# Indianapolis 500 firsts
## Wins, Leaders and Race Competition

| Year | First | Achiever(s) | Notes |
| 1911 | Winning driver | Ray Harroun | Retired from racing competition upon victory |
| 1911 | Winning owner | Nordyke & Marmon Company | Withdrew from racing competition upon victory |
| 1911 | Rear-view mirror mounted, and winning, car | Marmon Wasp | First entry with rear-view mirror, all international motorsports competition |
| 1913 | Rookie winner (excluding first race) | Jules Goux | First to win in first career start, excluding first race |
| 1913 | Non-American winner | Jules Goux | |
| 1913 | European winner | Jules Goux | |
| 1913 | French winner | Jules Goux | |
| 1915 | Italian winner | Ralph DePalma | Italian-born DePalma emigrated to America as a child |
| 1916 | Multiple-winning owner(s) | Peugeot | Winning owners, 1913, 1916 |
| 1916 | British winner | Dario Resta | Italian-born Resta emigrated to Great Britain as a child |
| 1922 | Winner from pole position | Jimmy Murphy | |
| 1922 | Winner leading first lap | Jimmy Murphy | |
| 1922 | Driver-Owner winner | Jimmy Murphy | |
| 1922 | Race and Grand Prix winning car | Duesenberg 1921 GP | Won 1921 French Grand Prix |
| 1923 | Two-time winner | Tommy Milton | Winner, 1921, 1923 |
| 1924 | Co-winners | Lora L. Corum Joe Boyer | Corum starting, Boyer finishing |
| 1924 | Repeat-winning owner(s) | Duesenberg | |
| 1925 | Repeat-winning owner(s) | Duesenberg | |
| 1926 | Rain-shortened race winner | Frank Lockhart | Race concluded by rain at 160 laps, 400 miles (640 km), with Lockhart holding a two lap lead |
| 1936 | Three-time winner | Louis Meyer | Winner, 1928, 1933, 1936 |
| 1939 | Repeat-winning driver Repeat-winning car | Wilbur Shaw Maserati 8CTF | |
| 1940 | Repeat-winning driver Repeat-winning car | Wilbur Shaw Maserati 8CTF | |
| 1946 | English winner | George Robson | English-born Robson emigrated to America as a child |
| 1947 | First-and-second-place finish by teammates | Mauri Rose | Rose victorious |
| 1947 | First-and-second-place finish by teammates | Bill Holland | Holland second |
| 1947 | Three consecutive-winning owner | Lou Moore | |
| 1948 | Three consecutive-winning owner | Lou Moore | |
| 1949 | Three consecutive-winning owner | Lou Moore | |
| 1952 | Rookie of the Year award winner | Art Cross | First awarded in 36th running of the race |
| 1952 | Youngest winner | Troy Ruttman | Winner with 22 years and 80 days |
| 1965 | Race and World Championship winner, and in same year | Jim Clark | |
| 1965 | Scottish winner | Jim Clark | Drivers originating from countries within the United Kingdom traditionally operate under British classification |
| 1965 | Rear-engined winning car | Lotus 38 | Team Lotus, entrant |
| 1966 | Race and Monaco Grand Prix winner | Graham Hill | Winner, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, and 1969 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 1967 | Race and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, and in same year | A. J. Foyt | Dan Gurney, Le Mans teammate and co-driver |
| 1969 | Race and Daytona 500 winner | Mario Andretti | Winner, 1967 Daytona 500 |
| 1969 | Race and 12 Hours of Sebring winner | Mario Andretti | Winner, 1967, 1970, and 1972 12 Hours of Sebring |
| 1972 | Race and 24 Hours of Daytona winner | Mario Andretti | Winner, 1969 and 1978 World Championships First year competed after winning 1972 24 Hours of Daytona |
| 1972 | Wing-mounted winning car | McLaren M16 | Entered by Roger Penske, driven by Mark Donohue |
| 1977 | Four-time winner | A. J. Foyt | Winner, 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977 |
| 1977 | Female qualifier | Janet Guthrie | Qualified 26th, finished 29th out of 33 drivers |
| 1987 | Oldest winner | Al Unser | Winner with 47 years and 360 days, Winner, 1970, 1971, 1978, 1987 |
| 1989 | South American winner | Emerson Fittipaldi | |
| 1989 | Brazilian winner | Emerson Fittipaldi | |
| 1990 | Dutch winner | Arie Luyendyk | |
| 1991 | African-American qualifier | Willy T. Ribbs | Qualified 29th, finished 32 out of 33 drivers |
| 1992 | Female Rookie of the Year | Lyn St. James | Finished 13th |
| 1993 | Two-time Race and two-time World Championship winner | Emerson Fittipaldi | Winner, 1989; Winner, 1972 and 1974 World Championships |
| 1995 | Canadian winner | Jacques Villeneuve | Winner, 1997 World Championships |
| 1999 | Swedish winner | Kenny Bräck | |
| 2000 | Colombian winner | Juan Pablo Montoya | Winner, 2000, 2015, Won 2003 Monaco Grand Prix and won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2007, 2008 and 2013 |
| 2001 | Rookie and sophomore winner | Hélio Castroneves | First to win in first two career starts |
| 2002 | Rookie and sophomore winner | Hélio Castroneves | First to win in first two career starts |
| 2005 | Female leader | Danica Patrick | Led 19 laps; Lap 192, latest |
| 2006 | Final lap lead change | Sam Hornish Jr. | Overtook Marco Andretti on the final straight line. |
| 2008 | New Zealand winner | Scott Dixon | |
| 2009 | Three females both starting and finishing Race | Danica Patrick Sarah Fisher Milka Duno | Danica Patrick finished 3rd, becoming the highest finishing female in race history. |
| 2011 | Winner leading only final lap | Dan Wheldon | Took lead from J. R. Hildebrand on the final lap. |
| 2017 | Asian winner | Takuma Sato | |
| 2017 | Japanese winner | Takuma Sato | |
| 2018 | Australian winner | Will Power | |
| 2021 | Non-American four-time winner | Hélio Castroneves | Winner, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2021 |

## Race Average Finishing Speeds

| Year | Speed Barrier | Race Winner | Time | Average Speed | Average Speed | Notes |
| Year | Speed Barrier | Race Winner | Time | (mph) | (km/h) | Notes |
| 1911 | 70 mph | Ray Harroun | 6:42:08.92 | 74.602 | 129.060 | First race |
| 1914 | 80 mph | René Thomas | 6:03:46.12 | 82.47 | 132.72 | |
| 1922 | 90 mph | Jimmy Murphy | 5:17:30.79 | 94.48 | 152.05 | Victory in 1921 French Grand Prix winning car |
| 1925 | 100 mph | Peter DePaolo | 4:56:39.45 | 101.127 | 162.748 | First race completed in under 5 hours |
| 1937 | 110 mph | Wilbur Shaw | 4:24:07.08 | 113.580 | 182.789 | Last two-seat winning car |
| 1949 | 120 mph | Bill Holland | 4:07:14.97 | 121.327 | 195.257 | |
| 1954 | 130 mph | Bill Vukovich | 3:49:17.27 | 130.840 | 210.567 | |
| 1962 | 140 mph | Rodger Ward | 3:33:50.33 | 140.293 | 225.780 | |
| 1965 | 150 mph | Jim Clark | 3:19:05.34 | 150.686 | 242.506 | |
| 1972 | 160 mph | Mark Donohue | 3:04:05.54 | 162.962 | 262.262 | |
| 1986 | 170 mph | Bobby Rahal | 2:55:43.470 | 170.722 | 274.750 | First race completed in under 3 hours |
| 1990 | 180 mph | Arie Luyendyk | 2:41:18.404 | 185.981 | 299.307 | Currently third-fastest time for 500 miles |
| 2021 | 190 mph | Hélio Castroneves | 2:37:19.3846 | 190.690 | 306.886 | Currently fastest Indy 500 in average speed |

## Qualifications
### Pole Position

| Year | Speed Barrier | Driver | Speed | Speed | Notes |
| Year | Speed Barrier | Driver | (mph) | (km/h) | Notes |
| 1911 | N/A | Lewis Strang | No full lap | No full lap | First race; grid determined by entry date |
| 1915 | 90 mph | Howdy Wilcox | 98.90 | 159.16 | First year, grid position determined by qualification speed |
| 1919 | 100 mph | René Thomas | 104.780 | 168.627 | |
| 1925 | 110 mph | Leon Duray | 113.196 | 182.171 | |
| 1927 | 120 mph | Frank Lockhart | 120.100 | 193.282 | |
| 1939 | 130 mph | Jimmy Snyder | 130.138 | 209.437 | |
| 1954 | 140 mph | Jack McGrath | 141.033 | 226.971 | Engine augmented with nitromethane additive, then legal |
| 1962 | 150 mph | Parnelli Jones | 150.370 | 241.997 | |
| 1965 | 160 mph | A. J. Foyt | 161.233 | 259.479 | |
| 1968 | 170 mph | Joe Leonard | 171.559 | 276.097 | Turbine-engined car |
| 1972 | 180 mph | Bobby Unser† | 195.940 | 315.335 | 17 mph (27 km/h) increase in pole record speed, largest margin to date |
| 1972 | 190 mph | Bobby Unser† | 195.940 | 315.335 | 17 mph (27 km/h) increase in pole record speed, largest margin to date |
| 1978 | 200 mph | Tom Sneva | 202.156 | 325.339 | Broke one-lap 200 mph qualifying barrier in 1977 |
| 1984 | 210 mph | Tom Sneva | 210.029 | 338.009 | |
| 1989 | 220 mph | Rick Mears | 223.885 | 360.308 | |
| 1992 | 230 mph | Roberto Guerrero | 232.482 | 374.144 | |
†- During time trials, Bill Vukovich II turned his first lap at 185.797 mph (299.011 km/h), to set the one-lap track record, and was the first driver to officially break the 180 mph (290 km/h) barrier. He, however, crashed on his second lap, and did not complete the four-lap qualifying run. Later in the afternoon, Joe Leonard qualified a four-lap average of 185.223 mph (298.088 km/h) to break the four-lap 180 mph (290 km/h) barrier. Later in the day, however, Bobby Unser qualified even faster, over 190 mph (310 km/h), and became the first pole position winner to break 180 mph (290 km/h) and 190 mph (310 km/h) for his four-lap average.

## Miscellenia

* 1913: Jules Goux is the first winner to go the full race distance without a relief driver, and is both the first French and European victor. Goux's Peugeot entry is the first to win using wire wheels instead of wooden-spoke wheels.
* 1915: Ralph DePalma is the first Italian-born victor.
* 1919: Victory by state native Howdy Wilcox prompts crowd to sing Back Home Again in Indiana for the first time, immediately after conclusion of the race. Wilcox's Peugeot is owned and entered by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the first winning entry to be directly affiliated with the facility itself.
* 1920: Gaston Chevrolet is killed in a race at Beverly Hills and is the first '500' winner to die.
* 1921: Howdy Wilcox is the first driver to finish in first and last place (1919 & 1921).
* 1923: Jimmy Murphy is the first defending winner to lead the first lap.
* 1929: Cliff Woodbury is the first pole winner to finish last (crash on lap 3).
* 1936: Louis Meyer becomes the first driver to drink milk in victory lane. He also becomes the first driver to receive the pace car for his winning effort. The Borg-Warner Trophy makes its first appearance.
* 1946: George Robson is the first English-born victor.
* 1948: The Speedway institutes its own 'Safety Patrol' to replace the Indiana National Guard as policing force for the event, which had served in such capacity since the inaugural race.
* 1949: Local station WTTV provides television coverage of the race during competition for the first time.
* 1950: Walt Faulkner becomes the first rookie to qualify for the pole position.
* 1952: Art Cross becomes the first Rookie of the Year. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network broadcasts flag-to-flag coverage of the race for the first time.
* 1958: The front row drivers (Dick Rathmann, Ed Elisian and Jimmy Reece) fail to lead a lap, the only time this has occurred to date.
* 1965: Jim Clark is the first former World Drivers' Champion to win the race, the first driver to win the race en route to winning the Formula 1 World Championship and the first Scottish victor.
* 1966: Rookie Graham Hill, the first English-born victor, wins the race but not the Rookie of the Year award (instead awarded to teammate Jackie Stewart), the only time this has occurred to date. Jim Clark is the first driver to spin and recover twice in the same race.
* 1971: Bettie Cadou becomes the first female reporter to be given a silver credential badge that permits access to the pit and garage areas.
* 1974: The Speedway rescinds its "never on a Sunday" policy, altering a tradition dating to 1911; the race is scheduled to be run, for the first time, on the Sunday before the national observance of Memorial Day, the last Monday of May.
* 1978: The timing and scoring computer system designed by Arthur W Graham III (Indianapolis 500 Director) was first used to accurately track drivers times and simultaneously display race leaders and laps.
* 1980: Tom Sneva becomes the first driver to lead the race after starting from dead last, finishing 2nd.
* 1983: Al Unser and son Al Unser Jr. are the first father and son to compete together in the same race.
* 1984: Michael Andretti becomes the first son of a previous Rookie of the Year award winner (Mario Andretti, 1965) to win the award himself, shared with Colombian Roberto Guerrero.
* 1986: ABC Sports provides flag-to-flag television coverage for the first time.
* 1988: Bill Vukovich III becomes the first third-generation driver to qualify and drive in the race, following his two-time winning grandfather and once second-place finishing father.
* 1992: Al Unser Jr. becomes the first second-generation winner of the race, following his four-time winning father.
* 2002: Hélio Castroneves becomes the first rookie winner to become a multiple-race winner.
* 2005: Danica Patrick becomes the first female driver to lead the race, for a total of 19 laps.
* 2006: Marco Andretti becomes the first third-generation winner of the Rookie of the Year award (Mario Andretti, 1965; Michael Andretti, co-1984).
* 2007: First Indy 500 race with three women competing in the field (Duno, Fisher, Patrick); also the first race where two women were running at the completion of the event (Fisher, Patrick).
* 2009: First Indy 500 race where three females finished the race, (Duno, Fisher, Patrick). Also the highest finish for a woman, 3rd(Patrick).
* 2010: First Indy 500 race with four women competing in the field (Fisher, Patrick, Silvestro, Beatriz); The Rookie of the year it was for the Swiss driver (Silvestro).
* 2017: Takuma Sato of Japan becomes the first Asian-born victor.
* 2018: Will Power of Australia becomes the first Australian-born victor.
* 2019: First Indy 500 race broadcast by NBC Sports.
* 2020: First Indy 500 to be run in August.
* 2021: First Indy 500 to have at least 30 cars running at the finish.