The 108th running of the historic Indianapolis 500 took place Sunday afternoon, a little after the originally planned due to a line of thunderstorms that rolled through the Indianapolis area.
Even though the race took place four hours later than usual, the excitement level was off the charts from start to finish.
The final battle of the race came down to Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward. The two talented drivers traded the lead nearly every lap, trying to size each other up for the final lap.
READ MORE: IndyCar Indy 500 – Full Race Results
O’Ward was able to make a move which put him in the lead as he took the white flag, but that proved to be one lap too early.
Newgarden was given a chance to fight back on the back stretch, and he sent it deep into Turn 3 on the outside.
With a move that could have easily ended in tears for both men had they not given each other respect on the track, the defending champion chopped the air off O’Ward’s nose and drove to victory half a lap later.
There had not been back to back Indy 500 champions in 22 years, meaning Newgarden also claimed a hefty $440,000 bonus to go along with all the accolades of the race itself.
After he finished celebrating among the fans in the grandstands, which has now become his signature move, Newgarden ascended the podium to drink the famous milk for the second year in a row.
O’Ward was dejected when he was interviewed after the race, obviously thinking about how close he was to the biggest victory of his career.
Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi earned the third and fourth positions respectively, with both men looking like they could have earned the victory for themselves as the laps began counting down.
The final 10 laps saw them fall behind the leader, though, and they were forced to settle for a good, but not great, result.
The defending series champion Alex Palou rounded out the top 5 with a solid effort in his #10 CGR Honda.
Kyle Larson was incredibly impressive in his IndyCar debut, racing up near the front for much of the day.
A pit lane speeding penalty undid all his good work, however, and he finished 18th before taking off in a waiting helicopter to take him across the country.
He still has to contend in what is left of the NASCAR race being held in Charlotte, capping off a spectacularly exhausting day for the star driver.
There were a very high number of cautions during the 200-lap race, with a total of eight over the course of the afternoon.
That high number was partially a product of the intense level of competition that was present throughout the entire race.
Whether that was a product of the rain delay that pent up aggression within the field or the cooler temperatures that covered the speedway, there was definitely a large amount of tight racing to thrill the fans.
The team that had the worst day was Andretti Global, and it was not even a close contest.
Marcus Ericsson was caught up in a three-car crash on the very first corner of the race, and ended the day in the unceremonious 33rd position.
Nearly halfway through the race Colton Herta spun on his own from second place, damaging his car and setting him back 17 laps during while repairs were made.
Not long after that, Marco Andretti also spun in Turn 1 and backed his #98 into the wall.
During the pit cycle for Herta’s crash, Kyle Kirkwood earned a drive through penalty for contact with Callum Ilott.
Not a single Andretti entry had a trouble-free day, and Kirkwood’s recovery drive up to seventh was the team’s best on the day.
Only 22 cars were still running when the checkered flags flew, with anything from engine failures, to solo crashes, to wheel to wheel contact contributing to the total retirements.
There are only a few days of rest after the Month of May, with a street race in downtown Detroit scheduled for one week away.
