The 102nd Indianapolis 500 is 67 days
away! This is the 36th 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 the drivers who won
the race and then did not return the following year to defend their victory,
for whatever reason. Drivers did not return to defend their victory the race after they won on 25 occasions.
- Ray Harroun: Won in 1911, Retired after
the race
- Joe Dawson: Won in 1912, Did not drive
- Rene Thomas: Won in 1914, Did not drive
- Ralph DePalma: Won in 1915, Missed the
entry deadline
- Dario Resta: Won in 1916, Retired temporarily
from racing in 1917 (no Indy 500 was held in 1917-1918)
- Gaston Chevrolet: Won in 1920, Killed
in racing accident in November 1920
- L.L. Corum: Co-won in 1924, Did not
drive
- Joe Boyer: Co-won in 1924, Killed in
racing accident in September 1924
- Ray Keech: Won in 1929, Killed in
racing accident in June 1929
- Kelly Petillo: Won in 1935, Submitted
entry but did not compete
- Floyd Davis: Co-won in 1941, did not
compete in next race, held after World War II, in 1946
- George Robson: Won in 1946, Killed in
racing accident in September 1946
- Lee Wallard: Won in 1951, Badly injured
in racing accident in June 1951
- Troy Ruttman: Won in 1952, Was injured in a racing accident in late 1952
- Pat Flaherty: Won in 1956, Was injured
in a racing accident in late 1956
- Sam Hanks: Won in 1957, Retired at the
end of 1957
- Bobby Unser: Won in 1981, Retired at
the end of 1981
- Al Unser Jr.: Won in 1994, Failed to
qualify in 1995
- Jacques Villeneuve: Won in 1995, Moved
to Formula 1 for 1996
- Kenny Brack: Won in 1999, Switched to
CART for 2000
- Juan Pablo Montoya: Won in 2000, Moved
to Formula 1 for 2001
- Gil de Ferran: Won in 2003, Retired at
the end of 2003
- Buddy Rice: Won in 2004, Was injured in
Indianapolis 500 practice in 2005
- Dario Franchitti: Won in 2007, Switched
to NASCAR for 2008
- Dan Wheldon: Won in 2011; Killed in
racing accident in October 2011
Notes of Interest
- Joe Dawson missed the 1913 race, but
returned in 1914. He was severely injured in the race, when his car flipped
twice and landed on him. It would be his last Indianapolis 500 start. Though his
injuries were thought to prove fatal, he recovered and went on to compete in
other forms of racing.
- Ralph DePalma, seeking additional
starting money for the 1916 race as the defending winner, withheld his entry
until just before the deadline. But the entry was late nonetheless, and he
wouldn’t return until 1919, when he finished sixth.
- Dario Resta retired from racing in
1917, during World War I, and one of the years that the Indianapolis 500 was
not held. He returned to compete in the 1923 race, and finished 14th.
- Lee Wallard was badly burned in a
sprint car race at Reading Fairgrounds in Pennsylvania, just one week after
winning the 1951 Indianapolis 500. Wallard finished the race fourth, but a
stuck carburetor spilled fuel on him after he took the checkered flag, and he
spent more than two years in recovery.
- Troy Ruttman failed to qualify for the
1953 race, after winning in 1952. He next competed in the race in 1954, and
finished fourth.
- Pat Flaherty severely injured an arm in
an accident in a USAC National Championship race in August 1956 at the Illinois
State Fairgrounds in Springfield. That injury kept him out of racing for just
over two years. He returned to the Indianapolis 500 in 1959 and finished 19th.
- Sam Hanks retired after the 1957
Indianapolis 500, at least from Championship Car racing. He ran a pair of USAC
Stock Car Series races later in the year, then retired.
- Bobby Unser retired after winning his
third Indianapolis 500 in 1981, in part due to becoming disillusioned with
racing after appeals and protests due to his victory, in which he passed cars
under the yellow flag after a pit stop. Unser returned in 1982 as a team
manager for Garza Racing and driver Josele Garza.
- Al Unser Jr. failed to qualify for the
1995 Indianapolis 500, driving for Team Penske, then raced in CART only between
1996 and 1999. He returned to the Indianapolis 500 in 2000.
- Jacques Villeneuve moved to Formula 1
after the 1995 CART season, becoming the first reigning Indianapolis 500 winner
to join the Formula 1 circuit (Juan Pablo Montoya became the other).
- Kenny Brack moved to Bobby Rahal’s CART
team in 2000. The team did not compete in the Indy Racing League or the
Indianapolis 500 until 2002.
- Juan Pablo Montoya won the 2000 race,
sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, as a rookie, then returned to compete
fulltime in CART. He moved to Formula 1 in 2001 – becoming the second
consecutive Indy 500 winner not to defend his title – for the next seven
seasons, then competed in NASCAR for several seasons, before making his second
career Indianapolis 500 start in 2014.
- Gil de Ferran won the 2003 Indianapolis
500 in his final year of racing. As a proper sendoff, he also won the IndyCar
Series season finale at Texas Motor Speedway.
- Buddy Rice was injured during practice
for the 2005 Indianapolis 500, and replaced by former race winner Kenny Brack.
Rice made his next appearance in the Indianapolis 500 in 2006.
- Dan Wheldon was killed in an IndyCar
Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway almost six months after winning the
2011 Indianapolis 500, his second victory in the race. Wheldon’s car was
launched into a fence in an accident that claimed more than a third of the
field. He passed away, and the race – which was to be the season finale – was
abandoned. However, a number of drivers returned to their cars and drove slowly
around the track to salute Wheldon.
Sources
- Fabulous Fifties: American Championship
Racing – Dick Wallen
- New York Times
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