102 Stats in 102 Days Until 102nd Indy 500 – Day 27, Pole Positions By Car Number (March 12, 2018)

The 102nd Indianapolis 500 is 76 days away! This is the 27th 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.

Today’s list looks at pole positions by car number. A total of 31 car numbers have started on the pole position, with the driver of the No. 1 car leading the way with 13 poles.

Most Positions Made Up in an Indianapolis 500 (25 positions or more)

- Car No. 1: 13 times (1911, 1912, 1915, 1923, 1947, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1978, 1982, 1984, 1990, 2000)

- Car No. 3: 9 times (1941, 1946, 1959, 1981, 1991, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010)

- Car No. 5: 8 times (1926, 1933, 1948, 1987, 1988, 1997, 1999, 2016)

- Car No. 2: 7 times (1920, 1924, 1927, 1954, 1970, 1976, 2012)

- Car No. 4: 7 times (1921, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1980, 1986, 1989)

- Car No. 6: 6 times (1960, 1964, 1969, 1972, 1985, 2006)

- Car No. 8: 5 times (1929, 1932, 1956, 1977, 2001)

- Car No. 33: 5 times (1935, 1936, 1940, 1983, 2002)

- Car No. 9: 4 times (1979, 2008, 2015, 2017)

- Car No. 12: 3 times (1914, 1957, 1961)

- Car No. 98: 3 times (1950, 1962, 1963)

- Car No. 14: 3 times (1953, 1974, 1975)

- Car No. 20: 3 times (1996, 2013, 2014)

- Car No. 18: 2 times (1916, 1951)

- Car No. 31: 2 times (1919, 1994)

- Car No. 28: 2 times (1925, 1952)

- Car No. 23: 2 times (1938, 1955)

- Car No. 10: 2 times (1939, 1993)

- Car No. 60: 2 times (1968, 1995)

- Car No. 11: 2 times (1998, 2005)

- Car No. 19: 1 time (1913)

- Car No. 35: 1 time (1922)

- Car No. 17: 1 time (1934)

- Car No. 16: 1 time (1937)

- Car No. 54: 1 time (1949)

- Car No. 97: 1 time (1958)

- Car No. 86: 1 time (1971)

- Car No. 7: 1 time (1973)

- Car No. 36: 1 time (1992)

- Car No. 15: 1 time (2004)

- Car No. 77: 1 time (2011)

Notes of Interest

- Every number between 1 and 9, with the exception of 7, has started on the pole at least four times. The No. 7 is the only single-digit number that has started from the pole only once, with Johnny Rutherford in 1973.

- Fifty-six of the 101 previous polesitters have been single-digit car numbers.

- The No. 1 car has started from the pole 13 times, by 11 different drivers; Mario Andretti (1966, 1967) and Tom Sneva (1978, 1984) are the only two drivers to do so more than once. Other polesitters driving the No. 1 are; Lewis Strang (1911); Gil Anderson (1912); Howdy Wilcox (1915); Tommy Milton (1923); Ted Horn (1947); A.J. Foyt (1965); Rick Mears (1982); Emerson Fittipaldi (1990); and Greg Ray (2000). The first two races, in 1911 and 1912, polesitters were determined by order of entry, as were car numbers.

- Helio Castroneves holds the record for most Indianapolis 500 pole positions in one car number: 4. Castroneves has started from the pole in 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2010. Rex Mays and

Scott Dixon are tied for second. Mays was the polesitter three times in Car No. 33 (1935, 1936 and 1940), while Dixon has earned three pole positions in Car No. 9 (2008, 2015 and 2017). Mays added a pole in 1948, driving Car No. 5.

- Car No. 1 holds the record for most consecutive pole positions: 1965 (A.J. Foyt), 1966 and 1967 (Mario Andretti). Other car numbers with consecutive poles are Car No. 1 (1911, 1912); Car No. 33 (1935, 1936); Car No. 3 (1941, 1946); Car No. 98 (1962, 1963); Car No. 14 (1974, 1975); Car No. 5 (1987, 1988); Car No. 3 (2009, 2010); and Car No. 20 (2013, 2014).

- A car number in the 40s has never started from the pole position. Only one number each in the 50s (No. 54), 60s (No. 60), 70s (No. 77) and 80s (No. 86) has started from the pole.

- The lowest car number to not sit on the pole is, unsurprisingly, No. 13, followed by No. 21.