Motorsport · 1992 · Indianapolis, USA
The Closest Finish in Indy 500 History
In brutally cold, crash-strewn conditions, Al Unser Jr. holds off Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds, still the closest finish in the Indianapolis 500's history.
0.043 seconds (race record)
Winning margin
Scott Goodyear
Runner-up
3rd generation win
Unser family Indy 500 wins
The 1992 Indianapolis 500 was run in unusually cold conditions for May that caused tyres to struggle for grip all day, producing a race-record number of caution periods and crashes, including one that eliminated pole-sitter Roberto Guerrero on the pace laps before the green flag had even fallen.
At the front, Al Unser Jr. and Scott Goodyear ran nose to tail over the final laps, trading the lead through traffic before a last-lap duel down the front straight. Unser crossed the line just 0.043 seconds ahead of Goodyear, a margin so small it remains the closest finish in the 500's long history.
The win made Unser the third member of his family, after his father Al Unser Sr. and uncle Bobby Unser, to win the Indianapolis 500, and the first second-generation winner in the race's history at the time. The 0.043-second margin is still cited as the benchmark for closeness whenever a tight finish happens anywhere in motorsport.
Watch the Moment
