1977 Indianapolis 500 1977 Indianapolis 500 The 61st International 500 Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 29, 1977. Considered one of the most historically significant editions of the Indianapolis 500, several sidebar stories complemented the unprecedented accomplishment of race winner A. J. Foyt. Foyt became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times. As of 2017, Foyt's record has been tied by Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears, but still stands as an Indy record. Foyt's victory is also the last time the winning car (both chassis and engine) was built entirely
Indianapolis 500 and engines were European, with the only American-based chassis to win during the CART era being the Wildcat and Galmer (which was actually built in Bicester, England) in 1982 and 1992, respectively. Ford and Chevrolet engines were built in the UK by Cosworth and Ilmor, respectively. Fernando Alonso was the most recent active Formula One driver to race at the Indy 500-mile race, in 2017. Prior to that, no active F1 driver had competed in the Indy 500 since 1984. After foreign cars became the norm, foreign drivers began competing in the Indianapolis 500 on a regular basis, choosing the