5 of the biggest disappointments of the Indianapolis 500
As we count down to Sunday’s 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest memories from the historic race.
We start our series with five of the biggest disappointments of the 500 and reflect on some of the most teasing moments that drivers have endured during the previous 99 races.
• Ralph DePalma, 1912: The second Indianapolis 500 (then known as the International 500) is remembered for the most dominating performance that didn’t result in a win.
DePalma started fourth in his Mercedes and took the lead on lap 3 from Teddy Tetzlaff, who led the first two laps after starting third.
No one could challenge DePalma for the lead. He wasn’t passed at all over the next 196 laps and as the race wound down, it looked certain that DePalma was going to win.
He didn’t. Joe Dawson passed him on lap 198 after DePalma suffered a piston issue. Not only did DePalma fail to win the race, he failed to finish.
• Parnelli Jones, 1967: Jones was great on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
The 1967 race started on Tuesday, May 30, but had to resume after 18 laps on Wednesday because of rain. Jones took the lead on the first lap Tuesday and held the lead through lap 51.
Jones was driving for Andy Granatelli and his four-wheel drive STP-Paxton Turbocar was making its debut in the 500. The car also had a spoler that moved to serve as an air brake.
Granatelli paid Jones $100,000 to drive in the race and said he’d split the winnings if Jones won the race.
He didn’t.
While leading on lap 196, a rear bearing – a $6 part – broke on the car. A.J. Foyt passed him and led the final four laps for the race win.
• Michael Andretti, 1992: The 1992 race is remembered for its great finish between Scott Goodyear and Al Unser Jr. Michael Andretti’s mechanical failure set it up.
Andretti took over the lead from Al Unser Sr. on lap 178 and was far ahead of Goodyear and Unser Jr. when he suddenly lost fuel pressure.
His car came to a halt on the track on lap 189 and was ultimately out of the race when the broken fuel pump was deemed terminal. Andretti had led 160 of the race’s 200 laps.
Andretti, now the owner of Andretti Autosport, never won the Indy 500 and 1992 was likely his best opportunity.
• Emerson Fittipaldi, 1994: This year belonged to Team Penske.
With a new Mercedes engine, the Penske cars of Al Unser Jr. and Emerson Fittipaldi were the class of the field. Both drivers qualified on the front row and Fittipaldi sprinted away from everyone else throughout the course of the race.
Thanks to green flag stretches of 51, 36 and 45 laps, Fittipaldi, who led 145 laps, lapped the entire field. As he was leading the race on lap 184, he had just lapped Unser Jr., who was running second.
Then trouble happened. Fittipaldi’s car slid up into the wall in turn 4, leaving Unser Jr. as the only Penske car remaining (Paul Tracy had suffered a gearbox problem earlier in the race).
Unser Jr. went on to win the race as Jacques Villeneuve — the only other driver to lead laps and finish on the lead lap — was second.
• J.R. Hildebrand, 2011: This is still painful to watch.
J.R. Hildebrand was one of three drivers attempting to make it to the end of the race without having to make a late-race pit stop for fuel. Bertrand Baguette pitted with three laps to go, leaving Dario Franchitti and Hildebrand as the only two drivers with a chance for the win on the same strategy.
Hildebrand passed Franchitti (who ran out of gas) and looked like he was going to swipe the win. But as he went to pass the lapped car of Charlie Kimball on the race’s final corner, Hildebrand’s car slid high and into the wall.
As Hildebrand’s wounded car limped to the finish line, Dan Wheldon (who had pitted and could go all-out) passed Hildebrand on the frontstretch. Hildebrand, who hasn’t won an IndyCar Series race and will be racing in Sunday’s race, finished second.
The win turned out to be the final one of Wheldon’s career as he was participating in the 500 in a one-race deal for Bryan Herta’s team. He participated in two more races that season and was killed in a fiery crash at Las Vegas.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
