Here, in reverse order, are my selections (100-51). The top 50 will follow in a second post:
100. The anonymous Smith -- Names of drivers in the Indy 500 range from Ader (Walt) to Zuccarelli (Paul). There have been 8 Jones, 5 Millers, 4 Johnsons, 6 Unsers, 4 Andrettis, 3 Foyts, and 2 Rahals, Luyendyks, Snevas, and Mears. Heck, there were even two unrelated drivers named Howdy Wilcox. There was a Farmer and a Plowman, an Oldfield and a Newgarden, a Rose and a Thorne. But in 100 races, not a single driver named Smith has competed in the Indianapolis 500.
99. Don Kerston --U.S. Ballooning Hall of Fame pilot. In 1966 his hot air balloon got away from him in a reenactment of the first event ever at the Speedway, a 1909 balloon race. The runaway balloon knocked over the women's privy in turn 4 which was occupied at the time. Until recent years, the women's restroom in Turn 4 had a hot air balloon painted on it. The U.S. Ballooning Nationals conducts an annual Don Kerston Memorial Outhouse Race.
98. J.R. Hildebrand: Heartbreak is as much a part of the legend of Indianapolis as is victory. And no one ever suffered the heartbreak of J.R. Hildebrand. 2011 was the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. Driving for Panther Racing, Hildebrand headed into the last turn of the last lap with victory in sight. Then the unimaginable. He crashed.
97. Willy T. Ribbs: First (and only) African-American driver in the Indianapolis 500.
96. Sarah Fisher: One of Indycar's most popular drivers and car owners, but she never found much success at Indianapolis.
95. Larry Bisceglia -- For nearly 40 years from 1947 to 1986, driving a beat-up hand-painted van, Bisceglia was first in line for the Indianapolis 500, adding to the lore and legend of the Speedway.
94. Leon "Jigger" Sirois: On a rainy first day of qualifying in 1969, rookie Jigger Sirois tried to qualify. His crew waived off his qualifying attempt. But when the rain started again and no one else could complete a qualifying attempt, everyone realized that Sirois would have been on the pole. His speed that first Saturday was fast enough to make the race, but for the rest of the month Sirois could never again attain a speed fast enough to make the race. Sirois came back to Indy seven straight years, but he never made the race. The "Jigger Award" was created in his honor, awarded annually to the driver or team with the worst luck of the month.
93. Frank Wheeler: Indianapolis businessman and one of the Speedway's four founders.
92. Frank Lockhart: Won as a rookie in 1926 and won the pole in 1927. Died the following year trying to set a world speed record at Daytona Beach.
91. Peter de Paolo: Nephew of legend Ralph DePalma, he won the 1925 race, the first to average more than 100 mph for the entire 500 miles.
90. Bob Collins: Longtime sports editor and writer for the Indianapolis Star. During the court battle between USAC and CART for control of Indy racing, Collins took both sides to task by writing about a new organization he was forming: Fans Against Racing Temper Tantrums. I'll let you figure out the acronym.
89. Harlan Fengler: Race's chief steward from 1958-74.
88. Jim McGee: Longtime race mechanic.
87. Lem Trotter: On a difficult road trip to Dayton in 1908, Trotter encouraged Fisher to go forward with his long-simmering idea of building a race track. He also suggested the Memorial Day date for the first Indianapolis 500.
86. Jim Hall: His Yellow Submarine car in 1979 and 1980 revolutionized Indycar design.
85. Jack Snyder: Indianapolis lawyer who advised and represented the Hulmans and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for several decades.
84. Johnnie Parsons: Won rain-shortened 1950 race in a car with a cracked block. After retirement, served as a popular ambassador for racing.
83. Nigel Mansell: Former world champion surprised many by joining Paul Newman's team and racing at Indy in the 1993 and 1994. His appearance drew international attention to the race.
82. Jimmy Bryan: Winner in 1958, a classic vision of a 1950s driver, he was a legend wearing a tee shirt and chomping on a big cigar.
81. Lloyd Ruby: Oh so close so many times. One of the best drivers never to win the race, finding one heart breaking way after another to lose. No one ever drove so fast and talked soooooo S . . .L . . . O . . . W.
80. Mike Boyle: Manger of IBEW Local 134 in Chicago, and rumored to be a mob boss, Boyle was owner of Wilbur Shaw's two-time winning Maserati, one of the most beautiful and most successful cars ever to race at Indy.
79. Leo Mehl: Goodyear executive who headed the tire makers racing tire effort for twenty years.
78. Danny Sullivan: "Spin to win." 'Nuff said.
77. Rex Mays: Four-time pole winner, two time runner up. He was Tony Kanaan before Tony Kanaan, leading 9 of his 12 starts -- and that was before pace cars bunched up the field on yellows. One of the greatest drivers never to win the 500.
76. David Letterman: Indianapolis native and lifelong fan, he became a team owner with Bobby Rahal. At a time when Indycar was going through a difficult time, Letterman was one of the few who gave the sport enthusiastic national exposure.
75. Floyd Clymer: From 1946 into the 1970s, Clymer's yearbooks documented the history of the Indianapolis 500. His yearbook encompassing the founding of the track until WWII is a must for anyone interested in the history of the race.
74. J.C. Agajanian: Colorful Californian owned winning cars for Troy Ruttman and Parnelli Jones.
73. James Garner: Actor and racing fan, Garner brought a touch of Hollywood to the track. He drove the pace car three times and was the subject of a race track ditty "Jim Garner Won't You Save Me."
72. Billy Arnold: His win in 1930 was the most dominant performance ever. He lead 198 laps with a winning margin over seven minutes.
71. Fred Duesenberg: Builder of extraordinary passenger cars that were as much works of art as machines, he designed and built four Indy 500 winners in the 1920s.
69. Bobby Rahal: Won 1986 race by passing Kevin Cogan on a restart with 2 laps left. Brought David Letterman into Indycar as a co-owner of Rahal Letterman Racing, gave Danica Patrick her first ride and owned race-winning car for Buddy Rice.
68. Tony Kanaan: Maybe the most popular foreign driver since Jim Clark, Kanaan lead nearly every race in which he competed, but never grabbed the brass ring -- until 2013. One of the most popular winners in recent race history.
67. Dean Sicking: Led development of the SAFER barrier.
66. Clarence Cagle: Another part of the Hulman team, he was the Speedway superintendent for nearly 30 years.
65. Clint Brawner: Long time chief mechanic, he built the Brawner Hawk that gave Mario Andretti his only 500 win in 1969.
64. Frank Kurtis: His Kurtis Kraft racers won five Indianapolis 500s in the 1950s.
63. Mari Hulman George: Chairwoman of the Speedway board who annually, but often somewhat pathetically, gives the command to start engines. She may not embody leadership, but for the past quarter century nothing has been done at the Speedway without her consent.
62. Gordon Johncock: Vastly underrated two-time winner and 24-time starter. He won the race no one wanted to remember (1973) and the race no one could forget (1982 battle with Rick Mears).
61. Jack Brabham: Sir Jack brought an underpowered rear-engine Cooper Climax car to the Indianapolis 500 in 1961 and astounded skeptics with a seventh place finish. His race signaled the death knell for the front engine roadster. The Indy racing community just didn't know it yet. He drove in four 500s.
60. Paul Page: Following the death of Sid Collins, Page took over as the "Voice of the 500." In 1988 he moved to ABC to anchor the live television coverage of the Indianapolis 500. He recently returned to the radio broadcast, where this year he will formally retire.
59. Donald Davidson: Race historian whose photographic memory of the race astounded all when he made his first trip to the track in 1964. His race day appearances on the radio network, his Talk of Gasoline Alley show each May, and his 500 history classes keep alive many of the stories and legends of the race and its drivers.
57. Arie Luyendyk: Two-time winner and still holder of the track qualifying record at just under 237 mph, set in 1996.
56. Danica Patrick: People loved her or hated her, but no one can question her results at Indy. She led her first race with only 10 laps left and finished fourth in 2009, the highest ever for a woman driver. She gave credibility to the idea that a woman might someday win the Indianapolis 500.
55. Jim Hurtubise: Perhaps only Walt Faulkner burst onto the racing scene with the impact of "Herk". As a 1960 rookie, a day four qualifying effort brought him within a whisker of breaking the 150 mph barrier -- nearly 2 miles per hour faster than the pole position car of Eddie Sachs. After a horrendous accident at Milwaukee in 1964, he was never quite the same, but the fans loved him and his quixotic efforts to make the race in his front-engine Mallard.
54. Paul Newman: A championship sports car racer in his own right, Newman starred in the movie "Winning" in 1968, the last big-budget movie set at the Indianapolis 500. He co-owned a very successful Indycar team, but never walked into Victory Lane.
53. Sam Hanks: Won in 1957 and promptly retired in Victory Lane, the only driver to do so.
52. Jackie Stewart: The Scottish mouth that roared. The three-time world champions nearly won as a young rookie in 1966. He only competed in one more Indy 500, but served for 15 years as the expert commentator for the ABC television broadcasts.
51. A.J. Watson: Leading car-builder during the heyday of the front engine roadsters. He continued to compete with rear-engine cars, but never at the same level.
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