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IndyCar has witnessed some of motorsport's closest and picture-perfect finishes. The series has had races on unforgiving yet iconic ovals, under the lights on road tracks and new-age street tracks.
Although the heart of the American open-wheel racing series lies at the Indy 500, there have been countless moments where legends of the sport have impressed on various circuits. Moreover, it being a spec series only adds to the unpredictability and thrill because, on a given day, even a rookie can upset seasoned drivers to emerge triumphant.
Considering the plethora of photo finishes, it's difficult to brand any race as the best. Nevertheless, let's take a look at five IndyCar races that left fans blown away but wanting more.
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#5 2016 Indy 500 - Alexander Rossi's great upset at the 100th running of the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing"
The centenary edition of the Indy 500 crowned a new winner in Alexander Rossi, who became the first rookie since Helio Castroneves in 2001 to win the iconic race. The California native, who until a few weeks before the race, was directionless in his career, went from P11 on the starting grid to as low as P29 before winning it.
From start to finish, the duels on the track didn't stop. Rossi wasn't even in the picture for a win until the last 10 laps of the race. As the leading group of Tony Kanaan, Jose Newgarden and Carlos Munoz pitted for fuel, Rossi's team made him stay out.
He took the lead but had to go on a strict fuel conservation strategy. Team co-owner Bryan Herta, father of IndyCar's youngest race winner Colton Herta, coached him turn by turn, lap by lap to bring the win home with a low speed of 179.78 mph.
In comparison, Munoz, who finished runner-up after loading on fuel during the pit stop, was traveling at a speed of 218.79 mph.
"This is the greatest day of my life. I have no idea how we pulled that off," Rossi said post-race (via IndyCar).
#4 2015 MAVTV 500 - The greatest IndyCar race no one saw
The 2015 MAVTV 500 gave IndyCar fans everything that they wished for. The race featured a mammoth 80 lead changes among 14 drivers before Graham Rahal took the win to end a 124-race winless streak.
The Auto Racing Club Speedway gave drivers enough room to go four-wide, turning it into a pack race. It was a relatively clean race overall, barring Ryan Briscoe's airborne crash, who, fortunately, emerged unscathed. Graham Rahal, who won the race under caution, said post-race:
"I was going four-wide and thinking, ‘Man, I haven’t been four wide in six or seven years.’ It makes you nervous, for sure. You trust the guys.
"When you’re running up front you’re hoping you’re with all the best guys. I was racing with Kanaan and (Scott) Dixon and Power, and then Hunter-Reay a lot, so to trust those around you helps a lot. It was a hairy racing."
#3 1992 Indy 500 - 0.043 seconds separate the top two
The 1992 Indy 500 was memorable for a number of reasons. There were 17 lead changes among six drivers, and Michael Andretti led an impressive 160 out of 200 laps.
However, an unfortunate fuel pump failure on his Newman-Haas car in Lap 190 gifted the lead to Al Unser Jr, who held off Goodyear to record the closest finish in Indy 500 history - by 0.043 seconds.
The race is also remembered for its multiple crashes that injured nine drivers. Michael Andretti's brother Jeff and Nelson Piquet were two of them, sustaining nasty injuries.
#2 2013 Indy 500 - Tony Kanaan's highly anticipated Indy 500 victory
Tony Kanaan took his maiden and only Indy 500 victory in the race's 97th edition in 2013. It was his 12th attempt at conquering the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing," and the Brazilian driver, racing for KC Racing Technologies, finally did it.
With an average speed of 187.43 mph, Tony Kanaan broke the previous record of 185.98 mph set in 1990 by Arie Luyendyk. Kanaan's record would later be broken in 2021.
Kanaan, who began 12th on the grid, got lucky with a caution flag waving with three laps to go after three-time winner Dario Franchitti had crashed in lap 197. The race ended with 27 drivers making it to the chequered flag, breaking the record of 26 set in the first running in 1911.
#1 1985 Indy 500 - Danny Sullivan's "Spin and Win"
The 1985 Indy 500 is a timeless IndyCar classic featuring a move that looked like a Hollywood fabrication. By the halfway mark, only four drivers were in the lead lap, with Mario Andretti leading Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Unser Jr and Danny Sullivan. The rest of them lapped.
After pit stops, Sullivan gained ground to secure second place, behind Andretti. On Lap 120, Sullivan made a picturesque pass on his rival in Turn 1 to take the lead, only to immediately lose the rear of his car and do a 360-degree spin.
However, he kept it away from the barriers and continued with the race. Who would know that Sullivan would spin and retake the lead with 61 laps to go? But lo and behold! He pulled it off and sustained the lead till the end to win IndyCar's cornerstone race.
