Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...
McLaren has kept the championship alive into the Abu Dhabi finale, and it is a three-horse race as Max Verstappen won in Qatar, Oscar Piastri won the sprint race, and Lando Norris leads the World Drivers’ Championship by 12 points over Verstappen and 16 points over Piastri. Formula Two was back in competition after two months off. The Supercars championship decided the title with a playoff format for the first time, and it was not well received. The World Rally Championship went down to the final day, and it was a lively finale. It was a holiday weekend, and this has actually been on my mind for two weeks, but I am keeping it light.
Which One-Time Indianapolis 500 Winner Deserves a Second the Most?
This question came to me when Ryan Hunter-Reay was on Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee a few weeks ago when Hunter-Reay was speaking about his deal to drive for Arrow McLaren in next year’s Indianapolis 500.
Hunter-Reay was possibly one clean pit stop away from pulling off an incredible Indianapolis 500 victory this past May with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing with a backup car that was literally pulled from the back of the D&R shop and only had about a lap-and-a-half of an installation run under it after sitting unused for years. It was stunning Hunter-Reay put himself that close to victory that not winning the race should not completely erase the story of his day and the resiliency of driver and team.
For Hunter-Reay, it was at least fourth time he had a shout at an Indianapolis 500 victory and it was not his day. He isn’t the first driver to have a number of close calls but not have it work out a second time.
But where does Hunter-Reay rank among deserving a second Indianapolis 500 among the one-time winners?
Let’s set the table.
Fifty-five drivers have only one Indianapolis 500 victory to their name. We are only considering those 55. We are not considering drivers who never won it but had a case for at least one. We are not considering multi-time winners and whether or not they deserve a third, fourth, fifth or sixth. It is the 55 drivers with one victory to their name.
The 55 drivers can be broken into a few different groups.
Some drivers not only deserve a second but also a third and possibly a fourth. Some may deserve a second. Some are good with one, and for some, one victory is generous. There are also a few special cases. We are going to break down those drivers in such group, starting with those who should be thankful they had one Indianapolis 500 victory to their name before ending with the most deserving.
One Victory is Generous
Joe Dawson won the 2nd Indianapolis 500 after Ralph DePalma broke down two laps from the finish nd with a five-lap lead. DePalma had led 196 of the first 198 laps. Dawson led the final two laps. He was fifth in 1911 and returned for one more start in 1914 where he only completed 45 laps.
Ralph DePalma had a two-lap lead in 1920 before his car stalled out with 14 laps remaining. Gaston Chevrolet came through and led the final 14 laps. DePalma didn’t even lead the most laps in this race, but it was Chevrolet who benefitted the most as attrition was a deciding factor.
Two drivers have won the Indianapolis 500 and never led a lap in the race. That would be the co-winner years, L.L. Corum in 1924 and Floyd Davis in 1941. Corum was taken out of the car while in third and Joe Boyer drove the car to victory. Davis had done 72 laps and was 12th when Mauri Rose took over. Both Corum and Davis contributed to the victories. I don’t think Davis would have done enough to pull off the victory in 1941. Corum may have been able to win in 1924 as Jimmy Murphy and Earl Cooper each had cut tires while leading. Cooper had a second cut tire as he was chasing Boyer.
Graham Hill was in the right place at the right time in 1966. Jackie Stewart broke down while leading with ten laps remaining. It was also a race where Jim Clark spun multiple times and Clark would finishing second, just over 40 seconds behind Hill. It was also a race where Lloyd Ruby led the most laps and a slow pit stop cost Ruby multiple laps. It is also the race where 11 cars were out of the race on the opening lap due to an accident. It was Hill’s lucky day.
One is Generous, but He Arguably Could Have Two
A.K.A the Marcus Ericsson zone.
Ericsson is lucky to have one, and also maybe should have two.
If Scott Dixon doesn’t speed entering the pit lane for his final pit stop in 2022, Marcus Ericsson is not winning that race. However, with how the 2023 race ended with Ericsson leading when the race was restarted with one lap remaining and seeing Josef Newgarden pass Ericsson entering the turn three on the final lap, he maybe should have one, if not two.
Ericsson benefitted from circumstances in 2022, and did not benefit from circumstances in 2023. The 2023 race was such a mess of a finish with the red flags and accidents, it is hard to feel too bad about how it ended. Someone was going to feel cheated. Ericsson exists in this special territory.
The Goldilocks Zone - One is Just Right
This is a rather large group. It is actually the largest group. Most drivers are good with just one Indianapolis 500 victory. To be specific, 35 drivers.
Ray Harroun only ran one Indianapolis 500 and he won it. He’s good.
Jules Goux is good on one. Goux led 139 laps in his Indianapolis 500 career, 138 of those were in his 1913 victory.
René Thomas won in 1914 with 102 laps led. Thomas was second in 1920, but we have already covered the 1920 race.
Dario Resta won the only Indianapolis 500 not scheduled for 500 miles. The 1916 race was only a 300-miler. Resta led 103 of 120 laps. He was second the year prior, but rightfully second.
Jimmy Murphy was one of the best drivers ever at Indianapolis, but his 1922 victory is good enough for his career. He was fourth, 14th, first, third and third in his five Indianapolis 500 starts, but one is just right for him.
Joe Boyer won the 1924 as a relief driver and benefitting from two competitors having tire failures. But Boyer led 93 of the first 107 laps in 1920. Boyer got even for a race lost.
Peter DePaolo dominated the 1925 race with 115 laps. He only had two other top ten finishes at Indianapolis.
George Souders won as a rookie in 1927, and he was third in his only other start in 1928, but he was good on one.
Ray Keech only made two “500” starts, fourth in 1928 and first in 1929. Keech lost his life in an accident at Altoona less than a month after his Indianapolis victory.
Louis Schneider only led 39 laps at Indianapolis, all in his 1931 victory. He was outside the top ten in four of six starts.
Fred Frame won in 1932 a year after finishing second. One is historically accurate for Frame.
Bill Cummings won in 1934. He had two other top five finishes.
Kelly Petillo’s victory in 1935 was his only top ten finish at Indianapolis. He led 102 laps in that race and only six more laps in his other eight Indianapolis starts. Those six laps all came in 1934.
Floyd Roberts only led in one Indianapolis 500, the one he won in 1938. He led 92 laps.
George Robson won in 1946 after being 23rd and 25th and never completing more than 67 laps in his first two starts.
Johnnie Parsons was second and first in his first two Indianapolis 500 starts. Parsons won a rain-shortened race in 1950, but he led 115 of 138 laps run. He only had one other top five finish in his final eight “500” starts.
Lee Wallard won the only “500” he was truly competitive in. He led 159 of 200 laps in 1951.
Troy Ruttman won in 1952 with 44 laps led. He had one other top ten finish in his 12 Indianapolis starts.
Bob Sweikert won in 1955 after Bill Vukovich’s fatal accident. Sweikert did lead 86 laps, but it was the only time he led an Indianapolis 500.
Pat Flaherty won in 1956, and he never finished better than tenth in any other Indianapolis start.
Sam Hanks is most remembered for winning in his final Indianapolis 500 start, but he only led four laps in his first 12 appearances in the race.
Jimmy Bryan was second in 1954 and third in 1957, but his victory in 1958 is just the right amount of success.
Jim Rathmann did finish second in the Indianapolis 500 on three separate occasions before he won in 1960, but one is enough for Rathmann.
Mark Donohue started fourth, fifth, second, third and third at Indianapolis in his career. He had finishes of seventh, second, 25th after the gearbox failed him while dominating the first quarter of the 1971 race before he won in 1972 and was 15th in 1973. You could make a case Donohue was fortunate to have won because he won in 1972 after Team Penske teammate Gary Bettenhausen broke down while leading, and Jerry Grant had to make a late pit stop for fuel, stopping in his teammate Bobby Unser’s pit box to get fuel. However, 1972 somewhat cancels out 1971.
Like Jim Rathmann, Tom Sneva had three runner-up finishes at Indianapolis before he won, but in none of those three races did Sneva lead more than 16 laps, and each of those races had a driver lead more than 100. After he won in 1983, Sneva’s best finish in his final eight “500” starts was 14th.
Bobby Rahal won in 1986, but only one other time did he lead more than 15 laps in the race. There really isn’t another year where you feel one got away from Rahal.
Jacques Villeneuve made three Indianapolis 500 starts. He went second, first and 14th in 2014 after 19 years away. He didn’t deserve 1994. He drove from two laps down in 1995. History represents Villeneuve accurately.
I was tempted to put Buddy Lazier in the generous group because of The Split, but Lazier won the race with a broken back. Give it to him.
I was also tempted to put Eddie Cheever in the same group, but Cheever did lead 76 laps from 17th on the grid, the most in the race, as he won in 1998.
You may think Kenny Bräck should be in the generous group because Bräck won after Robby Gordon had to pit for a splash a fuel before starting the final lap in 1999, but Gordon wasn’t the best driver that day. Bräck was with 66 laps led, the most in the race.
It sucks that Gil de Ferran only made four Indianapolis 500 starts in his career. He thankfully won one of those as he was brilliant.
Buddy Rice may have only one top five finish at Indianapolis in six starts, but he won from pole position and led 91 of 180 laps completed before the rain came in. Rice deserved that victory in 2004.
Sam Hornish, Jr.’s track record at Indianapolis is not great, but he did win in 2006 in one of the most memorable finishes. He was a little fortunate to win in 2006, but considering he was a three-time champion at a time when the series was oval-dominant in the Indy Racing League, it would have felt more odd if Hornish, Jr, had never won one.
One victory is good enough for Will Power. The only other close call was 2015 where he lost in a semi-close finish to Juan Pablo Montoya. Only once has Power led more than 23 laps at Indianapolis, and that was the year he won in 2018 with 59 laps led. Since that victory, he has led a combined ten laps in his last seven “500” starts.
Simon Pagenaud won the 2019 race from pole position with 116 laps led. In his other 11 Indianapolis starts, Pagenaud had only one other top five finish.
Technically, He Has Won Twice
A.K.A the Howdy Wilcox zone.
Wilcox won the 1919 race with 98 laps led. Prior to that, he had led only six laps in his first six Indianapolis starts and his best finish was sixth. In his final four Indianapolis starts, Wilcox never completed more than 65 laps.
In his final Indianapolis 500 appearance in 1923, Wilcox led 11 of the first 60 before his engine failed while leading. However, Wilcox took over for Tommy Milton, who had burned hands that needed to be treated. Wilcox drove 48 laps in relief and led 41 of them. Milton returned to his car and drove the final 49 laps on his way to victory.
Unfortunately, the history book only recognizes co-winners when a different driver takes the checkered flag from the driver who started the race. Wilcox is credited in the record book with the 41 laps led in Milton’s car, but he does not get credit for the victory.
Though he should, as should a number of other drivers who took a spin behind the wheel of a winning Indianapolis 500 entry.
A Good Case for a Second
This is where we get to the countdown because there are 13 drivers with respectable cases as for deserving a second victory.
13. Danny Sullivan
Sullivan had the spin-and-win in 1985, but he had led 91 of the first 94 laps in 1988. A pit stop under caution shuffled Sullivan back to fourth and the cars ahead of him were Jim Crawford and his Team Penske teammates Rick Mears and Al Unser. However, Sullivan had a front wing issue that led to accident on lap 102.
Sullivan only led the Indianapolis 500 three times in his career, 1985, 1987 and 1988. Mears cruised to victory with Sullivan out in 1988, leading the final 78 laps. It would have been difficult to beat Mears, but Sullivan had a great race going in 1988 and likely could have given Mears a challenge.
12. Álex Palou
This doesn’t feel a little knee-jerk, but the 2025 winner was leading in 2021 with three laps to go. In his sophomore Indianapolis 500, Palou led 35 laps. He lost to Hélio Castroneves making a bold move into turn one and then using traffic to stall out a challenge from Palou. If it was any of about 28 other drivers behind Palou in that race, I don’t think they could have pulled out what Castroneves did to win.
11. Frank Lockhart
Lockhart only made two Indianapolis starts. As a rookie, he won in 1926 with 95 laps led. He went from 20th to fifth in the first five laps. The race was called due to rain at lap 160 but Lockhart had a two-lap lead at the time. In 1927, Lockhart qualified on pole position and he led 110 of the first 119 laps but retired on lap 120 when a connecting rod broke. Lockhart lost his life on April 25, 1928 in Daytona Beach, Florida in an accident attempting to set a land speed record.
10. Tony Kanaan
Kanaan had a few chances to win before he won in 2013. As a rookie, Kanaan had led 23 of the first 89 laps before he spun in some oil ending his race in 2002. However, 2002 is more remembered for Tomas Scheckter leading 85 laps before hitting the wall while leading. In 2005, Kanaan led 54 laps from pole position, but fell back to eighth. However, 2005 was a race where Sam Hornish, Jr. led the most laps, 77.
The one that got away from Kanaan was 2007. When the first rain delay came, Kanaan was leading and he had led majority of the laps. However, the race restarted and the pit stops cycled Kanaan back when the second, and final, delay came. Kanaan ended 12th with 83 laps led while Dario Franchitti won.
It feels like Kanaan should have one more.
9. Billy Arnold
Arnold won the 1930 race with 198 laps led, still the record for most led. In 1931, Arnold led 155 of the first 161 laps. On lap 162, Arnold suffered a tire failure and his race ended. In 1932, Arnold led 57 of the first 58 laps before having an accident in turn three. This accident broke Arnold’s shoulder and ended his career.
The Most Deserving for a Second
8. Alexander Rossi
Rossi may have pulled out one of the more unthinkable victories in 2016 when he stretched his fuel and coasted to victory as a rookie, but pretty much every year since, Rossi has been in contention for victory. He was one of the best cars in 2017 as Andretti Autosport controlled that race for the most part. With 23 laps led, it was the fourth-most on the day, but the pit cycle shuffled Rossi back to seventh. In 2018, Rossi went from 32nd to fourth, and if Rossi doesn’t have a tire puncture on his final qualifying run when everyone was made to qualify twice, he likely doesn’t spend 200 laps chasing from behind.
Simon Pagenaud dominated the 2019 race, but without the late caution for Graham Rahal and Sébastien Bourdais coming together in turn three, Rossi would have won that race as Pagenaud had to save fuel while Rossi had just taken the lead and had plenty of fuel to make it. Without that caution, Pagenaud would have likely lost another few spots, and Rossi would have taken a comfortable victory. Instead, we had a tight battle to the finish, and Pagenaud was able to fight back and defeat Rossi.
In 2020, Rossi was on Scott Dixon’s heels the entire race before Rossi was issued a penalty for contact with Takuma Sato in the pit lane. Rossi ended up outside the top twenty and would have an accident attempting to get back to the front. Sato won the race leap-frogging Dixon in the final pit cycle.
In ten Indianapolis starts, Rossi has six top five finishes.
7. Bill Holland
If it wasn’t for ignored team orders, and better communication from Lou Moore’s team that his lead was under threat, Bill Holland would have won as a rookie in 1947. Holland led 143 laps but Mauri Rose took the lead when Holland thought he had a lap on Rose when he was overtaken with eight laps remaining. Holland went second, second, first, second and 15th in his Indianapolis career. Holland is still ranked 20th all-time in Indianapolis 500 laps led.
6. Ryan Hunter-Reay
Hunter-Reay maybe should have won the year before he actual won at Indianapolis. He was leading at the time of the final restart with three laps to go. Tony Kanaan passed him into turn one, and about ten seconds later, Dario Franchitti spun and the race ended under caution.
In 2016, Hunter-Reay had one of the best cars, leading 52 laps. The next closest driver was James Hinchcliffe with 27 laps led. However, Hunter-Reay’s race was altered when Townsend Bell made contact with his Andretti Autosport teammate in the pit lane. Both drivers had a shot for victory, but each lost a lap for repairs just after halfway. Hunter-Reay did play a role in Alexander Rossi’s victory as Hunter-Reay towed Rossi around, helping Rossi save the fuel he needed to win the race.
Hunter-Reay was one of the Honda drivers to lose an engine in 2017 when running at the front. He led the second-most laps in that race and he was still in contention when his engine expired on lap 137.
People forget that Hunter-Reay was in the top five in 2021 before he sped entering the pit lane on his final pit stop. He might not have been the most deserving winner that day, but if he didn’t speed, Hunter-Reay would have been up there and could have pulled off what Castroneves did.
Then there was 2025. Hunter-Reay was one clean stop away from likely winning this race. There is a chance Hunter-Reay would have gotten out of the pit lane ahead of the Devlin DeFrancesco and Louis Foster, meaning he would have had two lapped cars between him, Marcus Ericsson and Álex Palou. If that was the case, Hunter-Reay likely holds on for the final 30 laps without much of a threat.
5. Jim Clark
Clark likely should have won as a rookie in 1963. There is a good case that Parnelli Jones should have been penalized and waved in when his car was leaking oil. In 1964, Clark was leading when his suspension failed on lap 47. Then there was Clark’s historic victory in 1965, and in 1966, Clark was one of the better cars but a pair of spins cost him time and ultimately allowed Graham Hill to win when Jackie Stewart broke down.
For four consecutive years, Clark was one of the best drivers at Indianapolis. He didn’t get a break in one year, the car broke on him in the next, and in the other, Clark didn’t have a clean race that cost him victory.
4. Parnelli Jones
We are looking at a driver that could have been a four-time winner. As a sophomore in 1962, Jones led 120 of the first 125 laps, but he was having brake issues and had to nurse the car for the remainder of the race and ultimately finished seventh. Even with the possible penalty for the oil leak in 1963, Jones did lead 167 laps. He was the best driver that day.
Jones had just inherited the lead when Clark broke down in 1964, but after seven laps in the lead, Jones’ race ended due to a pit fire. A.J. Foyt led the remaining 146 laps without much of a challenge from the rest of the competition.
Then there is 1967 when a $5 part cost the STP-Paxton Turbocar a victory as a bearing broke when Jones led with four laps remaining. Jones had led 171 laps up to that point.
3. Scott Dixon
On six occasions has Dixon led the most laps in the Indianapolis 500. Only once has he won.
His best cases for a second were 2012, where Dixon led the second-most laps actually, but he spent a fair amount of the race ahead of both Dario Franchitti and Takuma Sato, only for the race to come down to those two battling into turn one on the final lap.
The real years that stand out are 2020, when Dixon led the most laps and a slightly slower than average pit stop cost him the lead on the final pit cycle, and Dixon was unable to pass Takuma Sato, and then there was 2022, when Dixon had the race won and sped entering the pit lane for his final stop. The stop was fine, the entry is what cost him, and he lost a guaranteed victory.
2. Mario Andretti
For how great Andretti was and as synonymous as he is with heartbreak at Indianapolis, there are only two real cases he has, but they are tough to swallow, and 1981 is not one of them.
He would have won 1981 on a technicality, and Andretti passed cars on the apron after making a pit stop just like Bobby Unser, only Andretti had not passed as many.
The real years are 1985 and 1987.
In 1985, Andretti was in a tight battle with Danny Sullivan the entire race. Andretti led over half the race, and when Sullivan spun, it felt like it was going to be Andretti’s day, but Sullivan came back and took the lead only 20 laps after the spin on a similar move in turn one. Only 2.477 seconds separated the drivers at the checkered flag.
In 1987, Andretti had a lap on the field and no one was close to touching him. However, after leading 170 of 177 laps, he slowed due to an engine issue, and this took Andretti out of the race. It is believed pacing himself in those final laps led to a harmonic imbalance in the car, leading to a broken value spring.
1. Ralph DePalma
DePalma has nearly a handful of races that got away from him.
The car broke down with two laps to go while DePalma had a five-lap lead in 1912. He led 196 of 200 laps.
DePalma led 93 of the first 102 laps in 1919 before tire issues forced a lengthy pit stop and took him out of contention.
In 1920, he had a two-lap lead when mechanical issues caused him to stop on track with 14 laps remaining.
The following year saw DePalma lead 108 of the first 110 laps before a connecting rod broke.
At the end of the 1921 race, DePalma had led 612 laps of 1,720 laps run in the first nine Indianapolis 500s. The next closest drivers on laps led was Dario Resta on 140. DePalma would be the all-time leader in Indianapolis 500 laps led until the final lap of the 1987 race when Al Unser took the checkered flag for his fourth victory. DePalma was the all-time leader for 75 years. His last Indianapolis 500 start was a century ago, and he is still third all-time. The man could have been a five-time winner in the first decade of the race. Nobody deserves a second more than DePalma.
We all know how difficult it is to win the Indianapolis 500, and there is no better example in that three of the top four drivers in laps led in the event each only won once. There may be a driver or two who get off this list. There will more likely be another half-dozen who join it.
Champions From the Weekend
Leonardo Fornaroli clinched the Formula Two championships with finishes of sixth and second at Qatar.
Sébastien Ogier clinched the World Rally Championship with a third-place finish in Rally Saudi Arabia while Elfyn Evans was sixth and Kalle Rovanperä was seventh. It was Ogier’s ninth World Rally Championship, tying. Sébastien Loeb’s record.
Chaz Mostert clinched the Supercars championship with three consecutive finishes of second at Adelaide while Will Brown went ninth, fourth and third; Broc Freeney went fourth, first and 20th after an opening lap spin and engine issues; and Kai Allen went fifth, fifth and fourth.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Verstappen and Piastri, but did you know....
Richard Verschoor (sprint) and Victor Martins (feature) split the Formula Two races from Qatar.
Brodie Kostecki and Matt Payne won the other two Supercars races from Adelaide.
Thierry Neville won Rally Saudi Arabia.
Coming Up This Weekend
The Formula One season ends in Abu Dhabi.
The Formula E season begins in São Paulo.
