An ending no one could imagine, even in a historic and storied race that started 100 years ago and has given fans a little bit of everything.
But you’ve just gotta believe.
Devastating disappointment for a talented rookie in J.R. Hildebrand, who slammed into the wall when the Indianapolis 500 checkered flag was in sight.
And surprising jubilation for Dan Wheldon, who zoomed past Hildebrand’s shattered machine and reached the finish line about 100 yards before Hildebrand’s mangled car dragged along the wall to the line. ESPN
“It’s a fantastic achievement everybody at Bryan Herta Autosport,” said Wheldon, his voice choking with emotion. “I love everything about Indianapolis – the tradition, the fans, the history.”
A Panther Racing car has been the Indy 500 runner-up the past four years (including 2009 and ’10 driven by Wheldon).
Wheldon, who started sixth, said his surprise of seeing Hildebrand car make heavy right-side contact with the SAFER Barrier turned to “relief.” Wheldon was running fifth with 10 laps remaining, but jumped into contention when race leader Bertrand Baguette pitted for a splash on Lap 197 and he overtook Scott Dixon a lap later.
“I was just trying to go as hard as I could,” continued Wheldon, who was competing in his first race of the season. “I knew it was the last lap and I knew some of those guys were struggling with fuel (he pitted on Lap 177). I’ve been runner-up two years before this, but I never gave up. It’s an incredible feeling.” IndyCar.com
While Wheldon celebrated, series officials reviewed the video to see if Wheldon passed the wrecked machine before the caution lights went on. He clearly did, and Hildebrand’s team said it wouldn’t protest the result.
That gave the Brit another spot on the Borg-Warner Trophy. Not bad, considering he doesn’t even have a full-time job.
“I just felt a lot of relief. It’s an incredible feeling,” Wheldon said. “I never gave up.”
He took the traditional swig of milk and headed off on a triumphant lap around the speedway—a lap that Hildebrand should have been taking.
Instead, the youngster stopped by the garage to get a look at his mangled car, which was hauled through Gasoline Alley instead of being wheeled into Victory Lane.
“I’m just frustrated. It’s not because we came in here with the expectation of winning and we didn’t,” Hildebrand said. “I felt like I just made a mistake and it cost our boys. I guess that’s why rookies don’t win the Indianapolis 500 a whole lot, and we’ll be back next year, I guess.”
After losing his ride from last season—with Hildebrand’s team, no less—Wheldon had plenty of time to hang out with his wife and two young children, while also dealing with the burden of his mother being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Las Vegas Review - Journal
Graham Rahal, who started 29th, finished third for his second consecutive podium, and Tony Kanaan charged from 22nd to finish fourth. Dixon, who started in the middle of the front row and led a field-high 73 laps, faded to fifth, and Oriol Servia, who started on the front row, was sixth.
“I think between Dario (Franchitti) and myself we had this race covered,” said Dixon, the 2008 race winner. “We were in similar circumstances. I’m not sure how the No. 4 car was able to get that far on fuel. It’s just frustrating, and I was frustrated with the restarts overall. The Target car was good to start with but then we started burning the left front tire off. We made changes to it in the end and that seemed to help. Dario was on a straight different strategy than us and it didn’t work for either of us today.” IndyCar.com
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IZOD IndyCar Series: 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 - Race Results
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