The 107th running of the Indy 500 will take place on Sunday, May 28. There have been plenty of nail-biting finishes at the previous 106 renditions of this prestigious race, which can come down to a fraction of a second.
Can you imagine losing the Indianapolis 500 by .1 second or less? Or even a racing bet on the winner?
For those wondering, these are the five tightest finishes in the history of the Indianapolis 500:
| Indy 500 Winner | Runner-Up | Difference |
| Al Unser Jr. | Scott Goodyear | .043 Seconds |
| Ryan Hunter-Reay | Helio Castroneves | .060 Seconds |
| Sam Hornish Jr. | Marco Andretti | .063 Seconds |
| Juan Pablo Montoya | Will Power | .105 Seconds |
| Gordon Johncock | Rick Mears | .160 Seconds |
You could have bet on these outcomes at the best sports betting sites and reaped the benefits of the top sportsbook promo codes, so be sure to do so for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Here's a break down of the top-5 closest finishes:
No. 5: 1982 - Gordon Johncock Over Rick Mears - .160 Seconds
Gordon Johncock appeared to be comfortably ahead, but a hard charging Rick Mears pulled even with him just as they waved the white flag, signifying the final lap of the 1982 Indy 500. Johncock kept his nose in front on Turn 1 and maintained a slim lead for the rest of the 2.5-mile lap to claim his second Indy 500 victory. Mears may have failed to notch the victory on that afternoon, but he later added victories in 1984, 1988, and 1991 to go with his first Indy 500 win in 1979.
No. 4: 2015 - Juan Pablo Montoya Over Will Power - .105 Seconds
Juan Pablo Montoya delivered the race's 37th and final lead change on Lap 197, and he held on the rest of the way for his second career win at the Indy 500. The narrow defeat didn't sap Will Power's willpower, though, as Power bounced back and got an Indy 500 win of his own three years later in 2018.
No. 3: 2006 - Sam Hornish Jr. Over Marco Andretti - .063 Seconds
Sam Hornish Jr. failed to complete a pass attempt on Lap 199, but stuck with it and got by Marco Andretti just before the finish line on the final lap. "I think I could have moved to the inside, but at that time he would have already made his move," the then-19-year-old Andretti lamented, adding that trying to cut off Hornish's pass likely would have led to them both crashing. Perhaps that would have been worth it for Andretti, who never did manage to capture the Indy 500 title that has eluded the entire Andretti family since 1969.
No. 2: 2014 - Ryan Hunter-Reay Over Helio Castroneves - .060 Seconds
These two went back and forth after a Lap 194 restart, as Helio Castroneves passed Ryan Hunter-Reay for the lead on Lap 196, only for Hunter-Reay to pass him on the next lap in a frenzied and borderline reckless sequence to end the 2014 race. Hunter-Reay's ultimate victory snapped a seven-year Indy 500 drought for American-born drivers and denied Castroneves a record-tying fourth win at the Indy 500. Castroneves finally got that fourth victory in 2021, tying him for the most all-time with Mears, A.J. Foyt, and Al Unser, whose son was involved in the tightest finish in Indianapolis 500 history.
No. 1: 1992 - Al Unser Jr. Over Scott Goodyear - .043 Seconds
The tightest finish in Indy 500 history was set up by the infamous Indy 500 Andretti curse rearing its ugly head. Michael Andretti was leading comfortably until his engine failed him on Lap 189. This led to to a restart on Lap 194, after which Al Unser Jr. held a narrow lead over Scott Goodyear. Goodyear tried to pass Unser on the final turn but came up just short as they crossed the finish line almost simulatenously. "If the race would have been 100 yards longer, he would have probably won it," Unser said of his .043-second win over Goodyear.
