Great Moments in the Indianapolis 500

This Sunday marks the 100^th running of the Indianapolis 500. Langenwalter Carpet Cleaning is giving you an opportunity to win a share of over $500 in prizes by selecting the winner of the race. Visit our contest entry page and pick your winner.

The race is tradition in Indiana and everyone has a favorite memory from the race. Make sure you visit our Facebook page and share your favorite Indy 500 moment with us. Here are some of ours:

Harroun Wins the First 500

The winner of the first Indianapolis 500 was Ray Harroun. Driving a Marmon Wasp, Harroun averaged 74.602 miles per hour or what most of us average on family road trips today. To help him win, Harroun had a ‘secret weapon’ — a rearview mirror. Having a mirror meant Harroun didn’t need to have a “riding mechanic” riding along to keep an eye on traffic. Following the race, Harroun retired, claiming that 500 miles was just too long and dangerous.

The First 4-Time Winner

After going to Victory Lane in 1961, 1964, and 1967, A.J. Foyt knew it was only a matter of time before he would become the first four-time winner. However, Foyt’s wait lasted 10 years before he claimed victory over Tom Sneva in 1977.

Wheel to Wheel Battles

The 500 has seen many wheel to wheel battles. Who could forget the epic battle between Roger Ward and Jim Rathmann? The drivers traded the lead 14 times over the close of the 1960 500 until Ward had to relinquish because his tires started to wear away. Rathmann took the lead on lap 197 and went on to win his only Indy 500.

In 1989, Al Unser Jr. took the lead from Emerson Fittipaldi on lap 196. Fittipaldi chased Unser down and pulled even entering turn 3 on lap 199. They touched wheels and Unser’s car slammed into the outside wall while Fittipaldi was able to keep his car under control and took the checkered flag. Unser climbed from his wrecked car and gave Fittipaldi a “thumbs-up” salute.

With 12 laps to go in 1982, Gordon Johncock led Rick Mears by 11 seconds but soon started to lose the handling on his race car. Mears charged hard after the race leader, cutting one-second a lap off his lead until the two cars were nose-to-tail with just two laps to go. Mears almost passed Johncock in turn 1 on the last lap. Johncock held on to win by .16 seconds which at the time was the closest margin of victory in Indy 500 history.

Close Finishes

In 2006, Sam Hornish Jr. passed 19-year-old Marco Andretti 200 yards from the checkered flag. Gathering speed when he needed it most, Hornish won by just .0635 seconds — the second-closest finish in Indy 500 history.

Michael Andretti dominated the 1992 race, leading nine times for 160 laps before his engine gave way with 11 laps to the finish. That gave the lead to Al Unser Jr. who had to fight off a charge from Scott Goodyear that produced the closest finish in Indy 500 history at just .043 seconds.