This March, fans can choose their Dream line-up of 33 with TheGreatest33.com
By now, you have probably heard about a little (and by little, we mean HUGE) web project called TheGreatest33.com. Hopefully, you have visited TheGreatest33.com by now as well. Fans that enter their email addresses now will receive a special insider email with an access code to see the website prior to its actual launch. It’s that easy– want to view the site the same week as the media and celebrities can? You can.
As if that isn’t enough, we’ve pulled together a pretty slick video displaying some of the more-prolific moments in the history of the Indianapolis 500. With the official website launch weeks away (get here FASTER, please!), we decided to look back through this video and pick out some of the facts and trivia that fans may (or may not) know.
Starting today and leading up to the official launch of TheGreatest33.com, we will be posting a few trivia questions a week about TheGreatest33.com video. Once the question is posted, fans can use the video (or their memory) to discover the answers. Play along with us and post your guesses below or on Facebook or Twitter. The answers will be posted here the day after they are first asked. Pretty easy, kind of fun, but definitely cool history that will get you as excited as we are about TheGreatest33.com and what’s in store for fans this March!
Wednesday, February 2 – TheGreatest33.com Video Trivia Question #1
Q: Only two drivers are seen in the video holding up fingers to signify what win they had just achieved, who are they?
A: Louis Meyer #3 in 1936 and Johnny Rutherford #3 in 1980
Saturday, February 5 – TheGreatest33.com Video Trivia Question #2
Q: Who is the only driver seen in the video finishing second in the Indianapolis 500 and then again in Victory Lane?
A: Rick Mears – second in 1982 to Gordon Johncock and in Victory Lane in 1979.
Tuesday, February 8 – TheGreatest33.com Video Trivia Question #3
Q: On the scoring pylon shown when Tom Sneva breaks 200 mph – who are the four drivers that have already qualified?
A: 21 – Al Unser, 14 – A.J. Foyt, 60 – Johnny Parsons and 18 – George Snyder
Sunday, February 13 – TheGreatest33.com Video Trivia Question #4
Q: The Borg-Warner trophy is seen with how many different drivers in the video?
A: 12
Thursday, February 17 – TheGreatest33.com Video Trivia Question #5
Q: How many different drivers drink milk, hold milk, or spill milk in the video?
A: 7
Sunday, February 27 – TheGreatest33.com Video Trivia Question #6
Q: Which three drivers are seen holding a newspaper proclaiming their Indy 500 win?
Answer to Trivia Question #1
Johnny Rutherford
Louis Meyer
This is going to be great! As a life-long resident in Brownsburg, I could hear engines at the track, 9 miles away. Saw my first 500 in 1964 when I was 5 years old. I can’t wait to put in my 33! By the way, Q1: Louis Meyer and Johnny Rutherford.
Q1: To be honest, I think there may be 3 people holding fingers up: Louis Meyer (3 fingers – 1st 3x winner), Johnny Rutherford (3 fingers – 3rd win in ’80), and Bill Vukovich (seems to be holding 2 fingers up – paper says Vuky wins 500 again, which would be ’54). It’s brief, but I think he’s got 2 fingers up. Could be wrong, but that’s what I’ll go with.
Q: Only two drivers are seen in the video holding up fingers to signify what win they had just achieved, who are they?
A: Louis Meyer #3 in 1936 and Johnny Rutherford #3 in 1980
David C….you are correct. Vukovich DID hold up 2 fingers in Victory Lane in 1954… He held up 1..the middle one… in 1952 as Ruttman went by..just kidding but I think he was thinking it. I would have . LOL.
What troubles me personally about the video is that it will create bias towards the selection of certain drivers. Just because certain drivers were involved in dramatic Indy 500 moments doesn’t mean they’re among the greatest EVER. More than anything I want to see how my list stacks up against Donald Davidson’s list, or how it compares to some of you who obviously know a great deal about Indy History. It’s going to be a blast defending our picks. I’m certain I’ve got at least one person on my list that in all likelyhood won’t win the popular vote. I’ll defend that pick to the hilt even though he’s starting 33rd in my Fantasy 500 lineup.
CAN YOU SAY “NUMBER 1 IS VUKOVICH!”
Q2: I would say the driver that finished 2nd but appeared in victory lane was Rick Mears after the close finish to Johncock in 1982.
The Answer to ques. # 2 is Rick Mears
My list of 33 will contain all multiple winners. In all likelihood, we’ll all agree on the top 22; only debate the last 11. Do we need the distinguished panel of media to keep us in line?
answer to #2 is AJ Foyt
“…distinguished panel of media…” An oxymoron! Speaking of morons, I hope Robin Miller won’t be a part of it! Other than that…no opinion!
I agree that most will have past winners in their “33″ but there are non winners who IMHO have often been “better than the winners”. Can you say the “Clown Prince…Eddie Sachs”?
Q: Who is the only driver seen in the video finishing second in the Indianapolis 500 and in Victory Lane?
A: Rick Mears – second in 1982 to Gordon Johncock and in Victory Lane in 1979.
THE BEST 33 DRIVERS TO COMPETE IN THE INDIANAPOLIS 500
Bill Vukovich Sr. Sam Hanks
Wilbur Shaw Dan Weldon
Louis Meyer Tom Sneva
Troy Ruttman Al Unser Sr.
A J Foyt Al Unser Jr.
Rex Mays Art Cross
Ted Horn Emerson Fittipaldi
Tony Bettenhausen Dario Franchitti
Jim Rathmann
Jimmy Bryan
Loyd Ruby
Rick Mears
Bobby Marshman
Mario Andretti
Mike Mosley
Bill Vukovich Jr.
Bill Holland
Ralph De Palma
Howdy Wilcox
Billy Arnold
Tommy Milton
Parnelli Jones
Jimmy Murphy
Mauri Rose
Frank Lockhart
Question 4: This is a good one! In order: Al Unser, A.J. Foyt, Johnny Parson, George Snider!
Oh Dennis. I KNOW you know your Indy history. I’ve read all of your posts and your opinion carries weight. How can you leave Rodger Ward and Gordon Johncock off your top 33? Tony Bettenhausen was a fantastic racer, but his Indy record isn’t spectacular. He lead ONE RACE at Indy. What about Mr. Ray Harroun? He built his own car, made a pretty significant invention and had a perfect batting average at Indy. For what it’s worth my list has 4 non-winners on it.
PS I’m sending you a friend request at facebook.
I look at the top 33 differently than most, i guess. Ray H. , in my opinion, couldnt be one of the top33, he raced only once there and really never had a chance to prove his greatness at the Speedway. Tony ran there a lot and was always actually in contention but bad luck plauged him as it did his son, Gary. I look at the driver, his line around the speedway, how fast he was and his consistency. As a young boy I studied the different lines drivers took, entry into the turns, exit, and basically how they ran the track. As a young teenager i went around to all the observation points with different drivers to watch drivers and ask questions. I knew the Speedway like the back of my hand. To be one of my top 33 you didnt have to win the 500 but be one of the best drivers there. So many times the best didnt win..Bettenhausen, Hurtubise, Marshman, Horn etc. The only driver no one could deny if they knew anything about the Speedway is…Vukovich. I ve never known a driver who raced against him at INDY , and those who didnt who would deny he was the best. I had my picture takem with Ray Harroun with me sitting in the Marmon Wasp in 1960. I lived a dream.
REMEMBER…Its simply my OPINION..and we all know the story and definition of an OPINION….LOL ANYONE..who ever made the field of any 500 was one of the greatest race drivers ever! But how many out there who never even went to the Speedway COULD have been ????
I agree it should be mix of winners and non-winners. In my list, I included all multiple winners (winning one is hard; winning more then one gets you on the list!). But I also included drivers with “significant” contributions to the race and the sport. The subjective nature of “significant” should create some interesting conversation going forward!
Q: On the scoring pylon shown when Tom Sneva breaks 200 mph – who are the four drivers that have already qualified?
A: 21 – Al Unser, 14 – A.J. Foyt, 60 – Johnny Parsons and 18 – George Snyder
Huge Indy 500 fan here. Want to be friends on Facebook, send a request, and tell me you are a ’500′ fan. I will accept.
Long live the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Oh, my name on Facebook is Rick Ravon.
The borg-warner trophy can be seen 9 times.
The Borg-Warner trophy appears 11 times in the video.
Hey Denis, if Mosely makes the list so should Dan Gurney and Alberto Ascari. There were two drivers named Howdy Wilcox that were not related. Wich one are you refering to? If you are going to put Wheldon on the list you should also put Hornish on the list. They both have the same amount of 500 wins and Hornish won won INDYCAR championships. The statistics should play in to this. Foyt is by far the greatest race car driver of all time but Unser Sr. has the stats at The Speedway. DePalma held the record for the most laps lead until 1987 when Big Al broke it. Mears won 4 faster than Foyt and Unser and Helio has the same amount of wins as Shaw and Rutherford and two more wins than Mario. There is enough multiple 500 winners that guys like Mario, Clark and Jones should have a hard time making the list. There are guys that did not win The 500 like Barney Oldfeild, Micheal Andretti and Eddie Rickenbacker that add to its mystique and history. This is going to upset a lot of Earnhart fans but to be great you have to live to tell about it. Voucki and Clark get effected by that rule. The greatest 33 drivers of The Indianapolis 500 are going to be hard to dtetermine. There were a lot of great drivers and a few stand out more thatn others. That does not make them great, or do they deserve to be on this list. Guys like Gurney, Ascari, Jackie Stewart, Barney Oldfeild, E.G. “Cannonball” Baker, David Hobbs, Cale Yarbrough & Nigle Mansell are great drivers who all drove in the 500. None of them make the list. Take a long look at the stats and the drivers we still talk about every May and then make your list. Stats don’t lie.
AJ..As I said, its just my educated opinion. I do not judeg the best onky by wins as there were so many better drivers who didnt win than those who did. I base my “opinion” on my knowledge of drivers based on stories, read and told, seen driving and the way they ran the track . Many rides around the Speedway with a lot of different drivers and their comments etc as we were going around the track in one of the pace cars. ie Dan Wheldon…I think is a great Indy driver the way he runs the track etc. Also, the type equipment the drivers had also counts. Mosely never had the equipment afforded so many others. If he had..he would have won…maybe. Equipment has so much to do with it. A very famous 500 winner and i talked about the greatest 33 ansd as he ssaid, “The team wins the 500 now.” It wasnt always that way. The Howdy i refer to is the one who won the 500 in 1920 and competed in 11 500 s. I m no expert, but, I once was a very well informed, well known Indianapolis 500 historian. Thru the 50 s and 60 s , I lived a dream! I spent a whole lot of time with drivers back in the day and knew pretty much all the drivers from that era well. Remember, its just my opinion, be it a very well informed opinion. One of the people who can vouch for my credentails writes this blog. Buts its still nothing more than an opinion.
AJ…BTW Gary Bettenhausen was one I had a hard time not including as well as JR. They are both very good friends…known Gary since we were kids….JR since 1960..before he ever ran at the Speedway.
Question 4: The Borg-Warner trophy is shown with 9 drivers in the video
Q: The Borg-Warner trophy is seen with how many different drivers in the video?
A: 12
These trivia questions are fun. It looks like 7 times with the milk.
7 are with the milk.
AJ Hahn brings up some interesting arguments. For the record, I’m basing my list of 33 on their performances IN THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 only. Obviously that’s what the Greatest 33 project is about. That having been said, if we’re going to talk about the greatest 33 drivers ever to start in the Indy 500, my list looks vastly different. Rich Vogler, Mel Kenyon, Steve Kinser, Jan Opperman, Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell, Cale Yarbourough, Tommy Hinnershitz, Bobby Allison now become drivers I consider.
Q: How many different drivers drink milk, hold milk, or spill milk in the video?
A: 7
The 3 drivers are Bill Vukovich, Jim Clark, and Roger Ward.