Wheldon wins his second Indianapolis 500

In the 100 years of the Indianapolis 500, few endings have provided as much drama as this year’s race as rookie JR Hildebrand crashed in the final turn of the final lap of the 500 mile race—ultimately yielding Dan Wheldon this year’s champion.

Entering the final lap, Wheldon was in second place behind Hildebrand, who had an almost four second lead on.

As Hildebrand entered the final turn, he lost control of his car and crashed into the outside barrier, sliding all the way to the finish line two seconds behind Wheldon for a second place finish.

Hildebrand, who is on Team Panther and is sponsored by the National Guard, said the loss is not devastating on a personal level, but instead is more disappointing for his team.

“Maybe down the road it will turn into a personal thing that I’ll just be pissed off at myself for not doing whatever,” Hildebrand said. “In the end, it’s really more about the people, for me at least, this team has worked so hard, it’s such an integral part of being here at Indianapolis and being successful at Indianapolis, that’s really where the sort of heartbreak is for me right now.”

Wheldon, who won the Indy 500 in 2005, started the race in the 6th position and gradually worked his way through the field. In lap 177, Wheldon made his final pit stop of the race, in hope of stretching his fuel enough to the finish line.

“On the radio with 20 to go, they said, ‘Listen, this is the deal. Some people are going to try and make it on fuel and you’re one of the guys who can make it till the end, but you’ve got to go and make sure you get everything out of the car that you possibly can,’” Wheldon said.

Heading into the final lap, Wheldon admitted that he did not have time to think about his emotions of possibly falling short in second place.

“Right up until the point that I passed JR, I was so focused,” Wheldon said. “It was one of those races where it was so competitive that you just had to be on your game.”

Through the agony of defeat striking Hildebrand, Wheldon was able to become the winner of the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, but the champion said that a wreck like Hildebrand’s could happen to anyone.

“That’s what’s great about Indianapolis. It happened to me in 2006, where I dominated the race and got a flat tire with about 20 laps to go,” Wheldon said. “It’s obviously unfortunate, but it’s Indianapolis. That’s why this is the greatest spectacle in racing, you never know what will happen.”

Wheldon, whose contract with Bryan Herta Autosport ends at midnight, said he hoped that his win second win at the Indy 500 will help him move into full time driver’s spot.

“I knew that when I started this race that I wanted to do everything in my power to deliver a win, not just myself but for such a great group of people,” Wheldon said. “The people that form this team and the relationships that we have all bonded quickly, it has been really good—a Cinderella story.”