Indy 500 Threatened by Storms, Thunders to Greatness

Newgarden Wins Classic Indy 500

Going into the Indianapolis 500 Sunday, the weather was the story.

The weather remained in the plot, but the drivers were the primary characters that made the 108th edition of the "greatest spectacle in racing" one for the ages. 

There was legitimate concern weather would adversely affect the race schedule with a large storm hitting Indianapolis approximately 30 minutes prior to the scheduled race start. After about a four-hour delay, the track was dry and there was enough rain-free daylight to get the race completed. The lengthy delay led to an extremely cool opportunity to watch the final laps in the shadows of a setting sun - which never happens. 

Josef Newgarden won his second straight Indy 500 after leading a total of 26 laps at an average speed of 167.763 mph. Newgarden piloted his Team Penske Shell Chevy around Pato Oward's Arrow McLaren Chevy in Turn 3 of the final lap (Oward had passed him at the beginning of the final lap!). It is the second consecutive year Newgarden has won on a final lap pass, but it is only the fourth time a final lap pass has led to victory in the 500, according to Curt Cavin of the NTT IndyCar Series. 

The Chevy entrants of Team Penske owned the front row at qualifying and cashed in with Newgarden's victory and pole sitter Scott McLaughlin earning a sixth-place finish. Arrow McLaren, also a Chevy team, had a fine showing with heartbreak runner-up Pato Oward and fourth-place finisher Alexander Rossi. Chip Ganassi Racing carried the standard for the Hondas with Scott Dixon grabbing third and Alex Palou finishing fifth. 

Marshall Pruett of the Racer.com compiled statistics that highlight the extreme competitiveness of this Indy 500:

• 16 race leaders, a new record
• 7 drivers led an Indy 500 for the first time, most since the inaugural running in 1911
• 3 leaders from the back two rows, a new record
• 4th highest number of lead changes (49)

While watching Indy cars in live action can leave the viewer astonished by the beauty of high-powered automotive engineering, the experience of attending the Indianapolis 500 is so much more than the action on the track, however. The second you hit the state of Indiana on race weekend, you are engulfed by a festive atmosphere. And the mass of fans (somewhere more than 340,000) was just astonishing - not a stranger in the crowd, just a bunch of old friends you haven't quite bumped into or met yet. 

The HOTPO plans to attend again next year and catch up with the friends we missed this year. 

Bumped into an old friend the day before the race at Legends Southside Bar in Richmond, In. Legends just happens to be owned and operated by old friends, too. Tremendous joint, but I was limited on time - next time I am getting a pork tenderloin sandwich!

Socializing with loyal readers and recruiting new subscribers at a tailgate in the alley behind the Fat Cat Bar along W. 30th Street in Indianapolis. 

View of Turn 3 from the HOTPO position with the Indianapolis skyline in the distance.

HOTPO staff with entire Indy 500 support crew.

The Close Out: The NBA Finals are set with a Dallas Mavericks/Boston Celtics matchup that promises to be a good one. The NHL Conference Finals are still on-going with the Florida Panthers leading the New York Rangers 3-2 in the East and the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers tied at 2 a piece in the West. And, what the heck, the NTT IndyCar Series is headed north for the Detroit Gran Prix Sunday - we might put a stringer on that beat going forward.