102 Stats in 102 Days Until 102nd Indy 500 – Day 23, Where the Polesitters Finish (March 8, 2018)

The 102nd Indianapolis 500 is 80 days away! This is the 23rd 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.

Today’s list looks at where polesitters finish. Not surprisingly, polesitters are more likely to win than finish anywhere else, but like everything else in the Indianapolis 500, it’s obviously not a guarantee.

But the top finishing positions by polesitters may not be what you think. Polesitters have finished 33rd in the race more times than fourth or fifth – combined. In fact, a polesitter has finished last more often than anywhere else in the field, other than first, second, third or 15th.

Here’s the entire list.

Finishing Positions by Indianapolis 500 Polesitters (by number of occasions)

- Win: 20

- 2nd: 9

- 3rd: 8

- 15th: 5

- 33rd: 5

- 7th: 4

- 16th: 4

- 5th: 3

- 8th: 3

- 9th: 3

- 27th: 3

- 29th: 3

- 6th: 2

- 10th: 2

- 11th: 2

- 12th: 2

- 17th: 2

- 18th: 2

- 19th: 2

- 23rd: 2

- 24th: 2

- 25th: 2

- 26th: 2

- 30th: 2

- 31st: 2

- 4th: 1

- 21st: 1

- 22nd: 1

- 28th: 1

- 32nd: 1

Notes of Interest

- Jimmy Murphy was the first polesitter to win the race, in 1922.

- In two of the first four Indianapolis 500s, the polesitter finished 29th (Lewis Strang in 1911 and Jean Chassagne in 1914). Strang was the polesitter by virtue of the time his entry was received, while Chassagne was the polesitter by virtue of a draw.

- The most consecutive victories from the pole position is three: Rick Mears (1979), Johnny Rutherford (1980) and Bobby Unser (1981).

- A polesitter has never finished 13th, 14th or 20th, or 34th or lower.

- Defending Indianapolis 500 polesitter Scott Dixon finished 32nd in the 2017 race. It marked the first time a polesitter finished 32nd, and the 30th different position a polesitter has finished. Dixon is also the only polesitter to finish fourth (2015).

- Eddie Sachs is the only polesitter to finish 21st (1960); Arie Luyendyk is the only polesitter to finish 22nd (1999); and Alex Tagliani is the only polesitter to finish 28th.

- Rick Mears won three of his four races from the pole – 1979, 1988 and 1991.