POWER-FUL WIN
Australian Will Power won a crashfilled Indianapolis 500 Sunday afternoon, a career highlight for a talented road racer who turned himself into a force on ovals.
There were seven crashes on a scorching afternoon in Indianapolis, leading to a late round of strategic decisions. Power’s team played the end game perfectly, giving the 37-year old a comfortable victory after the two leaders were forced to pit in the final laps.
The well-liked Power said in a postrace television interview that he started screaming inside his car when he saw Stefan Wilson and Jack Harvey head down pit road in the final laps, clearing the field for what had been the strongest car over the second half of the race.
“I’m like, Man, I think I’m going to win this!” he said. “I was wondering if I would ever win it . ... My career, I’ve had so many wins, so many poles. But everyone always talks about the 500.”
The win set off a euphoric celebration among Power’s team; the driver pumped his fist as he kept driving around the track, while his wife Liz cried during an ABC interview.
“He was so determined for this one,” she said. “And he did it.”
Danica Patrick’s final Indianapolis 500, meanwhile, ended the same way her final Daytona 500 ended in February: with a crash that wouldn’t allow her to finish the race.
Patrick was in 17th place when she lost control heading into Turn 2, a theme on this day. Her car spun wildly, crashed into a pair of walls, and was soon being hauled off the track. She left
the 500-mile race a bit shy of 200 miles.
That meant Patrick’s final 500 appearance would be perhaps her most frustrating. She finished 30th, her worst career finish at this race and only her second time out of the top 10. Her eight starts are the most for any woman in the race’s history.
“Today was really disappointing for what we were hoping for and what you want for your last race,” Patrick said in an emotional interview during
ABC’s broadcast. “Wish I could have finished stronger . ... I’ve had a lot of good fortune here, and did still have some this month. It just didn’t come on race day. But we had some good moments.”
Power, a Team Penske stalwart, won the 2014 series championship, and started in the front row Sunday for the third time in five years. But he had just one top-three finish at this race before Sunday, and he screamed after exiting
his car, mouthing “I can’t believe it” before dousing his head in milk.
“I just can’t believe it,” he said. “I can’t describe it. I feel like collapsing . ... I couldn’t stop screaming.”
It was the 17th win as an owner for Roger Penske.
Patrick was one of many big names to leave the track in frustration. About three-quarters of the way through the race, fan favourite Helio Castroneves lost control not long after a restart, a theme of an afternoon in which passing was rare and crashes no so rare. Castroneves exited his car clearly peeved, but waved and gave a thumbsup to the crowd, which showered him with love. “It’s frustrating. Car was good,” the Brazilian said. “I saw an opportunity, that’s the time to go, but misjudged a little bit the tires.”
Pole sitter Ed Carpenter finished second, Scott Dixon was third, and 2016 winner Alexander Rossi came from the back of the field to finish fourth.