|| *Comments on the 2011 Indianapolis 500:* View the most recent comment <#101> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. 18fan posted: 05.29.2011 - 8:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) All I have to say about the finish is WOW! 2. Anonymous posted: 05.29.2011 - 8:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is a finish that will be remembered for a long time. 3. Anonymous posted: 05.29.2011 - 8:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Charlie Kimball wasn't gentlemanly hogging the bottom like, or was it just adrenaline for JR? 4. 18fan posted: 05.29.2011 - 8:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #3- Probably some of both. 5. Anonymous posted: 05.29.2011 - 8:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) IndyCar doesn't release purse info. That's factual. 6. bduddy posted: 05.29.2011 - 8:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 41 was Ryan Hunter-Reay. Purse info for the Indy 500 is usually released... 7. Schroeder51 posted: 05.29.2011 - 8:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a shame for J. R. Hildebrand. What a story that would have been if he'd won in his first try! 8. Anonymous posted: 05.29.2011 - 8:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) All but Indy, sorry. 9. Rusty posted: 05.29.2011 - 8:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That was a crazy finish, Hildebrand had it all locked up before crashing out of four on the last lap and handing it to Dan Wheldon. 10. Foyt14 posted: 05.29.2011 - 8:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yet another classic 500 mile race. Thank you, Indianapolis. A fittingly classic race to mark the 100th anniversary of this, the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Little by little this race is making a comeback to what it was before the split. Congrats to Wheldon. His two wins and multiple other podiums cement him as one of the All-Time Indy greats. And I love to see those drivers that appreciate what this race and track means, like Wheldon does. Hildebrand, you learned a lesson that many a great driver has learned before, and is nothing to be ashamed about. You have to respect this track, every corner of every lap, all race. Nothing is ever certain here, no one is "destined" to win until they actually take the checkered flag. I feel awful for him, but man, that's just Indy, and that's just what this race has been about for 100 years. Heartbreak for some, a dream come true for others. 11. martin-n-rusty posted: 05.29.2011 - 8:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That was a rookie mistake, no doubt about it. Not a shame though, he could of stayed behind the lapped car, and still won the race. He will learn 12. nascarfreak99 posted: 05.29.2011 - 8:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow. The race sure lived up to its name as the Most Important Race in History. 13. Anonymous posted: 05.29.2011 - 8:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #3. That wasn't Charlies fault. He took the line that lap cars are supposed to take. J.R. just made a rookie mistake and took the last turn harder than he should have. 14. AlmirolaFan88 posted: 05.29.2011 - 8:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Once I saw Hildebrand pull to the outside to pass Kimball, I knew he was done. Poor kid. I was pulling for him all day long. This is one of those character building moments, so hopefully he dosen't hang his head for too long. Kid's got the potential to be great. Why Dan Wheldon dosen't have a full time ride is beyond me. 15. Anonymous posted: 05.29.2011 - 9:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If the series ran normal race cars then the drivers would be able to run the high line without hitting the wall like they used to. 16. RaceFanX posted: 05.29.2011 - 9:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bryan Herta Autosport wins it's first race at the Indy 500 in a one-off effort with Wheldon. Herta's team mainly runs Indy Lights with the 500 as a one-off, this was only the team's second 500 after last year's race. It's Wheldon's first win since Iowa in 2008, both Ganassi and ironically Panther Racing had fired him to hire other drivers since. 17. Anonymous posted: 05.29.2011 - 9:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "If the series ran normal race cars then the drivers would be able to run the high line without hitting the wall like they used to." Are you suggesting that they take the Indy car..... out of IndyCar? 18. Schroeder51 posted: 05.29.2011 - 10:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thought Bertrand Baguette was going to win this race with 10 to go. Thought he was actually going to somehow make it on fuel. 19. Schroeder51 posted: 05.29.2011 - 10:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, now, officially, Oriol Servia is the only driver to have earned a top 10 in every race this season. 20. Dodge posted: 05.29.2011 - 11:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First was hoping Danica Patrick would win. Then when she pitted hoped that Baggette would until he pitted, I was hoping that Hildebrand would win. Would of been fitting if that car won considering they are sponsored by the National Guard and finally have an American representing the US National Guardsmen, plus beat the driver that they had for the last 2 years that at Indy had finished 2nd. I personally thought Kimball should of moved way out of the way since it appeared that he was out of fuel. 21. JP88 posted: 05.29.2011 - 11:22 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) never seen a finish like that in my life and after Dale Jr. running out of gas on the backstretch, how ironic that both National Guard cars lose 2 of the biggest races on the final turn...wow 22. Smokefan05 posted: 05.29.2011 - 11:26 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) ^ No kidding. Today was awsome day of racing. First Indy 500 i've seen since 2006. The whole race as so-so but ending made up for it. 23. DaleSrFanForever posted: 05.29.2011 - 11:29 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Ouch. Pain. Heartbreak. Congrats to Wheldon. The only bad thing about his winning is that we have to endure all these cheesy "Well-Done" articles. Just like '05. 24. Bronco posted: 05.29.2011 - 11:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Possibly the biggest choke in motorsports history? Hildebrand was just a few feet away from a win, but he passed the lapped car of Charlie Kimball high, got up in the marbles and into the wall he went, handing the win to Dan Wheldon. The irony here is that Hildebrand drives for the team that Wheldon was with the last two years, when he finished 2nd at Indy to Helio and Dario. Unless he wins a race, that mistake by Hildebrand will probably eat him forever. This is Dan's first start of the season since he split from Panther Racing at the end of last season. It marks his first Indycar win since Iowa in June 2008. The fact that Dan doesn't have a full time ride in this series is a shame. Will Power salvaged a decent finish after a left rear wheel came off on one of the early pit stops. Canadian Alex Tagliani scored a major upset by winning the pole, the first Indy 500 pole for a Canadian. Unfortunately his day was cut short by a crash. The two drivers involved in that horrific crash at the end of last year's 500 (Mike Conway and RHR) both DNQ'd for the event, but RHR took the place of Bruno Junquiera. And finally, both National Guard sponsored cars in Indycar and NASCAR had the lead in turn 4, but one crashed and one ran out of fuel with the checkers in sight. It would have been highly appropriate for one of them to have won on Memorial Day weekend. First Indy 500 to use double file restarts, they weren't as chaotic as many had expected. 25. 00andJoe posted: 05.29.2011 - 11:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #14 - Same here. After seeing what had happened to Tags earlier when he made the same move, the only thing going through my mind when J.R. went outside of Kimball was "Oh, crap..." 26. potatosalad48 posted: 05.29.2011 - 11:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Can't believe Hildebrand gave up the biggest race of the year. Not all his fault though. Indy cars and the high line don't mix. Great race, lots of passing and the double file restarts worked better than I'd hoped. Congrats to Wheldon. 27. 18fan posted: 05.29.2011 - 11:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wheldon's problem is he is great on ovals but not very good on road and street courses and the road and street courses are becoming a bigger part of the schedule, so it doesn't fit him as well. Still, I'd take him over almost anybody else on any oval, especially Indy. 28. irony posted: 05.29.2011 - 11:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Like others said, I knew as soon as Hildebrand went to the outside he would crash. Not a good move. Terrible luck for Tag and Bell. 100th anniversary of the Indy 500 was the highlight of possibility the greatest day in racing history. Monaco was epic. The Coke 600 was awesome like it used to be before the repaving. Hope Monaco is on Memorial Day again next year. It isn't always. 29. jensenators posted: 05.30.2011 - 12:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) im kind of surprised in the first to ask this, but when you look at the replay from turn 1 looking up the front stretch when the lights come on on the end of the inside wall for the caution after jr hit the wall he was in front of weldon. since the field is frozen when this happens shouldnt jr have won the race? 30. JimmieJohnsonsNeatlyTrimmedBeard posted: 05.30.2011 - 1:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "im kind of surprised in the first to ask this, but when you look at the replay from turn 1 looking up the front stretch when the lights come on on the end of the inside wall for the caution after jr hit the wall he was in front of weldon. since the field is frozen when this happens shouldnt jr have won the race?" I've seen conclusive evidence that Wheldon passed him before the lights came on. There are pictures of the pass from in turn 4 that show the pass more clearly. Looking down from turn 1 is hard to judge. And even so, I'm pretty sure there is a rule about maintaining a certain speed. And if there isn't a rule about causing a caution to end the race, there should be. Or else why wouldn't the leader on the final lap of the 500 just wreck themselves to seal the deal if they were in danger of getting passed? And even if there aren't rules against that stuff, who truly thinks Hildebrand deserved to win? The guy wrecked, and got passed before the line. The only thing that would give him the win would be a loophole, and that would forever taint this race. It finished the way it should have, even Hildebrand and Panther racing agreed. 31. martin-n-rusty posted: 05.30.2011 - 1:08 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) jensenators, I would of found that a horrible way to finish the race. I think they did well, allowing it to play out to see if Hildebrand could make it, didn't, and then threw the yellow. If they immeaditely thew the yellow, the win would of been cheap, and handed on a silver platter 32. joey2448 posted: 05.30.2011 - 1:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #28, I agree....One of the greatest days of motor racing ever. I don't wanna say the best, but definitely one of the best. Great racing all day long! Also, I think it's pretty clear that Wheldon had the lead when the caution lights switch on... 33. Destroyahirismix666 posted: 05.30.2011 - 1:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) IN my opinion, just as good as last year's 500. Purely epic, and less chaotic, with more lead chances then last year. Nothing to complain, and that finish will be remembered for another 25 years at least! 34. Soxfan24 posted: 05.30.2011 - 3:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Poor Hildebrand, he won't live this down for a long time but he handled it marvelously. Perhaps he will learn from this and apply it tod the future. He gives american drivers hope to succeed in major open wheel racing. Ironically Panther racing finishes 2nd again in the Indy 500 with former driver Dan Wheldon winning in a team that hadn't even run a race all year amazing considering how when you have to run a whole race with pit stops and all of that. This man should be in a full time ride no doubt about it. Unfortunately there aren't really enough full time teams with money to run. Perhaps Andretti Autosport should consider bringing him back in 2012 because we all know Danica isn't coming back to IndyCar full time. 35. Biscuits in a Red Bull posted: 05.30.2011 - 5:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great finish, but surely Hildebrand should be classified as 'crash', as he nearly finished with 3 wheels. At least it was a guy who deserved another win who won. 36. Evan posted: 05.30.2011 - 7:57 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Two words..."what the?" Dan Wheldon certainly needed a win after not having a ride but he'll definitely get one after this race. Both National Guard cars led at the white flag but failed to take the checkered in Cup and Indy. Never saw a race like this and probably never will. Hope Hildebrand does not wallow in what might have been, he'll win his share and possibly Indy someday. 37. DieselDan posted: 05.30.2011 - 9:16 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) JimmieJohnsonsNeatlyTrimmedBeard: No. Just like NASCAR, the car still has to stay at speed under it's own power. J.R.'s car was wrecked and slowing. 38. Cooper posted: 05.30.2011 - 9:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 37. DieselDan posted: 05.30.11 - 9:16 am JimmieJohnsonsNeatlyTrimmedBeard: No. Just like NASCAR, the car still has to stay at speed under it's own power. J.R.'s car was wrecked and slowing. Debatable. 2002. Castroneves. Helio basically rolled at 10 mph trying to save fuel, while tracy and other drivers were way ahead of him. I'm not sure what the rule is, but 2002 would throw your understanding of the rule out the window. 39. Indycar1 posted: 05.30.2011 - 10:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dan Wheldon wins his second Indy 500, First time in Indy 500 history that the winner only led the last lap. breaking a 99 year old record, of fewest laps led by a race winner. (In 1912, Joe Dawson led only the final 2 laps.) First career Indy 500 laps led for: Alex Tagliani with 20 laps, Oriol Servia with 18 laps, Bertrand Baguette with 11 laps, (also his first career laps led in his IndyCar career) J.R. Hildebrand with 7 laps, (Also his first career laps led in IndyCar.) Graham Rahal with 6 laps. As far as prize money is concerned, They have an awards banquet on Monday night, the day after the race. similar to the NASCAR awards banquet at Las Vegas at the end of the season. where all 33 drivers go up on the podium and are presented their check for their performance in this years race, and they each have a speach thanking their sponsors and car owners. Unfortunately it only airs in the Indianapolis market. So if you don't live in Indy, you won't get to see it. (unless they put it on YouTube) But if you go the Facebook group page "IndyCar merger the biggest thing that happened in racing in 2008" I'll post the prize money as we go. 40. DaleSrFanForever posted: 05.30.2011 - 12:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I posted this on JR's driver page, and I'll mention it here to see what you guys think, especially those of you that understand Indy Racing much better than me. I think JR made an understandable mistake given his situation. He is inexperienced at Indy (his first race there and no other existing track in the world compares to IMS) and may have remembered the '06 Indy 500 where Marco eased up in the last two turns because he felt he had it in the bank, allowing Sam Horinsh to pass, achieve his dream, then go have a record setting NASCAR career (as it relates to crashing, leading to Jimmie Johnson who never says anything bad about anything in public to constantly call him out in the media. that is like having the Pope call you a dumbass). Yes he gave it away, but in my personal ranking of "Driver Chokes in 2011", I have it well below David Ragan's restart error in the Daytona 500. Ragan wasn't new to Daytona or restrictor plate racing at all. Plus the restart rules are always the same. Hell, Carl Edward's half assed run towards Regan Smith in the last laps of the Southern 500 is probably more inexcusable. What do you guys think? 41. jensenators posted: 05.30.2011 - 12:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) looking at all the replays again i agree that when the caution flag came out wheldon was in front. what confused me is that from the turn 1 camera if you look at the end of the pit wall on the inside of the track, the yellow lights are on before weldon passed jr. but going by the flag weldon was in front. i was confused at what they used to determine when the field is frozen. i remember there being a truck race at daytona that jimmy spencer lost because when the lights came on he was behind bobby hamilton i believe and lost the race. either way, it was perhaps one of the best finishes in indy history with so many lead changes in the last 15 laps. 42. LittleAl posted: 05.30.2011 - 12:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I think JR made an understandable mistake given his situation. He is inexperienced at Indy (his first race there and no other existing track in the world compares to IMS)" He's run two Indy Lights races there. Plus all of the practice for those races. And the rookie tests. And they have 6 hours of practice every day for a week before they even qualify for the 500. A rookie is still a rookie, but he also had 199 laps of experience prior to that final lap. "and may have remembered the '06 Indy 500 where Marco eased up in the last two turns because he felt he had it in the bank, allowing Sam Horinsh to pass" If you think Andretti let up at all, you're crazy. Hornish was in a Penske car that sat on the pole, was fastest all month, and was a full 5 mph faster than Marco the final 2 laps of the race. That's not an exaggeration, their speeds measured that final lap were 219 to 214. He actually caught him on lap 199, but Marco put a mean block on him and it took a full lap for Hornish to recover and make another run. Marco was a sitting duck. He was blocking going into turn 3, there was no easing up at all. To insinuate that an Andretti sandbagged near the finish of an Indianapolis 500 with the lead and the checkers in sight, that's just....I mean you've heard of auto racing before right? Well there's this little race called the Indianapolis 500, and this family with the last name Andretti that has been racing there for 50 years... "What do you guys think?" This was a bigger choke. There is no guarantee that Ragan would have won that Daytona 500. Too much can happen in those races lap to lap, and he's not a driver who is guaranteed of winning anything based on his career. JR probably could have cut his engine in the short chute and cruised to this win. Even with hitting the wall and slowing down to less than 100 mph, Wheldon still only passed him with about 100 yards left to the finish line. 43. petty43 posted: 05.30.2011 - 1:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) does anybody have a list of who failed to qualify? awesome race finish just felt so bad for that kid but what an irony that both this race and the cup race had the national guard car fail to win in the fourth turn. 44. Schroeder51 posted: 05.30.2011 - 1:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #35-Hildebrand is not classified as "crash" because even though he hit the wall and knocked a wheel off, he still managed to take the checkered flag. 45. Talon64 posted: 05.30.2011 - 3:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He's run two Indy Lights races there. Plus all of the practice for those races. And the rookie tests. And they have 6 hours of practice every day for a week before they even qualify for the 500. A rookie is still a rookie, but he also had 199 laps of experience prior to that final lap." But it was also the first time he was in position to win an Indycar race period, let alone the Indy 500. And no amount of practice and testing compares to actual racing mileage, and it wasn't only 199 laps at Indy but 199 laps on an oval track in Indycar period. I think the guy deserves a break, it's amazing he was able to put himself in position to win the race in the first place and if Panther sticks with him I'm sure they'll contend for more wins down the road. 46. Cooper posted: 05.30.2011 - 3:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why didn't the car that was out of fuel take the access road in turns 3 and 4? That's what that road is for. You just don't stay in the low groove at 100MPH on the last lap with the leaders behind you. Pull out of the way. JR should have slowed down but that is risky as well. Just a tough position to be in, that really could've been avoided by the lapped car being more aware. 47. Talon64 posted: 05.30.2011 - 3:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dan Wheldon becomes the 9th driver to win multiple Indy 500's, picking up his 2nd career win, 3rd consecutive top 2 finish and 5th podium in 9 career Indy 500 starts. It's Wheldon's first win since Iowa in 2008, ending a career-worst 43 race winless drought where he had 4 runner-up finishes (2 of them at Indy). JR Hildebrand becomes the 3rd driver in Indy 500 history to be leading on the final lap of the race but fail to win (Marco Andrett in 2006, and ???). However, he does come away with his best career Indycar finish in 2nd, his first podium, first top 5 and 2nd top 10 in his 5th start. And obviously, Hildebrand is the Indy 500 ROTY. Graham Rahal made up the most positions from the start in the race, from 29th to 3rd. It's his best finish and first podium in 4 Indy 500 starts, and ties his best oval finish in Indycar. It's his 5th podium in 50 Indycar starts (2 of them this season and coming in the last 2 races). Tony Kanaan is now winless in 10 Indy 500 starts, but got his first top 10 since 2006 (19.75 avg fin in the last 4 races). Scott Dixon leads the most laps for the 3rd time in the last 4 Indy 500's, but only has 1 win to show for it. However, he did pick up his 6th consecutive top 6 finish (4.2 avg fin). Oriol Servia had his best start (3rd), finish (6th) and led his first laps (18) in the Indy 500 in his 3rd start. It's his 4th straight finish of either 5th or 6th overall this season. Bertrand Baguette gets his best career Indycar finish in 7th (just his 2nd top 10 and 4th lead lap finish in 16 starts), leading his first career laps in the series and at Indy. Tomas Scheckter gets just his 3rd top 10 in 10 Indy 500 starts and 1st top 10 in Indycar since a 9th at Homestead to finish 2009. AA teammates Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick each put up their worst career qualifying efforts at Indy (27th for Marco, 25th for Danica) but Marco got his 4th top 10 in 6 Indy 500's and Danica got her 6th top 10 and led her 2nd Indy 500 in 7 starts. Penske Racing had a horribly Indy 500, with their best finish being Will Power in 14th after he left pit lane with a loose wheel early in the race; Helio had a flat tire late and finished 17th while Ryan Briscoe got wrecked by Townsend Bell who cut down on him going into the corner. Pippa Mann finishes 20th in her Indycar and Indy 500 debut. Simona de Silvestro managed to qualify for the race in 24th despite an ugly crash in practice last weekend where he burnt her hands and the team had to use a chassis from 2003. Predictably enough she had to retire from the race due to handling issues, either from her burnt hands, her 2003 chassis or a combination. But a ton of credit to her just for being able to qualify in the first place, she's becoming one of my favorite race car drivers. 48. DaleSrFanForever posted: 05.30.2011 - 4:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Little Al, I'm gonna ignore your sarcastic insults (and not make any alcohol jokes) and discuss a few things. First off, I'm sorry for misremembering (copyright Roger Clemens) the '06 Indy 500. Seems like I remember somebody saying he messed up on the last lap, but that must have been something different. But my point about not wanting to life too much still stands. With the potential spedd differential like you mentioned, I think it is an understandable miscue. Secondly, I agree he messed up, made a bad mistake, and threw the race away. I just think, given the situation and his circumstances, it is less of a "What the hell was he thinking?" moment than a lot of other chokes. The example I compared it to was David Ragan's Daytona 500 miscue. "He's run two Indy Lights races there. Plus all of the practice for those races. And the rookie tests. And they have 6 hours of practice every day for a week before they even qualify for the 500. A rookie is still a rookie, but he also had 199 laps of experience prior to that final lap." I understand, but practicing is different than racing. Yes it wasn't the first time he ran in that corner, and it probably wasn't the first time he had to pass a lapped car there, but would you say it was still a fairly new experience for him? Also, would you say there is a big difference between a 40 lap Indy Lights race and THE Indianapolis 500? Would you say it would be more indefensible if Wheldon, a seasoned Indy vet, did the same thing? "There is no guarantee that Ragan would have won that Daytona 500." That is true, but I think he was in the best position. Trevor seemed more than happy to push him to the finish, and Trevor was the best pusher all day. Shoot, Jeff Gordon, somebody who openly dislikes bump drafting and being around rookies, wanted to work with Trevor and talked with him about before the race after being impressed by him in the qualifiers. All Ragan had to do was follow the same restart rules that have been in place forever and wait until he got to the line to pull in front of Trevor who was hanging back waiting for him. He didn't have to make that early move. I feel like he had the best odds given Trevor kept working with him at that point. "and he's not a driver who is guaranteed of winning anything based on his career" That is the damn truth. But then again, given the fact he is a rookie and hasn't had the chance to prove himself yet, you could say the same for JR at this point. Again, I'm speaking comparitively. "JR probably could have cut his engine in the short chute and cruised to this win. Even with hitting the wall and slowing down to less than 100 mph, Wheldon still only passed him with about 100 yards left to the finish line." But can you understand why he might have been afraid to slow up too much? 49. Anonymous posted: 05.30.2011 - 4:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Dan Wheldon becomes the 9th driver to win multiple Indy 500's, picking up his 2nd career win, 3rd consecutive top 2 finish and 5th podium in 9 career Indy 500 starts." Whoa, you're usually the Stat Master, but you're way off on that. The number is actually 18 drivers including Wheldon. AJ Foyt - 4 Al Unser - 4 Rick Mears - 4 Louis Meyer - 3 Wilbur Shaw - 3 Mauri Rose - 3 Johnny Rutherford - 3 Bobby Unser - 3 Helio Castroneves - 3 Tommy Milton - 2 Bill Vukovich - 2 Roger Ward - 2 Gordon Johncock - 2 Emerson Fittipaldi - 2 Al Unser Jr - 2 Arie Luyendyk - 2 Dario Franchitti - 2 Dan Wheldon - 2 50. LittleAl posted: 05.30.2011 - 5:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I understand, but practicing is different than racing. Yes it wasn't the first time he ran in that corner, and it probably wasn't the first time he had to pass a lapped car there, but would you say it was still a fairly new experience for him? Also, would you say there is a big difference between a 40 lap Indy Lights race and THE Indianapolis 500? Would you say it would be more indefensible if Wheldon, a seasoned Indy vet, did the same thing?" Those are all good points. Him being a rookie is a great excuse for his mistake. Even veterans make that mistake. I still think it's a choke, because at that point any driver in the field should have been able to bring it home with ease. But he shouldn't be given a hard time for it, because he's a rookie. It's not the biggest choke of all time, but it's up there with Indy's all time greatest mistakes. "That is the damn truth. But then again, given the fact he is a rookie and hasn't had the chance to prove himself yet, you could say the same for JR at this point. Again, I'm speaking comparitively." The different nature of these races makes it hard to compare. At Daytona the entire field is bunched up behind the leader, and you can't create much separation. Plus they still had a few laps to go. JR could literally see the checker flag waving, with a lead of several seconds. Indy is just a much more difficult track to race, especially in an Indy car. If you look at the video of JR's on board camera going into the final corner, you can hardly tell he did anything wrong. It's like the wall just jumps out and grabs him, but that's what can happen at 215 mph in those flat corners. He probably blinked, started thinking, "oh my god, I'm going to win the Indy 500" and that split second of missing his marks cost him the race. It's a choke, there's really no other word to describe it given the circumstances. Had Wheldon been right on his ass going into the corner, it would be different. But I agree people should be giving him a break because of how hard this race is to win, how it plays with even the best driver's heads, and how it can turn on you in an instant. I feel awful for the guy, I really do. 51. 00andJoe posted: 05.30.2011 - 5:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Failed to qualify: Ryan Hunter-Reay (#28), Raphael Matos (#17), Sebastien Saavedra (#34), James Jakes (#18), Scott Speed (#20), Mike Conway (#27), Ho-Pin Tung (#8) 52. petty43 posted: 05.30.2011 - 5:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) thanks 53. myothercarisanM535i posted: 05.30.2011 - 6:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I agree that we should lay off JR a little. Perhaps we should be congratulating him on finishing second in his first ever Indy 500 start. Well done buddy. 54. Bronco posted: 05.30.2011 - 7:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The telecast had an interesting piece with Charlie Kimball talking about the modifications made to his race car in order for him to manage his diabetes. "Yes he gave it away, but in my personal ranking of "Driver Chokes in 2011", I have it well below David Ragan's restart error in the Daytona 500. Ragan wasn't new to Daytona or restrictor plate racing at all. Plus the restart rules are always the same." When you watch the following video you'll probably change your mind. Ragan did the same thing that Kahne did in the duels, but got penalized while Kahne didn't. Given that the race rules are the same whether its a non points or points event, the ruling on Ragan just highlights NASCAR's inconsistency. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCwHnaDr-7Y Even if Ragan wasn't penalized, it's not like restarting a race at Daytona on the front row would have sealed the win for him. Look at what happened to Stewart on the final restart of the day. "But I agree people should be giving him a break because of how hard this race is to win, how it plays with even the best driver's heads, and how it can turn on you in an instant." I agree. Even a great like Emerson Fittipaldi crashed while leading in 1994 with the dominant car. 55. Smokefan05 posted: 05.30.2011 - 8:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I honestly don't know why IMS toke away the aapron that they track used to have. If the aapron was still there, JR wins. A friend of mine made that observation. 56. DaleSrFanForever posted: 05.30.2011 - 11:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good points Little Al. As I said, I definitely consider it a choke. And you are right, JR's shot at winning the Indy 500 if he makes that corner cleanly are 99%. If Ragan stays in his lane, I give him about a 60% shot at Daytona. And that might be generous. "Ragan did the same thing that Kahne did in the duels, but got penalized while Kahne didn't. Given that the race rules are the same whether its a non points or points event, the ruling on Ragan just highlights NASCAR's inconsistency." That's just NASCAR for ya. They have "selective rule enforcement" down to a science. But the rule has been around for a long time. I was watching a race on ESPN Classic from North Wilkesboro in 1988, and Dale Earnhardt got black flagged on the initial start for switching lanes prior to the line. So the rule has been there, but NASCAR, as usual, decides when they will and won't enforce it. Just like with all their other rules. 57. Ryan posted: 05.30.2011 - 11:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dan Wheldon only leads the last 100-200 yards and wins the race, amazing. 58. irony posted: 05.31.2011 - 12:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's easy to understand why J.R. did what he did. He needed the distance in case he ran out of fuel. Plus the momentum lost by backing off may of given Wheldon a chance. It was a bad move that was never going to work, but it was a split second decision in a butterfly moment that he didn't have time to evaluate. Ragan would of been the worst Daytona winner ever IMO. Mikey 2 peated so I give him credit, and Cope won later that year at a tough track. Ragan is just blah. 59. Anonymous posted: 05.31.2011 - 7:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Carpentier DNQ'd the #20 car 60. Mik Maq racer posted: 05.31.2011 - 10:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) TK should have won this race. 61. Talon64 posted: 05.31.2011 - 4:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "AJ Foyt - 4 Al Unser - 4 Rick Mears - 4 Louis Meyer - 3 Wilbur Shaw - 3 Mauri Rose - 3 Johnny Rutherford - 3 Bobby Unser - 3 Helio Castroneves - 3 Tommy Milton - 2 Bill Vukovich - 2 Roger Ward - 2 Gordon Johncock - 2 Emerson Fittipaldi - 2 Al Unser Jr - 2 Arie Luyendyk - 2 Dario Franchitti - 2 Dan Wheldon - 2" huh, I forget where I heard that there was only 9 multi-time winners but looks like that was wrong! Maybe they messed up between mult-time winners and 3 time winners since there's 9 of those. now i don't know why i believed that in the first place. 62. Anonymous posted: 05.31.2011 - 6:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "huh, I forget where I heard that there was only 9 multi-time winners but looks like that was wrong! Maybe they messed up between mult-time winners and 3 time winners since there's 9 of those. now i don't know why i believed that in the first place." Maybe you got confused since Wheldon became the 9th to win it 2 times. And like you said, there is also the 9 that have won more twice, so maybe someone said only 9 drivers have more 500 wins than Wheldon. Either way, I can see a 9 sneaking into your subconscious somewhere. Like I said, you're usually the Stat Master, so I wouldn't feel too bad about being wrong this one time. 63. Anonymous posted: 06.01.2011 - 7:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Let me reword myself... Patrick Carpentier DNQ'd the #20 car after Scott Speed was removed from the car. Speed did not run a qualifying lap and shouldn't be listed as a DNQ. Perhaps, though, if possible, this side could have a separate list for entries between the "Failed to Qualify" and the "Caution Laps" lists. That would be need due to the frequency of entries being pulled. 64. Anonymous posted: 06.01.2011 - 7:55 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Neat, not need 65. James W. McLaughlin posted: 06.01.2011 - 10:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow--when I saw JR Hildebrand snag the wall, I just about had a heart attack. YIKES! 66. Schroeder51 posted: 06.04.2011 - 1:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 4th fastest Indy 500 ever. 67. Talon64 posted: 06.06.2011 - 6:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dan Wheldon's the 6th driver in Indy 500 history to post 3 consecutive top 2 finishes in the race. Wilbur Shaw (1937-1940) holds the record for the most consecutive with 4 in a row (3 wins), while 5 others have had 3 in a row: Bill Holland (1947-1949), Al Unser (1970-72), Johnny Rutherford (1974-76), Helio Castroneves (2001-2003) and now Dan Wheldon (2009-2011). 68. Anonymous posted: 06.07.2011 - 6:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lowest starting position of an Indy 500 winner since Wheldon won in 2005 (he started 16th that day). Broke his own "record" of the last few years. 69. RaceFanX posted: 06.08.2011 - 3:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsors/Owners for DNQs (all cars were Dallara/Honda/Firestone)- Ryan Hunter-Reay- #28 DHL / Sun Drop Citrus Soda (Andretti Autosport) Raphael Matos- #17 Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. (AFS Racing) Sebastian Saavedra- #34 Bogota (Eric Bachelart) James Jakes- #18 Acorn Stairlifts (Dale Coyne) Scott Speed- #20 Fuzzy's Vodka (Dragon Racing) Mike Conway- #27 7-Eleven Hire Heroes (Andretti Autosport) Ho-Pin Tung- #8 Mouser.com (Dragon Racing) Patrick Carpentier- #20 Fuzzy's Vodka (Dragon Racing) When Speed and Carpentier both failed to get the #20 into the field due to wrecks Fuzzy's Vodka moved their sponsorship and white-and-black paint job over to Buddy Rice's #44 for the race. Rice practiced and qualified (in the fast nine shootout no less) driving an unsponsored orange car with white stripes before the deal came together. 70. b4il3y posted: 06.14.2011 - 3:53 am Rate this comment: (1) (1) Bottom Line: Fire Danica, Hire Dan. 71. cjs3872 posted: 06.14.2011 - 2:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If you look at the last two turns from abord Hildebrand's car, there was no way he wasn't going to crash. As fast as he was closing on Kimball (it was later revealed by Brian Barnhardt that his closing rate was a staggering 53 MPH), as well as where he caught him, he basically had three options, none of which was going to end up in victory. One was to slam on the brakes and risk spiining out and crashing. If he had chosen that option, Wheldon, who had closed to less than two seconds, would have caught and passed him if he had not spun out and crashed. The second would have been to lift, which would most likely have resulted in a crash similar to Mike Conway's crash on the final lap of the 2010 race, and probably would have put Hildebrand in the hospital with shattered legs and feet. The option he chose was the only one that could have ended up in victory, to go outside and tried to passed Kimball's disabled car. It didn't work and he crashed, but it was the only chance he had at winning. Also, not only did Wheldon become the sixth driver to post at least three consecutive finishes of first or second, as Talon64 mentioned, he also became just the fifth driver to win the race more than once and finish second more than once. He joined Wilbur Shaw (3 wins and 3 seconds), Rodger Ward (2 wins and 2 seconds), A.J. Foyt (4 wins and 2 seconds), and Al Unser, Sr. (4 wins and 3 seconds). Interstingly, Shaw's six top 2 finishes came in an 8-year stretch from 1933-'40 and Ward's came in a six year stretch from 1959-'64, in which he finished fourth or better each year. Because Foyt and Unser had much longer careers, their top 2 finishes were more spread out (19 years between Foyt's first and last and 21 years between Unser's first and last). 72. Anonymous posted: 08.24.2011 - 3:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dan Wheldon goes 2-for-2 in Indianapolis 500s led by Danica Patrick. Too bad she's off to NASCAR and thus Wheldon will never win the 500 again. ;) 73. 00andJoe posted: 08.29.2011 - 7:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ho-Pin Tung's DNQ needs to be linked to his driver page. 74. 18fan posted: 10.16.2011 - 7:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Unfortunately Wheldon will not be able to defend his win as he was tragically killed in an absolutely horrific crash at Las Vegas today. The Indy 500 will not feel the same without him because he was always a top contender to win. A huge loss for IndyCar racing. RIP Dan, you will be missed forever and you were an awesome driver. 75. AlmirolaFan88 posted: 10.16.2011 - 8:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dan Wheldon's 16th and final IZOD IndyCar Series win. Too sad. :( 76. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.03.2011 - 10:43 am Rate this comment: (3) (0) Posted the night of this race by me: "Congrats to Wheldon. The only bad thing about his winning is that we have to endure all these cheesy "Well-Done" articles. Just like '05." That always used to make me cringe everytime he won and every article would say "Whel-Done". But now I would give anything to see that again. 77. Rob posted: 04.20.2012 - 2:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just watched this race again recently. I had tears in my eyes when Wheldon crossed the line and was telling his wife how much he loved her. And the victory lane celebration oh my. ha ha. But in all seriousness its going to be hard seeing the #98 at Indianapolis and knowing Wheldon wont be in it. R.I.P Danny boy 78. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 05.27.2012 - 5:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Attendance: 300,000 79. schraderfan posted: 02.05.2013 - 4:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dario Franchitti went on a fuel saving strategy despite being the leader, which was actually the only way they could have won from that moment on. But they still couldn't make it to the end, even though other cars that pitted on that lap did. 80. Team Gordon posted: 04.14.2013 - 1:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #06 accident was in turn 3 not turn one. Marco used Dario's 2007 winning car in this race. 81. Anonymous posted: 12.09.2013 - 8:14 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) To Post 72 - You are right..... Im sure you didnt mean it like this way but wow you are right. 82. kidracer posted: 01.31.2016 - 1:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Still miss Danny Boy in the IRL. The Brits have been hit hard the last few years with the loss of Wilson as well. Dario, technically a Brit also retired from life treating injuries as well. All there is left is Jack Hawk 9000. 83. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 08.31.2016 - 4:38 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) First Indy 500 starts for J. R. Hildebrand, Charlie Kimball, Pippa Mann, and James Hinchcliffe. Only Indy 500 start for Jay Howard. Last Indy 500 starts for Dan Wheldon, Bertrand Baguette, Tomas Scheckter, Danica Patrick, Vitor Meira, Buddy Rice, Alex Lloyd, John Andretti, Davey Hamilton, and Paul Tracy. 84. that e-guy posted: 01.20.2017 - 2:15 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Trump was supposed to drive the pace car for this race, but backed out after facing criticism for questioning Obama's citizenship. 85. RaceFanX posted: 01.20.2017 - 6:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This ended up being Bertrand Baguette's final IndyCar race, his best career finish, and the only one he ever led. Amazing that Baguette came up just three laps short of winning the Indy 500 yet never got another shot. He moved into sports car, Super GT, and Super Formula racing. 86. Pacer posted: 01.20.2017 - 6:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The pace car for this Indy 500 was a white Chevrolet Camaro convertible with red stripe, a modernized version of the 1969 Camaro pace car. When future President Donald Trump was pulled out of driving it he was replaced by Indy 500 legend A.J. Foyt, a fitting change since this was part of the Brickyard's Centennial Era. 87. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 05.21.2017 - 2:39 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) No longer Howard's only Indy start, he's going to be competing in the 2017 500. That was why I was a bit apprehensive about going this far on to list drivers making their only and last 500 appearances-this is getting to the point where you could see some of those drivers return in the years to come. 88. yellowcat53 posted: 05.18.2018 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And now it is no longer Danica's last Indy 500 start. 89. TeamDCR fan posted: 05.18.2018 - 7:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I would not jump to conclusions before qualifying, because there is chance she could miss out 90. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 06.03.2018 - 1:41 am Rate this comment: (1) (1) Indeed this is no longer Danica's last start in the 500, 2018 now holds that distinction (unless she for some reason decides to pull a Mark Martin and show up again in 2019). 91. Josh Drake posted: 07.31.2018 - 10:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) What a shame. J.R. Hildebrand tries to build a career for himself and Charlie Kimball, who's not even competing for the victory, decides it's a wise idea to take up the bottom line and screw his entire entry into the corner up. How Kimball managed to hold on to his racing license after this event, I have no idea. This incident caused me to lose interest in IndyCar for a long while. It was utterly stupid and unnecessary. 92. Ryan posted: 07.31.2018 - 11:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've got mixed feelings on that. I kind of feel like you're right that Kimball probably should have just went in the warm up lane so he wouldn't be at the way. However, Hildebrand didn't have a lot of pressure behind him. Wheldon was behind him, but he had about a four second lead on him. He could have slowed down more while he was approaching Kimball. I can to this day say that I saw it coming as soon as I saw Kimball. I remember saying to my family while we were watching, "Oh no, he missed his turn". They're like what? Then he got in the "marbles" and hit the wall. I think had Hildebrand been more experienced he would have won the race. That being said Kimball could have went to the warm up lane or slowed down completely on the backstretch. Some one should have made him aware. 93. Wil posted: 08.01.2018 - 1:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Alright saying he was already in the corner when he made the pass was an overstatement, but the lapped car CLEARLY held his line the whole time and gave him the entire freaking racetrack to pass. Hildebrand could have geared down and coasted to the line and still won, his lead was so massive. But for some reason he tried to explode out of the corner and just ran up into the wall. 94. Wil posted: 08.01.2018 - 1:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @91 Complain all you want. Hildebrand just choked. Just watched the replay again because I hadn't in a while, and yep, it's pretty simple. He was basically clear of the lapped car by the time he entered the corner and wrecked himself on exit. I don't like using the word choke, but this was just a choke job that will live on in infamy. I'll never forget where I was when I saw this live and knew I would always remember it. 95. RaceFanX posted: 05.19.2019 - 3:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Driver Change Listing: #41 Bruno Junqueira- ABC Supply Co. (owned by A.J. Foyt) For the second time in three years Junqueira put his one-off entry for the 500 in the field only to get replaced by a series regular who failed to qualify. The Andretti Autosport team was just lacking speed in practice and qualifying this year. While Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick found just enough to make the race, starting at the back of the field, series regulars Ryan Hunter-Reay and Mike Conway both shockingly missed the field. Conway came into Indy hot off his first-ever IndyCar win at the Long Beach Grand Prix and was to run a special "Hire Heroes" paint scheme as the Andretti team was to reunite for this one with former sponsor 7-Eleven before he missed the grid. DHL and Sun Drop were new sponsors to IndyCar at the time and the decision was made get them into the 500 with Hunter-Reay by buying out Foyt's #41 entry. The driver change was accompanied by a new paint scheme as the previously retro solid orange #41 gained a yellow DHL stripe and Sun Drop decals for the race itself. 96. RaceFanX posted: 02.19.2020 - 10:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The #98 car Wheldon drove to victory in this race would be crashed at Texas later in the season by Wade Cunningham. It was repaired afterward and restored to its William Rast livery from this race, now becoming a fixture on display in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. 97. SweetRich posted: 02.29.2020 - 6:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The commentators for the race were Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever. The pit road reporters were Jerry Punch, Vince Welch, Jamie Little and Rick DeBruhl. 98. PCRF0006 posted: 05.16.2020 - 11:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Number Correction Bruno Junqueira drove car number 41. 99. BOBO83329521 posted: 07.14.2020 - 10:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) One year removed from his final NASCAR start in the 2010 Daytona 500, John Andretti makes his final Indy 500 start and finishes 22nd. 100. Rich posted: 12.23.2020 - 6:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The studio host was Brent Musburger. 101. LarsonDixonLine posted: 01.04.2021 - 8:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @webmaster Owner for Jay Howard's #88 should be Sam Schmidt, shortly after the E.J. Viso crash during the broadcast it showed Sam Schmidt as the owner of the 77, 88, and 99 (and again during other instances in the race when he was shown) Just watched this race for the first time since seeing it live nearly a decade ago. Shame to see that as of this posting that J.R. Hildebrand would never truly come that close to winning a race again. But, being a Wheldon fan at the time this race will always be special. What a day that Memorial Day 2011 was between the 500 and the 600. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: