Which Canadian driver won the 1995 Indianapolis 500?

Jacques Villeneuve won the 1995 Indianapolis 500, becoming the first Canadian driver to win the race. He captured the victory in only his second Indianapolis 500 start while driving for Team Green.

Villeneuve’s win was unusually dramatic. He received a two-lap penalty for passing the pace car during an earlier caution, dropping him deep in the running order. He gradually recovered through strategy, pit stops, and race pace, eventually returning to contention.

Late in the race, leader Scott Goodyear was penalized for passing the pace car during a restart. Goodyear did not serve the penalty, so officials stopped scoring him after the prescribed window. Villeneuve therefore inherited the lead and completed the race as the official winner. The controversy made the result one of the most discussed finishes in Indianapolis 500 history.

Villeneuve also won the 1995 CART championship before moving to Formula One, where he later became the 1997 world champion. Scott Goodyear was the runner-up, not the winner, while Paul Tracy and Greg Moore were fellow Canadian drivers but did not win the 1995 event.