The Nearly Top 10: Ten Indy 500s that could have made our list of the best at the Brickyard

INDIANAPOLIS – Amid more than 60 hours of coverage devoted last month to the 107th Indy 500, NBC Sports unveiled its Top 10 Indy 500s of All-Time.

NBC Sports commissioned a panel of broadcasters, journalists and former drivers to choose the list. Four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears, IMS president Doug Boles and IndyCar on NBC analyst Townsend Bell were among the voters.

From inside the cockpit of an Indy 500 winning race car to the top of the pagoda at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the broadcast booth on NBC, to the media center, this panel had the daunting task of picking the top 10 using various criteria.

Races were ranked on a scale of 1-20 in five categories :

The totals for each race in the five categories were tabulated to determine the top 10 below:

No. 10: A.J. Foyt becomes a three-time winner in 1967 as Parnelli Jones’ dominant Granatelli turbine car breaks

No. 9: Sam Hornish Jr. beats Marco Andretti in 2006 on the race’s first last-lap pass

No. 8: Al Unser Jr. edges Scott Goodyear in 1992 for closest finish in the race’s history

No. 7: Rick Mears becomes a four-time winner of the race with a thrilling pass in 1991

No. 6: Louis Meyer becomes the first three-time winner and starts milk tradition in 1936

No. 5: Dan Wheldon wins second Indy 500 in 2011 after J.R. Hildebrand crashes on last lap

No. 4: A.J. Foyt becomes the first four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1977

No. 3: Helio Castroneves “reopens America” in 2021 with his fourth Indy 500 victory

No. 2: Gordon Johncock holds off Rick Mears in 1982 thriller

No. 1: Jim Rathmann outduels Rodger Ward in 1960 epic

Choosing from 106 options meant some great races missed the top 10, so it’s time to take a crack at picking 10 Indianapolis 500s that also would