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.