Indy 500 (2009): More Race Trivia
1960's
Q.) Name the rookie who almost broke the 150 mph barrier in 1960?
A.) Jim Hurtubise, 149.056 mph
Q.) Who was the first driver to turn an official lap in excess of 150 mph?
A.) Parnelli Jones, in 1962
Q.) How many times did car #1 win the 500 during the 1960s?
A.) Twice, in 1961 and 1964, both with A.J. Foyt
Q.) Who was the only driver during the 1960s to finish second twice and never win?
A.) Dan Gurney, in 1968 and 1969
Q.) What do drivers Parnelli Jones, Joe Leonard, Graham Hill and Art Pollard have in common?
A.) They all drove a turbine-powered car in the 500.
Q.) Name the very popular “hard luck” driver from Wichita Falls, Texas.
A.) Lloyd Ruby. His best finish was third in 1964.
Q.) Who won the pole position in consecutive years during the 1960’s?
A.) Eddie Sachs, 1960-61, Parnelli Jones, 1962-63 & Mario Andretti, 1966-67.
Q.) Name the only driver in the history of the 500 to lead 400 miles of one race and win, and lead 400 miles of another 500 and not win.
A.) Parnelli Jones in 1963 & 1967. Jones led 5 of 7 races in the 1960s for 492 laps.
What was significant about Jim Clark’s win from a technical standpoint?
A.) This was the first 500 win ever by a rear-engine car.
Q.) Who was the winning chief mechanic in three races during the 1960s?
A.) George Bignotti won with A.J. Foyt in 1961 &1964, and with Graham Hill in 1966.
Q.) Name the drivers who won Rookie of the Year during the 1960s who later won the 500?
A.) Parnelli Jones, Jim Clark, Mario Andretti & Mark Donohue
Q.) What motor won the 500 in both a roadster and in a rear-engine car during the 1960s?
A.) Offenhauser. The engine won five straight races in a roadster and then won the 1968 race mounted in the back.
1980's
Q.) How many different drivers won the Indianapolis 500 during the 1980s?
A.) With Rick Mears being the only driver to repeat during the 1980s, there were nine different winners.
Q.) What famous Speedway landmark underwent a major change in appearance and was completely rebuilt between the races of 1985 and 1986?
A.) The Garage Area.
Q.) What was the closest finish for a 500 during the 1980s?
A.) A margin of 0.16 seconds separated Gordon Johncock and Rick Mears in 1982.
Q.) Name the drivers who placed 2nd in a 500 during the 1980s and were never able to win it during their careers.
A.) Roberto Guerrero (1984 and 1987) and Kevin Cogan (1986).
Q.) In 1984, Tom Sneva broke five qualifying records in four laps. How was that possible?
A.) Sneva managed to raise the track record on every one of his qualifying laps and then claimed the overall 4-lap record.
Q.) Who were the former 500 winners who drove the pace car during the 1980s?
A.) Johnnie Parsons, Jim Rathmann and Bobby Unser.
Q.) Who was the only person to win the 500 AND drive the pace car during the 1980s?
A.) Bobby Unser.
Q.) Name the people who drove the pace car TWICE during the 1980s.
A.) Duke Nalon (1981 & ‘83) and General Chuck Yeager (1986 & ’88).
Q.) What was the highest number to appear on a winning car in a 500 during the 1980s?
A.) Al Unser carried #25 in 1987.
Q.) How many of the ten Indianapolis 500s held between 1980 and 1989 were won by cars carrying a double-digit number?
A.) Three. Gordon Johncock in 1982 and Emerson Fittipaldi in 1989 both carried #20, while in 1987 Al Unser carried #25.
Q.) What were the occasions, during the 1980s, on which there was a tie for the Rookie of the Year honors, and who were the drivers involved?
A.) Roberto Guerrero and Michael Andretti split the balloting in 1984, as did Bernard Jourdain and Scott Pruett in 1989.
Q.) What was the furthest back from which a winning driver emerged in a 500 during the 1980s?
A.) Al Unser won from 20th starting position in 1987.
Q.) What was the highest finish for a 33rd place starter in a 500 during the 1980s?
A.) Tom Sneva finished 2nd from 33rd in 1980
Q.) What was the highest finish by a rookie in a 500 during the 1980s?
A.) Roberto Guerrero finished 2nd in 1984.
Q.) How many times did a Roger Penske entry win the 500 during the 1980s?
A.) Roger Penske won five times, in 1981, 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988.
1990's
Q.) How many different drivers won the Indianapolis 500 during the 1990s?
A.) There were eight different winners during the 10-year span, Arie Luyendyk and Al Unser, Jr., winning twice each.
Q.) What was the only occasion during the 1990s in which the fastest qualifier did NOT start on the pole?
A.) Gary Bettenhausen started 13th as a second-day qualifier in 1991
Q.) Who was the youngest winning driver during the 1990s?
A.) Jacques Villeneuve was 24 when he won in 1995.
Q.) Name the driver who placed within the first three finishers the greatest number of times during the 1990s.
A.) Arie Luyendyk finished 1st in 1990, 3rd in 1991, 2nd in 1993 and 1st in 97.
Q.) What was the highest finish during the 1990s by a driver who started 33rd?
A.) Gordon Johncock finished 6th after starting 33rd in 1991
Q.) Name the drivers who won the “500” from the pole during the 1990s.
A.) The winners from the pole during the 1990s were Rick Mears (1991), Al Unser, Jr., (1994) and Arie Luyendyk (1997).
Q.) What was the deepest from within the pack from which a winner emerged during the 1990s?
A.) Eddie Cheever won from 17th starting position in 1998.
Q.) Name the former winners who drove the pace car during the 1990s.
A.) Former winners who drove the pace car during the 1990s were Bobby Unser (1992), Parnelli Jones (1994 and ‘98) and Johnny Rutherford (97).
Q.) What brand of chassis won the “500” in 1992?
A.) The 1992 winning chassis was a Galmer.
Q.) What was the highest number used on a winning car during the 1990s?
A.) Buddy Lazier carried #91 in 1996.
Q.) What was the lowest number used on a winning cars during the 1990s?
A.) Rick Mears in 1991 and Al Unser, Jr., in 1992 both carried #3.
Q.) There were three rookies in the 1990 starting field: Eddie Cheever, Scott Goodyear and who?
A.) The third rookie in 1990 was Dean Hall.
Q.) Name the driver of car #1 in the 1997 “500.”
A.) The unlikely carrier of #1 in 1997 was Foyt driver Paul Durant.
Q.) Two drivers, who were second-place finishers during the 1990s had the same surnames as former winners although they were not related. Who were they?
A) Davy Jones, runner-up in 1996, was not related to 1963 winner Parnelli, and Jeff Ward, runner-up in 1999, was not related to 1959 and 1962 winner Rodger.
Q.) Name the former winning drivers who were in the 1992 “500” starting field.
A.) The 1992 starting field contained a record TEN former winners. They were four-time winners A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears, two-time winner Gordon Johncock and (then) single winners Mario Andretti, Tom Sneva, anny Sullivan, Bobby Rahal, Emerson Fittipaldi and Arie Luyendyk.