1980 Indianapolis 500 1980 Indianapolis 500 The 64th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 25, 1980. Johnny Rutherford won the pole position, led 118 laps, and won the race by a commanding 29.92 second margin. After failing to finish the race the year before (with Al Unser behind the wheel), Jim Hall's radical new Chaparral 2K ground effects chassis was a heavy favorite entering the month, and drove a flawless race. Rutherford, the winner in 1974 and 1976, became the sixth driver to win the Indy 500 three times. Tom Sneva broke
2017 Indianapolis 500 seconds over Castroneves, while Jones came across the line in third. By taking the win, Sato became both the first driver from Japan and the first driver from Asia to take victory in the 500. Sato also became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 and finish on the podium in a United States Grand Prix hosted at Indianapolis, having finished third in 2004. It also marked the first time since 2011 that the winner of the race came from the first three rows. The victory was the third in four years for the Andretti Autosport team. Points include