102 Stats in 102 Days Until 102nd Indy 500 – Day 31, Fewest Cars Running at the Finish (March 16, 2018)

The 102nd Indianapolis 500 is 72 days away! This is the 31st 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.

Yesterday’s list looked at the races which had the most number of cars running at the finish. Today’s list does the opposite – looking at the fewest cars to finish the race. Six races have been completed with less than 10 cars finishing. Here are the races in which only 11 cars finished, 11 signifying one-third of the current starting lineup of 33 cars.

Fewest Cars Running at the Finish of the Indianapolis 500 (races with 11 or less)

- 1966: 7 cars

- 1951: 8 cars

- 1967: 8 cars

- 1982: 8 cars

- 1921: 9 cars

- 1946: 9 cars

- 1912: 10 cars

- 1913: 11 cars

- 1915: 11 cars

- 1916: 11 cars

- 1920: 11 cars

- 1923: 11 cars

- 1938: 11 cars

- 1947: 11 cars

- 1965: 11 cars

- 1965: 11 cars

- 1968: 11 cars

- 1972: 11 cars

- 1973: 11 cars

- 1987: 11 cars

- 1991: 11 cars

Notes of Interest

- The 1966 race saw a record 11 cars eliminated in an accident at the start. Only 13 cars completed more than 100 laps. Jackie Stewart finished sixth, but failed to complete the race, retiring with 10 laps to go due to oil pressure. Two cars behind him, Bobby Unser and Jerry Grant, completed the race, 29 and 33 laps behind winner Graham Hill.

- Only eight cars finished in 1951 and 1968. Attrition ran high throughout the 1951 race, with a number of engine and transmission problems plaguing many of the drivers (three-time winner Mauri Rose was the only driver to retire from an accident, on Lap 126) and four rookies were among the top eight. In the 1968 race, only eight drivers retired before the halfway point, while 17 retired during the second half of the race, many in incidents (six in accidents, three spun out). Parnelli Jones finished sixth despite failing to finish, dropping out with four laps remaining due to a failed bearing after leading 171 laps.

- Eleven cars have finished an Indianapolis 500 on 14 occasions, second only to 12 cars finishing the race (17 times).

- The average number of cars finishing the race, not factoring in field size or laps completed, is 15.15 cars per race. A total of 22.88 cars has finished the race in the 2010s.