Power wins crash-filled Indy 500
Patrick finishes impressive career with disappointing accident in Turn 2
Australian Will Power won a crash-filled 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 post-race 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!” Power 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 after the race. “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 thumbs-up 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.”
Castroneves was running near the front before his crash. He is the only active driver with three Indy 500 wins and has been eager to get a fourth. (“Please Roger, can I come back,” he pleaded with team owner Penske in his television interview.) Fellow Brazilian Tony Kanaan, another former winner who had the lead early in the afternoon, later lost control in Turn 2 and also exited the race.
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.
The temperature at Indianapolis Motor Speedway hit 33 C early in the afternoon, equalling the hottest 500 on record. (The track temperature was well over 38 C.) And those high temperatures, along with the new aero kits used by cars this season, appeared to have a significant impact on the race, limiting passing and making the cars hard to control.
But Patrick, who walked away from her wreck, was among the most interesting stories in Indianapolis after announcing her plans to retire from racing after one last run at the track that sparked her rise. (“What really launched it was this.)
“Today feels heavy, but only because the chapter finishing has meant so much to me,” she posted on Instagram.
“Thank you for the memories,” she said.