Many come to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s glorious 2.5 mile oval in hopes of making a name for themselves, and some do. Throughout the past century, Indy has been an instrumental part in many drivers’ lives and careers. So many memories have been made throughout the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 years and these memories have helped to continue the atmosphere Indy creates.
Some of the faces responsible for these Indy memories are featured below. We have compiled "Where Are They Now" articles, "The Greatest 33" profiles and "Driver Spotlights" to create a place that highlights all of the greatest drivers to have ever driven over the Yard of Bricks.
Indy 500
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Perhaps no driver is more closely associated with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway than Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. In an IMS career spanning more than half a century, Foyt was the ‘500’s’ first four-time winning driver... |
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Airton Dare became one of the Brazilians that migrated to Indianapolis in the past decade. “My first year was a really good race,” he said... |
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If the Unsers have often been called “Indy’s First Family,” then Al Unser is the leader, with four of the Albuquerque-based clan’s nine Indianapolis 500 victories... |
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The Unsers are the most successful family in the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with a total of nine victories in the Indianapolis 500. The most recent two fell to Al Unser Jr... |
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Arie Luyendyk quietly compiled some of the most impressive achievements in the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway... |
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Many auto racing stars from the pre-World War II era often don’t get the recognition they deserve, and Billy Arnold is a classic example... |
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Throughout his career, Bobby Allison has always been known as a “racer’s racer.” Even at the height of his stardom as a NASCAR stock car driver, Allison still competed at the local short tracks throughout the United States so that he kept in touch with “his people”... |
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Bobby Unser is without question one of the most colorful characters in the history of the Indianapolis 500. He’s also one of the most successful... |
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He was a halfback in high school, played four years of semi-pro football and was offered a tryout with the Washington Redskins. But he turned to auto racing and claimed three NASCAR Winston Cup championships... |
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Danny Sullivan parlayed one of the most famous moments in Indianapolis 500 history into a glamorous, Hollywood lifestyle... |
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Dario Franchitti was an established star in the CART-sanctioned Indy car series long before he made his first Indianapolis 500 start in 2002. The native of Edinburgh, Scotland now boasts two Indy victories... |
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When it comes to trivia bench racing, save this one until the rent money is on the table. Question: Before Nigel Mansell in 1993, who was the last rookie to complete 500 miles in the Indianapolis 500... |
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There exists a group of drivers that are known not only for their IndyCar ventures at IMS, but their races on two wheels as well. "Cannonball" Baker is one of these... |
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Emerson Fittipaldi is one of the most infleuntial figures in increasing international flavor of the Indianapolis 500... |
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The year was 2002, and the big issue was Helio Castroneves and Paul Tracy for the Indianapolis 500 victory. But another driver could very well have won that race except for circumstances... |
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Gordon Johncock was part of the stellar rookie class that filled one-third of the field for the 1965 Indianapolis 500. The Michigan native remained one of Indy car racing’s top stars into the 1980s... |
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Graham Hill was a key member of a wave of international drivers who tested their skill at the Indianapolis 500 in the 1960s... |
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Helio Castroneves has parlayed his success in the Indianapolis 500 into mainstream stardom in America... |
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Two drivers named Jacques Villeneuve competed in the Indianapolis 500, both related to legendary Formula 1 racer Gilles Villeneuve... |
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Jim Rathman, who died in 2011 at the age of 83, could probably be considered Indy car racing’s first superspeedway specialist... |
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Juan Pablo Montoya raced only once in the Indianapolis 500, yet he has compiled perhaps the most diverse overall career in the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway... |
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Mario Andretti is renowned as perhaps the most versatile racer of all time and he was named “Driver of the Century” by the Associated Press in 2000... |
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Mark Donohue was the driving force behind Penske Racing in the 1960s and ‘70s. He was one of the most analytical and engineering-focused drivers in history... |
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A handful of drivers are synonymous with bad luck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Michael Andretti is certainly a preeminent member of that group... |
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Roger Penske has had the best of racing in his cars at Indianapolis — Emerson Fittipaldi, Rick Mears, Helio Castroneves, Al Unser, Mark Donohue... |
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Rufus “Parnelli” Jones’ career at the Indianapolis 500 lasted from just 1961-67. But he is revered as one of the greatest racers in the history of the Memorial Day classic... |
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More than anything else, Ray Harroun considered himself an engineer who claimed that he raced only to observe his creations being tested in battle conditions. So it’s no surprise that the man nicknamed “The Little Professor” helped design and build the Marmon Wasp... |
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Rick Mears is the third and most recent member of the three-man club of four-time Indianapolis 500 winners... |
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He is a familiar name who made his mark at the Speedway but you wish it could’ve been just a touch better. Roberto Guerrero was racing in Europe after leaving his native Colombia when the Indy cars drew his attention. He was lightning fast... |
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As the eldest member and leader of the famed “Mears Gang,” Roger Mears took a unique path to the Indianapolis 500. He actually followed his younger brother, Rick, to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway... |
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For a five year period that ended in 2006, Scott Dixon was the youngest-ever winner of an Indy car race...
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The year was 1993 and media people and fans swarmed around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to see Formula One champion Nigel Mansell in an Indy car... |
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Aside from being a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner (1937, ’39 and ’40), Wilbur Shaw is one of the most important figures in the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway... |
Brickyard 400
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Bobby Hillin Jr. grew up in a racing family – just not the kind in which he wound up driving. His father fielded Longhorn Racing, a staple on the Indy car circuit for many years as the younger Hillin grew up around his father’s team... |
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He and his brothers came out of upstate New York in the rough-and-tumble modified series to tackle the Good Ol’ Boys of NASCAR and, as Yankees, made their mark at a time when the Sprint Cup Series was largely regionalized to the Southeast... |
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He was the last of the independents, a storybook career with a long career in the NASCAR Cup ranks, dating back to the days when it was called Grand National racing... |
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In the early 1980s, Greg Sacks was the terror of the East Coast open wheel modified circuit. In 1982, his team entered 38 races and won 28, including two stretches of 11 in a row... |
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The year was 1994, and it was a historic day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with NASCAR’s premier series venturing onto the 2 ½-mile oval for the inaugural Brickyard 400... |
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Ricky Rudd hasn’t returned to a racetrack since he drove his final NASCAR Sprint Cup race in 2007 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Unlike some drivers who hang on far too long, Rudd knew when it was time to go... |
