How Indianapolis 500 pole starters fared

Tuesday, May 22, 2001 | 9:58 a.m.

The pole position starters in the Indianapolis 500, with average qualifying speed in mph and finish in the race (Fast qualifier, if different from pole--starter, listed in parentheses):

1911--Lewis Strang, awarded pole, finished 29th

1912--Gil Anderson, 80.93, drew pole, finished 16th (David Bruce--Brown, 88.45, started 23rd, finished 22nd)

1913--Caleb Bragg, 87.34, drew pole, finished 15th (Jack Tower, 88.23, started 25th, finished 19th)

1914--Jean Chassagne, 88.31, drew pole, finished 29th (George Boillot, 99.86, started 29th, finished 14th)

1915--Howdy Wilcox, 98.90, finished 7th

1916--Johnny Aitken, 96.69, finished 15th

1917-18--No races, World War I

1919--Rene Thomas, 104.78, finished 11th

1920--Ralph DePalma, 99.15, finished 5th

1921--Ralph DePalma, 100.75, finished 12th

1922--Jimmy Murphy, 100.50, finished 1st

1923--Tommy Milton, 108.17, finished 1st

1924--Jimmy Murphy, 108.037, finished 3rd

1925--Leon Duray, 113.196, finished 6th

1926--Earl Cooper, 111.735, finished 16th

1927--Frank Lockhart, 120.100, finished 18th

1928--Leon Duray, 122.391, finished 19th

1929--Cliff Woodbury, 120.599, finished 33rd

1930--Billy Arnold, 113.268, finished 1st

1931--Russ Snowberger, 112.796, finished 5th (Billy Arnold, 116.080, started 18th, finished 19th)

1932--Lou Moore, 117.363, finished 25th

1933--Bill Cummings, 118.524, finished 25th

1934--Kelly Petillo, 119.329, finished 11th

1935--Rex Mays, 120.736, finished 17th

1936--Rex Mays, 119.644, finished 15th

1937--Bill Cummings, 123.343, finished 6th (Jimmy Snyder, 125.287, started 19th, finished 32nd)

1938--Floyd Roberts, 125.681, finished 1st (Ronnie Householder, 125.769, started 10th, finished 14th)

1939--Jimmy Snyder, 130.138, finished 2nd

1940--Rex Mays, 127.850, finished 2nd

1941--Mauri Rose, 128.691, finished 26th

1942-45--No races, World War II

1946--Cliff Bergere, 126.471, finished 16th (Ralph Hepburn, 133.944, started 19th, finished 14th)

1947--Ted Horn, 126.564, finished 3rd (Bill Holland, 128.755, started 8th, finished 2nd)

1948--Rex Mays, 130.577, finished 19th (Duke Nalon, 131.603, started 11th, finished 3rd)

1949--Duke Nalon, 132.939, finished 29th

1950--Walt Faulkner, 134.343, finished 7th

1951--Duke Nalon, 136.498, finished 10th (Walt Faulkner, 136.872, started 14th, finished 15th)

1952--Freddie Agabashian, 138.010, finished 27th (Chet Miller, 139.034, started 27th, finished 30th)

1953--Bill Vukovich, 138.392, finished 1st

1954--Jack McGrath, 141.033, finished 3rd

1955--Jerry Hoyt, 140.045, finished 31st (Jack McGrath, 142.580, started 3rd, finished 26th)

1956--Pat Flaherty, 145.596, finished 1st

1957--Pat O'Connor, 143.948, finished 8th (Paul Russo, 144.817, started 10th, finished 4th)

1958--Dick Rathmann, 145.974, finished 27th

1959--Johnny Thomson, 145.908, finished 3rd

1960--Eddie Sachs, 146.592, finished 21st (Jim Hurtubise, 149.056, started 23rd, finished 18th)

1961--Eddie Sachs, 147.481, finished 2nd

1962--Parnelli Jones, 150.370, finished 7th

1963--Parnelli Jones, 151.153, finished 1st

1964--Jim Clark, 158.828, finished 24th

1965--A.J. Foyt, 161.233, finished 15th

1966--Mario Andretti, 165.889, finished 18th

1967--Mario Andretti, 168.982, finished 30th

1968--Joe Leonard, 171.559, finished 12th

1969--A.J. Foyt, 170.568, finished 8th

1970--Al Unser, 170.221, finished 1st

1971--Peter Revson, 178.696, finished 2nd

1972--Bobby Unser, 195.940, finished 30th

1973--Johnny Rutherford, 198.413, finished 9th

1974--A.J. Foyt, 191.632, finished 15th

1975--A.J. Foyt, 193.976, finished 3rd

1976--Johnny Rutherford, 188.957, finished 1st (Mario Andretti, 189.404, started 19th, finished 8th)

1977--Tom Sneva, 198.884, finished 2nd

1978--Tom Sneva, 202.156, finished 2nd

1979--Rick Mears, 193.736, finished 1st

1980--Johnny Rutherford, 192.256, finished 1st

1981--Bobby Unser, 200.546, finished 1st (Tom Sneva, 200.691, started 20th, finished 25th)

1982--Rick Mears, 207.004, finished 2nd

1983--Teo Fabi, 207.395, finished 26th

1984--Tom Sneva, 210.029, finished 16th

1985--Pancho Carter, 212.583, finished 33rd

1986--Rick Mears, 216.828, finished 3rd

1987--Mario Andretti, 215.390, finished 9th

1988--Rick Mears, 219.198 finished 1st

1989--Rick Mears, 223.885, finished 23rd

1990--Emerson Fittipaldi, 225.301, finished 3rd

1991--Rick Mears, 224.113, finished 1st (Gary Bettenhausen, 224.468, started 13th, finished 22nd)

1992--Roberto Guerrero, 232.482, finished 33rd

1993--Arie Luyendyk, 223.967, finished 2nd

1994--Al Unser Jr., 228.011, finished 1st

1995--Scott Brayton, 231.604, finished 17th

1996--a-Tony Stewart, 233.100, finished 24th (Arie Luyendyk, 236.986, started 20th, finished 16th)

1997--Arie Luyendyk, 218.263, finished 1st

1998--Billy Boat, 223.503, finished 23rd

1999--Arie Luyendyk, 225.179, finished 22nd

2000--Greg Ray, 223.471, finished 33rd

2001--Scott Sharp, 226.037

a-Scott Brayton qualified for the pole at 233.718 but was killed in practice

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