Indianapolis – The thrilling 89th Indianapolis 500 won’t be remembered for its conclusion under caution, but rather for its stretch-run drama between a proven winner and a talented young woman trying to extend her legacy at auto racing’s most sacred facility.
Dan Wheldon won the 200-lap race Sunday, and Danica Patrick turned it into a gem for all ages and both genders.
The 5-foot-2, 100-pound Patrick, who became the first woman to lead a lap at Indy, overcame a stalled engine and a restart spin to contend.
The 23-year-old bypassed her last scheduled pit stop and managed to overtake Wheldon for the lead on lap 172 and lap 190 despite running on a lean fuel mixture and worn tires on her Rahal Letterman Racing entry.
But Wheldon, an Andretti Green Racing driver who had won three of the past four Indy Racing League events this season, retook the lead on lap 194 when Patrick’s engine ran thirsty and her tires wouldn’t stick around the 2.5-mile oval’s relatively flat turns.
Rahal Letterman driver Vitor Meira and Andretti Green driver Bryan Herta followed Wheldon across the finish line under caution, caused by a Sebastien Bourdais single-car wreck on lap 199.
“This has been a dream come true for me,” said Wheldon, who gave car owner and longtime race driver Michael Andretti his first win at Indy. “I’ve loved the Indianapolis 500 ever since I was a little kid in England.”
“I need a sip of that,” Andretti said, interrupting Wheldon’s drink of the Brickyard’s traditional milk. “I never tasted milk so good. It’s awesome. What a day.”
Patrick, who completed her final 40 laps on a tank of fuel that usually dries up between 33 and 35 laps, settled for fourth – the best finish by a woman in track and race history.
Vail’s Buddy Lazier, the most experienced Indy 500 driver in the 33-car field, finished fifth in his 13th start at the Brickyard.
Wheldon, 26, started 16th and took his first lead on lap 150. The first 350 miles were dominated by Wheldon’s Andretti Green teammate and polesitter Tony Kanaan and Team Penske’s Sam Hornish Jr.
Hornish, who started second, led a race-high 77 laps before smacking the turn one wall and retiring on lap 147. He ended 23rd.
Kanaan led 54 of the first 144 laps before fading and finishing eighth.
Andretti Green’s Dario Franchitti (15 laps led), Meira (three) and Bruno Junqueira (two) of Newman/Haas Racing also led in a race that tied the second-most lead changes (27) in event history. The 1960 race had 29 lead changes.
“Since I’ve been doing this, today’s race was the most competitive,” said Wheldon, who is in his third full season in the IRL. “It just shows you the direction the series is going with the amount of leaders and the amount of leaders from different teams.”
Down the stretch, Wheldon had more than Patrick to worry about. Meira took over on lap 162 before Wheldon stole it back three laps later.
Then Patrick and Wheldon performed heart-pumping drag races down the frontstretch, where most of the 257,000 seats are located and where the duo traded leads three of four times.
Patrick said being in the hunt to become the first woman to win a major American auto race was “a result of being patient and not going crazy when things go wrong.”
“I kind of screamed in my helmet a couple times. Nobody could hear that, and you have to calm down and you have to be smart and not make stupid mistakes,” she said. “As a result, you’re in the game.”
KEYS TO VICTORY: Steering star
Dan Wheldon started 16th but steadily drove to the front, avoiding accidents and making solid pit stops. He passed Danica Patrick for the second time down the stretch with 7 laps to go and cruised to victory under caution after Sebastien Bourdais drew the eighth and final yellow flag on lap 199.
TRAFFIC REPORT: Junqueira hurt
A frightening wreck involving two-time Grand Prix of Denver winner Bruno Junqueira, who has two fractured vertebrae, was one of seven crashes. Junqueira is scheduled to have surgery today.
THE PITS: Patrick’s run
Danica Patrick, who became the first woman to lead an Indy 500 lap, lost engine power while pitting on lap 79, falling from fourth to 16th. She caused a four-car wreck on a lap 155 restart. Patrick, above, rallied to finish fourth, the best for a woman at Indy.
DID YOU SEE? Fifth top-five
Buddy Lazier of Vail finished fifth, the best result for a Chevrolet- powered car and a non-full-time Indy Racing League driver. Lazier extended his record of top-five finishes at Indy to five since the IRL began sanctioning the event in 1996.
Staff writer Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5453 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
