Jump to content


Photo
- - - - -

Indy 500 statistics [Merged]


  • Please log in to reply
231 replies to this topic

#1 HistoryFan

HistoryFan
  • Member

  • 7,813 posts
  • Joined: November 07

Posted 17 April 2017 - 04:11

AJ Foyt was the oldest Indy 500 starter in 1992 with 57 years.

 

Who else startet in Indy older than 50?



Advertisement

#2 Collombin

Collombin
  • Member

  • 8,596 posts
  • Joined: March 05

Posted 17 April 2017 - 04:27

Danny Ongais came back at an old age.

Al Unser/Johncock/Rutherford/ Gary Bettenhausen must have all lasted that long too.

Checking some other likely candidates finds Cliff Bergere and Ralph Hepburn too. Chet Miller nearly made it but not quite.

Mario. Lyn St James. Jim McElreath. Duane Carter. Dick Simon. Heck there's millions of the buggers.

Edited by E.B., 17 April 2017 - 05:39.


#3 TennisUK

TennisUK
  • Member

  • 21,290 posts
  • Joined: March 06

Posted 17 April 2017 - 06:31

Mario Andretti was in 54 when he retired.he nearly had a comeback when he was 63 but flipped the car in practice and thought better of it.

#4 Vielleicht

Vielleicht
  • Member

  • 5,961 posts
  • Joined: June 16

Posted 17 April 2017 - 08:44

Mario Andretti was in 54 when he retired.he nearly had a comeback when he was 63 but flipped the car in practice and thought better of it.

To be fair it was an absolutely terrifying flip



#5 TennisUK

TennisUK
  • Member

  • 21,290 posts
  • Joined: March 06

Posted 17 April 2017 - 08:48

Quite incredible he only suffered a small cut to his chin.

#6 HistoryFan

HistoryFan
  • Member

  • 7,813 posts
  • Joined: November 07

Posted 10 May 2017 - 19:43

I start with this one: If you give points to the top-10-finishers like the current F1 points system - these would be the 33 most successfull Indy 500 drivers:

 

Al Unser 244
AJ Foyt 221
Rick Mears 181
Hélio Castroneves 159
Wilbur Shaw 147
Gordon Johncock 143
Louis Meyer 135
Bobby Unser 133
Mauri Rose 129,5
Ted Horn 126
Mario Andretti 122
Al Unser jr. 121
Scott Dixon 117
Rodger Ward 117
Dan Wheldon 113
Tony Kanaan 111
Johnny Rutherford 99
Tom Sneva 99
Bobby Rahal 97
Jim Rathmann 97
Michael Andretti 96
Arie Luyendyk 96
Dario Franchitti 95
Emerson Fittipaldi 89
Buddy Lazier 89
Marco Andretti 85
Bill Holland 79
Tommy Milton 79
Harry Hartz 78
Roberto Guerrero 73
Sam Hanks 73
Ralph de Palma 69
Jimmy Murphy 67



#7 f1paul

f1paul
  • Member

  • 8,276 posts
  • Joined: April 16

Posted 10 May 2017 - 19:50

With all of these statistics HistroyFan, what on earth are you going to create????? :)



#8 HairyScalextrix

HairyScalextrix
  • Member

  • 493 posts
  • Joined: December 16

Posted 10 May 2017 - 20:30

People who've been there almost every year since Noah was shovelling animal **** have more points than Jim Clark. Great. It means nothing.

#9 Risil

Risil
  • Administrator

  • 61,498 posts
  • Joined: February 07

Posted 10 May 2017 - 20:32

People who've been there almost every year since Noah was shovelling animal shit have more points than Jim Clark. Great. It means nothing.

 

Some pretty impressive names in that list of 33 though. As you'd expect.



#10 king_crud

king_crud
  • Member

  • 7,981 posts
  • Joined: March 01

Posted 10 May 2017 - 20:33

With all of these statistics HistroyFan, what on earth are you going to create????? :)


Definitely not a girlfriend

#11 HairyScalextrix

HairyScalextrix
  • Member

  • 493 posts
  • Joined: December 16

Posted 10 May 2017 - 20:34

Some pretty impressive names in that list of 33 though. As you'd expect.


No doubt, but what's the point? What does it prove other than longevity?

#12 Collombin

Collombin
  • Member

  • 8,596 posts
  • Joined: March 05

Posted 10 May 2017 - 20:38

No doubt, but what's the point? What does it prove other than longevity?


Exactly. Marco is there, but Lockhart, Vukovich, Mays, Jones, Clark, Bryan, Arnold etc etc aren't, so it has limited correlation to an all time greats list.

#13 Atreiu

Atreiu
  • Member

  • 17,232 posts
  • Joined: May 07

Posted 10 May 2017 - 20:39

No doubt, but what's the point? What does it prove other than longevity?

 

Cranky, huh?



#14 jonpollak

jonpollak
  • Member

  • 44,037 posts
  • Joined: March 00

Posted 10 May 2017 - 20:41

Even Donald Davidson has girlfriends.

#15 HairyScalextrix

HairyScalextrix
  • Member

  • 493 posts
  • Joined: December 16

Posted 10 May 2017 - 20:48

Cranky, huh?


No, just sick of statistics being provided to prove absolutely **** all of any worth.

#16 Sterzo

Sterzo
  • Member

  • 4,978 posts
  • Joined: September 11

Posted 10 May 2017 - 21:38

It's an interesting list and shows us what HistoryFan says it shows: the most successful Indy 500 drivers. He didn't say "the greatest" or anything like that, but "the most successful."



#17 HairyScalextrix

HairyScalextrix
  • Member

  • 493 posts
  • Joined: December 16

Posted 10 May 2017 - 21:42

If you think finishing 10th however many times is more successful than winning once...

#18 Myrvold

Myrvold
  • Member

  • 15,887 posts
  • Joined: December 10

Posted 10 May 2017 - 22:17

Must be quite boring to be negative about things that doesn't affect you at all.

 

I don't see much use of the statistic, it was quite random. But stats are always fun.



#19 SlipLtd

SlipLtd
  • Member

  • 977 posts
  • Joined: June 10

Posted 10 May 2017 - 22:42

No, just sick of statistics being provided to prove absolutely **** all of any worth.


F1 is the most popular racing series on earth.

Advertisement

#20 jonpollak

jonpollak
  • Member

  • 44,037 posts
  • Joined: March 00

Posted 10 May 2017 - 23:03

Here's the only thing that matters.

https://omny.fm/show...nald-davidson-r

 

Jp



#21 Xpat

Xpat
  • Member

  • 17,673 posts
  • Joined: February 10

Posted 10 May 2017 - 23:37

People who've been there almost every year since Noah was shovelling animal **** have more points than Jim Clark. Great. It means nothing.

 

Clark did well at IMS but he averaged 12th over 5 years. meh



#22 Collombin

Collombin
  • Member

  • 8,596 posts
  • Joined: March 05

Posted 11 May 2017 - 00:57

Here's the only thing that matters.
https://omny.fm/show...nald-davidson-r

Jp


You must be getting paid for every mention of his name.

#23 Collombin

Collombin
  • Member

  • 8,596 posts
  • Joined: March 05

Posted 11 May 2017 - 00:58

Clark did well at IMS but he averaged 12th over 5 years. meh


Runner up more often in the 500 than in his entire WDC race career.

#24 jonpollak

jonpollak
  • Member

  • 44,037 posts
  • Joined: March 00

Posted 11 May 2017 - 09:20

You must be getting paid for every mention of his name.

 


. Well... If there ever was a thread here that warranted a link to Donald Davidson. ....

#25 StraightEdge

StraightEdge
  • Member

  • 1,217 posts
  • Joined: May 15

Posted 11 May 2017 - 14:28

No driver with last name of Smith made it on the field of Indy 500



#26 Dan333SP

Dan333SP
  • Member

  • 4,691 posts
  • Joined: March 10

Posted 11 May 2017 - 14:47

Boy, some of you people are harsh.

 

I like stats threads, they're for fun. The OP's point wasn't to provide a definitive ranking of Indy drivers, just to give some information I think is interesting.

 

Another interesting stat- The first Offenhauser Indy win was in 1935, and its last (attempted) participation was in 1983 when 2 cars running turbo Offys failed to qualify. Pretty much dominated the race for 30 years. Yes, obviously the engine itself changed dramatically over that time, but the underlying architecture remained consistent.



#27 Radoye

Radoye
  • Member

  • 3,365 posts
  • Joined: March 09

Posted 11 May 2017 - 15:09

Another interesting stat- The first Offenhauser Indy win was in 1935, and its last (attempted) participation was in 1983 when 2 cars running turbo Offys failed to qualify. Pretty much dominated the race for 30 years. Yes, obviously the engine itself changed dramatically over that time, but the underlying architecture remained consistent.

 

It's even more spectacular when you trace its lineage through Miller all the way to Peugeot and 1913. Essentially the same engine, constantly developed over 70 years, likely the greatest racing engine ever produced.



#28 Dan333SP

Dan333SP
  • Member

  • 4,691 posts
  • Joined: March 10

Posted 11 May 2017 - 15:45

It's even more spectacular when you trace its lineage through Miller all the way to Peugeot and 1913. Essentially the same engine, constantly developed over 70 years, likely the greatest racing engine ever produced.

 

Seems like the Offy and the Cosworth would be on the top 2 steps of the greatest racing engine podium. I wonder what would be 3rd? Maybe the Porsche flat 6 in its many variants?



#29 Radoye

Radoye
  • Member

  • 3,365 posts
  • Joined: March 09

Posted 11 May 2017 - 16:19

Seems like the Offy and the Cosworth would be on the top 2 steps of the greatest racing engine podium. I wonder what would be 3rd? Maybe the Porsche flat 6 in its many variants?

 

:up:



#30 HistoryFan

HistoryFan
  • Member

  • 7,813 posts
  • Joined: November 07

Posted 13 May 2017 - 11:40

Andretti enters 6 cars in Indy. What's the record?



#31 Collombin

Collombin
  • Member

  • 8,596 posts
  • Joined: March 05

Posted 13 May 2017 - 15:19

No idea, but there were 10 of the fatally flawed Miller Fords entered in 1935, 9 of which appeared.

#32 Risil

Risil
  • Administrator

  • 61,498 posts
  • Joined: February 07

Posted 13 May 2017 - 15:24

. Well... If there ever was a thread here that warranted a link to Donald Davidson. ....

 

He turned up halfway through the Indy Lights race broadcast yesterday. Exchanged some comments about Fernando Alonso and got a plug for Talk of Gasoline Alley. The longer he talks for, the more English he begins to sound, I swear.



#33 B Squared

B Squared
  • Member

  • 7,324 posts
  • Joined: September 08

Posted 13 May 2017 - 15:55

Andretti enters 6 cars in Indy. What's the record?

I'm sure we answered this same question in another thread just a couple of weeks ago.

#34 Henri Greuter

Henri Greuter
  • Member

  • 12,869 posts
  • Joined: June 02

Posted 13 May 2017 - 17:39

Andretti enters 6 cars in Indy. What's the record?

 

11 by STP Granatelli Racing in 1969.

I'll leave it up to yourself to work out which cars they entered.

 

Henri



#35 Collombin

Collombin
  • Member

  • 8,596 posts
  • Joined: March 05

Posted 13 May 2017 - 18:11

Henri, were there actual cars present for their entries #54 and #55?

#36 Henri Greuter

Henri Greuter
  • Member

  • 12,869 posts
  • Joined: June 02

Posted 13 May 2017 - 18:48

Henri, were there actual cars present for their entries #54 and #55?

 

Don't know, I only know about that 11 of '69 by counting when going through the entry list. But I know that some of those 11 entries are so unusual reading as of specification that you may think about them as "garage area gaining entries"

 

The 69 Hungness has no 54 or 55 in the "missed the show" section that seems to approve that, the more while there is no description for the car and engine. But Granatelli has done that more often.

They could use that extra room in Gasoline Alley, they had at least 6 different cars out if not more. Apart from the 4 Lotus 63s, just about every other etered car was entirely different and only a singel one of them present. Talk about logistics in having enough spare parts etc at hand.... Enterig 6 cars but all of them identical is a bit easier logistic-wise.

 

Henri



#37 Collombin

Collombin
  • Member

  • 8,596 posts
  • Joined: March 05

Posted 13 May 2017 - 18:54

I know you meant Lotus 64s not 63s. But yes what a mixed bunch of cars they had that year.

#38 Henri Greuter

Henri Greuter
  • Member

  • 12,869 posts
  • Joined: June 02

Posted 13 May 2017 - 19:11

I know you meant Lotus 64s not 63s. But yes what a mixed bunch of cars they had that year.

 

Yes, right, indeed, 64's. My mistake, thanks for correcting me. 63 was definitely another animal then the 64. At least one of those 64s worked real fine as long as things on the car didn't break......

 

Henri



#39 B Squared

B Squared
  • Member

  • 7,324 posts
  • Joined: September 08

Posted 13 May 2017 - 20:01

11 by STP Granatelli Racing in 1969.
I'll leave it up to yourself to work out which cars they entered.
 
Henri

That's the same answer that I gave HF when he previously asked, maybe it will be noted and archived this time. Thanks Henri.

Advertisement

#40 Henri Greuter

Henri Greuter
  • Member

  • 12,869 posts
  • Joined: June 02

Posted 13 May 2017 - 20:06

That's the same answer that I gave HF when he previously asked, maybe it will be noted and archived this time. Thanks Henri.

 

Oops,

Sorry if I ruined the plan, was not the intention.

But for sortofkinda same feelings you appear to have, I wasn't willing to chew out everything I know myself either....

 

 

Henri



#41 TennisUK

TennisUK
  • Member

  • 21,290 posts
  • Joined: March 06

Posted 13 May 2017 - 20:16

No driver with last name of Smith made it on the field of Indy 500

But a constructor with a version of that name did enter (unsuccessfully) once...



#42 HistoryFan

HistoryFan
  • Member

  • 7,813 posts
  • Joined: November 07

Posted 14 May 2017 - 19:48

7 former Indy 500 winners in the race in 2017 - the record is 10 in 1992.



#43 Henri Greuter

Henri Greuter
  • Member

  • 12,869 posts
  • Joined: June 02

Posted 16 May 2017 - 12:01

Henri, were there actual cars present for their entries #54 and #55?

 

  E.B.

 

I got hold of a daily trackside report of #69 and that stated that of all the entered cars , among the cars that didn't arrive were the #30, #54 and #55  STP entries

 

 

 

Henri


Edited by Henri Greuter, 16 May 2017 - 12:01.


#44 Collombin

Collombin
  • Member

  • 8,596 posts
  • Joined: March 05

Posted 16 May 2017 - 12:39

Thanks Henri. So the Miller Fords probably hold the record for most cars at the track, but STP the record for most entries.

#45 Henri Greuter

Henri Greuter
  • Member

  • 12,869 posts
  • Joined: June 02

Posted 16 May 2017 - 12:51

Thanks Henri. So the Miller Fords probably hold the record for most cars at the track, but STP the record for most entries.

 

 

I need to look things up for the Miller-Fords. I don't know any better right now out of the top of my head than 10 entered and only 4 making it onto the track and qualified. If thre were DNQ's among them, well  then I've learned something as well.

 

 

Henri  



#46 Collombin

Collombin
  • Member

  • 8,596 posts
  • Joined: March 05

Posted 16 May 2017 - 14:02

I thought 9 turned up, but let me know if you discover otherwise.

#47 Henri Greuter

Henri Greuter
  • Member

  • 12,869 posts
  • Joined: June 02

Posted 16 May 2017 - 14:13

I thought 9 turned up, but let me know if you discover otherwise.

 If I find something, count on me to let you know.

 

Henri



#48 Henri Greuter

Henri Greuter
  • Member

  • 12,869 posts
  • Joined: June 02

Posted 16 May 2017 - 19:09

I thought 9 turned up, but let me know if you discover otherwise.

 

 

The Fox `bible` confirms it: 4 qualified, 5 DNQ's, so 9 show-ups.

Think I'm gonna read the chapter in my copy of the `Dynasty` another time. I'm truly surprised to read that still so many showed up.

 

Henri



#49 Henri Greuter

Henri Greuter
  • Member

  • 12,869 posts
  • Joined: June 02

Posted 17 May 2017 - 07:33

The Fox `bible` confirms it: 4 qualified, 5 DNQ's, so 9 show-ups.

Think I'm gonna read the chapter in my copy of the `Dynasty` another time. I'm truly surprised to read that still so many showed up.

 

Henri

 

 

Have read the chapter about the cars as printed in the 1980 version of Mark Dees' "Miller Dynasty".

That stated as far as records go, there were 8 cars on the track eventually, the last one with mere days to go before the final; day of qualifying...

 

Henri



#50 Collombin

Collombin
  • Member

  • 8,596 posts
  • Joined: March 05

Posted 17 May 2017 - 09:18

I've not yet seen that book at quite a cheap enough price to justify a purchase, although I know it's meant to be superb.