The Indy 500 One-Off Club

A enduring and unique feature of the Indianapolis 500 is the teams and drivers that plan to make that race the only IndyCar event they compete in for the year. The race is so fabled among the racing community that it draws drivers to its grid that are retired from full-time competition, from other corners of the sport such as Formula 1 or NASCAR and every so often, a surprise return that hasn’t wheeled an IndyCar in years.

All these drivers will fill out the field beyond its 33 car mark and create one of the most diverse racing lineups of the entire season. While there are various labels given for these entries, such as “Indy-only” or “part-time,” the name most associated with it is “one-off.” As in, this will be a one-off try for the year, to put all effort into making the Indianapolis 500 and racing for immortality.

This One-Off Club has been around for decades, evidenced by the long list of drivers who hung up their helmets until May comes around. These legendary names included as Al Unser and Al Unser Jr., Michael Andretti, Tony Kanaan and icon A. J. Foyt. Through the history of the race, few drivers have been able to return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and tame the challenge of the Brickyard in their lone IndyCar drive for the year, which shows its no easy feat to put on racing shoes for a single race against a field full of IndyCar regulars.

It takes skilled honed over years of racing to maximize both car and opportunity over 500 miles. There have been times were all has worked out for a One-Off member to take home the win. Perhaps the most storied One-Off Club attempt was the elder Unser’s 1987 Indy 500 win, where he was pulled in to sub for the injured Danny Ongais. Much like the car he drove, which was pulled off the floor of a hotel, Unser shook off the dust and let the race come to him, taking his fourth Borg-Warner Trophy.