Tom Sneva got a pre-race push from his crew, but he didn't need any help to beat Al Unser Sr. across the finish line in 1983. It was Sneva's first and only 500 win, after finishing second three times the previous six years. Sneva's Indy career was one of extremes: He was nearly killed in a fiery crash in 1975 (Bobby Unser called it the most violent crash he had ever seen), and in 1977 he made history by becoming the first driver to turn in a qualifying run above 200 mph (200.535).

photograph by George Tiedemann

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