102 Stats in 102 Days Until 102nd Indy 500 – Day 50, Career Laps Led (April 4, 2018)

The 102nd Indianapolis 500 is 53 days away! This is the 50th 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 are well-known statistics, while others are a little more in-depth.

Here is a look at the drivers who have the most career laps led in the Indianapolis 500 (top 20). Al Unser leads all drivers with 644 laps, spread across 27 races. He led 11 of those 27 races, for an average of nearly 59 laps per race led. He led 103 laps or more in three of his four career victories.

Career Laps Led, Top 20 (Races Led)

- Al Unser: 644 (11)

- Ralph DePalma: 612 (6)

- Mario Andretti: 556 (11)

- A.J. Foyt: 555 (13)

- Wilbur Shaw: 508 (7)

- Emerson Fittipaldi: 505 (7)

- Parnelli Jones: 492 (5)

- Bill Vukovich: 485 (4)

- Bobby Unser: 440 (10)

- Scott Dixon: 439 (11)

- Michael Andretti: 431 (9)

- Rick Mears: 429 (9)

- Billy Arnold: 410 (3)

- Gordon Johncock: 339 (7)

- Louis Meyer: 332 (6)

- Dario Franchitti: 329 (7)

- Tony Kanaan: 327 (13)

- Helio Castroneves: 305 (12)

- Jim Clark: 298 (4)

- Bill Holland: 297 (3)

Notes of Interest

- Helio Castroneves can tie A.J. Foyt and Tony Kanaan in races led with 13 if he leads a single lap in the 2018 race. In turn, Kanaan can take the outright lead from Foyt with one lap led. Ironically, Kanaan runs for Foyt in the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series.

- A total of 222 drivers have led at least one lap in the previous 101 Indianapolis 500s. Three drivers – Fernando Alonso, Max Chilton and James Davison – all led their first laps in the Indy 500 in the 2017 race.