It's been a short eight years, and yet I've seen the history books amended many times. I saw a woman lead the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in 2005. In 2006, I witnessed Michael Andretti leading under caution with very few laps to go--only to be passed by his nineteen-year-old rookie son, who then became the first driver to lead the white flag lap and not win the race. 2009 welcomed Helio Castroneves to the exclusive three-time winner club, and in 2012, Dario Franchitti joined him. 2011 gets the award for the most spectacular finish, our hearts first breaking for the rookie J.R. Hildebrand and then rejoicing for Dan Wheldon.
Even the less dramatic years will leave their mark on history. As my dad pointed out, certain drivers will be remembered for domination. Dario Franchitti will surely be one of them, taking all three of his wins within six years of each other. I will look back on 2008 recalling that all month, it had been only Scott Dixon's race to lose. Some may classify yesterday's race in the less exciting category, too, simply for the fact that it ended under caution. I couldn't disagree more.
In the first thirty laps, it was clear that we were on track to break the record for most lead changes. It was demolished, growing from 34 to 68. There were 14 different leaders, up from 12 in 1993. 27 cars were running at the finish, the most since 1911. And on top of all of that, it was the fastest race ever with an average speed of 187.433.
This race flew by. Yes, it actually was the shortest one. The cool weather made it much easier to sit for so long. But these drivers, they were keeping me on my toes. This race never settled in. We never got to a point where we could make predictions. The leader was never safe (though not without help from the drafting made possible by the DW12). They were always close--but they stayed clean. Every yellow was a single-car incident. I adored seeing the back stretch a total mess, and watching in admiration as they sorted it out before the turn. I was on my feet whenever someone got two positions at once.
We had worried about Carlos Munoz, a rookie with minimal seat time and a penchant for passing low, starting in the middle of the front row. He proved us all wrong. He never had a weak moment. A.J. Allmendinger seemed for awhile to be the hardest driver to pass. E.J. Viso was more impressive than he had ever been. It was fun to watch Ed Carpenter's charge from the pole in the beginning. And of course, Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, and Ryan Hunter-Reay got themselves to the front and never looked back.
My brother's girlfriend, who came to the race for the first time yesterday, had picked Tony Kanaan to win. It was a wise choice because he can never be counted out, but after so long, I didn't dare to hope. He has always been more than capable, but luck gets in the way. Yesterday, it cleared a path to victory for him. No driver brings more people to their feet by taking the lead. Everyone was behind him yesterday; we always have been. Finally, it was his turn. I'd be hard pressed to find someone who deserves it more. It seemed the field was in agreement, giving him congratulations from the cockpit and stopping his victory lap to hug him.
This is our race. This is our series. Some people want to see crashes, and rivalries, and trading paint, and green-white-checkereds. If that's what you like, then you've come to the wrong place, because the Indianapolis 500 is much bigger than all of that. People give everything they have to try to win here, and that can bring out the worst in them. What I see in most of our drivers, though, is that it brings out the best. There is fraternity in loving this race. Those thirty-three drivers may be competing against each other, but they are still somehow in it together. They race side by side, but give each other room. They all want to win, but they are bonded by that desire. And they can appreciate talent and determination in those they are trying to beat just as much as they could in the drivers they grew up watching.
For over a century, this peerless test of machine, skill, and perseverance has fulfilled dreams and dashed hopes. It has propelled careers and created legends. Sometimes we forget how powerful it really is, but yesterday brought it all back to the forefront. Records were broken, proof that auto racing is still about progress. They stayed clean because we're here for speed and not destruction. Thousands of spectators and thirty-three drivers congratulated Tony Kanaan because a man who worked harder than anyone finally saw it pay off. In the end, I cried tears of joy, and I wasn't the only one.
This is the Indianapolis 500, the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Even the less dramatic years will leave their mark on history. As my dad pointed out, certain drivers will be remembered for domination. Dario Franchitti will surely be one of them, taking all three of his wins within six years of each other. I will look back on 2008 recalling that all month, it had been only Scott Dixon's race to lose. Some may classify yesterday's race in the less exciting category, too, simply for the fact that it ended under caution. I couldn't disagree more.
In the first thirty laps, it was clear that we were on track to break the record for most lead changes. It was demolished, growing from 34 to 68. There were 14 different leaders, up from 12 in 1993. 27 cars were running at the finish, the most since 1911. And on top of all of that, it was the fastest race ever with an average speed of 187.433.
This race flew by. Yes, it actually was the shortest one. The cool weather made it much easier to sit for so long. But these drivers, they were keeping me on my toes. This race never settled in. We never got to a point where we could make predictions. The leader was never safe (though not without help from the drafting made possible by the DW12). They were always close--but they stayed clean. Every yellow was a single-car incident. I adored seeing the back stretch a total mess, and watching in admiration as they sorted it out before the turn. I was on my feet whenever someone got two positions at once.
We had worried about Carlos Munoz, a rookie with minimal seat time and a penchant for passing low, starting in the middle of the front row. He proved us all wrong. He never had a weak moment. A.J. Allmendinger seemed for awhile to be the hardest driver to pass. E.J. Viso was more impressive than he had ever been. It was fun to watch Ed Carpenter's charge from the pole in the beginning. And of course, Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, and Ryan Hunter-Reay got themselves to the front and never looked back.
My brother's girlfriend, who came to the race for the first time yesterday, had picked Tony Kanaan to win. It was a wise choice because he can never be counted out, but after so long, I didn't dare to hope. He has always been more than capable, but luck gets in the way. Yesterday, it cleared a path to victory for him. No driver brings more people to their feet by taking the lead. Everyone was behind him yesterday; we always have been. Finally, it was his turn. I'd be hard pressed to find someone who deserves it more. It seemed the field was in agreement, giving him congratulations from the cockpit and stopping his victory lap to hug him.
This is our race. This is our series. Some people want to see crashes, and rivalries, and trading paint, and green-white-checkereds. If that's what you like, then you've come to the wrong place, because the Indianapolis 500 is much bigger than all of that. People give everything they have to try to win here, and that can bring out the worst in them. What I see in most of our drivers, though, is that it brings out the best. There is fraternity in loving this race. Those thirty-three drivers may be competing against each other, but they are still somehow in it together. They race side by side, but give each other room. They all want to win, but they are bonded by that desire. And they can appreciate talent and determination in those they are trying to beat just as much as they could in the drivers they grew up watching.
For over a century, this peerless test of machine, skill, and perseverance has fulfilled dreams and dashed hopes. It has propelled careers and created legends. Sometimes we forget how powerful it really is, but yesterday brought it all back to the forefront. Records were broken, proof that auto racing is still about progress. They stayed clean because we're here for speed and not destruction. Thousands of spectators and thirty-three drivers congratulated Tony Kanaan because a man who worked harder than anyone finally saw it pay off. In the end, I cried tears of joy, and I wasn't the only one.
This is the Indianapolis 500, the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
