Relive one of the great moments in Indy 500 history with this three-minute recap of Danny Sullivan’s victory in the 1985 May classic. 

If you’re IndyCar fanatics like we are, every Indy 500 is a great one, from 1911 to present. But we’re willing to admit that some are more memorable than others—for instance, Danny Sullivan’s spectacular spin and win in 1985. This was Sullivan’s first year at Team Penske, driving alongside teammates Rick Mears and Al Unser Sr., and he represented himself well at the Speedway in May, the second race of the season.  There he qualified in the middle of the third row, fastest of the three. The team was campaigning the popular March 85C/Cosworth combination that year, as the house Penske chassis was found to be not up to snuff.

As the race started, Pancho Carter’s March-Buick, the polesitter, immediately faded and Mario Andretti soon asserted control, with Sullivan lurking not far behind him near the halfway point. At lap 120, Sullivan caught Andretti’s Lola entering Turn 1, and as Sullivan passed under Andretti in the short chute, he lost the back of his March, executing a complete 360-degree spin. But with an implausible combination of luck, skill, and presence of mind,  he failed to hit anything and was soon back up to speed. Under the resulting yellow flag, both Andretti and Sullivan pitted for tires and fuel. Back under green, Sullivan soon caught Andretti again on lap 140, and this time he made the pass stick. Of course, words on a screen don’t nearly do justice to these incredible moments. But thanks to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we have this awesome video summary featuring ABC announcers Jim McKay, Ron Carrell, and Sam Posey. Watch this.