The 67th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 29, 1983. After finishing second three times (1977, 1978, 1980), winning the pole position twice (1977–1978), and being the fastest qualifier one additional time (1981), Tom Sneva finally shook his "bridesmaid" status and won his first Indianapolis 500.
In the final twenty laps, three-time winner Al Unser, Sr. was leading Tom Sneva, looking for his record-tying fourth Indy victory. His son, rookie Al Unser, Jr. was several laps down, but was running right behind his father. Al Jr. created a firestorm of controversy when it appeared he was blocking Sneva intentionally to aid his father. After several anxious laps, Sneva finally slipped by both Unsers, pulled away, and claimed his long-awaited first Indy victory.
Rookie Teo Fabi headlined time trials by winning the pole position, and on race day he led the first 23 laps. Fabi's day was short, however, as he dropped out with a bad fuel gasket. The effort earned him the rookie of the year award. Later in the year, Fabi would go on to win the Pocono 500.
The 1983 Indy 500 ushered in a new era of civility and stability in the sport of Indy car racing. After four years of conflict and organizational disputes between USAC and CART, the two sanctioning bodies came to an agreement. The Indianapolis 500 would be sanctioned singly by USAC, and officially would be part of the ceremonial Gold Crown. However, the race was now recognized on the CART schedule, and counted towards the 1983 CART PPG Indy Car World Series points championship. This arrangement would remain in place through 1995. Taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Indianapolis_500
Starting Lineup:
| Row | Inside | Middle | Outside |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Teo Fabi (R) |
 Mike Mosley |
Rick Mears (W) |
| 2 | Tom Sneva |
Al Unser, Jr. (R) |
Bobby Rahal |
| 3 | Al Unser (W) |
Roger Mears |
Tony Bettenhausen, Jr. |
| 4 | Gordon Johncock (W) |
Mario Andretti (W) |
Howdy Holmes |
| 5 | George Snider |
Pancho Carter |
Bill Whittington |
| 6 | Chip Ganassi |
Patrick Bedard (R) |
 Josele Garza |
| 7 | Steve Chassey (R) |
Dick Simon |
Danny Ongais |
| 8 | Kevin Cogan |
Johnny Parsons |
A.J. Foyt (W) |
| 9 | Chris Kneifel (R) |
 Geoff Brabham |
Don Whittington |
| 10 |  Derek Daly (R) |
Scott Brayton |
Michael Chandler |
| 11 | Steve Krisiloff |
Chet Fillip |
Dennis Firestone |
Other Drivers on Entry List:
| Al Loquasto |
| Amber Furst |
| Bill Alsup |
| Bill Puterbaugh |
| Bill Tempero |
| Billy Vukovich, Jr. |
| Bob Frey |
| Bob Harkey |
| Bob Lazier |
| Bobby Olivero |
| Chip Mead |
| Chuck Ciprich |
| Dale Whittington |
| Dave McMillan |
| Dave Peperak |
| Desiré Wilson |
| Dick Ferguson |
| Doug Heveron |
| Gary Bettenhausen |
| Graham McRae |
| Greg Leffler |
| Harry MacDonald |
| Harry Sauce |
| Herm Johnson |
| Jerry Karl |
| Jerry Sneva |
| Jim Buick |
| John Mahler |
| John Paul, Jr. |
| Johnny Rutherford |
| Jorge Koechlin |
| Ken Schrader |
| Larry Cannon |
| Larry Rice |
| Lee Kunzman |
| Mack McClellan |
| Mark Alderson |
| Pete Halsmer |
| Phil Caliva |
| Phil Krueger |
| Rich Vogler |
| Roger Rager |
| Sheldon Kinser |
| Spike Gehlhausen |
| Teddy Pilette |
| Tom Bigelow |
Lap-By-Lap Summery:
Green Flag: Teo Fabi leads lap 1
Lap 24: Mike Mosley Took the lead
Lap 25: Rick Mears Took the lead
Lap 27: Caution #1 Car #35 Pat Bedard Crashed in Turn 4; Al Unser Took the lead
Lap 32: Green Flag
Lap 36: Tom Sneva Took the lead
Lap 43: Caution #2 Car #9 Roger Mears Crashed in Turn 1
Lap 47: Al Unser Took the lead
Lap 51: Green Flag
Lap 53: Bobby Rahal Took the lead
Lap 67: Tom Sneva Took the lead
Lap 74: Bobby Rahal Took the lead
Lap 75: Al Unser Took the lead
Lap 81: Tom Sneva Took the lead
Lap 82: Caution #3 Car #3 Mario Andretti, and Car #66 Johnny Parsons Jr. Crashed in Turn 1
Lap 90: Green Flag Al Unser Took the lead
Lap 109: Tom Sneva Took the lead
Lap 144: Al Unser Took the lead
Lap 147: Tom Sneva Took the lead
Lap 156: Caution #4 Car #94 Bill Whittington Tow-In
Lap 161: Green Flag
Lap 172: Caution #5 Car #18 Mike Mosley Crashed in Turn 1
Lap 173: Al Unser Took the lead
Lap 175: Green Flag
Lap 191: Tom Sneva Took the lead
Lap 200: Checkered Flag Tom Sneva wins his only Indy 500.
Race Results:
| Finish | Driver | Laps | Status | Prize Money |
| 1 | Tom Sneva | 200 | 162.117 | $385,886 |
| 2 | Al Unser | 200 | 161.954 | $179,086 |
| 3 | Rick Mears | 200 | 161.799 | $135,086 |
| 4 | Geoff Brabham | 199 | Running | $108,286 |
| 5 | Kevin Cogan | 198 | Running | $73,856 |
| 6 | Howdy Holmes | 198 | Running | $71,696 |
| 7 | Pancho Carter | 197 | Running | $77,491 |
| 8 | Chip Ganassi | 195 | Running | $60,580 |
| 9 | Scott Brayton | 195 | Running | $57,085 |
| 10 | Al Unser Jr. | 192 | Out of fuel | $59,110 |
| 11 | Steve Chassey | 192 | Running | $60,982 |
| 12 | Chris Kneifel | 191 | Running | $53,690 |
| 13 | Mike Mosley | 169 | Accident | $61,484 |
| 14 | Gordon Johncock | 163 | Gearbox | $53,442 |
| 15 | Dick Simon | 161 | Running | $56,758 |
| 16 | Michael Chandler | 153 | Gearbox | $50,610 |
| 17 | Tony Bettenhausen Jr. | 152 | Half shaft | $49,998 |
| 18 | Bill Whittington | 144 | Gearbox | $49,922 |
| 19 | Derek Daly | 126 | Engine | $48,882 |
| 20 | Bobby Rahal | 110 | Radiator | $55,378 |
| 21 | Danny Ongais | 101 | Handling | $48,588 |
| 22 | Johnny Parsons | 80 | Accident | $47,478 |
| 23 | Mario Andretti | 79 | Accident | $47,082 |
| 24 | Dennis Firestone | 77 | Oil leak | $49,222 |
| 25 | Josele Garza | 64 | Oil leak | $59,898 |
| 26 | Teo Fabi | 47 | Fuel gasket | $84,960 |
| 27 | Don Whittington | 44 | Ignition | $45,858 |
| 28 | Roger Mears | 43 | Accident | $45,642 |
| 29 | Steve Krisiloff | 42 | U-joint | $45,462 |
| 30 | Patrick Bedard | 25 | Accident | $45,818 |
| 31 | A.J. Foyt | 24 | Shift linkage | $44,888 |
| 32 | George Snider | 22 | Ignition | $45,138 |
| 33 | Chet Fillip | 11 | Black flagged | $50,102 |
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