph in the sports section of his newspaper the following morning that he vowed to make sure it would be repeated in coming years. There was a period between 1947-55 when milk was apparently no longer offered, but the practice was revived in 1956 and has been a tradition ever since."

So there you have it. As terrible as milk sounds as a refreshment after hours of racing, Castroneves, a three-time Indy 500 winner, recently told Sporting News the milk is good simply because it represents victory. We'll take his word for it.

These days, drivers are given a choice of skim milk, two percent milk and whole milk. They make their selections days before the race in case they win.

Who has the most Indy 500 wins all time?

Four drivers share the record for the most Indy 500 wins of all time.

A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Rick Mears and Castrovenes each have won the Indy 500 four times. Foyt, who became the first four-time winner of the race, won the Indy 500 in 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977. Unser won the Indy 500 in 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987. Mears won the Indy 500 in 1979, 1984, 1988 and 1991. Castrovenes won the Indy 500 in 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2021. 

Unser remains the oldest Indy 500 winner, as he took the checkered flag when he was 47 years, 360 days old in 1987. That win also gave Unser the record for the most time — 17 years — between Indy 500 victories.

Castroneves (2001-2002) is also one of five drivers who have won the Indy 500 in consecutive years; the others are Wilbur Shaw (1939-40), Mauri Rose (1947-48), Bill Vukovich (1953-54) and Unser (1970-71).

Indianapolis 500 records

Category Indy 500 record Record holder(s)
Most wins 4 A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Rick Mears, Helio Castroneves
Most laps led (career) 644 Al Unser
Most laps led (single race) 198 Billy Arnold (1930)
Youngest winner 22 years, 80 days Troy Ruttman (1952)
Oldest winner 47 years, 360 days Al Unser (1987)
Lowest starting position to win 28th Ray Harroun (1911), Louis Meyer (1936)
Biggest margin of victory 13 minutes, 8.40 seconds Jules Goux (1913)
Smallest margin of victory .043 of a second Al Unser Jr. (1992)
Most starts 35 A.J. Foyt (1958-92)
Most cars starting 42 1933
Fewest cars starting 21 1916
Most cars entered 117 1984
Most lead changes 68 2013
Fewest lead changes 1 1930
Most cars to finish 26 1911, 2013
Fewest cars to finish 7 1966

(Indy 500 records via Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

Tadd Haislop

Tadd Haislop is the Associate NFL Editor at SportingNews.com.