Despite the heat, the crowds were as impressive as ever. It was the 2nd hottest Indy 500 on record. Staying well hydrated was key for drivers, crews, fans, and especially photographers!
There were a number of complaints about passing (or the lack thereof) at Indy this year. First of all, blame Always Bad Coverage for missing a ton of passes on track (like this one here). Not only was there still plenty of passing, but we even saw passing in the corners! The new aerokit made it harder to pass, but watching the drivers battle it out and plan their attack for multiple laps was very satisfying.
Will Power was an utter rocket. He spent the entire race in the top five. He was going to win this thing or crash trying.
I really thought Helio Castroneves was going to finally get his fourth 500 win this year. He’s been fast all month and while he didn’t qualify as well as he wanted, this 500 was going to be about experience and patience. With the high heat, keeping on top of the track changes throughout the day was going to be the key to winning. Helio knows how to do that, so that should have given him a big advantage. Unfortunately, the car got away from him and he ended up in the Turn 4 wall.
Another Indy 500 came and went with Sage Karam climbing out of a crashed racecar. At least it looked damn good before getting balled up into the wall.
Tony Kanaan was my other pick for a potential winner. He befell the same fate as Castroneves. He did lead for a short period, marking the first time an AJ Foyt car has lead the Indy 500 in nearly 20 years.
