102 Stats in 102 Days Until 102nd Indy 500 – Day 13, Most Former Winners in Single Field (February 26, 2018)

The 102nd Indianapolis 500 is 90 days away! This is the 13th 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 includes the most former race winners in each field (top 10 races all-time). Obviously, the more races held, the better chance that more former winners will be in the race (hint: don’t think the 1910s; surprisingly, though, the 1920s did have a larger contingent of former winners that one might realize). Anyway, here’s the list.

Indianapolis 500 Fields with Most Former Winners (Top 10 Races)

- 1992: 10 (Al Unser, Danny Sullivan, Bobby Rahal, A.J. Foyt, Arie Luyendyk, Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Rick Mears, Gordon Johncock, Tom Sneva)

- 1987: 9 (Al Unser, Mario Andretti, Johnny Rutherford, Danny Sullivan, Tom Sneva, A.J. Foyt, Gordon Johncock, Rick Mears, Bobby Rahal)

- 1988: 8 (Rick Mears, Al Unser, Bobby Rahal, Mario Andretti, Johnny Rutherford, Danny Sullivan, A.J. Foyt, Tom Sneva)

- 1989: 8 (Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, Al Unser, Bobby Rahal, Tom Sneva, Danny Sullivan, Gordon Johncock)

- 1990: 8 (Bobby Rahal, Emerson Fittipaldi, Rick Mears, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Mario Andretti, Tom Sneva, Danny Sullivan)

- 1991: 8 (Rick Mears, Arie Luyendyk, Gordon Johncock, Mario Andretti, Danny Sullivan, Emerson Fittipaldi, Bobby Rahal, A.J. Foyt)

- 1980: 7 (Johnny Rutherford, Gordon Johncock, Rick Mears, A.J. Foyt, Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti, Al Unser)

- 1981: 7 (Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti, Gordon Johncock, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Rick Mears, Johnny Rutherford)

- 1984: 7 (Rick Mears, Al Unser, A.J. Foyt, Tom Sneva, Mario Andretti, Johnny Rutherford, Gordon Johncock)

- 2017: 7 (Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Juan Pablo Montoya, Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Buddy Lazier, Scott Dixon)

Notes of Interest

- The only races without a former race winner were 1911 (the inaugural race), 1912, 1913, 1915 and 1916.

- In 1923, five former race winners competed: Tommy Milton (1921), Jimmy Murphy (1922), Dario Resta (1916), Ralph DePalma (1915) and Howdy Wilcox (1919). That was the most of any Indianapolis 500 until 1973, which also fielded five former winners.

- The 1992 race was won by Al Unser Jr. Two other drivers in the field, Buddy Lazier and Eddie Cheever, would also go on to win the race, giving the 1992 race a total of 13 former or future race winners. All told, drivers competing in the 1992 have accounted for 26 Indianapolis 500 victories in 101 races through 2017 (four other drivers – Scott Goodyear, Michael Andretti, Paul Tracy and Roberto Guerrero – finished second at least once in their careers. At least one of the second-place finishes each of those four drivers earned came in races won by a driver who had already won the race once).