List of Indianapolis 500 lap leaders

Indianapolis 500-Mile Race all-time lap leaders

The Leaders Circle Award Trophy at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum

Two hundred thirty-six drivers have led the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, in 105 races.
Career lap leader percentage rounded to hundredths of a percent.
Green indicates drivers active as of most recent race.

Rank	Driver	Laps Led	Career Laps Run	Career Lap Leader Percentage	Race Wins	Years Won
1	Al Unser	644	4,356	14.78%	4	1970	1971	1978	1987
2	† Ralph DePalma	612	1,594	38.39%	1	1915
3	Scott Dixon	570	Active driver		1	2008
4	† Mario Andretti	556	3,040	18.29%	1	1969
5	A. J. Foyt	555	4,909	11.31%	4	1961	1964	1967	1977
6	Wilbur Shaw	508	2,019	25.16%	3	1937	1939	1940
7	Emerson Fittipaldi	505	1,785	28.29%	2	1989	1993
8	Parnelli Jones	492	1,130	43.54%	1	1963
9	Bill Vukovich	485	676	71.75%	2	1953	1954
10	Bobby Unser	440	2,611	16.85%	3	1968	1975	1981
11	Michael Andretti	431	2,653	16.25%
12	Rick Mears	429	2,342	18.32%	4	1979	1984	1988	1991
13	Billy Arnold	410	821	49.94%	1	1930
14	Tony Kanaan	346	Active driver		1	2013
15	Gordon Johncock	339	3,158	10.73%	2	1973	1982
16	Louis Meyer	332	1,916	17.33%	3	1928	1933	1936
17	Dario Franchitti	329	1,940	16.96%	3	2007	2010	2012
18	Hélio Castroneves	325	Active driver		4	2001	2002	2009	2021
19	Jim Clark	298	682	43.69%	1	1965
20	Bill Holland	297	914	32.49%	1	1949
21	Johnny Rutherford	296	2,792	10.60%	3	1974	1976	1980
22	Rex Mays	266	1,385	19.21%
23	Rodger Ward	261	2,160	12.08%	2	1959	1962
24	Mauri Rose	256	2,326	11.01%	3	1941	1947	1948
25	Dan Wheldon	235	1,729	13.59%	2	2005	2011
26	Jimmy Murphy	220	907	24.26%	1	1922
27	Tommy Milton	218	1,204	18.11%	2	1921	1923
28	Jimmy Bryan	216	1,411	15.31%	1	1958
29	Tom Sneva	208	2,180	9.54%	1	1983
30	Frank Lockhart	205	280	73.21%	1	1926
31	Juan Pablo Montoya	193	Active driver		2	2000	2015
32	Arie Luyendyk	186	2,957	6.29%	2	1990	1997
33	Jimmy Snyder	181	495	36.57%
34	Lee Wallard	178	591	30.12%	1	1951
35	Simon Pagenaud	169	Active driver		1	2019
36	Ryan Hunter-Reay	163	Active driver		1	2014
37	Danny Sullivan	162	1,523	10.64%	1	1985
38	Howdy Wilcox	155	1,335	11.61%	1	1919
39	Tomas Scheckter	153	1,691	9.05%
40	Jim Rathmann	150	2,320	6.47%	1	1960
41	Peter DePaolo	148	738	20.05%	1	1925
42	Ed Carpenter	146	Active driver
43	Will Power	144	Active driver		1	2018
44	Marco Andretti	141	Active driver
45	† Dario Resta	140	408	34.31%	1	1916
46	Sam Hanks	140	1,566	8.94%	1	1957
47	Jules Goux	139	773	17.98%	1	1913
48	†2 George Robson	138	333	41.44%	1	1946
49	Pat Flaherty	138	812	17.00%	1	1956
50	Gary Bettenhausen	138	2,372	5.82%
51	Johnnie Parsons	131	1,504	8.71%	1	1950
52	Lloyd Ruby	126	2,357	5.35%
53	Bobby Rahal	126	2,007	6.28%	1	1986
54	Earl Cooper	123	939	13.10%
55	Tony Stewart	122	700	17.43%
56	Joe Boyer	119	555	21.44%	1	1924
57	Greg Ray	116	920	12.61%
58	René Thomas	114	744	15.32%	1	1914
59	Al Unser Jr.	110	3,173	3.47%	2	1992	1994
60	Kelly Petillo	108	1,283	8.42%	1	1935
61	Wally Dallenbach Sr.	108	1,448	7.46%
62	Sam Hornish Jr.	107	1,346	7.95%	1	2006
63	Babe Stapp	106	960	11.04%
64	Fred Frame	106	1,281	8.27%	1	1932
65	Buddy Rice	99	1,047	9.46%	1	2004
66	Ted Horn	94	1,944	4.84%
67	Dave Lewis	93	383	24.28%
68	Bill Cummings	93	1,229	7.57%	1	1934
69	Floyd Roberts	92	883	10.42%	1	1938
70	Kenny Bräck	89	885	10.06%	1	1999
71	Eddie Cheever, Jr.	89	2,122	4.19%	1	1998
72	Ray Harroun	88	200	44.00%	1	1911
73	Bob Sweikert	86	825	10.42%	1	1955
74	Takuma Sato	83	Active driver		2	2017	2020
75	David L. Bruce-Brown	81	225	36.00%
76	Danny Ongais	79	1,527	5.17%
77	Arthur Duray	77	200	38.50%
78	Alexander Rossi	77	Active driver		1	2016
79	Troy Ruttman	72	1,472	4.89%	1	1952
80	†3 Gil de Ferran	71	601	11.81%	1	2003
81	Jack McGrath	70	1,094	6.40%
82	Mark Donohue	70	748	9.36%	1	1972
83	Buddy Lazier	70	3,015	2.32%	1	1996
84	Frank Brisko	69	1,330	5.19%
85	Leon Duray	68	693	9.81%
86	Ralph Hepburn	68	1,864	3.65%
87	George Souders	67	400	16.75%	1	1927
88	Eddie Sachs	66	1,069	6.17%
89	Maurício Gugelmin	59	396	14.90%
90	Harry Hartz	57	996	5.72%
91	Roberto Guerrero	56	1,735	3.23%
92	Johnny Thomson	55	1,044	5.27%
93	James Hinchcliffe	54	Active driver
94	Robby Gordon	53	1,564	3.39%
95	Joe Leonard	52	1,265	4.11%
96	Jeff Ward	52	1,254	4.15%
97	Bruno Junqueira	52	734	7.08%
98	Max Chilton	50	Active driver
99	Deacon Litz	49	1,560	3.14%
100	Scott Goodyear	49	1,460	3.35%
101	Ray Keech	46	400	11.50%	1	1929
102	Pat O'Connor	46	768	5.98%
103	Davy Jones	46	784	5.86%
104	Gil Anderson	44	784	5.61%
105	Jimmy Gleason	43	617	6.97%
106	Bob Burman	41	718	5.71%
107	Jackie Stewart	40	358	11.17%
108	Conor Daly	40	Active driver
109	Louis Schneider	39	863	4.51%	1	1931
110	John Paul, Jr.	39	883	4.42%
111	Alex Tagliani	39	1,543	2.52%
112	Josef Newgarden	38	Active driver
113	Teo Fabi	37	963	3.84%
114	Bob Carey	36	200	18%
115	Jim Hurtubise	36	894	4.03%
116	Cliff Bergere	35	2,425	1.44%
117	Paul Russo	35	1,482	2.36%
118	Álex Palou	35	Active driver
119	Bob Swanson	34	267	12.73%
120	Nigel Mansell	34	292	11.64%
121	Oriol Servià	34	1,992	1.70%
122	Bobby Marshman	33	635	5.20%
123	Tony Gulotta	33	1,989	1.66%
124	Art Cross	32	768	4.17%
125	Duke Nalon	32	1,284	2.49%
126	Rinus VeeKay	32	Active driver
127	Ryan Briscoe	31	1,840	1.68%
128	Phil Shafer	29	1,223	2.37%
129	Mark Dismore	29	820	3.54%
130	Danica Patrick	29	1,404	2.07%
131	Carlos Muñoz	29	1,200	2.41%
132	Graham Rahal	28	Active driver
133	Felix Rosenqvist	28	Active driver
134	Fernando Alonso	27	378	7.14%
135	Jimmy Vasser	26	1,249	2.08%
136	Jimmy Davies	25	631	3.96%
137	Tony Bettenhausen	24	1,975	1.22%
138	Lou Moore	23	1,304	1.76%
139	A. J. Allmendinger	23	200	11.50%
140	Jacques Villeneuve	22	600	3.67%	1	1995
141	Raul Boesel	21	2,213	0.95%
142	Alessandro Zampedri	20	199	10.05%
143	George Amick	18	200	9.00%
144	Johnny Boyd	18	1,427	1.26%
145	Charlie Kimball	18	Active driver
146	Kevin Cogan	17	1,556	1.09%
147	Patricio O'Ward	17	Active driver
148	Johnny Aitken	16	194	8.25%
149	Jerry Grant	16	1,275	1.25%
150	Robbie Buhl	16	1,279	1.25%
151	Vítor Meira	15	1,622	0.92%
152	Mike Conway	15	476	3.15%
153	†3 Gaston Chevrolet	14	400	3.50%	1	1920
154	Ernie Triplett	14	559	2.50%
155	Zach Veach	14	729	1.92%
156	Colton Herta	14	Active driver
157	Russ Snowberger	13	1,633	0.80%
158	Josele Garza	13	707	1.84%
159	Billy Boat	13	1,112	1.17%
160	Justin Wilson	13	1,488	0.87%
161	Townsend Bell	13	1,898	0.68%
162	J. R. Hildebrand	13	Active driver
163	Swede Savage	12	62	19.35%
164	Felipe Giaffone	12	955	1.26%
165	Bertrand Baguette	11	383	2.87%
166	Ralph Mulford	10	1,619	0.62%
167	Graham Hill	10	333	3.00%	1	1966
168	Alex Barron	10	942	1.06%
169	Eddie Rickenbacker	9	355	2.53%
170	Albert Guyot	9	808	1.11%
171	Josef Christiaens	9	320	2.81%
172	†4 Louis Chevrolet	9	452	1.99%
173	Dutch Bauman	9	90	10.00%
174	Len Sutton	9	708	1.27%
175	Jimmy Daywalt	8	999	0.80%
176	Pancho Carter	8	2,141	0.37%
177	Jim Crawford	8	1,043	0.77%
178	Scott Pruett	8	592	1.35%
179	Don Freeland	7	1,311	0.53%
180	Roger McCluskey	7	2,155	0.32%
181	Zachary Claman DeMelo	7	199	3.52%
182	Spencer Pigot	7	981	0.71%
183	Ira Hall	6	485	1.24%
184	Cecil Green	5	217	2.30%
185	Jimmy Jackson	5	845	0.59%
186	Spencer Wishart	5	604	0.83%
187	Steve Krisiloff	5	1,387	0.36%
188	E. J. Viso	5	843	0.59%
189	James Jakes	5	599	0.83%
190	Fred Belcher	4	200	2.00%
191	Cliff Durant	4	888	0.45%
192	Mike Mosley	4	1,615	0.25%
193	Buzz Calkins	4	1,056	0.38%
194	Sam Schmidt	4	110	3.64%
195	Sébastien Bourdais	4	Active driver
196	Oliver Askew	4	91	4.40%
197	Sage Karam	4	Active driver
198	Santino Ferrucci	4	Active driver
199	George Snider	3	1,832	0.16%
200	Davey Hamilton	3	1,783	0.17%
201	Scott Sharp	3	2,180	0.14%
202	Bryan Herta	3	965	0.31%
203	Adrian Fernández	3	583	0.51%
204	Mario Moraes	3	211	1.42%
205	Bryan Clauson	3	305	0.98%
206	Stefan Wilson	3	Active driver
207	Caleb Bragg	2	269	0.74%
208	Teddy Tetzlaff	2	371	0.54%
209	Joe Dawson	2	445	0.45%	1	1912
210	Robert Evans	2	158	1.27%
211	Paul Bost	2	66	3.03%
212	Herb Ardinger	2	884	0.23%
213	Dan Gurney	2	1,204	0.17%
214	Roger Rager	2	55	3.64%
215	Don Whittington	2	547	0.37%
216	John Andretti	2	1,852	0.11%
217	Robby McGehee	2	887	0.23%
218	Tora Takagi	2	379	0.53%
219	Jaques Lazier	2	979	0.20%
220	Rubens Barrichello	2	200	1.00%
221	James Davison	2	748	0.27%
222	Robert Wickens	2	200	1.00%
223	Jean Chassagne	1	285	0.35%
224	Art Klein	1	413	0.24%
225	Roscoe Sarles	1	354	0.28%
226	Howdy Wilcox II	1	200	0.50%
227	Fred Agabashian	1	1,273	0.08%
228	Jack Brabham	1	510	0.20%
229	Bobby Allison	1	113	0.88%
230	Bill Vukovich II	1	1,527	0.07%
231	Tim Richmond	1	388	0.26%
232	Gordon Smiley	1	188	0.53%
233	Scott Brayton	1	1,905	0.05%
234	Stéphan Grégoire	1	760	0.13%
235	Jeff Simmons	1	609	0.16%
236	Mikhail Aleshin	1	524	0.19%
Note	Lora L. Corum*	0			1	1924
	Floyd Davis*	0			1	1941

* Lora L. Corum and Floyd Davis are credited as being co-winners of the Indianapolis 500 in 1924 and 1941, respectively. However, as the winning entries in either race led only after their secondary drivers drove (and to the conclusion), Corum and Davis are not credited with leading any of those laps, nor did they lead throughout the remainder of their careers.

Lap Leaders, Individual Races

Most Laps Led

Fifty-seven of one hundred five Indianapolis 500-Mile Races have been won by the driver leading the most laps, 54.29%.

Year	Leader, Most Laps	Laps Led	Percentage Race Led	Won Race
1911	Ray Harroun	88	44.0%	Yes
1912	1 Ralph DePalma	196	98.0%	No
1913	Jules Goux	138	69.0%	Yes
1914	René Thomas	102	51.0%	Yes
1915	1 Ralph DePalma	132	66.0%	Yes
1916	1 Dario Resta	103	85.8%	Yes
1919	Howdy Wilcox	98	49.0%	Yes
1920	Joe Boyer	93	46.5%	No
1921	1 Ralph DePalma	108	54.0%	No
1922	Jimmy Murphy	153	76.5%	Yes
1923	Tommy Milton	128	64.0%	Yes
1924	Earl Cooper	119	59.5%	No
1925	Peter DePaolo	115	57.5%	Yes
1926	Frank Lockhart	95	59.4%	Yes
1927		110	55.0%	No
1928	Leon Duray	64	32.0%	No
1929	Louis Meyer	65	32.5%	No
1930	Billy Arnold	198	99.0%	Yes
1931		155	77.5%	No
1932	Fred Frame	58	29.0%	Yes
1933	Louis Meyer	71	35.5%	Yes
1934	Frank Brisko	69	29.5%	No
1935	Kelly Petillo	102	51.0%	Yes
1936	Louis Meyer	96	48.0%	Yes
1937	Wilbur Shaw	131	65.5%	Yes
1938	Floyd Roberts	92	46.0%	Yes
	Jimmy Snyder			No
1939	Louis Meyer	79	39.5%	No
1940	Wilbur Shaw	136	68.0%	Yes
1941		107	53.5%	No
1946	2 George Robson	138	69.0%	Yes
1947	Bill Holland	143	71.5%	No
1948	Mauri Rose	81	40.5%	Yes
1949	Bill Holland	146	83.0%	Yes
1950	Johnnie Parsons	115	83.3%	Yes
1951	Lee Wallard	159	79.5%	Yes
1952	Bill Vukovich	150	75.0%	No
1953		195	97.5%	Yes
1954		90	45.0%	Yes
1955	Bob Sweikert	86	43.0%	Yes
1956	Pat Flaherty	127	63.5%	Yes
1957	Sam Hanks	136	68.0%	Yes
1958	Jimmy Bryan	139	69.5%	Yes
1959	Rodger Ward	130	65.0%	Yes
1960	Jim Rathmann	100	50.0%	Yes
1961	A.J. Foyt	71	35.5%	Yes
1962	Parnelli Jones	120	60.0%	No
1963		167	83.5%	Yes
1964	A.J. Foyt	146	73.0%	Yes
1965	Jim Clark	190	95.0%	Yes
1966	Lloyd Ruby	68	34.0%	No
1967	Parnelli Jones	171	85.5%	No
1968	Bobby Unser	127	63.5%	Yes
1969	1 Mario Andretti	116	58.0%	Yes
1970	Al Unser	190	95.0%	Yes
1971		103	51.5%	Yes
1972	Gary Bettenhausen	138	69.0%	No
1973	Gordon Johncock	64	48.1%	Yes
1974	Johnny Rutherford	122	61.0%	Yes
1975	Wally Dallenbach	96	55.2%	No
1976	Johnny Rutherford	48	47.1%	Yes
1977	Gordon Johncock	129	64.5%	No
1978	Al Unser	121	60.5%	Yes
1979	Bobby Unser	89	44.5%	No
1980	Johnny Rutherford	118	59.0%	Yes
1981	Bobby Unser	89	44.5%	Yes
1982	Rick Mears	77	38.5%	No
1983	Tom Sneva	98	49.0%	Yes
1984	Rick Mears	119	59.5%	Yes
1985	1 Mario Andretti	107	53.5%	No
1986	Rick Mears	76	38.0%	No
1987	1 Mario Andretti	170	85.0%	No
1988	Danny Sullivan	91	45.5%	No
1989	Emerson Fittipaldi	158	79.0%	Yes
1990		128	64.0%	No
1991	Michael Andretti	97	48.5%	No
1992		160	80.0%	No
1993	1 Mario Andretti	72	36.0%	No
1994	Emerson Fittipaldi	145	72.5%	No
1995	Maurício Gugelmin	59	29.5%	No
1996	Roberto Guerrero	47	23.5%	No
1997	Tony Stewart	64	32.0%	No
1998	Eddie Cheever	76	38.0%	Yes
1999	Kenny Bräck	66	33.0%	Yes
2000	Juan Pablo Montoya	167	83.5%	Yes
2001	Hélio Castroneves	52	26.0%	Yes
2002	Tomas Scheckter	85	42.5%	No
2003		63	31.5%	No
2004	Buddy Rice	91	50.5%	Yes
2005	Sam Hornish, Jr.	77	38.5%	No
2006	Dan Wheldon	148	74.0%	No
2007	Tony Kanaan	83	50.0%	No
2008	Scott Dixon	115	57.5%	Yes
2009		73	36.5%	No
2010	Dario Franchitti	155	77.5%	Yes
2011	Scott Dixon	73	36.5%	No
2012	Marco Andretti	59	29.5%	No
2013	Ed Carpenter	37	18.5%	No
2014	Ryan Hunter-Reay	56	28.0%	Yes
2015	Scott Dixon	84	42.0%	No
2016	Ryan Hunter-Reay	52	26.0%	No
2017	Max Chilton	50	25.0%	No
2018	Ed Carpenter	65	32.5%	No
2019	Simon Pagenaud	116	58.0%	Yes
2020	Scott Dixon	111	55.5%	No
2021	Conor Daly	40	20.0%	No

50%+ Race Laps Led, non-winning entries

Twenty separate entries in equal years, driven by sixteen drivers, have failed to win despite leading over half a given race's completed laps.

Rank	Year	Driver	Laps Led	Race Percentage	Final Pos
1	1912	Ralph DePalma	196	98.0%	11
2	1967	Parnelli Jones	171	85.5%	6
3	1987	Mario Andretti	170	85.0%	9
4	1992	Michael Andretti	160	80.0%	13
5	1931	Billy Arnold	155	77.5%	19
6	1952	Bill Vukovich	150	75.0%	17
7	2006	Dan Wheldon	148	74.0%	4
8	1994	Emerson Fittipaldi	145	72.5%	17
9	1947	Bill Holland	143	71.5%	2
10	1972	Gary Bettenhausen	138	69.0%	14
11	1977	Gordon Johncock	129	64.5%	11
12	1990	Emerson Fittipaldi	128	64.0%	3
13	1962	Parnelli Jones	120	60.0%	7
14	1924	Earl Cooper	119	59.5%	2
15	2020	Scott Dixon	111	55.5%	2
16	1927	Frank Lockhart	110	55.0%	10
17	1921	Ralph DePalma	108	54.0%	12
18	1941	Wilbur Shaw	107	53.5%	18
	1985	Mario Andretti			2
20	1975	Wally Dallenbach	96	55.2%	9

Notes

₁ Italian-born

₂ British-born

₃ French-born

₄ Swiss-born

Lap Leader records

Most races led Drivers leading in at least ten races Background colors designate finishing position
Races Led	Driver	Years
14	Tony Kanaan	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
	Scott Dixon	2003	2006	2007	2008	2009	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2017	2019	2020	2021
13	A. J. Foyt	1961	1962	1964	1965	1967	1969	1970	1974	1975	1976	1977	1979	1982
	Hélio Castroneves	2001	2002	2003	2006	2007	2009	2010	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2021
11	Al Unser	1970	1971	1973	1977	1978	1979	1983	1987	1988	1992	1993
	Mario Andretti	1966	1969	1980	1981	1984	1985	1987	1989	1991	1992	1993
10	Bobby Unser	1968	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1977	1979	1980	1981

Most consecutive races led Ten drivers have led in five or more consecutive* races.
Years		Driver
8	2013—2020	Will Power
7	2002—2008	Tony Kanaan
	2012—2018	Tony Kanaan
6	1979—1984	Rick Mears
	2011—2016	Alex Tagliani
5	1938—1946	Rex Mays
	1940—1948	Mauri Rose
	1971—1975	Bobby Unser
	1980—1984	Tom Sneva
	2011—2015	Scott Dixon
	2013—2017	Helio Castroneves
* Rex Mays and Mauri Rose led the race in periods extending nine years each, but are counted as leading in five consecutive due to the cancellation of the race, from 1942—1945, due to World War II

Most race laps led by winning entry Eleven entries, all to date starting from the front row* have won in dominant fashion, leading three-quarters or more of a given race's completed laps.
Laps Led	Percent Race Led	Year	Winning Driver	Start Pos
198	99.0%	1930	Billy Arnold	1
195	97.5%	1953	Bill Vukovich	1
190	95.0%	1965	Jim Clark	2
		1970	Al Unser	1
103	85.8%	1916	Dario Resta	4*
167	83.5%	1963	Parnelli Jones	1
		2000	Juan Pablo Montoya	2
159	79.5%	1951	Lee Wallard	2
158	79.0%	1989	Emerson Fittipaldi	3
155	77.5%	2010	Dario Franchitti	3
153	76.5%	1922	Jimmy Murphy	1
* With four-wide starts occurring in years 1913-1920, Dario Resta started on the front row in 1916.

Fewest race laps led by winning entry Fourteen entries have won despite leading only ten percent (20 laps / 50 miles) or less of a given race.
Laps Led	Percent Race Led	Year	Driver	Start Pos
1	0.5%	2011	Dan Wheldon	6
2	1.0%	1912	Joe Dawson	7
9	4.5%	2015	Juan-Pablo Montoya	15
10	5.0%	1966	Graham Hill	15
11	6.3%	1975	Bobby Unser	3
13	6.5%	1972	Mark Donohue	3
14	7.0%	1920	Gaston Chevrolet	6
		2016	Alexander Rossi	11
15	7.5%	1995	Jacques Villeneuve	5
16	8.0%	1993	Emerson Fittipaldi	9
17	8.5%	2017	Takuma Sato	4
18	9.0%	1987	Al Unser	20
19	9.5%	1928	Louis Meyer	13
		2006	Sam Hornish, Jr.	1

Most race laps led by non-winning entry Six entries have failed to win despite dominating to lead three-quarters or more of a given race's completed laps.
Laps Led	Percent Race Led	Year	Driver	Start Pos	Final Pos
196	98.0%	1912	Ralph DePalma	7	11
171	85.5%	1967	Parnelli Jones	6	6
170	85.0%	1987	Mario Andretti	1	9
160	80.0%	1992	Michael Andretti	6	13
155	77.5%	1931	Billy Arnold	18	19
150	75.0%	1952	Bill Vukovich	8	17

Most laps led from start Eleven entries have led the opening quarter (50 laps / 125 miles) or further distance of a given race.
Laps	Year	Driver	Full Laps Led	Percent Race Led	Start Pos	Final Pos
92	1990	Emerson Fittipaldi	128	64.0%	1	3
81	1927	Frank Lockhart	110	55.0%	1	18
74	1922	Jimmy Murphy	153	76.5%	1	1
65	1919	Ralph DePalma	93	46.5%	4*	6
63	1935	Rex Mays	89	44.5%	1	17
59	1962	Parnelli Jones	120	60.0%	1	7
54	1925	Peter DePaolo	115	57.5%	2	1
	1928	Leon Duray	59	29.5%	1	19
51	1967	Parnelli Jones	177	88.5%	6	6
50	1971	Mark Donohue	52	26.0%	2	25
	1997	Tony Stewart	64	32.0%	2	5
* With four-wide starts occurring in years 1913-1920, Ralph DePalma started on the front row in 1919.

Led opening lap and final lap: 21 entries among 19 drivers

• Jimmy Murphy, 1922
• Joe Boyer, 1924 (only occasion of occurrence in separate entries)
• Peter DePaolo, 1925
• Lee Wallard, 1951
• Bill Vukovich, 1953
• Jimmy Bryan, 1958
• Jim Clark, 1965
• Mario Andretti, 1969
• Al Unser, 1970
• Johnny Rutherford, 1976
• Johnny Rutherford, 1980
• Bobby Unser, 1981
• Rick Mears, 1984
• Emerson Fittipaldi, 1989
• Rick Mears, 1991
• Al Unser, Jr., 1994
• Buddy Rice, 2004
• Scott Dixon, 2008
• Hélio Castroneves, 2009
• Dario Franchitti, 2010
• Simon Pagenaud, 2019

Led opening lap, consecutive races Eight drivers have led the opening race lap in consecutive races.
Years		Driver
2	1922—1923	Jimmy Murphy
	1928—1929	Leon Duray
	1935—1936	Rex Mays
	1940—1941
	1954—1955	Jack McGrath
	1964—1965	Jim Clark
	1972—1973	Bobby Unser
	1989—1990	Emerson Fittipaldi
	1996—1997	Tony Stewart

Most laps led by rookie Nine drivers have led one quarter (50 laps / 125 miles) or further race distance in their first year of competition.
Laps	Percent Race Led	Year	Driver	Start Pos	Final Pos
167	83.5%	2000	Juan Pablo Montoya	2	1
143	71.5%	1947	Bill Holland	8	2
138	69.0%	1913	Jules Goux	7	1
102	51.0%	1914	René Thomas	15	1
95	59.4%	1926	Frank Lockhart	20	1
85	42.5%	2002	Tomas Scheckter	10	26
77	38.5%	1914	Arthur Duray	10	2
52	26.0%	2001	Hélio Castroneves	11	1
51	25.5%	1927	George Souders	22	1

Latest lead change Races with final lead change taking place at or within five laps of finish
Lap	Year	Winner	Passed
200	2006	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Marco Andretti
	2011	Dan Wheldon	J. R. Hildebrand
199	1912	Joe Dawson	* Ralph DePalma
	1989	Emerson Fittipaldi	Al Unser, Jr.
	1999	Kenny Bräck	Robby Gordon
	2012	Dario Franchitti	Scott Dixon
	2019	Simon Pagenaud	Alexander Rossi
198	1961	A. J. Foyt	Eddie Sachs
	1986	Bobby Rahal	Kevin Cogan
	2013	Tony Kanaan	Ryan Hunter-Reay
197	1960	Jim Rathmann	Rodger Ward
	1967	A.J. Foyt	Parnelli Jones
	2014	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Hélio Castroneves
	2015	Juan Pablo Montoya	Will Power
	2016	Alexander Rossi	Carlos Muñoz
196	1995	Jacques Villeneuve**	Scott Goodyear**
	2018	Will Power	Stefan Wilson
* DePalma became a U.S. citizen in 1920.
** Scoring for lead position changed, without on-track overtake occurring, due to official disqualification of Goodyear after lap 195.

Most Leaders in Race Races with ten or more race leaders
Leaders	Year	Winner
15	2017	Takuma Sato
	2018	Will Power
14	2013	Tony Kanaan
13	2016	Alexander Rossi
12	1993	Emerson Fittipaldi
11	2014	Ryan Hunter-Reay
	2020	Takuma Sato
10	1980	Johnny Rutherford
	1995	Jacques Villeneuve
	1998	Eddie Cheever
	2011	Dan Wheldon
	2012	Dario Franchitti
	2015	Juan Pablo Montoya
	2019	Simon Pagenaud

Fewest Leaders in Race Races with three or fewer race leaders
Leaders	Year	Winner
2	1930	Billy Arnold
	1965	Jim Clark
3	1912	Joe Dawson
	1916	Dario Resta
	1919	Howdy Wilcox
	1938	Floyd Roberts
	1940	Wilbur Shaw
	1947	Mauri Rose
	1950	Johnnie Parsons
	1952	Troy Ruttman
	1967	A. J. Foyt
	1968	Bobby Unser
	1990	Arie Luyendyk
	1994	Al Unser, Jr.

Most Lead Changes in Race Races with twenty-five or more lead changes
Lead Changes	Year	Winner
68	2013	Tony Kanaan
54	2016	Alexander Rossi
37	2015	Juan Pablo Montoya
35	2017	Takuma Sato
34	2012	Dario Franchitti
	2014	Ryan Hunter-Reay
30	2018	Will Power
29	1960	Jim Rathmann
	2019	Simon Pagenaud
28	1923	Tommy Milton
27	2005	Dan Wheldon

Fewest Lead Changes in Race Races with three or fewer lead changes
Lead Changes	Year	Winner
1	1930	Billy Arnold
2	1912	Joe Dawson
	1916	Dario Resta
3	1919	Howdy Wilcox
	1931	Louis Schneider
	1949	Bill Holland

Leaders Circle Club

In 1964, Autolite created the "Pacemakers Club," which recognized drivers who had led at least one lap during the Indianapolis 500. It quickly rose in stature and popularity, and became a highly sought-after honor associated with the Indianapolis 500. After changes in sponsorship, the organization was renamed the "Leaders Circle Club".

The qualifications were simple: any driver who had led at least one lap during the history of the race, whether living or already deceased, were recognized as members. At its inception, 102 drivers were listed as members. A total of 56 were deceased at the time, and 46 were living.

Honorees receive a jacket, and are honored at a banquet in their honor. The number of new members inducted at the banquet varies annually, as it is solely based on the previous year's first-time lap leaders. Some years can have as few as one or zero new members inducted, while other years have had as many as 4-5. The "club" is still active as of 2012.

References

• IMS Official Statistics: List of Lap Leaders
• Compilations of Indianapolis Star and Indianapolis News breakdowns of individual 500-mile (800 km) races
• Indianapolis 500 Chronicle, Rick Popely, June 1998