All-Time Qualifying Records
Fastest & Slowest Qualifiers
Indianapolis 500
This section catalogs the fastest and slowest qualifying runs each year for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.
| Year | Fastest Qualifier | Speed | Slowest Qualifier | Speed | Field Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | Positions assigned by date of entry; Minimum qualifying speed of 75 mph for .25 mile | ||||
| 1912 | David Bruce-Brown* | 88.45 | Harry Knight | 75.92 | 81.76 |
| 1913 | Jack Tower* | 88.23 | Theodore Pilette | 75.52 | 81.52 |
| 1914 | Georges Boillot* | 99.86 | Ray Gilhooly | 84.2 | 90.12 |
| 1915 | Howard Wilcox | 98.9 | Willie Haupt | 80.36 | 88.39 |
| 1916 | John Aitken | 96.69 | Tom Alley | 82.04 | 89.77 |
| 1919 | Rene Thomas | 104.78 | J.J. McCoy | 86.5 | 92.85 |
| 1920 | Ralph DePalma | 99.15 | Jean Porporato | 79.98 | 89.4 |
| 1921 | Ralph DePalma | 100.75 | Tom Alley | 80.5 | 91.19 |
| 1922 | Jimmy Murphy | 100.5 | Howdy Wilcox | 81.6 | 93.78 |
| 1923 | Tommy Milton | 108.17 | Howdy Wilcox | 81 | 94.64 |
| 1924 | Jimmy Murphy | 108.037 | Fred Harder | 82.77 | 97.922 |
| 1925 | Leon Duray | 113.196 | M.C. Jones | 88.478 | 104.488 |
| 1926 | Earl Cooper | 111.735 | Jack McCarver | 86.418 | 100.196 |
| 1927 | Frank Lockhart | 120.1 | Al Melcher | 102.918 | 110.183 |
| 1928 | Leon Duray | 122.391 | Henry Kohlert | 93.545 | 109.841 |
| 1929 | Cliff Woodbury | 120.599 | Bill Lindau | 102.509 | 110.954 |
| 1930 | Billy Arnold | 113.268 | Harry Butcher | 87.003 | 98.989 |
| 1931 | Billy Arnold* | 116.08 | Dave Evans | 96.871 | 106.673 |
| 1932 | Lou Moore | 117.363 | Kelly Petillo | 104.645 | 111.269 |
| 1933 | Bill Cummings | 118.53 | Gene Haustein | 107.603 | 112.426 |
| 1934 | Kelly Petillo | 119.329 | Dave Evans | 102.414 | 112.645 |
| 1935 | Rex Mays | 120.736 | Bob Sall | 110.519 | 114.896 |
| 1936 | Rex Mays | 119.644 | Louis Tomei | 111.078 | 116.685 |
| 1937 | Jimmy Snyder* | 125.287 | Deacon Litz | 116.372 | 119.288 |
| 1938 | Ronney Householder* | 125.769 | Duke Nalon | 113.828 | 120.032 |
| 1939 | Jimmy Snyder | 130.138 | Billy DeVore | 116.527 | 123.567 |
| 1940 | Rex Mays | 127.85 | Rene LeBegue | 118.981 | 122.853 |
| 1941 | Mauri Rose | 128.691 | Overton Phillips | 116.298 | 122.739 |
| 1946 | Ralph Hepburn* | 133.944 | Al Putnam | 116.283 | 122.328 |
| 1947 | Bill Holland* | 128.755 | Cy Marshall | 115.644 | 121.039 |
| 1948 | Duke Nalon* | 131.603 | Johnny Mauro | 121.79 | 125.505 |
| 1949 | Duke Nalon | 132.939 | Manuel Ayulo | 125.799 | 128.036 |
| 1950 | Walt Faulkner | 134.343 | Jimmy Jackson | 129.208 | 131.033 |
| 1951 | Walt Faulkner* | 136.872 | Bill Mackey | 131.473 | 133.556 |
| 1952 | Chet Miller* | 139.034 | Jim Rigsby | 133.904 | 135.504 |
| 1953 | Bill Vukovich | 138.392 | Johnny Thomson | 135.262 | 136.429 |
| 1954 | Jack McGrath | 141.033 | Frank Armi | 137.673 | 138.632 |
| 1955 | Jack McGrath* | 142.58 | Johnny Thomson | 134.113 | 138.796 |
| 1956 | Pat Flaherty | 145.596 | Duke Dinsmore | 138.43 | 142.507 |
| 1957 | Paul Russo* | 144.817 | Don Freeland | 139.649 | 141.444 |
| 1958 | Dick Rathmann | 145.974 | Bob Christie | 142.253 | 143.445 |
| 1959 | Johnny Thomson | 145.908 | Jim McWithey | 141.215 | 143.004 |
| 1960 | Jim Hurtubise* | 149.056 | Jim McWithey | 140.378 | 144.07 |
| 1961 | Eddie Sachs | 147.481 | Bobby Grim | 144.029 | 145.302 |
| 1962 | Parnelli Jones | 150.37 | Elmer George | 146.092 | 147.33 |
| 1963 | Parnelli Jones | 151.153 | Dempsey Wilson | 147.832 | 149.028 |
| 1964 | Jim Clark | 158.828 | Bill Cheesbourg | 148.711 | 152.54 |
| 1965 | A.J. Foyt | 161.233 | Bill Cheesbourg | 153.774 | 156.058 |
| 1966 | Mario Andretti | 165.899 | Bobby Grim | 158.367 | 160.251 |
| 1967 | Mario Andretti | 168.982 | Larry Dickson | 162.543 | 164.173 |
| 1968 | Joe Leonard | 171.559 | Larry Dickson | 161.124 | 164.958 |
| 1969 | A.J. Foyt | 170.568 | Peter Revson | 160.851 | 166.295 |
| 1970 | Al Unser | 170.221 | Sam Sessions | 165.373 | 167.139 |
| 1971 | Peter Revson | 178.696 | Bob Harkey | 169.197 | 171.665 |
| 1972 | Bobby Unser | 195.94 | Cale Yarborough | 178.864 | 183.655 |
| 1973 | Johnny Rutherford | 198.413 | Jim McElreath | 188.64 | 192.329 |
| 1974 | A.J. Foyt | 191.632 | Larry Cannon | 173.963 | 182.787 |
| 1975 | A.J. Foyt | 193.976 | Mike Hiss | 181.754 | 185.057 |
| 1976 | Mario Andretti* | 189.404 | Sheldon Kinser | 181.114 | 183.785 |
| 1977 | Tom Sneva | 198.884 | Steve Krisiloff | 184.691 | 189.488 |
| 1978 | Tom Sneva | 202.156 | Jerry Sneva | 187.266 | 192.584 |
| 1979 | Rick Mears | 193.736 | Roger McCluskey | 183.908 | 186.737 |
| 1980 | Johnny Rutherford | 192.256 | Gary Bettenhausen | 182.463 | 185.57 |
| 1981 | Tom Sneva* | 200.691 | Jerry Karl | 186.008 | 191.244 |
| 1982 | Rick Mears | 207.004 | Roger Mears | 194.154 | 197.74 |
| 1983 | Teo Fabi | 207.395 | Chet Fillip | 183.146 | 198.406 |
| 1984 | Tom Sneva | 210.029 | Chris Kneifel | 199.831 | 203.686 |
| 1985 | Pancho Carter | 212.583 | Tony Bettenhausen | 204.824 | 208.138 |
| 1986 | Rick Mears | 216.828 | Dick Simon | 204.978 | 210.358 |
| 1987 | Mario Andretti | 215.39 | Steve Chassey | 202.488 | 207.194 |
| 1988 | Rick Mears | 219.198 | Howdy Holmes | 206.97 | 210.188 |
| 1989 | Rick Mears | 223.885 | Bernard Jourdain | 213.105 | 216.588 |
| 1990 | Emerson Fittipaldi | 225.301 | Rocky Moran | 211.076 | 217.437 |
| 1991 | Gary Bettenhausen* | 224.468 | Gordon Johncock | 213.812 | 218.59 |
| 1992 | Roberto Guerrero | 232.482 | Ted Prappas | 219.173 | 223.479 |
| 1993 | Arie Luyendyk | 223.967 | Kevin Cogan | 217.23 | 219.692 |
| 1994 | Al Unser Jr. | 228.011 | Bryan Herta | 220.992 | 223.27 |
| 1995 | Scott Brayton | 231.604 | Eliseo Salazar | 225.023 | 226.912 |
| 1996 | Arie Luyendyk* | 236.986 | Scott Harrington | 222.185 | 227.807 |
| 1997 | Arie Luyendyk | 218.263 | Fermin Velez | 206.512 | 212.286 |
| 1998 | Billy Boat | 223.503 | Johnny Unser | 216.316 | 218.305 |
| 1999 | Arie Luyendyk | 225.179 | Wim Eyckmans | 220.092 | 221.558 |
| 2000 | Greg Ray | 223.471 | Andy Hillenberg | 218.285 | 220.805 |
| 2001 | Scott Sharp | 226.037 | Billy Boat | 221.528 | 223.303 |
| 2002 | Bruno Junqueira | 231.342 | Billy Boat | 226.589 | 228.648 |
| 2003 | Helio Castroneves | 231.725 | Airton Dare | 223.609 | 223.609 |
| 2004 | Buddy Rice | 222.024 | Robby McGehee | 211.631 | 217.821 |
| 2005 | Kenny Brack* | 227.598 | Felipe Giaffone | 217.645 | 223.895 |
| 2006 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 228.985 | Thiago Medeiros | 215.729 | 222.688 |
| 2007 | Helio Castroneves | 225.817 | Marty Roth | 218.922 | 222.505 |
| 2008 | Scott Dixon | 226.366 | Marty Roth | 218.965 | 222.302 |
| 2009 | Helio Castroneves | 224.864 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | 220.597 | 222.48 |
| 2010 | Helio Castroneves | 227.97 | Sebastian Saavedra | 223.634 | 224.974 |
| 2011 | Alex Tagliani | 227.492 | Ana Beatriz | 223.879 | 225.273 |
| 2012 | Ryan Briscoe | 226.484 | Jean Alesi | 210.094 | 222.835 |
| 2013 | Ed Carpenter | 228.762 | Katherine Legge | 223.176 | 226.176 |
| 2014 | Ed Carpenter | 231.067 | Buddy Lazier | 227.920 | 229.698 |
| 2015 | Scott Dixon | 226.760 | James Davison | 221.358 | 224.290 |
| 2016 | James Hinchcliffe | 230.760 | Buddy Lazier | 222.154 | 227.968 |
| 2017 | Scott Dixon | 232.164 | Zach Veach | 221.081 | 228.400 |
| 2018 | Ed Carpenter | 229.618 | Conor Daly | 224.426 | 226.685 |
| 2019 | Simon Pagenaud | 229.992 | Pippa Mann | 227.244 | 228.240 |
| 2020 | Marco Andretti | 231.068 | Ben Hanley | 222.917 | 229.339 |
| 2021 | Scott Dixon | 231.685 | Simona De Silvestro | 228.353 | 230.294** |
| 2022 | Scott Dixon | 234.046 | Stefan Wilson | No Speed*** | |
Legend:
* - Fastest qualifier was not the pole winner
** - Fastest field in history
*** - Only 33 entries. Mechanical issues prevented qualification attempts.