As opposed to having the media answer the question for us, we leverage the wisdom of crowds which james surowiecki brought mainstream in his 2004 best seller. The greatest 33 is a list of top drivers from the history of the indianapolis 500. May 27, 2017 the greatest starting field in indy 500 history. Petersburg race 117 key symbol meaning driver is currently in the top10 in championship. In 2011, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first indianapolis 500, the indianapolis motor speedway gathered a panel of media and historians to establish 100 nominees for the best drivers who have participated in the indianapolis 500 from 1911 to 2010. Browse through latest information on your favorite drivers, including full biographies, latest news, highres photos and high quality videos. Foyt has long been acknowledged as the greatest indy car driver ever. Foyt, who won his first indy 500 50 years ago, was given the honor of driving the ceremonial pace car. Ranking the 20 greatest nascar drivers of all time fox. Right my fellow race fans, the question im asking is who do you consider the greatest indycar driver s of the postsplit era 1996 and why. Johnson won 50 races as a driver and then became one of the most successful car owners in the sport, owning the car that took both cale yarborough and darrell waltrip to. Imagine the five most successful indycar drivers of all time sitting at the same dinner table.
Who of the current crop of indycar drivers is at that franchitti level, and might be annoyed by dixons honorary title of greatest indy car driver of. The 10 greatest race car drivers of all time goliath. The article is titled the 10 greatest cars in indy 500 history, not the 10 most innovative and fascinating cars in indy 500 history. The greatest indy 500 driver of all time, in 64spot. And, as with any sport, fans of race cars love to discuss who is the greatest driver of all time. Its a tough call, because the modern indycar driver only runs pavement, and as diverse as the ntt series is, it still takes a back seat to the days of mile dirt tracks spliced in with ovals, and road courses, and even pikes peak. Aj foyt 67 wins, 7 titles, 4 indy 500 an absolute number 1 in the history of the american motorsport is aj foyt born 1935. The 104th running of the indianapolis 500 presented by gainbridge is scheduled for sunday, may 24, 2020. It is the biggest motogp news portal on the internet. As a group, they totaled 67 indy car wins including eight indy 500s and eight indycar titles. Jul 29, 2016 however, his 35 wins, two titles and three indianapolis 500 triumphs placing him into the top 5 indy car drivers of alltime. The 1967 race featured indy car champions and midget car champions, stock car champions and sports car champions, sprint car champions, dirt car. Foyt, andretti and unser were all part of what many believe to be indycars greatest generation of drivers. The 10 greatest cars in indy 500 history macs motor.
He also fielded cars as a nascar owner in 23 seasons. The veteran and driver and nbcsn race analyst looks to make his 10th start in the greatest spectacle i. Here are the car numbers and drivers signed to drive in the indycar series in 2020 ages are when the season begins, including their team and. Petersburg, barber, and the 103rd running of the indianapolis 500 with rookie driver ben hanley. She took part in 81 indycar events, with a careerbest finish of second at the 2001 infiniti grand prix of miami, the highest irl placing for a woman until danica patricks indy japan 300 victory. But then i wonder, since the question was who was the greatest indy 500 driver of all time. A fourtime formula one drivers champion, only michael schumacher seventime championship has equalled or surpassed his number of titles. Michael andrettis name jumps to mind as the driver who led the most laps without winning. Stan bowman was arguably the greatest race car driver to never be in the indy 500. Will power believes this generation of indycar drivers are. Im tge biggest dixon fan youll ever meet, but tk has been much better at indy than dixon. Join us memorial day weekend and see who will drink the milk and kiss the bricks. That said ive never seen anyone conquer indy thebway helio and dario did. Dixon is probably the best overall driver ive ever seen.
Greatest postsplit indycar driver racing comments the. Indycar drivers expect speed, style to remain consistent. Drivers scheduled to compete in the indycar series in 2020. Sarah fisher is a retired us race car driver who competed in the indy racing league from 1999 to 2010. We rank indycars greatest drivers of all time 4th tie. Dario franchitti gets wired to find out the exact forces he withstands and exerts while in the cockpit of a race car and proves once and for all that indycar.
He could easily be a 3 or 4 time winner had luck come his way. Indycar legends as anyone with even the remotest interest in sports will know, a great athlete. Along with mario andretti, foyt is considered by many to be americas greatest race driver. I think bill vukovich was probably the greatest driver weve ever known, said fellow twotime indy 500 winner rodger ward, when speaking to espn classics sportscentury series. Hed also win the 1972 daytona 500 and in 1983 he was one of the drivers of the. Greatest indycar driver of all time rank the greatest. Al unser 39 wins few racing familiesif anycan compete with the unsers. Drivers ntt indycar series, indy lights, indy pro 2000. Al is the greatest driver in indy 500 history, but his brother was more impressive over the general schedule. Id like to know where this race ranks with you guys.
Others, like the 20 greatest nascar drivers of all time, are more clear. The team penske driver notches the 46th pole of his indy car career. Alcune spettacolari battaglie e i migliori sorpassi visti in cart, irl e nellattuale indycar series. Every sport has its greatest athletes of alltime, including racing. Mar 24, 2020 vuky just didnt make mistakes at indy. I would maybe suggest a modern era driver as the other nimber 1 seed. Foyt is the only man to win the daytona 500 1965, the indy 500 four times and the 24 hours of le mans. The greatest indy 500 driver of all time, in 64spot brackets. Many people cite mears as the greatest indy 500 driver ever because he won six poles and four races, but its hard to really argue that when his teammates won nearly as many 500s as he did 3 to his 4 and his teammates won nearly as many championships as he did 2 to his 3, not counting 1985 when mears was parttime and his teammate unser won the title. While he may be one of the greatest indycar drivers of all time, there is one thing scott dixon is not. May 10, 2014 the article is titled the 10 greatest cars in indy 500 history, not the 10 most innovative and fascinating cars in indy 500 history.
Jan 28, 2019 the greatest indy 500 drivers of all time. The defending indycar champion, age 35, is certainly the top driver of our era in this series. This years message will target the 2534yearold demographic, which luedtke said indycar saw triplegrowth in during 2019, and where she sees the greatest. Top 50 race car drivers celebrity net worth richest. The new zealander scott dixon born 1980 is the best among active indycar drivers, with four titles and one indy 500 victory. He just had the most amazing natural feeling in a race car that youd ever. There has to be a spot on the list for arguably the greatest race car driver ever alongside mario andretti, of course. Stan competed and won against the likes of aj foyt, parnelli jones, and jim hurtobuise.
The greatest drivers in racing will compete for racing immortality in the greatest spectacle in racing at the indianapolis motor speedway. The unlikely rise and epic fall of floridas marijuanasmuggling kingpin how former indycar superstar randy lanier became the mastermind of one of the largest drugtrafficking. Mansell was the reigning f1 champion when he moved over to cart, becoming the first person to win the cart title in his debut season, and making him the only person to hold both titles simultaneously. Foyt is next to him scooping potatoesjust look at him work that salt shaker. While his many records are certainly somewhat within reach and arent. Page 1 of 2 greatest postsplit indycar driver posted in racing comments. These are the more forgotten indycar drivers who tried their hand in nascar.
We have compiled where are they now articles, the greatest 33 profiles and driver spotlights to create a place that highlights all of the greatest drivers to have ever driven over the yard of bricks. There still could be more rookies added to the entry list as several teams have not named drivers. But that gives the driver, engineer, strategist and pit crews the ability to make a difference, and todays lineup sports 14 indycar winners and a few more on the ondeck circle. The 10 greatest cars in indy 500 history macs motor city. Cheniclet advertisement alain prost alain prost is a famous french racing driver. That was the period that covered the 1960s and lasted through the early part of. Is this an indy 500 bracket or an indy car in general bracket. First raced in 1911, the indianapolis 500 is an annual race held at the indianapolis motor speedway in speedway, indiana, united states over the memorial day weekend in late may. Best formula 1 drivers of all time top ten list thetoptens. Indianapolis 500 photographer steve swope with 33 of the greatest indy 500 winning cars. Whether formula one or nascar, fans of racing hotly debate the merits of various driverstheir championships, rivalries and the trophies that got away. In honour of sportsnet magazines the big book of sports lists, we look back at the 10 greatest indycar drivers in the history of the sport examine the drivers below then vote on your favourite.
Indycar drivers expect speed, style to remain consistent at indianapolis 500. There was nothing tony got in that he didnt make go faster. His average percent led is the greatest for any driver in indycar history with 25 or more starts, his unadjusted points per race is higher than any other driver except bob carey who won the championship in his only season and al rogers a true onetrick pony who only entered the pikes peak hill climb, and his adjusted points per race is behind only alex zanardi, but unlike zanardi, im not at all certain gurney. That said, tk has been 1 of the best ever drivers at indy. His average percent led is the greatest for any driver in indycar history with 25 or more starts, his unadjusted points per race is higher than any other driver except bob carey who won the championship in his only season and al rogers a true onetrick pony who only entered the pikes peak hill climb, and his adjusted points per race is behind only alex zanardi, but unlike zanardi, im not at all certain gurney even did this with the best equipment a. The veteran indy car driver looks to make his eighth start in the greatest spectacle in racing. Some spectacular battles and the best overtakes from cart, irl and the current indycar series. Bobby unser is one of the most colorful characters in the history of the indy 500. The following is a list of drivers who are currently competing in a series sanctioned by indycar verizon indycar series. Bobby won his first title in 1968, winning the indy 500 later that year. Im a younger fan and havent seen alot of the older drivers race, so my opinions are, of course, skewed a bit.
In terms of his skill and his ability and his determination. Nov 18, 2016 is tony stewart the greatest indianaborn driver. From 1987 until 2001, prost held the record for most grand prix victories. The unlikely rise and epic fall of randy lanier south floridas marijuanasmuggling kingpin and champion indycar driver. Jul 03, 2018 16 of the greatest american race cars of all time.
Mario andretti 52 wins, 4 titles, 1 indy 500 al unser sr 39 wins, 3 titles, 4 indy 500 bobby unser 35 wins, 2. But its also safe to say that foyt raced at a time where there was nowhere near the parity in the sport from both a talent. Here are the 10 best drivers in the sports history. Apr 08, 2016 we rank indycars greatest drivers of all time. A year later he won the rainshortened indianapolis 500. It is superior to have the collective sagacity of the world not a select few determine the greatest. Rank your favorite indycar races of all time with all this talk of fontana being one of the greatest races ever even mario andretti said so. On may 26, the fastest formula 1 driver of the era, twotime world champion alberto ascari, suffered a fatal accident while testing a ferrari sportscar at. Whether formula one or nascar, fans of racing hotly debate the merits of various drivers their championships, rivalries and the trophies that got away. The original list of 100 drivers was released on march 18, and voting continued through may 14. Hes also one of the most successful drivers, with 3 victories during his career. Bleacher report 2 years titans hold off chiefs for comeback win behind derrick henrys 156 yards. Some of the faces responsible for these indy memories are featured below.
Dragonspeed, an american racing team with a resume of endurance sports car success in europe, made its ntt indycar series debut in 2019 with three starts in st. Petty, earnhardt, gordon, johnson nascar has a host of legendary drivers from. In 99 runnings, 756 drivers have started their engines in hopes of winning the worlds most famous 500mile race. Jun 18, 2015 15 legendary father and child race car drivers from the andrettis to the unsers, theres a rich history of children following their successful fathers into race car cockpits, whether those dads. We rank indycars greatest drivers of all time the drive. With all the icons of racing to have won the indy 500, who is the greatest driver to never have won the greatest race in the world. The third victory in the greatest american race followed in. Is it time to start considering scott dixon as the.
Of course some oldtimers were up in arms because they thought the 38yearold aussie was saying it was the greatest lineup of talent ever, but thats not what he. Rene binder to drive four races for juncos racing in 2018. The aforementioned bourdais remains a phenomenal driver, and has four champ car titles and 37 indy car victories to his name, but there is a metaphorical asterisk beside any championship title. All statistics used in these tables are as of the end of the 2017 firestone grand prix of st. The indycar series, culminating in the indy 500, is a prestigious automotive competition, and here are the top. Scott dixon 39 wins the only current driver on our list. Michael andretti 42 wins it couldnt have been easy being marios oldest son. About the only thing al has that bobby really doesnt is a dirt track win and greater longevity in points races although bobby has much greater longevity when considering the nonpoints events, but the dirt wins arent enough to get. When it comes to the greatest driver in the history of indycar, a.
This article is part of ims special may 2016 coverage of the 100th running of the indianapolis 500. After reading the article, foyt or perhaps shaw would seem the better choice. Mears was the first name that popped into my head, but that is likely more to do with my mid40s age than anything else. Nigel mansell is a retired british racing driver who won both the formula one world championship 1992 and the cart indy car world series 1993. For the poll options ive made the artificial division of including only the drivers who have won at least nine american open wheel races of whichever. Motogp today has all the motogp news from all over the web, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and it is updated every 10 minutes. These guys are so competitive, theyd race each other through their entrees. Nov 26, 2012 25 greatest american drivers of all time. The turbines broke and were subsequently strangled by usac, and yunicks car failed to qualify in its only attempt. Results castroneves breaks track record on way to winning phoenix pol.
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