We are onto round two of this All-Time One-Time Starter Grid exercise and this time we will tackle IndyCar.
IndyCar has a diverse history, one where the beginning does not look anything like what IndyCar is today. It dates back prior to the Indianapolis 500 even. It has raced on one-mile dirt tracks and had a point-to-point race from Los Angeles to Phoenix. It has been on dirt, brick, wooden boards, concrete, asphalt and almost every other surface in-between. It has been through four different sanctioning bodies and two bitter splits. It has run doubleheaders, triple-headers, quadruple-headers and even quintuple-headers.
Drivers from all around the world have raced in North America's top form of open-wheel racing. Some of the best from every generation of automobile racing having competed at least once in IndyCar, from the best grand prix racers pre-World War II to Japanese-based champions. With IndyCar's long history, there are probably plenty of great drivers you didn't realize made at least one start and some of those are likely included in this ceremonial field of 33.
Row 11
33. Jean Alesi
Claim to Fame: Veteran of 201 Formula One starts and remembered for a famous victory in the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix, on his 31st birthday nonetheless. Alesi would later race in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for five seasons and he won five races.
Only Start: May 27, 2012, Indianapolis 500
Result: 33rd
What happened: Alesi was one of two Lotus-powered cars entered for the 2012 Indianapolis 500. With the shortage in DW12 chassis and engines, only 33 cars showed up and Alesi's ride with Fan Force United was locked into the field before even turning a practice lap. On Bump Day, Alesi ran a four-lap average at 210.094 mph, over four miles per hour slower than Simona de Silvestro in 32nd and over 16 mph slower than Ryan Briscoe's pole speed. Both de Silvestro and Alesi were black-flagged at the end of lap ten, but Alesi ran one lap more. His ignorance earned him a two-lap penalty, dropping him to 33rd in his one and only IndyCar start.
Odds of a second start: Highly unlikely as Alesi is 56 years old and he has not competed since that 2012 Indianapolis 500.
32. Louie Unser
Claim to Fame: The second of four Unser brothers, twin to Jerry and older than Bobby and Al.
Only Start: September 5, 1955, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
Result: 3rd
What happened: It should come as no surprise that Unser's only start was at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the event his family dominated. Louie competed against his brothers Jerry and Bobby that day, as well as their uncle Louis, who won Pikes Peak nine times. Jerry and Bobby also made their debut on this day, but Louie came out on top in the family battle, finishing third in a Jaguar with his twin Jerry in fourth in an Offenhauser and Bobby in fifth in an Oldsmobile. Uncle Louis was 11th in an Offenhauser.
Odds of a second start: Zero. Louie Unser passed away in 2004. Unser did run at Pikes Peak in two years when it was a non-championship race. He was sixth and fourth in those two races.
31. Alfred Moss
Claim to Fame: Father of Sir Stirling Moss, Alfred Moss competed in trials and hill climbs during the 1920s. His main profession was denist.
Only Start: May 30, 1924, Indianapolis 500
Result: 16th
What happened: Moss was one of two European drivers to make the 1924 Indianapolis and he was 20th on the grid out of 22 starters. Moss kept the car in the race, but his Fronty-Ford was flagged off track after completing 177 laps, one of four competitors flagged off track.
Odds of a second start: Moss passed away at the age of 75 years old in 1972, nearly 48 years after his one and only IndyCar start. While Moss started in only one IndyCar race, he competed in two. Moss ran 49 laps in relief of Herbert Jones in the 1925 Indianapolis 500. In fact, Moss ran the most laps in the #29 Miller as Jones only completed 20 laps.
Row 10
30. Jason Bright
Claim to Fame: Veteran of 575 Australia Supercars starts, Bright won 20 races and he won the 1998 Bathurst 1000 with Steven Richards. In 19 full seasons, he was in the top five of the championship five times and the top ten of the championship nine times.
Only Start: October 15, 2000, Honda Indy 300 at Surfers Paradise
Result: 18th
What happened: Bright had spent 2000 driving in Indy Lights, where he ended up sixth in the championship with a victory at Portland and four other podium finishes. With CART heading to Surfers Paradise, it only made sense for the Australian to get a chance in his home race. Della Penna Motorsports fielded an entry for him. He qualified 24th out of 25 cars but made up some spots before being caught a restart accident with Roberto Moreno and Max Papis. His race was over after 44 laps.
Odds of a second start: Unlikely. Bright turns 48 years old on March 7, but he has been out of full-time racing since 2018 and he hasn't raced an open-wheel car since his one start at Surfers Paradise.
29. Lucas Luhr
Claim to Fame: Three-time American Le Mans Series LMP1 champion. Three-time ALMS GT class champion. One-time ALMS LMP2 class champion. Two-time Le Mans class winner. Five-time 12 Hours of Sebring class winner. Two-time winner of the 24 Hours Nürburgring. 2011 FIA GT1 World Champion.
Only Start: August 25, 2013, GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway
Result: 22nd
What happened: Luhr drove a surprise one-off in a partnership between Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing and RW Motorsports. It was his first open-wheel race in 15 years. He was slowest in the first two practice session but jumped up to 23rd in the third practice. He was 13th in his qualifying group in round one and started 25th. In the race, Luhr remained at the rear of the field only for an engine fire to end his race after 81 of 85 laps.
Odds of a second start: Unlikely. Luhr made his one start at Sonoma and a discussion of a second start never really came up. He did not compete in any series in 2020 after spending the previous two years running in the ADAC GT Masters and the Veranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenpokal Nürburgring... or VLN for short.
28. Erwin "Cannonball" Baker
Claim to Fame: Automotive pioneer remembered for coast to coast expeditions and inspiring the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash that was held five times during the 1970s. Baker also won one of the seven races held during the first motorsports event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a four-lap, ten-mile amateur motorcycle race.
Only Start: May 30, 1922, Indianapolis 500
Result: 11th
What happened: Baker qualified 16th in his #3 Frontenac, which the Chevrolet Brothers owned. He was able to complete all 200 laps but finished just outside the money in 11th.
Odds of a second start: Baker has been dead for 62 years.
Row 9
27. Chuck Parsons
Claim to Fame: Co-winner of the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona with Mark Donohue driving with Team Penske. Prior to that Parsons was the 1966 United States Road Racing Champion.
Only Start: November 26, 1967, Rex Mays 300 at Riverside International Raceway
Result: 15th
What happened: Parsons isn't the only driver to have his only start come in the 1967 season finale, one of the best races in IndyCar history. Parsons was dropped into the #90 Leader Card Racers Watson-Ford in place of Jim McElreath. He qualified 17th out of 30 starters, but his engine expired just after halfway, leaving him with a 15th-place classification.
Odds of a second start: Parsons passed away on January 3, 1999 at 74 years old, just a month shy of his 75th birthday.
26. Dave MacDonald
Claim to Fame: Sports car ace of the early 1960s, MacDonald famously won the 1963 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix at Riverside and the 1963 Monterey Pacific Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. He also finished tenth in the 1964 Daytona 500 completing 196 laps and finishing ahead of the likes of Tiny Lund, Buck Baker, Jo Schlesser, Dan Gurney, Bobby Isaac, Cale Yarborough and Ralph Earnhardt. Unfortunately, MacDonald is most remembered for what happened in his only IndyCar start.
Only Start: May 30, 1964, Indianapolis 500
Result: 29th
What happened: MacDonald signed to drive Mickey Thompson's Sears Allstate Special for the 1964 Indianapolis 500, a car that would prove difficult to drive. Its handling instability forced Formula One veteran Masten Gregory to walk away from the program. Despite the car's unpredictability, MacDonald qualified 14th. He was up to tenth when his car spun exiting turn four and slammed into the inside retaining wall, bursting into flames. Eddie Sachs could not avoid MacDonald's car, which slid back into the racetrack, and the two collided. The accident brought out the red flag, the first time an accident brought the Indianapolis 500 to a halt. Sachs was killed in the accident while MacDonald was transported to Methodist Hospital only to succumb to his injuries two hours later.
Odds of a second start: I think everything above answers this one.
25. Cory Kruseman
Claim to Fame: Two-time Chili Bowl winner, two-time Indiana Sprint Week champion, 2006 USAC/CRA Sprint Car champion
Only Start: September 15, 2002, Chevy 500 at Texas Motor Speedway
Result: 26th
What happened: Kruseman's debut came in the 2002 season finale driving for PDM Racing. Still new to an IndyCar, he ended up 26th out of 28 cars in qualifying and his only start would last 74 laps before a gearbox issue ended his day.
Odds of a second start: Kruseman turned 50 years old in 2020, but he has been out of top level USAC competition for much of the last decade. Kruseman almost made two starts in IndyCar. His entry was declined for the penultimate round at Chicagoland and he was almost denied entry for Texas because then-chief steward Brian Barnhart did not want an inexperienced driver factoring into the championship battle between Sam Hornish, Jr. and Hélio Castroneves. This was despite Kruseman having completed a rookie test at Las Vegas during the preseason.
Row 8
24. Louis Chiron
Claim to Fame: Five-time French Grand Prix winner, still third all-time behind only Michale Schumacher and Alain Prost. Chiron was also the winner of the 1928 Italian Grand Prix, 1929 German Grand Prix, 1930 Belgian Grand Prix and the 1933 Spa 24 Hours. He was third in the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix, the first time the famed race was a round of the Formula One World Championship. He is the oldest driver to start a Formula One race at 55 years and 292 days old.
Only Start: May 30, 1929, Indianapolis 500
Result: 7th
What happened: Driving a Delage, Chiron spent the entire month in Indianapolis, and he was a first-day qualifier, ending up 14th, though his qualifying speed was only 26th quickest. Driving a consistent race, Chiron completed all 500 miles and finished seventh.
Odds of a second start: Chiron lived 21 years after his final Formula One attempt at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. He died in his hometown of Monte Carlo at 79 years old.
23. Gonzalo Rodríguez
Claim to Fame: Rodríguez had finished third in the International Formula 3000 championship in 1998 and 1999 with victories at Spa-Francorchamps, the Nürburgring and Monaco. The drivers he finished behind in those two seasons were Juan Pablo Montoya, Nick Heidfeld and Jason Watt.
Only Start: August 8, 1999, Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit at Belle Isle
Result: 12th
What happened: Off his International Formula 3000 success, Rodríguez started turning his attention to CART when Formula One opportunities were not opening up. Team Penske was going through a down spell after a lost year with the Penske PC-27 chassis in 1998. The team had only one driver in Al Unser, Jr. at the start of the 1999 season. Unser, Jr. broke his legs in the season opener at Homestead and Tarso Marques stepped in for two races. Alex Barron and Rodríguez each sampled a second car during the season. Rodríguez joined the team for Belle Isle, qualifying down in 16th, but four positions ahead of Unser, Jr. In a caution-filled race, Rodríguez kept his nose clean and brought it home on the lead lap with a point scored in 12th.
Odds of a second start: Rodríguez's IndyCar career tragically ended during qualifying of his second IndyCar race when he was fatally injured in an accident in the corkscrew on September 11, 1999.
22. João Paulo de Oliveira
Claim to Fame: De Olivieria has made a career for himself in Japan. He won the 2010 Formula Nippon championship and won ten races in that series. In Super GT, he won the 2020 GT3000 championship and he has nine victories in the GT500 class. He also won the 2005 Japanese Formula 3 Championship ahead of Kazuki Nakajima and Hideki Mutoh. He was fourth in the 2005 Macau Grand Prix behind Lucas di Grassi, Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel and ahead of Nakajima, Loïc Duval and Romain Grosjean.
Only Start: September 18, 2011, Indy Japan: The Final at Twin Ring Motegi
Result: 26th
What happened: After the Tōhoku earthquake damaged the Twin Ring Motegi oval, the race was moved to the 2.983-mile road course and this changed opened the door for de Oliveira, the defending Formula Nippon champion to make a start with Conquest Racing. He had won at Motegi in Formula Nippon the year prior and a month and a half prior to the IndyCar race. His experience paid off, making it to the second round of qualifying and ending up 12th on the grid. However, a fuel pump failed after 19 laps and led him to a last place finish. He would go on to win the following year at Motegi in Formula Nippon and four of his ten victories in that series came from pole position at this track.
Odds of a second start: If IndyCar ever returns to Japan and runs a road course then the odds shoot up, but they are still low for de Oliveira. He only turns 40 years old this July and if Jimmie Johnson can make his debut at 45 years old, then de Oliveira can make a comeback ten years after his debut.
Row 7
21. Scott McLaughlin
Claim to Fame: Three-time Australia Supercars champion with 56 victories, tied for fourth all-time including a victory in the 2019 Bathurst 1000.
Only Start: October 25, 2020, Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Result: 22nd
What happened: McLaughlin's Supercars success put him on a course for a move to America within the Team Penske organization. After long thought to be a NASCAR hopeful, McLaughlin turned into an IndyCar prospect late in 2019. After a few successful tests, it was announced he would make a few IndyCar starts in 2020. However, the pandemic kept McLaughlin in Australia for most of the year. With the Supercars season concluding at Bathurst, this allowed him an opportunity to make his debut at the St. Petersburg season finale. Though his testing pace was encouraging, McLaughlin experienced some growing pains in his first race weekend. He only qualified 21st and contact with Rinus VeeKay took him out of the race after 46 laps.
Odds of a second start: Almost guaranteed. McLaughlin plans on attempting a full IndyCar season in 2021 and he will likely fall off this list whenever the 2021 season begins. However, he still qualifies for this list as of January 2021 and he should be included. Twenty-first could be too low, but he isn't going to be qualified for all that long and soon someone else will slip into this grid.
20. Masten Gregory
Claim to Fame: Gregory started 38 Formula One grand prix, finishing third on debut in the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix. He would pick up two more podium finishes, third in the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix and second in Portugal later that season. He would later win the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans with Jochen Rindt and prior to that had a class victory at Le Mans in 1961.
Only Start: May 31, 1965, Indianapolis 500
Result: 23rd
What happened: One year after a difficult month of May, Gregory returned for the 1965 race with a British Racing Partnership chassis. Driving for his stepfather George Bryant, Gregory had George Salih as his chief mechanic. Salih oversaw Lee Wallard's 1951 race winning entry. Gregory was a final day qualifier and made the field in 31st, just ahead of rookie Al Unser. Gregory worked his way up to fifth in the first quarter of the race, but a gearbox failure ended his day after 59 laps.
Odds of a second start: Gregory passed away 35 years ago in Tuscany. While Gregory made only one start, he had plenty of chances at a second appearance. He competed in the Race of Two Worlds in 1958 driving a Jaguar at Monza. In 1963, he failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 and Milwaukee driving for Mickey Thompson.
He returned to Indianapolis in the three years after his one and only start, failing to qualify in all of them. He also may have been an entrant for the 1967 season finale at Riverside.
19. Lucien Bianchi
Claim to Fame: Bianchi won the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans, sharing a Ford GT40 with Pedro Rodríguez. Prior to that, he had two class victories at Le Mans, and he was third in the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix. His grandnephew Jules Bianchi would compete in Formula One with Marussia, where he finished ninth in the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix, the only points for Jules Bianchi and Marussia.
Only Start: April 23, 1967, Trenton 150 at Trenton International Speedway
Result: 17th
What happened: Like many European drivers, Bianchi tested the IndyCar waters in hopes of running the Indianapolis 500. Trenton was one of the early stops on the schedule that drivers would use to get accustomed to oval racing. Bianchi qualified ninth ahead of the likes of Joe Leonard, Roger McCluskey and Bobby Unser. Overheating issues would end his race after 57 of 150 laps.
Odds of a second start: Bianchi lost his life testing an Alfa Romeo T33 at Le Mans on March 30, 1969.
However, similar to Gregory, Bianchi had two other chances to make a start in 1967. At Phoenix, Bianchi was going to make his debut, but Mario Andretti, who was Bianchi's co-driver at Le Mans in 1966 and 1967, wrecked his car in practice. With Andretti down a car, he took Bianchi's #27 Vollstedt-Ford only for Andretti to wreck that after qualifying, preventing Andretti from starting the race.
Bianchi was also entered at Indianapolis with Jim Robbins, but his four-lap average of 162.484 mph was bumped, and he was the first alternate. Five drivers made their Indianapolis 500 debut that year: Denny Hulme, Art Pollard, Jochen Rindt, LeeRoy Yarbrough and Wally Dallenbach.
Row 6
18. Clay Regazzoni
Claim to Fame: Regazzoni's ten-year Formula One career saw him pick up five victories and 28 podium finishes in 132 starts. He famously scored his first grand prix victory in his fifth career start at Monza driving for Ferrari. He also was responsible for Williams F1's first grand prix victory at the 1979 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. He won the 1970 European Formula Two championship ahead of Derek Bell and Emerson Fittipaldi.
Only Start: May 30, 1977, Indianapolis 500
Result: 30th
What happened: Regazzoni was a late replacement at Theodore Racing for Indianapolis. With a rainy qualifying session in Monaco, Regazzoni was unable to qualify for the grand prix in his Shadow-Ford. The Swiss driver jumped on a plane in hopes of making it to Indianapolis in time for a qualifying run on the third qualifying day. He did not make it in time, but he was able to make a run on Bump Day and ended up 29th on the grid. His race lasted only 30 laps before a fuel cell issue took him out.
Odds of a second start: Regazzoni's career ended when an accident in the 1980 United States Grand Prix West at Long Beach paralyzed him from the waist down. Twenty-six years later, Regazzoni was killed in an automobile accident in Italy.
17. Curtis Turner
Claim to Fame: A NASCAR trailblazer, Turner won 17 NASCAR Cup Series races in 184 starts. His most notable victory was the 1956 Southern 500 and he won 38 of 79 starts in the NASCAR Convertible Division. He was banned from NASCAR for four years after attempting to establish a drivers' union.
Only Start: April 21, 1963, Trenton 100 at Trenton International Speedway
Result: 12th
What happened: During his ban from NASCAR, Turner dabbled in IndyCar, but he only started one race, the 1963 season opener driving for Harlan Fike in the #51 Kuzma-Offenhauser. In a 22-car field, Turner qualified 18th. He took the checkered flag, but he was six laps down in 12th.
Odds of a second start: There were three other IndyCar races Turner entered but did not make the field. He failed to qualify for Springfield in 1962 and Chuck Hulse took his car at Langhorne two weeks later. A practice accident ahead of the 1963 Indianapolis 500 ended his hopes of making that race.
Turner was reinstated to NASCAR in 1965 and won in his seventh race back at Rockingham, the very first Cup race at Rockingham. He made his final Cup start on September 15, 1968 at Orange Speedway in Hillsborough, North Carolina. On October 3, 1970, Turner perished in an airplane accident outside of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Turner was going to make a return to the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte that weekend.
16. Kurt Busch
Claim to Fame: Busch won the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series championship, and he has 32 Cup victories, five Grand National Series victories and four Truck victories. He won the 2010 Coca-Cola 600 and the 2017 Daytona 500.
Only Start: May 25, 2014, Indianapolis 500
Result: 6th
What happened: Busch had been toying with "The Double" the year prior, but he delayed it a year to give it a proper run in an Andretti Autosport entry. Busch was respectable all month, though he did have a practice accident. He qualified 12th and spent much of the race in the middle of the field. He was only in top ten for two of the first 100 laps and he didn't really enter the top ten until lap 149 when the first caution came out for Charlie Kimball's accident. As a few top cars were caught in accidents in the closing laps, Busch climbed up the order. He ended up sixth, the top rookie finisher, but he spent zero laps in the top five. He took Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors. His Coca-Cola 600 ended after 271 of 400 laps in 40th position.
Odds of a second start: Very possible. Busch has expressed interest in a return to the Indianapolis 500 someday. He turns 43 years old in August. I think he could not only make a return to Indianapolis, but I think he would be game to try a few other tracks, maybe not Jimmie Johnson-level participation, but maybe he wants to give Texas a go or take a crack at Road America.
Row 5
15. Doug Wolfgang
Claim to Fame: Wolfgang ranks fifth all-time in World of Outlaws sprint car victories at 140. He has five victories in the Knoxville Nationals.
Only Start: August 14, 1982, Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds
Result: 14th
What happened: Wolfgang's only start came during the first split, the USAC-CART Split. While CART was already the clear top of the American open-wheel pyramid, USAC continued sanctioning Gold Crown races with the likes of Springfield and DuQuoin hosting races that counted toward the championship along with the USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500. Wolfgang started on row eight in this one with Ken Schrader, who would go on to have six "IndyCar" starts to his name, all in a post-split USAC. Wolfgang ran 78 laps before retiring due to a steering issue. Other notable names in this race were race winner Bobby Olivero, Joe Saldana, Sheldon Kinser, Larry Rice and Rich Vogler.
Odds of a second start: Wolfgang retired from competition in 1997.
14. Richard Seaman
Claim to Fame: One of Great Britain's best pre-war Grand Prix drivers, Seaman famously won the 1938 German Grand Prix driving for Mercedes-Benz.
Only Start: July 5, 1937, George Vanderbilt Cup at Westbury, New York
Result: 2nd
What happened: The Vanderbilt Cup races of the 1930s were trans-Atlantic all-star races with America's best facing the best grand prix racers from Europe. The second edition held in 1937 saw the mighty Mercedes and Auto Union teams come over from Germany. Seaman started fourth and battled with Bernd Rosemeyer, Rex Mays, Rudolf Caracciola Tazio Nuvolari and Nino Farina at the front of the field. Nuvolari lost an engine after 16 laps and Caracciola lost a supercharger the lap after that. Seaman settled into second and took the lead when Rosemeyer made a pit stop just prior to halfway. Rosemeyer was able to chase down Seaman before the Briton driver made his pit stop. Seaman was closing on Rosemeyer approaching the finish but ran out of fuel and needed to make an unscheduled pit stop on the final lap. Seaman was able to resume the race and finish second, 51 seconds behind Rosemeyer.
Odds of a second start: Seaman lost his life after an accident in the 1939 Belgian Grand Prix while leading. He was only 26 years old.
13. Luigi Villoresi
Claim to Fame: Villoresi's career spanned both sides of World War II with notable victories in the 1948 British Grand Prix, the 1949 Dutch Grand Prix and the 1951 Mille Miglia. Villoresi had eight podium finishes in 31 Formula One starts, but he never won a grand prix. He did win six non-championship races, including the 1951 Pau Grand Prix. He still ranks eighth all-time in most podium finishes without victory.
Only Start: May 30, 1946, Indianapolis 500
Result: 7th
What happened: Prior to the war, Maserati had found great success at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Wilbur Shaw won back-to-back races in a Maserati 8CTF in 1939 and 1940. In 1941, Mauri Rose and Shaw put two Maseratis on the front row. With the Indianapolis 500 scheduled for a return in 1946, Maserati fielded a factory effort for Villoresi and Duke Nalon, while three pre-war 8CTFs were entered in the race. Villoresi qualified 28th, but Maserati again rose to the occasion. He ended up seventh, the final driver to complete all 500 miles while Ted Horn and Emil Andres put Maseratis third and fourth in the final results.
Odds of a second start: Villoresi retired after the 1957, but he still competed in rally racing and won the 1958 Acropolis Rally in Greece. Villoresi lived until the age of 88, passing away on August 24, 1997.
Row 4
12. Raymond Sommer
Claim to Fame: Sommer won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1932 and 1933 with Luigi Chinetti and Tazio Nuvolari respectively. He won the 1936 French Grand Prix with Jean-Pierre Wimille, and the 1936 Spa 24 Hours. He was one of the first three drivers for Scuderia Ferrari to start a Formula One race in the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix along with the aforementioned Villoresi, and Alberto Ascari. Sommer was fourth in that race, his only Formula One points.
Only Start: October 12, 1936, George Vanderbilt Cup at Westbury, New York
Result: 4th
What happened: The 1936 Vanderbilt Cup race featured Bill Cummings, Wilbur Shaw, Ted Horn, Rex Mays, Mauri Rose, Floyd Davis, Jimmy Snyder, Tazio Nuvolari, Nino Farina, Jean-Pierre Wimille and Sommer. Sommer started 19th in an Alfa Romeo, which was the strongest car in the field. Nuvolari led all 75 laps from eighth on the grid in an Alfa Romeo. Pole-sitter Antonio Brivio was third while Sommer made up 15 positions to make it three Alfa Romeos in the top four.
Odds of a second start: Sommer lost his life on September 10, 1950 after his car flipped in a race at Circuit de Cadours in France.
11. Jean-Pierre Wimille
Claim to Fame: Wimille won his only two starts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1937 and 1939. Along with his 1936 French Grand Prix victory with Sommer, after World War II, he won the Swiss Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix in 1947 and the French Grand Prix and Italian Grand Prix in 1948.
Only Start: October 12, 1936, George Vanderbilt Cup at Westbury, New York
Result: 2nd
What happened: In a Bugatti, Wimille worked his way to the front of the field from 14th on the grid. Brivio's misfortune of a loose engine cover gifted the Frenchman second place. While Nuvolari dropped a cylinder, the Italian's gap was too great for Wimille to overcome and Nuvolari won by over eight minutes.
Odds of a second start: Wimille died on January 3, 1949 after having an accident in practice ahead of the Buenos Aires Grand Prix.
10. Charles Burman
Claim to Fame: Burman won the seventh race in what we consider IndyCar racing driving for the Cleveland-based Peerless Motor Company. Outside of that, Burman does not have an extensive biography.
Only Start: August 14, 1905, Glenville Race at the Glenville Driving Track in Cleveland, Ohio
Result: 1st
What happened: Burman is one of three drivers to win his only IndyCar start. It was a five-lap, five-mile race with three other competitors. Webb Jay led the first two laps, Herbert Lytle led the third lap, and Burman led the final two.
Odds of a second start: No, and there is so little on Burman, I do not have exact date of death. He did run a non-championship race six days prior to his victory in Cleveland in Grosse Point, Michigan where he finished second.
Row 3
9. Frank Lescault
Claim to Fame: Like Burman, Lescault won one of the earliest IndyCar races, the 28th IndyCar race in history. Also, like Burman, Lescault does not have deep biography.
Only Start: September 29, 1909, Riverhead Class B at the Riverhead Road Race Circuit in Riverhead, New York
Result: 1st
What happened: This was an eight-lap race around the 22.75-mile Riverhead road course. This was one of five races happening simultaneously, with each class broken up by cost of the vehicles. Class B was for cars between $3,001 and $4,000. Class A was for cars that cost $4,001 and up. Classes C, D and E were for cars under $3,000. Class A's race was scheduled for ten laps, while Class C, Class D and Class E went for six, five and four laps respectively. Lescault was one of three drivers in Class B and he completed the 182 miles in just under three hours, leading all the laps. Hughie Hughes was second, completing only six laps. William Murphy failed to start the race.
Odds of a second start: Lescault passed away on January 29, 1949.
8. André Lotterer
Claim to Fame: Three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner. Two-time Super GT GT500 champion. 2011 Formula Nippon champion. Twenty-four Formula Nippon/Super Formula victories. 2012 World Endurance Drivers' Champion. Ten FIA World Endurance Championship victories. Six Formula E podium finishes.
Only Start: November 17, 2002, México Gran Premio Telmex/Gigante Presented by Banamex/Visa at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
Result: 12th
What happened: Dale Coyne Racing spent most of 2002 on the sidelines after only contesting the first two rounds in 2001. Coyne fielded Darren Manning at the Rockingham and picked up a ninth-place finish. Eleven days before the Mexico City season finale, Lotterer was announced in an entry for Coyne. The 20-year-old German had been a Jaguar F1 test driver and this ride came about because the German channel DSF was broadcasting this race. It should not be forgotten CART was trying to revive its Lausitz race after it fell off the calendar during the 2002 season. Lotterer qualified 18th, ahead of fellow debutant Luis Díaz. In a small field, Lotterer benefitted when the likes of Paul Tracy and Michael Andretti were caught in separate accidents and Christian Fittipaldi fell out due to an engine failure. Lotterer was able to beat Michel Jourdain, Jr. and Shiji Nakano on the road to finish 12th, picking up a point on debut.
Odds of a second start: Possible. Lotterer is currently in Formula E with Porsche, but with Porsche's Formula E involvement in question beyond this season, Lotterer could get a second crack at IndyCar. Could we see Dale Coyne Racing need some help and Lotterer bring the funding to fill in for a race or two? Maybe. I think it is probably not going to happen. Lotterer is 39 years old.
7. Phil Hill
Claim to Fame: First American driver to win the World Drivers' Championship, accomplishing it in 1961 driving for Scuderia Ferrari. Hill won the 1960 and 1961 Italian Grand Prix and he also won the 1961 Belgian Grand Prix. Hill won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times, the 12 Hours of Sebring three times overall with another class victory and he won the 1964 Daytona 2000km with Pedro Rodríguez.
Only Start: September 4, 1950, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
Result: 21st
What happened: Long before his exploits in Europe, Hill was an aspiring race car driver and even became a Jaguar trainee in 1949. In 1950, he made a one-off appearance at Pikes Peak in an Allard-Cadillac, but he only ended up 21st out of 23 finishers.
Odds of a second start: Hill passed away in 2008 at the age of 81. He did compete in the 1958 Race of Two Worlds, competing in the first race before a magneto failure ended his day. He would drive in relief for Luigi Musso for the final 41 laps in race two and in the final race, he substituted for Mike Hawthorn in the final 36 laps.
Row 2
6. Nelson Piquet
Claim to Fame: Three-time World Drivers' Champion, Piquet won 23 grand prix driving for Brabham, Williams and Benetton. He made 204 starts and finished on the podium 60 times.
Only Start: May 30, 1993, Indianapolis 500
Result: 32nd
What happened: Piquet did not have the best of times at 16th and Georgetown. His first appearance was in 1992 and he had shown good pace in practice with Team Menard, but an accident in the first week of practice caused serious injuries to his leg and ended any hope of making the field. He returned with Team Menard in 1993. He ended up 13th on the first qualifying day, but his Menard engine couldn't even make it 100 miles on race day, and Piquet was the second car out of the race.
Odds of a second start: Piquet last competed in the 2006 Mil Milhas and won the race with his son Nelson Piquet, Jr., Hélio Castroneves and Christophe Bouchut. He has not run an open-wheel car since a 1997 South American Formula Three race. He turns 69 years old in August. I think it is safe to say Piquet's one IndyCar start will be his only IndyCar start.
5. Alberto Ascari
Claim to Fame: Two-time World Drivers' Champion. Ascari was the first driver to win multiple World Drivers' Championships and he was the first to win the title in successive seasons. He won 13 of 32 grand prix starts. His six victories in eight races in 1952 remains the highest winning percentage in a Formula One season. Ascari and Jim Clark remain the only drivers to score 100% of the possible championship points in a season and he still holds the record for most consecutive fastest laps and most consecutive laps led.
Only Start: May 30, 1952, Indianapolis 500
Result: 31st
What happened: From 1950-1960, the Indianapolis 500 counted toward the World Drivers' Championship and was a round on the Formula One calendar. Despite this, only one full-time championship competitor went to Indianapolis and that was Ascari. Due to the scheduling, Ascari skipped the Swiss Grand Prix held on May 18 as Ferrari sent a four-car effort to Indianapolis. Nino Farina would withdraw and win the Swiss Grand Prix. Johnny Parsons and Johnny Mauro each failed to qualify. Ascari put the car 19th on the grid and was up to ninth when a wheel failure took him out after completing 100 miles. It remains Ferrari's only start in the Indianapolis 500. Skipping the Swiss Grand Prix did not hurt Ascari's championship chances. He won the final six races of the season, five of which from pole position, to take the championship.
Odds of a second start: Ascari lost his life in a testing accident at Monza on May 26, 1955. He was entered for the 1953 Indianapolis 500 but did not appear.
4. John Surtees
Claim to Fame: The only man to win the world championship on two wheels and four. Surtees won seven world championships on motorcycles between the 350cc and 500cc classes. He won 38 of 51 grand prix motorcycle starts and he still ranks 15th all-time in victories. He has six victories in the Isle of Man TT. On four wheels, Surtees was runner-up in his second grand prix, the 1960 British Grand Prix. He won six races in 111 starts and he was the 1964 World Drivers' Champion while employed with Ferrari.
Only Start: November 26, 1967, Rex Mays 300 at Riverside International Raceway
Result: 20th
What happened: Surtees along with Jim Clark made cameo appearances for the 1967 season finale with Clark qualifying second in a year-old car next to Dan Gurney and Surtees starting behind Clark on row two next to Bobby Unser. Surtees mixed it up with Mario Andretti and Roger McCluskey in the top five before a magneto failure ended his race after 31 laps.
Odds of a second start: Surtees passed away in 2017, but he wasn't supposed to make the one IndyCar start he made. Jackie Stewart was originally going to drive John Mecom's Bowes Seal Fast Lola-Ford.
Row 1
3. Rudolf Caracciola
Claim to Fame: Caracciola was a three-time European Grand Prix champion with 11 victories over a seven-year career. He stood on the podium in 18 of 26 starts. He was victorious in the 1931 Mille Miglia and he was a three-time European Hillclimbing champion. On January 27, 1938, Caracciola set a world speed record of 268.9 mph on public roads, a record that would not be broken until 2017. His record six German Grand Prix victories still stands as of the start of 2021.
Only Start: July 5, 1937, George Vanderbilt Cup at Westbury, New York
Result: 24th
What happened: Caracciola won pole position for this race and found himself in an early tussle with Bernd Rosemeyer for the lead. Rosemeyer led the first two laps before Caracciola came back and led the next eight. Rosemeyer regained the lead on lap 11 and Caracciola would not get a chance to counter, as he lost his turbocharger six laps after losing the lead.
Odds of a second start: Caracciola died after a liver failure on September 28, 1959. He did attempt to make the 1946 Indianapolis 500, but a practice accident ended his hopes of making that race. After passing away, Caracciola's trophy collection was donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame.
2. Alan Jones
Claim to Fame: Jones won the 1980 World Drivers' Championship driving for Williams, the first World Drivers' Championship for the team and it was also Williams' first Constructors' championship. Jones won 12 of 116 Formula One starts and he stood on the podium 24 times. He was also the 1978 Can-Am champion and he won the 1993 Bathurst 12 Hour with Garry Waldon.
Only Start: August 4, 1985, Provimi Veal 200 at Road America
Result: 3rd
What happened: Carl Haas put together a Formula One team with plans to debut in the 1985 season. With Beatrice Foods signed as a sponsor, Haas was able to get Jones out of retirement to be the team's only driver. The car was not ready for the start of the season and it spent of much of 1985 in development. Newman-Haas driver Mario Andretti was injured at Michigan with a broken collarbone and fractured hip. With the Formula One car still not ready for race, world champion Jones substituted for world champion Andretti at Road America. Jones started 12th and moved up the order, while race leaders Danny Sullivan, Roberto Moreno and Al Unser, Jr. all dropped out of the race. Uncle Jacques Villeneuve took the victory with Michael Andretti scoring his then-best finish of second and Jones was third ahead of Bobby Rahal, Emerson Fittipaldi, rookie Arie Luyendyk and Al Unser.
Odds of a second start: Jones is 74 years old. It is not happening, but eight years prior to Jones' one IndyCar start, he entered two IndyCar races, both with Theodore Racing. The first was at Ontario and Steve Krisiloff replaced him. He was also entered for the Indianapolis 500, but Theodore Racing owner Teddy Yip decided to put the aforementioned Clay Regazzoni in the car.
1. Bernd Rosemeyer
Claim to Fame: The 1936 European Grand Prix champion, Rosemeyer and Auto Union challenged the might of German counterparts Caracciola and Mercedes-Benz. While competing with Caracciola for the land speed record, Rosemeyer perished in an accident attempting to break the record Caracciola had only set moments earlier that day.
Only Start: July 5, 1937, George Vanderbilt Cup at Westbury, New York
Result: 1st
What happened: Rosemeyer was the only Auto Union in the race and he qualified second, in-between the Mercedes of Caracciola and Rex Mays in an Alfa Romeo. The Germans Rosemeyer and Caracciola went back-and-forth over the first ten laps before Rosemeyer took control of the top spot on lap 11. He led until his pit stop on lap 39 and erased the gap to Seaman's Mercedes before the Briton made his pit stop. Rosemeyer led the final 44 laps, but Seaman was gaining time in the closing stages only for him to run out of fuel before the start of the final lap. This allowed Rosemeyer to take a comfortable victory. As of the start of 2021, it is still the only victory for a German driver in IndyCar history.
Odds of a second start: Obviously, no.
In summation...
This field combines for eight World Drivers' championships...
63 Formula One victories...
952 Formula One starts...
Six drivers who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall for a combined 12 overall victories
Two 24 Hours of Daytona overall winners.
One 12 Hours of Sebring overall winner...
A Daytona 500 winner...
A Southern 500 winner...
A Coca-Cola 600 winner...
Two Bathurst 1000 winners...
A Bathurst 12 Hour winner...
A 24 Hours Nürburgring winner...
A Chili Bowl winner...
A Knoxville National winner...
A seven-time grand prix motorcycle champion...
A six-time Isle of Man TT winner...
A World Endurance Drivers' Champion...
And all 33 of these drivers combine for 33 IndyCar starts.
