List of Indy 500 winners by year: Who has most wins?

A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr., Rick Mears, and Hélio Castroneves share the record for most victories at an elite four – Here is a list of all Indy 500 winners by year from 1911-2025.

These IndyCar legends who conquered the famed 2.5-mile oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway set historical benchmarks, inspiring current stars like Alex Palou who claimed victory in the 2025 edition.

Top 8 drivers with most Indy 500 race wins

A.J. Foyt stands as the first driver to achieve four Indianapolis 500 wins (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977), all across an astonishing era that bridged the turbulent transition from front-engine dominance to rear-engine revolution in the 1960s.

Al Unser Sr. matches Foyt’s record with four Indy 500 wins, defined by back-to-back victories in 1970-1971, 1978 and a late-career miracle Indy 500 win in 1987 at 47 years and 360 days, cementing his status among the Brickyard’s immortals.

Rick Mears secured his four Indy 500 victories (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991) with Penske Racing, leveraging qualifying supremacy—six poles, a record—and surgical passing to dominate the 1980s turbo era.

Hélio Castroneves joins the four-win club with back-to-back wins in 2001-2002, followed by 2009 before a 12-year wait to claim his fourth victory in 2021 at age 47, becoming the driver with the longest span between victories.

Dropping to three wins, Louis Meyer pioneered the trio in the pre-World War II dirt-and-board-track era with his Miller machines dominating the bricks in 1928, 1933 and 1936—introducing the milk-drinking tradition post-race.

Johnny Rutherford also captured three wins with McLaren-Offys (1974, 1976, 1980), as well as Mauri Rose who claimed three Indianapolis 500 wins post-war: sharing 1941 relief with Floyd Davis then 1947-1948 solos with Lou Moore Diedt-Offys.

Dario Franchitti rounds out the top 8 drivers with most Indy 500 race wins—in 2007, 2010, and 2012—highlighting his IndyCar-GLCK crossover success before career-ending tragedy in 2013.

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