With the primary Indianapolis 500 happening in 1911 and with 108 years of historical past (the race wasn’t carried out throughout wartimes), the Indy 500 has supplied numerous memorable moments.
We ranked the 25 most memorable moments, from 25-to-1, and we’ll rely them down each day all the way in which up till Could twenty fifth, when the 109th Indianapolis 500 goes inexperienced (10 a.m. ET on FOX).
These moments are sure to evoke recollections — some that may make you smile, some that may make you snigger, even some that may make you cringe. However all memorable. Let’s dive in!
No. 25: Jim Clark’s 1965 victory
The 1965 Indianapolis 500 will go down in historical past for a few causes. Jim Clark’s victory in a Ford-powered Lotus marked the primary time {that a} rear-engine automotive received the race. That wasn’t a shock within the sense that 27 of the 33 automobiles within the occasion have been rear-engine automobiles as groups and drivers have been capable of match the facility and steadiness of the automobiles to make them sooner than front-engine roadsters.
Clark, because of Ford, additionally had the Wooden Brothers of NASCAR fame pitting his automotive. They by no means needed to change tires however they needed to gas it twice, and their fueling strategies have been a lot sooner than their rivals.
No. 24: Newgarden passes Ericsson for 2023 victory
The 2023 Indianapolis 500 will go down as one of the vital controversial finishes. As an alternative of letting the race finish beneath warning when a late-race crash usually would have resulted within the race by no means getting restarted, sequence officers opted to purple flag the race — the third purple flag within the ultimate 15 laps.
Marcus Ericsson was main on the time however was considered as a sitting duck for the one-lap sprint to the end. And he was as Josef Newgarden made the cross on the backstretch of the ultimate lap for his first of what can be back-to-back Indy 500 victories.
No. 23: Milk custom is born in 1936
Louis Meyer received his third Indianapolis 500 in 1936, and it was the beginning of a few traditions. The primary was considerably unintentional. Somebody gave him a bottle of buttermilk to drink following the race. That began the famed custom of ingesting milk in victory circle.
The opposite was that it was the primary race for the Borg-Warner Trophy, which stays the trophy given to the Indianapolis 500 winner.
No. 22: Al Unser turns into oldest winner
Al Unser didn’t have a trip for the 1987 Indianapolis 500. However when Danny Ongais suffered a concussion in a wreck, Roger Penske wanted a driver. So he known as Unser. He additionally wanted a automotive. Penske discovered one — a year-old automotive the crew had on show at a Pennsylvania lodge close to their store.
Unser was no stranger to successful at Indianapolis as he had three profession victories. He made it a historic fourth win in 1987, and at age 47 years, 360 days — he stays the oldest driver to win the Indy 500.
Verify again each day for the subsequent most memorable second on our checklist.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and IndyCar for FOX Sports activities. He has spent many years overlaying motorsports, together with over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting Information, NASCAR Scene journal and The (Daytona Seashore) Information-Journal. Comply with him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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