Many say the 1982 edition of the Indy 500 featured the greatest finish ever. Here’s video of the final laps with special commentary by the winner of the epic battle, Gordon Johncock, and his challenger, Rick Mears.  -Indianapolis Motor Speedway photo 

In truth, it’s hard to say if the 1982 Indy 500 brought the most thrilling finish ever. There have been some great ones, for sure. But ’82 stands out for so many reasons, not the least for the caliber of its competitors, Rick Mears and Gordon Johncock.

With 18 laps remaining, Johncock led as Mears ducked into the pits for his final fuel stop, taking a full 40-gallon load of methanol that both cost him valuable seconds in the pits and weighed down his car for the final stint. When Johncock stopped two laps later, his Patrick Racing crew gave his Wildcat-Cosworth a quick fuel fill, giving him an 11-second advantage on Mears as he rejoined the race.

But as the laps ticked down, Johncock’s WIldcat-Cosworth developed an unholy understeer, and he was using up every inch of pavement on the Speedway, sweeping from the apron to the wall on every corner in a desperate attempt to maintain a race pace. Meanwhile, Mears was on a tear, running qualifying speeds, chasing down Johncock at better than a second a lap. The Penske driver caught Johncock on the white flag lap, setting up one of the most harrowing final lap duels in history—and a victory that will never be forgotten for its courage and tenacity. Video below.