The Indianapolis 500 is a race that rewards experience and veteran savviness. But there have been times where a rookie, a first-year driver who has never lined up in the 11 rows of three to start, has never conducted a multitude of pit stops and has never endured a 500-mile race, surprises everyone.
Last Sunday (May 18), rookie Robert Shwartzman stunned the crowd at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he took his first pole in the NTT IndyCar Series. It just so happens to be at the biggest race in the world. With that achievement, he seems destined to earn Rookie of the Year honors before getting to the green flag.
This is not the norm. Every so often, though, there is a rookie that breaks through to somehow adapt to the Speedway so well that not only do they have a great finish, but they do something stunning. It could be a pole like Schwartzman’s, or lead the most laps and put it on the podium. Better, it might be a win.
Here is a list of some of the most promising achievements and accomplishments by rookies in the last 3 decades.
Teo Fabi – 1983
The last rookie polesitter was Teo Fabi, who did it in 1983. Fabi blasted to the top spot with a new track record and led the first 23 laps of the race before dropping out. His effort was just a taste of what he’d do the rest of the year, winning four times and finishing second in points to Al Unser.
Nigel Mansell – 1993
The reigning Formula 1 champion Nigel Mansell moved to the then-called IndyCar World Series after the 1992 season. With no prior experience in the series, he was classified as a rookie, even with his vast international career. He replaced outgoing Newman-Haas driver Michael Andretti and won his first race at Surfers Paradise.
The British driver never raced on an oval prior to the Indy 500. He even missed the prelude one at Phoenix earlier in the year due to injury. He started eighth and was competitive all day, leading 34 laps.
He was in the hunt for the victory until his lack of oval experience hurt him on the last restart. Emerson Fittipaldi, a former Formula One champion as well, and Arie Luyendyk, a master of high-speed ovals, snookered the British driver when he came to the green too hesitantly. Mansell fell to third at the finish but still won Rookie of the Year. He would later win another 500-mile race at Michigan that year.
Jacques Villeneuve – 1994
This one would be a surprise if you consider that Jacques Villeneuve led just seven laps in the race and had nothing for the dominant Team Penske pushrod engines. But the fact is the rookie Canadian hung around all day and finished on the lead lap with winner Al Unser Jr. He’d return the next year and win in just his second attempt at Indy.
Tony Stewart – 1996
Before becoming a three-time NASCAR Cup Champion, Tony Stewart was a star in the Indy Racing League immediately after the Split. He jumped from USAC open wheelers to the big boys in 1996, winning Rookie of the Year. Theoretically, he started on pole, but only assumed that position after his teammate, Scott Brayton, was killed in a practice crash. Danny Ongais took over Brayton’s car, but had to start from the rear, which promoted Smoke to the pole.
The Columbus, Indiana, native set a record in leading the first 31 laps for a rookie, but just like most Team Menard Buick engines, he suffered mechanical woes, finishing 24th.
Juan Pablo Montoya – 2000
The Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya, then known as simply Juan Montoya, exploded on the American open-wheel racing scene in 1999 by winning the CART championship as a rookie. In 2000, he jumped over with his team, Chip Ganassi Racing, to compete at the Indy 500, the first such team to do so during the Split era. The very unassuming and low-key driver, who hadn’t quite gained the spirit that he later displayed in his career, took to the speedway quickly.
He had the pole lined up until a late qualifying effort by IRL alum Greg Ray took the top spot. Instead, Montoya settled for second when the green fell. Lacking a pole didn’t hurt the fast driver, as he snatched the lead on lap 27. From there, it was pure domination as Montoya put on a masterclass on how to maneuver through traffic. No one touched him all day and he cruised to a shocking win.
He was the first rookie to win the race since 1966 when Englishman Graham Hill, an F1 champion doing a one-off in Indianapolis, won. Montoya ended up starting a three-year run of rookies that performed above expectations.
Helio Castroneves – 2001
As mentioned, prior to Montoya, a rookie winning was unfathomable for over 34 years. It took just 1 more year for it to happen again.
In 2001, Team Penske brought driver Helio Castroneves over from CART to compete in the Indy 500 after Ganassi had bulldozed the door open. The team was not dominant as they learned the intricacies of the different aerodynamics and chassis in the IRL. Castroneves was not up front until the end — a common tactic he’d use to great success down the road — but patiently got to the end of the 500 miles. In a race remembered for a dash to rain that never fully developed, multiple leaders had trouble. It was strategy and survival that got Castroneves upfront.
He held off the charge from his teammate Gil de Ferran and won in his first try at the Brickyard.
Tomas Scheckter, 2002
For the third year in a row, it looked like a rookie was going to win the Indianapolis 500 in 2002. Tomas Scheckter was driving for Cheever Racing and was fast out of the gate to start the season. Unfortunately, he didn’t turn speed in finishes, suffering multiple DNFs, finishing just one race prior to Indy.
He started 10th in his first Memorial Day Classic and jumped to the lead, pacing the field for 85 laps. He seemed well on his way to winning until he crashed coming out of turn four on lap 172.
Scheckter still took home Rookie of the Year honors and a win later in the year.
Danica Patrick – 2005
After the 2005 Indy 500, Danica Patrick became a household name. The female rookie was fast all month, and if not for a bobble during her qualifying run, she might have started on the front row.
She became the first woman to lead the race, and then later had a great shot at winning. With 10 laps to go, she got around Dan Wheldon and assumed the lead but was unable to hold it. Three laps later, Wheldon took it back, and Patrick fell to fourth.
It was still the best finish for a woman in the Indy 500, only bested by Patrick herself in 2009 when she earned third.
Marco Andretti – 2006
Marco-mania kicked off because of the trophy dash to finish in what turned out to be one of the most exciting finishes in the history of the Indy 500.
Marco Andretti had replaced the outgoing Wheldon, who went to Chip Ganassi Racing. The rookie was in the running for a good result, as Wheldon seemed well on his way to repeating as winner, this time in a different ride. But a suspected tire issue forced Wheldon to pit and the race stacked up later.
Two Andrettis paced the field on the last restart, and one lap later, Marco got around his dad for the lead. He then held off Sam Hornish Jr. on the second-to-last lap in turn three, seeming safe to cruise.
But Hornish miraculously caught up and passed Andretti at the start-finish line to win his only Indy 500.
Andretti took home Rookie of the Year. Had he won, he’d usurp Troy Ruttman as the youngest driver ever to do so.
JR Hildebrand – 2011
So close. It was right in front of him. The checkered flag was waving.
That is what JR Hildebrand saw as he came out of turn 4 on the last lap of the 2011 Indianapolis 500. The rookie had kept his car clean all day. It seemed that the race was going to be Dario Franchitti‘s but pit stop strategy forced the Scot to save at the end.
Hildebrand surprisingly leapfrogged the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing machine and was heading to victory. Out of turn 4 for the final time, Hildebrand got too high while overtaking the slower car of Charlie Kimball, and went into the wall.
2005 Indy 500 winner Wheldon went around — he was on the same fuel strategy — and Hildebrand careened down the wall over the bricks in second.
Alexander Rossi – 2016
The 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 had a finish that went down in the history books as unbelievable. Everyone in the stands and watching at home had the same thought: that didn’t happen.
What transpired was the unlikely victory of rookie Alexander Rossi. His No. 98 crew topped him off and, knowing other leaders would need fuel, team strategist and co-owner Bryan Herta coached the American to the finish. He coasted over the Yard of Bricks to win the Greatest Spectacle in Racing in his first attempt on fuel mileage. An astonishing turn of events for a driver still seeking Formula 1 opportunities.
During victory lane celebrations, the mental focus to keep the car at a fuel number during the last stint and not knowing much about the festivities in winning Indy left the rookie seeming stunned during the celebration.
Since that win, Rossi finished second to Simon Pagenaud in the 2019 race.
Heading into the 2025 Indianapolis 500, Shwartzman has a lot of history to live up to. It will all be decided on that first turn on May 25.
Tom is an IndyCar writer at Frontstretch, joining in March 2023. Besides writing the IndyCar Previews and frequent editions of Inside IndyCar, he will hop on as a fill-in guest on the Open Wheel podcast The Pit Straight. A native Hoosier, he calls Fort Wayne home. Follow Tom on Twitter @TomBlackburn42.