Race fans got all they could ask for in an exciting finish for the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500 on Sunday when JR Hildebrand crashed into the wall at the final turn of the race. Then Dan Wheldon came from behind him to take the checkered flag and claim victory in the ever important race.
The 23 year old rookie, Hildebrand had been employing a fuel saving strategy in the final laps of the race and that strategy came to bite him in the end as he saw Wheldon coming up behind him. Hildebrand was able to cross the finish line despite the crash, however he couldn’t claim the prize. Hildebrand said after the race, “I knew we were really tight on fuel coming to the end, and the spotters were in my ear saying, ‘The guys are coming and they’re coming hard,’. Now he’ll need to get the car up on a Car Lift for a few major repairs.
Dan Wheldon from Bryan Herta Autosport, who also won in 2005, was competing in his first race of the season. He was runner up the two previous years and was more than happy to complete for the win.
Other notable finishing positions were Graham Rahal, who finished 3rd, Tony Kanaan who placed 4th, Marco Andretti who finished ninth and Danica Patrick who finished tenth. Dixon, who won in 2008, finished 5th.
What an exciting finish for the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500. We can’t wait until next year.
