Indy 500 Finishes With Fireworks

It will go down as one of the wildest finishes in IndyCar history. In a fitting end to the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500, Dan Wheldon took the checkered flag in dramatic fashion at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It didn't look good for Wheldon heading into the final lap. The British driver trailed American rookie JR Hildebrand by a fairly wide margin with the finish line in sight. What happened next stunned not only the hundreds of thousands of fans in attendance, but the scores of people watching the event at home on TV.



All Hildebrand had to do was make a pass of fellow rookie Charlie Campbell on the final turn of the final lap and he would be home free, but it wasn't meant to be. Hildebrand took the turn too wide and crashed his car into the wall wrecking the right side of the vehicle and destroying his chances of making a visit to the winner's circle. He was close enough to the end that his mangled mess of a car still slid across the finish line, but unfortunately the crash caused his #4 car to slow down enough for Wheldon to maneuver ahead and cross first.

HIldebrand had to settle for second which is still extremely impressive for a rookie, but is little consolation to a 23-year-old kid that had a shot at ultimate glory. Drinking the traditional winner's milk jug, making an appearance on the Tonight Show, earning the cover of Sports Illustrated...all of that went down the drain in a matter of seconds. The only way you don't feel for the guy is if you have no soul. Sure, Hildebrand said all the right things afterwards, but years from now he's only going to remember one thing. What could have been. For his sake, I hope he comes back and wins the race sometime in the near future. Until then, this crash will sadly define his career.

by Andy Adamson