The Greatest 33 is a list of top drivers from the history of theIndianapolis 500. In 2011, in celebration of the100th anniversary of thefirst Indianapolis 500, theIndianapolis Motor Speedway gathered apanel of media and historians to establish 100 nominees for the best drivers who have participated in theIndianapolis 500 from 1911 to 2010.[1] During the months leading up the race, fans were invited to vote on the best 33 among the nominees,[1][2] and the finalists were announced in the days leading up to the2011 race.[1]
The selection of 33 drivers reflects thetraditional 33 starters that comprise the field for theIndianapolis 500 annually.
Of the732 drivers[1] who had participated in theIndianapolis 500 from 1911 to 2010, a list of 100 nominees was narrowed down by a panel of experts. The criteria were somewhat loose, as winning the race was not necessarily a requirement for inclusion. At the time, only68 drivers hadwon the race, and of those, only 57 were nominated. Other factors that were weighed included:pole position winners,lap leaders,rookies of the year, individual statistical accomplishments, accomplishments of a historical nature, and popular fixtures.
The original list of 100 drivers was released on March 18, and voting continued through May 14.[3]
The final list of 33 drivers was announced May 15. The three four-time Indy 500 winnersA. J. Foyt,Al Unser Sr., andRick Mears comprised the front row.[1] The three most recent three-time winnersBobby Unser,Johnny Rutherford, andHélio Castroneves, made up the second row.[1] Three non-winners,Tony Bettenhausen Sr.,Dan Gurney, andMichael Andretti,[1] were selected, although Gurney and Andretti are former race-winning owners, and both had second-place finishes in their careers.Ray Harroun, winner of theinaugural race was situated in row nine, alongsideTommy Milton, the first-ever two-time winner.
All 17 of the multiple Indy 500 winners going into the 2011 race were included on the list.[1] Of the thirty-three finalists, twenty-one were living at the time the list was released. Only four drivers (Castroneves, Franchitti, Dixon, and Montoya) on the list were considered active in professional-level motorsports at the time.
Immediately after the list was released, critical reaction was both positive and negative.[2][4][5] There was almost universal acclaim for the three four-time winners being on the front row (Foyt, Unser, Mears).[1] However, there was considerable dissent regarding winners that were not included, bias towards recent years,[1] and the inclusion of non-winners.[1] Due to the limitations of the final list size (33 names), it was not possible for all 68 former winners to be included. Also, significant non-winners such asRex Mays andTed Horn were not included in the final grid.[1]
There were several dissents early on among fans and media regarding drivers included on the original list of 100 finalists, such asDanica Patrick andMarco Andretti. However, none of the highly controversial nominees made the final official list.Dan Wheldon (who at the time of voting had won onlyonce) won the race for thesecond time just days after the list was released. Along with four other top-4 career finishes, and three front row starts, considerable speculation afterwards suggested Wheldon would have made easily the list had the voting been conducted after the race.
After the official announcement, merchandise including T-shirts and other collectibles, were marketed inThe Greatest 33 theme.
The top three vote-getters consisted of the three four-time Indianapolis 500 winners.
