By: Tyler Ward
The 100th Indianapolis 500 certainly lived up to expectations.
With thousands of fans standing in the blistering heat for the track's one-hundredth race, everyone was hoping to see their favorite driver drink the forever-famed glass of milk in victory lane.
Before the race even started, headlines soared across the media.
Among the headlines, none surrounded more than Danica Patrick. Patrick, looking to become the first woman to ever win the 500-mile race, barely got into the event on qualifying time. This would be her seventh try at the elusive win, with her previous best finish being third.
Helio Castroneves was looking to become the fourth four-time winner of the event, behind A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, and Al Unser.
Castroneves started 16th and had a sub-par car throughout the entire race. He did not lead a single lap in the year's biggest race and finished 17th for team owner Roger Penske.
Scott Dixon practically dominated the race, leading for a race-high 73 laps, but the former winner wounded up fifth.
Gas turned out to be an issue at the race, with numerous drivers trying to figure out if they could make it to the end on fuel.
That's where rookie J.R. Hildebrand comes in, a driver that seemingly came out of nowhere to take the lead with less than ten laps go.
With an overwhelming lead over former winner Dan Wheldon, Hildebrand paced around the track, attempting to conserve his fuel.
Next thing he knew, he was crossing the finish line, taking the white flag, meaning one more lap to go and he would supplant himself in the history books.
Hildebrand took turns 1, 2, and 3 with ease and there was just one more turn to go.
The only thing that stood in his way was fellow rookie Charlie Kimball.
Kimball, a non-factor in the race, was being closed in on by Hildebrand. With Kimball on the inside, Hildebrand attempted to pass him on the outside.
Trying the clear the turn, Hildebrand's hopes quickly vanished. He slammed the wall coming out of the turn and started coasting towards the finish line.
But Wheldon was still reasonably close and passed the rookie narrowly before the bricks.
The Englishman won his second Indianapolis 500, only to the dismay and heartbreak of the rookie J.R. Hildebrand.
Wheldon led only one lap of the centennial race, and it was by far the most important one.
After realizing that he had lost the race, Hildebrand climbed out of his car in disappointment.
"This team [Panther Racing] deserved to win today," Hildebrand said. "I felt I owed it to them. It's just a bummer. I had a few choice words for myself in the car."
Wheldon and Hildebrand took the top two spots. Graham Rahal, Tony Kanaan, and Scott Dixon rounded out the top five.
Oriol Servia and Bertrand Baguette placed in sixth and seventh, respectively. Tomas Schekter, Marco Andretti, and Danica Patrick finished out the top ten.
Last year's winner Dario Franchitti finished 12th after leading 51 laps. Former winner and Hildebrand's teammate, Buddy Rice, came in 18th after becoming a non-factor throughout the entire race.
Paul Tracy, who many think was robbed of a win in the big race earlier in the decade, came in 25th and was 25 laps down.
Ryan Briscoe, who many thought would win the race, did not finish the race after a wreck sidelined him. He finished 27th.
The pole-sitter, Alex Tagliani, also did not finish the race and came in 28th.
The entire race was seemingly unjust, as most of the "super teams" such as Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing, and Andretti Autosport failed to live up to their expectations for the race.
Although two of the top-five finishers were part of Ganassi Racing (Rahal and Dixon), the rest of the top ten were mostly "underdog" teams.
Wheldon, driving for Bryan Herta Autosport, is currently still looking for a ride and the team was only funding enough for the Indianapolis 500 alone.
Last year's winner Franchitti was disappointed that he fell off at the end of the race, saying, "I'm surprised I can actually find a smile here. But when I saw Dan and Bryan and those guys with everything that Dan's been through and the way Bryan started a new team, it's a great [consolation]."
"If it wasn't for Wheldon winning here, I wouldn't go out tonight," Franchitti continued. "But since he's buying the beers, I'm definitely going out."
Perhaps one of the most emotional scenes ever in victory lane, Wheldon was choked up for words. He laughed. He cried. He smiled. Everything.
His car owner, Bryan Herta, was just as emotional. Many said that they had never seen Herta that excited when he saw his driver cross the finish line.
"Dan is the best driver at Indy, probably ever," Herta said, which is by far an exaggeration.
"What Dan did for us was bring an attitude and belief that we could win this race," Herta said. "On paper, we really had no business believing that. But Dan believed it so strongly he made us believe it."
"I think there could be some opportunities created for us to continue," Herta said. "I'm sure that Dan will get some opportunities, and my hope is we'll be able to work together later this year."
Wheldon's contract with Herta expired at midnight and Wheldon is currently looking for a job. It's hard to believe that a two-time winner of the Indy 500 cannot find a ride, but one should open up for one of the best drivers in the open-wheel series.
Herta said that he planned to have a full-time ride available in 2012, but does not know if he'll race the rest of the season. Wheldon sure wants to drive, however.
"I'm unemployed. I'm unemployed," Wheldon said the day after capturing the checkered flag. "I'm sure Bryan will do everything he can to keep me in a race car, but Bryan is an astute businessman, too."
But I'm sure we all know that Wheldon will eventually find a ride and challenge for next year's race, too.
