102 Stats in 102 Days Until 102nd Indy 500 – Day 33, Number of Times a Driver Has Led Most Laps (March 18, 2018)

The 102nd Indianapolis 500 is 70 days away! This is the 33rd 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 led the most laps in a race, the most times. Three drivers have led the most laps in an Indianapolis 500 four times, though none of them are the four-time race winners. In fact, of the drivers that have led the most laps in a race four times, two of them have only won the race once. That just solidifies that dominance doesn’t always guarantee victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Number of Times a Driver Has Led Most Laps in a Race

- Louis Meyer: 4 (1929, 1933, 1936, 1939)

- Mario Andretti: 4 (1969, 1985, 1987, 1993)

- Scott Dixon: 4 (2008, 2009, 2011, 2015)

- Ralph DePalma: 3 (1912, 1915, 1921)

- Wilbur Shaw: 3 (1937, 1940, 1941)

- Bill Vukovich: 3 (1952, 1953, 1954)

- Parnelli Jones: 3 (1962, 1963, 1967)

- Bobby Unser: 3 (1968, 1979, 1981)

- Al Unser: 3 (1970, 1971, 1978)

- Johnny Rutherford: 3 (1974, 1976, 1980)

- Rick Mears: 3 (1982, 1984, 1986)

- Emerson Fittipaldi: 3 (1989, 1990, 1994)

- Frank Lockhart: 2 (1926, 1927)

- Billy Arnold: 2 (1930, 1931)

- Bill Holland: 2 (1947, 1949)

- A.J. Foyt: 2 (1961, 1964)

- Gordon Johncock: 2 (1973, 1977)

- Michael Andretti: 2 (1991, 1992)

- Tomas Scheckter: 2 (2002, 2003)

- Ryan Hunter-Reay: 2 (2014, 2016)

Notes of Interest

- Rick Mears only led the most laps in a race that he won once: 1984 (119 laps).

- A.J. Foyt only led the most laps in a race that he won twice: 1961 and 1964. He never led the most laps in any other Indianapolis 500.

- Bill Vukovich is the only driver to lead the most laps in a race three consecutive years (1952, 1953 and 1954). He won the 1953 and 1954 races. In total, Vukovich led 435 laps in those three years (out of 600), or 72.5 percent of the laps contested.

- Other drivers that have led the most laps in two consecutive races are: Billy Arnold (1930-1931); Wilbur Shaw (1940-1941); Al Unser (1970-1971); Emerson Fittipaldi (1989-1990); Michael Andretti (1991-1992); Tomas Scheckter (2002-2003); and Scott Dixon (2008-2009).

- Billy Arnold holds the record for most laps led in consecutive races: 353 (1930 and 1931 races), followed by Bill Vukovich with 345 (1952 and 1953 races).

- Michael Andretti and Tomas Scheckter are the only drivers to lead the most laps in an Indianapolis 500 twice and never win the race.

- Of the four races he’s led the most laps, Scott Dixon has finished first, sixth, fifth and fourth respectively.

- Rex Mays has led the most laps of a driver that never led the most laps in a race – 266 in his career.

- Between 1953 and 1961, the driver that led the most laps of the race went on to win the Indianapolis 500 that year. That nine-year streak is the longest in the history of the race. The last driver to lead the most laps in a race and win was Ryan Hunter-Reay, in 2014.

- Between 1991 and 1997, the driver that led the most laps of the race did not go on to win the event. That seven-race streak is the longest in the history of the race. The driver to lead the most laps has failed to win each of the last three races, from 2015-2017.