Indy 500 winners history: Updated list of past champions, most wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Jacob Camenker

Indy 500 winners history: Updated list of past champions, most wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway image

Nothing puts the spotlight on the IndyCar Series quite like the Indy 500. "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" is the circuit's biggest race of the year by a wide margin and is part of the biggest weekend in racing every year.

Winning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway isn't easy. Drivers have to be fast and precise in the crowded field, and even one small mistake can be the difference between finishing the race as a winner or crashing out of it entirely.

Despite this, numerous IndyCar drivers have won the race multiple times. The cream-of-the-crop drivers have found repeatable winning strategies they have used to emerge as contenders year after year.

In back-to-back years, however, a first-time driver has won the Indy 500. Will that continue in 2024, or will one of the previous champions anoint themselves again on a difficult track?

Here's a look at the history of past Indy 500 winners, including the record holders for most wins all-time.

MORE: Who will win the Indy 500 in 2024? Expert picks for IndyCar race

Who has won the most Indy 500 races?

Four drivers have won the Indy 500 four times: Helio Castroneves, A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, and Al Unser. Castroneves was the most recent driver to achieve the feat, earning his fourth victory at the 2021 Indy 500.

In total, 21 drivers have won the Indy 500 multiple times. Below is a list of the drivers with the most wins and when they achieved each victory:

DriverWinsYears
A. J. Foyt41961, 1964, 1967, 1977
Al Unser41970, 1971, 1978, 1987
Rick Mears41979, 1984, 1988, 1991
Helio Castroneves42001, 2002, 2009, 2021
Louis Meyer31928, 1933, 1936
Wilbur Shaw31937, 1939, 1940
Mauri Rose31941, 1947, 1948
Johnny Rutherford31974, 1976, 1980
Bobby Unser31968, 1975, 1981
Dario Franchitti32007, 2010, 2012
Tommy Milton21921, 1923
Bill Vukovich21953, 1954
Rodger Ward21959, 1962
Gordon Johncock21973, 1982
Emerson Fittipaldi21989, 1993
Al Unser Jr.21992, 1994
Arie Luyendyk21990, 1997
Dan Wheldon22005, 2011
Juan Pablo Montoya22000, 2015
Takuma Sato22017, 2020
Josef Newgarden22023, 2024

MORE: Everything to know about Kyle Larson qualifying to run Indy 500 in 2024

Who won the Indy 500 in 2024?

Josef Newgarden won his second consecutive Indy 500 in 2024. He became the first driver since Helio Castroneves to win the race in back-to-back seasons after holding off a challenge from Pato O'Ward on the final lap of the race.

Newgarden took the lead for the final time halfway through the 200th lap of the race. His victory came after rain and lightning delayed the start of the race by four hours.

Who won the Indy 500 in 2023?

Josef Newgarden won the Indy 500 in 2023. It marked his first win at the race, as he sped by Marcus Ericsson near the end of the race to deny the Swede back-to-back wins at the track.

Newgarden is running the race gain in 2024 and starting in the front row. That will give him a chance to be the first repeat winner since Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002.

Who is the oldest Indy 500 winner?

Al Unser is the oldest driver to win the Indy 500. He earned his final victory at the Brickyard in 1987, just five days before his 48th birthday. Officially, he was 47 years and 360 days old at the time of his fourth and final victory at the Indianapolis 500.

Who is the youngest Indy 500 winner?

Troy Ruttman is the youngest-ever winner of the Indy 500. He was 22 years and 80 days old when he bested Jim Rathmann to earn his first-ever Indy 500 title. That marked the first of his two career IndyCar Series wins.

MORE: Full 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule

List of Indy 500 past winners

Below is a full list of the Indy 500's winners dating back to Ray Harroun's win in 1911.

YearIndy 500 winner
2024Josef Newgarden
2023Josef Newgarden
2022Marcus Ericsson
2021Helio Castroneves
2020Takuma Sato
2019Simon Pagenaud
2018Will Power
2017Takuma Sato
2016Alexander Rossi
2015Juan Pablo Montoya
2014Ryan Hunter-Reay
2013Tony Kanaan
2012Dario Franchitti
2011Dan Wheldon
2010Dario Franchitti
2009Helio Castroneves
2008Scott Dixon
2007Dario Franchitti
2006Sam Hornish Jr.
2005Dan Wheldon
2004Buddy Rice
2003Gil de Ferran
2002Helio Castroneves
2001Helio Castroneves
2000Juan Pablo Montoya
1999Kenny Brack
1998Eddie Cheever Jr.
1997Arie Luyendyk
1996Buddy Lazier
1995Jacques Villeneuve
1994Al Unser Jr.
1993Emerson Fittipaldi
1992Al Unser Jr.
1991Rick Mears
1990Arie Luyendyk
1989Emerson Fittipaldi
1988Rick Mears
1987Al Unser
1986Bobby Rahal
1985Danny Sullivan
1984Rick Mears
1983Tom Sneva
1982Gordon Johncock
1981Bobby Unser
1980Johnny Rutherford
1979Rick Mears
1978Al Unser
1977A.J. Foyt Jr.
1976Johnny Rutherford
1975Bobby Unser
1974Johnny Rutherford
1973Gordon Johncock
1972Mark Donohue
1971Al Unser
1970Al Unser
1969Mario Andretti
1968Bobby Unser
1967A.J. Foyt
1966Graham Hill
1965Jim Clark
1964A.J. Foyt Jr.
1963Parnelli Jones
1962Rodger Ward
1961A.J. Foyt
1960Jim Rathman
1959Rodger Ward
1958Jimmy Bryan
1957Sam Hanks
1956Pat Flaherty
1955Bob Sweikert
1954Bill Vukovich
1953Bill Vukovich
1952Troy Ruttman
1951Lee Wallard
1950Johnnie Parsons
1949Bill Holland
1948Mauri Rose
1947Mauri Rose
1946George Robson
1945No race (WWII)
1944No race (WWII)
1943No race (WWII)
1942No race (WWII)
1941Floyd Davis/Mauri Rose
1940Wilbur Shaw
1939Wilbur Shaw
1938Floyd Roberts
1937Wilbur Shaw
1936Louis Meyer
1935Kelly Petillo
1934Bill Cummings
1933Louis Meyer
1932Fred Frame
1931Louis Schneider
1930Billy Arnold
1929Ray Keech
1928Louis Meyer
1927George Souders
1926Frank Lockhart
1925Peter DePaolo
1924Joe Boyer/L.L. Corum
1923Tommy Milton
1922Jimmy Murphy
1921Tommy Milton
1920Gaston Chevrolet
1919Howdy Wilcox
1918No race (WWI)
1917No race (WWI)
1916Dario Resta
1915Ralph DePalma
1914Rene Thomas
1913Jules Goux
1912Joe Dawson
1911Ray Harroun

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.