Part II of the Indianapolis 500 Car Number Breakdown will finish off the 20s, cover the 30s and 40s and start on the 50s. We get started with a few winners, but there will be a gap the further we go, and we will spend some time with a few of the less successful numbers.
#26
Total Uses: 65
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2022
Wins: 2 (3.07%)
Top Fives: 11 (16.923%)
Top Tens: 19 (29.23%)
Average Finish: 17.984
Both of its victories have been recent, as car #26 won in 2005 with Dan Wheldon and then 12 years later it won with Takuma Sato. It has also had a few famous (and infamous) runner-up finishes: Paul Tracy in 2002, Marco Andretti in 2006 and Carlos Muñoz in 2013. Eleven of the 19 top ten finishes for car #26 has come in the last 21 Indianapolis 500s.
#27
Total Uses: 66
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2022
Wins: 3 (4.545%)
Top Fives: 9 (13.636%)
Top Tens: 25 (37.878%)
Average Finish: 15.378
Of car #27's nine top five finishes, Alexander Rossi is responsible for a third of them. The other six came from six different drivers. It has 11 top ten finishes in the last 18 Indianapolis 500s. Car #27 just misses out on the top eleven in average finish, taking up 12th, less than a tenth of a position behind car #12.
#28
Total Uses: 52
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2022
Wins: 1 (1.923%)
Top Fives: 5 (9.615%)
Top Tens: 15 (28.846%)
Average Finish: 16.6346
Car #28 was in the top five of the first two Indianapolis 500s, the first car number to have multiple top five finishes. It would only get two top five finishes over the next 96 Indianapolis 500s. Lou Moore was second in 1928. Ryan Hunter-Reay won in 2014. Hunter-Reay added another top five finish in 2018.
#29
Total Uses: 49
First Use: 1912
Most Recent: 2022
Wins: 0
Top Fives: 2 (4.08%)
Top Tens: 9 (18.367%)
Average Finish: 19.183
Car #29 was the first Indianapolis 500 number for the likes of Wilbur Shaw, A.J. Foyt and Fernando Alonso. Despite the pedigree of those drivers, car #29 has not had a top five finish since Ted Horn was third in 1946.
#30
Total Uses: 26
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2022
Wins: 2 (7.692%)
Top Fives: 6 (23.076%)
Top Tens: 11 (42.307%)
Average Finish: 14.115
After an appearance in the first Indianapolis 500, car #30 would not appear again until 1973 when Jerry Karl used it. Arie Luyenduk's only time using car #30 was his victory in 1990. Its top ten finish percentage is ninth and its top five finish percentage is ranked eighth. The car is ranked ninth in average finish.
#31
Total Uses: 41
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2007
Wins: 1 (2.439%)
Top Fives: 5 (12.195%)
Top Tens: 12 (29.268%)
Average Finish: 16.7317
Al Unser, Jr. won the 1994 Indianapolis 500 with car #31, and Unser, Jr. is the only driver to run car #31 in three Indianapolis 500s. The only other driver to use it twice was Ora Haibe in 1922 and 1924. Car #31 has not been used since 2007 when Phil Giebler took Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors. It was the only number in the 30s not used in the 2010s. Car #31 did miss the race in 2019. That was Patricio O'Ward's car number when he failed to qualify driving for Carlin.
#32
Total Uses: 39
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2019
Wins: 2 (5.128%)
Top Fives: 6 (15.384%)
Top Tens: 12 (30.769%)
Average Finish: 18
The first winning number, car #32 won with Ray Harroun in 1911 and then with rookie George Souders in 1927. It was the number Jack Brabham used in his final Indianapolis 500 start in 1970. Car #32 has finished 29th or worse in its last four appearances. It had finished in the top ten in six consecutive appearances prior to this drought.
#33
Total Uses: 53
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2022
Wins: 0
Top Fives: 5 (9.434%)
Top Tens: 18 (33.962%)
Average Finish: 17.603
The first runner-up in Indianapolis 500 history, Ralph Mulford was runner-up to Harroun in 1911. Only Rex Mays in 1940 has matched Mulford's second-place run. This was the car number of Vern Schuppan in 1981, the third-place finish behind Bobby Unser and Mario Andretti, two drivers that violated the pit exit rule in that race, but I digress.
#34
Total Uses: 38
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2014
Wins: 1 (2.631%)
Top Fives: 6 (15.7895%)
Top Tens: 12 (31.578%)
Average Finish: 17.1315
Car #34 has not had an American driver since Johnny Parsons used it in 1982. In the nine appearances since, it has been driven by an Irishman (Derek Daly), a Brit (Jim Crawford), an Italian (Alessandro Zampedri, twice), a Spaniard (Fermín Vélez), a Frenchman (Laurent Redon), two Brazilians (Jaime Camara and Mario Romancini) and a Colombian (Carlos Muñoz).
#35
Total Uses: 34
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2016
Wins: 1 (2.9412%)
Top Fives: 2 (5.8824%)
Top Tens: 4 (11.764%)
Average Finish: 20.6764
Jimmy Murphy is responsible for car #35's only victory, which came in 1922. However, car #35 has not had a top ten finish since Mack Hellings was fifth in 1948. The number has only been used in 16 of the 74 Indianapolis 500s since then. Notable drivers to use it in that time include Jochen Rindt (1968), Larry Rice (1978, co-rookie of the year with Rick Mears), Bob Lazier (1981), Patrick Bedard (1983-84) and it was most recently used in 2016 with Alex Tagliani. It is one of 23 numbers to have an average finish worse than 20th and one of 12 numbers with at least ten appearance to average a finish worse than 20th.
#36
Total Uses: 29
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2011
Wins: 1 (3.44%)
Top Fives: 5 (17.24%)
Top Tens: 8 (27.586%)
Average Finish: 16.965
Louis Meyer's second of three Indianapolis 500 victories was in car #36. That was the 1933 race, the largest Indianapolis 500 to date with 42 starters. It was also Roberto Guerrero's number when he spun on the pace laps for the 1992 race while in pole position. Its most recent top five result was in 2004 when Bruno Junqueira was classified fifth in the rain-shortened race. It has only been used five times since that event.
#37
Total Uses: 23
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2010
Wins: 0
Top Fives: 1 (4.347%)
Top Tens: 5 (21.739%)
Average Finish: 18.91304
There is not much impressive about car #37. Its only top five finish was third with Lou Moore in 1933. It hasn't finished in the top ten since Scott Brayton was ninth in 1983. It was Johnny Rutherford and Sébastien Bourdais' first Indianapolis 500 number. Ryan Hunter-Reay was the most recent driver to use it.
#38
Total Uses: 29
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2012
Wins: 0
Top Fives: 2 (6.896%)
Top Tens: 9 (31.0345%)
Average Finish: 18.172
Another number without much pizzazz, car #38 had its best finish in 2011 when Graham Rahal finished third. Clay Regazzoni used the number in his only Indianapolis 500 start in 1977. Prior to the two years Graham Rahal used it in 2011 and 2012, it had not been in the Indianapolis 500 since 1983 with Chet Fillip.
#39
Total Uses: 23
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2019
Wins: 0
Top Fives: 1 (4.347%)
Top Tens: 3 (13.0435%)
Average Finish: 21.521
The bottom of the 30s do not have much to brag about. Car #39's best finish was third with Michael Andretti in 2001, behind the Team Penske 1-2, as Penske and Andretti each made their return to the Speedway that year after missing the previous five "500s" due to the CART/IRL split. Andretti was seventh the following year. The only other time car #39 finished in the top ten was in 1946 when Bill Sheffler was ninth.
#40
Total Uses: 22
First Use: 1967
Most Recent: 2017
Wins: 0
Top Fives: 4 (18.18%)
Top Tens: 7 (31.818%)
Average Finish: 18.272
It wasn't until the 51st Indianapolis 500 that car #40 made its debut, but it sure left an impression. Parnelli Jones led 171 laps in the #40 STP-Paxton Turbocar. The turbine left everyone floor as Jones dominated the race only for a $5 piece to fail while leading with four laps to go. It was Mario Andretti's number for the infamous 1981 race and that is the closest it has come to victory.
#41
Total Uses: 43
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2020
Wins: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 7 (16.2791%)
Average Finish: 19.404
It is the only car to have appeared more than 40 times in the Indianapolis 500 and not have a top five finish. Car #41 has finished sixth on three occasions, most recently, 1941 with Chet Miller. Its most recent top ten result was seventh in 1987 with Stan Fox.
#42
Total Uses: 30
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2016
Wins: 0
Top Fives: 4 (13.333)
Top Tens: 6 (20%)
Average Finish: 18.4
Even car #42 has four top five finishes despite being used 13 times fewer than car #41. It even cracked the top five on in its second most recent appearance in 2016 with Charlie Kimball. It was the number for 1982 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Jim Hickman, a 39-year-old former Navy fighter pilot, who had won the SCCA Formula Continental national championship the year prior. Hickman made only four starts in his IndyCar career, three of them were top ten results. He lost his life just over two months later after a practice accident in Milwaukee.
#43
Total Uses: 24
First Use: 1914
Most Recent: 2015
Wins: 0
Top Fives: 1 (8.333%)
Top Tens: 5 (20.833%)
Average Finish: 18.833
Its most famous appearance was Jackie Stewart's rookie year in 1966. Stewart led 40 laps when his car lost oil pressure while leading with ten laps to go. Despite the heartbreak, Stewart was still classified in sixth and the Scotsman earned rookie of the year honors. Car #43 has not had a top ten finish since Tom Bigelow in 1980.
#44
Total Uses: 38
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2017
Wins: 0
Top Fives: 3 (7.894%)
Top Tens: 9 (23.684%)
Average Finish: 18.684
Two of car #44's three top five finishes came in consecutive years. Jimmy Vasser was fourth in 2001 and Alex Barron was fourth in 2002. In fact, all three of car #44's top five finishes have fittingly been fourth place finishes. Johnny Thomson was the first to do it in 1955.
#45
Total Uses: 32
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 2022
Wins: 0
Top Fives: 1 (3.125%)
Top Tens: 7 (21.875%)
Average Finish: 20.718
Two years ago, Santino Ferrucci was sixth in car #45, its first top ten finish since Jim McElreath was sixth in 1974. Al Unser drove car #45 on his Indianapolis 500 debut in 1965. This year could be only the second time car #45 has appeared in four consecutive Indianapolis 500s. The only other time was from 1932 to 1935.
#46
Total Uses: 13
First Use: 1911
Most Recent: 1980
Wins: 0
Top Fives: 1 (7.692%)
Top Tens: 3 (23.076%)
Average Finish: 18
There have been 103 numbers used in the Indianapolis 500. This is one of 19 numbers that have not been used in an Indianapolis 500 in the 21st century. This is the lowest number not used in the 21st century. Its most recent appearance was car #46's best finish. Gary Bettenhausen was third. It second best finish came the year before that when Howdy Holmes drove car #46 to a seventh place finish.
#47
Total Uses: 16
First Use: 1929
Most Recent: 2021
Wins: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Average Finish: 25.75
Welcome to the bottom! Car #47 is the car with the most Indianapolis 500 appearances without a top ten finish. It has the worst average finish amongst numbers with at least ten appearances. Even if you remove the ten appearance minimum, it is still second worst. Its best finish was 12th in 1933 with L.L. Corum. It has finished outside the top twenty in 12 of its 16 appearances.
#48
Total Uses: 38
First Use: 1914
Most Recent: 2022
Wins: 1 (2.631%)
Top Fives: 6 (15.789%)
Top Tens: 12 (31.578%)
Average Finish: 17.7105
This is the only car in the 40s to win the Indianapolis 500, and it was the rain-shortened 1975 race with Bobby Unser. Car #48 has finished in the top five since 1976 when Pancho Carter was fifth. Bobby Unser and Dan Gurney combine for car #48's five other top five results.
#49
Total Uses: 14
First Use: 1914
Most Recent: 2001
Wins: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 1 (7.1429%)
Average Finish: 21.857
The only top ten finish for car #49 was tenth in 1940 with René Le Bègue, who drove 100 laps, and René Dreyfus, who drove 92 laps before being flagged in when rain began to fall. Dreyfus never started the Indianapolis 500. Prior to this Indianapolis appearance, Dreyfus had won the second Monaco Grand Prix in 1930 and the Belgian Grand Prix in 1934.
Thirteen of car #49's 14 appearances came between 1914 and 1959. The only time it has been used in the 21st century was with Nicolas Minassian in 2001.
#50
Total Uses: 13
First Use: 1979
Most Recent: 2017
Wins: 1 (7.692%)
Top Fives: 3 (23.076%)
Top Tens: 4 (30.7692%)
Average Finish: 16.38462
Its only victory was the first "500" in the DW12-era when Dario Franchitti won, and the only reason why Franchitti had car #50 was in honor of Target's 50th anniversary. Eldon Rasmussen was the first driver to use the #50. Geoff Brabham was fifth on debut in car #50 in 1981. Bruno Junqueira scored a fifth on his "500" debut in car #50 in 2001, also with Target sponsorship.
Halfway there. Two more parts are to come, and the fun has only just begun.
