When Al takes the chequered flag, it extends his career total of "laps led" to 613, thus breaking the record held by Ralph DePalma since 1921.
1989: EMMO AND LITTLE AL
Al Unser Jr., who did not make a pit stop during a late-race yellow, while Emerson Fittipaldi did, finds himself being "reeled in" by Fittipaldi down the backstretch with 1˝ laps to go. Several lapped cars are just ahead. Suddenly, just before the end of the backstretch, Fittipaldi whips to the inside and draws alongside Unser. They are side by side - Fittipaldi on the inside - as they negotiate Turn 3. They rub wheels. Unser's car is thrown out of control and he executes a half-spin into the wall. The yellow flag flies, along with the white, and the Pace Car picks up the field. Fittipaldi, fearing for his young friend's life, is greatly relieved to see "Little Al" standing safely at the side of the track and giving him a double-thumbs-up.
1990: ARIE WINS AT 185
Arie Luyendyk takes the lead from Bobby Rahal on Lap 168 and goes on to win in record time. Because the race has been slowed by caution periods only four times - each of them very brief - Luyendyk is able to complete 500 miles in only 2 hours, 41 minutes, 18.404 seconds for an average speed of 185.981 mph. Not only is this a record by a considerable margin, but it will still be solidly standing 15 years later. And it exceeds Ray Harroun's 1911 time by four hours.
1991: "WILLY T." MAKES HISTORY
With barely 45 minutes of qualifying time remaining, Willy T. Ribbs finally overcomes a month filled with mechanical woes and puts together four trouble-free laps to become the first African-American driver ever to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. He rolls slowly down the pit lane after qualifying at 217.358 mph and hoists himself halfway out of the cockpit. Everywhere he looks he sees arms waving in the air. Under threatening skies, the crowd is far from a record, but everyone in it is wildly enthusiastic about what they have just witnessed.
1991: AROUND THE OUTSIDE FOR RICK AND MICHAEL
The fans in Turn 1 are treated to a phenomenal sight late in the race when Michael Andretti out-accelerates Rick Mears on a restart and then passes Mears through the turn ON THE OUTSIDE. This is a rarely seen manoeuvre, but the fans don't have very long to wait before they see it again. To the amazement of everyone – Michael included - Mears performs a breathtaking outside pass of his own, this one at full speed, on the very next lap. While Michael hangs on for second, Mears goes on to join A. J. Foyt and Al Unser as a four-time winner of the "500."
1992: THE CLOSEST FINISH EVER
Following a late-race caution, Al Unser Jr., leads Scott Goodyear on a restart at Lap 194 and many are surprised to see a tenacious Goodyear (who started 33rd) hang with the leader. The separation between the two hardly varies until, coming out of the final turn, Unser gets a little sideways. Goodyear dives for the inside and almost draws alongside, failing to pip Unser at the line by an official margin of .043 of a second, for the closest finish ever.
2001: HELIO CLIMBS THE FENCE
Just one year after a Colombian rookie,
Juan Pablo Montoya, has won the race, another South American rookie triumphs. This time it is Brazilian Helio Castroneves. The effervescent Castroneves breaks with the long-standing tradition of driving straight to Victory Circle, instead stopping at the start/finish line on the next lap, climbing out and then running across the track to scale the fence. Many of his crew members run across from the pits and follow suit.
2005: DANICA LEADS!
On a restart at Lap 190, the crowd goes wild when leader Dan Wheldon is out-accelerated by 23-year-old rookie Danica Patrick. Earlier, on Lap 56, during "pit stop shuffles," Danica had become the first female ever to lead the "500." She holds the lead this time for four laps until finally repassed by Wheldon. She ends up fourth, but the ovation afforded her during the final laps is as loud as anything heard in years. After 27 years, Janet Guthrie's 1978 ninth-place finish is no longer the highest ever by a woman.
