One of the traditions of Memorial Day weekend is the running of the Indy 500. While the event has lost much of its fame in recent years nationwide, it’s still one of my favorites on the sporting calendar. In the first 500 A.D. (after Danica), the race saw several lead changes trhoughout and a few drivers battling for the win in the closing laps. Target Chip Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti exchanged the lead, looking for their second and third 500 wins respectively. With two laps to go, Franchitti took the lead and Takuma Sato, driving for Bobby Rahal and David Letterman, moved into second.
Incredibly, Sato divebombed beneath Franchitti in Turn 1 shortly after taking the white flag, spun, and crashed into the wall going for the lead. With the ensuing caution, Franchitti (and not wife Ashley Judd, no matter how much you may be told different) won his third Indy 500. It marks the second straight year the 500 ended with a crash on the final lap at the front of the field. Last year, rookie J.R. Hildebrand wrecked with the lead coming out of the final turn. Here’s the video of the exciting Indy finish…
Had Sato held his nerve and waited until the backstretch heading into Turn 3 or coming out of Turn 4 down the frontstretch, he likely would have had the race won with all the passing taking place. Instead, Sato went for the win in Turn 1 and crashed in dramatic fashion. After the race, Franchitti paid tribute to last year’s Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon, killed at Las Vegas in the final race of last season.
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