102 Stats in 102 Days Until 102nd Indy 500 – Day 16, Indy 500 Victory/Series Title in Same Year/Season (March 1, 2018)

The 102nd Indianapolis 500 is 87 days away! This is the 16th day of the 102 Stats in 102 Days Until the 102nd Indy 500.

Each day from now until the Saturday before the Indianapolis 500, we’ll post a list of stats related to the race. Some of well-known statistics, while others are a little more in-depth. You can view the current list of 102-stat blogs by clicking here.

Today’s list looks at the drivers who have won the Indianapolis 500 and the series championship in the same season. It does not count the Gold Crown Series champions, in which the Indianapolis 500 was the only race in the series (1985-1995), or if the race was part of the Gold Crown Series schedule as well as part of the CART schedule (from 1983 through 1995). It does count the Gold Crown Series in 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons.

Indianapolis 500 Winners/Series Champions in Same Season

- 1916: Dario Resta (AAA National Championship)

- 1920: Gaston Chevrolet (AAA National Championship)

- 1921: Tommy Milton (AAA National Championship)

- 1922: Jimmy Murphy (AAA National Championship)

- 1925: Peter DePaolo (AAA National Championship)

- 1928: Louis Meyer (AAA National Championship)

- 1930: Billy Arnold (AAA National Championship)

- 1931: Louis Schneider (AAA National Championship)

- 1933: Louis Meyer (AAA National Championship)

- 1934: Bill Cummings (AAA National Championship)

- 1935: Kelly Petillo (AAA National Championship)

- 1937: Wilbur Shaw (AAA National Championship)

- 1938: Floyd Roberts (AAA National Championship)

- 1939: Wilbur Shaw (AAA National Championship)

- 1955: Bob Sweikert (AAA National Championship)

- 1959: Rodger Ward (USAC National Championship)

- 1961: A.J. Foyt (USAC National Championship)

- 1962: Rodger Ward (USAC National Championship)

- 1964: A.J. Foyt (USAC National Championship)

- 1967: A.J. Foyt (USAC National Championship)

- 1968: Bobby Unser (USAC National Championship)

- 1969: Mario Andretti (USAC National Championship)

- 1970: Al Unser (USAC National Championship)

- 1979: Rick Mears (CART Championship)

- 1980: Johnny Rutherford (USAC National Championship and CART Championship)

- 1982/83: Tom Sneva (USAC Gold Crown Championship)

- 1986: Bobby Rahal (CART Championship)

- 1989: Emerson Fittipaldi (CART Championship)

- 1994: Al Unser Jr. (CART Championship)

- 1995: Jacques Villeneuve (CART Championship)

- 2005: Dan Wheldon (IndyCar Series Championship)

- 2006: Sam Hornish Jr. (IndyCar Series Championship)

- 2007: Dario Franchitti (IndyCar Series Championship)

- 2008: Scott Dixon (IndyCar Series Championship)

- 2010: Dario Franchitti (IndyCar Series Championship)

Notes of Interest

- Four drivers have accomplished the feat on multiple occasions: Louis Meyer (1928 and 1933); Wilbur Shaw (1937 and 1939); A.J. Foyt (1961, 1964 and 1967); and Dario Franchitti (2007 and 2010).

- Sam Hornish Jr. is the last U.S.-born driver to accomplish the feat, in 2006.

- The current seven-year streak of different Indianapolis 500 winner/champion combos is the longest streak since a 10-year streak between 1995 and 2004. However, during that time, five drivers won the Indy Racing League championship and would eventually go on to, or already had, win the Indianapolis 500. Between 2011 and 2015, every Indianapolis 500 winner had already won an IndyCar title.