May 29, 2019

On Sunday, May 26, 35-year-old Simon Pagenaud became the first French race car driver to win the Indianapolis 500 since Gaston Chevrolet in 1920. (Gaston’s brother Louis created the Chevrolet Motor Company). Pagenaud, a veteran of Formula One and IndyCar racing, earned his first Indianapolis victoire (French for victory) in his eighth attempt. Pagenaud finished the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” a split-second before 2016 champion Alexander Rossi of the United States and 2017 winner Takuma Sato of Japan. Last year’s champion, Australian Will Power, finished fifth on Sunday. The Indianapolis 500 is the premier event of the Indy Racing League (IRL) and one of the world’s most famous and prestigious auto races.

The French driver Simon Pagenaud celebrates his first Indianapolis 500 victory on May 26, 2019. Credit: © Action Sports Photography/Shutterstock

Pagenaud started the race in the pole position as the race’s fastest qualifying driver—averaging 230 miles (370 kilometers) per hour—and he led 116 of the race’s 200 laps. It took a valiant effort in the penultimate (next-to-last) lap, however, for Pagenaud to wrestle the lead from Rossi (who led 22 laps) and hold on for the checkered flag. After winning the race, Pagenaud stopped his car and climbed down to reverently kiss the strip of bricks at the start/finish line (a holdover from the track’s original surface). He then pulled into Victory Lane and stood overjoyed in the cockpit of his Chevrolet race car. After posing with the giant Borg-Warner Trophy that will soon bear his likeness, Pagenaud drank and drenched himself with the traditional bottle of milk. “This race chooses its winners,” the exhausted champion said after the frantic finish. “Today, I was the chosen one.”

The Indianapolis 500 (often shortened to Indy 500) takes place on the 2 1/2-mile (4.02-kilometer) oval track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. There are 33 starting positions. Drivers with the highest average speeds in four qualifying laps earn the chance to race. The first driver to complete 200 laps around the track—a distance of 500 miles (805 kilometers)—wins the race.

In an event known for its sometimes spectacular crashes, this year’s Indy 500 had just one accident bad enough to pause the race. In lap 178, five cars tangled and were eliminated from the race, but there were no serious injuries. Danica Patrick, who raced her final Indy 500 in 2018, served as an analyst for the NBC Sports television broadcast.

May 31, 2018

On Sunday, May 27, 37-year-old Will Power became the first Australian race car driver to win the Indianapolis 500, the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Power, a Queensland-born IndyCar veteran, took the checkered flag at the end of a crash-filled race that saw pole-sitting United States driver Ed Carpenter finish three seconds behind in second place and New Zealander Scott Dixon finish third. (In 2008, Dixon was the first winner from New Zealand.) The Indianapolis 500 is the premier event of the Indy Racing League (IRL) and one of the world’s most famous and prestigious auto races.

Australia’s Will Power leads the pack in his number 12 Chevrolet race car during the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 27, 2018. Credit: © Patrick Smith, Getty Images

Power first raced at Indianapolis in 2008 and nearly won in 2015, when he finished just 1/10th of a second behind winner Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia. After winning on Sunday, Power pulled into Victory Lane and stood overjoyed in the cockpit of his Chevrolet race car. Looped in a wreath of flowers, Power drank and drenched himself with the traditional bottle of milk. After posing with the giant Borg-Warner Trophy that will soon bear his likeness, Power climbed down to reverently kiss the strip of bricks at the start/ finish line (a holdover from the track’s original surface). “I just can’t believe it,” he said. “I can’t describe it. I feel like collapsing. … I couldn’t stop screaming [in the race's final lap].” Power had good qualifying runs and began his 11th race at Indianapolis in the third position.

The Indianapolis 500 (often shortened to Indy 500) takes place on the 2^½-mile (4.02-kilometer) oval track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. There are 33 starting positions. Drivers with the highest average speeds in four qualifying laps earn the chance to race. The first driver to complete 200 laps around the track—a distance of 500 miles (805 kilometers)—wins the race.

Danica Patrick, racing in her eighth and final Indy 500 (her first since 2011), finished a disappointing 30th after crashing in the race’s 67th lap. Patrick’s best finish at Indianapolis was a third-place run in 2009. Crashes also forced three-time winner Hélio Castroneves, 2013 winner Tony Kanaan, and last year’s champion, Takuma Sato, from Sunday’s race. Overall, eight drivers left the race after crashes or significant contact, but there were no serious injuries. Some drivers felt that new aerodynamic car designs and the race-record heat—92°F (33°C)—combined to make cars harder to control.

May 30, 2017

On Sunday, May 28, 40-year-old Takuma Sato became the first Japanese race car driver to win the Indianapolis 500, the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Sato, a Tokyo-born veteran Formula One driver, took the checkered flag just 0.2011 seconds—faster than the blink of an eye—ahead of three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Hélio Castroneves, who made repeated attempts to pass Sato in the race’s closing laps. Castroneves, from Brazil, finished second and British rookie driver Ed Jones finished third. The Indianapolis 500 is the premier event of the Indy Racing League (IRL) and one of the world’s most famous and prestigious auto races.

Takuma Sato of Japan celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 28, 2017. Credit: © Jamie Squire, Getty Images

Sato first raced at Indianapolis in 2010 and nearly won in 2012, when he crashed in the race’s final lap while trying to pass that year’s winner, Dario Franchitti (also a three-time champion). After winning on Sunday, Sato pulled into Victory Lane and stood overjoyed in the cockpit of his Honda race car. Looped in a wreath of flowers, Sato drank and drenched himself with the traditional bottle of milk. After posing with the giant Borg-Warner Trophy that will soon bear his likeness, Sato climbed down to reverently kiss the strip of bricks at the start/ finish line (a holdover from the track’s original surface). “It’s beautiful,” he beamed. “I dreamed of something like this since I was 12.”

The Indianapolis 500 (often shortened to Indy 500) takes place on the 2^½-mile (4.02-kilometer) oval track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. There are 33 starting positions. Drivers with the highest average speeds in four qualifying laps earn the chance to race. The first driver to complete 200 laps around the track—a distance of 500 miles (805 kilometers)—wins the race.

Sato had good qualifying runs and began the race in the fourth position. New Zealander Scott Dixon (the 2008 Indy 500 champion) won the race’s coveted pole (first) position but was wiped out in a spectacular crash on lap 53. Dixon’s car was reduced to a scorched cockpit, but he walked away with only the jitters.

May 31, 2016

On Sunday, May 29, Alexander Rossi, a 24-year old rookie driver from California, pushed his race car to the limit in the waning laps of the Indianapolis 500. As other contenders took late refueling pit stops—including Colombian Carlos Munoz, who was leading with three laps to go—Rossi took a chance and kept going. His fuel gauge was sitting on E—a pins-and-needles moment of fearful exhilaration for any driver—but this was the Indianapolis 500, the premier event of the Indy Racing League (IRL) and one of the world’s most famous and prestigious auto races. Rossi, who began the race in the 11^th position out of 33, saw his only chance was to literally finish on fumes—and he did. His car conked out as he crossed the finish line 4.5 seconds ahead of Munoz to win the race. “I’m out of fuel, guys,” Rossi radioed his crew after taking the checkered flag. A topping up of fuel gave his car the boost it needed to make the celebration in victory lane. Rossi, who began his racing career in Formula One, recently joined the IRL but had finished no better than 10^th in five previous races.

Alexander Rossi celebrates with milk, the traditional drink of victory lane, after winning the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 29, 2016. Credit: © Darron Cummings, AP Photo

The Indianapolis 500 (often shortened to Indy 500) takes place on the 2^½-mile (4.02-kilometer) oval track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. There are 33 starting positions. Drivers with the highest average speeds in four qualifying laps earn the chance to race. The first driver to complete 200 laps around the track—a distance of 500 miles (805 kilometers)—wins the race. The first Indianapolis 500 took place in 1911, but racing was suspended for two years during World War I (1914-1918) and four more years during World War II (1939-1945). This year’s race was the 100^th Indy 500.