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National Guard Car Loses Indy 500 After Breathtaking, Heartbreaking Finish

National Guard Car Loses Indy 500 After Breathtaking, Heartbreaking Finish

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — JR Hildebrand was one turn away from winning the Indianapolis 500 and within sight of the checkered flag when the 23-year-old rookie made the ultimate mistake.

Leading by almost 4 seconds with a lap to go, Hildebrand skidded high into the wall on the final turn, and Dan Wheldon drove past to claim an improbable second Indy 500 win Sunday in his first race of the year.

“It’s a helpless feeling,” Hildebrand said.

(For footage of the crash see our story on the blog.)

Wheldon, the 2005 winner but without a full-time ride this season, appeared headed for his third straight runner-up finish when Hildebrand took the white flag needing only to make it through the last of 200 laps around the 2 1/2-mile speedway.

The first three turns went smoothly. Then Hildebrand came up on another rookie, Charlie Kimball, in the fourth turn. Instead of backing off, Hildebrand moved to the outside to make the pass and lost control, slamming the wall to a collective gasp from the crowd of 250,000.

National Guard Car Loses Indy 500 After Breathtaking, Heartbreaking Finish

“I caught him in the wrong piece of track,” Hildebrand said. “I got up in the marbles and that was it.”

Hildebrand’s crumpled machine slid across the finish line, still hugging the wall, in second place. While Wheldon celebrated, IndyCar officials reviewed the video to see if Wheldon passed the wrecked machine before the caution lights went on. He clearly did, and Hildebrand’s team, Panther Racing, said it would not protest.

“I just felt a lot of relief. It’s an incredible feeling,” Wheldon said. “I never gave up.”

He took the traditional swig of milk and headed off on a triumphant lap around the speedway – a lap that Hildebrand should have been taking.

National Guard Car Loses Indy 500 After Breathtaking, Heartbreaking Finish

Indy 500 winner Wheldon dousing himself with milk.

Instead, the youngster stopped by the garage to get a look at his mangled car, which was hauled through Gasoline Alley instead of being wheeled into Victory Lane. He’s now in the company of athletes such as Jean Van de Velde, who squandered a three-shot lead on the 72nd hole of the 1999 British Open, and Lindsey Jacobellis, whose wipeout at the 2006 Winter Olympics cost her a certain gold medal.

They had it in the bag – then threw it all away.

“I’m just frustrated. It‘s not because we came in here with the expectation of winning and we didn’t,” Hildebrand said. “I felt like I just made a mistake and it cost our boys. I guess that‘s why rookies don’t win the Indianapolis 500 a whole lot and we’ll be back next year, I guess.”

The 100th anniversary of America‘s most famous race was dominated much of the day by Chip Ganassi’s top two drivers, defending champ Dario Franchitti and 2008 winner Scott Dixon.

But after a series of late pit stops, things really got interesting. Second-generation racer Graham Rahal spent some time up front. Danica Patrick claimed the lead but was had to stop for fuel with nine laps to go. Belgium driver Bertrand Baguette had already gotten past Patrick, but he didn’t have enough fuel, either.

When Baguette went to the pits with three laps to go, the lead belonged to Hildebrand. All he had to do was make it to the end.

He came up one turn short.

“My disappointment is for the team,” Hildebrand said. “We should’ve won the race.”

Not that Wheldon isn’t a deserving champ. Despite plenty of success in his IndyCar career, he lost his ride at Panther Racing – where he was replaced by Hildebrand, no less – and couldn’t find a regular job this season.

He sat out the first four races of the year, then picked up a one-race deal with Bryan Herta Autosport. Surely, Wheldon will be able to find a better gig now after beating Hildebrand by 2.1 seconds with an average speed of 170.265 mph.

“Dan Wheldon, he’s a great winner,” Patrick said. “And what a great story. He hasn’t run this year. … That’s really cool.”

Still, it was a bitter disappointment for Patrick, who ended up 10th.

“It‘s more and more depressing when I don’t win the race,” said Indy’s leading lady.

Patrick knows about misfortune leading to victory for Wheldon. His first victory came when she led late in the race, only to have to back off the throttle to save enough fuel to make it to the finish.

This time, Wheldon never led a lap until the last one, the first time that’s happened since Joe Dawson won the second Indy 500 in 1912.

It was the second time a driver lost the lead on the last lap – it happened to another rookie, Marco Andretti, in 2006 – and it’s something Hildebrand will always remember.

“Is it a move I would do again?” he said. “No.”

Rahal finished third, followed by hard-charging Tony Kanaan, who came all the way from the 22nd starting spot to contend for his first 500 win. Dixon was fifth, followed by Oriol Servia, while Franchitti lost speed in the closing laps and slipped all the way to 12th.

Right from the start, the Ganassi cars showed just how strong they would be on a sweltering day at the Brickyard, where the temperature climbed into the upper 80s and the heat on the track was well over 100 degrees.

From the middle of the front row, Dixon blew by pole-sitter Alex Tagliani before they even got to the start-finish line, diving into the first turn with the lead.

Tagliani ran strong through the first half of the race but began having problems with his handling. One car after another went by him as his laps speeds dropped into the 190s. Finally, on lap 147, he lost it coming out of the fourth turn and banged into the wall for a disappointing end to an amazing month for his car owner, Sam Schmidt, who watched the race from a wheelchair in the pits.

Schmidt has been a quadriplegic since a racing crash 11 years ago, but he’s turned his efforts to building an IndyCar team. He had another car in the race, one-off driver Townsend Bell, who started from the inside of the second row and ran in the top 10 much of the day until he was collided with Ryan Briscoe on lap 158.

Briscoe‘s crash summed up the day for IndyCar’s other elite team.

Roger Penske’s trio of drivers capped a disappointing month with a grim performance on race day.

On the very first stop, Will Power drove out of the pits with a loose left rear wheel, which flew off before he got back on the track. While it bounced down pit road, Power set off around the 2 1/2-mile oval on three wheels, sparks flying out from under his machine as it limped back for another tire. He finished 14th – the best showing for Penske Racing.

Helio Castroneves, hoping for a record-tying fourth Indy win, started back in 16th spot after struggling in qualifying and did his best just to stay on the lead lap, much less challenge for the lead. That effort ended when Briscoe and Bell got together – and Castroneves ran off a piece of debris, shredding a tire. He wound up one lap down in 17th.

Briscoe’s crash left him in 27th.

There was only one wreck on the much-debated double-file restarts but plenty of thrilling moves – just what IndyCar officials were hoping for when they imposed the NASCAR-style procedure after each caution period.

At one point after taking green, Castroneves had to dive onto the lane that cars normally take coming out of the pits just to get through the second turn.

For Hildebrand, the cheers turned to groans on the final turn.

“It’s just a bummer,” he said.

Comments (62)

1 2
  • capredbeard2000
    Posted on May 30, 2011 at 7:54am

    I bet you wish you got to be there like I was to see the finish live.

    Report Post » capredbeard2000  
  • raydg
    Posted on May 30, 2011 at 5:46am

    It was a rookie mistake and he has many more years of racing ahead of him. I am glad he is okay and hope he learns from it. Still it is too bad that he did not win as I am a retired Guardsman (Washington Army National Guard) and that would have been a great sight.

    Report Post »  
  • avgconservative
    Posted on May 30, 2011 at 2:11am

    It ain’t over, ’til it’s over!

    Report Post » avgconservative  
  • teddrunk
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 11:26pm

    I used to be a big Indy Car fan. I used to sneak into the pits at the Milwaukee Mile. Foyt, Andretti, the Unser brothers, and on and on. It was a great series. Then they decided to get snobbish and bring in all foreign drivers, and no more Ford versus Offenhausers, just all Hondas. The final insult, female drivers.
    IndyCar is dead.

    Report Post »  
    • the_ancient
      Posted on May 30, 2011 at 2:26am

      1950 called, they would like their attitude back

      Report Post » the_ancient  
    • awizard
      Posted on May 30, 2011 at 8:26am

      “I used to be a big Indy Car fan” too, and NASCAR when I had time, now I just read this story and it’s ALL about the drivers. Where Is the the Ford vs Chevy?.. They ALL use the same motors?.. The drivers and teams are interesting too, but I think of them as a more of a side note.

      The Brickyard was built as a proving ground for new technology; Who had the best motor, transmission, tires, suspension, fuel … “New stuff on parade” … Now it seems to be about the drivers, all in the same cars, what’s the point?… Maybe I should be thinking WWF or roller derby on four wheels?.. I don’t bother with those “Sports” either.

      Maybe a 60‘s 70’s attitude, but it was a lot more fun reading about the innovations in the cars than the stat’s on the drivers.

      And the milk thing, we “grow” milk around here too. But we still celebrate with Champagne …

      Report Post » awizard  
    • mnorris
      Posted on May 30, 2011 at 8:06pm

      Don’t agree with your analysis…but I began enjoying motorsports (Mile. Foyt, Andretti, the Unser brothers) at the Milwaukee track….was also the place I was introduced to Michael and Al Jr when they were about 10-12 racing go carts.

      Report Post » mnorris  
  • GittleShel
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 11:26pm

    Dale Earnhardt Jr just lost the Coca-Cola 600 on the final turn also, ran out of gas!

    Report Post »  
    • bobtech
      Posted on May 30, 2011 at 7:35am

      Junior is just paying all the bad karma of his father.

      Report Post »  
    • OlefromMN
      Posted on May 30, 2011 at 11:26am

      2 National Guard cars stopped short of victory on the last lap. Bizarre.

      Report Post » OlefromMN  
  • Bob1943
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 10:52pm

    I enjoy racing and I was rooting for Hildebrand to win becasue he was a rookie. To lose in the last turn of the last lap has got to be a real bummer. He will probably appear on as many TV shows for interviews as the winner Wheldon will.

    Notice how people who don‘t like racing always have to enter a thread about racing just to say they don’t like it?

    I guess it makes them somehow feel superior to not like racing and they have to let others know?

    Report Post »  
  • godhatesacoward
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 10:15pm

    typical Hildebrand.

    Report Post » godhatesacoward  
  • brian8793
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 9:58pm

    Wow, just a bunch of people watching cars go around a track. LAME.

    Report Post » brian8793  
    • bobtech
      Posted on May 30, 2011 at 7:13am

      “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.”…Earnest Hemmingway

      Report Post »  
  • Watchingfromafar
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 9:20pm

    I was watching the Monaco GP so missed the 500 (have it recorded).
    What an unlucky break for Hildebrand, well done to Weldon.
    Sport at it’s most dramatic I guess.

    Report Post »  
  • ChiefGeorge
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 8:36pm

    What an exciting end! First time my wife and I sat through a whole Indy 500 race. She enjoyed it, esp all the crashes.

    Report Post » ChiefGeorge  
  • NOBALONEY
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 8:28pm

    It ain‘t over till it’s over.

    Report Post » NOBALONEY  
  • Ron_WA
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 8:10pm

    Seriously blows! Big let down on Memorial Day weekend when a win by a car sponsored by the military & US National Guard would have been sooooo symbolic. Think we need to send the driver to the eastern front …

    Report Post » Ron_WA  
  • inthedesert
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 8:03pm

    Yes, Indy is a big deal to racing fans. I lived in Indiana for most of my life and almost every kid there dreams of racing at Indy. The race is always blacked out there. You have to listen to it on the radio if you don’t go to the race. At least now, in the desert, I can watch it live. I’m sure everyone there thought he had the win in the bag. But the track at Indy always has the last laugh.

    Report Post » inthedesert  
  • swampbuck
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:46pm

    had to be heart breaking for the young rookie… I was watching and right in the middle of sending a buddy a text stating “ 24 yo rookie wins the Indy 500” then BAM!…

    He didn’t need to make that final turn pass he had the race in the bag…

    those of you who have never raced or are not fans would not understand… Indy is a pretty big deal

    Report Post » swampbuck  
    • LOOKING_BOTH_WAYS
      Posted on May 29, 2011 at 8:01pm

      yup…this was purely a rookie mistake, he was 4 sec. in the lead, which is huge. he thought he had it in the bag and took his mind off his job…I‘m sure he’ll lose a few nights of sleep over this

      Report Post »  
  • conservativeBC
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:40pm

    Porn Star Ginger Lee: Not Helping The Drooping Weiner

    Boy! — This is just the gift that keeps on giving! Now the porn star Ginger Lee is saying that she has received tweets from Weiner.

    http://conservativeblogscentral.blogspot.com/2011/05/porn-star-ginger-lee-not-helping.html

    Report Post » conservativeBC  
  • NeoKong
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:38pm

    Close but no cigar.
    It‘s not over until it’s over.
    Crashes are a part of the sport. Many competitions turn on player error and that’s just how it is. Ask Bill Buckner.

    Report Post » NeoKong  
    • crackerone
      Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:51pm

      No one will remember who came in first…..but they will remember Bill Buckner!

      Report Post »  
    • crackerone
      Posted on May 29, 2011 at 8:01pm

      And don’t get me started on Roy McAvoy (Tin Cup)!

      Report Post »  
    • crackerone
      Posted on May 29, 2011 at 8:35pm

      And who could forget Hillary and her “Insert Cigar Here” pantsuit?

      Report Post »  
  • Cherynn
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:33pm

    Yes it was a heartbrake. Soooooo close, so close. Good start for a rookie though. Now if only Danica could get better fuel management she might win one. GO GIRL POWER !!!!

    Report Post » Cherynn  
    • streetrodder
      Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:44pm

      Danica will win alot of races, she keeps getting better. She will get a good ride in NASCAR and she will do good there also.

      Report Post »  
    • Cherynn
      Posted on May 29, 2011 at 8:10pm

      As a Hoosier girl it bums me out knowing she is leaving Indy car racing. I hope nascar is good to her. Maybe she will come back to Indy some day and win, fingers crossed.

      Report Post » Cherynn  
  • SilentReader
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:30pm

    There’s nothing like losing in the lap of victory!

    And milk?!

    Report Post » SilentReader  
  • JoeAmerica
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:27pm

    What in the world is up with these stories? Was the national guard car supposed to win cause Jesus likes the military better then other competitors? We truly are becoming a military state. I know most of you guys hate the current administration, but I hope you guys are smart enough to realize when you are being manipulated. This story is only to enrage you over… well I don’t even know. I guess cause the Guard car didn‘t win we all aren’t prying enough for our military.

    Report Post » JoeAmerica  
    • republitarian
      Posted on May 29, 2011 at 9:20pm

      You noticed, huh? Yeah, we know. It’s usually in a headline written to provoke a reaction like the NY Post. Some people just read the headline and post a comment, which can get them in trouble because they can be so misleading. I can’t say why they pick the stories they do, and I’ve long given up complaining. Oh, why am I still here? Because I love this freak show!

      Report Post » republitarian  
  • SubHuman
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:24pm

    Still no #Weinergate coverage???

    Report Post » SubHuman  
  • CanteenBoy
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:20pm

    D’oh!!

    Report Post » CanteenBoy  
  • mrsmileyface
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:19pm

    Trying to care……..trying to care………trying to care……………NOPE! dont care.

    Report Post » mrsmileyface  
  • Aaron in Polk County
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:18pm

    Clearly, the Muslims are right. God Hates American and it’s National Guard. This is just his way of reminding us we suck.

    Thanks Jesus. Your the man!

    Report Post » Aaron in Polk County  
    • glashole
      Posted on May 30, 2011 at 9:09am

      @ aaipc,

      America does not suck, you can leave to wherever you like and take your freinds an family with you. The National Guard has no business spending tax dollars, if that is how the team is funded, on a race team that cost so much money, but that is reality. America haters that have the RIGHT to speak their mind because of our Constitution and our military keeping our country safe, I am glad you have that RIGHT. As for me, I wish people like you wouldput action behind your words and find another country to go be oppressed in. Please Leave!!!!

      Report Post » glashole  
  • johnsell
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:17pm

    It’s bad when you lose your marbles……

    Report Post »  
    • Professional Infidel
      Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:32pm

      Amen

      Report Post »  
    • CanteenBoy
      Posted on May 29, 2011 at 8:05pm

      Stupid, sexy marbles.

      Report Post » CanteenBoy  
    • Robert-CA
      Posted on May 29, 2011 at 8:47pm

      Rookie mistake I was yelling @ the TV for him not to pass on the outside of turn 4 , I wanted the National Guard car to win .
      Now watching the Coca Cola 600 after watching the Monaco Grand Prix .

      Report Post » Robert-CA  
    • Hungry_i
      Posted on May 29, 2011 at 9:19pm

      Yeah, that’s a problem. What I‘d like to know is why the spotter for the slow car didn’t tell the driver to move up and let the NG car by.

      Report Post » Hungry_i  
    • black9897
      Posted on May 29, 2011 at 11:56pm

      Racing is stupid boring, gay, etc. No one cares!

      Report Post » black9897  
    • Robert-CA
      Posted on May 30, 2011 at 5:44am

      BLACK9897
      Posted on May 29, 2011 at 11:56pm
      Racing is stupid boring, gay, etc. No one cares!
      __________________________________________
      You’re boring & ignorant .

      Report Post » Robert-CA  
  • heavyduty
    Posted on May 29, 2011 at 7:11pm

    I am glad that I didn’t win, I wouldn’t want to smell like soured milk.

    Report Post »  
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