RACE: 58th Indianapolis 500
DATE: May 26, 1974
WINNER: Johnny Rutherford
AVERAGE SPEED: 158.589 mph
WHAT HAPPENED: Rutherford won from the 25th starting position, the farthest back for any victor since Louis Meyer in 1936. Safety improvements following the 1973 debacle led to a clean 500-mile race, and A.J. Foyt set the all-time starts mark at 17. He went on to start 35 Indy 500s.
NOTABLE: The race was held on a Sunday for the first time in history, ending the "never on a Sunday" policy that held from 1911-73. It was also the earliest calendar date that the race had ever been held.