Between his accident laden exploits in Nascar, as well as his rather questionable hairstyles, it is easy to forget just how highly regarded a driver Jacques Villenueve was during the mid nineties, and for many people the race that set him on the path to super-stardom was an unprecedented victory at Indianapolis in 1995.

On paper, the 1995 Indianapolis 500 looked set to be one of the most intriguing races for many years, where the introduction of new tyre manufacturer Firestone to the series, as well as the absence of Team Penske from the event, left the 33 car field as one of the most open for the 79th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Of those 33 drivers taking to the field that afternoon Jacques Villenueve started the day as one of the standout favourites, the French-Canadian had finished an encouraging second to Al Unser Jr in last season’s event, and carried momentum into the 500 mile showpiece with victory in the season opening race at Miami earlier in the year. With the 23 year old high on confidence and starting 5th on the grid, Villenueve was hopeful in his bid to become the youngest winner of the race since Troy Ruttman in 1952.

Early on however Villeneuve’s day took an immediate turn for the worse. On lap 37 of the race Arie Luyendyk inadvertently dislodged part of his headrest whilst attempting to lap the #41 Foyt entry of Scott Sharp, a move which caused a yellow flag to be thrown for debris and a number of drivers to subsequently enter pit road for fuel and tyres, and allow Villenueve, the highest placed driver who had stayed out on track, to inherit the race lead in the process. Villenueve however was not aware of this, and as the pace car entered the track to pick up the French Canadian Villenueve instead twice passed the purple Corvette believing that it was intended for someone other then himself. The move was not malicious on Villenueve’s part, but it did lead to him receiving a two lap penalty in the race, dropping the Team Green entry from 3rd place to 27th and almost certainly ruling Villenueve out of contention for the rest of the race.

The French Canadian however was undeterred, using a combination of the car’s raw speed and some fortunate caution periods to move himself back through the field. A turn 4 accident to Scott Sharp on lap 84 allowed Villenueve to pick up one of his two lost laps on the field, and by the time Andre Ribiero stalled on the track with an electrical problem the 23 year old had made it back onto the lead lap in eighth position. Villenueve also began to see his cause helped by misfortune hurting a number of top contenders for the race. Jimmy Vasser crashed out of the lead after getting into the marbles, whilst Scott Pruett saw an impressive second place run come to end when hit the outside of turn four whilst pursuing race leader Scott Goodyear with just 14 laps remaining.

Thanks to Pruett’s accident Villenueve had moved up to second behind fellow countryman Goodyear. The Tasman Motorsports driver had been one of the dominant figures throughout that year’s race and with Goodyear himself determined to overcome his narrow loss from the 1992 race it appeared to be a difficult for Villenueve to do anything about the 35 year old come the end of the race. With the race set to resume with 10 laps to go Goodyear punched the accelerator pedal along the backstretch, looking to get a jump on Villenueve coming to the green flag, unbeknownst to him however the slow moving pace car of USAC official Don Bailey had yet to enter to pits, and whilst Villeneuve dropped his speed to avoid passing the coasting Corvette Goodyear remained at full speed, passing the car going into turn four to give himself a commanding lead over the field.

The move however was declared illegal, and Goodyear was issued with a stop/go penalty for the transaction and ruled out of contention for the event, the Canadian remained on track out protest, but was eventually not scored for the remainder of the event, eventually being classified five laps down in 14th position. Goodyear’s misdemeanour’s moved Villenueve into a comfortable lead, one which he would hold for the remainder of the race to claim an unlikely triumph, one which came despite having to travel a further five miles then the rest of his competitors.

The win propelled Villeneuve into the spotlight, proving to be the catalyst for that season’s championship, and attracting the attention of Formula One team boss Frank Williams, who signed Villenueve to his team for the 1996 campaign. Villenueve would enjoy ten years in Formula One, clinching the World Championship in dramatic fashion in 1997, before moving into a life of guest drives in Nascar, Indycar and Formula E. His driving attitude post Formula One has been questioned at times, but there is no overlooking his part in one of Indy’s most unlikely victories.

In today’s video relive the final stages of the 1995 500, including Goodyear’s controversial pass on the pace car:

Tomorrow we look at a feat of motor racing endurance. Two races, 1,100 miles, 1 day.