List of Indianapolis 500 winners

The Indianapolis 500 is an annual automobile race, held each year typically on the last weekend in May in correspondence with Memorial Day weekend. The race is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana. The Indianapolis 500 is an open-wheel car race and is currently sanctioned by Indy Racing League, LLC (dba INDYCAR) and has been run as an IndyCar Series event since 1996. The Indianapolis 500 is considered one of the most traditional and historical races in the world, and is also considered one of the three most significant motorsport races in the world.

The first Indianapolis 500 was held in 1911, where Ray Harroun was declared the first winner, driving the Marmon Wasp. The race has been run annually since 1911 (with exceptions during World War I and World War II) and 67 drivers have been crowned champions of the 500-mile race over the course of 96 races. The most race victories held by a single driver is four, which has been accomplished only by A. J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears. The Indianapolis 500 has also drawn many international drivers to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway over the years, with 25 of the winners coming from outside of the United States, representing nine separate countries. The most recent champion of the Indianapolis 500 is Dario Franchitti, who won his third Indianapolis victory at the 2012 race.

The winner of the Indianapolis 500 receives many prizes, many based on past tradition. One of the most iconic traditions is for the winner of the of the Indianapolis 500 to drink a bottle of milk, a tradition started by Louis Meyer who won the race in 1936. The winner is also presented with a wreath in victory lane, and has the opportunity to kiss the yard of brick (the start/finish line), an Indianapolis Motor Speedway tradition started by NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett in 1996 at the Brickyard 400 and adopted by 500 winners since 2003. The winner of the race also receives the pace car used during that race, and the Borg-Warner Trophy, on which they will have a bas-relief sculpture of their face. The Borg-Warner Trophy has been used since 1936 and the along with the sculpture on the original trophy, the winner receives a small replica. The Indianapolis 500 winner also receives a large purse, most recently at $2.56 million, given to Dan Wheldon in 2011. Other prizes have been given to the race winner over the years, including a quilt, made by Jeanetta Holder, which is presented to the driver annually at the winner's photo shoot.

Hulman/George Era – IRL/IndyCar sanctioning (1996–present)

 * * Race rain-shortened

Rookie winners

 * * 🇺🇸 Louis Meyer won in his first start in 1928, but had served as a relief driver, and thus running laps in competition, the year before.

National Championship victories in same year

 * * From 1979–1995, the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the American Open Wheel National Championship were sanctioned by separate organizations, USAC and CART, respectively. From 1980–1995, winners of a USAC Gold Crown Championship were officially declared. From 1985 onwards, the Indianapolis 500 was the only race on the Gold Crown calendar. The winner of the Indianapolis 500 would be the Gold Crown champion; as such championship consisted solely of Indianapolis, Gold Crown winners from 1985 to 1995 are indistinguishable from Indianapolis winners in those same years.
 * ** Retroactively declared and awarded, 1951.
 * *** Declared and awarded, but retroactively re-declared and -awarded, 1951, to 🇺🇸 Tommy Milton.

Winning drivers who did not start next race
''1 Davis was relieved by Mauri Rose on Lap 72. Rose competed in the next 500 in 1946.''

''2 Franchitti had signed with Chip Ganassi Racing to run a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season for Ganassi in 2008, but was injured April 25 at the Aaron's 312 Nationwide Series race. That team shut down in July 2008 because of sponsorship issues, and Franchitti returned to the IRL with Ganassi in time for the exhibition race in Surfers Paradise, racing the full season in 2009. ''

Winning starting positions
Drivers starting from the first row have won forty-two out of ninety-six races, 43.75%.